A Little Stint In Livin' Large

Avoiding one another at the big house...

This past week, Dan and I did some house-sitting for his parents while they enjoyed a vacation on the West coast.


Lucky ducks! They picked quite a great week to get the heck outta here! We got more snow dumped on us and some of the coldest temps and strongest wind chills I've seen since living in RI. While we were happy to help and allow Dan's rents to go off on vacation worry free, I was surprised at how much I would rather have been home!

It's hard to explain- I just felt kind of drained staying in such a large space. I'm big about energy; each of us and every space we inhabit carries energy. I almost felt like my energy was diluted by the space. There were rooms we never visited, except to clean. It might sound silly to some, but I think others living in tiny houses would understand. There's a certain loveliness about being in a space that is efficient, multi-functional, and specifically suited to my interests and needs. I truly have embraced this way of living, and after this week at a large traditional house, I wonder how I will adjust when we inevitably move on to a larger (not by much!) traditional space. 


Despite the unlimited electricity and internet, the running water and fully equipped bathrooms, the appliances like the microwave and dishwasher...none of it swayed me. I still, unequivocally prefer The Pod. No doubt, other challenges of the week helped this along. Due to our current pickle with our propane tank, we are still rotating 20 pounders that last typically 3 days. WELL- with this ridiculous weather- the cold and the wind- those tanks went a lot faster, resulting in me having to visit our house nearly every other day while managing a larger house too. Twice that week, I returned to the Pod to find that the tank had run dry and house was quickly approaching outdoor temps. One day it was 32, the next time it was 36. I was not a happy camper. Half of my plants died, and thanks to the winds, the small, yet long, path leading up to our house was nearly non-existent. 

Wading through snow up to your hips in the whipping wind, only to find your house is barely warmer than the outdoors can be quite trying. Those who know me, know how much I love my plants, so that was particularly upsetting. On top of this juggling act, we adopted a second bunny named Walter the week before. We got him from this great little rabbit rescue place called Sweet Binks. But the bonding process met a few hitches.

One of Deek's tiny structures at the RI Flower and Garden Show

Bonding bunnies can be a tricky task, and it's not always a quick or consistent process either. Hauling our basic clothing/bathing/food needs over to the big house for the week was cumbersome enough, then add on the crates, the food, the litter boxes, etc for two rabbits. Sheesh! Had me feeling like we need to downsize our crap yet again! The switch in environments also caused some havoc for the bunnies. The progress they made towards being friends seemed to back track in the new unknown environment. We had some scuffles and I worried for a moment that maybe this bonding wouldn't work. 

Annnnd one more thing to add on to the week of challenges- I arrived at the difficult, yet exhilarating decision to leave my current job. It is a very demanding travel job, that was quite a ways from where I live. I've come to face the fact that this job was not going to take me in the direction I ultimately want my life to go. It doesn't align with my passions, nor leaves me much time or energy to pursue my passions. Thanks to the tiny house and the financial changes we have made in day to day habits, I have the breathing room to make a decision towards improving my chances at career happiness. Although I don't have any particular leads as of yet, I find myself excited and rejuvenated in ways I didn't think possible, simply by choosing to leave behind something that did not make me happy. I know I want to eventually end up owning my own business, but I'm realistic and know it will start as a part time venture.

Best buds back at home... :)

Another of Deek's "relax shacks"

So, all in all, it's been quite a week! But it concluded in the best way possible! We returned home, settled back in, and it was like the bunnies flipped a switch and are back to being calm snuggle buddies once again. PHEW. Then we decided to head on over to the RI Flower and Garden Show, and as luck would have it, we showed up just early enough to catch Deek's presentation. Meeting Deek (of Relax Shacks) was awesome, and I am so pumped to make one more connection in the tiny house world. He even asked if we would like to come hang out at his next workshop in May! Conveniently, it's just 15 minutes from where we live. What! We might even speak a little about our experience as full on off-grid tiny house dwellers. AWESOMENESS

It's Deek! EEE!

I also checked my email to find a sneak peak at the Rhode Island Monthly Magazine feature of us and the photos are so great. I cannot wait to officially share with you all! WEE!

And with that--Thanks for reading!
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Green house out of recycled soda bottles! 

Annnnnd We're Back!

One of many TH inspired pieces of decor. :)

What an amazing whirlwind!

The past couple weeks have been jam-packed with wonderfulness. Major milestones, long time friends uniting, and more. As many of you know- Dan and I GOT MARRIED on the 10th! Wooo!
It was nothing short of surreal. Every bit of it was perfect- (well I was a little late and had to rush through photos, but I have every confidence that the photographer got some great stuff!) everyone could not stop gushing about the decor, the ceremony, and I must say- I felt like some kind of celebrity. :) I was greeted with gasps as people saw me for the first time- and that elevated me to a level somewhere well beyond bliss. I wanted to look unforgettable that day, as I married the most amazing man I've ever known, and I think that was accomplished. ;)

One of the outdoor bouquets. 

Another milestone that kind of got glossed over in the chaos- October 1st marked one full year of living in the Pod! It's hard for us to believe most days. It still feels like we just got ourselves moved in. Even a year later, we are still working out different details. Where to best store things, how to manage the mess (I think we need to invoke a no shoes policy) and of course, we are still working on that dang siding. It has taken a backseat over the past few months, but we need to do something to protect and seal it before winter! 

A phone camera shot from later in the night- I'm sporting my reception dress here. 

Another, slightly less related event, after returning from my wedding, I also went back to work at our brand new office building and I LOVE IT. Not only did they purchase and renovate (not wreck) a building, but the place, like all our other offices is beautiful, inspiring, and full of art. But that's not even the best part! With this new building, they are putting their green initiative into full swing. 




No trash cans at every desk! No throw away containers in the cafeteria! Centralized recycling stations every 15 desks or so. And an AWESOME fitness center! There are some whiners already. God forbid you have to get up and walk 20 feet or so to throw something away. We all need to move more! It makes sense! Our brains, our bodies, all work better when we move more throughout the day. Not to mention we are choosing to be responsible and respectful of the ONLY HOME WE HAVE. I hope all the initiatives stick.

EEEEEEEE!!!

REAL DISHES- no more plastic salad containers!

Okay, so maybe this conference isn't so bad. Roof top pool!

I am writing to you all, as I sit in my hotel in Phoenix. Yes, not even a week after being wed, I am off on a four day conference. I thought it would be fine, and in reality it is- I'll live, but being away from my hubby the very next weekend kind of sucks. And I lose a weekend of working on house stuff.  (I left early Saturday morning.)

You can see the top right corner still unsanded.
The whole wall looked like that. :/

But Dan is still home and was very enthused about putting in some serious hours while I was away. We have plenty to do- no surprise there. We have to clean up the siding that has been weather beaten and started to gray over the last couple months. It's been a sore spot for us both, each time we pull into our driveway and see the once pretty blonde siding all mucky and black/gray. Over Saturday and Sunday, Dan was able to sand the full end wall of our house. I am elated. It was weighing on us both, and I can't wait to get home and see it myself!

Perhaps a more immediate need is to install the direct vent propane heater we recently purchased. Since we are moving to solar power, electric heat in the winter is a definite no go. There is less sun, less power, and it just wouldn't make any sense! We hee'd and haw'd over propane versus a wood stove, and although we both really love and prefer the wood stove, we had to be sensible. First- the TRULY American companies I found that produce quality stoves in a size we can use are all back ordered until the spring- second, any stoves that were available required safety dimensions that just would not work for us. If the stove has to be at least 3 feet from everything, it would be smack in the middle of our main floor! Nope. 

The second aspect of wood stoves for tiny houses is the fact that they are a lot of work. Not just cutting, splitting, and hauling wood into the house or cleaning up the ash on a regular basis, but the fact that a stove that small can only hold so much wood. Finding the perfect placement of the flue can help with how fast the wood burns, but lets face it, if you have two tiny logs that are 15 inches long, they will only burn for so long.  We would need to be able to tend the stove every hour at least, and since we both have full time schedules, that's not a possibility. I grew up with wood heat and loved it. The kind of heat produced from wood stoves is unparalleled, and I like that it was very DRY heat. We are worried about the moisture loads we dealt with last year (only two or three instances) and the idea of wood heat drying that place right out was nice. But then I thought about our lungs. My parents had two huge humidifiers going at all times, and even a cast iron kettle full of water on top of the stove. We have neither the space nor the power considerations to handle this....so propane it is.

We still have not given up on the idea- maybe later on, if we find a great stove that can hold its own throughout the day, or one of us can be around or close enough to stop in and tend the stove, we would consider it. 

Next up after the stove install is solar power. We have set the panels to the correct angle, collected all the parts we need (I hope), dug the trench for the power line leading up to the house, and now we just need to suck it up and hook it up. I will be reviewing the schematics when I have free moments throughout this week.

Well that's all for now! I have to get ready for day two of the conference, but I promise we will get back in the swing of regular posts!

Thanks for reading!
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