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I haven't written in so long and I really do want to put more here on my blog but being blessed with 4 little ones who are still small and pregnant tired and sick does cause a bit of a motivational obstacle. I however am feeling motivated due to encouraging someone who was discouraged about there small home, which was much bigger then ours. I think we've done pretty good learning to live and be content and happy in our current home. It wasn't always this way. There was a time that this 800 sq ft seemed it would drive me to insanity. that's before I learned to think outside the box. Or maybe more accurately figured out just how much is hiding inside that box.
Let me give you a little tour of our Haven and home. It is in no way conventional, but in every way it works. Almost, something needs to be tweaked with the bathroom situation there was a time where we had no other option but to put a toddler to pea in the bathroom sink while an older brother pead down the tub drain because someone else was doing something else in the big toilet. So that's a little gross and only happened once but even then there is bleach and I've learned how to use it. Certainly this situation isn't ideal but it is not a crisis.
When you enter our homes on most day you will be greeted by the smell of dinner in the crock pot as I do not have an oven, I have two burners and a mini fridge. I have learned that many things people refrigerate don't have to be. Potatoes, onions, apples, garlic, some things can last a couple days oranges, carrots, celery, grapefruits, raisins, green and red peepers, tomatoes. So when you look at our kitchen you will see many baskets and really I think the affect is quite charming. Walking in our front door you walk right where we sleep, there is a toddler mattress propped against the wall for evening time when we lay it down where our 2yr. old Shepherd sleeps with us. We have two little tuck away spaces in our small sleeping area for when older children have bad dreams. One is under the large entertainment center we have taken the doors off and it stays bare the other is on top of a end table turned sitting bench we added cushion. This area was once the entrance way to a downstairs. There is a big arch and one step into the rest of our space. When you step down this step you see empty space with large gymnastic mats. Two drawers of whole made blocks and one small box of toys. In the window sill two cardboard boxes with school activity learning books, a small toy box with dress up clothes, and one large clset full of all children s church clothes and extra toys in plastic containers. Things like legos, magnetic alphabet pieces... After that you find a fold up recline chair with a massage pad for Papa. against the farthest end of our house you will see an L shaped counter top witch my husband built a frame for. We use this for both the adult and children s computer. It is also our table there where a few other matching pieces that were salvaged and he made legs for them also. The bigger one slides under the main L counter and is pulled out when needed. Every meal, for craft time or devotions... in the corner is my mini kitchen a tall bar with a few cupboards. My little fridge the shelve above it my husband built. Our bahtroom which is also our clothes closet and stores the family dressers. We have painted in a wall of chalk board for school and a chalk board inside of the clothes closet. we are about to add another that will also be magnetic. The children s bedroom is 7 ft. by 10 ft. it is only a partial wall and holds a set of bunk beds and a play house with a bed on top where our son sleeps. The open wall has a large book shelf. Our 3 oldest sleep in this room together. Our 3 yr. old daughter is afraid to sleep alone so both girls sleep in the top bunk, so moving Shepherd into the big kids room shouldn't be to hard. The bottom bunk is empty. Then the new baby will take over the toddler mattress. After that we may have to look into building a loft. I'm truly hoping by then we will be in a new home but if not....
