Author: Kerri

Small House Living

21 Feb, 2012

Trapped

Sunday was one of those picture-perfect days here in the Ozarks, for February anyway.

It was sunny and warm, between 55-60 degrees by afternoon.

Dale and I took the dogs out on the deck and we all soaked up the sun for awhile and then he decided to head down the hill to bank fish.

He came home later with a report, “No luck fishing, but there was a reason I was supposed to be down there.”

We had been hearing boats all weekend, not unusual on a nice weekend and certainly not unusual this time of the year as the spring fishing tournaments on the big lakes begin.

Dale said when he got down to our cove, Sade Sue, our pittie who warned me of the strange truck in our driveway a few weeks back, started acting sheepish and walking slowly by Dale’s side, a sure sign something’s amiss.

Then he saw an empty boat on the bank. He was curious, it isn’t unusual for hunters to come on the shore during rifle season, but that season is over.

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Small House Living

16 Feb, 2012

A Dozen Other Places Doesn’t Exist in a Small Home

Photo Courtesy of Mother Earth News, by Kevin Pieper

One thing that is hard about living in a small house is trying to explain to people just how small 480-square feet really is.

Yesterday, a new friend of Living Large on our Facebook page, wrote in response to seeing Dale’s potting table creation: “Great job; now see if you can interest him in making another one, perhaps narrower, to go behind your couch! Or any of another dozen places!”

After I finished LOL at the phrase, “Or any of another dozen places,” I wrote that there isn’t room for one more stick of furniture in Our Little House.

In response, another friend wrote: “Do you have an island for the kitchen area?”

Another LOL. Yes, it’s called the sofa (which doubles as a pull out bed for guests)!

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Small House Living

14 Feb, 2012

Valentine’s Day Memories of Love

Ok, I’ve always been a sucker for Valentine’s Day, that quasi-made-up holiday that drives consumerism and helps greeting card companies.

When you’ve been with someone for 33 years and married for nearly 26, you know part of the deal is sharing and expressing appreciation for that love more than one day a year, but Valentine’s Day does give a foundation to help support that love.

Watching the snow fall yesterday, I was thinking of the most memorable Valentine’s Day, which was the first one we were together.

It was 1980, I was a sophomore in high school and Dale had already graduated and was working full time.

He wooed me a lot back then by surprising me with gifts and he outdid himself on Valentine’s Day by having a dozen roses sent to my high school.

Nothing earned the “best boyfriend” envy of other girls in my school more than seeing me get roses, delivered to my French class by the office secretary (who happened to be Dale’s aunt).

The second most memorable had to be the heart shaped waffle maker he bought me sometime after we married, one I still use here at Our Little House.

The next Valentine’s Day that sticks out in my mind is the one five years ago, when my mother was in the hospital.

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Tiny House Accessories

9 Feb, 2012

The Potting Table at Our Little House

 

 

This one’s for you, Cal! Dale’s potting/utility table

 

Sorry for the absence, we have been busy at Our Little House getting taxes ready (yuck), working (would rather be playing, but having work is good), Dale’s been fighting a cold (double yuck) and we’ve been dealing with Abbi’s injury and Molly’s heart problem (triple yuck).

Perhaps it’s the distractions or tiring of the cold weather – I can’t call it Cabin Fever this year as it hasn’t been that cold – but it is winter and not spring or summer, but my mind hasn’t been too creative with regards to coming up with posts for Living Large.

I would rather give you substance rather than drivel, so I decided to take a couple of weeks off. I intended on replacing written posts this week with some photos I thought you would enjoy, but the week got away.

When a couple of people in our community contacted me this week to make sure we were still alive and kickin’ here at Our Little House, I realized I needed to get it in gear.

Thank you so much for your concern, I truly love you all!

This first photo is for Cal, especially, who wanted to see a photo of the potting/utility table Dale built from scrap pieces of pallet wood.

I’ll be back Tuesday with more photos, I promise!

What do you think of Dale’s first table?

Small House Living

2 Feb, 2012

Busy Bees at Our Little House

I want to thank all of our Living Large readers who nominated Living Large for a Bloggie. Sadly, Living Large didn’t make it into the finals, but oh, well.

I still think we have a great thing going here and definitely you, our community, makes it a winner in my book.

It’s been a terribly busy week. I will be back next Tuesday, February 7 with more thoughts from Our Little House.

Small House Living

31 Jan, 2012

Days and Lives Change on a Dime. Is This Ever a Good Thing?

We all know that life can turn on a dime, but when I hear people say that it is usually not due to some stroke of good fortune, but something we perceive as a challenge.

Take yesterday at Our Little House, I had my day all planned and it began on a good note.

I let the dogs out and got to work early. The sun came up and it promised to be a gorgeous, 65+ degree day with a wind, perfect for doing laundry.

And then, well, everything went south or turned on a dime, as they say.

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In the Kitchen/Recipes

26 Jan, 2012

Comfort Food Includes Lasagna at Our Little House

I love spring and summer for the weather and the bounty of fresh vegetables available, but I love winter for the comfort food dishes.

When I was a kid, I always knew when it was vegetable soup night as I could smell it as soon as I stepped on our front stoop after getting off of the school bus.

My mother was a huge Italian food fan, particularly spaghetti and lasagna and one of my favorite recipes is a variation of her lasagna recipe, which I’ve modified from a big pan to a pan for two.

The recipe gives us four pieces, one each for dinner and one each for our lunches the next day.

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Small House Living

24 Jan, 2012

Woodworking, Rural Home Invaders and Coyotes

Dale is doing more with wood than stacking it these days

 

We had an interesting weekend at Our Little House.

Dale is getting into woodworking, so we spent part of the weekend going to the Big Box hardware stores where he could find the tools he needed to start a project he’s been yearning to do since we moved.

He’s wanted to build a utility table for the deck, one I could use as a potting table and that we could also use when we’re cooking outdoors.

He received some money and gift cards for Christmas, so he purchased some woodworking tools and went to work.

And he did an awesome job, although he didn’t want me to take any photos of it. He built it out of old pallets he had stored from our move, so it isn’t very pretty, but it is sturdy and functional.

A hobby for eventual retirement? Definitely.

A potential source of second income? If he continues on this track, most definitely. I hope he maintains his interest.

It was certainly great seeing him so content working in his garage on Sunday and then rushing home from work Monday night to get back at his table.

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