"Love Grows Best in Little Houses"

"A little white house, in the heart of town,
On a little, sad street, just a little run down..."

After we finished our French toast with bananas and applesauce, I was washing the breakfast dishes, and I told Bridger I had read a quote that said when you live in a small house, you can't just put things DOWN, you have to put them AWAY. Our house is quite tiny, and we are discovering that it's still easy to misplace things if we don't put things where they should go. 

When I completed the 40 Bags in 40 Days Decluttering Challenge a few days early, I determined that the way to avoid needing to de-clutter my new house was to keep up the good habits of only buying what we needed, and only keeping what we used and loved, and putting things away when we're done with them.

It took us all weekend to move. We loaded our furniture and boxes into trucks, trailers, and cars, and drove from one county to the next. ("Lift that barge, tote that bale...") What would I have done without the help of my kids and the local folks who did all of that heavy lifting?

Doug Stone's YouTube Video: "Little Houses"

"This place is pretty small."

I had to gather my belongings from two spacious homes, pare them down, and move everything my son and I owned into a 900 square foot home. I was so worried I would miss all of the space, and the storage, and the spacious rooms of the other homes. Not surprisingly, the song I kept humming in the back of my mind was Doug Stone's country song, "Little Houses." 

The chorus goes like this:

"But you know, love grows best in little houses,  

With fewer walls to separate,Where you eat and sleep so close together. 

You can't help but communicate, Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss. 

Love grows best, in houses just like this."

The original adobe house consisted of two rooms and a bathroom. The first family who lived there required their children to walk out around to the side of the house, and climb a ladder up to their bedroom door outside. We no longer use that "room," which was nothing more than glorified attic space. Later, the adobe was covered with asbestos siding. (You can imagine how thrilled I am to know we're covering the asbestos with new vinyl siding!)

Later two small bedrooms were added across the back of the house. The door casings between and into the bedrooms barely skim the top of my head. We joke that the addition was built for hobbits. 

"This place is really, really small."

It was no laughing matter when it came time to move the one piece washer/dryer unit through the narrow door openings, and low archway from the kitchen into the hallway. There were so many right angle turns that had to be made, and height to be taken into account. My boys and daughter-in-law were giving it their best shot, and I disappeared into the living room to bite my nails while they figured out how to make it work. It was no easy task, but they managed to do it.

The faucet on the kitchen sink surprised our contractors by popping off, and spraying the ceiling and walls with water when they needed to use the sink. "Old Faithful" caught us by surprise, too, more than once. It's amazing how much we take for granted in our day-to-day living; things like functioning faucets that only have running water when we use them. 

Sierra says Bridger looks like
an Elf on the Shelf.

When Dylan squeezed his broad shoulders into the narrow cabinet doors, and lay in that awkward position for such a long time to take care of our broken faucet, I was so grateful! We now have a faucet that functions beautifully, AND a sprayer hose, too! It's the little things, really.

Dylan and Jamie brought a housewarming gift, this awesome Subway Art plaque that says, "Love the life you live. Live the life you love." It is perfect, and of course, they knew the orange would match the rest of the decor!

The bathroom is TINY. Seriously, it's important to be aware of your head when you're sitting down or getting up off of the toilet. The sink is positioned so closely, it would be easy to knock yourself out, if you moved too quickly without thinking! 

The door to Bridger's room swings into the path of the bathroom door. This morning, after breakfast, Bridger reminded me to make sure the bathroom door is closed before we go to bed. He had a heck of time getting his door to open because the bathroom door had his door blocked. Oops!

My house is small; it's true, but it's MINE. It is warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. It is filled with the things that bring me joy, and when my children and friends are there, it is the most perfect place on earth. 

"Love grows best, in houses just like this."

Before (2008) and After (2014)

Doug Stone – Little Houses Lyrics

A little white house, in the heart of town,

On a little sad street, just a little run down,

Became a home, for Bill and Sue, 

Two newlyweds, who did the best that they could do.

And when they brush each other, passin' in the hall, 

Sue would smile and say: "This place is pretty small.

But you know, love grows best in little houses, 

With fewer walls to separate,

Where you eat and sleep so close together.

You can't help but communicate, 

Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss.

Love grows best, in houses just like this.

Before too long, Sue and Bill, 

Were makin' plans, for Jack and Jill.

Oh, happy day, when the news came in 

But what to do, when they found out Sue was having twins.

When they could not pass each other in the hall, 

Well, Sue would smile and say: "This place is really, really small. 

But you know, love grows best in little houses, 

With fewer walls to separate,

Where you eat and sleep so close together.

You can't help but communicate, 

Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss.

Love grows best, in houses just like this.

That little white frame house still keeps them warm, 

Though it's been thirty-two years, since the kids were born, 

And when they look back now, they hold each other tight, 

And whisper in each other's ears: "You know you were right. 

Because love grows best in little houses, 

With fewer walls to separate,

Where you eat and sleep so close together.

You can't help but communicate, 

Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss.

Love grows best, in houses just like this.

Yeah, love grows best, in houses just like this.

Songwriters: CATES, MICKEY / EWING II, DONALD

When I first started the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge, I wrote, "What Are You Giving Up for Lent?"

I followed up with these updates:   Week Two (40 Bags in 40 Days)

Week Three (Letting Go...)

40 Bags Update

40 Bags in 40 Days...What about Mementos?

One Day at a Time (40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge)