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Simplify and Downsize...You can do it too! - Page 13

post #241 of 319
1/9/07 at 12:40pm
Nikki - those tumbleweed tiny houses are SO ADORABLE!!! I want one!!! Is that what you're getting?

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post #242 of 319
1/9/07 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mightymoo View Post
Yeah, I was listening to Anne of Green Gables on audiobook today and I realized there is a ton of borrowing going on, that was the way it was back then, you didn't get your own of something you needed infrequently if you knew someone you could borrow it from and everyone lent to everyone else. We do do that within my family, but not outside that with neighbors, etc.

It makes so much sense doesn't it? I wish there were a way to get back to that way of doing things. We don't even borrow within family because everyone lives too far apart. But the same mentality I mentioned above about worrying about damaging other people's stuff would probably prevail around here anyway. There's a trust issue there that would need to be built up first.
post #243 of 319
1/9/07 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenmansions View Post
my DH and I have had many discussions of the concept of neighborhoods sharing tools and other maintenance equipment... Why on earth does each household on our little street need a lawnmower, a weedwacker, a table saw, etc etc?

One neighbor has a beat up old pickup truck that he considers "neighborhood property" - anyone can borrow it at anytime to haul something home or whatever. But my DH refuses to borrow it as he's afraid something would happen to it while he had it, and then what? I think that kind of thing is hard to overcome when trying to set up some kind of borrowing system for big-ticket things. .....seems like it should be possible to do, but somehow everyone's afraid to do it. Worried about time commitment, quality of work, whose ideas would prevail, keeping everything more or less equal among the neighbors, etc etc.
I had a work trade group with some friends (I've since moved) and the whole group would use my truck for whatever projects came up. It was not unusual for me to come home from work and find a note from a friend that had taken the truck. We had no formal agreement or plan for any accidents or issues that could come up and it never occurred to me to do so. It was freely given with full understanding that things happen.

In my experience, it takes one special person to get a tool share going and that's all. My dad created a sort of tool coop with our neighbors. We had one snow blower, one saw, shared tools, etc. and our neighbors just shared what they had with my dad because he made a point of knowing them all and helping with projects. He gave freely and with the idea that if someone broke an item unintentionally then he'd just fix it or try to get a new one somehow.

My dad has lung cancer now and all of my parent's lawn and house maintenance has been taken care of by our neighbors for the last two years. I'd say he managed to create something pretty great within his neighborhood just by sharing a snowblower. It's worth the risk.
post #244 of 319
1/10/07 at 10:48pm
Bumping to add Delight has pics of her new apartment (empty so far) on her blog. It should be fun watching it be simply, but beautifully decorated. Also I happened to see a post stating she is starting dreads!!

Sara-we're talking about cha!
post #245 of 319
1/10/07 at 11:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommaof3boz View Post
Bumping to add Delight has pics of her new apartment (empty so far) on her blog. It should be fun watching it be simply, but beautifully decorated. Also I happened to see a post stating she is starting dreads!!

Sara-we're talking about cha!
I'm confused, I looked at her blog and it just seems to be of the old apartment she posted about originally?
post #246 of 319
1/10/07 at 11:40pm
If you click on "captured moments" it's the first set of pictures. Looks very cute empty, can't wait to see what you do with it Sara!!!


ETA It's on the right side of the page under links I think
post #247 of 319
1/11/07 at 12:26pm
Didn't see "captured moments", but finally found the pictures under "delight's photo stream" or something like that! Can't wait to see what she does. Why did I think they were moving to Colorado? Nothing short of hero-worship over here!!
post #248 of 319
1/11/07 at 12:39pm
So Sara do you paint before you move in? Or do you move in and paint a room once you have things settled. And how do you decide what colors to go with?
post #249 of 319
1/13/07 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommaof3boz View Post
Bumping to add Delight has pics of her new apartment (empty so far) on her blog. It should be fun watching it be simply, but beautifully decorated. Also I happened to see a post stating she is starting dreads!!

Sara-we're talking about cha!
You guys don't miss a thing Yes, I am starting dreads. Check out the journey here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 3happygirls View Post
Didn't see "captured moments", but finally found the pictures under "delight's photo stream" or something like that! Can't wait to see what she does. Why did I think they were moving to Colorado? Nothing short of hero-worship over here!!
You probably thought Colorado because we moved to Montana and then went to Colorado for 2 weeks to visit friends We're still here, but will be going back next week.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starr View Post
So Sara do you paint before you move in? Or do you move in and paint a room once you have things settled. And how do you decide what colors to go with?
We will move in and then paint...we don't have any furniture, so it won't be difficult We are planning on buying a bed first, of course, and then adding to it slowly as we find stuff thrifting. The color choices are endless...and I get excited thinking about it. Our house/apt had mostly red, green, browns, etc. I would love to do a more whimsical theme with lavenders, orange, sage, hmmmm. So many options. I love Catina Jane's house on Flickr. Check it out. It's so bohemian and funky. I get lots of inspiration from Flickr groups like "Corners of My Home" and "Apartment Therapy". We'll figure it out as we go. I'm especially excited to create a little haven for Bella. There is a wonderful little nook with a window that will be perfect for her play area.

I am certainly looking forward to moving back into a place of our own. By the time we get back, it will be going on 8 weeks. That's a long time without your own bed.
post #250 of 319
1/13/07 at 4:35pm
You are beautiful on the outside to! WoW.
I hope it goes well. How about a link about dreads in themselves? I know you have one! LOL. I love how well you link every bit of pertinent info we need for whatever you are sharing about.

I am looking forward to a blog on homeschooling as that is what I am looking into now.
post #251 of 319
1/13/07 at 4:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emilie View Post
You are beautiful on the outside to! WoW.
I hope it goes well. How about a link about dreads in themselves? I know you have one! LOL. I love how well you link every bit of pertinent info we need for whatever you are sharing about.

I am looking forward to a blog on homeschooling as that is what I am looking into now.
If you want to learn more about dreads, go to www.dreadheadhq.com or www.knottyboy.com. They have tons and tons of info and photos. People swear by Knotty Boy products, but there are much cheaper options (their "dread soap" is basically Dr. Bronner's soap, etc).

I have been reading a lot of homeschooling stuff lately...so no worries, I'm sure I'll blog about it in the coming months.
post #252 of 319
1/13/07 at 5:02pm
I was sure of it!
Ds is 3 and I made a bad choice and sent him to a pre k program just to try it out. I enjoyed the breaks and hanging out with dd alone. It was great really. He seemed to love it.
Till he fell there and broke his leg. We are 3 months later and the school has done nothing to change their policies, practices or LEARN from what happened. They are going to take their chances that it doesn't happen again basically. My son could have died from their lack of readiness.
The principal told me there were so many kids they could not possibly watch them all. The nurse told me the same thing. We are filing a formal complaint with the superindendent and contacting Institutional Abuse and an attorney.
We luckily have options = I can hs or we can do private school. So many others just cant. I hate it when things are wrong and we allow them to stay that way. Not this mama.

Anyway. Keep blogging Sarah. You have made a difference in our lives.
post #253 of 319
1/15/07 at 9:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delight View Post
Ever wondered what a 478 sq. ft apartment looked like? C'mon in and check it out! Blogged here. Photos here.

Has anyone else gone REALLY small and loved it?
Delight,

Where did you find the cool star wall hangings I am admiring in your apartment photos? They are lovely!
post #254 of 319
1/15/07 at 9:52pm
Great pictures. I just skimmed through the thread, so I don't know if anyone posted this, BUT - you can find those magnetic spice holders at The Container Store.
post #255 of 319
1/15/07 at 10:00pm
I can't wait to see you fix it up! Hey- did you ever find the picture? I have a good place for it.

Em
post #256 of 319
1/15/07 at 10:20pm
I'm so glad you're finally doing the dreads. I remember reading when you talked about how much you like them. You've got me thinking about shaving my head again. It's something I've always wanted to do but I'm too scared . I can't wait to see more pictures as they start to grow out!!!
post #257 of 319
1/17/07 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdmaze View Post
I just wanted to add how inspiring this post was...

We live in an 800 sq foot house with our three kids. I'm really staring to see how space doesnt add anything to your life except more stuff, and as long as we can sleep and eat and live, this house is all we need. But greed and materialism is so sneaky! We really struggle.

I love your blog, btw- really great!
We live in a 1250 sq ft house on 2 acres. There's me, my husband and three kids. Two of the kids share a room. We only have one bathroom (which can be difficult at times) We left a 2000 sq ft house (3 baths, 4 bedrooms) so we could have a paid off mortgage. I've never regretted it. Most of my friends live in homes two or three times the size of ours, but they will also have a large mortgage for at least the next 20 years. It has forced us to not hold on to anything that we do not use. I love my small house. We talk about adding a master suite and bath in a couple of years, but I'm not in any hurry.
post #258 of 319
1/17/07 at 8:46pm
Hey couponqueen we're thinking about building a house and only putting in one large bathroom. Two sinks and one shower. (We will have a sawdust toliet in a connecting room) Is that totally crazy?? Since you've lived it let me know what you think!!! I hate hate hate cleaning the bathroom and am always looking for a way to do it faster and easier!!!
post #259 of 319
1/18/07 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomlynn View Post
Hey couponqueen we're thinking about building a house and only putting in one large bathroom. Two sinks and one shower. (We will have a sawdust toliet in a connecting room) Is that totally crazy?? Since you've lived it let me know what you think!!! I hate hate hate cleaning the bathroom and am always looking for a way to do it faster and easier!!!
I hate to clean a bathroom too. When we had three, it was a nightmare keeping them clean. I love having one for that reason, however, having an additional would be nice. It seems like everyone needs to use the bathroom at once. We do have double sinks with a huge cabinet w/ drawers and such for storage. If we did not have the double sinks it would be difficult. I highly recommend that if you are just going to have the one bathroom. I think your idea is great! We will eventually add on an additional bedroom and master bathroom, but I always tell my husband that if this is all we ever have, that's okay with me too. I love a small house. It feels so cozy. I think it makes for a closer family as well. Just my opinion. Good luck!

Here are some pictures: http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...r/100_3140.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...r/100_3139.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...r/100_3138.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...r/100_3137.jpg
post #260 of 319
1/18/07 at 7:25pm
Your bathroom is so pretty, very crisp and clean. I love the blue and white together. Thanks so much for sharing the pictures and the advice!!!

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Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Simplify and Downsize...You can do it too!