Sunday, August 7, 2011

Little Houses . . .


















Just a few thoughts and hugs to everyone who was worried about me - I'm alive and kickin' here in Idaho, it's just been a very busy summer for me!  Don't worry, I'll be back with a vengeance in no time!

In the meantime . . . a few random thoughts!  Sometimes, I start reminiscing about my life, you know, about how we, me and my husband, started our life together.   Trust me, it was not in a large home with beautiful furniture, cupboards filled with lots of food, microwaves,  cable T.V., computers, cell phones, or any other modern conveniences.  We got married and moved into a very small mobile home behind my sister-in-laws house, actually right in her backyard!  The only furniture we had was my hope chest, and yes, it was filled with "hope"!  We lived there for almost a year, and then moved into an actual home . . . a very small home on the west side of town.  Now, this home was so small that I could talk on the telephone in the kitchen, and fix my hair in the bathroom, that is, after walking through the living room and the bedroom.  The phone did not even have a very long cord - yes, it was a phone . . . with a cord and a rotary dial - no buttons!  Who knew!

 (Remember these?)

We bought a beautiful, gold, hide-a-bed couch to sleep on, because we didn't have a bed and the house only had one bedroom where we of course put the baby.  So every night, I would pull out the bed, and every morning, I would push it back into place!

  Gotta love a hide-a-bed!

After about three years, we moved to a larger home, because I was expecting my second child.  It was somewhat bigger, but we didn't stay there too long, about 7 months.  Right before I had my son, and I mean - RIGHT BEFORE I HAD MY SON, we bought a brand new 14 X 70 mobile home with a wonderful tip-out!  It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, so you can imagine how small everything was - but I loved it!  We lived there for 7 years.  By then we had three children, and we were definitely out-growing our little mobile home!  My husband had always lived on a farm or ranch, and wanted to live in the country, so we found a little old farmhouse, with 5 acres,  about 30 miles away - we paid around thirty-thousand dollars for it, what a bargain today!!  It was also very small!  Three small bedrooms and one bathroom . . . with three children!  We loved that home, we raised three teenagers in that house, with one bathroom!!  We had such good times there - bad times too, but the good outweighed the bad!!  After 13 years living in our little old farmhouse, we knew that we needed to either move or do some major remodeling - so we sold our little old farmhouse - left behind all the memories and dear friends and moved 30 miles the other direction.  

Now we live in a beautiful home, three acres, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, all the modern conveniences that you can stand, and more room than we possibly need.   We have lived here for 15 years . . . and I still long for those "little houses"!  Love really does grow best in little houses . . .

Tell me about your first home!!  Enjoy the song - see you soon!

Warm Hugs,

15 comments:

Julie Harward said...

Hi there, loved hearing about your start, gives us something to tell our kids about too! I started out in my parents basement for a few months, then a tiny little white house rented for a couple of years. Bought some property, built a home on it ourselves...and it goes on and on from there! ;D

Packrat said...

Glad to hear you are okay.

Oh, so many memories. We lived in two really nice apartments (both worked, no children) but the first home we purchased was a 14 x 65, 2 bedroom, one bath, with large living room tipout, mobile home. Have never seen another one like it. There was a pantry with a backdoor off the kitchen (besides the standard door in the hallway). If we'd had a place to put it, we'd have moved it with us when we returned to Idaho.

Random, but there was a hide-a-bed just like the one in the picture in the old trailer at my mom's. Lots of people slept on it over the years. It must have gone with the trailer when it was moved off the property. I actually have two in storage, but they are the more sleek 1960's versions.

Kimmie said...

Oh how I have missed you so!

Hugs

Kimmie
x

The Stewart said...

I love this post. Thanks for sharing! It is always good for a little reminder now and again how important life is, not things! Thanks! Love you!
Valerie

Aunt Amelia said...

Waving HI, from "The Attic," now at Wordpress. :-)

We went into an apartment at first. Then bought a little ranch house. 10 years into marriage, we built this 2 story home, where we still live. Not a lot of moving about, for us. :-)

Gentle hugs,
'Aunt Amelia'
"Aunt Amelia's Attic" blog, now at Wordpress

Kam said...

Oh Barb, I love that song! And I loved your little house where I spent so much time. I know Amber called it "the Hut" (ha!) but I thought it was perfect. I went by there last time I was home -- hardly recognized the place now that all the trees are grown. Made me cry (I was in a sentimental mood). Hard to believe it's been so long now. Miss you guys... miss that time of life sometimes too, I guess.

LeAnn said...

I must say that I loved your post as usual. Just like you we had very humble beginnings. I have always found it interesting that when you need the room for raising children you are too poor to buy a house big enough. Then when the children are all gone you can have the bigger home. We raised our children in small homes with just three bedrooms and a bath. The first home that we bought was a two bedroom, a small study that we made into a room and one bathroom. we did have a wonderful farm home when we lived in Richmond, Utah. It had been remodeled and it will remain in my memories my favorite home of all. While raising our six children we had three bedrooms and we had three boys in one room and three girls in the other. I think it was good for them because they learned how to share. of course, I enjoyed our home in Spokane; but I still loved the country home best. I loved learning about your homes.
Keep on enjoying the moments and then be sure to keep blogging; I miss your wonderful thoughts.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Barb,
Interesting post! And welcome back, I might add. Summer is a busy time, isn't it? I'm having trouble myself keeping up with everything.

We started out in a new trailer. I was always scared of storms, so we didn't live in it long before we sold it and moved into an apartment. After the apt., we moved to the country on 17 acres and an older farm house. We loved it there, but the house was going to need a lot of work and when we found the house where we live now with a rental building and 6 acres on the edge of town and near where hubby works for sale at a price we couldn't pass up, we bought it. It's not exactly my dream home for sure, but it's been home for over 20 years. We've talked about moving again once he retires.

Have a good week!

Gina said...

What a precious walk down memory lane! I love little houses. We lived in apartments and rented a few houses over the years. We finally bought our first house almost 20 years ago and we are still here. :)

Blessings,

Gina

Susan B said...

Hi Barb,
I loved reading about the homes your family lived in. Our first home was a small one bedroom apartment. We really liked living there, but they kept raising the rent on us, so we had to move. We lived in apartments until we bought our first home six years later. We enjoyed all of the places we lived.

I'm glad to hear you are having a great (and busy) summer. :)

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

Loved this post!! I'm so behind reading blogs...trying to catch up! When LT and I first married we had a murphy bed that pulled down out of the wall. During the day it was curtained. Our friends always said LT couldn't sleep late because he was afraid I'd fold him up into the wall with the bed. And yes, I really did make the bed every day before I put it up into the wall and pulled the curtains! LOL

Grateful Grammy said...

Hi Barb! What a delightful post about all the houses you and your husband have had! I may blog along those lines myself one of these days. Your blog's green theme is very "summery." I look forward to hearing more from you as you have the time. Summertime can be surprisingly busy!

Anonymous said...

What a fun read and boy do I admire you. Our first house was a little mountain cabin. One big room with a small vintage kitchen and a bathroom. There was a walk-in closet, and our bed just fit in it, so I used that. It had old French windows that opened onto the kitchen. Since we had no closet, David built me one on the front porch. So ever morning I would go out in my robe, for all my neighbors to see and pick out my clothes. Oh how I loved that little place. But we were 2 miles from the epicenter of the big SF earthquake and had to move out after that. I was so sad but then that was the impetus to move to WA and get my storybook woods!! Clarice

The WIlloughby Family said...

You already know how I feel about this song, we cried together while listening to it. BAD though because it changes how I feel sometimes about my little house and moving closer to you. I loved this post and you are always teaching me something new about you. Love you!!!!

Shug said...

Hi Barb... have missed you. I loved reading about your small beginner home. Those were some simple times weren't they. I too remember those days. I know that you are so thankful for the wonderful Blessings of today. Hugs to you sweet lady.

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