Category: THE121

Everything you wanted to know about tiny house living

Trust Fall

I’m currently sitting in a sterile dr’s office that appears to be stuck in an era before I was born.

The dr’s voices outside, the crumbling of the strange tissue paper substance being pulled off of the exam table along with the rumbling of the hvac system is activating my nervous system.

BREATHE.

As I take time to reflect, be present and look ahead to what is to come, I can only describe my feelings with one word.

TRUST.

I had the great privilege last night of hosting my community group at Teaberry Acres. As I was processing what I am feeling, the visual that comes to my mind is that of a trust fall.

If you’ve ever been to camp or have participated in a “team building” exercise, you may already know the visual.

One participant stands on top of a table with their arms folded across their chest and their back facing a team standing on the ground. A few people stand on one side with their arms outstretched, while a few people stand on the other side the same. The object is that the person standing on the table falls backwards “trusting” that the people with the outstretched arms will “catch” their fall.

I did it once when I was in high school. Haven’t done it since for obvious reasons. NOTHING about the experience was enjoyable.

Somewhere, I hear the voice of my camp counselor in my head saying “but did you Die?”

I may or may not have said back “no you idiot, go buy glasses.”

I can neither confirm nor deny.

As I look ahead, I look back and remember.

God CAN be trusted.

He has ALWAYS held me.

He has ALWAYS caught me.

BREATHE.

I feel like I’m on the edge. Ready to fall while remembering it’s not the scrawny high school girls who are going to catch my fall, but the loving arms of my Father.

And just for funsies, enjoy some amazing pics that my friend Nicole took last night of God’s beautiful creation @ Teaberry Acres.

Dusk is one of my favorite times of the day at the acres.
The night sky through the woods
The heavens declare His majesty.
And of course the cutest dog who made herself a a home in the ferns to stay cool.

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Cue the Confetti 🎉

I can remember the day as if it just happened. I barely slept a wink. I hopped in my truck and greeted my friends around 6am at Teaberry Acres.

The anticipation spread through my muscles like the weight of several sumo wrestlers.

THE121 was making her maiden voyage from Holmes County Ohio. She had left at midnight and would be making her arrival to PA at dawn.

Even now, as I recall the adventure, my muscles tighten and my lips form a smile.

I will still tell you, that to this day, her arrival to her landing, was still the most harrowing 2 hours of my entire life.

On August 12, 2022 at 6am, she arrived.

It’s hard to believe it has been 3 years of God’s unending faithfulness.

The prayer that was prayed over this house on that day 3 years ago was that this house would be a place of healing.

Driving to another sight this morning for work, I had time to reflect all the ways that God has answered that prayer.

The solace and quiet that teaberry acres provides, has allowed ample opportunity for healing in the following ways:

Physically: 4 surgeries and a 5th on the horizon, THE121 has held my physical body and provided shelter and space to heal this God given broken body. She has also helped to heal my wounded nervous system. I remember the day I came home to a house flooded with my complete water reserve. Friends showed up within minutes, helping me to reframe that I am not alone.

Spiritually: The peace filled acres with God’s creation at every single angle of the eye is a constant reminder that God is here. He has quieted my Spirit to help me begin to heal from countless years of Spiritual abuse and trauma. He is helping me to reframe that He is a loving and gracious creator, Father, friend, caretaker and guide.

Mentally: He has helped me to heal mentally by surrounding me with so much that thrills my soul. The woods, the animals, the birds, my new “Croft” He is helping me to know and learn that I am valuable. That I am worth investing in.

Emotionally: He has awakened my soul to the countless emotions He has created me to feel. My first year here at THE121 I spent the entire year studying emotions in Scripture. God has created us in His image, what amazing creatures we are with alllllll the emotions.

So cue the confetti! Happy 3rd Birthday to THE121 @ Teaberry Acres. May this house continue to be a house of healing for not just this tiny house girl, but all who enter therein.

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The day God spared our lives.

On a typical morning right before I leave the house, I pause. I pray. I thank God for the provisions He has provided and I ask Him to protect those provisions.

Most days I go about whatever my calling is for the day without second thought of God’s protection.

The cycle repeats.

For 1,093 days.

Until today.

Today marks the last Saturday I have free, until surgery.

Even though I am still fighting a head cold, I knew there were some items that needed to be crossed off my list to help prepare.

Burn the boxes.

Clean the bathroom.

Clean the toilet.

Do the laundry.

I carried the toilet outside and let it rest, started the generator for the laundry and lit mount saint Amazon on fire (in the fire pit of course).

After the quarterly toilet clean, I knew I needed to top off the generator, and that’s when I saw it.

How it happened?

No idea.

But it was in that moment, on this day, that I knew. I knew God spared us.

This could have been an explosion that would have taken out THE121, me and of course Maggie Marie.

AND. YET.

God spared us.

I’ve spent some time reflecting this afternoon on the goodness of God.

Is He good because He spared us?

Of course.

Would He still be good if He took us?

Yes.

I believe God still has healing in His heart for this girl at THE121.

I cannot not thank the Lord, that on this Saturday, in the summer, He chose to save our lives.

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Moving.

Someone has received an eviction notice.

Cue the puppy dog eyes.

Listen. She’s had her own room for 3 years. Yes. My dog has had her OWN ROOM.

In.

A.

Tiny.

House.

So the time has come.

Maggie Marie is moving.

As I have laid on my couch for the past 3 years, I look up to her room (my loft) and think what wasted space.

I 100% believe that there can almost always be a better use of space.

Cue the music…

This is what Maggie’s room USE to look like (her bed isn’t pictured… it’s the other HALF of the room.

For about a year, I have been dreaming and praying about turning this loft into a craft space.

With surgery looming, and my unnamed employer not giving me a work from home decision until after surgery (I keep telling myself it’s to ensure I don’t die…), the Lord opened the door for the transformation to move forward. There’s a very real possibility I will need a second income if the work from home decision is rejected.

In just one week, God moved all the pieces (and people) to make the transformation happen!

A few strong college guys moving out the sleeper sofa.
So amazing how much bigger the space looked!
A tiny house girl and some IKEA furniture…
I can neither confirm nor deny that a tiny house girl has a monkey costume. I can also neither confirm nor deny that the tiny house girl kept her friends entertained while helping to move.
Some things just make me happy. Embroidery thread in a drawer is one of them.
The finished project!

My heart is so full tonight as I rest. I’m so incredibly thankful for those who gave up of their precious time this past week to make this dream become a reality.

Where is Maggie going?

Maggie Marie is now….

Maggie Marie Potter.

Yes. She got moved to under the stairs.

She’ll be ok.

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What goes in doesn’t always come out.

If you have sat with me for any moment of time, you may know that I LOVE asking questions.

I truly care and I’m genuinely interested.

So when I asked a few co workers what their goals were for the summer, the answers were usual, go to an amusement park, go on a hike, ect.

When the question was posed back to me, I knew my answer right away “I want to clean all my cupboards and deep clean my house.”

I may or may not have said “THE121 is starting to look a little bit hoarded!”

A few very blank stares responded my way.

How can a tiny house look hoarded???

VERY EASILY.

While I have much storage (and for that I am grateful), my organization style is somewhere around shove it in any place that has a door to cram it in the back of my truck.

You can imagine that it’s a lot easier to look like a hoarder in 250 square feet than it may in a traditional house. If you bring things in without taking things out… it can quickly become overwhelming.

With the humidity hanging around 1,000%, I somehow gathered enough strength to clean some of the cupboards today!

Before
After
As someone who lives with a disability my medicine cabinet can get overwhelming VERY quickly.
Condensed and organized.
Sometimes the toilet has to serve as a shelf when you’re organizing your bathroom.
I decided I didn’t need 5,000 bottle of tums!
Throwing stuff out feels SO good!!!

Summer isn’t over quite yet and to meet this goal early on is such a good feeling!

Yes, I have to clean and organize THE121 just like typical people in typical houses. The difference? It just doesn’t take quite as long and for that, I am so very grateful!

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Old Age Mode

I led a workshop today on spiritual wellness. Among the many things we talked about was “where do you find your peace?”

I was able to share with participants that I find a lot of peace here among the acres in the beauty of God’s creation. Lately I’ve been going out to potty with Maggie Marie (shameless cute puppy picture below) at night.

Wait. She potties, I don’t. I know I have a composting toilet but that DOES NOT mean I potty outside!

Rewind.

While she is doing her business I wander and observe. I take time to thank my creator God for the so many good gifts He has given me.

Tonight as I perused around THE121 something caught my eye.

What was that tucked behind my angel wing begonias in my window box???

I would like to say I squealed with glee like a little school girl but truthfully I ran back into my house to grab my phone to take a pic!

And then…I sent it to my sister who entered the nest into Google lens.

There you have it.

I’m officially old.

I find joy in birds.

I’ve written it down.

For the world to read.

Although I haven’t bought the books or binoculars yet. So maybe I’m only middle aged????

But I did nearly break my neck to get this picture….

I will let you decide 😉.

I’ll keep you posted…

P.S. I want to know how YOU have identified what bird built this nest!

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Sunnies and Bluegills

I’m not quite sure I could ever go back to “city” living. The country runs in my veins. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m an introvert or just enjoy the peace that the country affords.

One aspect of country living is that everyone is a “neighbor.” It doesn’t matter if you live one mile away or five, if you’re in the same zip code, we’re neighbors!

This 4th of July my neighbors and friends invited me to their house for a picnic. It was pure delight to travel just a few miles away to these friends and neighbors who live largely off the land.

For the most part I enjoy trying new things. This 4th, that involved fishing! Their grandson, as my fishing guide, taught me all I needed to know about how to catch.

I rigged up my hook with the freshest worms from Bait Buddies (real place not far from THE121) and cast my line.

And there she is!!! My very first fish.

I caught 3 in all as I sat on the dock, tearing worms in half and rebating my hook.

I took in the beauty of God’s creation, breathing deep and squealing with delight as fish after fish bit my hook.

I can’t do what I use to do due to ongoing health concerns. However I am learning to shift my thinking to “what can I do?”

I can leave the acres, travel to my neighbors and catch some sunnies and blue gill.

Next goal, to catch a bass.

Maybe living off the land could be my next goal…

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I’m moving to Antarctica…how a tiny house girl handles the heat.

This post is long over due, please accept my apologies. Life has been…well…hard as of late. That’ll be another post for another day.

So when one wants to keep the conversation “light” what do we talk about??? THE WEATHER. Of course, right?!

Typically I abhor weather talk, I’m just not that kind of girl. Not only as a therapist but as a friend, I want to hear what is on your heart, I typically don’t care at all about the weather.

Until…

THE121 starts sweating BUCKETS of sweat.

So how does a tiny house stay cool when she’s 92 degrees??? (Actual temp inside THE121 today by the way).

1.) My amazing builder was super smart about the design. THE121 has windows on both sides that open. So when the weather is on the warmer side, I can open both sides of the house and get a good cross breeze with the ceiling fans.

2.) Ceiling Fans. THE121 has two good size ceiling fans that circulate air pretty well

3.) Tower Fan. I invested in a skinny tower fan last summer that also circulates the air and well…let’s be honest most of the time I just keep it pointed at me.

4.) And last but not least…

I feel like the angels should start singing at this moment…

You know you have a good builder (and I CANNOT recommend mine more highly) when he figures out how to run an air conditioner off grid!

So Here is another plug for anyone thinking of going tiny! It’s the webpage for my builder.

This unit is an air conditioner, fan and heater. Typically, I never run it because my house is so efficient. In all honesty tonight is the second time I have turned it on in 3 years!

BUT. THE. WEATHER!

I’m a cold weather girl. I LOVE the snow falling among the acres and the trees glistening like white glitter as the sun rises over the freshly fallen snow.

Listen, you can always put more clothes on, but people call the police when you take clothes off…just keeping it real.

As I chatted with my builder tonight we figured out that it will cost me $3.09 (the cost of a gallon of gas right now where I live) to run my air conditioner for 3 hours!

Efficient? I’d say so.

Thinking about going tiny yet?

Or we can all just move to Antarctica…

Until then, I’m daydreaming about hugging penguins and living in an igloo… stay cool wherever you are.

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Undressing THE121

As I look out my window, the sun shines through the new greenery filled landscape and I can no longer see my neighbors house.

There’s a slight breeze with birds chirping and more cars than usual driving by.

Spring.

With the change of seasons, THE121 reminds me, she too, needs changed.

As with all houses, maintenance is important. The longer I have lived at Teaberry Acres, the more rhythmic the seasons seem to become.

Every fall and spring THE121 gets “undressed.”

She wears a beautiful handcrafted skirt year round that serves several purposes. Part of her bi-annual maintenance is to take the skirt off, put up or take down the insulation and in the spring spray for bugs under and around.

She also gets a thorough “once over and under.” I open my eyes and notice. Has she changed? Is she ok? What needs attention?

In all actuality, THE121’s rhythm is similar to the rhythm of my life.

With changing seasons, I too change. Usually quarterly, I inventory my life. I take off the blinders by inviting others in. What has changed? What needs to change? What needs attention?

THE121’s batteries needed attention. Turns out batteries get thirsty. She gets a drink to sustain longer life.

This beautiful spring day I put on my muck boots to undress and redress. I breathe deep with a heart of gratitude for the shelter HE has given me. For the spring breeze through the acres as the sun shines down through the trees.

Rhythm.

Taking off the skirt, removing the insulation, putting it under the house until the next rhythm beckons.
Her beautiful skirt put back into place ready to receive summer.
The dog also gets a bath. She enjoyed rolling under the house, scoping out spiders and basking in the sun-shined breeze.
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Waiting rooms – a health update on the tiny house girl.

This picture has become a staple for me, or should I say those who journey with me. It’s the waiting room. The waiting room with a number that represents me. The number represents where I am at in the process for the one who is waiting.

I’ve been having some pretty intense abdominal pain that “comes and goes” these past several months post my colectomy with an IRA.

You may also know that I began a new job two months ago and have been without health insurance for two long months.

Many nights I have cried and prayed asking God to take away the pain.

He is gracious.

May 1st my health insurance went into affect!

May 2nd I had another endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy in attempts to “see” what might be causing the pain.

The scene is familiar to me.

“Lay on your left side, we will be putting you to sleep soon.”

I begin to pray.

I wake up and ask for apple juice.

Always.

Hospitals have THE BEST apple juice. I can’t explain it but it’s true.

The Dr. comes and explains to me that my stomach is full of bile which I’m not surprised by. The nausea is real.

She then goes on to explain that my IRA (the place where my small intestine is connected to my rectum) looks “very angry.”

She took biopsies. And we wait.

Wait.

Waiting has been the theme of life for the past fourteen years.

Fourteen years. The length of time I have battled my digestive tract malfunctioning.

Wait.

We wait now on the biopsy results and consults with the surgeon.

Waiting =‘s trusting.

Trusting in God’s plan and God’s timing.

Always easy? No.

It’s in the waiting though that I have learned to surrender my will to His.

After fourteen years I am learning that His Will is always better than mine.

I wait. I pray. I trust.

I also struggle.

And then I wait and pray and trust again.

Please join me in the praying for wisdom and discernment for my treatment team and how we move forward.

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