Look Up for Great Storage

We love board games. We have lots of board games. Storing board games in a traditional house is easy because closets are common. Here in the Shouse, closets are non-existent. I contemplated storing them up in one of the lofts, but as the old saying goes, "Out of sight is out of mind." I know that had we stashed all the games up in the loft, they would remain there and we would rarely get them down to enjoy.

For a time now I had stored some of the games in the living room on shelves. I hated this. I would sit down to relax after a long day and look at the cluttered (and sadly often dusty) shelves with the chaos driving me to distraction. Then when we cleaned out the storage barn we found two more boxes of games. There was no way all those games would fit on my existing shelves. I had to come up with a better way to store the games where they were both easily accessible, but still tidy.

I kicked around lots of ideas like adding cabinets with doors (too expensive), building a wall of bookshelves to look "built in" (same problem I already had, just more expensive), and adding skirts or curtains to the existing bookshelves to hide the contents of the shelves. None of those ideas felt right.

Poking about on the web, as I can frequently be found to do, I came across this bit of inspiration by doing a Google image search:

I hadn't yet finished the ceiling area in the living room. I wanted to embrace the exposed joists that supported the upper loft and formed the ceiling for the living room. I had several ideas for finishing the ceiling, but other projects too priority, to the ceiling was fair game.

Looking over lumber at my local DIY big box store, I settled on 8' lengths of 2.5" wide by 3/4" thick lengths of wood. Each one cost just under $1.50.  These are sold in bundles of 6 by my local store, so I bought 5 bundles, making 30 boards total. I also purchased a box of 2.5" Torx screws to secure the boards to the joists.

I contemplated staining the boards before putting them up, but ultimately settled on the natural wood. I really like to embrace the colors nature has created. These are pine boards, they are light in color and have a very fine grain with occasional knots. Some boards have nicks, chips, or slight splitting. I embrace those unique qualities. Because of the way I chose to put the boards up, the combined strength of the shelves is surprisingly high.

Measuring the distance the shelves would need to span, I found the room to be just over 10' wide with 6 joists. I settled on cutting the wood in 6' and 4' lengths. By first attaching a 6' board then butting up the 4' board, I was able to span the room. The next row I flipped starting with the 4' length and then adding the 6' length. I did this 7 times. This made my shelves 22.5" deep; plenty deep for board games, books, shallow long baskets, etc. The final available shelf space varied slightly as I had one double joist in the ceiling, but the average space between the joists was 22". I repeated these shelves on the opposite side of the room. As an added bonus the shelves concealed the insulation exposed from the loft.

I moved all the board games into their new spaces and was able to declutter the book shelves. I couldn't be more pleased with the overall look. Living in a Tiny House has many challenges, but one-by-one each challenge can be met. I love finding creative ways to add storage and character to my Shouse.

Part of the fun of building your own house is experimenting with options. Get creative with storage and don't forget to look up.

Now, how to finish the underside of the loft so the oriented strand board doesn't look so bad... hmm. On to the next project!

Organizing the Barn

Last weekend the weather was beautiful and the temperature mild here in Oklahoma. The winds have been fierce on and off for the last week and a half, so the greenhouse structure I was using as a mock tool shed was seeing some bad wear and tear. Sucking it up, I got up early last Saturday and tackled cleaning out the storage barn, organizing and culling the "stuff," and moving all the tools in out of potential weather exposure. The project took all day and boy my knees hurt like heck for the effort. 

Doesn't Look Like Much, But It Is A Huge Improvement

First we hauled out all of the boxes that needed sorted. Into the loft on one side went all the holiday decorating supplies. We moved all the unused furniture and various household goods I am not parting with (someday they will go in a guest cottage) into the far recesses of the loft, before lining up the boxes for the holidays close to the edge for ease of access. A large pile for donating began to form.

I moved all the canning jars to the back corner of the barn for now. Eventually I want to add more shelving to the barn and neatly store the jars by size and wide-mouth vs narrow. However, for now they are stacked neatly all in one area. I decided to leave all my craft project totes stored on that side in front of the jars for now because I want to be able to access them easily as the mood hits to complete the multiple quilts I have started. 

Toward the front of the barn on the right side I kept a portable closet to store out-of-season clothing. An antique dresser fills the space between the boxes and the portable closet. 

I will build a workbench like I built in my garage in my "big house."

On the left side, we moved in the frame to the greenhouse with its great shelves, sans the plastic cover. This created a great tool storage area. This took up roughly one quarter of the barn, but greatly increased the storage area and efficiency of accessing tools. I added a folding table in front along the left side as a tool bench until I find an old door to build a more formal and solid tool bench. Finally I brought in larger tools such as the saw table and shop vac. 

Storage Bins Idea

I still have some barn goals which will be met when the budget allows. These include:

• Uniform storage totes
• Shelving
• Lighting (solar)
• Running electric to workbench area

All in all, it is a pleasure now to be able to access things I don't want to store inside the Shouse or Shedroom. I am able to locate and use the things I choose to store. All my things are protected from weather and the locking barn door helps keep everything secure. 

It was a Saturday well spent!

Tiny House Squawktet

I promised I would record the chickens when singing early in the morning (4:30am ugh). I edited this track to remove the quiet time in between crows, but you get the idea. Enjoy!

Check out this episode!

Fair Weather Brings Fire Risk

The weather today was incredible. It was a beautiful, and record breaking, 76 degrees with 20 mph winds. Very low humidity made for a high fire risk. The morning news and radio stations all reminded people who smoke to put there cigarette out in their car ashtray ("Keep your butt in the car"), to double-check trailer chains didn't drag on the ground causing sparks, and a ban was enacted with regards to open fires such as burning burn piles, using charcoal barbecues, etc. 

At lunchtime I had to zip home to take my son to run an errand. Driving north out of Shawnee I could clearly see a large plume of smoke in the distance. Pretty soon it became clear there was a serious fire not too far away from Tiny House Homestead. The fire was squashed  quickly according to the evening news, however one homeowner was not so lucky and their house was burned to the ground. *shudder*

Years ago I almost lost my home to a forest fire caused by campers who didn't completely extinguish their campfire. I sat on my front stoop watching the flames gobble up acres of forest just a quarter mile from my home. It was surreal watching the flames shoot high up the old growth pine trees and hearing the sounds of them exploding from the extreme heat. Finally the police made all the residents leave and for three days I didn't know if I would even have a home to return to. It was terrifying. The site of smoke rising in the air anywhere near where I live immediately brings back the anxiety and fear I felt watching those flames consume everything in their path.

Tomorrow is supposed to be just as warm and just as windy. I plan to get outside and enjoy the weather. I have a para-foil kite calling my name and begging to catch air. I will no doubt enjoy the fantastic (and unusually warm) weather. I will still wonder what sparked the fire today and in the back of my mind I will worry that someone irresponsible with a simple cigarette or even stupid enough to try to take care of their burn pile will cause a catastrophe through carelessness.  

Wisely I have a fire evacuation plan in place (after not having one all those years ago) and know where all my papers and most precious things I would want to save are stored. However, if I am not home when this type of situation occurs, those things might be lost anyway. Wisely I keep copies of important papers in another, secure place, but that will be little consolation if everything I have worked so hard for was lost. Insurance is nice, but it doesn't replace the memories that would be gone. 

The point of this story? Be careful. When fire warnings are issued, take them seriously. 

Rant over. 

Welcome 2016

Podcast Title: Welcome Winter 2016

Podcast Episode 29 Show Notes

This episode covers….

An update of what has been going on here on the farm. I apologize in advance for my poor voice, but complications from surgery has impacted my vocal cords. In this podcast is a great winter meal recipe for 3 Packet slow Cooker Roast, how we help keep our chickens comfortable in cold weather, the loss of a goose by a neighbor, and a fun game to play. Welcome to Tiny House Homestead.

Links from this episode:

• Shut the Box or Batten the Hatches: Shut the Box or Batten Down The Hatches Game

• Support our GoFundMe campaign for an Incinolet: Go Fund Me Poo-B-Que Campaign

3 Packet Roast

• 1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1 Packet of Brown Gravy Mix
• 1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
• 2 – 3 lbs of the Roast of your Choice
• 1 bag Baby Carrots
• 4 -5 Potatoes cut into chunks

Place the roast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the three seasoning packets on top of the meat. You do not need to add water or broth. Add the vegetables on top and put the lid on. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours or cook on high for 5 – 7. You will know it is ready when the meat falls apart or the meat is soft enough to be pulled apart by a fork.  Enjoy!

Connect with Me:

• Rate and review us in iTunes at:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tiny-house-homestead/id662921821?mt=2
• Follow my blog at www.TinyHouseHomestead.com
• Follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/tinyhomesteader
• Join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tinyhousehomestead
• Check out my pins on Pinterest at www.Pinterest.com/Copperwood
• Check out my snaps on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tiny_house_homestead
• Add me to your circles on Google+: TinyHouseHomestead@gmail.com
• Shoot me an email at TinyHouseHomestead@gmail.com

Check out this episode!

5 Great Podcasts to Check Out

All this vocal time-out I have since my surgery damaged my voice may prevent me from recording a new podcast, but it gives me a little time to check out some other folks podcasts. I listen to a wide variety of genres of podcasts. While I enjoy all things tiny, I also enjoy lots of other interests. Podcasts are exploding right now, becoming more and more accessible and enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Here are 5 great podcasts you may want to consider lending an ear to for your listening enjoyment:

1. Fireside Mystery Theatre - If you have ever enjoyed attending a mystery theater or wished you could have, here is a great podcast to give a listen to. Reminiscent of old-school mystery radio programs, Fireside Mystery Theatre is put on by a troupe of actors out of New York. Sound effects, creative voices, and a cast of characters will entertain you with a unique series of mystery stories. I started with Tales of Automatons (Podcast 12) and thoroughly enjoyed the presentation of several stories of automatons along with a guest that spoke about the history of automatons. Episode 12 was just under 2 hours long, so I broke it up into segments (Listened while cleaning up, cooking dinner, relaxing, in the car, etc). It was a great listen!

2.  Homesteady: Stories of Homesteading and Farming - Homesteady is a series of shorter podcasts that address specific topics related to homesteading. Covering a wide range of topics from gardening, sheep, chickens, pigs, baking bread, etc., boredom is not to be found here. Well produced and informative, this is a very informative podcast giving information that is realistic and applicable to those interested in homesteading, farming, gardening, raising animals, or those who just dream of doing so.

3. Mortified: The Podcast - HILARIOUS! Various random people read from the their childhood diaries, sharing their most embarrassing and humorous ponderings of their youth. I got a big kick out of the episode where a girl read about her Y2k experience. Very entertaining! Short in length (averages 20 min), these are great in the car or while waiting for an appointment.

4. Story Corps - Produced by NPR, Story Corps is a project to collect stories from a broad range of people from all walks of life. Typically interviewed by friend, family, coworker, etc., the recordings will be stored in the Library of Congress for posterity. I really enjoyed the story of a woman whose son was murdered. After a little more than a decade after the conviction, she went to the prison to speak with the man who murdered her only child. Eventually they struck up a friendship, she forgiving him, he adopting her as a psuedo-mother. I don't want to share the ending and spoil it, but it was truly a story of redemption and forgiveness.

5. Chicken Thistle Farm Coopcast - This podcast is produced by Farmer Andy and his wife who run a farm in upstate New York. Frank and honest, but funny at the same time, this podcast is more or less their personal journal of their adventure. Chicken Thistle Farm is a pig farm, where Andy and his wife raise pigs, have them processed, and then sell the meat to customers who have preordered. They also raise and process chickens. The last two years have been rough for the farm in terms of complications with the birthing and the death of a sow. Their banter is entertaining and I love Andy's sarcasm.

Enjoy checking out these podcasts. I hope to be back soon, as soon as I have a voice that is. Maybe I should just record one with my funky voice for entertainment...hmmm.

Small Batch Baking in a Tiny House

Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos

I love the smell of fresh baked foods in my Tiny House. Something about the smell of baked goods makes my home feel even more cozy and warm. I enjoy baking in general, but seeing as how I have a tiny family in my tiny house (just two people) baking large cakes, lots of muffins, or a dozen cupcakes just means we will feel compelled to eat them or they will go to waste. I don't like to let things go to waste so I started looking around for cookbooks aimed at small batch cooking. I was pleasantly surprised to find to find a line of cookbooks by Debbie Maugans Nakos. Her first book in the series is aptly named Small Batch Baking: When Just Enough for 1 or 2 is...Just Enough. 

I am not a fan of collecting a ton of cookbooks due to my limited space, but if I like one well enough I gladly add it to my cookbook library. I find this book to be well worth the investment (under $11). The book is not super large either, measuring 7" x 8" and about 2" thick. Perfect for the Tiny House kitchen. 

Tiny House Homestead's Cookbook Library

Ms. Maugans Nakos goes into great detail about how to scale down ingredients for small batch baking. For example, she explains how to use a large muffin pan to bake mini pies. I would never have thought to use a muffin pan to bake pie! There is a section for conversions that clearly explains how to scale down recipes too.

Included are recipes for cakes, pies, tarts, coblers, crips, crumbles, baked puddings, muffins, and breads.  There are even chapters for Valentines Day and other holidays. A wide variety of goodies to satisfy the sweet tooth. There are over 200 delicious recipes for you to try.

If you like to bake like I do, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Small Batch Baking. Yum!