Oh, some side note info

As mentioned in today's post, I do not expect to be able to get to the actual tiny build for awhile, because of money. My deadline, come hell or high water, is to have it done and moved to Washington state, where one of my children lives with their spouse and my first grandbaby (a second on the way!!) by the end of 2020.
Because I cannot have this tiny home done now, like I would want, This blog will also consist of things I find on the internet that are of interest. Information pertaining to different builds, ideas I have, legalities of tiny homes (ugh!!!) and hopefully some fun finds I can stash for the tiny home!!
In essence I am sharing the journey with you as it begins, with the hopes of perhaps showing how such things are possible and that we should all dream big, even if life says no more often than not!!! Haha.

Here is a quick pic of my coffee truck. More to come on that tomorrow!!

Missouri Days and later

So to continue with a look at my growth as a do it your-selfer We moved to Missouri in the early 1980s and boy was that  a culture shock! We bought a house and I began tearing down hideous old wallpaper and linoleum on the floor, again I have no idea where I learned how to move along in such an endeavor!!! I wanted to put sheet rock up. I came across this picture the other day, demolition in process!!!

I also remember that our toilet all but fell through the floor and I had my first experience with replacing a toilet and bad flooring. I was never in a position to pay someone to do things and perhaps more so, loved learning and doing construction. I know I learned a lot about doing plumbing, and living with a woodstove as well.

Flash forward many years, ok decades, and I now live in NM about 8,000 ft elevation. In 2000 I bought an acre and a half with a trailer as old as me on it. I moved here with my kids (ok 5 of them now...husband long gone). This trailer was perhaps 800 sq feet or less. Some friends added on 2 bedrooms on the porch and my construction on changing things soon began.

I reduced the size of my bedroom so I could put in a very large soaking tub, with tile structure, and a separate shower that was completely tiled with a concrete floor. I have built 2 porches, added a pantry onto the porch, torn down walls, built an attached greenhouse and made many mistakes along the way!!!!

In addition, though not tiny house related, but very much reduced footprint related, I had goats, a cow, and chickens. The goats and cow are gone only because of moving forward with this tiny exodus. I made cheeses for years. I do most of my cooking on a woodstove in the winter. And right now cooking is done in toaster oven or 2 burner electric hot plate. We have a composting toilet. I have struggled to garden here as well!! I can food as well. My mother in law goes to Colorado every year to bring back tons of tomatoes!!

Meanwhile at one point I was making a living through making dollhouse miniatures. One of my designs, which I also did classes on, was miniature gypsy wagons. Clearly I made tiny homes into tiny homes!! Ha ha!! Will have to find some pics and post. Also, I will be building a miniature version of my tiny home soon and will share that here. (I do not expect to have the money to really get going on the tiny home for awhile, unless someone buys my coffee truck :o)

Enough for today. Tomorrow I will share my first real tiny kind of life size build...a coffee truck!!!

The Journey Begins

This journey began quite awhile ago in my mind, but so begins my journey in bloggerland with this Exodus.
As you can see my name is Julie. I am 56 years old and am endeavoring to build a tiny home for a new journey in my life, and the life of those who choose to follow me (my family).
Where to begin. As a kid I was always thinking up ways a room could become more than just a room. I tried to make clubhouses out of coloring book covers and well, that surely didn't work! But I would forget that and try another day!!! I learned basic wood skills from my dad, but not a lot. I spent 3 yrs in high school in woodshop, but in adult life quickly discovered having all those tools at your disposal did not help you figure out how to make things from a screwdriver and hand saw!!!
Honestly, that was my basis for any knowledge of building. I did, however, build small things using a handsaw and screw driver and hammer! I remember living in Northern California (real northern, not San fransisco), in Grass Valley and hauling lumber on the city bus! I had no car.
Back a bit further? When I got married, yep at some ridiculously naive age (18), I lived in a 12 foot trailer with my then husband. We had a dog and a guinea pig. In those early hippy days (actually like 1980)  I got pregnant and we lived for many months on the beaches in Santa Cruz. We moved into a studio apartment when I was 8 months pregnant. But I loved living tiny even then!
Flash forward to a few years later, 2 kids, I was 21, both kids in diapers (cloth) and my husband and I wanted to live in a tipi, yep!!! I attempted using a sewing machine (sold my electric that was my my mothe's, she died when I was 18, and bought a Singer treadle machine I still have) to sew heavy canvas. When I look back I think, "where the Hell did I learn HOW to make a tipi before the internet!!???? Anyway, I ended up hand sewing, overlapped seams, that 20 foot tipi!!! What the Hell right?
With 2 kids in tow, my husband an I embarked on that journey. Yes we had a fire in the center of the tipi, along with beds, a huge floor weaving loom and my trusty Singer sewing machine. I loved it, though I dreamed of a shed with running water. But, the point is that I lived in a tiny space with 2 kids in diapers (hand washing diapers with water I hauled from the creek), 2 dogs and yep a husband.
I learned to rise and bake bread in Weber bbq dome thing grill, and learned what needed to be refrigerated and what didn't. Again, I was 21-22 yrs old and while I will keep negative experiences out of this blog, details no one really needs, I was primarily doing this journey on my own, and was the only person who had a driver's license.
Ok to be continued.....off to have BLTs for dinner and watched some Naked and Afraid XL!!!!!