Yes, I know - I said I would write more frequently but, oh my goodness, I have been busy, delightfully busy. The best 2 hours of each day are spent rocking Finn while chatting with Stephanie or giving her time to take a nap or catch up on tasks. Thankfully Finn is sleepy between 1 - 3 p.m. and I am RIGHT THERE to take him, warm and soft, into my arms. Yes, we occasionally discuss world events (he has not yet, however, expressed opinions) but most of the time I sing softly while I rock - and am in heaven. Absolute heaven.
And, yes, I am adjusting to life at my new place. It has been an easier adjustment than I thought. The biggest blessing is my wee unit that I simply love. So here it is - life in 421 square feet. I know, impossible you might say, but look at how very efficient and complete it is.
Oh - background - I bought it furnished. 2 residents here designed the room (it was just an empty square), a team of workers on staff built it, then the 2 residents furnished it. I brought 4 pieces of furniture (and one rug) to replace things they had provided, otherwise it is as I first saw it. It still took 4 carloads of stuff to bring all my clothes, kitchen stuff, books, art, etc. but I certainly had an easier move-in than most residents.
This is the view into the bedroom portion of the unit. The bed is a Murphy bed surrounded by bookshelves.
The bookshelf to the right has a pull-out shelf for my laptop. The cabinets above and below hold my office stuff and files. The bookcase to the left has all the books I haven't yet read. The only good thing I can say is that it contains less than half the books I hadn't read that I brought with me to Portland 18 months ago. Note Wesley's heart (Valentine's Day) and rocket (Christmas) that moved from my old kitchen window to my new unit's window.
Here is a close-up of the desk area. Wesley and I greet the first day of each new month by selecting a set of my lights to hang around my bookcase - can you see them? This month Wesley thought the yellow chili pepper lights were appropriate. Easter? Spring? Who knows. They work for him.
At first I wasn't sure how the tiny desk would function given that I need space to lay out materials, etc. Then I noted the bed right next to me - a perfect surface.
This is why I love the Murphy bed (which is very comfortable. I sleep well). When I put it up I have LOTS of room to play with Wesley. We roll up the rug and can make a very large railroad display with room for his little airport, gas station, repair facility (and all the other places we create out of blocks, boxes etc). He can run the train long distances over this open space. My favorite comment of his when he first walked in and saw the bed up, "Gramma, you have a big refrigerator!"
This is the view from the bedroom area - I brought the storage unit to the left (from Costco - who knew, when I bought it a year ago, it would fit so perfectly into this space and hold all my sewing stuff, art supplies and Wesley's toys), the rug and the coffee table (an English cobbler's bench from my grandmother). My TV is in the dark space in the bookshelf. The little table under the window is very clever - it has 2 leaves that pull out to the front and back. It worked really well for a sewing project I undertook soon after arriving. It looks out to the Willamette River and it is where I eat breakfast every morning.
The little sofa is also clever - the 2 residents who designed the unit chose well. It is a futon. I drop one side when I want to stretch out to watch TV. If I drop both sides it is a single bed for sleepovers with Wesley (and Finn in the future).
Here is my tiny kitchen. At first I was concerned about the small size of the refrigerator (think college dorm) but I rarely eat any meal here other than breakfast and it is more than adequate to hold milk for my cereal! The cupboards provide enough storage for the kitchen things I brought but I now wonder how often I will actually use them. Oops! I just realized one of the cupboards for storing canned food is slightly open in the photo. At first I was dismayed with this style of shelf - I am used to broad open spaces for cupboards and these slide out with narrow shelves on which you place canned goods, etc. However I now really like them - I can see and reach everything easily.
You can see the back of my grandmother's high chair which I also brought with me.
Here is the shelf opposite the kitchen where I store dishes, etc. It functions well.
And, finally, this is the last portion of the unit - the closet (very deep - it shares space with the bathroom and drawers/shelves in the bedroom. I could not photograph the bathroom with any success - but the usual tub, toilet, sink and storage cabinets). I brought the cabinet next to the closet with me - I bought it in China and dearly love it. So glad it fit in.
So that's it - 421 well-designed square feet. What I like about the living room area is that I can easily move the shelf with kitchen stuff and the futon if I want more space. All very functional. Amazingly I have some empty shelves and drawers still available for the growth of stuff - and we know how that happens. But, for the moment, I am more than content.
And, yes, I am adjusting to life at my new place. It has been an easier adjustment than I thought. The biggest blessing is my wee unit that I simply love. So here it is - life in 421 square feet. I know, impossible you might say, but look at how very efficient and complete it is.
Oh - background - I bought it furnished. 2 residents here designed the room (it was just an empty square), a team of workers on staff built it, then the 2 residents furnished it. I brought 4 pieces of furniture (and one rug) to replace things they had provided, otherwise it is as I first saw it. It still took 4 carloads of stuff to bring all my clothes, kitchen stuff, books, art, etc. but I certainly had an easier move-in than most residents.
This is the view into the bedroom portion of the unit. The bed is a Murphy bed surrounded by bookshelves.
The bookshelf to the right has a pull-out shelf for my laptop. The cabinets above and below hold my office stuff and files. The bookcase to the left has all the books I haven't yet read. The only good thing I can say is that it contains less than half the books I hadn't read that I brought with me to Portland 18 months ago. Note Wesley's heart (Valentine's Day) and rocket (Christmas) that moved from my old kitchen window to my new unit's window.
Here is a close-up of the desk area. Wesley and I greet the first day of each new month by selecting a set of my lights to hang around my bookcase - can you see them? This month Wesley thought the yellow chili pepper lights were appropriate. Easter? Spring? Who knows. They work for him.
At first I wasn't sure how the tiny desk would function given that I need space to lay out materials, etc. Then I noted the bed right next to me - a perfect surface.
This is why I love the Murphy bed (which is very comfortable. I sleep well). When I put it up I have LOTS of room to play with Wesley. We roll up the rug and can make a very large railroad display with room for his little airport, gas station, repair facility (and all the other places we create out of blocks, boxes etc). He can run the train long distances over this open space. My favorite comment of his when he first walked in and saw the bed up, "Gramma, you have a big refrigerator!"
This is the view from the bedroom area - I brought the storage unit to the left (from Costco - who knew, when I bought it a year ago, it would fit so perfectly into this space and hold all my sewing stuff, art supplies and Wesley's toys), the rug and the coffee table (an English cobbler's bench from my grandmother). My TV is in the dark space in the bookshelf. The little table under the window is very clever - it has 2 leaves that pull out to the front and back. It worked really well for a sewing project I undertook soon after arriving. It looks out to the Willamette River and it is where I eat breakfast every morning.
The little sofa is also clever - the 2 residents who designed the unit chose well. It is a futon. I drop one side when I want to stretch out to watch TV. If I drop both sides it is a single bed for sleepovers with Wesley (and Finn in the future).
Here is my tiny kitchen. At first I was concerned about the small size of the refrigerator (think college dorm) but I rarely eat any meal here other than breakfast and it is more than adequate to hold milk for my cereal! The cupboards provide enough storage for the kitchen things I brought but I now wonder how often I will actually use them. Oops! I just realized one of the cupboards for storing canned food is slightly open in the photo. At first I was dismayed with this style of shelf - I am used to broad open spaces for cupboards and these slide out with narrow shelves on which you place canned goods, etc. However I now really like them - I can see and reach everything easily.
You can see the back of my grandmother's high chair which I also brought with me.
Here is the shelf opposite the kitchen where I store dishes, etc. It functions well.
And, finally, this is the last portion of the unit - the closet (very deep - it shares space with the bathroom and drawers/shelves in the bedroom. I could not photograph the bathroom with any success - but the usual tub, toilet, sink and storage cabinets). I brought the cabinet next to the closet with me - I bought it in China and dearly love it. So glad it fit in.
So that's it - 421 well-designed square feet. What I like about the living room area is that I can easily move the shelf with kitchen stuff and the futon if I want more space. All very functional. Amazingly I have some empty shelves and drawers still available for the growth of stuff - and we know how that happens. But, for the moment, I am more than content.
