A Summer in Limbo
There’s been a great deal happening over here as far as our home and family journeys are concerned, but our months are still being spent in an odd sort of limbo.
Above: Dress from Carolina K, whose Zero Waste Collection can be found here.
We’re currently in the process of packing for our first trip to the tiny French Farmhouse. Meanwhile, we’re also preparing for the greenhouse to be constructed here in Northern Florida, and we’re progressing through the permitting process for our small prairie cottage / ADU, which is slated to be finished before the end of the year.
While our family is extremely eager to return to small space living (and documenting our experiences), things like this take time. This is something that’s easy to forget in the age of instant gratification and the glossy home transformations we see on social media and on TV.
During this interim period, we’ve learned so much about the value of multigenerational living.
Despite some work-related inconveniences, I’ve actually really appreciated this transitional situation of ours during my 4th trimester.
As we spend this warm summer managing the realities of life and our ongoing projects, we’ve been sticking to the most simple of activities.
Rather than planning camping trips, weekend getaways and engaging in elaborate games or excursions with our four year old and newborn, we’ve stayed home and outdoors as much as possible.
Playing backyard bingo, filling and refilling a little nature museum box, and watching shows with our portable projector are activities that have provided us with new outdoor experiences every day, without the need to commit to anything that we just cannot add to our juggling routine at this time.
When I overwhelmed by the to-do list and frustrated by the slow progress of our home journey and feel as though too little has been accomplished, I focus instead on the fact that our tiny hummingbird has almost tripled her birthweight in this time. I remind myself that I’ve had the immense privilege of being with her for every nap. Every smile. Every bedtime and wake up. Almost every single feeding. And, recently, her first giggle!
We will eventually have our hands filled with our little home & business. For now, our hands are blissfully filled with this growing miracle.
Above: Jamie Haller Shoes
Outdoor Movie Night in a Small Garden
On Fridays and Sundays, we typically like to do movie nights as a family here at home.
I’m not a big fan of staying inside huddled around a screen— especially since we live in SoCal, where the weather is usually gorgeous, and something is always in bloom. So this weekend we decided to try outdoor movie night.
It only took a few minutes to set up, and worked wonderfully.
We didn’t need any special furnishings or equipment. We simply placed our vintage, folding outdoor table (which we also use for pop-up dining, crafts, and for offering refreshments outdoors when hosting,) on the back stoop, and topped it with my work iMac.
We’ve been meaning to mail this desktop computer off to a family member, as discussed in this post about our recent home-office modifications, but we haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s been sitting on the floor of our closet in the meantime, so this was the perfect way to put it to continued use.
We lit a non-toxic mosquito repellent stick nearby, and it kept the bugs at bay. I really like this particular product, because it doesn’t have the overwhelming (often stomach-turning) smell that most other sticks and candles have, and yet it works. We only need 1 to cover our back garden and attached bedroom.
I wore a full-length medium-weight hoodie from Garnet Hill for extra protection from the mosquitos since I can’t sit still for the length of a movie and end up darting around the property. West and Adam curled up under a blanket as it got cooler. (No bug bites!)
Our usual stack of outdoor pillows kept us cozy on our custom couch, which was made from reclaimed materials by Tumbleweed & Dandelion here in Venice.
We watched episodes of “Sarah & Duck” and ate popcorn and veggies. To serve the snacks, we used our PlanetBox and shared a stainless steel insulated cup that works just as well for pre-schoolers as it does for adults.
Desktop computer or not, we’ll be doing this far more often now that we now how simple and delightful it can be.
