HOME TOUR || come on in!

I was inspired to share our home with you because this woman
shared a series on LIVING SMALL. Their house is pure lovely.
And they make their 1,000 sq. feet work well for their family of SIX.
That spoke volumes to me.

We also dwell in 1,000 sq. feet. The FOUR of us.
I think that in today's day and age we have all this pressure
to keep up with the Joneses or to meet a certain requirement at a certain age,
certain number of children, etc. It is almost like, "We won't be NORMAL if we don't
do or have such-and-such." It is certainly overwhelming.

As much as I hate to admit it,
I think I fell victim to the pressure.

I'm not going to say that less is more or that more is less, or anything
really cliche for that matter. All I've got is my own personal realization
that EACH FAMILY has their own way of life, needs, and calling.

Our home is very simple. Nearly everything you will see was gifted or
thrifted at one point. Back when we were first married I knew that I didn't
want to invest in THINGS; things that I would be attached to - things I would have to clean!
Rather, I wanted a more simplified life so that I had more time to take care of PEOPLE;
people that I can take to heaven with me - people that DO need cleaning, but it is
much more rewarding to give your kids a bath than polish silverware! #inmyhumbleopinion

I always thought it would be wonderful to be a cloistered nun;
tucked away from the eyes of the world with only God to love. Holy romantic.
A few years back I realized that even in marriage and life in the world -
a simple, St. Francis-like way of life, could be achieved and lived out.

Welcome to my cloister. AKA our residency. Our home.
A small space filled with big love.




STORAGE is like gold to us. We have to get creative, as we do not have a garage.
I think the biggest thing we practice is keeping it simple - only keeping what we need.
The closets are floor to ceiling which is awesome. There are shelves and storage units
inside to keep things orderly. A few years ago I found this hutch on Craig's List.
It serves as an art and learning supply storage unit! I LOVE IT.




Book/DVD shelves >>> we picked these up for $35 the year we were married.
They are not anything to write home about, but they do a fantastic job of holding
all our favorite reads!!!




TOYS. We donate. When the kids receive a batch of new toys we typically
take a bag of old toys down to a resale shop that supports abused women and children.
The few, quality toys my children have are loved and played with on a daily basis.
Very honestly - we try to keep it simple for our kids. Not bombarding them with toys,
TV, etc. Gives them room to use their imagination. Keeps them from being restless.




My dad built me this hope chest when I was 13 years old. Over the years, my
parents filled it with things like dishes, pots and pans, cookbooks, utensils -
things that I would take into my vocation. Now that all those things are put to use,
we use it to store mine and Nathan's childhood memorabilia and blankets.



Fun fact, under every bed you will find carefully arranged items. Shelves, a crib,
baby clothes, etc... another way to keep things neat, orderly, and stored away!

And I feel like I owe you all this picture...



This is my laundry room / homeschool book storage /
large riding toys garage / art & birthday decoration display room!

We make it work.
And we are so thankful for the space God has provided!
I am now deleting the Joneses from my brain.