Why a couch? Really.

I grew up with a couch in our living room. My grandma had a couch. All of my aunt's had couches. All of my friend's homes had couches. I myself had some form of a couch in every home I've ever had. Until yesterday!

My thought on this. Minimalism is something unique to the each individual person. There are no rules. When you create a minimal home you utilize everything in said home or cherish it because it brings you happiness.

That said. When we moved to Florida I sold our old sofa before we left. One less thing to move and I needed a visual change anyhow. Win win. Once we got to moved and settled it was my assumption that we would have all kinds of visitors and I have always loved the idea of being a good host, therefore we would need somewhere for our guests to sleep. So, we bought a gently loved red leather sofa sleeper that stowed a queen size bed for our loved ones to rest their heads on.

For the past year I have stared at this huge, heavy as hell piece of furniture that while it served its purpose for a place to plant our asses at the end of a busy day, it didn't do much else than sit there. We have had a handful of friends and family come to stay with us over the past 2 years and only 1 has actually pulled the damn thing out and slept on it more than one night. Kudos to my little sister! I tried to sleep on it once myself, it was horrible! Which at that point didn't do the poor thing any favors in my eyes.

As I have rebooted my drive to further declutter and minimize the items in our living space, I kept coming back to the sofa. We have had a recliner that my husband got for Christmas the year we got here. Everyone in the house takes turns jockeying for this chair. Again making the couch look unfavorable for keeping.

So, I had to ask myself, Why am I so resistant to get rid of this couch? After a lot of soul searching the only thing I could come up with is " Everyone has one". It's been ingrained on my brain for my entire 40 years. WTH? I have never been one to conform to a societal mold, why start now? If I remove the couch, what are we going to sit on? What are my guests going to sleep on? How do explain to visitors that look at my living room and wonder "Where the hell is her sofa?"

The answer was simple. We all get a recliner. His/her own to lounge and snuggle with the pups in. Done. Like I said before, Husband all ready had one. Fortunately, so did offspring (in his room acting like a coat rack) and me....Thrifty project time! I scored an older, smaller, fits-my-short-self-just-right recliner from a local thrift shop that just happen to be giving excess furniture away. Score! Then I cut up an old quilt, made a slip cover and BOOM! I have my own recliner also. Problem solved. Step 2...After removing the sofa, we can easily scoot the chairs to one side of the room and utilize the air mattresses we already have in our camping stash for out of town guests. Yes! Step 3....I have 2 people that visit us regularly and both know me well enough to know I'm not going to make them sit on the floor. Extra dining chairs can be brought in for short visits and reclining beach/camping chairs can be brought in if needed. Done. As for what other think of the my living room sans sofa....Honestly, I don't give a damn. Moving on!

The lesson is, if a couch doesn't work for your family's lifestyle....let it go! Break free from the assumption that your room will look incomplete with out one and don't judge someone that might not have one.
As for the red leather couch...it left yesterday to go live with a family that has 2 young son's that are going to camp out on it in there game room. I couldn't be more please!

Have you ever struggled with not wanting to let go of something as trivial as a piece of furniture that is a staple in most households these days? Have any comments, questions, stories you would like to share please leave them in the comments below.

Thanks for stoppin' in!

Weekly Updates: What's going on around 3nh.

Bringing the old blog out of retirement. I'm telling myself I will commit to a weekly post here, we'll see how that goes.

Well, it's been an interesting first half of 2016 so far. Lots going on.

We are in the process of painting the exterior of the house. I had hoped to complete it before the summer heat hit us, but unfortunately that did not happen. Now we are in rainy season which makes it difficult, but not undo-able. The body of the house is complete. The main wall of the screened porch (exterior house wall) is done also. The shed has been painted also. Left to do - front awning, ceiling of the porch & carport, all the gutters and carport supports. ( will update as we go, final before and after photos to come)

Offspring is at his final day of freshman year. I can't believe just how grown up he is getting. I am so very proud of the man he is becoming. Dean's list all year. He is amazing!

Projects: currently working on recovering a recliner,  writing content for my new blog N2 Simply Veg, wrapping up misc. crafting that needs finished as well as odds and ends of random inside painting that i can do since it's SO freaking hot outside.

OH, AND I WENT VEGAN.
More on that over on the other other blog!

I hope life finds you well. Thank you for visiting!

Mobile home love vs small mindedness

Three years ago when we bought our home we got a Lot of looks. Those looks that come from people that are stuck in the media driven stereotypical frame of mind....that mobile homes are where people live when they can't afford a stick built home, for whatever reason. This really pisses me off!

Here's the thing, my husband and I "chose" a mobile home for our first house together. We have also chosen a mobile home for our next house in Florida. Here's why, in the years we have been able to pay cash for two homes, eliminate all debt that had accumulated in our pre-3namehouse lives, and live comfortably in the mean time. How many couples (in their 30s) in this country can say that?

So I leave you with this thought...

Stick built home with a thirty plus year mortgage, that you have to kill yourself in job you hate, to pay it off....

Or a stick built home that happens to be mobile that can afford you to work a less demanding job and spend more time living.

The awesome that comes after a hystorectomy....

I get to be an AUNTIE!

 

 

 

 

 

This angel here is a product of my lil sister and her man.

Isn't he fabulous! This is bean.

 

This lil girl is Miss E....the beautiful daughter of my youngest

brother and his lady.

 

Aren't they wonderful? Two weeks apart...I can't wait to watch them grow!

 

 

Welcome to the family lil ones!

Our living room is shrinking!

So, this is what I have been doing the past month. In my OCD, over pre-pared brain it makes since to bring everything to the living room as it is packed so it takes less time to walk it to the truck on moving day. The kid and I are finishing up on this end, while husband is hard at work with training for his new job and getting our new house in order in Florida.

Transplanting humans

Morning world!

Now that all of the parents and grandparents have been personally told, I can reveal our next big adventure! (as my mother calls it)

3namehouse is moving! Not the blog, but it's humans. We recently sold our Ohio home and are pulling up roots to and heading south!

January 2013 we had taken a family trip to Florida to see family friends. And while both my husband and I have been to Florida in the summer, neither of us had been there in the winter. Let me tell you! As a kid who always had a snow storm on her birthday...I was in heaven! It took me 37 years to have a pool party for my birthday, who wouldn't want that?! After lots of discussion on the flight home about "having to go back to normal life" in cold Ohio. It was mentioned by offspring "Why do we have to go back?" This question planted a seed in Husband's and my brain. Now, in my entire life I had never pictured myself moving from Ohio. I pictured traveling and visiting far off places, but move? Well, never say never.

After a year of planning and putting the house on the market. We are ready!

It's been a long road coming. I will write about this later. Lots of ups and downs, highs and lows...it is a work out for the emotions!

In six weeks I will be writing from the beach. I am SO looking forward to the changes and new opportunities that await our lil family.

Side note: Does anyone have any advice on moving across country with a herd of dogs?

Full circles

As I sit here on this very snowy afternoon of my 38th birthday, I am watching my only child play on his Wii. Twelve years ago he blessed my life with the uncertainty of being a new mom. After years of trying, he had finally came to my life. After many losses and much heartache I finally had my boy.

People ask me why I have put myself thru such loss. Miscarriage, sucks. There is no other way to put it. After my fifth, I decided it was enough.  Until my divorce four years ago. After realizing that my ex was the one that couldn't physically have anymore children...not me. Maybe this was my chance at another blessing.
My current Husband has no children of his own. While he had stepped up dutifully as my son's Dad, we wanted to have one of our own. I'm six years his senior, at the time putting me in my mid thirties hoping time was still on my side.

I promised I would dedicate myself to giving this man a child until I turned 38. The past two years we have lost three babies. I have fought endometriosis. Had tumors removed. Done hormone replacement therepy. Dealt with my own feelings of failure as a wife and a woman. Oh, and the hormones had kicked of Fibromyalgia to boot! Fun times!

This past August I was told the endometriosis had returned. This time taking over my bladder, bowel, kidney and uterus. As I drove home from the doctors I was surprised by the light feeling I was experiencing. My body was fighting me. Mentally I was cooked. Overall I was relieved. I was ready for this rodeo to be done.

My biggest hurdle is still the fact I won't ever give my Husband his own child. But for me, life is much more precious. The light bulb went off! I have a son, that I am missing time with because of all the shit i'm putting my body thru to get pregnant. (insert the mental slap here) I'm ready to live my life, I want my body back and I don't want the emotional headache of wondering "am I" this month. No period for the rest of my life is a bonus!!

So, I booked a full abdominal hysterectomy for the first Friday of this year! I am three weeks post op and healing well.

From my couch I am enjoying my son and Husband as we make plans for our big move out of state this summer. Plans that include biking and kayaking and hiking and camping and all if the things I gave up the past two years.

My new motto "I'm uterus free and living life!"