Happenings At The Hollow 9

Hello my sweet Foxes! I had started to share a post on Facebook, and after a writing several paragraphs, thought to myself, hmm… I may need to just write a blog post. Which means it’s the perfect time for a Happenings At The Hollow catch-up. So here I am. Sharing my thoughts, as well as a health update regarding my knee replacement (for those that have been asking) and some news about the deck we’ve got under construction! If you prefer DIY’s & decorating, no problem! I’ll be sharing more of that very, very soon, I look forward to seeing you then.

I recently shared some laundry room ideas and someone commented about wishing they had a space like the ones being showcased.  It’s not the first time I’ve read a response with that sentiment, but it really struck me. I feel like that sometimes too. It’s easy, with the ability to see so many amazing spaces at our fingertips these days. And they all seem to be so grand and luxurious. That being said, it’s what sparked this post, because it got me recalling how the first house we rented had washer and dryer hookups located… in a shed outside! 

Yes, here in Oregon. With alllll the rain. Picture trying to carry a laundry basket and an umbrella. At least on the trips back in with the dry stuff. Oh, and I almost forgot that we had a skinny little entry up about 7 steps into the house too, not quite wide enough for the umbrella. This was all fairly manageable, until we had a baby. Then I began using a baby monitor to race in & out to speed-switch loads when Austin was sleeping. 

BUT even still, we didn’t have to go to the laundromat like we did in our first apartment. Aah, little silver linings. 

Makes you appreciate what you have when you struggle a little. In fact, I believe it’s good for you to not have everything from the get go when you start out. We worked for every single thing we had — every upgrade, every step up, every move forward. I feel like you value and appreciate it more that way. 

Our “master bath” before — Combination powder bath & laundry room.

That house also didn’t have an en-suite bathroom. Funny that all these years later, neither does this home, we’ve come full circle on that one. I learned to adapt to many little imperfections with the quirks of that old house. Like a pedestal sink, and zero counter space. That definitely fostered some creative solutions. We learned so much in that house. Like how to get water out of a flooded basement, the responsibilities of lawn care and property maintenance, and how not to freeze when you can’t afford oil for the furnace. All good lessons.

Can’t help but think it’s a little bit of the reason why I don’t mind having a simply functional laundry room. No luxury, no fancy, no window. It being paired with the powder bath actually makes it pretty large, and hey… it could always be outside. LOL

Our combination powder bath & laundry room makeover [click here]

Many houses in between were a much bigger, some brand new… but we weren’t any happier in them, than we are in this one right now. I’m not saying there is anything wrong at all with working hard and striving for more, I just know that for me, it’s not where true happiness and contentment have been found.

Many of you know we settled on this house, in the state it was in, with hope in our hearts. Primarily because it came with the little house out back. The Little Cottage is the single reason we bought this property. I knew we could make the main house better, but finding a property that had a second home wasn’t going to be nearly as easy.

This is a scanned in photo of our home from the real estate flyer.

My mother in law and I are the ones that came to see this house first. Just the two of us, while Jim was working. And I can so, so vividly and distinctly remember us trying to be cool (and not succeeding at all) after the realtor said the words; “now lets go look at the other house”, as we exited the lower set of french doors. I know we were trying not to jump up and down when we got into what is now The Little Cottage, and I remember us trying to whisper talk about how this could be amazing! And for anyone that knew my mother in law, you know she could not whisper. I say that with a smile on my face, as it’s such a good memory.

The Little Cottage Story and Project Archives [click here]

The rest is history. The Little Cottage became my mother in laws home, long before we even moved into the main house! She lived there up until the last few years of her life, when she moved in with her daughter. The time we had with her there was priceless and I didn’t even know it. I felt like I did, but until she got sick, I didn’t fully know exactly how precious it was. I absolutely and without a doubt, won the mother in law lottery. And she was one helluva a grandma! 

Okay drying my eyes here… dang. Sometimes I don’t know where I’m going and these posts give me free reign to just chat with you. Thank you!

Leaving our last house was hard at first, I won’t lie. You never got to see it, but I thought is was my dream home, and everything you are supposed to strive for. It was big and wonderful, with storage everywhere. I had a dedicated craft room and a even a dressing room. It was secluded, and sat up on a hill, with manicured grounds and beautiful view of the lake and park. And it even one of those big fancy laundry rooms! But wisdom comes with time and experience, and it didn’t take long for me to know we were in the right place, for a million different reasons. This house has taught me so very much. Meaningful life lessons, not the least of which are that trappings & things don’t equal happiness.

Do I still daydream of an old home in the South, with a big porch (painted haint blue of course!) with old trees, and tall ceilings… yes. But it’s only a dream, and vacations & adventures will do. I know we are here to stay. 

I did give myself a haint blue porch when we repainted the house! [click here for details]

And if I’m lucky, maybe one day she’ll be wearing a copper lantern like a Southern lady

Overall, I feel a deep contentment. I know just how lucky I am to be alive, and to have Jim to share my life with. He is my everything. I don’t need much else. Well, maybe a magical transport to see my mama whenever I want… but otherwise. Content.

Real quickly, as far as my knee goes… you guys, it will be a YEAR next week since my replacement surgery. Brutal honesty? I am so over everything about my knee, the word knee, and thinking about my knee. I had that bone scan before everything shut down. Just to recap — everything was good and clear, and they did my entire body due to my cancer history [catch up here if you want]. Since then, I’ve been trying to see someone to get a second opinion about the outcome of my surgery. Due to the fact that I did not get favorable results. Be assured, the absolute last thing I want is another surgery (I almost feel ill considering it), but I also can not live like this. In short, I use a cane, and my new knee does not function properly. I am continuing to try to connect with a new doctor, but the current pandemic has hindered that greatly – *UPDATE! I’ve got an appointment. I’ll keep you posted. And THANK YOU for your sweet messages and support since. I really appreciate your kind words, notes and even gifts. SO MUCH!!!!  

We are moving forward with the new deck build as time permits. This is an incredibly busy time of year at work for Jim, and I have been encouraging him not to work on it too much, as he is working such long hours. As of now, all the footings are in! They are going to start putting the posts in next. That’s a change from our last deck, because the new one is going to have a PERGOLA!!!! I know. I am so stinking excited you guys and I can not wait to share it with you. There aren’t really any exciting photos to share just yet. 

You can see all along the sides, the deck was falling in towards the center. Definitely a good time to replace it, for safety alone.  That it will be new is a happy perk! 

Can you believe I tried to make this post short? It would be so easy for me to just write and write and share little side stories and anecdotes… probably why, along with “good student, or pleasure to have in class” I always got my report cards noted with “very social, or talks too much in class”. Once, I even had an eraser thrown at my head. But that’s a story for another day. 

Have a beautiful 4th of July this weekend. I know it’s different. I know things may be feeling really hard, or scary right now. Wishing everyone safety, as you celebrate as best you can. Much love & light, Shannon

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