For Those Who Must Fix Problems

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ... (I can) think upon whatever is right and pure and lovely and admirable..."   --- Philippians 4:13,8

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Maybe it's just me. Or perhaps it's this Hobbit Cottage, but man, I'm always having to tweak things. You know, to make my days easier.

The short version of this post? If that describes you also, the best thing is for us to learn to enjoy the tweaking, the challenges. The searching for clever ideas. The successes. 

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Soon after getting Happy and Poncho, I discovered Tom dishing out canned cat food one morning in the kitchen. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "I already fed them."

Tom replied, "But they acted like they were starving."

"Yeah, well, they're cats." I said. ツ  "I'll have to make an 'I fed them sign' that we can place on the counter." So I did, laminated it with packing tape, even. Problem solved. That is, as long as we remember to move the sign from the small basket to the countertop.

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Basically, our little house has no built-in storage. Well, other than in the kitchen. (Think I'm kidding?) 

So after much whining (and asking myself, "What have we done?"), I bought, over a year, 8 sets of white 3-shelf bookcases from online and 2 real-wood sets from yard sales.

Half became my pantry and the other half housed my books and miraculously? My complaints about this house diminished. Well, by half, anyway. heh.

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I needed to make gardening easier. So my Herb and Etc. Garden below our front porch became my Herb And Vegetable and Etc. Garden. It gets full bright morning sun, then sits in absolute shade from 12:30 on and yet? Our cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, salad vegetables, etc. grow in profusion.

And how simple to stand at the porch railing to water the plants, below, from a jug I filled in our kitchen.

Oh, and I sank largish pots about 2/3 into the ground and added soil to them. This makes everything easier for me for Springtime planting and keeps roots from strangling each other, etc. (Hey, it just does, ok?)

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Our upstairs ceiling is low, like, 6 feet?, so for years my hanging-a-chandelier-is-impossible thoughts were greater than my anything-is-possible ones.

But then I spied a photo where a woman hung a chandelier in a room like mine and wow! Instant inspiration. So much so, that I even found places for 2 chandeliers up here. 

1.) One chandelier I leave on daily to make up for the years of my giving-up.

2.) And may this remind us that sharing our ideas can inspire people to do what feels impossible for them.

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My former gymnast self used to boost herself up to kitchen counter tops to reach what she needed on top shelves. Then she switched to using a chair. Now she either stands on the floor with the 'grabber tool' and/or uses this adorable step thingy Naomi gave me.

I love that it folds up so it can be hidden.

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For awhile I'd awaken at night feeling nagged about chores needing doing. Eventually I placed an index card and pen beside my bed so I could switch on the light quickly and write down what was keeping me awake.

I'd read about that idea years ago, but the odd thing? I only used it for 2 nights. I've not needed it since.

Hmm. Perhaps what really helped was reading what Richard Carlson wrote: 

" ... we tell ourselves once we get through our To Do List, we'll be calm, relaxed, and happy. But in reality, this rarely happens. As items are checked off, new ones simply replace them.

The purpose of Life isn't to get it all done, but to enjoy each step along the way and live a life filled with love."

And may it be love and wisdom which keeps us happily searching for ways to improve both our own life and that of others.

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These days? It's too easy to feel out of control of what is happening outside. Instead, we can take charge of simplifying and improving our own life in many doable ways within our home, our yard, our sphere of influence.

I'll admit way too often it takes me years to come up with some fixes. The temptation becomes to ask why am I so slow? Gah! But lately I'm learning to forgive myself and to just move on and appreciate the new idea/solution while vowing to--next time--listen more closely to the Holy Spirit.

Always stay creatively-minded and determined to find ways to solve problems.

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Quick fixes:

I  wanted another birdbath (created one last year), but couldn't decide on a place where it looked 'right'. So I bought a hanging one, putting it on the empty hook beside the birdfeeder. 

Love it! I simply tip it to empty the water, then fill it (only an inch or so) with my watering can.

Since I'm practically spending this entire hot and humid summer on the red couch (and have no room for a coffee table), I needed something upon which I could place things like books, drinks, kleenex, my reading glasses, tablet, etc. 

On a tiny house video I spied a specially-made version of what I needed, but it felt too modern. Instead, I ran upstairs and grabbed a 1970's tray I'd found at an estate sale. Solves the problem perfectly.

Oh, and Poncho loves sleeping on our hutch. When he leaves the occasional scratch in the wood, I use some mineral oil and instantly it disappears.

And lastly (for today)-- because we can no longer take vacations (basically), I've returned to buying books which, hey, I prefer over vacations anyway. I used credit card rewards to buy these, below, and I'm enjoying each:

The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sarah Brunsvold

Hems and Homocide by Elizabeth Penny

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

(Being soo picky about the books I read, I researched these like crazy and am relieved that each is a treasure. Kinda like a miracle, trust me.)

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I've meant to share this gorgeous autumnal video with you for nearly a year! Some of the best fall scenes, ever.

Here's a brief documentary about Will Rogers which I found interesting.

Beautiful (Autumn) Home Decor

Parisian Style in 700 Square Feet

And I've shared this apartment before, but it'll always be a very favorite of mine.

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And to help hold a decent attitude this hot summer, I'm keeping my mind in places like this (and using the tv like a picture window where autumn already blazes outside)--

Happy and Poncho's family. Pretty, right? --

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15