The littles love their tiny loft, and maybe the reading nook too.
When Sarah, my daughter-in-law, created these signs last summer I never imagined it would be over a year before two of our six grandchildren had a place to hold them up. Though the nook and loft are not completely finished, the end is finally in sight and as happy as I am, Brian is even happier.
The Reading Nook
Initially, I planned for the reading nook to be the size of a full mattress and closed off, in hopes of giving it a quiet, cozy feel. It didn’t take long, however, to realize that the eight-foot-long window/desk would barely squeeze into the remaining space so we switched the size to a twin. I was disappointed, but the tiny house was created mainly for writing, so I begrudgingly agreed with reality and here we are.
As I played with the idea of closing off this tiny twin nook, I came across a picture in Cottage Living that reminded me of the second-story sleeping porch in Thomas Wolfe’s home, located in Asheville, NC. Its surrounding walls, consisting mainly of windows, make for an airy, bright, and downright dreamy space.
So we decided to make an interior “window” that matched the other three inside the nook. Now, natural light shines through, lending an open feel to the entire tiny house. It may not feel quite as cozy but I figure the stack of vintage chenille spreads, fluffy back pillows, and a copy of Look Homeward, Angel in the corner will help readers feel right at home.
The Littles’ Loft
As an eight-year-old, I dreamed of creating a tiny space in my grandparent’s attic. It was a hidden world above their single-storied home, accessed only by a string that dangled from the door on the ceiling.
The rectangular-shaped attic was bookended by windows. On one side, an iron rod holding vintage dresses coffined in garment bags stretched for what seemed like miles. Brightly colored polyester pieces peeked out from their plastic as if to beg for attention.
On the other side, boxes housed Christmas for eleven months of the year. Grandmother and Granddaddy focused on family instead of fanfare, reflected in the content of the containers that held their decorations, and my memories.
Like the attic in their home, our littles’ loft in the tiny house will be accessible by narrow slats of wood that climb twice as high as their heads. Strategically placed bars across the front, a couple of bean bags, and a comfy throw rug will offer a nice spot to read, play games, or hide Hatchables.
While their tiny “hidden world above” won’t hold vintage dresses or Christmas storage, it will hold the potential to create memories they’ll not soon forget.
Yes, the loft and reading nook are tiny, but if my grandparents’ pocket-sized home taught me anything, it’s that the size of a home doesn’t determine the amount of love it can hold.
So, I’d love to know… what book would you bring to read in the tiny reading nook?
Because gratitude begins when we take notice.
Download your fall calendars today! They include a daily gratitude prompt {that you might not expect!} and they’re perfect for the fridge, your bedside table, or near your coffee pot, where you’re sure to see it every morning.
It’s one small but meaningful way of showing my gratitude for your desire to be a part of this *tiny* community. Simply type your email address in the “Come On In” section at the top of the sidebar box and you’ll receive my monthly letter from the Tiny House on the Hill, a couple of posts each month, and access to this gift as well as all past gifts. You can unsubscribe at any time.
I’d read her posts on Inspire a Fire and was an instant fan. So when she left a comment on one of my Inspire posts, I was tickled pink, and truly touched. Her words came at a crucial point in my writing life. Kim didn’t know this, but God did. Over the years, our friendship has grown, as has my respect.
Welcome to the Tiny House on the Hill.
By: Kim Harms
I had two years of elementary education classes behind me the first time I stepped foot in an actual elementary classroom with real children. It took me all of 30 seconds to realize that teaching kids was not for me.
Seeking direction, I took an aptitude and interest survey at a local business college. When a school counselor sat down with me to go over the results, she said these words. “I have never said this to anyone who’s taken this survey before, but you don’t belong at our school.”
A Turning Point
Those words were a turning point in my life. Knowing that I wasn’t suited for teaching or for business, I took some time to consider what I was passionate about.
Words. Words are my passion. I read three books at a time, and I have boxes of journals dating back to fourth grade. I wrote for my high school newspaper. I was on the yearbook staff. My first poem was published when I was fourteen. But I had never before considered trying to turn my passion into a career. Until now.
I stayed at ISU and changed my major to English: Literary Studies (basically a creative writing degree) and I started taking journalism classes as well. I loved it. I found the little corner of the world that I was made for. I allowed myself to dream about writing for newspapers and magazines. And someday, the dream of all dreams, maybe I’d even write a book.
I did become a newspaper reporter, and I found some success writing for magazines too, but the book thing was elusive for a long time. I didn’t try to push it. I didn’t even know what I would write a book about, but the dream always remained.
Praying for Direction
In 2015, I started praying that God would give me a clear direction for my writing, whether that was as a reporter or an author or both. For a whole year, I prayed.
And then I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Prayers for direction ceased as I started praying for my life. Lord, will I live to see my boys graduate? Who will find all the missing earbuds if I’m gone? Who will scratch the boy’s backs at bedtime? Who will make cookie dough for family movie night? A barrage of heavy thoughts weighed me down at first, but I made it to the other side cancer-free.
I had both of my breasts removed and walked the bizarre world of breast reconstruction. I dealt with the physical, emotional and psychological toll that it all took on me.
It was a very very hard thing, but God never promised me a life of ease.
I also found that direction I’d been praying for. I recently signed a contract with Familius Publishing for my first book, tentatively titled Life Reconstructed: A Girlfriend’s Guide to Mastectomies and Breast Reconstruction. A book that wouldn’t have happened without a cancer detour.
The Gift of a Tiny House
And that brings me to my tiny house.
One year to the day after receiving a cancer diagnosis, God gave me the keys to an amazing (albeit, seriously in the need of updating) house on 1.5 wooded acres smack-dab in the middle of our little town. (You can read that story here).
I’d have been content with the woods and the house, but it came with a bonus.
A tiny cabin nestled in the trees by a ravine. The interior was unfinished, and I figured it would probably stay that way for a long while. But my hubby loves me so much that he made it one of our first projects. In his free time, he insulated it, added a propane heater, installed flooring, and paneled the walls. And I adore it because tiny houses are just the cutest thing. But I adore it even more because Corey finished it for me specifically so I would have a quiet writing space.
Prior to the cabin, I didn’t have a dedicated place to write. My book proposal came together at my kitchen table, on my couch, and at a booth in Panera. Those places are okay, and sometimes I still head to Panera because their cranberry orange muffins are amazing. But this cabin? Wow.
Right now, I’m sitting at a little table surrounded by trees and a meandering creek. It’s a gift. An amazingly wonderful gift. I don’t deserve it. I did nothing to earn it. God in his loving-kindness blessed my family with a property that includes a tiny cabin. And my hubby, in his loving-kindness blessed me by transforming it into a writing retreat.
God is good. And he gave me a good man.
I have a lot of writing to get done at this little table. My first draft is due in January. It’s equally exhilarating and terrifying to think of all that needs to happen to get this book from my brain to someone’s nightstand. But when I’m overwhelmed by this monster task, all I have to do is look out my tiny house window to be reminded of the God who loves to provide for his children and the husband who believes in me more than I believe in myself.
Kim’s Gift to You!
A beautiful journal and bookmark. Thank you for loving on our *tiny* community, Kim.
To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment sharing where you most enjoy reading and/or writing!
Kim Harms is a writer and speaker currently under contract with Familius Publishing for her first book, tentatively titled Life Reconstructed: A Girlfriend’s Guide to Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction. Harms has a degree in English: Literary Studies from Iowa State University and has written for a variety of publications including Today’s Christian Woman, CT Women, Creation Illustrated and Guideposts. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction surgeries in 2016 after being diagnosed with breast cancer and writes about her Life Reconstructed at kimharms.net. on Facebook. Central Iowa is home, and she lives there with her husband Corey and their three ever-growing man-children.
Okay, maybe our choice of flooring isn’t that surprising but it surprised me.
For over a year, I read magazines and pinned every floor that caught my eye, but this one never made it to the board.
It all began on a whim when we decided to “run in” to Liquid Lumbidators, as I call it, just to see what they had to offer. (This is like stopping by the Humane Society when you’re allergic to dogs but taking shots in hopes of one day adopting.)
Nothing stood out to me.
Until we spotted “Bull Barn Oak”. A few ideas began floating around in my brain while eying the sizable sample:
Its pattern⏤white, gray, taupe, with a dash of mint and distressed⏤is sure to give the tiny space an older feel. Or at least that’s what I hope. With many of the windows being the efficient type, it needs a little aging. An antique mantel can’t carry that mission on its own.
Because of the distressed pattern, the crisp white walls will be smooth and simple. Shiplap will crown the ceiling. The last thing I want is colors and textures vying for my attention when I walk through the door. Can’t we all just get along?
This last point is sponsored by Brian’s sanity and delight. The entire floor (all 144 square feet of it) can be installed in one day. #bestdayever And, it was on sale, saving us hundreds of dollars. Let’s just say that’s quite the blessing at this particularly pricey point of the process.
{The picture doesn’t do the floor justice but it’s hard to control the lighting in a Lumbidator sort of place.}
I admit to having doubts whiz past me a time or two because I’d planned to use a solid color in hopes of making the tiny space seem not so tiny.
But for every doubt, a smile emerged as I imagined opening my door to this funky floor.
I’m not an interior decorator, I just know what I love, and it’s not very often we get to choose a “major” purchase based simply on delight. Will our choice of flooring look as I imagine when it’s installed in a couple of weeks? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
When is the last time you chose something based purely on delight?
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 34:7
“At root, what God delights in about us is that we delight in him.” — John Piper
Thanks for stopping by the Tiny House on the Hill! If you’d like to become a part of our *tiny* community, skip over to the sidebar for more information. Every other week, you’ll receive a note from me in the form of a blog post, sharing how we might see God at work in our lives and how this can transform our lives, as well as others.
One of the monthly posts, like this one, sheds a little light on the process (no pun intended) of building a tiny space of my own and hopefully inspires you to consider a way of finding your own space.
Last April, before May floods meandered their way over the Swannanoa banks, we headed to the Antique Tobacco Barn in Asheville NC, in search of a Gothic window. We explored aisles of primitive ladders, glass knobs, and bird egg blue cabinets until we spotted the distinctive curve peeking over nearby antique relics.
Or should I say curves? Turns out, there were two.
We asked to buy just one, but the seller wouldn’t budge⏤purchase the pair, or nothing at all.
A Gothic window isn’t an easy find, especially on our budget, so we paid the money and skedaddled back down the mountain.
We decided the now two windows could bookend the tiny house. One in front, perched over the porch, and the other, nestled in the back. Because we were nowhere ready for installation, (which begs the question why did we go shopping for them in April?), we wrapped the windows in beach towels and leaned them on my great-aunt’s bed frame in the garage.
Finally, on a bitter cold day in January, we introduced the windows to their forever home. Brian, aka, my Genius, devised a way to frame the window without having to cut curved pieces of wood, saving valuable time, and dare I say, frustration. *wink*
Brian installed the first Gothic window over the front porch. Around the same time, we needed to decide where to install the split unit for heating and air. While compact and uber-convenient, the interior part of the unit takes up a bit more space than expected, leaving us with only two choices: mount the unit over the antique mantle, or on the back wall.
Let’s just say the mantle won.
I couldn’t imagine having a split unit hovering over the vintage mantle, especially when two lovely alternatives are vying for that space. The second window was returned to the garage until further notice.
If this weekend warrior is learning anything during the building process, it’s to be flexible and to always have a Plan B. Notice I said learning, as in, the struggle is real.
Now, the Tiny House on the Hill sits with the Gothic window in place⏤a space designed just for her.
To have a tiny space to call our own is good for the soul. It doesn’t have to sit on a hill out back. It can be as simple as a cozy corner in our home, a closet where we create, or a place in our garden where we meet with God.
“You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.”
Psalm 119:114 MSG
So, where’s your space⏤the place you go to create, rest, and recharge?
*Tiny subscribers, if you missed February’s Letter, you’ll want to check out the exclusive video of Brian installing the Gothic window.
I want to be that woman⏤the one who swirls her colored pencils, creating a design befitting a beautiful prayer journal.
But I’m not.
Instead, I buy pencils and markers in an array of colors, along with hand-lettering books, to feel like the woman who does such things. Truth is, I buy a fetching three-ring binder from Target, a pack of College-ruled notebook paper, and new for 2019⏤a pack of LePens. (Hey, if I can’t create a design, I can at least write in fabulous colors.)
Years ago, I searched for crisply lined journals with lovely covers to write poetry, but creativity clutched my brain like a toddler to a mother’s leg, refusing to let loose. Don’t write a word on that gilded line until you have the perfect word. Needless to say, few poems made their way to the pages. But somewhere along the way, I started using plain ol’ notebooks to record my poetic thoughts. It’s a mental game, of course, teasing the brain that it’s okay to write away because it’s a throwaway notebook.
For me, it’s the same with prayer journals.
God isn’t expecting or seeking perfection in the words poured out onto the page. He’s not moved by the handwriting, but rather, the heart that is writing. When I use a three-ring binder stocked with loose-leaf paper and four tabs, I feel free to write, cross out words, jot down scripture references, and scribble sideways when necessary.
In the past, I’ve journaled prayers using My Prayer Partner Notebook by Becky Tirabassi, fancified journals with life-giving words on the cover, and five-subject notebooks. But one small important distinction between using journals/notebooks and three-ring binders/loose-leaf paper is the ability to add loose paper to specific sections, as needed.
Sections, you say. Why, yes.
On one sheet of loose-leaf paper, at the front of the binder, I create a cover page that lists specific needs I can pray over each day of the week.
Sunday – our church, pastors
Monday – our children, grandchildren, and family
Tuesday – Hope*Writer and Facebook requests
Wednesday – our small group
Thursday – missions
Friday – the lost
Saturday – fellow writers and their work
After the cover page, I have tabs that vary in subject at times, but these are the standard four:
First Section :: Adoration
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name…” Psalm 29:2
I see this different from a time of praise. It’s a specific space to declare my awe and wonder of God — who He is, not what He does for me in specific situations. I read through a Psalm, choose one specific characteristic and write out the verse. Sometimes that’s the only thing written. When I allow myself to meditate on this truth of who God is, it becomes more about being (still) and less about doing.
Second Section :: Thanksgiving
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Because focusing on God’s characteristics can’t help but lead to a grateful heart, it’s here I write the ways I’m thankful for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It’s also the place I record the specific why behind the gratitude, helping to take it the gratefulness to a deeper, more personal level.
Third Section :: Search and Find
“Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23, 24 NIV
It’s here I pause and ask God to search my heart, confident there are sins and struggles I simply don’t see. I usually write them down, but sometimes I don’t, refusing to be legalistic about my time with God. The main point is to have a searchable heart that results in confession, cleansing, and sweet restoration.
Fourth Section :: Intercession
“Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open.”Ephesians 6:18 The Message
I like to divide this section into two: one for friends struggling with long-term issues like sickness, ongoing marriage or children issues. The other, for short-term requests. Pocket Prayers are also used for both when I’m in a pinch for time. Not sure what those are? I share more in the post How to Pocket Your Prayers.
Quick Tips:
Date your entries. You’ll appreciate pinpointing the date of original prayers and praises in the future.
I address entries to my heavenly Father. People have shared how this one point often trips them up in prayer journaling — not knowing how to direct their prayers on paper. Again, it’s not about the paper, but the heart.
Leave ample space beside requests for praise and answers to prayer. Pray expectantly!
Recording God’s answers to prayer will not only heighten appreciation, but it will also serve as a journal of God’s faithfulness for future generations.
There may be times when you need to write something so personal that the thought of anyone reading it tempts you not to record it. Go ahead, write it⏤get it out⏤on a separate sheet of loose paper in your binder, pray through it, and then throw it away.
Oh my, how I’d love to say I journal every day, but I don’t. On those days I miss, I rest in knowing that my prayers⏤my connection with God⏤isn’t limited to ink that flows onto man-made pages. Our prayers go wherever we go.
Journaling is simply a tool to slow us down and focus, helping us to become more intentional about prayer in a world that wants us to be anything but.
So, how about you? Do you journal your prayers? If so, what type of book do you use? If not, is this something you will consider doing in 2019?
I’m loving my new LePens so much (thank you Amazon Lightning Deal) that I’d like to give away a three-pack in celebration of journaling our prayers in 2019. Simply answer the question above (or just pop in and say hello) to be entered in the giveaway. The winner will be randomly selected via miniwebtool.com on Saturday, January 5th.
Thank you for joining me on this *tiny* journey in 2018. Lord willing, this new year will see a completed Tiny House on the Hill, a small space that I pray will magnify our great God for years to come.
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Kim Harms is a writer and speaker currently under contract with Familius Publishing for her first book, tentatively titled Life Reconstructed: A Girlfriend’s Guide to Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction. Harms has a degree in English: Literary Studies from Iowa State University and has written for a variety of publications including Today’s Christian Woman, CT Women, Creation Illustrated and Guideposts. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction surgeries in 2016 after being diagnosed with breast cancer and writes about her Life Reconstructed at 
