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Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

Rediscovering Life after Retirement

Categories: Life Style, Reviews and Reflection

My Thoughts on Temporary Tiny Living

My Thoughts on Temporary Tiny Living

Howdy, gals!

Sharing my thoughts on tiny living albeit very temporary tiny living in the form of a week in a B&B RV during a recent trip to Phoenix.  And teaming up with my friend Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag for her “Glossies Made Me Do It” series.  This link-up happens the first Friday of every month. The idea? Share what a glossy (magazine) has made you do recently – try a new recipe/product, listen to a song, read a book, start a discussion/think of something new! In my case the glossy came after the fact.  But I think Lauren will be ok with that.

When my Prince registered to play with a team in the Men’s Senior Baseball League World Series, he suggested we return to the AirBnB where we stayed last year.  It was a small bedroom/bathroom with a private entrance in the home of a very sweet couple about our same ages.  Except I am six years older than PC so that is a broad range, but that’s neither here nor there, right?  Right?

However, we were unable to find our hosts from last year on the AirBnB website.  So PC said I could pick somewhere new to try.  We enjoyed the backyard space, wildlife (rabbits, birds and coyotes) and pool so much last summer that we knew we wanted a similar accommodation this year.  In fact, we built our pool because we enjoyed that pool so much last year.  Ugh.  I started sifting through the many AirBnB possibilities for the perfect place.

The Shaggy Dog B&B

I came across the listing for The Shaggy Dog Bed and Breakfast.  Love at first sight.  The “Dog House” is a little RV parked on the back of the lot at the proprietors’ home.  Pool and hot tub access.  Rabbits, birds…check, decided I could live without the coyotes.  The price was right, a very affordable $68 a night.  We needed something that was centrally located near restaurants and shopping with easy Interstate access to all of the ball fields where PC would be playing, check, check.  It would offer an adventure in ‘glamping’.  A chance to experience, as an adult, the camping I loved as a child.  With small-scale versions of all the comforts of home:  electricity, TV, indoor plumbing, AC, microwave and frig.  The Shaggy Dog “Dog House” fit the bill and PC gave it his stamp of approval.

Adorable and Thoughtfully Appointed

On the Outside

We pulled up to the “Dog House” and my heart went pitter-patter.  The RV was set in a picturesque grove of cactus (hate the word cacti, sounds so pretentious) and other desert plants spangled with wind chimes or strings of solar lights.  Underneath a large awning, there was  a wrought iron patio table and brightly upholstered iron chairs.  Reminded me of a set my Grandma Bubby had in her Oklahoma backyard.

My Thoughts on Temporary Tiny Living

Our hosts, Steve and Terri, gave us the grand tour of the RV and the grounds.  Introduced their own shaggy and not-so-shaggy pups, showed us the hot tub-how-to’s, and one of the best surprises of all, the outdoor shower.

This was my first experience in what they call tiny living these days.  As a child, my family camped in a very small pop-up camper which just consisted of raised beds and a cabinet for clothing or camping supplies.  Think tent on stilts.  But as an adult, my camping has been limited to 2 nights in a tent.

Steve and Terri have taken a 25 foot RV and turned it into a home away from home.  And our hosts thought of everything to make our stay beyond just comfortable.  I could just scream because both of my cameras were totally uncooperative most of our week at the “Dog House”.  You might remember, it was when my phone camera had a cracked lens.  And my Sony was just misbehaving.  My poor quality photos just don’t do this precious place justice. Keep that in mind as you take the tour in the slide show below.  These are pics of the outside of the RV and the lovely space in which it is parked.

Exterior of the "Dog House" the evening we arrived.
Exterior of the "Dog House" the evening we arrived.
« ‹ of 10 › »
And On the Inside

From my first step inside, I was enchanted with this darling RV.  The color palette was soothing and restful.  White washed cabinets, chair railing and molding, and the cutest details like curtain rings that looked like dog collars, and original artwork featuring a trio of pups.  The kitchen was stocked with a dozen flavors of K-cup sized coffees and teas, a delicious assortment of snacks, pastries and fruit.  The frig was equally well-stocked with adult beverages, soda and lots of water.

My first look on the night we arrived. Kitchen, dining and living space.
My first look on the night we arrived. Kitchen, dining and living space.
« ‹ of 11 › »

The queen-sized bed was comfy.  We were able to open windows on every wall for a delicious evening breeze.  There was storage on either side of the bed in the form of several drawers like a nightstand with a cabinet above. A cabinet above the bed large enough to store linens and bedding. There was a corner shelving unit large enough for a few books or nick knacks.

The toilet, tub and full-sized shower had a door separating them from the lavatory.  By opening the bathroom door, it was possible to block off the bedroom and bathroom areas from the living areas.  Beside the lavatory was a space much like a closet with towel racks on the inside of the door and drawers underneath the hanger rod. There was also storage under the lavatory.

Above the dining area was a TV and sound system and the kitchen had a stove and oven, microwave and almost full-sized frig.  The sofa was large enough to seat three or four comfortably.

I loved everything!

Tips for Temporary Tiny Living

As I mentioned earlier, I am joining Lauren for her “Glossies Made Me Do It” post.  Although a magazine isn’t responsible for us staying in an RV in Arizona, the glossy Tiny House has a great article about space and stuff in a tiny house.  In her article “Tiny House Life in a Big House”, author Lora Freeman talks about downsizing from a townhouse to a tiny house and then upsizing when she married to a conventional-sized home.  While I adored our stay at the “Dog House”, there are few things we did that made our visit even more pleasurable.  Combining what we learned from our stay with Lora’s voice of experience in 4 tips.

  • Only own what you use and love!  ” If an item doesn’t make you smile or serve a purpose, it probably shouldn’t be in your space. Get in the habit of asking yourself why you are acquiring items and if they truly add value to your life. To live more simply, everything in your space should be things that you use and love.”  [source]  For travelers staying in a tiny space, only pack what you’ll use and love using.  Knowing that there would be limited storage space (although I was pleasantly surprised with how much we actually had) I tried to select the outfits I packed carefully.  Needed workout clothes, baseball game watching clothes, out to dinner clothes, bathing suit and pajamas.  Brought almost everything hung on hangers from home and transferred them right into the closet space.
  • Have a space for EVERYTHING!  “In a tiny house, even if a few things are out of place, your entire house starts to feel chaotic.  Ensuring everything has a home is one of the best ways to simplify your space and your cleaning routine.”  [source]  As soon as we settled in, and enjoyed a beer and dinner, I unpacked our things.  I found a place to put everything, toiletries, shoes, books, Nooks, baseball gear, laptop, clothes.  Then I put our suitcases and bags in a storage chest Terri had outside the RV.  Before we went to bed every night, I tidied up and again before we left for the day.  Shoes were kicked off outside the door.  Steve had built a towel rack under the awning outside where we could hang bath towels and pool towels to dry.  Making the bed made a huge difference in how our tiny space looked.  And Terri had a space for everything in the kitchen.  Which made it easy for me because I just had to return things where she had them.
My Thoughts on Temporary Tiny Living
Outdoor towel rack allowed us to keep large, pool towels outside to dry.

 

My Thoughts on Temporary Tiny Living
Sink-sized cutting board doubled as counter space, as did stove cover. Snacks were stored in a 3-tier wire stand.
  • One in, one out.  Lora writes, “… I quickly realized that if I was going to bring something new into my space, then I needed to take something out. The habit of one in, one out became strongly ingrained.” [source]  PC and I weren’t buying a bunch of stuff and bringing it into the RV.  We did buy 24 bottles of water, which we stored outside under the trailer and put 3-4 bottles in the refrigerator a day.  Here at home, we might leave our laptops out, a couple of books on the nightstand, a glass on the table.  At the “Dog House”, we used the one in, one out rule for things we brought from home.  One pair of shoes out at a time.  One book out, etc.
My Thoughts on Temporary Tiny Living
Space between wall and couch was perfect for my laptop. Tall, slender door was the closet.
  • Make your space yours!  “When you are dealing with a small space every detail matters. It’s part of why tiny houses are each so unique. They reflect the personality of their owners.”  [source]  This tiny house reflects its owners in so many unique ways.  From the dog painting to the pup wind chime on the gate to the dog bone-floral arrangement on the outside of the RV.  There were twinkling lights wrapped around many of the trees and cactus.  And Terri had made a garden ‘chandelier’ from a wire vegetable basket draped with solar lights and strands of crystals.
Consistent color scheme throughout.
Dog-lovers unite.
Garden chandelier.
Consistent color scheme throughout.

 

Like I have said in every paragraph, I loved staying at the “Dog House”.  PC is 5’10” so he filled the vertical space pretty full.  And there were a few times we had to maneuver around each other in a kind of tiny house dance.  But it was a wonderful get-away.  A little bit camping, a little bit luxury resort and a whole lot of fun.

Your Turn

Have you ever lived in or stayed in a tiny house?  Would love to hear about your experience in a comment below.  I have an entire Pinterest board called “Summer Sanctuaries and Winter Retreats” with pins of unique holiday spaces.  Would love to have you follow that board, or hey, all of my boards, for that matter!!

Thank you for coming by today.  If you are ever in the market for a delightful place to stay in Phoenix, please consider the “Dog House“.  Tell ’em Leslie sent you!  Would love to invite you to stop by Lauren’s blog to check out her “Glossies Made Me Do It” post.  Tell her Leslie sent you, too!

Hugs and kisses,

leslie

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About Leslie Roberts Clingan

I am an aspiring blogger and children's author, wife, mother, daughter, sister, - in-law, responsible pet owner and recently retired elementary school librarian. I hope to figure out the next chapter of my life as I transition from crazy, busy work world onto totally idle retirement and now to something in-between.

Comments

  1. Em

    February 2, 2018 at 3:35 am

    What a fascinating adventure! I loved hearing all the details of your tiny home away from home.

    We had a pop up trailer when I was very young. Many happy memories of family camping…thanks for reviving them!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 6:50 pm

      Thank you, Em. You say the sweetest things. I have fond memories of our little pop-up from childhood, too. And it was bare bones. But I loved camping and would often get the Sears catalog (dating myself) and look at camping equipment in it. Pretending that someday I would buy it and we would have fancier things to take on our trips.

      I have been very impressed with AirBnB and the accommodations we have secured through them. We plan to return to Arizona in the fall again this year and will most likely be at the Shaggy Dog’s Dog House again.

      Reply
  2. Cindi

    February 2, 2018 at 5:13 am

    What a great time you two must have had. I loved it!
    We own a tiny RV and it has its challenges. We really can’t stay more than 1 or 2 consecutive weeks in it otherwise we’d go crazy. We’re planning a month long trip out west and I’m starting to get antsy about it. You have to be very neat, very organized and very tolerant. Thankfully we have a full bathroom with a “big” shower stall. Some tiny RV’s have those all-in-one bathrooms where they shower over the toilet…..no thanks!
    With all the free things your hostess provided, it’s a wonder if they even make a profit! The pool is to die for!!!
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 7:02 pm

      Ha! Shower over the toilet. I haven’t seen that, thankfully. But I sure got a good chuckle over that.

      Once we children were grown, my parents bought an Airstream and went for weeks at a time all over the western part of the U.S. They had quite the adventures. You are right about having to be neat and organized. I am, in general, but I got pretty anal in that week because the space was so small that we couldn’t leave anything out without looking like we had trashed the place. But Terri had a place for everything which made keeping things put away much easier.

      Hope you are feeling better!

      Reply
  3. Donna

    February 2, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Leslie, this would be a perfect place to stay when traveling. So glad you found something so PC could participate in the baseball tournament. The amenities were topnotch. xoxo

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 7:18 pm

      Oh, I loved staying at the Dog House. We are planning to return in the fall. Maybe I can write a Part 2. Thank you, sweet Donna!!

      Reply
  4. Danielle

    February 2, 2018 at 10:23 am

    Wow that is adorable. I sometimes think living in a tiny space would be nice because you just cannot have clutter, and life would be so very different. Maybe if we didn’t live in a climate that gets cold. The tiniest spaces I have ever stayed in are tenting, an oTenTik (think A-frame cabin but in bear country so you can’t have food or toiletries inside), and a tipi. I think my favourite was a tipi. It was such a unique experience. Will have to do that one again when the kids are a bit older.

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 7:26 pm

      Oh, it was such fun. I sometimes daydream about living in a tiny space. I really wouldn’t mind having a cabin or tiny home on the beach at all. At all!
      Wow, tipi and oTenTik? Those would both be interesting experiences. When I did my student teaching waaaaaaaay back when, the teacher I was paired with lived in a beautiful log cabin in the mountains. They had refurbished an old barn and it was a showplace. She was an artist and it was so attractively decorated and had amazing art.

      Would be fun to stay in a tree house, too!!! Maybe I need to look into that.

      Reply
  5. ShootingStarsMag

    February 2, 2018 at 10:38 am

    Thanks so much for joining me, Leslie!! It’s totally okay to find something in a magazine AFTER the fact. I’ve done it. 🙂 This looks – and sounds – like such a lovely place to stay. I’ve never really done camping, at least not as an adult, but I think I could handle this tiny living for awhile. Love that you could use the pool and hot tub too! That outdoor chandelier is SO cool! Never seen anything like it.

    Thanks for sharing!!

    -Lauren

    Reply
  6. curlycraftymom

    February 2, 2018 at 1:17 pm

    I have never done this, but it is decorated and just such a cute place to stay!! I would definitely consider it. I knew that you had mentioned PC was younger than you, but not by 6 years. You need to share your story on how the two of you met, I am not sure if I’ve heard it yet. 🙂

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 7:35 pm

      Isn’t that little RV fun?
      Ha! My Prince could be my son. Well, maybe not that bad but my younger brother, for sure!! Maybe I will share that story for Valentine’s. A few of us are doing a love story post on 02.12. If you don’t have anything planned, join us! Your love story is a LOVE story!

      Reply
  7. Akaleistar

    February 2, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    The RV looks like a cute place to stay!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 7:28 pm

      Hey new friend, so glad you came by and left a comment, too. Our stay at the Dog House was such fun. I loved showering under the stars, sleeping with the windows open, feeling cozy and snug. Hope you will visit again. Going to stop by your ‘place’ now!

      Reply
  8. Terri Daugherty

    February 2, 2018 at 3:17 pm

    Thank you Leslie for letting our Dog House be the star of your tiny living post. Awesome! I’m thrilled with what you wrote and all the great responses.

    Cheers,
    Terri
    Innkeeper
    Shaggy Dog B&B

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 2, 2018 at 7:33 pm

      Yay!!! So glad you came by. I am sorry it took me so long to get this post written. Life has gotten in the way! But broke my foot two weeks ago and having to sit a lot right now so finally got my behind in gear. I truly loved our time at the Dog House. We have plans to be back in October and will be in touch. Thank you, Terri, for being the hostess with the mostest!

      Reply
  9. amy

    February 3, 2018 at 8:03 am

    It is just adorable! I would love to stay there. I can’t believe how little you paid for it! What a steal!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 7, 2018 at 11:08 am

      Wasn’t that tiny trailer the cutest? Terri put so much thought into everything. And the grounds, the landscaping, the pool, outdoor shower, hot tub were glorious. Steve has made the outdoor space an oasis.

      Reply
  10. Daenel T.

    February 3, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    What a cute space! The Hubs talked me into getting an RV last year and I think I love it more than he does. I mean, I get my best sleep in that thing. Everyone kept telling us we’d get our money’s worth if we went out four to six times a year. We went out just about every weekend for the first 3 months and only quit because of the cold weather. And my job requirements changed.

    LOL at your hate for the word “cacti.” I’m the same way. Words like that just make me want to kick rocks.

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 7, 2018 at 11:14 am

      LOL, you make me LAUGH! So glad I am not the only one repulsed by words like cacti. Oh, here’s another one that we have to use in our profession. Genre. I throw up a just a little in my mouth when I say it. Can’t we think of another word without borrowing that one from the French? It does sound better if I just say jon-ruh. Instead of trying to put a French twist on it. My students had enough trouble with words they could half way sound out, for pity sake.

      I am so glad your RV has been a good investment. I am hopeful that this year our pool will look like one…a good investment, not an RV. I remember all of your fun posts from summer where you guys would just load up and hit the road. My mom kept everything stocked and ready to go in their RV so when my dad got the traveling bug, they could just climb in and head out. Looking forward to posts from your RV again this year.

      Reply
  11. Amber

    February 4, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    That is such a cute and charming space! I’m glad you enjoyed staying there, and it sounds like those tips were really useful for you guys. I would love to live in a tiny house, but with a toddler and 75 pound dog, I think we would run over each other too much!!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 7, 2018 at 11:33 am

      Ha!! Yeah, your family isn’t ready for tiny living yet Your pup could probably fill the RV on his own.

      Reply
  12. Tanya

    February 6, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    What a fun experience, and what a great money-making endeavor for the owners. Thanks for sharing how to make tiny space living a reality!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      February 7, 2018 at 11:48 am

      Isn’t the Dog House just adorable? Terri and Steve have such a large lot that I don’t think having two B&Bs on their property really interferes with their day-to-day life. They were always out and about and very personable but we never felt like we were camping out in someone’s back yard.

      Wish we had a lot large enough to do something similar. But we couldn’t pitch a pup tent in our yard!!

      Reply

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In what felt like the blink of an eye, I have gone from full-time wife to my sweet husband, hands-on mom to my two beautiful daughters and elementary school librarian to a retired, empty nester with lots of time on my hands. Join me on my journey to rediscover who I am. Glad you are here...
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