The Weekend I Stopped Wanting a Bigger House

The Weekend I Stopped Wanting a Bigger House

Do you ever envy your neighbors? Not in a mean way. More in a quiet, "I wish we had that" kind of way. I've been feeling that a lot lately. My house is lovely. It's only a year and a half old, and when we built it, we chose the model that fit our family's budget and needs. We intentionally chose a home with a room on the main floor that we could convert into a bedroom for my mom. It was the right decision then, and it still is today.

But...

I still wanted the bigger house that our neighbors all have. The four-bedroom model. The sunroom. The backyard that looks like it belongs in a magazine. This week, one of our neighbors started installing a huge paver patio with a pergola, a sitting wall, lights, and a sound system. I found myself looking out the window thinking, I want that.

I felt strangely unhappy with my own home. So I started cleaning. Not the "wipe the counters" kind of cleaning. The "take absolutely everything off the counters and question every object in the kitchen" kind of cleaning. Then I noticed the garbage can. It had always lived in this awkward little spot, and every time I walked by it, something felt...off. On a whim, I switched places with our bar cart. It was such a tiny change, but suddenly that awkward little nook became a destination instead of a storage space. My husband immediately started dreaming up ideas for it. The garbage can moved.

Kitchen | BEFORE

Bar Cart | BEFORE

The bar cart found a new home. One tiny decision made the whole kitchen feel different. Then I looked at the blank wall nearby. I had some of my own paintings leaning against another wall for over a year because I was too nervous to put a hole in the drywall. I put on my big girl panties and I finally hung it.

It looked...right.

Garbage can | AFTER

Kitchen & Bar Cart | AFTER

And somehow that one little project turned into another. The living room. The bedroom. The walk in closet. The bathroom. (The linen closet is still Future April's problem.) Somewhere in the middle of all of this, my snake plant dramatically threw one of its leaves onto the carpet and demanded to be repotted.

Snake Plant being the drama queen she is.

So apparently that became part of the weekend too.

Closet : BEFORE

Walk in closet | BEFORE

Walk in closet | AFTER

Walk in closet | AFTER

After two days of clearing spaces, moving furniture, hanging my own artwork, and rescuing rebellious houseplants, something unexpected happened.

I realized I didn't actually want a different house. I wanted to feel differently inside my own.

Plant shelf/ upstairs landing | AFTER

No, I don't have an extra bedroom to use as an art studio. But I do have a basement I happily share with my city-planning, LEGO-building seven-year-old.

I don't have a sunroom. But I have a front porch where I can drink my coffee while looking at a garden I planted myself.

I don't have the gorgeous backyard patio...yet. But I have wonderful neighbors who will probably invite us over to enjoy theirs.

Maybe one day we'll build the patio. Maybe someday we'll even add the pergola. But this weekend reminded me that home isn't transformed all at once. Sometimes it starts with moving a garbage can. Sometimes it starts with finally hanging your own art. And sometimes, it starts by seeing the home you've already been blessed with through different eyes.

Creativity is contagious

Smallish moment:

he used my filming setup to make his own LEGO video (for YouTube!)

Today’s smallish adventure happened right at the kitchen counter.

I had my filming setup out from working on some art projects, and without any prompting at all, Isaac decided he wanted to use it to make his own video.

He gathered his LEGO pieces, and I helped him position set up my camera and lamp. Then I pressed record.

I didn’t suggest it.
I didn’t plan it.
I didn’t even realize he had been paying such close attention.

Apparently creativity is contagious.

It was really awesome watching him concentrate so carefully, following the tiny illustrated instructions, and talking to the camera like he’s heard people on YouTube do.

It was such a small moment. But it didn’t feel small.

Small adventures aren’t always outside the house.
Sometimes they happen under a warm light, with a pile of tiny pieces and a big imagination.

Sometimes they look like a child deciding, completely on their own, that they want to make something.

Moments like this remind me that creativity doesn’t have to be elaborate or impressive to matter.
It just has to be visible. When creativity is part of everyday life, it becomes something that feels normal and safe to try. Something worth exploring.

And sometimes, without even realizing it, we give the people around us permission to create too!

A very small adventure.
A very meaningful one.

My mom heart is so very full today!

A Smallish February: Finding Joy in Everyday Moments

February in Chicago is just plain rough, isn’t it?

It’s officially that "wet, sloppy boots by the door" season where everything feels damp and slightly annoying. The skies are that specific, flat shade of Midwest gray that makes you wonder if the sun was just a fever dream we all had last July. Everything is frozen solid, and honestly, I am so over it.

But if you look closely, and I mean really really lean in and squint, you start to notice those tiny quiet hints that spring might actually happen. Eventually. Maybe.

Nothing monumental happened this month. No big trips and no grand adventures. Just those small, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments that make a life.

Walking past the garden bed the other morning, I caught a glimpse of a tiny red tip pushing through the mulch. One of the bulbs we planted last fall decided it was time to wake up! I’m not even embarrassed to admit I let out a full-on, loud "SQUEE!" right there in the yard. My neighbors probably think I’ve lost it, but after weeks of gray, I am so, so ready for something, anything, green.

It had been way too long since I sat down with a sketchbook. My "asshole brain" likes to tell me I’m too busy for "unproductive" art, but I finally ignored it, cracked open a fresh page, and just... drew. It was such a gentle, necessary reminder that I need to make space for this more often.

Isaac started karate this month, which has been so fun to watch. I took karate years ago and loved it, so seeing him put on his little white belt and step onto the mat feels strangely full circle.

Mostly I just love watching him try something new and take it seriously in that very earnest kid way.

I love this photo so much. This is Isaac and me, squeezed into the "cozy corner" (also known as his closet) working in his Minecraft coloring book. There’s something so special about being invited into a kid’s secret fort. It was simple, creative, and exactly the kind of slow intentionality I’m trying to prioritize.

One afternoon, the temp crept just high enough that the kids spilled out onto the driveway with a box of chalk. My heart just about burst. Seeing him with friends from across the street and down the block... this is exactly why we moved out here.

Nothing big. Just the small, quiet stuff I’m trying to notice more.

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Learning Counts as a Smallish Adventure

Today’s smallish adventure: teaching my hands a brand-new style—and ending up with a tiny character I’m honestly proud of.

I’m learning how to draw cute little characters in Procreate. I’ve wanted learn this program for a few years. I was gifted (early) an Apple Pencil for Christmas (thanks, mom!) and the first thing I did was download Procreate and hunt for tutorials to learn how to use this incredibly powerful program!

Today I followed a tutorial and made this little ornament character, and something about it just made me happy. The stars, the blush cheeks, the soft glowy background. It’s small, but it felt like a real win!

I’m trying to build a habit of learning in small pieces. It’s not about getting good fast. It’s about showing up, staying curious, and making progress, no matter how tiny.

Tutorial credit: I followed this YouTube tutorial. Here it is if you want to try it too: [link]

Have you tried anything new? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know what it is, and how it’s going in the comment section! Let’s cheer each other on!

Smallish Glimmer: Even the Failures Photograph Well

We carved our first pumpkin (you can read that story over on my personal blog), and of course, I couldn’t resist trying to roast the seeds. I followed all the steps: cleaned, salted, and roasted them (thank you, Google). They looked so pretty. Golden, glistening, picture-perfect. I even took photos because I thought I’d write a whole post about my first pumpkin carving and seed roasting experience. Let’s just say, it didn’t go quite as planned.

I tried to eat them.
Hard. Dry. GROSS.

I still love that I tried. For a brief moment, I was in my full homesteader era—roasting, seasoning, pretending I knew what I was doing. The kitchen smelled amazing. The results? Not so much. But honestly, sometimes the photo’s the win, and sometimes the flop is the story.

Maybe that’s the little lesson hidden in this crunchy batch: sometimes the doing is the point. Even when the result is a mouthful of disappointment, there’s still something to savor in the trying.

Have you ever tried roasting pumpkin seeds? How did they turn out for you? Tell me your secrets (or your disasters!) below — I’d love to hear how yours went