Prosper the Tiny Cabin

Leftover Limestone pavers via my brother and a project of his. Hot and steamy; glad to have this haven.

     Last weekend there was a blizzard in the cities, with over a foot of snow, so the weekend trip was postponed. This weekend however it really felt like Spring had arrived for the first time in Minnesota. The snow continued to melt while we were at the Lake and the air felt fresh, the sun felt warm. 

     My dad and I built the shelves in the closet and my mom worked on the cushioning for the sleeping loft. We played a few games and I turned out to be the weekend winner, breaking the tie with my dad as I was closest to guessing the temperature as we left to go home. Those little moments make me smile. 

     This was a big weekend as it was the first night I slept in Prosper. My parents and I gathered blankets and pillows with a palpable excitement in the air as we carried it out to the cabin. It was the happiest I had felt in a long time. 

     When I have felt out of sorts, I remember the tiny cabin and it grounds me, reminds me of all the people who love me, and that I have things and unexpected surprises to look forward to in life; that even distant dreams can become real. There is something very special about this space we are creating; a lot of goodness has already come from this project. I really believe it will only continue to grow and prosper alongside me through the years to come.

     My two cousins moved into an old house that had this bench. It was pretty much exactly what we were thinking to have in the TC, something that worked as both a couch and an additional sleeping space that had storage underneath. Luck has it that it also happened to be just the right size. Talk about a gift!

     This was entirely my mom’s project. She sanded the bench down, re-stained it, and then added memory foam to each side of the original cushion. She then sewed a new cover for everything with durable, soft fabric we picked out together. That seems pretty simple when it’s written in a list like that, but she put a lot of time and effort into making it nice. 

     My mom did the extra work to make the covers removable so we can wash them and have them for years to come. We were going to make extra pillows, but she found a good deal on these cute brown ones and also remembered the vintage duck pillows I used to have that were being used in the basement of the lake house. 

     This is what Prosper looked like as my parents, Doug, Mike and Lisa finished for the weekend. I was floored when my mom showed me this photo. It’s a funny thing to see a space that has had tools and whatnot strewn about the whole time I’ve seen it, other than when it was delivered, and then this. 

 It is hard to believe with the cold temperatures (6 degrees with pretty fierce winds in the morning and 20-30 degrees in the afternoon) and snow that still adorns the property that it is officially Spring. Nevertheless, we worked away on the cabin this weekend as my uncle Mike will soon be starting busy season on the farm.

My uncle Doug was in town from Alaska and we put his experience and skills to good use. The final trim was stained and added to the ceiling. The nail gun was too powerful for the trim so Doug nailed it in by hand. It made me appreciate modern tools and the extensive work people did back in the day to construct things. I am kind of delighted that there are a few pieces nailed in by hand, probably just for the idea of it. ;D

The wood floor was laid and transformed the space even more. My mom found a great deal on a nice brand of laminate flooring so it should last for quite some time. I have never helped lay a floor before and am enjoying learning these new skills and trying things for the first time. I hope I get to help a friend with these skills one day. I like doing this kind of work. 

 It was nice to be greeted with a warm meal after working that my aunt Lisa prepared. I ate a lot of good food this weekend, even moose sausages and moose burgers that Doug brought that my uncle Terry has gotten in Alaska. We played cards at night around the table, one of my favorite things to do, and laughed a lot.