The Amish have helped us remodel and add on to our
little farmhouse for several years. They questioned why we were adding on,
since our kids were grown. “They’re never leaving,” we replied. “Four young
adults in their 20s with no spouses and not much hope.”
Well, fast forward to today. Yes, I believe God has
a sense of humor, because we’re having our third wedding in 2 weeks and another
in June. So, all four of our kids will have gotten married in three years.
So, we have a big house for just Tim and me. I have
to say, we love it. But as I was writing Knit Together: Amish Knitting Novel,
that is very semiautobiographical, we downsize, like Ginny and James. Well, we
just did too, and moved into our “dawdyhaus or grandparent house.
The Amish take care of their aging parents in small
houses either attached to the main house or built separately. They are
adorable, plain and simple. Tim and I are also fascinated with the Tiny House
Movement, where people are living in 300 square feet. It seems rather
liberating and cozy.
Back to our story. When Tim and I went to a
fantastic B&B last fall, a plan started to evolve in our minds. They have a
common room, with couches and tables, and then the kitchen which was
self-serve, and bedrooms. Why don’t we do
this with our son and daughter-in-law? We’d have built in housecleaners. (We
call them Mr. & Mrs. Clean) I was so sick of cleaning a big old farmhouse,
and since the house isn’t an open floor plan and very long, we could section things
off.
We’ll we did it. Tim and I now have four rooms:
bedroom, living room, little “parlor” room, bath and laundry. Our son and wife
have the rest of the house, and we have a middle room we share in common, that
we call The Commons. We share the kitchen but eat in different areas, needing space
and well defined boundaries. Tim and I eat in a little sunroom off the kitchen,
and they eat in The Commons.
I recently saw on YouTube a plan for multigenerational
living. Contractors are having a hard time selling McMansions, so they’re
offering houses for three generations! The reasons customers are choosing to
purchase are built-in babysitters and college age kids living at home so they
can commute to college, making it affordable.
Our reasons for living in a little dawdyhaus are
that our kids were raised to not be in debt. My son and wife can save money and
pay cash for a home in a few years. When they leave, we can let another one of
our kids take their place or help a family in need. We also like the coziness
of it all.
I feel like I live in a B&B every day, now. Mr.
and Mrs. Clean keep the kitchen and The Commons sparkling clean, and you hear muffled
noise and laughter. Why laughter and joy? My daughter-in-law is having a baby
girl in four weeks…and this little girl will have a built in babysitter ;)
 |
| A cute little dawdyhaus in Smicksburg, PA. |
 |
| We have the right side (we deserve the new addition). Little sunroom on left is our comfy cozy eating area. The rest is for son and his wife...and new baby on the way ;) |
