Fivecoat-Campbell - Living large in our little house: thriving in 480-square feet with six dogs, a husband, and one remote--plus more stories of how you can too

For Dale, my best friend and soul mate: I hope we have many more years of Living Large together.

And for Steffi, Meg-Ann, Sofia, and Millie: Im so happy for the privilege of being your American mom and grandma. May you always Live Large, no matter where life takes youxoxo.

I first met Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell through the Tiny House Blog. She initially contacted me with an idea about sharing her story of living in her small cabin in the woods. She had the writing chops to tackle Living Large in Our Little House, but wanted me to help her reach the growing tiny house audience.

Up to that point, I had mainly concentrated on different types of structures that could be built and lived in, and there had not been many stories about those who were actually living this lifestyle.

Kerri had the vision to take it to the next level, providing a new angle of sharing her experiences living her life full-time in a little house.

Kerri changed the landscape online, sharing her life, including both the good and the struggles of living in a little home. Through her blog, she developed a following of those interested in living the tiny and little house life. Kerri has done an excellent job in the blogosphere, interacting and developing a true sense of community on Living Large in Our Little House.

Through her example I even started to change the direction of the Tiny House Blog to include stories of other people living in tiny and small homes.

This book not only expands on Kerri and Dales story and how they ended up in their little house, but it also brings to life some of the stories of the other community members who call the Living Large blog and Facebook page home.

The joys of downsizing are many. Most tiny house dwellers live debt-free. They enjoy more of life, often working from home as entrepreneurs because they are able to live on less. They have less stuff to manage and more time for their passions. But the little and tiny house life isnt always rosy, and Living Large in Our Little House eloquently describes the challenges, allowing new little house dwellers to avoid the same mistakes.

Kerri speaks of the pioneers of the movement, but she has also become a pioneer herself, forging ahead and clearing the path for new people to the movement, helping them navigate building restrictions and code requirements as well as the lifestyle.

I know you will enjoy Kerris writing and, like me, wont want to put the book down.

Thank you, Kerri, for sharing your story with us.

Kent Griswold

Editor/Owner, Tiny House Blog

How do you thank the universe? Literally, I feel like I have the universe to thank for putting me in the right place at the right time to learn how to Live Large by having less.

I also have a universe full of support from friends, colleagues and loved ones:

My husband, Dale, has been there for me through thick and thin, through the angst of my teens, now to menopause. Hes always supported and encouraged me in my writing and for that, Im truly grateful.

This whole adventure would not have been possible without my aunt Kathy and Monty, who gave us this gift of paradise in the Ozarks. Thank you, too, for helping us design Our Little House.

A note of gratitude to our builder, Terry Young: Our Little House is as solid as your construction knowledge and principles.

My agent, Marilyn Allen, who heard an unorganized pitch one rainy day in New York and worked with me for literally several years to develop a cohesive book idea. Thank you for your enthusiasm for this project and never giving up.

To my editors at Readers Digest, Andrea Au Levitt and Amy Reilly, who polished the manuscript and kept it on point.

A big thank you to Kent Griswold, who has always so generously answered my questions, helped me meet people within the tiny/small house movement and who didnt hesitate when asked to write the foreword for this book.

A big shout out and thanks goes out to everyone who participated in this book by telling their stories and sharing the photos of their beautiful tiny/small homes. A special note of gratitude to Sue Smith Moak, who wanted to continue to share her story in memory of her husband, Rick, who was so excited about seeing their home profiled in this book. Unfortunately, he wont get to see it, but Im sure Sues perseverance at the ranch is making his spirit proud.

I am lucky to have some really good friends who are always there for me, sometimes on a daily basis, when I need to talk or get their thoughts on something Ive written: Kathleen Winn, Terri Onorato, Barb Vatza, and Allie Johnson, thank you all for being my rocks and my cheerleaders, but most of all, thank you for being my dose of reality when I need it.

To my colleagues, Vera Badertsher, Jane Boursaw, Alisa Bowman, Roxanne Hawn, Sandy Grabbe, Donna Hull, Claudine Jalajas, Sheryl Kraft, Jennifer Margulis, Melanie McMinn, Ruth Pennebaker, Meredith Resnick, Brette Sember, Kris Bordessa, and Stephanie Stiavetti, thank you all for being with me through the development and evolution of my blog. You all are such an awesome group of women!

My appreciation to my longtime friend, Aaron Hopkins, for redesigning the Living Large logo for the blog and Facebook page and to my blog designer, Charles Parnell, for putting together a great blog design. Kevin Pieper, its always great when you photograph our home. Kudos to Kali Hostetler, who did my hair and make-up for the photos in the book, you are a talented lady.

My appreciation to Beverly Blair Harzog, Janine Adams, Irene Levine, and Sarah Susanka for being expert resources. The generous sharing of your time is so greatly appreciated.

Of course, I would be remiss as a Dog Mom for not thanking my admin team that accompanies me to my Belle Writers Studio every day, providing me with comic relief, thoughtful reflection, writing fodder and some slobbery dog kisses when needed; our 5 lovely rescued (recycled) dogs, Dakota, Sade, Chloe, Abbi, and Dexter. Hershey, Emma and Molly, and our cats, Cali and Tabitha, though no longer with us in the physical world, will always be a part of our hearts at Our Little House.

I would like to thank our friends and family who have braved the wilds of the Ozark Mountains (and the threat of banjos) to come and share with us our Living Large experience: Mike and Charlotte Bixler, Jennifer Dearing, Philip Hendrix, Lora Carr, Shelly Grauberger, Shelby Mata, Frank and Barb Burton, Bob and Dee Campbell, and Kathleen and David Winn. Our house would not quite be a home without your visits.

Finally, thank you to the entire Living Large in Our Little House blog and Facebook community for reading, sharing your experiences, and making this book possible.

Living Truth: One of my favorite quotes is from the song Beautiful Boy by John Lennon: Life is what happens to you while youre busy making other plans.

Golden rays of a setting July sun beamed through leaded-glass windows, highlighting dancing dust particles in the air. It was the only movement in what had been a bustling and busy family home until just a few hours before. My mother and sister had taken their last loads of belongings, but I was still working on getting mine out. After I finished, Mom asked me to return to the empty 1920s Tudor to do one more walk-through and leave the keys and a note on the kitchen counter for the people who had purchased what had once been her dream house.