When Mary and William were preschoolers I told them stories about a fictional character I invented called the Cozy Caboose. William was wild about trains, and the two played with his Thomas and Friends on his ever expanding track for hours each day.

At nap time on cold winter afternoons, I would occasionally let the two three-year-olds join me for a story about the little red caboose that had all kinds of adventures. They knew that inside were bunks, a warm stove, bookshelves, a tiny kitchen and fresh cookies for the tired engineer of the train. By the time I was halfway through my tale, the two would invariably be sound asleep next to me.

As a frequent visitor to the Tiny House Blog, I saw that the Cozy Caboose has finally gotten off the rails and found a permanent resting place. You’ll have to see this charming little house made from a red caboose. When I saw it, I told Tom that I found our dream house for when we’re old and don’t need any extra bedrooms. Here is the post. Apparently cabooses are popular for conversion into little houses. Here is a link to some more of them at the Tiny House blog.

The idea of getting rid of all the stuff that ties you down in life is appealing to a lot of Americans as the bad economy is changing our priorities. But how small would you want to go? Below is an interesting video about a family of three that left a big mortgage behind and a large home that left them no time for each other. They built a tiny home and changed their lives. Here’s a fun look at their house. I’m not sure I could voluntarily get this small (no room for organ and piano), but these people are living the freedom that fewer things gives, so bravo to them!