MAKING MUCH PROGRESS ON THIS JOURNEY

For a long time (over two weeks, I think) I have not blogged.  When preparing to list a house for sale in order to full time, it gets pretty redundant to say we are working hard, but it is taking sooooo long to get everything done.  


As I told our realtor,  If we were thirty or forty or fifty something, we would be moving so much faster.  We are like lumbering turtles, slowly but steadily moving along.  It is difficult to guesstimate how soon we can actually put the house on the market.  Maybe three more weeds, if we are blessed with continued energy.


These are photos of what the weather was like here last year.  This year, the grass is still green.  Daffodils are reaching for the sky at five inches! (I'm sure the are in for a rude awakening some of these days.)

Discouragement is our enemy right now.  At the same time, we are so pleased with the mild January temperatures!  We have, unlike last winter, had no ice storms, no blizzards, no unbearably cold temperatures. 
This weather pattern has made it possible for us to work outside and in the barns getting ready for show and sell.  I actually feel a little heart flutter when I think of the  progress we have made.

Yesterday, we said good bye to our hot tub.  It is going to a new home in Minnesota!  The gentleman that is taking it is transporting it to his hunting / fishing cabin.  Another job checked off our outside to-do list!  (do you see the green grass? Compare that to the last winter pictures above.)


We have hired two workers to help us with the barns and oh, my.  The progress that is being made is wonderfully remarkable!  We are working in the barns and outside.  

  




In the smaller barn I have llama and alpaca fiber that I must decide what to do with it.  I can send the lesser quality to Texas to be woven into rugs to sell.  


Then I can send the best quality fiber to Connecticut  to be spun into yarn to sell to those that knit, crochet or weave.  
   

 But, I can also have some made into roving for me to dye, then spin or wet felt when we finally are able to start our full time journey.  I will probably choose all three options.  Just talking about  about fiber and traveling in the same blog is a joy!  Oh how I look forward to the future journey.  


Well, that's all for now.  Keep us in your prayers that we can keep turtleing along.  


God bless you all...

JOURNEY ON, AND ON, AND ON

We have a new follower.  Rick from Rick and Paulette's rv Journal has joined us.  This morning I asked Rick for some help and he was "Johnny on the spot" with the answer.  Thanks Rick!  Hopefully, we will see you before you leave Palm Springs.  


The family room painting is complete!  Let's hear a rousing hurrah! The furniture is back in place and here I sit, enjoying the fruits of our labor....and more labor.....and more.  Did I tell  you that we have been working very hard on this room?  Oh, I did?  More than once, you say?  Oops.  


We are now ready to paint the kitchen.  Not much to paint in there.  Only the ceiling and between cabinets and counter top and the bulk head. That should be a snap......for young thirty somethings.  


I am astounded how much longer it takes us to get things done.  My head and heart say I'm thirty something.  My body says nope, sissa, you are a bit older than that.  But, by George, we keep on keepin on. 


I am pleased that I have adopted the gluten-free way of eating as one of my methods of fighting arthritis.  I can see a tremendous difference in my flexibility and pain levels.  


A month ago, we started another regimen.  It is a product called Zija.  Pronounced zeeeja.  Zija is an all natural beverage blended from the moringa plant.  Zija has increased our energy even more and made it possible for us to work long hours.  (that is if anyone is interested in long hours!)  


After the work on the house, we will not be working long hours, but we will be taking hikes in the desert, climbing mountains (small), and having a ball full timing!  


One added benefit of Zija is that I am for the first time in ages losing weight!  A friend lost twenty pounds over a few months and I have lost ten plus pounds in the last month!  And I am not dieting!  I am eating sensibly (kind of), but not on a calorie or carb restricted diet.


Do you remember the wonderful temperatures I was reporting?  Well, ain't no mo!  Right now, our temperature is sixteen degrees.  Now, ain't that special!  We still have the small barn to empty and it is going to be mighty cold out there.  But it is SUPPOSED to be in the forty's the middle of next week. 

For now, I am signing off with a picture of what Noah (the cat) graced us with.  I foolishly left the lid off the paint can and guess who put one foot right on the lid?  Yep, you are right....Mr. Noah!  Here is the proof!


Can you guess how I spent part of my day?  At least it was only one foot!  And do you see the crack between the board in right-center of the picture?  That is where I spilled the paint a few days ago.  It is now all cleaned!  No traces of klutzes.  


Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to leave a comment.  


God bless you on your Journey!

TODAY'S JOURNEY WAS SHORT

A night of not sleeping well and an early morning make for a slow working day / journey.  After a visit from a sales person, (yuck) we tackled the painting of the last two beams  and the fireplace in the family room.  Actually, John tackled the beams and did a super job.  I attacked the fireplace.  


I am so pleased we decided to paint the fireplace brick again.  It looks so fresh now.  But that was all we completed today.  I was able to finish between the mantle and the hearth.  Below the hearth and above the mantle is on our to do list for tomorrow.  How can such a simple project take two days to finish?  


Tomorrow, the furniture is returned to the family room and we will start the kitchen painting.  Not much there.  Only the bulkhead and the space between the counter top and the underside of the cabinets.   After that, only the guest bath remains!  All should be completed by Saturday afternoon! 


Oh my gosh, we are soooo close!  I can hardly believe it. 


Excuse me while I hyperventilate!  


Wow!


Ohhhhhh, rats.......


We have the little barn (30' X 60') to empty!  Hummmm, that has been used only for storage of "stuff."  Stuff we have forgotten, lived without, forgot that existed.....


I think we have just decided to ditch everything!  Of course we will ditch after we sell the antiques, weaving loom and send the best llama fiber to the mill to be processed into yarn.  The "seconds" of the llama fiber will be sent to Texas to be woven into rugs to sell.  


BUT  the finish line is in sight!  


Probably, tomorrow we will think of more things we want to do, but for tonight......we are encouraged. 


Thanks for stopping by....


After you finish laughing at us, feel free to leave a comment.


God bless you on your journey!

ANOTHER DAY IN THE JOURNEY

A welcome aboard to four new followers.  So glad you can join us on our journey.  Nancy has joined us from Oregon.  I still can't pronounce Oregon they way people in Oregon do.  They are new to the RV and blogging world.  Sue and Mo are having a great time out there.  Their header picture reminds me of Joshua Tree National Forest....sigh.  


We also have a fellow artist following us.  Richard the RV Painter is here.  He has some nice art work in his blogs.  Hopefully, when we are on the road, I will be able to get back to being creative!  When I first saw the RV Painter, I thought he painted RVs.  And no, I am not a blond.  Richard's wife is Melissa.  Welcome Melissa!  She is an artist of words.  Melissa writes books.  I'd love to read her book.  


The weather here in Indiana was wonderful for outside chores.... until today.  We have accomplished so much and are thankful for the energy we had.  Today, John is bushed and napping a bit.  Even with emphysema he pushes and pushes till a job is complete.  It may take longer, but when it is done, it is done right.  I am so thankful for such a neat guy.


This strenuous journey to our Big Journey, is soon going to only be a memory.  Our discussion over breakfast was; "what do we do to have the total body exercise that we are getting from all the work we are doing here?"


There is much lifting, pulling, pushing, walking, bending, squatting etc.  In the future, when we are full timing, hikes will do some good, but we want to find something that will incorporate all the above.  We like the extra strength we are gaining and when we are not too exhausted, it feels good.  


Yesterday, we did maintenance on our second patio.  It is located in front of the barn that is closer to our house.  The patio is Tennessee Blue Stone.   In the patio, we designed and built a lovely water feature that is eighteen inches as well as two feet below above the patio.  Visitors are awed by a water feature that is partly above and below ground.  You also get to see the tools we forgot to put away.  The fountain is not turned on, but you can get the idea.  


These pictures are hazy due to the fog and rain.  They are taken with the telephoto on my new Canon Power Shot SX 150 and are not as good as they could be due to the photographer.  - me.  


Here is a picture looking out the kitchen window using the zoom feature of my new camera.  It was until a year ago that you would see our llamas.  I do miss my fiber kids, but they were a lot of work.  And this year a bale of hay is almost twice the cost of a gallon of gasoline!  Now our hay money goes into the motorhome gas tank and we have less work.  I hope we get out of here before the pond out back freezes over and it is ice skating time!  Would anyone like to buy a house?  


Thank you for taking part in today's journey and for your prayers for our strength and energy to accomplish our tasks at hand.  


God bless your journey today!   

ENJOYING THE JOURNEY?

Earlier, when we would begin our trips, I could hardly wait to arrive at our destination - so we could enjoy our vacation.  We would drive "straight through" for sixteen or twenty hours - in order to be there sooner and start our vacation.  We would arrive totally exhausted, but we were there, it was time to enjoy!  (After we rested for a day.)


Then I learned that the journey was part of the vacation and that I needed to be thankful, slow down and appreciate the drive.  


Why am I talking about this now?  Because I have learned another lesson in "enjoying the trip,"  the journey.  


John and I have talked about selling the house and full timing for over a year.  It was a dream in the distant future, something to chat about, to read information and blogs, to investigate.  


As the last eighteen months have progressed, the talks were more frequent. We talked about traveling to the art and fiber shows as part of our full timing.  We would just make our journey fit the show schedule.


Selling our house became part of those wishful discussions.  We sure didn't want to full time and have a house back in Indiana.  So we interviewed Realtors and set the plan in motion.  


We decided, before listing the house, we wanted to do some work to increase the value and decrease the waiting time for the sale.  The cherry hardwood floors were already down.  That was one thing we had in our plan book from the day we moved in fourteen years ago. 


We made a list of all the other things we wanted to do prior to the day of listing. We also set a goal, an unrealistic goal of January first. Now keep in mind that this goal was set the second  week of November.  


Today is January eighth and we are still working!  Gee, what a surprise.  Our second goal of January fifteenth is fast approaching. We will not meet that goal either.


Let me digress about ten days.  John's health is not the best.  He has emphysema.  He is on three inhalers and oral medications.  He has to stop and catch his breath often.  To add to that, he has always been a slow worker / mover.  It is just his nature.  I have tried to challenge him to walk faster, work faster, think faster, drive faster.  But that just isn't John.  Finally, I have accepted it and am thankful for what he does in his own speed.  


With his emphysema and my arthritis, setting up our sales booth has become a greater challenge at every show. We drive to the city where the show is located, unload, set up the booth, greet customers for two or three days.  But we are exhausted.  


When the show is over we are back to packing up, transporting merchandise back to the motorhome and reloading the basement with the shelves, displays and merchandise. All the time, I'm grouchy because I hurt all over and John is just trying to breathe.  Now does any of this make sense to you?  Not me, not John.  I have had two huge meltdowns in the last few days.  How ridiculous. 


We have decided that we do not NEED this extra work.  The money is not worth it.  The work is hard on us physically and hurts our relationship.  You just can't put a dollar amount on health and relationships.


I will continue my art work. I love my art work.  It is part of me.   I will sell on line ..... if and when I choose!  I do need to work on an excellent website and establish an Etsy and Ebay outlet for my work.  


Okay, back to the subject of enjoying the journey.  Now that we have decided to withdraw from the shows, we do not have to be in Tennessee mid March!  That means we do not have to "break our necks" to get the house ready to sell so fast in order to get out to southern California and back to Tennessee!  Whew, what a relief.  


Yesterday, we both worked outdoors. John installed new outdoor lighting.  I mowed part of the pasture that needed some TLC.  While mowing, it was so nice to look over the ground, at the trees, to watch the wild life even if it was voles and rabbits running from the tractor.  I began to enjoy the journey to full timing.  


We burned downed trees, branches, brush.  I cleaned the chicken pen and around one of the barns.  I enjoyed the journey a bit more.


Today, is a day of rest for us.  We will enjoy this journey too.  We are going to the motorhome to watch the New York Giants play Atlanta in their wild card game.  We must support at least one Manning since our poor Colts did so miserably this season.  


I have two more beams and the fireplace brick in the family room to paint.  John has four columns to finish and to put baseboard down where we installed the new hardwood floors. (kitchen, front, family, dining rooms and the entry.)  Now THAT was a journey!  Oh yes, I must paint the columns and baseboard.  Oops, there are windows to wash and cabinets and wood trim to polish.  Oh oh, there is one closet left to empty.  And my studio!  Eeeek! We both know that there will be more tasks to raise their ugly heads, don't we.


Tomorrow, we continue the journey to clean the barns.  Can anyone say dumpster?  We continue to work outside as the weather allows.  I am amazed that we are outdoors working in January.  I am thankful for the Journey.


One thing we have continually asked ourselves during this journey is why didn't we do these tasks earlier for ourselves?  Why didn't we get the new appliances so we could enjoy them?  Why didn't we do .........Why?  


Maybe the reason is to teach us to enjoy the journey.  Every journey that God blesses us with.  

GOING ......... GOING ...... GONE!

Yesterday, we began photographing and listing items on Craig's List. What a great response we received.  The first reply was within minutes of the post.  


We have started with equipment from John's woodworking studio.  

He listed his lathe, 






.                         








and a drill press,

            






 a band saw, 

and a very nice work bench.


They have all been spoken for and we have a waiting list if the first in line does not show up.   As I work on this blog, I glance at my email tab and there are three more requests waiting to be opened.  I have a feeling that we priced these items too low, but it is best to just get the "stuff" out of here.  Another step to full timing!


I do have a blog question..... how do it fix the settings so that comments will show following the post?  I've looked and cannot see it.  Thanks all.


And another big thanks to all who responded to my post about what "stuff" is necessary stuff in the kitchen of the motorhome.  I have some items already there, but I was considering what is still in the house.  I received many great suggestions.  Thanks again.


I'm off to list more "stuff!"


God bless your day

HOW MANY ( you insert a word ) GO INTO THE MOTORHOME?

The time has come to purge "stuff" from the kitchen and the workshop.  Oops!  This is when the rubber meets the road.  


I have a drawer of small "essential?" kitchen gadgets.  Which ones do I keep and which ones to I discard?  What goes?  What is donated?  What hits the trash?  


How did pioneer women make to with only sharp knives, spoons and large forks for turning meat? Did they just have one knife?  I have more than 10! How did they live without potato mashers, and ricers?  How could they live without measuring cups and spoons?  egg separators? egg slicers? egg poachers? potato peelers?, cheese graters? lemon /orange zesters? garlic presses?  cheese slicers in various sizes for various thicknesses of cheese? whisks? can openers? melon ball makers? olive pitters? cherry pitters?  splatter screens?  


How about spaghetti strainers, salad spinners, electric mixers, pizza stones, juicers, bread machines, pasta  makers?


How did she live without Tupperware, Rubbermaid, Pyrex and Corning?  What about spices?  She didn't have two drawers of Penzey's Spices, did she.  Now, do you see my delima? 


Actually, it's now much of a delima.  So much of what I named, I can do without.  It is just deciding what is most important.


Then we come to tools!  What tools can a man not live without in a motorhome?  John already has a large drawer and another toolbox under his seat.  But what is absolutely needed?  We don't know and are looking for suggestions.  


Moving right along, I have done some more painting today.I was able to paint the exterior part of our patio doors....another step closer!  


Right now though, I think I'll go through that gadget drawer and see what I can live without.  Be sure though, to share what you find useful in your RV.


Thanks for coming by.  And thanks goes out to new followers Gene and Judy from Blue Roads and Hiking Trails.  They share their wonderful hikes as the hit the blue roads.  Also welcome are Bob and Sue of Just B S!

Have a safe and peaceful day!  And God Bless!

I'M FREE ! I'M FREE !

Well, at least my Dr. DiLella has released me.  He says my thumb joint replacement is working super duper!  Well, I told him that!


The recovery time has been much shorter than the left hand.  Soooo, today I celebrated by going outside and painting trim around our windows.  Now, doesn't that sound like fun?   Not!


Tonight, I am stiff and sore, but the job is crossed off our list.  Let's see, I believe that was item ninety two from the list of six thousand four hundred and twenty seven and a half.  


The Weather Bug said the temperature was to be forty six today.  Without looking at the weather, I went outside and began the fun of scraping and painting.  Man!  Was I cold, brrrrr.  


When I came inside for breakfast at two thirty, the computer said that it was thirty six degrees.  Hum, that's about ten degrees short, my little Bug.  I felt like a Popsicle!  


But, that's not the end of the story!  I returned outside, determined to finish the last six windows and it was WARMER!  I finished to a toasty forty-one degrees.  


I have not decided what I will do tomorrow, but I guarantee one thing, it will be something that will not make by back stiff.  Do I hear any ahhhh's of sympathy yet? 


Maybe I should start my Christmas shopping!  Ya think?  Maybe so.


That's my story and I'm stickin to it!


God bless all!  

BRAIN FOG

Have you ever wanted to blog, but just can't get your head into it? 

It's like wanting to talk to a friend and he/she is out of town.


What's a person to do.....I dunno

ARE WE ANOTHER DAY CLOSER?

If only you could see this place! No, you don't even want to. I cannot believe the confusion around here.  This is not a real picture of here, but it gives you an idea of how I feel it looks.  I do not handle confusion well.  Last night I was as jittery as a bowl of jello during an earthquake. 

I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  I should hope so.  The first of January is rapidly approaching, on it's hairy feet, tracking me down.  I just wish I could put a halt to the clock which keeps on tickin the time away.  


Occasionally, that light at the end of the tunnel feels like a freight train coming straight at me.  

When one is going through closets, drawers and cabinets and getting rid of "stuff" everything comes out of those places and hardly anything goes back in. Yippee!  But the ongoing sorting stage creates a colossal mess.


Today, to  top it off, I have to do the laundry.  You know, don't you that laundry waits for no one.  Ohhh, thank goodness we don't spend the rest of laundry day doing the ironing!    I no longer own an iron, but I do have a clothes steamer which will soon be donated.  


When John and I was first married I was crazy enough to iron his briefs and t-shirts.  That ended with the coming of children, thank you very much!


It has been found that man filled pans with hot water and moved them over fabric to eliminate wrinkles.  Sad irons began being used during the seventeenth century.  I think irons should be banned! How about you. 


Oops, I digress!  Back to the subject at hand.... Uhhhh what hand, which hand, whose hand?  


This morning, I read some of the blogs that I follow.  Ohhhh they sound so good.  Even those of the people that are cold in Arizona, new Mexico and Texas.  It's the same here, but they are in their homes on wheels.  Now, which do you choose?  You don't even get more than one answer.  


Well, my break is over, back to the grind.  At least I'm not ironing!  See, there are things worse than getting a house ready to sell.  As RV Sanity says....make lemonade.  


God bless, stay warm and safe travels...

WHAT'S UP DOC? THIS AND THAT!

Welcome to some new followers.  Jessica and Harry.  They are preparing to enter the world of full timing.  Also we welcome RonTOG  What does it take to become an old geezer?  Am I there yet?  


Sue Castle has joined as a follower, but I can't find her blog!  Sue let me know how to find you!  Donna K from Travels in Therapy has also joined our family, welcome! Miss Lazee, welcome to you too!  What a cute name!  Michael, love your blog!  The simpler life is what we want!


Every time I think I have a closet cleaned out, I find something else I can donate!  What's up with that?   Closets and drawers are becoming the bane of my existence.  I suppose all you full timers out there are giggling right now, right?  


Friday, an antique dealer came.  She named prices she was willing to pay for each piece.  We sold a few pieces and all our books to her.  The pieces we kept, we are going to send to an auction house that is well known for getting the best prices.  That has to wait until the house is sold since all are part of the staging.  The pieces that left Friday were not part of the staging process.

Yesterday, Saturday, we went to our granddaughter Lucy's gymnastic meet.  Watching this thirty one pound, very short seven year old do the beam, floor exercise, vault and the bar was quite a nail-biting experience.  She earned two medals and improved her scores in each of the exercises.  

Lucy, is not really competitive.  She is there to have fun.  This comes as a shock to her mom.  


When Holly, her mom and daughter number three was in middle and high school, she was a very competitive varsity volleyball and basketball player. Her loyalty to her teams was admirable. 


When she was a junior, she started having severe headaches.  I took her to our family physician.  He asked her if she was under any stress or trying to make an important decision.  


Voila!  The answer came out.  Holly was an honor student, yearbook editor, and athlete.  Her senior year was coming.  She knew she could not play in college since she was going to study pre-med.  What was she going to do?  Waste her time and take someones spot who REALLY wanted to play?  Or would she tell her coaches her decision and focus even more on school.  Once she made the decision, her headaches were gone!


She is a good mom, she's a pediatric oncologist and hematologist.  She allows Lucy determine her goals and gives Lucy the encouragement she needs.  No pressure.  


Oops, I digress.


Tomorrow, John works on the guest bath.  He will be installing new hardware at the tub, shower and vanity sink.  A new light will go up and the walls are to be painted.  


It has been raining here since last night.  Flood warnings are being broadcast.  At least it is not ice or snow!  It will be a good day to work inside!  A good day for me to go through all the kitchen cabinets and whittle down the contents.  I had no idea we had accumulated to much "stuff."


People are amazed that I can let go of so much.  I keep saying that it is just things, just "stuff."  It's much more important to lay our treasures in heaven than to try to accumulate on earth.  


While watching the Colt's game today, I noticed the commercials touting the term "you deserve."  What makes us deserve?  The fact that it's time to spend money on Christmas presents?  I don't get it.


And the message that we must have the biggest and best and newest cell phone, car, truck, clothing, diamonds cuts me to the quick! Oh yes, don't forget to charge everything on your American Express, Visa or Master Card!  (so they can charge you interest if not paid in full.)


We forget that Christmas the celebration of Christ.  And this Christ then gave us the most valuable Christmas gift.....eternal life.  Even though we do not deserve it, he gave His life in order that we have eternal life.  Now THAT is a true gift... that is grace.  


As we enter another week of travel, of work or whatever is on our schedules, keep in mind that we are offered the best of the best!


Thanks for visiting.  I have enjoyed your comments.  


God bless you in His season!  

A BUMP IN THE ROAD

Since the last post I have had the stomach "flu."  That means I have not done much to help prepare for the listing of the house.  January 5, 2012 is marching toward me like a swarm of ants heading toward sugar!  

Monday, I went to therapy for my hand and felt fine.  Chris, my occupational therapist was pleased with my progress and gave me more "work" to do.  


You can see that she just LOVES to have her picture taken!   She is sooo good at what she does, she was stolen from another facility.  It is her work that makes the surgeons work look and work marvelously!  


After OT, John and I went to lunch...I felt fine....then we went to GFS to purchase chicken breasts and "buffalo wings."  BW's are my fav snack or dinner accompanied with a huge salad.  Fattening, but good.  


Then, leaving GFS, IT hit.  So here I am today, three days later and finally feeling kinda fine.  Why do these "24" hour bugs now take three days to work perform their damage?  Could it be age?  Nahhh!


Oliver, Olivia, and Noah's vet took three of our large plants / trees today. 


The Ficus tree had been with us for thirty seven years!  Can you believe that?  That's 37 / thirty seven!   It was seven feet tall and about the same in diameter so you can see how much larger the room is going to look without that monster in there.  


I have two more plants to re-home.  One is a Pony Tail Palm also in our family for thirty seven years.  Hopefully Holly, our youngest will take this one.  She has always seemed to like it.  The other is a  Charlie Brown that will probably go to the trash bin.  


Well, that sure wasn't much news, was it.  That is about all I can come up with!  Such an exciting life....well unless you want to purchase a Bernina 1000 sewing machine!  (Stop laughing,,,,,right now!)


God bless you all...have a wonderful Thursday.  






  

WOW! WHY WAS I SURPRISED?

Yesterday, Saturday, was a day of answered prayer.  It was the day that John had been preparing for.  It was the day that he would try to sell his twenty five years worth of HO train, scenery, structure,  building, and collecting.


Friday, I was so concerned that he would be parting with his beloved hobby and that he would not be compensated enough to make him feel good about letting it go.  I prayed about it asking God to bless John's day and that He, God, be in control.


We  got up bright and early and left early.  Arriving at the location of the show, other professional vendors were setting up and they had all kinds of train "stuff."  


John had rented one table.  I don't remember if it was six or eight feet long.  Other vendors had as many as seven tables.  Hummm,  "we are sure going to get lost among all the professionals."  But,  he did bring a bookshelf, which saved our lives!  


We should have filled three tables, but had only that one. We had to make the best of the situation at hand. I arranged his trains on the shelf.  Boxes of railroad cars totally filled each shelf to the bottom of the shelf above it.  John laid out the displays and boxes of supplies on the table, under the table and on stacked crates behind the table.  


We barely had a place for us.  I sat stuffed in a corner and John stood at the side of the display.  

Before the show opened at ten,  vendors passed by the booth and started to buy some of the good bargains.  That was encouraging.  Those sales to vendors placed us at twenty percent of John's goal.  


When John told me his goal, I thought "sure,  sure."  But those first sales were encouraging.  We still had 80% to go though.  I was sure we would never make it.  


Ten o'clock came and shoppers were allowed in the area.  Of course everyone must walk around a scope out everything so they can decide what purchases they will make.  They began to filter back.  


An eight dollar sale, and another for the same amount.  Then, twenty five dollars, then four.  "It's going to be a very long day."  The sales came in off and on and I would tick off each one hundred dollar increment.  


When the crowd begin to thin out about two hours before the end of the show, we were within twenty five dollars of John's goal.  Surely, we can do that!  But the room only seemed to have a handful of customers sprinkled among all the booths.  Will we do it?  


We were so close to the finish line!  We chatted with the vendors around us feeling good about being close.  But no cigar!  


Did I ever tell you that I am a firm believer in setting goals and then working to meet those goals?  BUT, you just cannot force people to your booth and buy.  


Later......a vendor came to us and said "set your price for what you have left."  Say what?  


After deliberation, John gave him a price and after a terrible low ball offer............................ the vendor and John settled on a very fair price.  John had then exceeded his goal by over 100%!  

We feel very blessed.  God does answer prayer.  Sometimes his answer is no, sometimes it is wait, and sometimes he says yes and sometimes he blesses with more than we have asked for.  Yes, we were very blessed indeed and He get's the thanks.  


Today, that room that was full of train "stuff" is much roomier.  The closet is almost empty.  Only clothes remain.  There is no train parafanelia under the bed, on bookshelves or anyplace else.  Just space.  


Now, the next challenge is to sell the tons and tons of quilting supplies, fabric and other equipment that once belonged to John's mother.  Here we have about thirty years of accumulation!  I wish there was a quilt show someplace close, but maybe on Ebay?  Ebay seems so confusing to me though.  


Is the confusion due to my dyslexia?  I can learn something much faster by seeing, reading and doing all at the same time.  Translating from the written page to action is not easy.  


Today we take pictures of products for Ebay.  Hopefully, I can muddle my way through.  Just wish I had a tutor here at my shoulder.  


That's the news today...another step to full time living.  


May God bless you today, the day that many of us worship Him, the first day of Advent.

THERE IS SOMETHING HIDING IN THAT CLOSET!

It is Thanksgiving eve.  One Turkey is done and the other is now in the roaster.  I have read about brineing a turkey, so that's what we did today.  We will see how they taste tomorrow.  Nothing like experimenting on family.  Right?


The majority of the day has been spent getting rid of "stuff."  I cannot believe how much stuff we have.  It is mind boggling.  It took one day to sort through my closet!  Did you know that closets can grow?  Mine sure has.  Not only can I walk into the closet, I could have a dance in there!


We have bags stuffed to go to The Refuge. The Refuge is a Christian organization that provides food, clothing, furniture, training,  counseling and encouragement to people in need.  Before people can be encouraged spiritually, they must have their physical needs filled.  We try to support The Refuge as much as we can.


I have one more closet to go through.  The coat closet is going to be more of a challenge for John than for me.  He has way too many winter jackets and coats.  I have just what is necessary.  He probably has three or four times the clothes that I have.  Now, this guy has some major decisions to make since the motorhome will hold only so much "stuff."


I am more of a minimalist.  He is a gatherer.  But I do have a few things in the closet that I must make a decision whether to donate or keep.  They are the most recent clothing purchases prior to my gaining back the lost weight.  The problem....they are in perfectly good shape.  Hardly worn.  What's a person to do.....I dunno.  I am sure I will make a decision between now and when we list the house.  


I surely do like the lack of clutter in closets, drawers and cabinets.  Tomorrow, I will see a niece who has and collects Fiesta Ware.  I have Fiesta only because I got it when we moved John's mom from her home to ours.  Fiesta -  Another bunch of "stuff" that will not fit into the motorhome.  


We have decided that instead of selling our antiques one at a time, we will call dealers, get quotes and sell to the dealer with the highest bid.  


Now to find a way to sell all of MIL's quilting fabric and supplies.  I did join a Yahoo quilting group with the intention of posting items there.  

THEN there is John's HO trains.  He was building a layout, collecting and constructing trains etc. and has more stuff than a train store!  He is going to sell this "stuff" at a show/sale Saturday.  He has packed quite a few plastic tubs and is working on more.  Oh my.  


I know this is hard for him to "let go."  He has worked on this hobby for at least fifteen years.  It has been a labor of love.  I have left him along to sort, price and to say good-by.  


It is really sad, because I can take my fiber with me and continue creating my art on the road.    I will have both my spinning wheel and my circular sock machine.  They provide the fun money for our trips.  


But!  He is now tying flies for fishing and is becoming interested in rock hounding.  So, he is saying good-by to some thing and welcome to two new interests.  

Yesterday,  our granddaughter, Megan, came by for my sewing machine and brought along Harper, her daughter and our great grand!  Wow! so much fun!  


Her capau took time out from his trains to play with her and they were having a grand ole time!  

She said that she wants to go on a trip with us.  But I don't think Meg will let her go yet.  Rats!  


Maybe she can come along when she's a bit older.  Yesterday, she was six months old.  She's a tiny thing.  


Well, the turkey is five degrees from being done.  Then I can go to bed!  Tomorrow, comes the rest of the cooking.  


Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Let's remember the soldiers who are away from their families to help protect us from harm.  Let's pray that they will be safe and return home quickly.  


God bless you and your families.  

THE NEW FAMILY ADDITION, AND WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO???

Two weeks have flown by since I last blogged.  I guess I am posting a blasted, belated blog.  Or something like that.  

Other than our new family addition, life has been crazy, hectic around here.  

Let me introduce you to Olivia.  This little girl came into our lives in a very unexpected way.  

Many of you know that we have one Shih Tzu, Oliver.  He and his brother, the Noah, the cat have been in our family for two and eleven years respectively.  This picture is of the two boys on the dashboard of the motorhome as we traveled to Joshua Tree National Park in California.

John felt that we were the perfect size family with these two critters.  I was thinking that one more Shih Tzu would complete our family.  You see, we have three grown daughters.  Doesn't it make sense to have three pets?    We have been accustomed to a family of five.  So why not?  Right?  

On our way to our trip to Asheville, North Carolina to do a show, we stopped at the bank to make a deposit.  

Oliver goes to the bank with me.  He runs in and they all make over him and give him a doggie treat.  Everyone loves him at the bank.  I do not dare enter said bank without him.  They would deduct from my account if I didn't take him, I'm sure.  

As the teller was taking my deposit, she remarked that earlier, a customer came in and said they needed to find a new home for their grandmother's Shih Tzu.  Nuff said. Right?  Right!

She gave me the telephone number of the person. I made a bee line to the motorhome and my cell phone.  I punched in her number as John sat in the drivers seat trying to figure out what was happening.  

As the person's phone rang, I filled him in on the situation.  

We are now driving down the highway as I talk to the person.  She says.  She had just taken the puppy to the county animal shelter!  

OH NO!  They put dogs down after a time!  This is an emergency!  We've just GOT to turn around and rescue this poor creature!  

John rolls his eyes, makes a left turn and winds through neighborhoods to finally get to the road that the shelter is on.  

We pull up in front of the shelter and I head in to claim her!  Now remember, this is sight unseen!  When she is carried from her "prison:" - cage, she looks at me and almost jumps out of the attendants arms to get to me.  Oh, oh, I'm in love.

After the papers are completed, I carry her out to the motorhome and Oliver greets her at the door.  It's like he was saying "what took you so long to get here?"  They were best buds at first sight.  They played all the way to North Carolina.

She had no idea that she had a sticks and bricks home.  She thought this box on wheels was home.  And that leads to the rest of today's blog.  

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

While we were gone, we decided we were serious about full-time motorhoming.  Is that a real word?  

We came home with a goal in mind.  Be ready to list the house December first.  Whoa!  That's a lot of work in a very short time.  

We have been upgrading the house over the last year.  But, it was at our own pace, not with a deadline.  Suddenly, we pop from first gear to fifth!  

We have adjusted our December goad to hopefully, January first.  We still have a ton of work to do.  John is working hard.  With his emphysema, he has to stop and breathe often.  My body is sore from all the work.  We SHALL overcome!  

This is way too long already.  More to come when I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and can't sleep.  (this is becoming a habit)  But who wants to start laboring at that hour?  It's like let's gear up with a cuppa tea or some hot chocolate first.  

Until next time......

God bless you all

AN IMPORTANT ALERT FOR ALL!

Some of this copy and paste did not come through so I am also providing the link to the form in case you want to participate.
http://www.rvact.com/rvact/issues/alert/?alertid=56500581

Action Alert





Consumers: Protect the RV Home Mortgage Interest Deduction


RV Owner:

Late last week a proposal from the members of the Super Committee (Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction) included the elimination of the second home mortgage interest deduction (MID). Since negotiations have been kept confidential, with only a few details slipping out, there is no way to know whether this provision will be in the final Super Committee deficit reduction plan until after the plan is finalized. NOW is the time to act to ensure the MID is not included in the final plan, or any future tax reform plan.

Retention of the federal second home mortgage interest deduction is a substantial benefit to RV owners. In order to preserve it, RV owners must start TODAY to participate in an e-mail campaign asking their US Congressional members to oppose the elimination of the MID. This campaign must be started today because the deadline for the Super Committee to vote on a plan with $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction is Nov 23. Further, since the Congressional Budget Office must score the cost of the plan before the Super Committee can vote on the plan, we need to start and finish our e-mail campaign this week.

The very real problems of federal deficits and debt growing to unsustainable levels prompted the creation of the Congressional Super Committee. If no legislation from the Committee is enacted by Congress by early next year then the law, which created the Super Committee, mandates across the board cuts in defense and non-defense spending totaling over $1.0 trillion. Consequently, there is tremendous pressure on the Super Committee to identify a package of tax savings and spending cuts. The final package will be very difficult to influence as the law requires the plan to go to the floor of the House and Senate for an up or down vote. Congress cannot amend the Super Committee's recommendations. Consequently, we are reaching out to the Super Committee and key tax committee members (Senate Finance and House Ways and Means) this week.

Please contact your members of Congress NOW.





Take Action


To participate in our e-mail campaign, we ask you to personalize the template letter and enter your address below. The system will use this address to automatically send the letter to your Representative and Senators without you having to know the names of your members of Congress and without you leaving the RVACT website.




1 Compose Message


Message Recipients:

Your U.S. Senators
Your U.S. House Representative
Delivery Method:

Email
Printed Letter


Subject:



Impact Meter:
Research has shown that shorter messages are more effective. Use this meter to keep your message to a good length!












0 characters 1.5K characters 3K characters 5K characters


Editable text:
(edit or add your own text)
Tip: Cutting-and-pasting? Save as plain text first.

Your Closing:
Your Name:



2 Sender Information

This system requires that you provide your name and contact information. This information will not be used for any purpose other than to identify you to the recipient.

Your Contact Information:

Prefix (required by some officials)


First *
Last *


Email *

Address *

City *


State *
ZIP *
ZIP + 4


Phone




Sign me up for the Action E-List.
A copy of your message will be sent to the e-mail address entered above.






(Please click only once.)

THE CAST IS OFF AND WE HAVE A NEW FAMILY MEMBER

Three weeks post surgery and yesterday, the cast was cut removed.  Ohhh, what heavenly relief!  I could rub the spot that was sending itch signals (very gently).


Now, I have a brace for three more weeks.  This is a critical time with the limited freedom that I have.  The wrong move and the tendon snaps and retreats into the arm. (my own terminology).  If that would happen.....more surgery so I am being a very good patient.  I have the brace off to type this and then it goes right back on.  


We stayed in Townsend, TN for an extra day and then we headed for the Daniel Boon National Forest.  We did not quite make DBNF, but found a Wal Mart RV Campground in Oneida, TN.  


There we began to see that each region, each city has a personality of it's own.  In Oneida,  we saw hard working people, older cars and trucks on the road.  People were proud, hard working and friendly.  Another impression was the loud mufflers and what sounded like 3, 4 and 5 speed manual transmissions that rumbled up and down the highway until about ten thirty in the evening.  


While in Louisville, we noticed that huge loud Boom Boxes were the rage.  As we drove down the street, the vibrations would begin to rattle our teeth, then our seats as we grew closer to the "entertainment".  


In Asheville, NC, we found quiet.  No road music, just Southern hospitality.  I love the south.  Men are true gentlemen and women are more regal.  


Then there is the Gatlinburg area.  If you like bumper to bumper traffic, wild lane changes, road construction to handle even more traffic, this is the place.  Not for me!  Too commercial.


On the other side of the mountain is Townsend, TN.  (the peaceful side of the Smokies).  They truly live up to that motto.  Life is quieter there.  No bumper to bumper traffic, but you still have the potters, the art galleries, great food, great people. Gatlinburg, Pidgeon Forge, Knoxville and the University of Tennessee are all close by if you want a day trip. Ya gotta love it!


Monday was spent at the Kentucky Horse Park.  It is a lovely place with plenty of varried activities.  Of course horses are the center and reason for the park.  Many of the horse associations had their headquarters there.  


The campgrounds were quite nice.  Each site had a large lot for parking on a very narrow pad. We cozyed up to the side of the pad in order to have room at the bottom of our steps.  Toads had to be parked on the grass as there is not room on the pad.  Each of the 260 sites have a picnic table, fire ring, 20, 30, and 50 amp service along with water.  There is no sewer hook up on the sites, but they have two dump stations at the entrance/exit.  


Well, we are home.  Now to put finishing touches on the house so that we can have our realtor  list it on the MLS.  I hope there is someone out there that wants a house with two barns and five acres.  It is a suitable place for horses, etc.  We will see.  


Tomorrow, I'm off to the paint store and to look for the perfect stove for our "new" kitchen.  Have I told you that I really do not enjoy shopping?  Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do!  


This is long enough, I will tell you about our new family member tomorrow.....


Till next time


God bless and keep you in the protection of his loving arms.