Raining Cats and Dogs

Thankfully, we have not experienced the flooding that has plagued Louisiana in the past weeks. However, the weather in recent weeks has become rather wet. I get many questions about the rain and how it affects us. Obviously, it usually causes us to all be stuck inside. Kailyn is a special exception to this. Even during light rain you can find her outside wandering and wondering. She doesn’t like to be confined and enjoys the outdoors in spite of the weather. This is wonderful for her- but the rest of us don’t fit into that category. 

Korbin is a more structured kind of guy. He likes specific conditions to assure his comfort. Don’t get me wrong; he’s a Life Scout, camping frequently and enjoying those times, but he wants to be comfy at home. In wet weather you can usually find him watching videos or playing games, and occasionally drawing. I’m sure that’s not the best thing he could do, but it is what it is. He recently started running cross country, so he will get out when it isn’t too wet and run. 

Lacey goes back and forth. She plays games, watches TV, draws, and also joined the cross country team as a junior runner. She also likes to explore outside, but only when it’s comfortable for her, which is more often, apparently, than it is for Korbin.


As for Maddox- he is just about attached to a device of some kind. Weather makes no difference. I’m sure that’s not healthy. I have to force him outside when the weather clears. Here we are on a date to Starbucks. In case you're wondering, our internet is sketchy at best and I'm limited to just a few random and useless (to me) websites. I can print, however, which is a major improvement. (the printer is wireless and I don't have the wherewithal to figure out how it works with a cord, since it seems you have to speak the magic words to make that work.) Maybe it's the modem. I don't know, but someone will need to figure that out. The saga continues.


I always have plenty to do. Not that I don’t have the kids do stuff- I have no qualms about interrupting their free-for-all to help, and for the most part, don’t have any issues there. What I would do if I was one of them is read. All. Day. Long. (I'm not a princess. If I were a princess, I would read all day long.) Currently that is what I do before sleeping, and it’s hard to get far in a book (or six) when it’s really time to sleep and you’ve had a full day.

There are some things that change in inclement weather when you’re in a tiny space. The first thing on my mind is whether we’ve left anything outside. That’s pretty normal for any household, but we try to leave our shoes outside instead of making a mountain of shoes where there’s no room and no closet like we were used to. The shoes belong in the “basement” but at the moment, it’s a massive pile of shoes. I don’t really want wet or muddy shoes on top of the dry and clean ones. I’ve been eyeing a shoe rack at Bed Bath & Beyond and I think that might help tremendously. We also spend time in the evenings on the “patio” (it’s an RV patio rug in front of the RV) watching the Astros play or the stars. (There is still enough light pollution that prevents good stargazing so we couldn’t really see the Perseides meteor shower a couple weeks ago.) We have to make sure we put the patio furniture cushions away in the basement as well. The patio awning is really nice, as we can sit outside in the rain unless the wind is blowing. We can even watch TV out there, as the TV in the master bedroom is on an arm mount that can be easily moved inside or outside. Another thing that happens in the rain is the steps get wet. Before we even moved in I bought little carpet covers for the steps. A couple days ago I got tired of wet steps, so I removed them. As I feared from the beginning, the metal steps proved slippery and the main issue with that is that the dog started slipping and hurting herself. Even Gravity Girl slipped once and that was the last straw. I put the step carpets back immediately, getting out the shop fan to hopefully dry them out in place. (More about the super hero names later.)

Inside, my main concern is the large slide. It holds the couch, and is so large that the awning above the slide tends to hold water. It seems to be spring loaded, but I worry that the weight of the water will stretch the awning, so I will close the slide when the awning gets weighed down. This requires everything in the living room to be cleaned and tucked away. I have to put the dog in the kids’ room and close the door because she is goofy and runs circles around the island as I close the slide, with her ultimate goal of getting caught between the island and the couch, I suppose. 

Another major issue with the rain is that it’s rather difficult to dry your clothes on the clothesline like that. I have given up the clothesline thing and just started using my mom’s dryer. The only reason I didn’t before is that Kailyn has such sensitive skin that I was concerned about the residue in the other dryer and whether it would cause problems for her. So far it has been ok, although I can smell other soap on my clothes. (I'm not a princess.) Our dryer is not plugged in because the plug is not suited for the outlet, and the dryer that is already there has priority. Running a new power cord to a new outlet can’t happen since the breaker box is full. We are thinking about building a shed of some kind close-by so that we can run power to it from our breaker box and put our dryer in there.

I also get questions about the rain- whether it’s louder in here. I would say, yes, it is. However, with the air conditioners, it doesn't really make much difference. If you’ve ever been in a room with a window unit, you would know what I mean. Imagine having a window unit in your ceiling- above your TV. That’s not my favorite thing here, but we figure it out. Sometimes we just turn off the AC while watching. The TV stays off, for the most part during the day. I hate the TV and the sound it makes, so I prefer it to be off. We will watch something educational here and there, or I might do a You Tube video of something I subscribe to, but the TV is mainly here for Jeff. Once he has a shower after work, at least one of the TVs is generally on until he’s sleeping. 

Here is Jeff indulging in the delicious chocolate cake batter I made for his 40th birthday. (I cheat and mix it in the Vitamix. You really should check out the linked blog. Awesome.) When he is home, he likes to walk around the property, shoot turtles, cut paths in the woods, or watch TV. Occasionally, there are items on the “honey do” list, but I usually keep that pretty short since I enjoy home projects myself. The next thing on his list is to help me install the last of three closet rods. The original closet rods limited us on hanging space, but my lovely new ones from Bed Bath & Beyond are so much more functional for us. It is uncommonly difficult to hang these by myself, as all pieces have to be held in place as the screws are mounted. This last rod (65" and 3 brackets) may require an additional helper to hang.
 Looks like a fun way to hang clothes, no?

The only family member I haven’t mentioned related to the weather is the cat. That darn cat. Fluffy truly is a member of the family, and most likely, is Korbin’s favorite. She was happily prowling the outdoors at night between dark thirty and bedtime, consistently using her litter box that we had moved under the RV far away from foot traffic. She would go a little crazy or meow at the door and was the princess that could come and go as she pleased. Life was good and we were happy. Then the series of storms and wet weather blew through and she- for the first time ever- peed (right in the middle near the pillows) on OUR bed. I was gone all of that day and left Korbin in charge with Maddox there. Apparently, Korbin didn’t notice her craziness or perhaps she didn’t want to go out in the wet weather (most likely) so she just found the one place to go that would hold the greatest impact. We kept a protective cover on our bed for years, but like I mentioned, she has never done this before, so we unfoundedly felt safe that she would never betray us in that way. Rest assured, cat lovers, that we (begrudgingly) put her litter box back in the itty bitty bathroom and the kids are back to square one. Have you ever tried to remove cat pee from your bed? Sheets can be sanitized, but I’m convinced mattresses should be burned. (not a princess) We made a futile attempt to clean with the shop vac, but ultimately decided to call it quits, hung our heads and settled for the queen air mattress intended for the living room sofa bed. I'm not sure why it was a good idea to add a faux button-down texture to the air mattress which adds humongous indentions in the top. Who sleeps like that? I have to get my heels just right in one of the dips to get semi-comfortable. (Ok, so I might be a princess.) The cat is banned from the room. If she puts one claw in the air mattress, Jeff and I will be on the couch. Within three days of the disaster I ordered the mattress I had talked about for a couple of weeks. I feel like my research was cut short; I am not sure I got the mattress I really wanted, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It has been a week and a day since I placed the order. Since the company is so new, the message on their website stated it could be two weeks before it came. I was disappointed, but hoped it would be sooner, and that the wait would be worth it. Yesterday, I received notification that it has been shipped!! The mattress should arrive by the end of the day this Thursday, two days from now. I’m excited. When it comes, I will sleep on it for a while and then tell you what we got.

Before the rain hit we all went to the back of the property and planted a cornfield. We don’t really eat corn. I can’t remember why we planted it, but my mom wanted to and many hands make light work. 

And goats, apparently, adore pine trees. Notice the leash. Mae is an awesome goat. She loves going on a walk to "browse." (Browse- what they call it when goats forage for brush. They don't really eat grass the way you'd think if you didn't have a goat.)

Kailyn, me, Jeanette, and Maggie having dinner on our awesome girls' weekend before AHG Academy. (Thanks, Jeanette, for the idea and invitation!) Kailyn took the picture. Don't know how I'd have any fun without her. We lovingly refer to her as Gravity Girl. That is because gravity affects her most often. I can't say she's the least coordinated, but she's the least lucky on that aspect- or maybe she just doesn't care and things happen when you just go for it anyway. Friday we thought she might have broken her elbow when she fell several feet from a tree and landed on it. With a little arnica gel the next evening, she was good to go. (Thank you, Heather Ellsworth!! I love that stuff!) 

Lacey and Maddox working on their assignments on their first day of 5th and 3rd grade at Starbucks. Lacey gets the superhero moniker, Spider Monkey, which is kind of an obvious choice for her. She's always been a climber. Maddox receives the title of Captain Obvious. I'm not sure why, but he just can't help but to state what is plain as if it is some great revelation. I'm not talking about new discoveries, but the mundane. Korbin hasn't been given a name by the kids yet, but they call me Word Girl. I have called it my superpower. Please don't judge my blog. It's more about the way I can feel what words mean and often how to spell them. I'm not the best at it, but words make me happy. Nice words, that is. With that said, I'm way past my word goal for this post, so until next time, adieu!

DOWNsizing

Going from a spacious two-story home to a fifth wheel requires significant downsizing. Let me assure you that even though we began the process of purging back in February, that now in August, we are far from our goal. Letting go is not easy. For the past month I would rummage through boxes of stuff we have in the laundry room building and just close the boxes back and leave them be. It is emotionally draining to look at each thing and decide its fate.

Our stuff is in six places on two properties. Most of what we are keeping is here in the RV with us. Most of our outdoor stuff is in our shed that we brought with us; the rest is in the workshop building on the property. Many boxes and our washer/dryer are in the laundry room building here. The rest of our stuff is upstairs in Jeff's parents' house, in the upper room and filling their attic.

Yes, it really does fill their huge attic! What a mess! (I'd say about 75% of this is ours.) A couple weeks ago I went over there and took as much as I could fit in the back of the Suburban. As we were moving they got less and less excited about us bringing stuff to fill the attic. We are so very blessed to have use of their home for storage, as it saves us in storage unit fees. (We usually try to treat them to dinner or something each month as a 'thank you' gesture, although I know they don't expect anything in return.)

This is what we've done to their upstairs spare room and workout space. Much of this would be ruined in a hot and humid attic. I can't wait to get this cleaned out for them!!

This is the inside of one of the closets in that room. I couldn't bear to part with all of my books. I sold many at Once and Again bookstore, donated some, and still have many more (kids' books that Kai is keeping) that I'm not sure where to put. My current use curriculum books fit in the RV.

Here is the stuff in the laundry room building. I spent over two hours getting it to this point this morning before it got too hot. I would have taken a before picture, but I truly believed I had already done that. :(

I hope that once all of the boxes are sorted, items donated or sold, and we have officially completed the downsizing process that I will feel more peaceful. It really is nice to be in a tiny space. I know it isn't for everyone, and I'm not sure I could have done it before now. I felt God preparing me in the last few months for this move. While fixing up the house for sale, I was acutely aware of the distance I needed to walk from room to room, the sprawling size of each room, and how much time it took me to do things that required walking from room to room. That sounds absurd, but that's how I felt during that time. I enjoy having everything in arm's reach in the kitchen and bathroom. Once I get rid of the extra junk I will have less stuff to burden my time and thoughts. That is what I mean when I say I would like to feel more peaceful. With great possessions come great responsibility. 

I'd much rather focus on the now. Korbin will be 18 in a year and a half. (!) He is entering his junior year of High School. I have a full course-load for him this year. I'd like to really help him hone his skills in APA formatting, finish his Eagle project, start driving, and encourage him to pursue a passion. He wasn't interested in driving while living in such a busy part of town. Once we began the process of moving, he finally told me he wanted to. Of all the kids, he is probably feeling the tightest squeeze from this living arrangement. He is very stoic about the whole thing most of the time, though. Being mid-summer in the Houston area makes it hard for him to get out much, as he thoroughly enjoys the cold and equally detests the heat. We'll see how he does in the winter. Depending on his life plans, he may not be here more than 2 winters. (yikes!) I just can't imagine. I'm so not there yet, but all I can do is just make sure to help him be ready for it and let go of him when he is. 

Internet and kids' room

YAY!!!! We finally have internet!! Sudden Link was a no-go. Hughes Net offers satellite-based internet service, so that's who we ended up going with.

Kailyn and Korbin attended Soul In The City, an Anglican mission event that happens every summer here in Houston. It was an awesome week for both of them! This was Korbin’s third year and Kailyn’s first. We missed them so much and really enjoyed hearing all the stories when they returned. Korbin didn’t get much opportunity to share, as Kailyn gave us day-by-day accounts of all that happened. That’s one cool thing about having a girl, or at least a sanguine girl! She was so energized by this week away that she was ready and willing to spend the entire afternoon out with me at the homeschool convention and shopping afterward.

My favorite part of the THSC convention this year was the talks given by Reb and Bev Bradley. Those talks were all about the same thing, packaged a bit differently. The focus was on how a teen's compliance and obedience can be very far from love and acceptance of the parents. It seems great to have “good” kids on the outside, but so many of those kids grow up to want nothing to do with their parents. This has been something I have had on my mind for some time now and I have been at a loss on exactly what to do about it. I love my kids so much but my relationship with especially one of them has been strained for some time now, although I have been trying to repair the relationship. The seminars I heard last weekend were exactly what I needed to hear. The key points were that as a parent I need to represent love to them and be the safest person in their life. For them to trust me with their hearts, I need to be trustworthy. I am working on this. The good news is that God worked on both of us this week and we are both starting over and believing the best intentions. That is humbling. One thing I will add here is that the number one thing I struggle with is criticizing. I correct grammar, facts, opinions, actions they told me they did, you name it! Today I caught myself constantly with thoughts of correction. I would be so annoyed with me, too!! I share this in hopes that if you are struggling with your relationship with your kids, you would know that there is hope and I would recommend you check out the Bradleys. I even brought home CD's for Jeff to listen to. 

This week Jeff and I finished the second half of the goat fence. I know I’ve heard this, but we learned first hand how easily they get out. They aren’t getting out of the fenced area, but are going under the fence that divides the yard in two so they can be together. So much for separating the intact male so that we could milk the mama. We have a potential plan to remediate the situation, but that will take time, and maybe money. Mae is such a good mama. Here is a video of her following her kids to the new fenced area.

The most common question I get about our living space is how we do this with so many (human) kids. There are many full-timers who have way more children than we do, but it really is a small space for so many. I am loving it. I wonder if it will wear off, but for now I am very happy with the space. The kids share a tiny space, though, so the question is a legitimate one. Their bedroom has a door that closes, and has four beds- three bunks and one “jack knife sofa” that folds out into a full bed. If you have ever stayed in an RV, you would know that the mattresses are not adequate. The bunk pads that came on the bunks are more like a dog bed than a mattress. (My dog’s bed is made with better foam.) This week I bought Kailyn a really comfy 10” dual memory foam mattress. It is too wide for the bunk she chose, so she had to move to the floor bunk. Lacey moved to the upper bunk Kailyn had. Our RV has such small bunks that “bunk mattresses” that can be purchased at the RV stores are too big, so I may need to find an upholsterer to cut them down to fit, as I don’t think I could properly cut 10” foam. For now the mattress is ok where it is, but it is still too wide.

Besides mattresses, storage for the kids is a bit of an issue. Korbin and Kailyn have use of the closet in their room. They each have half of the hanging space, an upper cabinet, and one deep drawer. Maddox and Lacey have a smaller drawer and share hanging space in our bedroom inside the washer/dryer closet. We opted for hanging space instead of the washer/dryer since we have the ability to keep our full-sized washer and dryer in another building on the property. This arrangement allows me to monitor what they are wearing.

One thing the kids have that they have never had before is a TV of their own. This has been a fun extra for them. I have never thought TVs in the bedroom were a good idea, but since there are only 3 main rooms in the entire home, I thought it best to have a TV in each of them, allowing everyone options on rainy days. We definitely make use of them more than that, but it has been a good thing. 

There is also a half-bath connected to the kids’ room. I’m used to having 3 bathrooms, but having 2 in such a small space is really nice. It will be even nicer when the cat decides it is safe enough here for her to use the potty outside again. Fluffy is a great cat, but she was much better when she had a pet door and preferred going out to use the bathroom. She is getting there. Last time I put her out she seemed more at ease, a far cry from her terrified trembling in the beginning. 

I think another reason people are shocked to hear I have 4 kids in one room is that it is very common for siblings to fight with one another. For the most part, they all get along. The littles tend to squabble, but we are working on that now. I highly recommend the book, “Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends," written by the Mally siblings. This book is great for anyone with more than one child; it doesn't matter if they are brothers, sisters, or both. The book is for the kids. It isn’t a book to help mom or dad do things to help the kids get along, but a book for the kids to either read or have read to them. I read the book to Korbin and Kailyn when Maddox and Lacey were babies. It was part of our nap time curriculum. I am currently reading it with Maddox and Lacey. I haven’t even finished the first chapter and they have already started interacting differently with each other. It is the sibling equivalent of what the Bradleys are teaching parents to do. You would think that since I read this book I would be able to interact with my kids well, but that is not the case. A different relationship requires a different message. When people ask the kids about sharing a room they volunteer that they get along well. I am happy for them in this aspect. The relationships you have with your siblings have the potential to be the closest outside of a marriage, and I want that for them.

If you would like a tour of the kids’ room, check out our YouTube channel for a video walk-through. The iPhone memory filled before we could finish. I'll have to brush up on my movie making skills. :)

Farm Life

This past weekend Jeff and I (and my uncle, his friend, and Korbin) worked on and completed a fence so that we could separate the goats. Mae, the mama goat, should not be penned with an intact male if we are planning to milk her, so it was necessary to get him out of her yard. Nemo, the male goat, moved to his new yard Sunday morning. He cried so pitifully that we also moved Asriel, one of Mae's kids. Once Asriel got there, the crying stopped immediately. Goats are very social creatures. They still call out for Mae, which makes me sad, but that is farm life, I suppose.



Our next step is to fix the back half of that yard. Years ago the area used to be a chicken yard. Jeff, Korbin, Maddox, and Lacey worked together yesterday to tear down the dilapidated wall to the old chicken coop. Next, we will fence in that side, assemble the milking stand, and move Mae and her babies to their new yard. My mom is ready to get the goats out of her backyard. :) Once we are milking, we will focus on the chicken coop.

Kailyn asked for goats as a birthday present this year, and has proved to be a great goat herder. She is very good about checking on her goats morning, afternoon, and evening. Lacey and Maddox enjoy playing with the goats and loving on them.

This week Kailyn has been volunteering at HopePointe church as a VBS shepherd. She really loves children and is having a great week. Maddox and Lacey are attending the same VBS- they have looked forward to it all year!! While they are in The Woodlands all morning, Korbin and I have been finding wi-fi hotspots nearby so that I can pay bills and take care of other business. Korbin has been planning his Eagle project, playing games, and watching videos. I've enjoyed our time together.

Since all the kids' birthdays more or less take place in winter, we have a tradition of celebrating "summer birthdays," where we take the kids shopping for something they would love to have. Korbin has been talking about wanting an iPhone for some time now. He has matured so much these past few months, has an awesome small group of boys at church who encourage and support one another when it comes to media content, and then there's Pokemon Go, so we decided it was time for him to have one. That was his summer birthday gift. Kailyn chose an iPod nano, and Maddox and Lacey wanted a Build-A-Bear. Maddox went for a Pikachu, while Lacey made her 3rd bunny. (Their names are Lily, Carmen, and Shimmer, and they all have different fur.)
 
Fifth wheel life is pretty cool. It gets messy in there quickly, but it gets clean just as fast. Showers are an issue. The instant water heater isn't performing as expected. I thought we'd have all this hot water. I have plenty of hot water for the kitchen sink, but the shower is iffy. The plan is to read the manual and see if we're missing something. I'm hoping it's user error, somehow. So, the silly picture above is what happened Sunday when I left Kailyn with my phone while Jeff and I walked through the old house with the new owners to explain stuff about the house. (Things we built in, planted, etc.) I got all kinds of fun pictures and new screen savers for my amusement. :/ (Lacey was in the house with us.) This is an awesome time to be a parent. The kids are so fun at this age. We definitely have problems, but we try to enjoy the time we have. It flies by so fast!

Settling in...

We’re here! A week ago today we closed on our house. The last few days and weeks leading up to the big sale were full of work and apprehension. Getting the house ready to hand over to new owners is a tremendous job which required late nights and thoughts of the unknown about the new place woke us early with the sun. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep much! Receiving the payment for our house was awesome. We were sitting at a restaurant we both grew up eating at and were having lunch with (three of) the kids for their first time there when I checked the account and we found we had received our wire transfer. We paid off half of our debt before we left! The other accounts took time, so those were paid later. At this point our only debt is our home, which is such a great feeling!! I am a bit nervous about it since it happened so fast- I want to keep up good habits and not fall into the same trap as before. Debt is a heavy burden and we never want to be there again. Having a tiny home helps in that when I see things I could purchase I have to ask myself, “Where would that go? Do I really have space for it?” Most often the answer is, of course, “no.”

Three weeks before we closed we decided to go ahead and finance the 5th wheel and begin moving in. Two weeks before the closing, the RV was delivered to our family’s property and we Jeff began digging trenches for septic and fresh water, and a (four foot deep!) hole for the power pole. 

While Jeff worked hard on all of that I spent days packing 3,000 calorie per day backpacking meals for Korbin’s trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in the mountains of New Mexico. When you remove gluten and nuts, it’s quite a challenge to come up with 3,000 calories! On Thursday Korbin left for Philmont. 

On Friday, the power company came and turned on our power. On Saturday we spent the night for the first time! We moved so many boxes of stuff into such a small space- it’s hard to believe it was possible! (Korbin was glad to miss out on the chaos of boxes everywhere!) 

There is really more space in here than I expected. I have some empty drawers and cabinets, although I also have way more boxes to work through. While we got rid of tons of stuff, I knew I was keeping more than I could possibly fit. I wanted to try things out in the space before letting them go. There are some things I thought I needed that I have let go. There are some things I wasn’t sure about that I have kept. It will take us awhile to get it all completed. That’s true with any move, but I hope to not ever move anything I don’t need or use or love again.

Within a week of moving in our lawnmower broke. While we have a tractor on the property, most of the spaces that we walk through require a lawnmower to keep trimmed. The grasses here are tall, so that is a priority. 

Upon testing the water, I found it is not good to drink. There is a bacteria in the water, so we will clean the well very soon and see where that leads. For now we are drinking and brushing our teeth with bottled water. 

The plug for our dryer does not match the outlet, so we are currently hanging our clothes on the line outside. :)

When Jeff called the local internet service provider, he was informed that there are no available pairs (dsl lines) to service our street. There is no internet. I am currently typing on a word processing program to upload when I go visit a wifi hotspot. The other challenges that poses are Netflix streaming, WiiU online gameplay, DS online gameplay, and our other devices we used with a wireless network such as the iPad, iPods, and printer will not function in the same way. We are still searching out options, but have been spoiled as an employee family of AT&T getting a discount on multiple services. We are out of AT&T’s service area now, and their wireless hotspot doesn’t offer the amount of data we “need.” Jeff and I have data plans on our phones, but that is all we have for the moment. Korbin came home Sunday. He took the internet news very well. Before he left I know that everyone was online way too much. Definitely not a problem now.

I feel like we are adjusting very well to the new space. The kids share a room and a bathroom. They get along so well, I couldn’t ask for more. I often hear them laughing and having fun together. When issues come up, we are so close to them we are able to step in and address the situation swiftly. We didn’t notice the purposeful bad behaviors as much because they were further from us physically. Lacey enjoys working in the garden most mornings, while Kailyn has taken on caring for the goats and taking Duchess on walks around the property. What makes the kids’ room more crowded is that the cat, who usually uses the potty outside, is too afraid to venture out still, so uses the litter box in the kids’ tiny bathroom. The dog has always slept with the girls in their room, so we placed her bed in the kids’ room as well. I have always enjoyed small spaces. When we visit hotel rooms, I relish in organizing and keeping tidy during our stay. Messes are quick to remedy in a small space, but I still haven’t found “homes” for everything yet. Little by little, things are finding their forever homes. Last night was our first major issue. Jeff was ladling a bowl of HOT soup at the stove when Lacey swung open the refrigerator door right into his bowl. He had a couple of pretty nasty burns from that. :( 

Yesterday we set up the shed we brought from our house. It was getting dark and I had to leave when we finished, so I’m eager to get out there today and organize what Jeff was able to put in there! I am hoping to do a video tour of the RV and post on our YouTube page very soon. I’d like to tidy up a little bit more, first. ;) I also hope to update more often, now that I have a laptop with a word processing program. We have plenty of projects and new adventures planned this summer!!

A look at our new home

I have been losing sleep the last week or so thinking of the many things that need to be done in order to complete our move. It is very difficult to move out of your home when you do not have a place to go. That thought was just really difficult to get around. Finally, Jeff and I came up with plan B. Instead of closing on the house and paying cash for the 5th wheel, which would then need to be delivered, we decided to finance the 5th wheel, have it delivered early and begin moving in so that we are mostly settled by our closing date. This has its own risks, we realize, but the other way was just not working out for us. The second part of this plan allows us to actually use the equity on our house to instead pay off ALL of our consumer debt, which is currently at a higher interest rate than the RV. There should still be money leftover to go ahead and pad our emergency fund with. This plan in turn frees up another $500 per month to add to that fund. It's a good plan, as long as closing goes on without a hitch. I'm praying all will work out.

As for space inside when we move, I still lose sleep over that one. My bedroom is awesome. I don't see that I will be bothered by that one iota. The TV and couch and recliners seem like they will work very nicely. The kitchen is beautiful, but I'm not sure how it will work out. I will need to relearn how to prepare meals for a family of 6. My most often used cookware items will not fit in the space. There are lots of big families who RV full-time who share their methods, so I will be spending more time looking at those options. I'm thinking an instant pot might be a sanity saver and an electric griddle might be really nice. We shall see when we get there. I can make due on a crockpot and a blender for now.

Here is a floor plan so that you can get an idea:


We I chose black leatherette and the more colorful curtains. It looks really pretty. The brown was just too blah for me. The color name is "stone," which one may think of as gray, but it is truly black.


The master bedroom holds a king sized bed. (We have measured and are bringing our king mattress to replace the one that comes standard.) The bed pops up so that items can be stored under the mattress. There is a good-sized closet, dresser, and a washer/dryer closet. The kitchen has a 23 cu ft refrigerator, oven and stove with fold down corian countertop, convection oven/microwave, and under-mounted double sink which has corian covers to increase counter space. The floor plan above shows a table and love seat, but we opted for the u-lounge option, which converts the entire slide into a couch with recliners on both ends and a queen bed in the center. There are 2 pedestal tables that can be installed in front of the lounge when we need them. The island also acts as a bar on that side, so our bar stools will do well in that space. There are 2 freestanding recliners (in front of the door) and  a TV that is angled across the room. The bunk room houses 3 twin beds and one futon. We will replace the kids' mattresses immediately to give them a more comfortable night's rest. They have a small closet, huge drawers, and an entertainment system in their room. They have their own 1/2 bath and an exterior door. Next to that door outside is an outdoor kitchen with a mini fridge, microwave, 2 burner stove and sink. Here are some pictures. Here is a virtual tour.

Now begins the not-so-fun portions of the move. Picking up and installing the utility pole, digging for septic, canceling services here, selling the remaining furniture and packing. Oh! And our truck broke down this past weekend. That was fun. I'm just thankful Jeff was able to get it to a safe place. All-in-all I believe I'm ready to get it all over with. Waiting and not knowing drive me a little crazy. I'm really thankful for my foam roller right now! I have been able to relieve shoulder/neck pain by myself, which is super nice! (That's where I carry my stress.) Speaking of the foam roller, I'm sure I hear it calling my name right now!

On the Market

Monday:
I don't think anyone enjoys the process of selling a home. There is so much work that goes into getting it ready and I don't know that it can ever be all completed. Once it's ready enough, there's the getting out during showings phase, which is where we are. This weekend we had at least 6 showings. I really don't know how many for sure, since we got multiple calls for the same time. Either people crossed paths or someone really wanted to make sure they were scheduled. Add the big dog and now we're out of the house and can't really go do anything. We ate dinner one evening at a place we could watch our still running locked car so that the dog and cat would be fine. (The dog has her own seat belt harness- a purchase I'm very happy with, as she now stays put in her seat as we travel.) We have a couple of friends in the area that have opened their homes to us while we show the house, which I am very grateful for! We hope our house sells quickly, as our 5th wheel has been ordered and should be ready in a couple more weeks. The seller has agreed to hold it longer for us, so hopefully everything will work out. In the meantime, we wait.

I think the reaction to our plans has been almost the same across the board. Shock, questions, and commendation. There are not many people who would downsize so drastically. In a way, I would prefer to watch this unfold for someone else. It will be interesting. If you are following this blog you likely want some details that would help this whole thing make sense. First, I'll start with the plan and how it came to be.

In January I signed Jeff and myself up for Financial Peace classes, which was offered by our church. He wasn't thrilled about this endeavor, as he's the kind of guy that doesn't like most social settings and always dislikes classes. I had read the book, Financial Peace, 12 years ago and told him all about it. The way things usually go in cases like this, is that I learn all this great information and share it with him. I often get some details off or even leave some out, although not intentionally, and he gets a partial view of what I have read. He doesn't often care to read what I do, so this is the version he takes away. The point is- we attended this class together and it changed the way he thinks about money. I don't feel like I learned much, but since I'm not the action person in our relationship, what I know doesn't always translate into what we do as a couple. All that to say that we were determined to figure out this debt thing and put it behind us.

Besides having debt, we know that Jeff's company has plans to lay off 30% of its workforce in 2020. His current job description will no longer exist. At work they tell him not to worry, he won't lose his job, but realistically, many will. He is taking the continuing education classes and getting all the recommended certifications to help him be "relevant" when the change occurs, but he is still a sitting duck in our current situation. Four years from now, even if we did pay off our consumer debt, we would still have a mortgage to think about. We also have kids and pay for any activities and classes they do. Two of them may want to go to college in that time. Jeff has been stressed out thinking of all these things and not having a solution.

As we walked to our 3rd Financial Peace class, we were talking about a family that vlogs about dumping debt who had just sold their home to live in their RV while they build a tiny home. Both of us thought of it as a little crazy until I said, "Could you imagine if we sold our house and bought an RV- we'd be out of debt in no time!" Jeff stopped and looked at me.  Very few things give him pause, so that's a big deal. He said, "My heart just skipped a beat. That could really work." This is where I say- wives, be careful what you say to your husbands. In my case, this was an offhand comment not meant to convince him of anything. However, he saw a solution in the simplicity of it.

Tuesday:
I got a call while writing the above paragraph that our mama goat was in labor and had already birthed one kid. We made the house ready and went over as quickly as we could. By the time we got there, Mae had birthed 3 baby goats. Names had been decided already by the kids; we just happened to get the right sexes for the names to work out. :) In birth order, Asriel (boy), Polly (girl), and Chewbacca, or Chewy (boy) were all born healthy. Mae tested CAE positive, so the plan had been to pull the babies from her and bottle feed them so they don't succumb to the illness. (Arthritis/Encephalitis condition) Due to our living circumstances and the fact that Mae is such a sweet mommy, I decided not to take them away from her. I plan to consult with a homeopathic doctor about an article I read about success with CAE positive animals and pray for healing through homeopathy.

During the time I was assisting Mae and bathing her babies, we got word that there were 2 offers on our house. WOW! They weren't good offers, so we told them to come back with a real offer. Both offers came back significantly better and last night we accepted a full price offer on our house!

Today I am off to both grandparents' homes to locate house-related paperwork and hold the baby goats. Last night Maddox received his Wolf rank at Cub Scouts and we gained a new boy in our den!! For anyone who didn't realize, Maddox was the "Lone Wolf" for most of the year. This was further complicated because the other dens meet at the same time as AHG, so we couldn't do any group activities with the other boys since I lead at AHG too. Next year promises to be much better for Maddox, as AHG has moved their meetings to another day, and we have gained 2 boys in our den, with the possibility of another! All he needs now is a haircut and his life will be perfect! ;)

Now that the living situation seems to be ironing out, Korbin is getting ready to move forward with his Eagle project. We will talk with the deacon about the prayer garden the church is looking forward to and then he will speak with the Eagle mentor and get started! Next month is also his Philmont trip! this really is an exciting year, although he's pretty stoic and doesn't exactly get excited.

Lacey's dream has always been to live in a tiny home ever since watching a show about it a couple years ago. She was the most thrilled about the move, but now realizes we are leaving the home she grew up in. Jeff and I are pretty steady people. While we are very fluid in our ability to go with the flow, we are not what I would call adventurous, so this is new to all of us. I think Lacey's favorite part will actually be sharing a room with all her siblings.

Kailyn just finished her 2nd year of sign language and we are looking into having her volunteer at a local equestrian therapy facility nearby. Unfortunately, the ranch was devastated by flooding and we have been too crazy here for her to volunteer thus far with the clean up. Hopefully things will settle enough for her to start with that.