DPP:: twenty-five

 a day late, but wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas season!

DPP:: twenty-four

 
Again, Christmas: abiding point of return. Set apart by its mystery... the season seems in a way to stand outside time. All that is dear, that is lasting, renews its hold on us: 

we are home again.

Elizabeth Bowen

DPP:: twenty-three

holiday, once-a-year, loaded-with-sugar-and-processed-foods treats!

DPP:: twenty-two

Fun night with our whole family + one girlfriend and our best friends and their daughter! Out for dinner at Frank, then a LONG bus ride to the Trail of Lights where there were too many people but it was still fun! Christmas lights (lots of the them) still awe me!

DPP:: twenty-one

How appropriate! God displayed an apocalyptic sunrise this morning!

DPP:: twenty

I met this gorgeous man 34 years ago... married him 26 years ago today!

I love you D!

DPP:: nineteen

Yarn fills my days and evenings these days... it's nice!

DPP:: eighteen

Lunch break from the Christmas shopping... a whole 3-hour shopping trip!

DPP:: seventeen

We are living in an oak forest... filled with mistletoe!

Hmmm... More kisses for me?

DPP:: sixteen

In the midst of reflecting, decorating, shopping, creating, wrapping and baking, 

there's the normal stuff...

DPP:: fifteen

Blackberry cobbler and Blue Bell vanilla! YUM!

DPP:: fourteen

Eeeep! There's a man under my home! 

Yea... this is part of D's Christmas prep. He won't allow me to do any of it! 

Oh wait... that's not Christmas prep. That's just him keeping "busy"!

Style and consumerism

Now, just because I don't like buying things or shopping doesn't mean I have no style or taste! My home decorating style is what I like... not necessarily what HGTV or Better Homes and Gardens magazine says is the latest and greatest and it doesn't change that often. I lean towards a practical decorating style. Some of my decor are things I use... some are things that are meaningful to me or to my family and some are just things I like the look of. 

A lot of what I've decorated with in our RV will be used to decorate in our next sticks and bricks home. My style of decor isn't dictated by the house I live in.

My gypsy flags in our RV...

My gypsy flags in our previous home...

As far as my clothing style... it's a mixed bag too! I am not a dress-up kinda gal and my lifestyle doesn't necessitate fancy dresses or heels. I cringe whenever someone says "I couldn't carry that style off" and want to ask them "who says?" Or the fashion gurus say that you can't dress a certain way once you reach a certain age. Granted... I don't have a job that dictates I have to dress a certain way... and I love the freedom my "job" as a homemaker gives me to dress in a manner that is comfortable and to my liking. I do enjoy watching TLC's What Not to Wear every once in a while and sometimes like the way the "victim" dresses BEFORE more than after they are "transformed" into WNTW's fashion beauty. I enjoy dressing in a way that pleases my husband, but also wear some things that he cannot stand! =) And he still loves me and is attracted to me! But you will rarely hear me asking other women if what I'm wearing looks okay!

So what does all this have to do with simple living? For me it's not about changing my decor or clothing on a regular basis... therefore, I am not purchasing new-to-me items often. Even when I do feel a need for a change in my home, it's usually moving furniture and items from room to room. When it comes to buying new household items or furniture it's usually to replace something that has broken or for one reason or another cannot be used any longer or I have a new hobby (like canning supplies). I enjoy being resourceful and trying to use what I already have. My loose rule for clothing is if I buy a new piece of clothing (and most of these are bought at thrift stores), a like piece gets donated. It's very easy in the RV as we have very limited space for our clothing.

I recently came across a blog post that continued my thinking on consumerism and simple living... Contentment and the Zen of Granny. When I think of my grandparents' homes, they were wonderful places to be... not the most fashionable at all but I loved being there. I love this part...

She enjoyed keeping things pretty but didn’t put undue pressure on herself to be fashionable. Most of her decorating was about keeping things clean. Interestingly enough, keeping things clean is referred to as decorating by the Sidetracked Home Executives, if memory serves . This is super easy for us to emulate … we can stop caring about whether our homes look like the ones on tv or in the magazines and think about whether our home is clean instead! Doesn’t sound all that exciting I know, but I think it’s more satisfying, if for no other reason than that it is possible to do! Most of us don’t have the means to have the homes featured in magazines.

 

DPP:: thirteen

Christmas lights...

DPP:: 12/12/12

Quiet... and creating

DPP:: eleven

Hmmm... cleaning the shower? Nah... recaulking by Mr. Fix-it!

Simple living vs. consumerism

In Finding Joy, there's a story about a New Yorker cartoon portraying a man running toward the end of the rainbow only to see a pot of baked beans there. The author mentions whenever she thinks of striving for something "more" she reminds herself it's time to stop and remember there's beauty in the ordinary and it's right here!

She goes on to tell of visiting an old dear friend whom she hadn't seen in a while. 

"His sense of graciousness and ritual was as I remembered. I had mentioned that I wanted only fruit and tea for breakfast, and I arrived to a neatly set table with an orange and apple on a plate beside a knife, a mug and a newspaper on the same green tablecloth I had sat at twenty-five years before. I also saw the same bookshelves, the same tables, the same dishes and the same couch as before. In a passing moment, a painful image flashed through my mind of the thousands of dollars I had spent on such items over the years and how little they mattered. How peaceful it was to be with him in this uncluttered home. I hold that image in my mind as I struggle to detach from wanting more things."

She describes me in describing a time in her life where she went through a period of buying lots of new and pretty and useful things in a compulsive way. 

"I would buy something and then after I had enjoyed it for a little while, I would start thinking about the next thing I would buy." 

We had the money (although at one time a lot of it was regretfully bought with credit)... and looking back, the point isn't to be able to save the money and have it to spend later, but to be able to be generous with those in need. What the author did to break this cycle was to intentionally look around her and acknowledge that what she had was beautiful, paid for and whatever other quality it had. 

"Again, and again I need to quell my restless mind and remind myself, This is enough. What I really seek is more love, more peace and more free time."

I still struggle with consumerism.

the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods.  ~Merriam-Webster dictionary

I no longer have a desire to buy a lot of stuff I don't need. I used to shop for entertainment... which led to buying things... things we didn't need. Oh sure, I enjoyed them when I got them home and I did use them but thinking about it now... how many gorgeous coffee cups do I really "need"? I can only use one at a time. And even when I have guests, are they there to enjoy a pretty coffee cup or my company?

Shopping is no longer a favorite pastime for me. I still enjoy thrift shopping and grocery shopping most of the time... but it's a different kind of enjoyment. I enjoy cooking and baking and we live within a budget... so it's a challenge to me to shop for good food within a budget. I love the thrill of finding something in a thrift store or garage sale I've been "needing" and paying few dollars for it. When we sold everything in preparation for our RV lifestyle, we knew we'd most likely buy another house eventually and we knew we'd furnish it with thrift store and garage sale finds that we love. And it's something that both David and I enjoy doing. Scouring thrift stores is a whole lot more fun to us than walking into a furniture store and buying a whole new living room "set". And yes, we've done that before. Although if you know me it wasn't a "matching set". =)

When it comes to buying gifts for others... I'd much rather not give anything if I cannot find something I know they need, would love and/or use. Long ago, we gave up the notion to give something just to give something or out of obligation or guilt. If we cannot find that "something" we try to find other ways to make someone feel special and loved (homemade goodies, a meal out or a donation to a charity that is meaningful to the recipient). But at times I still struggle... I don't want anyone to feel like we don't love them and some people connect value with gift giving and receiving. 

Shopping and buying are in the forefront for me right now because of the season. We haven't done a whole lot of shopping yet. We have bought a few gifts online and I'm making some gifts as I do every year.  It's not that I'm in a "scrooge mood"... God has just been revealing to me over the past few years but a lot this past year about how blessed we are... as is! It all goes along with my "being in the moment" and being grateful for what we do have and we have an abundance! 

to be continued...

DPP:: ten

Laundry and sunshine!

52 Things December update

 
1. See a live starfish in its natural habitat. Hold one if I can?
2. Try stand up paddle-boarding
3. Kayak a river or lake
4. Run a 5k race once a month at least for the rest of our travels, if we can find a race that works for us. (I did run a 5k distance in September but nothing that far since then… I’ve lost my enthusiasm for running!)
5. Visit Washington, DC
6. Visit Asheville, NC
7. Visit Charleston SC
8. Visit Savannah GA
9. Visit as many "homies" as I can (Kristen, Crystal)
10. Get a tattoo
11. Make a supper and invite any "late-arriving" camper that is close to us to share it with us.
12. Make soap in our RV
13. Spend the day in Central Park in NY
14. Highlight my hair with a wild color
15. Buy coffee for the person behind me at a drive thru Starbucks
16. Finish my granny square quilt
17. Finish my scrap knitted scarf
18. Bake treats for grumpy campground hosts (or friendly ones if we don't encounter any grumpy ones) How about pumpkin bread for the guys at the Collision Shop we lived at for almost a week?
19. One month of primal/paleo eating
20. Swim/wade in the Atlantic Ocean
21. Lie on a beach and read
22. Run on the beach
23. Recover the valances in our RV
24. Make covers for the dinette benches
25. Figure out some kinda cover for the loveseat
26. Buy fresh eggs from a roadside stand
27. Eat New York pizza
28. Eat shrimp and grits
29. Eat vegetarian for a month
30. Sit by a fire on the beach
31. Cook a meal over a fire
32. Go to a drive-in movie theater
33. Walk barefoot in the rain
34. Knit a pair of socks
35. Drive the truck pulling the RV!
36. Switch "jobs" with D for an arrival/departure day
37. Go on a dinner cruise
38. Try a new-to-me kinda food/restaurant (Indian, Thai, etc.)
39. Take a cooking class
40. Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
41. Attend a yoga class or two
42. Read 52 books (8 read*)
43. Be a work camper somewhere
44. Volunteer at a food bank
45. Make a patchwork skirt
46. Hoop every day for a month
47. Make a dream catcher
48. Refashion 12 clothing items
49. Allow D to pick a challenge for me and do it! YIKES!
50. Spend Christmas in Florida Texas with my kids
51. Go to an art exhibit or art museum
52. Live every day like the adventure it is!

*Books read:

1. The Gutter – Where Life is Meant to be Lived, Craig Goss
2. A Watershed Year, Susan Schoenberger
3. Practical Theology for Women, Wendy Horger Alsup
4. Crazy Love, Francis Chan
5. The Reunion, Dan Walsh
6. The Power of Half, Kevin Salwen
7. Hollywood Nobody, Lisa Samson
8. The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks

DPP:: nine

D chillin' with his "new" laptop thanks to my brother for donating to the cause and to my dad for delivering it from McAllen!

DPP:: eight

When in Texas...

make fresh pico.

...for fajita tacos, eggs, chips... or anything else you desire!

DPP:: seven

The Lady Eagle dressed in her finery!

DPP:: six

Happy Birthday Dad! 

We went out to lunch with my parents to one of their favorite places... 

Springhill Restaurant

DPP:: five

Scrappy scarf... using all my bits and pieces!

DPP:: four

These two! We have a history! Eighteen years ago in Westminster CO a family moved in 4 houses down from us. I met Annelise on our way to the bus stop when our oldest boys were in Kindergarten. They are from Texas! Shortly after that they moved to Colorado Springs. We visited each other as often as we could. David and I knew we would end up back in Texas and when we started making plans to move back in the Fall/Winter of 2008/2009, we heard stirrings that they were thinking the same. 

We moved back to Texas Labor Day weekend 2009... They flew to Austin that weekend to look for a house! We celebrated that weekend at Chuy's. So Chuy's is "our place". And tonite couldn't have been more perfect! Good Tex-Mex food outside under the oak trees on this gorgeous Texas evening! We cherish our friendship with Lance and Annelise!

DPP:: three

A little Christmas decorating...  

We don't have a lotta room for Christmas decor or a tree.

DPP:: two

The perfect holiday scent with no temptations! From my sweet friend, Lori!

DPP:: one

I love Fall in Texas! Flip flops and shorts!

December Photo Project

I've found a fun challenge for December! I'm looking forward to being more aware of my new world! 

Coconut oil...

I first read about coconut oil 4-5 years ago and became very intrigued. I don't remember what directed me to it, but once I started reading about the uses and benefits of coconut oil, I knew it was something I needed to use and consume! I've always loved the flavor and scent of coconut... here's some of the ways I use it.

Homemade deodorant

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
4 Tblsp. coconut oil
10 drops of essential oils

This time I only had about 1/8 cup of arrowroot powder so I adjusted the recipe by half.
 

Ingredients

I experimented with scent using a combo of these essential oils

Mixing it up

Finished product

I just scoop it out with my fingers and rub it on. The deodorant gets really hard in cold weather, but it melts really quickly once you put your fingers on your underarm skin. I initially tried this in the winter in Central Texas... and knew the real test would be in the summer. I went thru a Texas summer of 100 days of 100+ degrees and it worked very well! It's not an antiperspirant so it won't keep you from sweating... just from stinking!

Moisturizer for my face and body 

- I keep a small jar in the bathroom.

Sunburn soother 

Hair conditioner 

Homemade soap

 

In the kitchen...

add to smoothies

in sauteeing and roasting (especially good with sweet potatoes)

for popping corn

in baking

in coffee (an easy way to get some in; it gives coffee a hint of coconut)

There are many benefits to using and taking in coconut oil. If you google it, you will find many articles on it. Here's one to start with... Health Benefits of Coconut Oil.

Slowin' down...

We are back HOME! We made quick tracks and arrived in the Austin area the day after Thanksgiving. My sweet mom saved us some turkey leftovers and we heated them up just a few short minutes after arriving at their house! We tried to find an RV park but none of them had open spots until today!

So we enjoyed a relaxing weekend at my parents house. They live in a rural area and have a very long driveway so we were able to park the rig and truck there... and sleep in the house! Our youngest son came over on Saturday and spent all afternoon and evening with us... working a bit and watching football. We also got to skype with these two cuties! We haven't had good enough wifi to skype with them on the road, so it was fun catching up with them!

Today we arrived at an RV park in East Central Austin that is just our style. And the biggest surprise... Green Gate Farms is right across the street! I volunteered at Johnson's Backyard Garden a couple of years ago and loved it and the veggies I got "paid" with. We are hoping to do a bit of volunteering at Green Gate Farms as well!

Nothing has felt more right than pulling into the Austin area. Except when we moved here from Colorado. =) I think we've slowly realized how stressful the towing part was for both of us. David never was fully confident and then after the blow out, that confidence was at an all-time low. I wasn't comfortable knowing he wasn't. The best part about that was we did a lot of praying!

We've had one meal out of Tex Mex food... and it was SO GOOD! We've enjoyed my mom's cooking as well! We have a long list of places we want to go to, but keep reminding ourselves we don't have to do it all in a week's time!

We are settling in and excited to see what we get to do next!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Currently

...reading The Power of Half... The concept is an honorable one... the reading is slow as they tell everything leading up to it. And this is a very wealthy family... giving up half still leaves them with more than most of the middle class.

...traveling through Florida

...wearing my ruffled overalls and braids

...needing a Starbucks seasonal drink and some fried shrimp (not at the same sitting)

...wanting a simple Christmas season

...looking forward to seeing our family and friends this holiday season

...eating beef carnitas tacos tonite!

...drinking water and sweet iced tea

...listening to GAC when we get it. None of the previous campgrounds with cable had GAC until we get to Florida!

...creating a scarf

...watching Survivor, Amazing Race, The Voice, Duck Dynasty (Love Uncle Si)

enjoying the warmth of the sunshine!

Friday Favorite Finds...

Graceful Homesickness... this is the blog of the daughter of a friend of mine from Colorado. Sarah has been living in Amsterdam and working as a nanny there. She's met the love of her life and plans on staying there when her job is up. She grew up in front of me and I love the woman she has become!

I love this dining room!

A few recipes I want to try soon!
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
Better Than Christmas Poke Cake
Pumpkin Pancakes

And on the menu this week:
Crockpot Beef Carnitas
Basil Chicken with Coconut Curry Sauce

Yes, I've moved into my favorite cold weather past-time... cooking and baking!

Recent pins:

Still searching for a tattoo that i want... I'm most certain it will involve words!

Love this!

You know I love this!

Simple bathroom storage

Beautiful gray hair!

Happy weekending!

Change is in the air...

I've heard (and I'm sure you have too) that the only constant is change. We experience a change in seasons faithfully every year... but not only a change in seasons but changes within seasons. We've been experiencing the changes in nature with the coming of Fall... And we've experienced the newness of it over and over as we've driven south. One of our favorite drives recently was thru South Carolina. I know that SC is not a "known" beautiful Fall place but it was gorgeous! And we are so blessed to be able to experience it!

Change is in the air for David and I too! We are headed back home soon! Actually we are headed that way right now... and will be there before Christmas... Well before Christmas. Our extended stay in Wilmington took the wind out of our sails so to speak. We'd been missing home before our blow out accident and that was just what we needed to put our priorities back in the place they belong. In my last post I talked about being tired of chasing the dream life and stopping to building one... Well, I heard a song on the radio recently during our drive... It's an old Ronnie Milsap song... Smoky Mountain Rain... One line in it is "I've had a change of dreams I'm comin' home".  That pretty much says it!

One thing we've struggled with is feeling somewhat "obligated" to our readers... when you share an adventure with the public, other people who have similar dreams say they are "living vicariously thru you"... so being the people pleasers we are, we don't want to let those people down. But then we start talking about not living our lives for others, but living the life that we are meant to live and what is pleasing to God. We can only hope that our adventure inspires and gives our readers courage to do what it is they dream about.

I started this blog a little late in the game to reflect on how I see this adventure and how it changes me... While the traveling adventure may be coming to a close, I hope and pray that my life is always an adventure. So for the time being, I hope to continue blogging here about our new adventure (whatever that may be). 

Wow! Unintended long blogging break! I must admit, I struggled a lot during our wait for our truck and rig to be fixed and ready to go. People that we came into contact with were friendly enough but not very helpful. Maybe it was my "expectations" of the South... and because I was looking for why God had us in the Wilmington area. But I was never so glad to leave a town! We did our best to be in the moment and enjoy what Wilmington has to offer. We explored downtown Wilmington. We went to the beach. We explored local eateries. So I'm happy to say that we did what we could... 

We are back on the road now... presently in Myrtle Beach! Beaches and the ocean are my favorite places to be and it is really nice here. We are within walking distance to the beach so I can walk out there any time I want. The weather has been sunny... a bit cool but still pleasant. And while I'm enjoying our time near the ocean... things just still don't feel "right". 

One thing God did reveal to both of us while we were stranded in a place where we knew no one, were without the comforts of home and several days lacking transportation, was that we miss "home". And "home" being Texas with our family, a few friends, familiarity, friendly people in general, big open spaces, good Mexican food and BBQ. For me, it has been the realization that I'm weary of "chasing life" and am ready to build one in a place called home. I thought I had a gypsy spirit, but being stranded has made me realize that that is just a small part of me. The bigger part wants to build a life in a community making and keeping friends that aren't just virtual friends. I love my online friendships... I really do. But nothing replaces "face time". The real face time and not on an Iphone! =)

We still have not decided what is our immediate future. We are trusting that God has a plan and we are trying to follow our hearts. Our hearts are telling us to take some time away from Wilmington and feeling forgotten and helpless. Leaving the hotel and moving back into our rig helped a little with that. But it's more. 

It goes back to what we determined we were both missing with this lifestyle. True connections that are consistent... being involved in a community, in something bigger than ourselves. We can continue to try and find that on this adventure or we can build it in a community that we already call home. 

Enough thoughtful thoughts... we've had more heart talks in the past 21 days than we've had in 25 years of marriage! Kinda... 

52 Things Update!

1. See a live starfish in its natural habitat. Hold one if I can?
2. Try stand up paddle-boarding
3. Kayak a river or lake
4. Run a 5k race once a month at least for the rest of our travels, if we can find a race that works for us. (I did run a 5k distance in September but nothing that far since then… I’ve lost my enthusiasm for running!)
5. Visit Washington, DC
6. Visit Asheville, NC
7. Visit Charleston SC
8. Visit Savannah GA
9. Visit as many "homies" as I can (Kristen, Crystal)
10. Get a tattoo
11. Make a supper and invite any "late-arriving" camper that is close to us to share it with us.
12. Make soap in our RV
13. Spend the day in Central Park in NY
14. Highlight my hair with a wild color
15. Buy coffee for the person behind me at a drive thru Starbucks
16. Finish my granny square quilt
17. Finish my scrap knitted scarf
18. Bake treats for grumpy campground hosts (or friendly ones if we don't encounter any grumpy ones) How about pumpkin bread for the guys at the Collision Shop we lived at for almost a week?
19. One month of primal/paleo eating
20. Swim/wade in the Atlantic Ocean
21. Lie on a beach and read
22. Run on the beach
23. Recover the valances in our RV
24. Make covers for the dinette benches
25. Figure out some kinda cover for the loveseat
26. Buy fresh eggs from a roadside stand
27. Eat New York pizza
28. Eat shrimp and grits
29. Eat vegetarian for a month
30. Sit by a fire on the beach
31. Cook a meal over a fire
32. Go to a drive-in movie theater
33. Walk barefoot in the rain
34. Knit a pair of socks
35. Drive the truck pulling the RV!
36. Switch "jobs" with D for an arrival/departure day
37. Go on a dinner cruise
38. Try a new-to-me kinda food/restaurant (Indian, Thai, etc.)
39. Take a cooking class
40. Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
41. Attend a yoga class or two
42. Read 52 books (4 read)
43. Be a work camper somewhere
44. Volunteer at a food bank
45. Make a patchwork skirt
46. Hoop every day for a month
47. Make a dream catcher
48. Refashion 12 clothing items
49. Allow D to pick a challenge for me and do it! YIKES!
50. Spend Christmas in Florida with my kids
51. Go to an art exhibit or art museum
52. Live every day like the adventure it is!

Gratitudes Day 3::

... pink contrails
... God's care and provision
... free and good wifi the past two weeks
... moving back into our rig today
... a long hot shower
... a king-size bed that we've slept in for almost 2 weeks

Gratitudes Day 2

... a walk on a beautiful Autumn day in a gorgeous park
... green pines with a backdrop of a royal blue sky (reminds me of Colorado skies)
... laughter
... a chat with this beautiful soul

... country music!