New Path.

Dear Husband and I have traveled since we met. His job provided ample opportunities and I was fortunate enough to tag along crossing the US. Pregnancy didn’t slow us down, and frankly neither did having a little fella, then two, to bring along. By the time my youngest was three though, our endless travel opportunities changed. Instead, a new opportunity presented itself. One that involved relocating near Nashville, TN.

We have been near Nashville for a little over four years. During that time our traveling has lessened considerably. Of course, we have squeezed in many fun camping trips and overnight adventures, but something has gnawed at us. Our boys are growing, quickly. They don’t remember when we dragged them to Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon. For over a year we’ve had lots of late night talks. More serious thoughts. We decided to put our house up for sale in October.

Through the entire year we have sold, cleaned out, planned, cleaned up and shown the house, and saved money like we were a couple on a mission. We were. We are. We are moving into our Airstream trailer and taking to the road for a trip of a lifetime.

We are storing our items (trailer pictured above), bringing the necessities (muck boots waited patiently aside while other items got packed for storage) and settling back into a life on the road with our kiddos (their favorite “pups” have found a little home atop our cabinet in Tracy).

I expect posting to become sporadic as WiFi won’t be under my control. But, I WILL be posting! I started this blog to capture our little stories. This new adventure is a big part of those stories.

So there you have it. It’s a new path for us. One we’ve prepared for, one we know very well, and one we are thrilled to embark on with older boys who will be able to remember some of it.

In more good news, Stones River National Battlefield will be featuring our family trip on their Facebook page here. We will be their “roving reporters” celebrating 100 Years of our National Parks. See you down the road.

Volunteering.

Last winter I searched the local National Parks for volunteer opportunities. Being an avid National Park camper and hiker, the thought of volunteering at one was a dream. Fortunately, just about an hour away, Stones River National Battlefield has an outstanding volunteer program. Scrolling through the listings I found “photographer” and about jumped for joy. I contacted the park, took some required online classes, got my uniform, and started shooting.

One year later, I’m remembering the days I’ve lingered there with camera in hand. I can’t express how fun it is to slither along the ground on my belly to shoot bike riders on the trails, or river side trying to capture floating leaves. It’s wonderfully fulfilling to pursue and capture shots in not only natural surroundings, but at a park with historical significance as well. Civil War era reenactments provide so much photographic interest. Finally, to be honest, it’s also just darn nice to do something I love, without interruptions.

Through the past year I gained a better appreciation for the Civil War, the land and river where the battle was fought, the cemetery, and the people who continually share its stories. I’m ever so appreciative for Stones River’s rangers and volunteers who work daily to keep that history and land alive for all passersby. I am delighted to share the stories through photography.

Check out Stones River National Battlefield for hiking, bike riding (they even have ranger led bike tours!), reenactments, and a peaceful, tidy cemetery walk. Follow them on Facebook and/or Instagram you might catch a photo or two of mine. If you get a chance to visit, give Ranger Jim a high five for his encouraging volunteer program too.

kollage made in us square double point needles square knitting needles

Square Knitting Needles.

My fingerless gloves need replacing. I found a sweet pattern called Spirogyra and needed to purchase size 2 double-pointed needles for the center section of the gloves. Jimmybeanswool.com had square double points at 50% off. I thought I’d give them a try.

I prefer wooden needles. Metal needles are too slippery for me. Still, I wanted to see what the difference could be, so I purchased the 7″ set. I switched them out where necessary in the pattern and did a round. Interesting. Tried another. Huh. Tried another. Wow.

I didn’t expect a large difference but I will try to explain what I did notice. My current needles are fine and I knit until the point where I am “fatigued.” It’s the point when I know my hands and wrist are getting tired and if I go further I’ll end up with long-term pain which would delay my knitting for several nights. So I stop. It just depends on the day what that point could be. With the square double point needles I didn’t know when to stop. I really didn’t feel that point of fatigue. That was very surprising to me.

I feel like they have a good grip on the stitch. They don’t slip or slide out. I am definitely going to buy more of the double points. I emailed Kollage to see if they have interchangeables and they promptly responded they are releasing a set at the end of this month. I am not a fan of the pink color but I think I’m going to save my monthly spending budget for them anyways.

airstream airstream 70th anniversary edition airstream excella airstream with slide out

Meet Tracy. Our Airstream.

In Autumn we decided to sell our vintage Airstream trailer. It sold in one night, leaving us a little stunned. Our mission was to get a larger trailer, something with built-in bunk beds for the boys perhaps. We looked. We made phone calls. We regretted. I just kept feeling disappointed with what we saw, Dear Husband agreed. We talked and wondered about the true best option for us.

Then Dear Husband did something really crazy, he asked me, “What about an Airstream?” Of course, we just needed a different Airstream. One with a different layout, a larger one perhaps. We made loads of phone calls. Dear Husband got a friend to make the ride to Ohio to pick one up, but left it behind frustrated it wasn’t as advertised. We drove a few hours into Kentucky and left another neglected trailer behind, disappointed again. We kept trying. Then Dear Husband found our gal on Airstream Classifieds! He told me to call first thing in the morning when he was at work. I called the seller at 9:00 am and begged him to hold it for us out in Colorado Springs. He did, we loaded up the boys and dog, and we set out hoping for success, hoping the long drive would be worth it. It was. The sellers were (are!) fabulous, friendly, Airstream knowledgeable people. They spent time showing us around the trailer and answering any questions. Now she is ours.

Tracy (named so because she is our third (tres) Airstream trailer) is a 2001 30′ Excella. She’s got a slide out to give us more floor space when parked and has a better booth/table, bathroom layout, and queen bed instead of our old twins. In short, she’s fabulous. We are ready to take her out.

4x6 recipe box recipe box rifle paper co.

My Beautiful Recipe Tin.

At the end of summer I started copying over all of my paper printout recipes onto cards. They never bothered me until they just started seeming out of control. I couldn’t wrangle them in one area out of control. It’s way too easy to print off a recipe, try it, and just let the paper stash in with others whether it was successful for the family or not. Things got out of hand.

I found a printable template for 4×6 cards online and copied them off on old manilla file folders. Slowly, I would spend some evenings handwriting recipes. Some were completely silly, over the top explanatory down to the minute details. I edited to fit my little cards. Some were pretty sad “ideas” of recipes with ingredients jotted down and an oven temperature. I elaborated. And I set them all in a cabinet deciding which perfect recipe box would be mine.

I searched Ebay, Etsy, resale and consignment shops with no success. I poured through online images and talked about making a wooden one. In the end I loved the timeless beauty of the Rifle Paper Co. tin and convinced Dear Husband $34.00 was indeed a fair price for something I’ll never need to replace. (Wouldn’t you know the first one arrived damaged? Ugh! Fortunately, the second was perfect.) Now she is full of recipes for our bellies. My copying is complete and each new recipe will be discarded or copied per success.

My poor family. I must sound like a lunatic in the kitchen when I grab my box exaggeratedly and carry it to the island. “Hmm….” I mumble loudly, “let me just check in my awesome recipe box for something to make for dinner.”

feather in snow ice jonas melting ice Robert Frost snow

Wonderland.

I savored the last of the snow with Mack (see him exploring?) on the morning stroll. It doesn’t even look like this anymore. Then we enjoyed the mostly silent tromp peppered with icy wind chime trees. Now it’s a sodden path for muck boots. And just like that winter recoils for a moment.

jet sled snow tennessee snow winter storm jonas

Snow Play.

It snowed. A lot. The most we’ve seen since we relocated South to Tennessee. I got a text from my friend back “home” in Northern Illinois who said she was jealous. I assured her she’d get to play soon enough. But, for the past few days it has been our turn.

In between chores, Dear Husband toured the boys and the neighbor kiddos around in the jet sled. In between jet sledding, the boys and neighbor kiddos played outdoors or shed every sopping wet mitten, hat, scarf, sock, boot liner, and other layer somewhere across my tile floor in piles as they warmed indoors. In between helping Dear Husband with chores, I cleaned up said sopping items, dried and cleaned, and repeated the process. I won’t lie though, I got a run in the jet sled too. It was fabulous.

Dear Husband confessed to me this afternoon, “I miss snow.” You already know I’m a fan. Like my youngest wondered aloud to his older brother, “There is so much you can do with snow!”

Homemade Lotion.

It’s that crazy dry hands winter time. That red, raw skin on the back of hands type of season from diligent hand washing. Imagine my delight when I found this fabulous three ingredient recipe for functional lotion bars. These bars are so convenient, I’m thrilled to bits to have discovered the smart recipe. Body heat just melts the lotion onto our skin as necessary.

Saturday afternoon found me in the kitchen whipping up our second batch of these heavenly smelling sweeties. In less than 30 minutes, I restocked our canning jar, which should get us through to spring. But, if not, making more always makes the house smell like honey, so I’m okay with that as well.

Baking Soda Clay.

I made up a baking soda clay to cut out little chicken ornaments this December. The recipe was ample and there was gobs clay left. Not to worry, the boys divided the pile in half and got to work.

Meet Doughy Joey. He’s been hanging around with us since mid-December. He’s been on car rides, asleep in a shoebox, tucked in drawers, and so on. My older son made lots of little figures that are lasting so well too. In fact, the clay was so durable the boys asked if I could make a second batch for more creations. If you are looking for a great bakeable, lasting clay, I would give this try. I think it would be fabulous for some painted pottery bowls.

Creator’s note: The thinner it is, the smoother it dries. Joey was a huge chunk and he cracked a bit when cooking. However, it’s not harmed his durability, just his appearance. We’re cool with that.

Life Changing Magic: A Journal.

This past summer I listened to Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It worked for me. Six months later our drawers are still organized. I haven’t fallen into old habits. Life after cleaning out our home is less stressful because there is less clutter to sift through and frankly just manage every day. Truthfully, I have more pride in our space. Our house doesn’t feel so heavy anymore. Plus, now I think much harder about what I bring in the house. I’m so thankful Marie Kondo shared her fastidious passion.

Ask the rest of the family and you may hear another thing. The changes for the rest of the family have been difficult. I do harp on them more than I usually would about putting their items away (or even in the trash can. What is that? Why is actual trash not put in the trash can?) However, I’m not ashamed that I have to ask them, instead I’m empowered. I cite the reasons for putting trash in the trash can, or toys in a bag, or clean clothes and blankets NOT on the floor. I don’t just give up and sigh.

Now Marie Kondo offers up a simple, beautiful little journal that I’ve used since January the first. Life Changing Magic: A Journal is a blank slate. When I started flipping through it, I’ll admit I was disappointed. It is substantial in size and meant to last three years, but I was hoping for a little more meat inside. I wanted little pictures of folded shirts in a drawer or little mentions of “if you don’t like a gift you’ve received, pass it on, it’s okay.” Then I started realizing what the intentions of this journal truly are. This journal is for AFTER you’ve completed your journey, after you are delivered from “stuff” and have your systems in place. This journal is to help you hone in on the little daily things you like to help you create a future you envision.

I must admit, this book reminds me of Go Ahead and Like It but in a much less crafty, newspaper clipping sort of way. Both focus on bringing your attention to the things you enjoy. I think that is a fabulous idea, but I’m not sure you need this journal to do it. Any sweet notebook would do. Then again, Marie Kondo’s journal does spark extra joy for me because of the Kondo connection and design, and that makes it a keeper for me.

(I received this book from Blogging for Books for an honest review.)