Seeing if this works again

Hello all! I am setting up the blog for emails again. HI to my RV'ing friends! Thanks for looking at my blog.

 

Okay, so this week I am working on clearing out the RV some more. But I only have Tuesday and Wednesday to do it. Thursday we are having a party on the boat, which means I also have to go back and oil the teak again. YEA! I actually like doing that. I am finally starting to see the light! I am not so bogged down with STUFF that I can't figure out what to do with all the stuff. I am getting the camera ready and I am going to throw stuff on eBay starting next week. I'll post our auction link when I get done.

 

Good news! Grandpa Scott is out of the hospital and back home. We love you Grandpa!

 

Someone asked for bigger fonts... how is this font?

 

Now I am running to update the homeschool blog before I forget. I am going to transfer it to a blogger blog. I like reading the homeschoolblogger blogs, but I just keep forgetting about them. *sigh*

 

AND I am taking a housekeeping Master Plan class called A Plan Of Attack. It's a yahoogroup list. Runs for 3 weeks. I am doing okay, but I still have trouble getting going in the morning. By noon I am ready to go, but I still have the "jet lag" feeling before that. I called it "east coast lag"... in Tennessee I called "Night owl Lag"... Whatever, I just hate being so darned active. OH! That reminds me, I am working more on my diary. I am also going to the gym AT LEAST twice a week (hopefully 3 times) and my pants keep falling down to my hips because I am loosing inches in my gut! WOOHOO! I stopped worrying about weight. I don't care too much about it. I just want to know my inches.

 

Off I go for assignment #7! Happy cleaning, camping and lounging everyone!

 

Dotchi

I'm getting organized!

I am getting organized this week. I am taking an online class on how to make a Master Plan Book for the home. I am making it but it's being put in my palm pilot. Less clutter and all that! It's really helping!

I found a way to save money while doing laundry too! There are 2 driers there that are 25 cents per 15 minutes. The other four are $1.00 per 45 minutes. If I use the .25 per 15 minutes, I save .25 a drier load. That's $2 a week! Or $104 a year! Go me!

The boys are on "spring break" for school. That means we're practicing math and reading and that's it. Right now they are testing their theory on currents. If they put a toy in the water and let it float it'll end up over here... They forgot the part of "unless it sinks" BAHAHA!

I am busy cleaning out the RV of junk and stuff. Today I'll be getting rid of some bags of stuff by putting the stuff away. And I STILL need to download the pictures from the camera... it's a work in progress really :)

"B" Skipper

I am now a "B" Skipper! I passed my sailing class! WOOHOO! The written test was VERY hard! I need to work on trimming my sails too. But I am a "B" Skipper now! WOOHOO!

Splenda

I cut all splenda out of my diet. My memory is coming back now. I feel better too. My life isn't lived in the "here and now" and everything else is "yesterday". I can actually tell that there is time and it is passing. I don't sit there at night going "What did I do today? Where did today go? What happened?" I actually feel like I am living through a day again. I swayer I thought I was getting alzheimers disease or something. It was that bad. At times I would be driving and totally forget where I was, what road I was on, where I was going, why I was there. It's downright terrifying. It's like living a nightmare. And the best part... my joint pains have stopped. Not completely, but it doesn't feel like my joints are breaking. It doesn't feel like my bones are cracking when I walk. My gut doesn't feel like it's crawling off without me and backaches are going away. I feel alive again! No more splenda for me!!!

Live aboard waiting list

And now onto something fun... we're about 8 from the top of the live aboard slip list at one marina and the other will be opening up soon! We're so excited! It's getting close!!! I can't wait until we are living aboard ALL the time!

Oh. My. GAWD! Actual RAIN!

Okay, I never thought it would happen, but we have thunder and lightening! Very cool! We are inside right now watching all the less safe people walk up and down the beach under the rain, listening to thunder, pointing and going "AWE!" at the lightening. Why do people do that? I half expect them to pull out a lightening rod. I mean, really! I remember learning in Florida about all the people that die b/c they stood on the beach to watch a tidal wave. I'm just as happy sitting inside in the safety while watching the lightening. No country fried mom for me. Thanks.

Mail Call! Tight living quarters question

That looks like a pretty closed in area. I hope you all have enough room.

It isn't that bad! Our Monday - Thursday RV is smaller (pictures later today!) but the main thing is to get rid of what you REALLY do NOT need. And you figure that out quickly. I found I don't need 50 outfits. I do need clothes.

I found I could get rid of a lot of clothes... I have:

- three pairs of pants (grungy, cool and nice)
- a pair of dressy black pants (for something other than grungy, cool pr nice)
- 3 tank tops
- 3 pair of shorts
- 3 skirts
- 5 pair of shoes (flip flops, dressy, walking, boat and grungy)
- 2 bras
- 2 pajamas. Actually, they aren't REALLY pajamas, they are 2 "something to sleep in".
- A light wind breaker and a heavier jacket. The jacket is going to storage right now.
- AND 3 over shirts. 1 I throw on for cleaning. 1 has long sleeves for when the windbreaker is too much and the other I keep with me when I am wearing a tank top in case I need something a little nicer to go in somewhere while I am out and about.

Really I could do with fewer shoes, but I tend to over kill with shoes anyway. I mostly wear flip flops or walk barefoot (despite all the warnings about splinters and glass)

In the kitchen I got rid of a LOT of dishes. I didn't need 4 drawers of utensils ready to take over the kitchen. I didn't need fifty kajillion tupperware containers (with or without lids), 9 styles of spatula, how ever many pots I had in various shapes and sizes or enough complete dinner plate/ saucer/ bowl sets that would have left some left over if I served the entire US ARMY 3 meals a day. I really had too much!

I DO need:

- enough cups for each person (4) plus a couple spares in case we have guests. (plastic cups work for that)
- enough dinner plates for each person plus a pack of paper plates for guests.
- A large skillet and a small skillet.
- A spatula
- A FEW serving utensils.
- 1 fork, 1 knife, 1 spoon for each person plus a box of plastic utensils for guests.
- 1 serving platter (for large meats)
- a coffee percalator
- 2 pots

So you see. I managed to trim down everything to what we NEEDED. Not all the bells and whistles. If I need to cut food, I get a knife and cutting board. I no longer reach for the heafty duty uber food chopper, the blades, the top, the sliding piece, the measure top pusher downer thingy and all the other stuff. I just cut it myself... except for onions. I don't like cutting onions. I do have a SMALL food processor/ blend in a cup thing that I use for onions. I guess I could get really lazy and buy them already chopped, but what's the fun of that?

In the bedroom (Vee-berth), we trimmed down also. Instead of ten blankets in various sizes and thicknesses, we have 2 sleeping bags and a sheet. Instead of 5 pillows each, we have 2 per person. Instead of a box of hobbies I'll never finish, I have put them in storage or tossed them. I only keep what I am ACTIVELY working on (that would be nothing) and leave the rest out.

It doesn't take a lot to get sized down. But it DOES take a lot a learning. Half the stuff I brought on the boat, came right back off. When you have to sleep with your possessions, you learn FAST what is most important.

And it's not THAT cramped. We each have our own sleeping space. The boys have their own berth and we have ours. Plus there is the ENTIRE upper deck if we get sick of each other... or just get sick. I am NOT cleaning THAT off the lower decks!

Until next time