Another Beautiful Get-Away In Our Camper

Last Sunday, my sweet hubby pulled the camper for us girls out to one of our favorite lakes, Lake Ray Roberts State Park.  He set up camp and then came back two days later to pick us up.

Our site was surrounded by water on three sides and it was so beautiful.  Day one brought gray clouds and a mist but that didn't deter us from exploring the beach.

February 28 marks our one year purchasing anniversary.  This camper has been one of the best purchasing decisions we have ever made.

This particular trip was our 13th trip in 12 months.  Each excursion has brought peace and joy (except for a few times we needed to work out some kinks in this camper).

On day 2, we woke up to very strong winds which made the lake sound like ocean waves crashing onto the shore.

I've never seen this lake so wild before! 

We did "road school" (I recently heard that term), and went for a couple of hikes before settling in to watch the gorgeous sunset. 

By late afternoon, those crazy, fierce winds died down which meant it would be a quiet night's sleep. :)

Our March has quite a flurry of activity lined up for us, none of which is camping.  We plan to take a couple of days here and there to tweak some things on the camper to make it even more comfortable.  Then we will be set for a trip to the ocean again in April. 

Until our next trip...

Patty

February Daybook Post 2020

Outside my window ~

The month of February brought plenty of days filled with sunshine and pleasant weather.  Oh, there have been some chilly days as well but those pass quickly.  We love the sunshine down here in Texas and typically play outside more in the winter than in the summer.

I am thankful for ~

* the gift of life

* my sweet husband

* my planner - I am able to do a mind dump onto paper before I go to bed so my head rests a bit better at night.

From the school room ~

The biggest thing is that both Miss Clementine and Stan the Man continue to prepare for their Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation (respectfully).  They are both starting to get excited.  Spring is going to be a busy season for us this year.

From the kitchen ~

We had lots of yumminess coming out of the kitchen this month as we celebrated St. Valentine's Day.

What I am reading ~

Around the house ~

There's been a lot happening around here as usual.  We do have some highlights that need to stand out on the blog though.

First up...

Miss Clementine's Baptism birthday

This sweet pea has been wanting a big girl Bible of her own for sometime.  One of her favorite things is to look up passages.  We gifted her an early First Communion gift, her First Communion Bible NAB.

Next up...

There was that day she attached the most precious, hand-written letter to God to her left over St. Valentine balloon (the one she wanted to suck the air out of so she could talk like a chipmunk - ha ha).

"Dear God.  I have a Bible.  Guess what?  I red how you made the world and I will get my First Holy Communion!!!!!!!  In May.  Say hello to Mary and Jesus for me.  Bye Bye.  Write back soon."

Y'all!  I had tears burning my eyes!  And by golly, that balloon sure had just enough helium in it to lift that letter up into the heavens for as long as the eye could see it.

Then there was this...

The Troops of St. George recently had a family outing to a rock climbing facility.

Stan the man made it to the top a couple of times on the intermediate walls.

Miss Clementine made it almost half way before she reached her personal limit ;)

I am thinking about ~

* There was one beautiful night in February where the moon was full and the marshmallow clouds filled the sky in the bright evening sky.

* Two of my girls and I are taking a LONG road trip up to Illinois to visit my mom.  It's going to be a hard drive, but we are going to fill the car with audio books, food, downloaded music, and warm blankets.

I am praying for ~

a safe trip!!

We'd appreciate it if you kept us in your prayers.  We leave on Friday and come back Monday.  I know.  It's a short one, but that's the only time frame we had with college classes to work around.

What I am listening to ~

Silence.

My house is so quiet right now since it's bedtime.  I'm trying to type this up quickly so I can get to bed as well.

Coming down the pike ~

Road trip to Illinois

March birthdays

Spring break

A visit from my sister

Lent

A last photo to share ~

We rolled into town on Fat Tuesday from a short camping trip.  Keeping things simple, we ordered out dinner and made brownies and served then with ice cream for dessert.  The decorations came from Kroger.  I just happened to see them the week before.

And with this day, Ash Wednesday, lent begins.  May your personal lenten journey be a fruitful one and may you encounter God everywhere you are!

Patty

Celebrating St. Valentine’s Day With Friends 2020

What fun it was to go bowling with 26 homeschool friends and then exchange valentines afterward!

Patty

Our Camper Dehumidifier

Last fall while RV ing over at the gorgeous Caddo Lake State Park we noticed how quickly the humidity inside the camper built up over night.

We hadn't realized how humid the park was in October until we stayed there.  That's when I started shopping for a dehumidifier that would fit our camper.

After a bit of researching, I found one to fit our size.  It is also a refrigerated dehumidifier (more efficient in removing excess moisture from the air).   I was really pleased with how quiet it was as well.

The Tosot 30-Pint has done a great job so far.  We have used it on two RV trips, one being a very humid and rainy trip to the coast.  The camper stayed dry and warm, the machine was quiet enough that we could sleep through it, and it is simple to use.  We use it as a portable, emptying the bucket as it fills, but it can be hooked up to a sewer hose for continual drainage.  When we weren't using it (during daytime hours) it stored easily on the side of our couch.  In the evening, we would keep it near the kitchen sink.  Passing by it was no problem.

The dehumidifier is stored indoors at our house when we are not RV ing. 

I am not receiving any incentives for this review.

Another review can be found here.

Patty

Tea for Two on The Feast of St. Brigid of Ireland

It was tea (blueberry lemonade), blueberry scones, and biscuits for these two cutie pies as we celebrated the feast of St. Brigid of Ireland. 

St. Brigid, pray for us!

Patty

RV Camper Storage / Gear I Love - Part 6

One of the biggest storage issues I needed a solution for was for shoe storage.  People typically have two pairs of shoes when  camping (for some, more). When you have multiple people in the camper, you don't want all of those shoes just lying around.  I don't even like that in my house!

Pinterest is really a great place to find some needed answers.  That's where I saw the over-the-door hangers used for shoe storage.

What a brilliant idea!

These can be found at Marshal's or TJMax for $7 (give or take).  I hooked them in under the mattress framing (which can be lifted up for storage underneath) .

*Make sure to get the long ones though.  The short ones won't allow for enough clearance between the top of your shoes and the mattress. 

I found that most come in odd numbers so I ended up putting two sets to come up with an even number of hooks.  Shoes do come in pairs 😉  I have these sets on both sides of our bed.

And if you are worried about running into them when you climb out of bed or when walking around the bed, it doesn’t happen. They are tucked snuggly onto the hooks.

Then there is the issue of keys.  Where do you put them so you can easily reach in and grab them when needed?  (I don't like people walking inside the camper with shoes on because of all the debris that ends up inside.)

Right inside the door, I hung these Command Strip hooks for keys.  I saw my friend do this in her camper and immediately followed suit.

That bulletin board is another great way to keep reservations and resort maps in one place.  A lot of folks will use them.  I found this bulletin board (which comes in different sizes) on Amazon for $12.   It is hung with Command Strips.

You can find more of our favorite storage solutions and gear for camping and RVing:  here,  here,  here, here, and here.

Little by little, it comes together.  We have had this camper for almost a year now.  We take it out once a month, and each time I focus on an area so it isn't so overwhelming.  But more importantly, enjoy your outside surroundings as much as possible.  God is SO amazing and has created such a magnificent world for us to enjoy.

Patty