Thinking in 12's ~ RV Living

12's become significant...

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Lately, I've been thinking in 12's.

12 towels (the hubby uses many each week, plus there are the grands . . .)

12 dish clothes

12 sets of silverware (in case we have company)

12 wash clothes (we are messy)


I don't know why 12 seems like such a good number. Except 12 towels will hold us if I can't get to the laundry for a bit. Dishes shouldn't be a problem, though we do go through them each day.

I am a 12th Fan (Go, Seahawks!). Maybe that's the influence of 12.

A dozen. That usually means good things. A dozen eggs, donuts, months in a year . . .

Hmmm. 12's were always the hardest for me to remember when it came to multiplication facts. I still have to think hard (or cheat) to figure out 12's.

Moving into an RV trailer is a huge commitment. The storage space. Oh, boy. I mean the lack of storage space. That is the challenge. But we are up for adventure.

To end on a positive note, let's have a list of 12 great and wonderful reasons to live in an RV!

1. Life will be one big adventure.

2. It will feel like camping. all. the. time.

3. We can move our house any time we want a change of scenery.

4. Less square footage means less area to clean!

5. Change. Change is good. Change makes you think outside of the box in which you currently reside.

6. Weeding. This is necessary to reduce personal effects to a sufficiently tiny amount that they fit inside the RV.

7. Cooking requirements will force creativity!

8. Potential for blog posts (the good, the bad, the ugly) will increase exponentially the longer we abide in each other's hip pockets.

9. The porch. Sitting under the awning enjoying the evening quiet (and chatter of young grands) will be exquisite.

10. Free time! No sense in shopping - there's no place to put it.

11. Clothing choices will be easy each day. With a limited wardrobe, it's recycle outfits over and over again.

12. Fairy tale living. It's true! I will be snuggled up to my honey in our home sweet home.

13. And for the baker's dozen - Living in an RV will get us ready to live in our small home.

Now. That being said . . . I'd love to hear your RV living suggestions, tips, and strategies! Pretty please!

The Silverware Drawer

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

I loosely say silverware, though there is probably only 1 or 2 pieces that actually contain silver. Utensil ware is so much less exciting and refined.

This is what happens when one steals the silverware basket to check and see if it fits in the RV drawer. Which it does, but only in one of them. So that drawer is now the official holder of utensils.

Not to get too deep here, but this drawer neatly - I mean chaotically - represents my life at present. Transistion. What that really means is that there are plenty of opportunities for untidiness, cleaning out the cobwebs, decluttering, and paring down life to what is really important.

- Things appear to be a jumbled mess.
- We have to dig around to find what we need. But that leads to . . .
- Glimpses of treasured items and favorite memories.
- Everything feels topsy turvy.
- So many pieces, but they can't all go with me. Sorting becomes necessary.
- I want to get cracking and put it all back in order.
- But I don't have time. Yet.
- The search and rescue approach to gathering dining necessities is in force.

My life looks like my silverware drawer. But that's just outside appearances. All is well, and in time, all will be sorted.

In the meantime, why not enjoy the adventure?

How We First Met

The fridge, our friend

 By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

I remember the day I first saw you. I mean really saw you.

It was on Halloween, October 31, 2009.

That was the day we moved out of the spare bedroom of my in-laws' home and into our own space. Such a beautiful day.

I opened you, ready to put cold items in for storage. Oh, look! They forgot a lovely crystal glass bowl.

So I carefully washed the bowl and put it away.

The next day, you surprised us with a shelf and trays full of water.

THAT was why the bowl was left behind. For the leak. From the ice maker. Which leaked pretty much non-stop.

The picture became even clearer the more we got to know each other. We discovered that you really loved to have a dish towel beneath the bowl, just in case you spilled over the edges. And those spaces under the veggie bins? That was your favorite spot for letting water pool and become a lovely icky tan.

The bowl and dish towel

This went on, the emtpying of the bowl of ice and water, replacing the dish towel, and starting the cycle again and again, for years. Until finally, we couldn't keep up.

So we had to turn off the ice maker. It must have made you sad, but we couldn't keep up with the water.

Ah. Now we wouldn't need the bowl. We could use the entire inside of the fridge for our food.

Not true. From somewhere, deep within your beige walls, you had the capacity and urge to leak. Still. Even without a water connection.

Back went the towel and the bowl. It became a game of sorts. Some days there were no drips at all. We thought we might be able to dispose of both bowl and towel. But others days, a deluge of water filled the bowl and the bottom of the veggie drawers. Even with no water connection.

The end came, at last, when even the second shelf was often filled with standing water. One dish towel became two, then three. It was too much.

Good-bye, my leaky beige-y drippy friend. It has been good. Interesting. Confusing. Frustrating.

But you have been faithful. Our food stayed cold, even frozen.

Thank you for your service. I will always have fond memories of our time together, the good times and the bad.

The new fridge - without bowl and dish towel

Hello, beautiful. I remember the day I first saw you. It was April 15, 2016. Tax day.

Here's to a long, drip-free relationship. Without the bowl and the dish towel.


Thanks for stopping by.
I would love to hear your tales of appliances gone bad.

It Only Takes a Second to be Distracted

Where is my spatula? I just had it in my hand. Where did I put it? I need that spatula now. I know I saw it. I took it from the dishwasher.

As you can see, I did have the spatula. I did put it away. But I put it away in the metal container on the hutch that is for scissors, markers, pens, and pencils. Definitely not for kitchen utensils. It only took one tiny bit of time for my brain to be distracted, and there went the spatula.

One of my favorite 'got distracted' stories happened years ago. (See? It's not all age-related.) I was making something that needed milk and peanut butter. Really, I don't remember what else there was besides milk, but it went in the cupboard where the peanut butter was stored.

Nothing unusual happened. I made my food item and off we went. Several hours later, I wanted to make something else that required milk. Probably macaroni and cheese, as my children were in that stage. But the milk was not in the fridge. I knew we had some, as I had used it earlier the same day. I wracked my brain for several minutes, trying to figure out what had happened to the milk.

And then I noticed the peanut butter in the milk spot in the refrigerator. Uh-huh. Guess where the milk was?

Spoiling in the cupboard in the peanut butter spot, right where I put it.

Only a very short distraction and the milk was a goner.

Today my husband became distracted. I was getting something from across the room. He was standing by the huge vat of coleslaw I had just made for our Oktoberfest party tonight. He glanced over, saw my backside as I was bending down to get a bowl, stared at that instead of what he was doing, and smacked the spoon in the coleslaw so that a huge scoop went flying out on the counter.

Ah-hah! Caught him sneaking a peek AND making a mess. Only a small distraction (ok, this may have been a bit larger of a distraction than small) and we had a mess to clean up.

How about you? What have you done in 'distracted-mode' that a) made a mess, b) got you in trouble, or c) ruined something?

I'd love to hear. Let's commiserate with each other about our little condition of distractability.

Wrapped in Love ~ Merry Christmas at My Door!

I came home from walking in the lovely fall rain to find a package tucked neatly behind the pumpkin display.

And what to my wondering eyes (and fingers) should appear at the ripping apart of the paper but a contribution for our Wrapped in Love Christmas project.

Ten beautiful, cozy, colorful scarves burst out, tempting me to try on and touch. These 10 cozies began at our girls' weekend at the beginning of the month. I also have several other gorgeous scarves that were completed during our eating/talking/movie watching marathon. Thanks, girls! You rock!

I am feeling a little bit better about my stash of scarves, shoulder shawls, and lap robes. 94+ is a lot of cozies!

For, you see, Christmas is coming and our Wrapped in Love project for the nursing home will soon take place. You can read more about Wrapped in Love by clicking the link.

On Christmas Day, a group of us will load our packages, boxes, and bags, and go over the river and through the woods (or at least over the roads and through the neighborhoods) to Landmark. While there we hope to dispense Christmas cheer, a good bit of fellowship, a Christmas treat, and a choice of one of the warm Wrapped in Love creations to all of the residents.


Anyone not busy on Christmas Day? You are welcome to join us. If you can't make it, feel free to dig out that knitting, crocheting, or sewing and whip up a few items to add to our pile. Thank you!

And a very, merry, early Christmas!

The Perfect Sunday

The view from my front yard. I am so glad my neighbors have gorgeous trees.

Not only is fall my favorite season, fall Sundays rank right up there at the top of the list.

What comprises a perfect fall Sunday?

coffee with my honey
the Sunday paper, waiting for me to read it after lunch
church, complete with plenty of energy and excitement garnered by the children
an afternoon free of responsibility
a lovely walk being pushed along by autumn bursts of wind and swirling leaves
empty roads
other walkers and joggers, accompanied by their dogs
making it almost home before the rains began
soup
cool weather just begging for cozy sweaters and fires
wet kitties making footprints where ever they roam
football, compliments of the Seahawks

What makes your Sundays perfect?

Looking forward to next Sunday.

The Mystery of Silhouettes

 

Shadows and silhouettes intrigue and fascinate.

 

The essence of an object or person is but hinted at when viewed through darkened surroundings.

 

But the mystery is such that one squints and moves about to clarify and identify what illusive reality exists in such hidden forms.

 

With just a whisper of Light, success is found. The veiled is disrobed and made plain to see. 

 

Oh, that we would spend that much time in the waking hours, seeking to solve the mysteries that waltz beside us in peripheral life.

 

 

. . . that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

(Colossians 2, part of verses 1-3; ESV)

Things You Gotta Have

 Sometimes there are just things you must have. They may not be mandatory for survival, but let's say some things are great for mental health and stress relief and a happy life.

 

In other words, you gotta have it.

Sometimes you just gotta have a tent. And snacks. And a cousin.

 

Other times you just gotta have cottage cheese. Two servings.

 

  

We all know there are definitely times we must have some shut eye.

 

On special days, girls just gotta have a party dress and pretty hair,

 

while boys make do with comfy jeans and a Mohawk.

Sometimes you just gotta have chill time in the rockin' chair.





Lots of chill time.

 



And don't forget, sometimes we need a gaggle (ducky blanket) and static hair to make our days complete.





On certain days, we just gotta have scrap wood, a million nails, a hammer,

and some grand ideas.



 

Sometimes a rocking buddy is the best plan.

 

 

You always need a little help. Gotta have it.

 

You gotta take advantage of Papa sitting on the floor.

 

 

And don't forget. You just always gotta have a Nana hug.

 

 

What do you just gotta have?

What is This?

We thought it was just a dogwood tree, though it acted nothing like the real dogwood trees I have planted elsewhere in the yard.

The leaves look right, the shape is right for a wild dogwood (that's what I'm calling it, as I don't know), it blooms differently from the other dogwoods, and it is a fast grower. This tree arrived at our home in a packet of other similarly scrawny and less-than-a-foot long sticks.

Now? It is covered on the south side by beautiful, orange red fruit balls. Nothing like dogwood fruit.

Perhaps it is not a dogwood after all, though it was labeled as such.

Any ideas?

The hiatus required for our household switchover for internet carriers was indeed a very long time. It's amazing how much one can depend on something that is totally invisible. Oh, we have plenty of cords, boxes, and a huge bill, but the actual internet is floating around like lint in a gnats' eye, unable to be seen by the naked eye.

You might be surprised, maybe alarmed, at what else has been going on since the pause in action.

I sliced the side tip from my left pointer finger. Perfect little scoop going into the second layer of skin, whoosh, and there it was, staring at me on the cutting board. Blood. Oh, the blood. Typing became an acrobatic and quite edit-intensive endeavor, first with a bandage-fat finger that tapped every key but the one I wanted, and then with more accuracy when using a smaller bandage, but less feeling in the remaining fingertip. Now I am finally down to a slowly closing gap and maybe permanently misshapen finger.

My handsome, though quite sick, grandson shared a strong nasty cold with me. He seems all better while Nana is still fighting a sinus infection.

Deadlines abound. This was one reason having no internet was quite helpful. I couldn't easily communicate with friends and co-workers, but I also wasn't distracted by every little message notification or opportunity to 'just for a quick minute' check my social media.

Fall-ish weather was much appreciated, though it is only September. The change is coming. Cool nights, shorter days, the beginnings of color. Autumn is a feast for this writer's soul. After our intensely hot and on-fire northwest summer with plenty of smoke-filled days and falling ash, I am completely ready for a cold, wet, and long winter.

The season of squash is upon us. It's time for some of my favorite recipes. I have indeed already visited a produce stand and filled a basket with spaghetti, butternut, and delicate squash. A few pumpkin varieties were ready, but I just can't quite get those yet. That would be kind of like seeing Christmas decorations in September. Oh, wait. I've seen them. Pumpkin time is coming, but not quite yet.

Have a wonderful day after Labor Day! Happy back-to-school!

Wondering Why

It's a wondering sort of day. I fear I may be easily distractable and waylaid as my thoughts zip around looking at seemingly unrelated topics.

Potatoes in a bag are not doing well. Why? One bag had fingernail sized tubers. The other actually had a plum sized one.

Why are there aphids and slugs and pill bugs?

One kitty leans to fat, the other to slim. Same food, same diet, similar habits. Pourquoi?

My tall tall husband has always been on the thin side with a super-fast metabolism. Me? I am built totally opposite and could easily store enough excess food for a famine on half of what he eats. Not that I would ever want to test that theory, but it seems not so fun that I have to work hard to burn calories and he can sit in a chair and burn more than I can.

The rhodies have leaves with brown edges. I read once why that happens. I guess I should read it again and do something about it.

Why did the yellow squash go crazy, this year - one out of six in which both were planted - instead of the zucchini?

Why do bees lose their stinger and die when they sting but yellow jackets do just fine and keep on stabbing their victim?


And no, my wonderings are not always so innocent and surface level. In my deepest self, I wonder about the tragedies and struggles of the people I know or the stories I read.

Why cancer, car wrecks, heart disease, Parkinsons, diabetes, stroke?

Why do young mothers die and leave families behind? Or fathers run off and ditch their wives, sons, and daughters?

Why am I blessed to have my son back from Iraq in one piece and other mothers just have memories of their soldiers?

How can people throw away their children or abandon babies?

Why do some die as babies and others live over a century?

How can people, even children, be sold for slaves of the most horrible type?

Why do people text and drive and wreck their cars? Or drink and drive? Surely they know the danger.

Why is there famine, war, hunger, bad water, disease?


Sometimes it hurts. My heart is crushed and weeps. I long to fix it what is broken. But that is not my job nor do I have the ability or power to do so.

Life is fleeting and none of us knows what trials we will face and how our end will come.

I am thankful. I don't understand many things, so all I can do is trust in Him. And pray. And hope.

We all face why's.

The best I can do is to reach out and grab hold of others to help and support and encourage. It is enough to go side-by-side, hand-in-hand, through the valleys and mountains. I must help however I can.

It is enough to trust.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. ~ Psalm 34:18

Tea with Me - Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast

What is your tea of choice?

I'm currently sipping Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast with a little drizzle of honey. Perfectly yummy!

Pour a fresh cup and let's chat. Oh, dear, things are just popping along around here. Yes they are.

For instance, did you know we have really bad smoke in our valleys? Huge forest fires - I'm talking in the 10's of thousands of acres on fire or already destroyed - have been filling our air with hazy smoke. Some days are worse than others. Like Sunday. The gray was pretty thick. In fact, we took a motorcycle ride to Ellensburg, trying to retrace a nice ride from the ending point and working backwards. We never found our way. No, not at all. We were actually lost! With such thick smoke, we couldn't see the landmarks and foothills to keep us headed the correct direction. We narrowly missed going the absolute opposite way over a different mountain pass. Instead of finding northeast we rode blindly all the way around Ellensburg and ended up northwest headed north. We live south of Kittitas County, so you can imagine our surprise! Back roads sometimes do not work.

Yet another exciting event on our ride was the yellow jacket stuck under my shirt. Uh-huh. I felt a sharp poke, scratched it, and it stopped. About 15 minutes later, I had another stabbing pain, but it was much stronger. I scratched at it, and decided perhaps we should pull over for a check. Yes. Right beside the Yakima River, there we were, river float and canyon road traffic all watching, and Kevin was flapping my shirt up and down. I was almost ready to disrobe, too bad about the free show. We never did find the yellow jacket but two huge welts showed where it had gotten my attention. I am so pleased that I was only stung two times! Fifteen minutes of repeated stinging could mean a trip to the hospital if that thing had kept up it's crankiness. When we got home, we couldn't even see the holes. But Monday morning, the welts were back and full of red. A lesson learned - tuck your shirt in and keep it tight.

Six overgrown thick skinned yellow squash went directly from the garden to the compost bin. Too big, too seedy, too tough. One day I peek, and they are finger length and not ready. The next time I look, it's good-bye to you and how did you get that big that fast??? If ever you are over my way, you are welcome to a few.

Sunday morning I awoke to the sound of banging. Loud banging. Miss Mabel had her mouse and daddy was not letting her keep it for a toy. The bad news was the cats had not been outside yet, so the mouse had somehow made it in alone. Mouse mistake. The good news is we have cats. Inside and outside.

The office looks even worse than the photo of my previous post. If that is possible.

Twenty-eight old folding chairs have passed through my patio this month. Ten are staying for cool seating at the blue door table. Twelve headed north by way of my sister. Six are hanging out waiting for my daughter-in-law. Honestly, who needs that many chairs? I guess we think we do.

The kitties, now officially over a year old, have their annual check-up, vaccinations, and de-worming tomorrow. Let's just predict that Mabel is going to get 'the talk.' The fat kitty talk. She is fluffy I say. I can't figure out how to feed her on a schedule and her sister (who is quite thin) who needs to eat more. Maybe our vet will give suggestions. Whatever happens, it usually involves Mabel eating everyone's food. She loves her food.

Alas, sadness sets in at the ending of summer. Not the heat. Tomorrow is supposed to be triple digits again. The end of that no-school-vacation-time feelings of summer are evaporating like a puddle on a hot day.

But the waning of summer means - hurray - the waxing of fall. That means cooler temps, beautiful colors, cozier nights, and relief from forest fires and tinder dry conditions. Please, Lord, send us ample snow and rain this winter!

My hair seems to be getting grayer and my knees are creakier. How did that happen? Just last week I was 25. (wink, wink)

Ah, life is good. The finches serenade me every morning, the kitties are glad to see me, and I am usually guaranteed to see at least one grandchild!

Hoping your life is filled with peaceful sips of tasty tea and lovely adventures worthy of sharing.

Waiting to hear...

7 Tips on How to Avoid Being Locked Out

Bad news: Donavyn perfectly closed the screen door today so that the latch flipped and locked us outside.

Good news: I can fit through the bottom corner of the screen door.

Bad news: Donavyn thinks we now crawl through to get in or out the door.

Doors are wonderful. They protect us and our stuff. They keep out the weather and various forms of wildlife. They decorate our homes.

But invariably, they lock when we least intend for it, and we are locked out. The wind blows the door shut, the toddler learns to twist the lock and you unknowingly close the door, your hands are full and you drop the keys to unload (meanwhile locking yourself out), you think the keys are in your pocket/purse/backpack but the trusty tools are languishing right inside the door waiting to be used (and you are outside).

As a college resident aide, one of our most common tasks was to provide a key to locked out residents. This was a weekly if not more often duty. I worked with the inhabitants of two buildings, as did my partners on staff. We spent many hours walking back to the dorms, unlocking the key safe, handing out a key, and waiting for the return. Let's say that my residents often found me on campus for reasons other than to chat.

When my children were preschoolers, they were often called into duty to crawl through the dog door to unlock the door for my parents.

At my most recent teaching job, I was usually the first one to arrive. If I was later than normal, for some reason, certain others were locked out until I made it to school.

On a hot summer day, I locked myself and two grandbabies out in the backyard. No diapers. No snacks. No anything. I had to wait quite a while before anyone could rescue us. I am happy to report there were no diaper disasters.

I once locked my friend and I out of the van. We were in a different state. At a campground. Good thing for us she was a AAA member.

One day I locked myself out of my car. After being rescued, I immediately locked myself out again. True story.

Doors. Both good and bad. Some things I've done to prevent being locked out:

1. Hide a key. Use an unusual spot. Be creative. The easiest place to hide an extra key is the first place home invaders will look.

2. Always have a spare key in your car. I have a spare house and gate key in my car. This will not help me if I lock my keys in the car, but if I lock myself out of the house, I can always use my car set to get back inside.

3. Use technology if you can. Some doors, I'm sure, can now be controlled by smart phones. Not mine, but some doors probably work just fine when you punch in a code.

4. Keep a spare key in your purse or wallet. This is different than a set in the car. I carry my purse, so the extra key is most likely not locked in the car.

5. Double up. Make sure your spouse/roommate/friend has a spare.

6. Give a key to the neighbors. I cannot tell you how many times this saved my bacon when we lived in our first home. Great for me but probably annoying for them.

7. Keep your keys in your hand or pocket. Do the pat check before the final latching of the door. Not foolproof, but a satisfactory technique to help.


As you can tell, I may have a slight problem with keys and getting locked in or out of the places I want to be. I give you my tips in the hope that you will avoid similar situations and near disasters.

Maybe these tips will help you more than they help me. Otherwise, we may all be crawling through the screen doors.

Joy in the Small Things

Sometimes we want the big events to provide buckets of joy. Or, like me, at times I am so focused on the looming deadlines or red letter activities that I build myself up on stress. Which immediately and perfectly robs me of the joy and peace I should be feeling as I go about my days. After all, each day is a prize. Only once will today be a part of my life. After this 24 hours, it will be gone and a new day will arise.

I choose to begin this morning with a focus on the small things (two of which are soon to arrive). May my slow down and introspection bring peace and joy overflowing to my heart and go from there to shower into the lives of those around me (even those 'other' terrible drivers or cranky salespeople - to them also).

A few 'little' items of joy . . .

~ it was only a moth which the cat brought in to our bedroom in the wee hours, not a mouse as I originally imagined

~ birds singing happily at o' dark-thirty

~ glistening drops of water throughout the garden

~ trees humming with bees

~ shouts of "Nana" and bangs of the front door

~ green strawberries

~ 2 butterflies

~ Donavyn kissing me through the glass door

~ Donavyn giggling hysterically at Papa's bald head (from his view on Papa's shoulders)

~ being a (10-hours worth) part of Kevin's work day during the weekend

~ kitty snuggled between my feet when I woke up

~ clean bathrooms

~ warm weather

~ warm maple oat nut scones and coffee

~ tiny thumps against my hand from baby Gage (in his mommy's tummy)

~ Mommy's big watermelon tummy

~ blond-haired grandbabies

~ me-go-first 3-year-old granddaughter's who take over meal prayer times and loudly say, "Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for Nana..."

~ sitting on the patio after a walk, enjoying the garden

~ candles

~ good chocolate

~ conversation with a friend

~ you, reader and friend, thanks!


Can you think of 5 small things that bring you joy?

Have a fabulous Monday, filled with joy and peace.

Welcome to my quest!

A quip (kwp) n. =

1. A clever, witty remark often prompted by the occasion.
2. A clever, often sarcastic remark; a gibe.
3. A petty distinction or objection; a quibble.
4. Something curious or odd.

A quest (kwest) n. =
a search for something, especially a long or difficult one
a journey in search of something, especially one made by knights in medieval tales

Quantrell here. Just in case you didn't know the definition of a quip or a quest...I suggest that LIFE is a long and/or difficult/and exciting quest. I have the knight in shining armor (thank you, dear) and some of my past days and events suggest tales (as in tall or unbelievable tales), which are stories. In short, welcome to a blog about life, filled with stories. Along the way, new finds and discoveries, questions, troubles, trials, and victories will emerge from the pen and paper (ok, computer and keyboard). Let it be known that we may encounter monsters of one kind or another along the path. Most assuredly, or the tale would be incomplete. But in the end, this princess of the High King will live in the Castle of Eternity. Oooh, that sounds exciting! Join me.