Starting to Feel Like Home

I have to admit that since moving in our home it has felt quite surreal.  I'm not sure if it's because of our 14 weeks in the camper or what, but I have walked in the house several times and just looked around and thought, Is this really ours??!  It truly is a dream come true in so many ways....a dream that we planned and prayed.  And here we are, a lot of patience, planning and prayers later.  It's kind of felt like a hotel or vacation home!  But is starting to feel more like home.  Today our island countertop came.  This was something we've been a bit nervous about because we went with a quartz that closely matched the laminate countertops on the rest of the counters.  Now, I have to say that I love the WilsonArt laminate countertops we chose.  And from the sample quartz, we found something that while slightly different, it would match and compliment these countertops nicely.  But with quartz and granite, the sample and what you get can vary a bit.  So I was a little scared but confident in our choice.  Well, it's here and while it is a little darker than what the sample we chose it from, I love it.  It's not exactly what we were expecting but after 14 weeks in a camper, it really changes how you see things....we have a beautiful, quartz countertop for Roger to bake and make candies on, it's great! We now have to get the kitchen backsplash tile done.  That brings us to the debate of the night....rectangular subway tile, or 4x4 square tile behind the stove....it could be a long night!

While debating this topic tonight we worked in the kitchen to make a mini Thanksgiving dinner.  I decided on this dinner tonight because we are just feeling so thankful for our home, this experience, the friends who have been so great to help, and the people who have worked to make our home so great.  A big shout out to B and B Homes, Commodore Homes, Dean Thole Construction, Ford's Plumbing, and all our awesome friends who have helped from cleaning, to painting, to running the electrical lines.  Our blessings are so abundant and we are SO VERY aware of EVERY one...even the smallest like shelves in our closets, and shower curtains!...which by the way, I STILL have NOT found!  I may have to just go buy another one so the boys don't have to use our bathroom.  But more importantly than finding the shower curtain, I feel like our family is finding our purpose and finding that God has big things in store for us...and our home. 

Now, for what so many have asked for....some pictures.  These are some of the areas that are "pulled together" a bit.  I still have a lot of decorating to do but these show the beginning stage. :)

Totally beats a camper bunk!

You'll notice we still have some plastic coverings to remove from the lights and stove hood. haha!

The boys' favorite room while they are watching one of their favorite shows....The Andy Griffith Show.

The boys' bathroom...minus rugs and a shower curtain!  Hoping that box surfaces soon!

Notice the duck.  The boys seem to always find a place for the duck. Glad to have found one of my seasonal décor boxes so I could put out a few Fall decorations. Brings back memories of my grandma Dot and all the decorating she did for each holiday.

 

The dining room is coming along...love having dinner every night at this table as a family. Priceless.

 

There you have it.  The beginning stage of our house becoming our home.  I have to say, my husband is awesome.  He paints, puts together stoves, fireplaces, does dirt work with the backhoe, runs electrical connections, and more.  He is so talented and such a blessing to our family.  I see him teaching our boys so much throughout this process....here are a few pictures I've gotten of him at work.

 

He enjoys painting...and that's a good thing! Even better, he's good at it. 

 

 

After about six hours it took to put the stove together...he started the fireplace which took about another four hours.  Patience is a virtue he has.

While Roger was in the backhoe, Carter and Joel used the tractor to drag and smooth out areas of the yard.  They are a great team.  It's crazy to think that my boys are growing up and are able to help so much.

 

A guy once questioned, what kind of a guy bakes and decorates cakes....the kind that can build or fix almost anything and then turn around and make someone's day with an amazing cake or dessert.  That's my guy!

 

14 Weeks & 1 Day Later....We're IN!

A lot has happened since my last post. Wednesday, October 30th was our first night in the house. That was a crazy night.  The plumbers worked until about 9:30 that night to get us hot water.  Roger got called in about 8 so all the carrying in of clothes and such from the camper fell to me...15 trips.  Due to the mud moat around the house I didn't want the boys out so they collected items as I brought them to the door. Of course, they were like two chicken who has been caged for months...they were running wildly around the house.  Thankfully, the new for them has worn off a little otherwise we would have major issues.  I finally got them calm and into bed about 11...and I hit the whirlpool tub!  It was a good first night, although having Roger home to share in it would have made it better.  I didn't let his absence hinder my celebration. I still opened the bottle of champagne someone gave us for our first night.  I kept it classy and drank it out of a red Solo cup since I had no idea where out box of glasses were. And that was our first night.....oh wait, I did get a black eye from my box spring.  Turns our our doorways aren't 9 feet tall like the ceilings so things like a box spring will hit the door and bounce back and hot the person carrying it. Glad my mom got a good laugh that night....I did too.

Just a little side note about a lesson learned:  the first night we were in was the night it began to rain, and rain, and rain....the next morning we discovered the power to the camper wouldn't stay on.  Roger thinks the breaker got a little wet or something.  Whatever the cause, we would have woken up to no power, no heat and no water....total camping nightmare. In all the time we waited in the camper, especially those final days when we were just waiting on the plumbers, I was on my time schedule and lost track of the fact that when God wanted us to be in our house, when He knew we needed to be in our house...we would be in it. Discovering that that first night in the house was really the first night in 14 weeks that we would have NEEDED to sleep somewhere else, really hit me. Our needs are always met but not always in our time but in His time....a lesson to never forget.

So moving forward...all of the gas and plumbing was finished up this week. We had a mudslide from the 3 inches of rain the 48 hours after we moved which resulted in muddy water in the basement, so we have major work in the walkout area of the basement to do, we are still waiting on our island countertop (hopefully Wednesday), not even half of our boxes have been brought in but we have our necessities and that's all we need (except for the boys bathroom shower curtain, I'd love to find that today!), the stairs to the basement still have to be done, we have no sidewalks or porches on yet and may not until spring, we had like four water leaks but they're all fixed now, and we still don't have the camper cleaned out but it is winterized so no busted pipes on our watch.

In all that we have to do and in all the ways that our house isn't finished...it's still home and it's perfect. We are SO thankful for space to move around, doors, couches, a dinner table that's inside, a shower that doesn't require turning the water off while lathering (although I did catch myself doing this the other day which proves habits can be created in 14 weeks or less), countertop space, a bath tub that fits something bigger than our dog, a place that ladybugs can't get into as easily (they invaded the camper our last day in it...that alone was enough for us to need out), beds that are real beds and not camper bunks or futons, and a water heater larger than 6 gallons...which means no more 2-in-1 shampoo!!! Seriously, my hair was not happy in the camper.  Oh, I am also thankful to be able to shop normally again! Camper grocery shopping means your in the store more often and you're spending more to buy the little containers of stuff...look out Sam's Club,here we come!

This Thanksgiving, being thankful has a whole new meaning for the Hayse Family....and for that we are grateful.

**For all of you wanting to see pictures, those will come this week hopefully. Just got our wifi going yesterday so that's why it's been awhile since my last post.  Very thankful for wifi!!

Last Night In the Camper...Take 2

So here I lay, in our camper bunk, listening to the rain pounding down on the camper top and wondering if tonight will be our last night in this oversized, Porto potty. While it is a nice camper, it needs to become a memory rather than a reality.  We thought we would be sleeping in our house tonight but the plumber discovered a "glitch" that because it was the fault of the home company, we have to wait and hope the home company gets it fixed tomorrow.  So now we wait, and hope and pray that tomorrow is THE day. Today was the longest day ever just anticipating being in our home, I'm guessing tomorrow will seem even longer. The disappointment of something you are looking so forward to isn't easy to take but as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait....I believe our house will be great.

Last Night of Being the Camper Queen

Written Monday, October 28th:  Today is my birthday and all I really wanted was to be living in our house....but that hasn't happened.  However, the plumber did say today that he should have everything up and running, or flowing, by the end of the day tomorrow.  Sooo, that means we can sleep in our new home and start living in it tomorrow!  Yippeee!!! While it's not by my birthday, it's still before the 100th day in the camper.  Now you may be saying, I thought you already hit that mark??....well, remember I teach art and technology, not math. Apparently when I calculated it previously I was right, but then figured it again, and was way wrong.  SO, if all goes as planned tomorrow, we will have spent 97 nights in the camper....97 straight nights!  The end to the lamping adventure really can't come soon enough as out of the last four mornings we've had frozen hose or hot water issues three mornings.  Just so you know, a hard freeze warning will result in a frozen hose and no water.  I have informed my family that I will be taking a shower and running our huge water heater out of water, I may even drink extra water just so I can use the "real" toilets a lot.  Can't say I'll miss the camper bathroom....nope, not even a little.  I also won't miss buying the overpriced, one ply, RV toilet paper.
While lamping hasn't been all sunshine and unicorns, it has been good at showing us how little we really NEED to live.  It's also shown us that patience is a virtue....a virtue which I am lacking but learning and growing in.  When we started this adventure, we saw so many ways God was pushing ahead and clearing the way.  Now that we are coming to the point of reaching the goal of being in our home, it's going to be fun to see the plans God has for us and our home.  Pretty sure this is just the beginning of an even bigger adventure. Stay tuned!

Counting Down!

Today marks 13 weeks in the camper.  Tonight will be night 104....my math was off last week so I didn't realize until today that I surpassed the 100 day mark.  It's crazy to think that we, I, have survived over 100 days with a quarter or less of our belongings!  But the time is nearing that we'll have access to all the things we don't need again.  We are hoping to not see another full week in our little dwelling that looks more like a closet than a place people live.  Yesterday the exterior crew worked on finishing up the exterior work, still not finished but should be today.  The drywall finisher showed up yesterday, a day early, and worked til after 11PM last night....this made me so happy!  We got temporary electrical service hooked up last night thanks to one of our awesome friends, Brad Hails.  We still have to have the heat pump all hooked up and the plumbing completed before we can really move in.  Praying that all happens by Friday so we can move in this weekend.  I did take a few more pictures of the interior.....can't wait to add paint to the walls!

Master Bedroom...with a view.

Carter inspecting the dining room area...he then began to use it as a basketball court.

The dining room/living room area.  Can't wait to hear the piano resonate through this area.

Family room with stairs to the basement

This was the view when I got home today....pretty sure the guys on the catwalk aren't getting paid enough. Pretty sure we'll spend a lot of great, relaxing moments out on the patio terrace.

First Time In

Yesterday, we got to go in the house and walk around for the first time!  It was so cool to see the boys excited to see everything but it was also a bit overwhelming to see all the work ahead of us.  This week the inside finisher should be starting work at putting in flooring, trimwork, drywall work, etc.  We'll see a lot of people in and out of the house this week....plumbing, hvac, and electrical all have to be worked on this week.  If the timing all works, we could potentially be moving in the house next weekend...but that's a big IF.  But just knowing that we can get in and measure for tile, fill nail holes, pick out paint colors and hopefully start painting this Friday, makes us very excited and makes the wait worth it.  I have to say that walking around the house today had a sort of surreal feeling to it....I kind of kept thinking, is this really our house??!!  I then thought about the patience and prayers that we as a family and couple have had over the last several years when it's comes to our home. 

Some pictures from our first time in our house!

Joel did the honors of letting us in for the first time. :)

Roger checking out his new cooking/baking space!

And I in my tub...

The boys picked out the finishes for their bathroom...I think they did a great job!  Notice the toilet lid already up and we don't even have the plumbing all finished and working....boys.

A slight view of the front of the house....front porch still has to be done.

 

 

Raise the Roof!

Today the workers are back and the roof is going up!  Can't wait to have a shingled roof over my head instead of a roof with vents that when left open during rain, lots of stuff gets wet.  Yesterday we went up to Effingham and got our house keys...feels good to have keys to some doors again.  We also got paperwork for how to do our cosmetic inspection after all the finish work is complete.  After the finish work is complete we have one week to let the home company know of any cosmetic issues like stains, or tears, or dents, etc.  But first we have to get to that point! We haven't been able to go in the house and really see what it looks like....can't wait to get to that point!

The Eagle Has Landed...sort of...

Today we can officially mark off 12 weeks of lamping from the calendar.  The good part is that while we are still lamping, we probably only have about another week and half left in the camper. yay!  The best part is that the house was put on the basement yesterday....hence the title, the eagle has landed.  The "sort of" part was added that while it's on the basement, the roof has to be done along with a lot of finishing work inside and outside, as well as the plumbing, hvac...you get the picture.  There's still a lot to do but we are close than we've ever been and we are excited.  Ok, we are VERY EXCITED! The whole family is ready to put the camper to rest, even the dog.  He took off from the camper the other night.  While he did come back, I think he regretted his little tour of the woods when he had to take a bath in the camper "bathroom."  Actually, I did discover that the shower is the perfect size for a dog.   It's just the getting the dog in and out that isn't easy and garnishes sounds from our dog that say, Please, don't drop me, and I can't breathe when you are holding me like this!  The fact that our Buddy is just a wee bit on the overweight side probably doesn't help the getting in and out of the shower. 
So back to the house progress.  As I said the house was put on the basement yesterday, that was quite interesting to watch.  At one point we had three retired guys out sitting in their lawn chairs just watching to see how the how was going to roll over the basement.  Add in one parent, two people we barely know, and three friends who all stopped by to see the progress and I'd say we were the Columbus Day main event.  And yes, we had two people we barely know come out to look at what was going on.  One of these people came up and looked the house all over last week without even saying anything to me.  It's funny how nosey people can be and how they don't think anything about looking someone's new house all over when said someone is standing in the yard.  Okay, enough of that soapbox.....
Below are some picture of yesterdays progress.  There won't be any more progress until it is a clear, no rain day because the next step is putting the roof on.  Obviously, we need for there to not be any rain around when that occurs.  Hopefully, tomorrow the roof will go up.  We'll be going up to get the keys tomorrow and finding out more of the timeline as to when things will be finished and we can get in to paint, move in, and close the lamping chapter of the Hayse family adventure. 

 

 Here's a video of how they "roll" the house pieces over the basement.  They then lower it with hydraulics down onto the basement. 

 

Surprise!....

Yesterday wasn't a good day....we woke up at 5AM to discover we were out of propane but fortunately there was enough in the grill's tank to get us through the morning.  Then Roger texted me to tell me that out house wasn't going even be picked up from the factory until next week sometime, which meant it may not be on our property til the following week.  To say I was bummed and a little ticked would be an understatement.  So fast forward to this morning....
As we're getting ready for school Joel asked where the back fill guys were.  I said they wouldn't be doing that until it was time for the house to be here and it didn't sound like the house was going to be here this week or next week.  He then said, "but daddy said the guys were coming to backfill the basement tomorrow and that was yesterday, so they should be here today."  So, I asked Roger about it and he said that our basement guy was going to be in the area and was going to go ahead and do it.  He also said that it would be fine for the basement to be backfilled without the house coming for awhile.  I thought this sounded a little odd because the whole plan has been to night backfill until the house is within 3-4 days of coming.   But I trusted my sweet hubby.  Fast forward again to today about 1:50PM....
I'm sitting in my study hall class and my phone starts buzzing.  I notice the number is probably related to the house but I wasn't in a position to answer it and figured they would leave a message.  Once I got to check the message I think smacked my desk and jumped out of my chair a bit....and definitely got the attention of the students in the class.  The person calling was the gentleman who will be delivering our house.  He was calling to confirm a few things about tomorrow....our house is coming tomorrow morning about 10AM!!!!!  I am ecstatic...over the moon....wooohoooo!!! But wait, we aren't getting the 3-4 days notice that we were supposed to get.  So I call Roger and let him know about the phone call and tell him to call this guy back immediately....I was afraid he was calling the wrong number or something.  haha!   After getting off the phone with Roger, he sends me a text letting me know that his big surprise has been ruined....what??!!  Yep, Roger has known that the house was coming since Tuesday!....and was keeping it to himself!  He was going to surprise me so I would come home from school tomorrow to find our house sitting in our yard.  I really don't know whether to hug his neck or strangle him for not telling me!  He could have saved himself a lot of grief if he would have told me the truth yesterday.  Either way, love him and can't wait to end this lamping chapter and move on to our new house chapter. 

Can't wait to have this real kitchen to cook in....and even clean.  We got this picture from our "girl" and can't wait to see it in person. I'll never complain about cleaning a kitchen, or doing laundry, or cleaning house again.  So I may complain a long time in the future, but I will have these memories to look back on and these words to read and remember how blessed I am.  I will truly be thankful for EVERYTHING.  The Hayse family is fully aware of how blessed and fortunate we are, and who it came from.  Thank you, Lord!!

11 Weeks...Is the end in sight?!?!

Here we are...11weeks.  We celebrated with no hot water this morning.  Apparently the pilot light went out on the water heater at some point overnight.  The only good thing about having a 6 gallon water heater is that it doesn't take too long for it to heat up.  I was able to get a semi-warm shower...lesson of the day:  never take for granted hot water, or even lukewarm water!  Another lesson from this weekend is that a camper toilet isn't much different than a porto potty....just an observation.  However, I will choose my camper toilet over a porto potty any day.  While I may choose it, I certainly won't miss it.  I also won't miss the lack of insulation in the camper.  The last few nights have gotten down in the 40's and while we have a furnace in the camper (thank goodness!) the camper doesn't exactly hold the heat all that great.  Oh, and an update with the cooler weather....no, I couldn't find the winter clothes in the garage because they are apparently in the boxes at the middle and the very bottom of the 10'x20' mountain of totes and boxes holding all the things that we haven't really needed all that much the last 11 weeks.  After purchasing some long pants for the boys last night, I came home this evening to find Joel's only pair of tennis shoes in the camper that fit him, caked in mud all the way up the sides and even on the shoe laces.  HOW does this happen???  He said he was just walking and happened to stepped in a mud puddle.  The lesson here....no mud puddle near a construction site us JUST a mud puddle.  It may look like a mud puddle but it is actually a mud pit that will suck you in and may you think your foot is in China.  Now, normally when the boys have a case of severely  muddy, I would clean them off outside and then put them in my handy dandy dryer with the shoe rack so that the shoes would be dry the next day.  Since we don't have my handy dandy dry with shoe rack available, the old fashioned way will have to work.  A shoe drying fire was built by Roger. Now, anyone want to bet if the shoes will actually dry before they catch fire, or melt??  Oh the things that become so much harder when you are living with minimal needs at your finger tips. 
Now to address the question, is the end in sight??  Well, we think it is!...but still no real dates to look forward to.  I think if the company said, on October 14th we'll be bringing your house to your property, weather permitting, I would feel much, much better.  Knowing a specific day will make the end really in sight, until then it's still a little elusive.  I don't do uncertain very well!  As I understand it right now, we're just waiting for a call that will be 3-4 days in advance of the house being brought to our property.  So we sit....and we wait....and the adventure continues. 

Junk Mail and Pink Shoes

This week we mark week 10 in the camper....tonight is night 71.  Our space hasn't gotten any bigger than the day we started but the amount of stuff in the space has accumulated.  So today I admit to something I've been doing....mainly because I'm wondering if it's legal.  It seems like we get a ridiculous amount of junk mail.  And since I'm tired of it just sitting in my car or junking up our tiny living space, I've been leaving some of it in the mailbox! Eeek! There I admit it, I am a junk mail bully!  I won't bring in the junk mail, but I will bring in a new pair of pink shoes.  They are so cute!  I did discard the box and bag before Roger saw them because he already thinks I have too many clothes in the camper.  My response is that just because I live in a camper doesn't mean I have to Look like I live in a camper.  Anyway, I really am not a shoe person...I really can't remember the last time I bought a pair of shoes. But that's a matter for another blog, like a fashion blog and I would not be the person for that.
Now, an update on the house progress...there hasnt been any for a week or so since the basement was finished.  Since we haven't seen any progress lately it was very nice to come home to a little progress.  We have a walkout patio!  Who knows, I may just end up sitting down there imagining there's a door and house.  I did imagine I was sitting on the front porch the other day, the view wasn't great, just a pile of dirt but I'm hopeful it will be great in the future.
The boys are becoming worn with the camper a bit...or a lot.  I think they are going to appreciate the space that we'll have in the future and their own rooms more.  I know I have a whole new appreciation for having space to seperate them when their pesky ways with each other get out of hand.  We worked at the local homeless shelter this past weekend.  They noticed that we served almost as many kids as we did adults.  That was an eye opener.  We just want them to see and understand that they, we, have been so blessed and our purpose is be a blessing to others.
Still hoping to not see day 100 in the camper but we have no control over that.  That's probably been the hardest part lately, having no control over how soon we have a house. We can't go pitch in to get things finished faster, or see the progress, or make sure things are done to our satisfaction....mixed feelings about modular building right now.  Hoping once we see the house and are in it, there are no regrets.

 

Looking forward to enjoying our walkout "pit" with an area to lounge along with tiers for herbs, and landscaping.

Somebody Needs a Snickers

Day 65....that just sounds crazy to me!  But here we are, getting ready for bed for the 65th night in the camper.  The progress has stopped now that the basement is finished.  The two weeks that we saw progress with the basement going in went fast, I guess you could say it's been 7 long weeks and 2 fast weeks.  It's amazing how a little progress makes the days go by faster.  Anyway....we have been lamping and making the best of this adventure.  I have to say that there are a few things that naturally flowed from my lips this week that I never imagined would.  For one, while itching a bump on my upper arm, I told the friend I was with to hold on a minute because I had to be sure the bump wasnt a tick! She immediately died laughing and then I realized....lamping has me paranoid about ticks!  Now, we haven't had any ticks so I'm not sure why but I am still worried everytime I feel a bump that it is a tick.  I just now have to remember to keep that thought to myself because it sounds rather redneck and while I may live in a camper, I am NOT a redneck! Hahaha!  Along with the tings that have come out of my mouth i have tried to watch what goes in my mouth.  I decided I couldn't wait any longer to start my "healthy eating change of lifestyle."  When we started journey I thought we'd be getting in our house about now and thought I'd wait until then to jump back on the weight loss train.  Well, the stress of this adventure has pushed my eating to an all time low, and my scale to an all time high....so I'm jumpin' on the train!  And guess what?....Roger made apple pie cupcakes on my first day of trying to have no sugar!!  I could have pelted him with them but that would be a waste of perfectly good cupcakes, so he took them to work with him.  It's amazing how easy it is to make cupcakes with 12 inches of counter space yet so hard to prep healthy food.  Most of this week I have needed a Snickers bar like the people in the Snickers commercials...you know, the people who are acting like Roseanne Barr and Betty White until they have a Snickers.....but instead I just go to bed in my bunk and pray that I don't have to use the facilities in the middle of the night.  Of course, the healthy eating train requires drinking insane amounts of water that has sent my kidneys into shock. Adding the element of being healthy has been a challenge but we are doing it....and I'm hopeful that it will continue.  As for the continuation of our adventure, we are still hoping to see a house on our property the week of October 14th, I think.  I'm not even sure about that....and I'm too afraid to ask many questions for fear that I'll just be disappointed.  However, I am still praying for something to happen that would bump up our date! 

Car vs. Camper

So after returning home from Walmart tonight I found myself just sitting in my car. I had shut the car off and was just sitting there listening to the radio, checking Facebook and Twitter, and cruising Pinterest.  Then it hit me, I'd rather sit in my car and relax then go in to my dwelling place!....that dwelling place being the camper.  In the car, I can sit comfortably in my seat.  In the camper, the only place to sit is on our bed or on the boys' futon beds....not exactly a recliner or comfy overstuffed chair.  I will never take my furniture for granted again.  Having a chair to sit in that has a back to it will bring me a sense of joy that most would think is insane...but go without having a chair in your home for a few months and see if you miss them.  This adventure has shown me all of the little things we take for granted and things that we have that people live without everyday.  It's quite humbling.  After sitting in my car until my radio stopped playing, I decided I should probably head into the camper.  Of course, the few things I bought at Walmart had to have a place found for them.  Turns out our fridge needs to be defrosted, so off Roger went with a laundry basket of food to take to the refrigerator in the garage. But not before he discovered some rotten potatoes in the "kitchen" and removed them from the camper.  Rotten potatoes,  empty fridge, and the general "camper clutter chic" decor has me thinking I should just stay in the car.  
This might be a good time to bring up my commercial moment:  I sometimes feel like I'm in one of those Febreeze commercials where they put people in a tight space with all kinds of smelly things around them, and yet the people think they're in a tropical oasis.  Well, I am happy to say that those sprays work!  Two boys, a husband and a dog added to general funky camper smells...and rotten potatoes...yet, I close my eyes and feel like I'm laying in an apple orchard or cranberry bog. This  message brought to you by Hayse Professional Campers. 
Tomorrow will bring a new day and a new challenge. I'm going to attempt to go back to healthy eating....I say attempt be ause today Roger asked me to look up Apple Pie Cupcakes! Really?! I think I'm going to need some serious willpower over the coming weeks...willpower to eat right and willpower to find the good in this closet sized dwelling! The adventure continues!

Seasonal Changes...

I am really missing the days when I could say, It's dark boys!, and that meant it was bedtime and off they went to meet Mr. Sandman in their dreams.  Now that it's getting dark earlier this means more time in the camper and after nearly 8 weeks of "family bonding", I think we're about bonded out, especially the boys.  They are doing what ever they can to be a pest to each other....for example, while Carter was in the shower, Joel was turning the water on in the kitchen sink which messes with the shower water.  No one likes to take a cold shower.  I know firsthand since I was the lucky one to take a shower when the propane tank ran out of gas last week....yay, me! I really should have gotten a prize for being the lucky one.  Anyway, now that it's getting darker sooner and cooler, the lamping experience is going to be changing.  Some changes I foresee would be the following:  Since it's been quite cool in the mornings lately, I don't believe I'll be shaving my legs as much...so lookout, Roger!  Ladies, you know what it's like to shave your legs when you have goosebumps the size of speedbumps.  Ouch! 
Another change will come in the time that lights are out in the camper, simply because we'll be in it sooner and have our bedtime routine done sooner.  This concerns me that lights out sooner may lead to more time spent in the new "reading nook"....see previous posts if you are unaware of this area.   We may have to come a different resolution of where recreational reading will take place as I just am not really "feeling" the new "nook."
The big change that I see is the clothing situation.  We have little to no fall/winter clothing in the camper.  It's all packed and stuffed in our garage because we didn't think we would need them before we were in our house or wouldn't need them very much or for very long...talk about total miscommunication!! It's hard to enough to make a seasonal clothing swap in a house, I really am dreading it in a camper that has little to no storage.  We all know how much more room winter clothes take up in drawers....and laundry baskets.  I guess it will be interesting to see how we orchestrate a smooth, seasonal clothing transition. Oy, can those words even go together...smooth, seasonal clothing transition?!?  Well, here we go.  First things first....we have to find the clothes! Can I just go buy all new clothes??  The adventure continues....stay tuned!

When Plan G Doesn't Work, Go with Plan H

We have basement walls up and the plumbing is going in today.  Playing with the echo in the basement has been fun but the process of planning the basement has been comical and stressful. Roger did the layout on a computer program.  After the basement was dug, we went out and started envisioning all the areas and marking them off.  It was then that we realized that his program must be off.  So back to the drawing board!  Last night, we went back out and went old school with the measuring...tape measure, 2x4's, and spray paint.  The new plans and measurements from his program were still off just a bit, but we were able to make it all work in the end....just in time for the moon to come out.  This would be Plan H...because A-G plans didn't work.  

You may notice the wall lines and the toilet drawing....next to the the toilet, you might be wondering what that is.  It's a urinal.  Yep, this house full of testosterone is going to have a urinal! I believe it might be the smartest thing we've done in this whole house.  Hope it cuts down on the splatters and puddles in the floor...guess we'll wait and see!

As we were leaving the camper yesterday morning, Joel got a little excited when he saw this image below.  His words were, HOT TUB!?!?!....I enthusiastically responded with, SEPTIC TANK!!!...he didn't see the fun it in that. He'll appreciate it when it comes time to uses the bathroom someday. ;-)

The rest of these pics just document the progress this week....I'm afraid that after next Monday, the progress will come to a halt for awhile.  Last we heard  the house won't be coming to our property until the week of October 14th....and I believe that was a "Maybe."   Still not giving up on something happening that will make that day be moved up....my prayers are being heard, I am sure of that!

7 Week Stretch

Today, September 10th, we mark our 7th week of Lamping! I guess that's something to cheer about.  This was the view as I was getting dinner ready tonight.

The cramped quarters has me very ready to get out and strech out!  So very thankful for family that has cooked for us during this adventure...just warming up dinner from dinner at my mom's on Saturday, and dinner at my stepdad's on Monday, was a challenge.  I can't imagine doing this without having their homes to stretch out in, and enjoy a full kitchen in as well. 
Another cramped area is our master bunk.  We started out sleeping with our heads to the west...then we tried them to the east...this week we have moved to the north.  I'm afraid that no matter how we lay, there will be no comfortable way to sleep and be streched out fully.  
With all the cramped craziness, it has been great to see the progress on the basement this week....now to just see a house on it!!

Where Do You Do Your Recreational Reading??

One big challenge of lamping has been the fact that there is no privacy and really no place to "get away."  We all really have to go to bed at the same time, which means that if you happen to be a night owl at times, like me, then you may find yourself just laying in bed thinking of things that really don't matter, or overthinking things that really don't matter, or praying...a lot....because you know God is really your only chance of getting out of this predicament sooner rather than later.  I've handled this pretty well until this weekend when I got back to the camper from doing laundry at my mom's only to discover that the boys and Roger were already snug in their beds and lights were out.  I love to read and had a magazine I was looking forward to reading but it's nearly impossible read by the light of flamingo lights.  So feeling a bit frustrated I stood in the "hallway" of the camper trying to figure out where I could have good lighting without waking, or keeping, anyone up.  I thought about going out to the car, and I thought of one other place, but it seemed a little odd.  Then Roger had the same idea, he recommended I go read in the "bathroom."  Of course, his recommendation was followed with a little chuckle.  I will admit that him recommending it made me a little peeved at first, kind of like, how dare he send me to the slightly stinky toilet room just so he can sleep a little!?....But it seemed to be the best option, so off I went to do my recreational reading in the "bathroom"....yes, the lid was down on the toilet.  I tried to make myself a little comfortable so it didn't quite feel like I was "on the pot."  Here's a little pic to record this new found reading nook....and it's certainly fits the nook size requirements.

Yep, feet propped up on the side of the tub, enjoying my magazine.  After doing this, I realized this "bathroom" may have some additional uses.  Like when my boys start pestering each other, and need to be separated, perhaps sending one to time out in the bathroom may be an option. ;-) Disciplining in such a small place with no real way to separate, and no rooms to send them to has been a bit of a challenge....but not sure I'll resort to the "timeout toilet."  Of course, as the weeks drag on, it may just come to that....stay tuned!

White Skirt Optional

So my boys were having so much fun at the top of the giant mountain of dirt that I wanted to get a good pic but needed to get closer because it was getting dark. I was still in my clothes from work today, so what's a camper to do?  Kick your sandals off and start climbing in your white skirt, of course.  Apparently Roger thought it was worth capturing.  I'm only adding it to the blog because I'll be turning this blog into a memory book at the end of this adventure, and I think it's worth noting that when giant mounds of dirt appear....white skirts are optional!  But if your lamping, white skirts are a must because there's no point in dirtying something else that you'll have to haul to your parent's house to wash.

 

Queen of the mountain....and her princes.

Good Medicine!

Today we got a dose of good medicine in the form of an excavator, bobcat, and dump truck!  Yesterday was hard to swallow with not really any good news but hearing the basement crew revving up those engines at 7AM this morning was music to my ears.   We've just been hanging out in a camper for over six weeks looking a where our old house used to be....seeing some progress makes being in the camper a little easier.  That, and my boys and husband were out the door as soon as they heard the crew arrive so I had the WHOLE camper to myself to get ready this morning.  It was so nice.  I could walk the length of the camper, all 10 steps, without climbing over kids, bumping into my husband, or getting hit by the bathroom door. 
Now, I'm well aware that after the basement is finished we'll end up just sitting and twiddling our thumbs while we admire our basement for over a month before anymore progress is made.  I am going to try to hold on to the joy of seeing this progress....joy is good medicine...just hope it's long lasting.

Here are some pics of the today's progress....it's a beautiful hole in the ground. :-) The tiered area at one end is actually the walkout area of the basement.

 

Kind of looks like a hole for a giant swimming pool right now.

 

 This would be Roger's thinking position......he's a thinker. 

 

The boys came home from school and were in awe of the mounds of dirt.  They are in heaven.

 

 

RCS Has Set In

You know that feeling you get when you've been riding in a car for a long road trip?  You know that feeling, when your legs are restless, you keep shifting around in your seat from one butt cheek to the other, trying to find a comfortable position.  And it gets worse as you get closer to home but further from where you left. The medical world even has a diagnosis for people who suffer from this in some cases....it's called Restless Leg Syndrome.  Well, tonight I am suffering from Restless Camper Syndrome!....diagnosed by a professional camper, me.  Laying in our master bunk, my feet hang over the mattress and lay on the wooden ledge most of the time.   Even though the bunk mattress has a foam mattress topper on top of it, the comfort level is lacking in a huge way.  I've actually noticed my hip being sore and bothering me a bit, and I think I figured out why last night when I woke up from my usual 3AM aching, slightly numb hip presumably caused from laying on my side too long on a not so thick and soft mattress.  Tonight, I have just not been able to get comfortable whether laying on the bunk, sitting on the "couch", sitting outside, walking the driveway, standing in the camper, or standing on my head.  Ok, so I didn't try standing on my head, but I almost thought about it. 
Today has been a very rough...aside from RCS...my car is back in the shop...the third mechanic shop in two weeks.  Now they say it's electronic and we probably wasted the hundreds that we spent on it last week.  Then the whole house issues....dealing with the bank....basement....timeline...I'm over it all and I think that has been compounded by the RCS and no car and just having need to feel like I have a home.  I also think the fact that we could have actually stayed in our house longer has me really frustrated as well.  Had we known it was going to be like the end of October or first of November before we might be in our house, we wouldn't have offered to let the buyer have it so soon or agreed for them to take it so soon.  Yes, the date we got today was a week after the previous date.  I was excited to think of having our annual ChiliRoast with our new house here but I'm afraid that won't happen.  But, I am going to keep my expectations low and my hopes high.  We'll still be praying for a change in the date....we believe God still works miracles.

Oh, and thought I'd share some pics....here is one of the view from our master bunk and one of the shower/toilet area, all 12 sq ft of it.  Yep, 12 square feet...measure it out and imagine a toilet and shower in that space.  At least we all know how to flush a camper toilet now...everyone should know how to do this because you never know when you may use one and you don't want to have to take the time to read the directions and cause people to wonder what in the world is taking you so long. Just sayin....

You'll notice the vanity area in the bottom right corner of the above pic, that's where we get ready in the morning.  The door with the full length mirror is the toilet/shower area.  The rest is the boys' "beds" which are basically futons.  Of course, the our tv is on our chest of drawers..oh, the cabinet next to the vanity is the "closet." Yep, not much storage. The fridge is next to the "closet" and the stove is next to the fridge.  We have about 20 inches of counter space split between two 10 inch areas of counter space. And that is our camper. 

 

Here are my restless legs in our bunk....that's my school bag that I will be kicking most of the night. Hope I don't get my feet tangled up in the handles of it....

 

So there is a little glimpse into our little camper....240 sq. ft. of family closeness.  You did notice there really isn't any privacy, right??

 

Did You Know?

Did you know that if you are getting your water through a garden hose that is laying on the ground for a good 60 feet, then you will have a built in hot water source when the temps reach the upper 90's?  Yep, you'll turn on the cold water and it will be cold for a few seconds and then turn bath water warm for a good while before turning cold again.  Kind of strange to have to wait for cold water. 

Did you know that a smaller space isn't necessarily easier to keep clean?  It must be something about larger spaces allowing the dirt more room to spread out.  Seems like I'm constantly sweeping, picking up, trying to organize, and reorganize what I just organized.  This week I've kind of given up and been a bit frustrated with the chaos of such a small space.  But then it got worse so back to trying to keep up with it, I guess.

Did you know that when you take your gas tank in to get refilled, you better not forget to pick it up or you won't have hot water the next morning?  I won't elaborate on this point any more than to say that this didn't happen, yet.   I just thought it did....and was a little freaked out at the thought of no hot water.

Did you know that if your put all the "fattening" food in a refrigerator in a garage 60 feet from your living quarters, you will most likely not eat it?  Yep, 100 degrees outside, dying of thirst, nothing to drink in the camper, lots to drink in the other fridge....but it's just sooo far. 

Did you know that when getting ready in a camper, the lighting may not be the best? ...so ladies, apply your makeup lightly.  If you can see your makeup in the mirror, you probably have too much on.  You may get out to the car, look in the mirror and realize you look like a clown!  The car mirror will be the best place to do any facial hair plucking. So maybe getting ready in the car is really a better option then the camper...it's about the same amount of room.

Did you know that when it rains, it pours BUT God will be there holding the umbrella for you?  Yep, both vehicles broke down last week.  Three family member were sick and had us really worried as well.  By the end of the week our family was all on the mend, we found out about an unexpected raise, and the car was worked on and fixed....of course, it's acting up again and will go back to the shop tomorrow but God showed us once again that He's holding the umbrella, sheltering us and keeping us from drowning in puddles of worry.

And finally, did you know that tomorrow will be 6 weeks of living in a camper for the Hayse family and there is still 5 week until our  "tentative" date for our house to be on our property?!!  Yes, please pray something changes and it can come a week sooner!!  I wanted to be able to move in by the weekend of October 12th since it's a long weekend for me and I could have extra time to make it feel like home.  Even though we are doing a stick built modular and a lot of it comes finished, we will still have countertops, tile work, plumbing and finishing work to do.  So PRAY with us PLEASE that somehow we get it here the first week of October!

Are we there yet??

Today marks the five week point in our camper living adventure.  Roger met with our basement guy and the guy from the house company today.  Since we are doing a modular house (this is a stick built house this is built off site and brought to our site and put together), then they have to come out and make sure the property is accessible, and discuss all the details of how this is going to all go down.  We found out last week that our house has already been started.  So now we are waiting to hear an actual timeline of when the house will be ready to be brought to our property.  Well, today the basement guy said he'll start next Thursday and finish the next week....unfortunately, that means the house can't even be put on the basement til the first week in October since it will need time to cure.  When I got this text from Roger, I could have about fallen out of my chair! That's at least 5 more weeks! At least!  After the house is here and set, we will have the finishing to do, and I don't even want to think about how long that will take.  I may be sleeping in the floor of our new bedroom even if there isn't any plumbing! haha! 
But with all the not so great news of how long we will be in the camper, we've had some good things.  Roger got his hair cut! After having hair longer than I have ever seen him with in the 14 years we have been married, he broke down and bought a new set of clippers and cut his hair! Yay! I'm also glad he trimmed his goatee because while I love Duck Dynasty, I'm not a whisker fan.  I'm sure we'll find his clippers in the box with all the other things that didn't make it to the camper. 
We have another addition to our campsite....green turf!! Our son found it in Lowes and was so excited.  I stood in line and couldn't believe I was purchasing green turf....we have reached a whole new realm of camping.  Professional campers, for sure!
While we may be professionals, I certainly am not loving it.  Even the boys are starting to get a little worn down with the camping thing.  I think school starting has made it less fun for them, I know it has for me.  Getting ready for work and school has been a little chaotic at times.  While trying to get out of bed today, I whacked my head so hard on the corner of the "closet" in our "bedroom" that I had to lay back down for a minute cause I was seeing stars.  We've also had two spills today and when you spill something in a camper you're living in, you don't just spill it on the table or the floor.   No, it hits clothes that are, or were, clean, towels, important papers, and blankets before hitting the floor. Roger informed me that tomorrow we need to try to get rid of some of the clothes that we don't need....I need all the clothes that I have in the camper!  And yes, dear, I'm done with my hair straightener....he just put it up for me....at 9:30 pm.  It takes awhile for them too cool off! ;0) Just one more day in the glamorous world of lamping!

4 Weeks Down

Well, here we are....4 weeks into lamping.  If you read my post on the lessons I've learned, one thing I said was to resist the urge to buy pink flamingos at all cost.  Well, my sweet husband who has totally and fully embraced lamping, came home and strung up pink flamingo and palm tree lights along the edge of our canopy.  Yep....we have pink flamingos at the campsite.  I feel like they are a sign that we have graduated from amateur to professional campers. 
After four weeks, we have clothes at three different locations, Roger has longer hair than I have ever seen him with because we can't find his hair clippers....more about that later....and I can now take a shower in less than seven minutes, including shaving my legs.  Yes, I timed it this morning. Pretty impressive.  I've also learned more about campers and dump tanks than I ever cared to know.  I thought I learned that we could use "regular" toilet paper in the toilet as long as it dissolved quickly which basically means 1-ply but apparently it's best to use special "RV" toilet paper because otherwise you may find your husband using a hose to clean out the black tank.   For you amateur campers, that's what Cousin Eddie calls the "sh*tter" ....not a fun thing to clean out.
This experience has left us asking, Have you seen.... or Do you know what box..... Well, one thing that we still haven't found is Roger's hair trimmers.  And for a guy who has had a flat top for the last 20+ years, that's kind of a big deal.  I remember putting them in a box and telling him that he needed to make sure it got to the camper or somewhere we could get to it because it had his trimmers in it.  Well, his hair is still growing out. We've searched to no avail.  I say go to the barber shop but he always cuts his own and doesn't always like the way they cut it....men. 
I think I've gained a new perspective on laundry too.  I never liked doing laundry before but having to take our laundry to my parents house to do it, and sit and wait for it, makes realize how lucky we are to have a washer and dryer in our house.  That said, Roger is considering building a shelter for our washer and dryer...I have no words for how redneck this sounds.  I envision a lot of blue tarps and even more duct tape. LOL! Not sure what will come of this idea of his, but I am starting to think it's not a bad idea after four weeks of hauling laundry and since we probably have at least another 8 weeks of lamping ahead of us.  Making the laundry even more fun is our boys invention of a mud slide.  They buried a pvc elbow at the top of a dirt mound so that it would hold the water hose in place.  They then smoothed the side of the mound out and began sliding down the mound of mud.  Lots of fun for them but a nightmare for the laundry maiden!  But I have to say, it's been good to see them enjoying the outdoors and finding things to do other than playing video games and watching tv.  Lamping has certainly brought out the creativity in all of us, should be fun to see what the coming weeks have in store.....I just hope it doesn't include an area of artificial turf in front of the camper.   That would have me concerned. :-)

TGIF

Today was my first day back to work since starting our lamping adventure.  Since it was only a teacher's work day, then I was the only one getting ready in the camper this morning.  Yesterday morning I burnt my hair with my curling iron....I don't even really know how this happened but it did and I still smell burnt hair periodically.  So I was not looking forward to getting ready in the camper today.  Roger was home with the boys this morning and the three of them enjoyed sleeping in while I scurried around the camper and managed to get out the door by 7:15.  I expect that next Monday when we are all four scurrying around the camper, I probably won't get out the door before 7:45 but I'm going to hope.  After putting in my day at school, I headed to my stepdad's to pick up the boys and have dinner.  My family really is the best.  We have several homes that we can go stay at or do laundry at anytime.  My stepdad has offered to cook us dinner any, or every, night until he goes back to work, he's a teacher too.  Talk about a great thing because while making dinner in the camper last night, which was warmed up leftovers and mac n cheese bowls, I spilled boiling water on my hand and at that point I was defeated by the camper.  The hair in the morning, spending all afternoon at my mom's waiting on laundry, and now a burnt hand.  I was ready for the Holiday Inn!!  But today I woke up ready for a new day of happy camping.  And up until the boys and I returned home tonight, it was.
We returned home to hear the propane alarm in the camper going off.  Apparently, somehow, one of the stove handles got turned just enough to allow propane to leak into and fill the camper.  Talk about rotten egg smell! Ugh!  So after opening the windows and vents, and turning on the fan, we hung out outside to wait patiently.  The only problem was that it was starting to get chilly....so I employed the boys to help build a fire....a safe distance from the camper, of course.   Well, apparently, the dew had fallen just enough that nothing really wanted to burn.  After an hour of trying to light a fire, the only fire I was able to light was the citronella candles that I moved and placed around the fire pit.  Not the same as a fire.
About that time Roger texted to see how things were going.  haha! I'm cold....any time I'm cold, things aren't good.  I really didn't want to go in the camper until he was able to check it out just to be sure that everything was all good.  And I was good with sitting by a fire until he got home but I couldn't get a fire made! So I'm sure you can imagine how my texts might have sounded.  Shortly after this, he showed up.  When the boys saw him pulling up in the driveway, Carter asked what he was doing home early.  I said that he must have thought that we needed him.  Carter said, we DO need him!!  Or actually YOU need him!  As much as I hate to admit it, he was right.  I needed him and he was there without me saying I needed him....one of the many things a love about him. Ok, enough mush.
After giving us the all clear to return to the camper, he headed back to work and I started the nightly routine.  The boys has been playing in the mud while waiting on the airing out process, and were still muddy after washing off in the outdoor faucet.  I was thinking, get showers, get medicine, get snuggled in bed, it's all good.  Then I hear, Mom, the water isn't working.  What??!! What do you mean the water isn't working??  Sure enough, turn the knob and nothing.  Then I realized....boys, did you unhook the hose from the camper to rinse off the mud from yourselves?  Yep, sure enough.  So back outside to get the hose reconnected.   
The hose is reconnected, water is flowing again, boys are clean, the camper doesn't smell predominately of spoiled eggs, and tomorrow is Saturday....the world is right at the moment.  Oh, wait we have a small leak to track down and fix, and a full "pooper"....guess it will be another eventful day tomorrow.  Stay tuned....

All we need is....

Oh, where to start today....well, the weather was absolutely gorgeous today.  That said it was a rather cool morning and then the temp dropped off again this evening.  It was great for a fire, and hot chocolate, and jackets and jeans....which brings me to the fact that our hot chocolate and all our fall clothes, except for a pair of jeans and a jacket for each of us, is packed away in the garage.  Those boxes aren't on the outside of our giant mound of boxes, no, they are deep in the middle.  When packing things away, I THOUGHT we would be getting in our house around mid-September.  It wasn't until the day our old house was moved that I found out that it will be more like the end of September, first of October.  That's what I get for thinking.  The first weekend of October last year was like 40 degrees in the sun in the middle of the day.  So we are going to be praying that summer lingers a little longer this year.  I will probably be watching for sales and picking up some fall clothes for us and then donating them once we're in the house because the number one thing I've learned is that there is so much that we have that we can live without and excessive clothes is one of those things.
Of course, I've also discovered some things that we really can't live without....or can't live without very easily.  Who knew a spatula was so vital to making life easier!?  When I began making fried eggs for the boys yesterday, I found that we don't have a spatula in the camper....so I used a big spoon to scramble them in the pan and serve them up.  My son pointed out that he didn't want his scrambled but he survived and ate them anyway. 
The next item...and possibly the most important item to never go without especially when camping....duct tape!! Got holes in your netted canopy from embers from the fire landing on it and melting holes in the netting, duct tape it.  Got a little bitty crack in the floor of your shower, duct tape it.  Want to try putting a penny in a baggie of water to keep flies away, duct tape it.....no, actually, don't do this.  I tried it, and the flies weren't phased.  You get the idea though....duct tape is our go to, gotta have item.  I've even seen my husband and one of his buddies duct tape a golf umbrella to a about 10 foot limb that was stuck in the ground at an angle and used to keep rain off of a camp fire.  This would be the first and only other time we've been camping.  It was the first year we were married and it was so miserable that we never went again.  And now look at us! lol
And the final item that is needed is aluminum foil.  It can block out windows to keep sunlight from heating up your tin can and it can be morphed into baking containers and cooking pans...which is important when all but one of your pans is in storage.  The kitchen was packed in a big rush the night before the house movers were coming, and there isn't much room in the camper for anything, so that combination resulted in one pan making it to the camper.  Oh, and that pan was only thought of for the purpose of making Roger's famous sweet tea.  Priorities. 

Hanger Danger

Good morning! So, as I mentioned in the last post our "bedroom" is just a queen size bunk that is raised so that underneath can be used for storage. Of course, you don't put anything under it that you want to have regular access to because it's not easy to get to.  Anyway, the bed is pretty comfortable and all but there is a danger lurking over my head.  I'm going to have to make sure my husband understands that he can't hang is empty hangers where he has been hanging them.  Let me show you.  This was my view when I woke up this morning.....

Hangers looming about two feet from me.  So when I go to roll over, or battle the blankets in the middle of the night, or even just sit up, guess what happens?  You got it...  I get tangled up in the hangers!  One night last week, while trying to untangle from the blankets, I got my foot caught on a hanger and ended up pulling the hanger down.  Two things about that...number one...hangers sound really annoying in the middle of then night when they have a foot stuck in them.  When they are hitting together and pinging around they are almost as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard...almost.  And number two....hangers flying around an area that is literally the size of a queen bed is dangerous!  I will be taking care of this hanger danger this morning.  Not sure where they are going to go but it cannot be in our "bedroom."  The only other place to hang anything is in the "closet" and I use that term loosely because it's about a foot wide and barely deep enough for a hanger.  Roger, my husband, has control over the closet since he has to dress up in a tie and all everyday for work.  All of my clothes are in an oversized suitcase, a Thirty-One large tote, and a drawer in the chest.  We brought our chest of drawers to the camper for a little more storage....and to have a place to put the television.  Priorities!