What In The World Is Going On Around Here?

My apologies for being MIA the last several weeks and for the hit or miss posts as of late.

My excuse for the last several weeks... I joined Country Boy out West to celebrate 13 years of marital bliss and partake in a Thanksgiving feast in the Mojave Desert with family and a few of his coworkers!  We had a WONDERFUL time and I have way too many photos to share with you (so consider yourself forewarned!).

Nevada

Apologies also for the miscellaneous nature of my posts this year.

When I began this blog over a year ago, my intent was to share my city girl gone country adventures with y'all along with my love of photography.

All was going as planned and I was never at a loss for content for blog posts.  We were working towards creating a small farm on our piece of land and striving to be more self-sufficient.  There was also never a dull moment for some reason with us!  We always had a project or two in the works.

Then, times got tough.  Prices for necessities skyrocketed and Country Boy had not received a raise in over four years.  We began the process of eliminating luxuries like satellite TV, expensive cell phone service, no more deliciously, yummy, over-priced lattes for me when I'm in town, etc.  All that helped yet we were still barely surviving let alone able to proceed with any of our plans for the farm/homestead due to cost.

At the same time, we felt the Lord telling us that we were to be debt-free by the end of this year.  Say WHAT?  We're barely surviving paying for the basics let alone being able to add anything extra to chip away at the bills.  And a savings account?  We had one but every time we managed to get a decent amount, something would come up or some one would need money.  So, in other words, we had no idea how we would manage to be debt-free by the end of the year but we chugged along doing the best we could with what we had and praying for some answers.

The answer came in March when Country Boy was offered a job in his original field of industrial construction working as a Millwright.  The drawback?  The job was in Idaho.  As these jobs go, they may last a couple of months or a couple of years but he gave his two week notice as an EMT and we began prepping our 5th wheel and packing his tools.

Knowing this job was only for a few months and not knowing if he would get hired on for another job, we made the decision that I would stay here and maintain the 'farm' that we were working towards... the garden, the chickens and ducks and of course, the cats! 

Now enter sporadic blog posts because of all the extra work, loss of content for blog posts due to missing my cohort and for safety concerns.

Country Boy finished that job in Idaho and did, indeed, get called for another job in California which has the possibility of lasting a couple of years.  Now it's a whole different ball game.

We have made the decision that I will join him in a couple of weeks.  Yay!  I miss him terribly...

Funny how my desire to purge and live simply is coming to fruition in a way that I never imagined!  When living in a 5th wheel one is forced to live simply!

I have found a place that is finding homes for six of our eight cats and I'm in the process of selling the ducks and chickens.  I will not lie.  I am going to miss them all but this is just for a season.  One day, we'll have our farm!

And that, my friends,  is why we're on this traveling adventure right now.  It is our gift to get out of debt and to save up for our dream farm and farmhouse!

I hope that you will stick with me as my blog content will change to more of a traveling nature and that of life in an RV park but I will always have photos to share with you.

And, speaking of photos, I have few more for you.  This will be our home for a bit...

The view from our comfy lounge chairs...

We bought the bird feeder while I was out there last week.  It only took the birds a day to find it and then it was swarmed from then on!

What a joy to watch and photograph them!

I am back home for a couple of weeks wrapping things up before heading West.  I have Christmas gifts to make, a Christmas cantata to direct at church, more items need to be gathered for another garage sale, other items need to be packed to take with me, friends to see before leaving, etc.  Just a few things to do, ha!

So, that's what's going on around here.  Stay tuned cuz it's sure to get interesting 'round here!

Oh, and as I said earlier, I have way too many photos from my trip out West to share with you also.

Till next time,

Simply Saturday

Today, I am simply taking a break from all the purging and crafting I've been doing as of late.

I am going with a group from our church to one of my favorite state parks, Homosassa Springs where I took these images the last time I was there...

Today, I am going to simply enjoy the beautiful day and take the time to pursue another passion of mine, photography.  I've not had much time for this lately so it will be a pleasure to get behind the camera again.

And besides, I've got a 2013 calendar I've got to design and have printed before Christmas.  Yikes, where has the time gone!

Have a great weekend!

Till next time,

Surgery Update & Priorities

LizzieBelle's surgery went well.  Thanks to all who said a prayer and for your encouraging comments yesterday.  The vet said her pre-op blood work was good and she did fine during the surgery and there were no complications.  She is recuperating nicely and is currently snuggled under her blanket in one of her many beds throughout the house and front porch!  This bed happens to be in the office.  She has to be near me which is so sweet!

The vet told me she was going to clean her teeth as well yesterday at no extra charge, yay!  But, she found three bad teeth so she extracted them.  (I did have to pay for that though, sigh.)

They were front teeth so LizzieBelle will still have no problem with eating crunchy food.  The rest of her teeth are nice and shiny.

We're having a cold snap here and with her thin hair she gets cold easy.  I can't put her sweater on her because it may irritate her incision so I'm going to make her a few more blankets.

I bought some warm fleece and some quilt binding at our superstore and that is one of the priorities for today.

I can't decide if I'm going to make two larger blankets or four smaller ones.  Decisions, decisions...

But, before I can get to that priority (because I can't bear to see her shivering) I have another priority to tackle.  This purging mess...

Why is that a priority?  Because I can't get to my sewing machine, ha!  Can you find my machine in this photo?

Here's a hint...

It's by the window with a small path to get to it.

I'm tellin' ya... serious purging going on.  Anyhoo, I need to finish in this room and get it organized so that I can move on to the next room AND so that I can get to my sewing machine!

Another priority today is preserving a mess o' greens that I picked yesterday during LIzzieBelle's surgery.  (It kept me occupied so that I didn't worry!)  Some friends from church have a beautiful garden full of various greens, cabbage and broccoli.  They called to see if I wanted any greens since they were ready to be harvested.  I said 'Sure'!  I love greens.  Any kind of greens and to have the opportunity to have some homegrown greens is a sheer delight!

We picked mustard, collard and turnip greens and then began the long process of cleaning them.  I was so thankful for their offer to help me wash them.  I think I would still be washing them if it weren't for their help!

After a couple of washing's, we bagged them up and I brought them home.

Two stuffed grocery bags of each kind of greens.   Mmmmm!

I'm going to give them one more washing and then can the turnip greens and then possibly freeze the mustard and collards.  It takes 90 minutes to process the greens so that's why I might freeze the others just for time's sake.  We'll see, though, how all the priorities go today.

I have a few other things I'd like to accomplish today.  While they're not top priorities, they do need to get done in the next day or two.  Things like listing items on my Etsy site, re-doing my blog layout, making sure the check book is squared away, paying bills, burning the trash, start designing my 2013 calendar, etc.

Mercy, if I'm ever going to get even some of that done I'd better get to it!

Till next time,

The Big Day

This morning I take Miss LizzieBelle to the vet to be spayed, sniff.

I think it's going to be harder on me than on her.

I'm having a hard time NOT feeding her this morning.

She seems to be OK with me not feeding her as long as she's in my lap.

And, once I start getting ready to go, she'll be excited to 'go byes in the car'!

While I'm happy that she will be spayed, I'm upset about the

surgery part even though I know that's the way it has to be.

Please pray with me that all goes well.  Thanks.

Till next time,

Back At It

It's back to purging and decluttering this fine Monday morning.

I give myself a break on Sundays.  A day of rest from anything work related including any projects that are in the works and especially a rest from any household duties and chores... no cooking, no doing dishes, no dusting or vacuuming, etc.  I spend a good bit of the day with my church family and then the rest of the time is spent napping, reading or crocheting.  It's a great time to slow down, unwind and regroup so that when Monday rolls around I'm refreshed and ready to begin the week again.

I've been so busy as of late that I have neglected my own home.

Today, I'm going to tackle this mess...

(the Dunkin Donuts box is left over from last Friday when we moved my brother and sister-in-law into their new home.  I'm polishing off the last muffin as I write this post, mmmmm!)

and this mess...

and this mess.

Anyone that knows me knows that clutter drives me nuts.  And, yes, it's a very short drive, ha!  (And for those of you who are noticing that the date on my calendar is wrong, it's the day that my Mother passed away and I just can't change it yet even though it's been over two months.)

You are probably thinking how did I let it get to this point in the first place?  Good question!  I sold a few pieces of furniture and most of this stuff was stored in those pieces and I haven't had the time until now to take care of finding them a new home or simply getting rid of it.

So today, it will all get taken care of... filed, tossed or put away because I now have a bit of time to tend to my house.  I will also be finishing up the purging in the guest room and closet.  LOTS of things being packed away for a garage sale in December!  The next room that will be purged will be the office, then the kitchen and lastly our bedroom and bathroom.

It's amazing how much stuff two people can accumulate over a period of time.  We just seem to fill up every available space in the house and then all the outbuildings until we think that we need a bigger house just to have some place to put all our stuff.

When I look at the stuff I'm purging and putting in the garage sale, it is all stuff that we hardly used or looked at and wasn't necessary for every day living.  Yet, when we saw it at the store, we just HAD to have it.  Whatever 'it' was, we just knew it would make our lives easier or more comfortable.  Phooey on that logic!  It usually just ended up being something else to dust or break or not even work the way it was advertised to work in the first place. 

We are to the point that we want to have only the things we need and surround ourselves with a few special things that we love.  Simplicity.  And getting back to the basics.  That's what we're after.

I'm  excited to get the messes taken care of because I have a lot of creating to do between now and Christmas.  I just can't be creative when I'm surrounded by clutter and things that are not where they should be.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Till next time,

Sunday Serenity

Gulf Fritillary

The butterflies love the Lantana I planted last summer.

They are constantly flitting from flower to flower.

Gulf Fritillary

 They are so enjoyable to watch.

And even more fun to photograph!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Till next time,

Boots & Bling

Miss LizzieBelle's got bling!

While I was waiting in the check out line to purchase LizzieBelle's new sweater and leash at PetsMart the other day I saw these adorable tags and I just had to get one!  Her name is on the front and I put our email address and cell phone numbers on the back.

Made with Austrian crystals and a sturdy metal, these can be engraved right in the store at no extra charge. It was simple to do and only took a few minutes.  There's even a protective film that goes over the engraving to help avoid it from being scratched or worn off.

Fancy shmancy!

Now, if she accidentally gets lost, hopefully someone will be kind enough to contact us because life would not be the same without her and we would miss her terribly.  She has carved a place in our hearts even in the short amount of time she's been with us.

While LizzieBelle got some bling, I got some new boots...

I'm very picky about my boots.  They have to be cute AND comfy!  These fit the bill (and my feet!).  And they even have some pink threaded details which is always a plus!

My other boots are fun and sporty (as well as cute and comfy and pink!)...

but I wanted a pair of boots that were more classic in looks.  And, unbelievably, they were one of the cheaper pairs, yippee!  In my shopping history, I usually gravitate towards the most expensive item and then have to look at all the others trying to find one I like just as much because I have a hard time spending a large amount of money on one item.

So, needless to say, I'm pleased with both of my recent purchases for LizzieBelle and I, woot!

Have you bought anything recently that you were thrilled with?

Till next time,