Missouri Weather Strikes Again

Missouri Weather Strikes Again

I took a short and peaceful walk around my garden and property an hour ago. Spring flowers and buds are starting to show themselves with the beautiful temperatures we've had. 

Anytime now, the weather will change, quickly. Up to 65 mile per hour winds and temperatures going from the current 66 degrees to 22 degrees by 8 am on Monday.

Wind and Rain

Snow Flurries

Sunshine and Pleasant Temperatures

All within a few days!

My garden has fall onions coming up and a wonderful crop of greens. 

Such a lovely spring surprise.

Hollow de Log, the head of our outside cat patrol, walked the property with me as I took numerous photos of the spring progress. Hollow followed us like a dog, meowing like a baby as we walked the trail around the property. He usually doesn't come along; he waits for me near the house. But, since my husband was with me today, Hollow decided to follow.

Hollow Follow.

He cried most the way and while the pictures of him look fierce, he is not.

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I can feel the storm coming. The temperature has already begun to drop and the wind is picking up.

The cold temps, wind, and possible snow will have an effect on the spring blooms, but here in Missouri, the plants are used to it. It is a natural part of this area and while many plants are equipped and old enough to handle the wild weather in the spring, other plants will not make it and will have to be replaced.

The daffodil has already bloomed and is beginning to die off.

The grape hyacinths are always pretty and a wonderful pop of spring color.

Our catnip is growing strong, as always. The three cats that live here love the leaves.

It is always a great bug deterrent so I let it grow around the house at will.

The mint is coming back! Great in tea! I've tried to transplant it to other places around the house. 

It smells good and keeps bugs away, "they say" haha.

This mint as well as the catnip are known for overgrowth, so many people plant it in containers.

I'm excited the catnip is growing along this portion of our outside wall. The concrete looks ugly to me, so as the catnip and mint grown there, it will look much nicer.

I'm not sure where this flower came from. Must have accidentally transplanted some bulbs when working this portion of the property. Looks beautiful.

The onions from last fall are doing well. I'm going to research if I can cut part of the top off to add to salads.

This beautiful purple flower took over my garden last fall, of course it wasn't flowering then. I think it is a wild edible, so more research for me!

Bulbs are coming up! Hope the cold and snow doesn't effect them.

It shouldn't.

Hollow de Log on watch for birds, bugs, and cats!

This is one of the greens that came up this spring. I've planted so many heirloom plants it's hard know exactly what kind they are. This plant is delicious in eggs and sauteed.

The pic above is the greens before it flowers. The leaves can get bitter once it bolts, but they haven't on the other plants yet, I think it's because of the temperature not being hot out.

Hollow shows how big the mustard plant is compared to him.

Strawberry runners have busted out of the rock wall. I don't mind. I let them grow where they want.

Thinking this is heirloom kale coming up. Going to enjoy it in eggs in the morning.

And, Hollow and I head to the trail around the field to see what natural plants are growing. It's a bit early, so not much color.

Since I started writing this, the storm has blown in. A tornado warning was issued for a town just east of us. Thankfully there was nothing awful here and prayers are for the surrounding towns as well as the areas that are further east.

I'll let you know how the plants do after the cold weather and possible snow settles in for a couple of days. One friend is concerned about the blossoms on her fruit trees.

 My seed packets are out on the table and the sorting and planning begins. 

Hoping to plant on Wednesday!

Bad Winter Great Cabin

I am so glad we rented a cabin for a couple of months!  Good Granny!  It is cold and snowy all winter!

My family up north would say, "Duh!"

My family in the south would say, "We would never live there!"

My family in Missouri is saying, "This is a really bad winter here!"

I am just saying, "It would be awful if we had been in our camper, in Missouri, this winter."

This is our third time taking a break from the camper and renting a cabin for a short time.  It has been nice to have flush toilets, lots of amperage in my kitchen, more room, couches, a big oven and fridge, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms. I could go on, but I might bore you.  The point is that I am really enjoying it here and I am so thankful we rented it.

Sadly, the electric rates are horrible this year. My family and friends have had to pay between $300-$400 a month. When the electric bill came in for this cabin, we were surprised at how high it was!  We ended up paying extra to try to help the owner out since electric is included in our rent.

With a month left before getting back on the road, I find myself excited to get back in my home, the camper. Although, I have to admit, I could rent the cabin for another month or two!

From Camper to Cabin - day 14

Do my kids really have room to run around inside? While living in a camper is amazing, it does have its drawbacks and small indoor play areas is one of them.  With the big December snow storm, we appreciated having the room to spread our many wings and play for the week we were stuck inside.

I don't miss the camper yet, it has only been a couple of weeks.  It feels great to take a break from the 42' traveling house.  If we hadn't rented the cabin, we would be south by now.  

I have found that we can only handle five days at most in the camper without a break. I learned that
a few years ago when we were stuck in the camper for five days during an ice storm in Dallas, Texas.  We almost went looney having to stay cooped up in such a small space for so long with so many of us!

It was wonderful to move into the cabin a couple of weeks ago, just before the storm hit and hide out for a week while the roads remained iced over. 

It was wonderful and still is....

I told my hubby, 

" Why don't we sell the camper and just rent cabins for a year?"

Hmmmm. We will see what happens!

Gabriel sleds down an Ozark hill dotted with trees. The camper and cabin in the background.
I always think of Missouri sledding as a human game of pin ball, dodging trees on all sides.

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From Camper to Cabin - a well needed break

While it may seem that I have disappeared, I have not. While it has been my dream to blog and write and inspire people to live lives that are valuable to God, others, and themselves, my priority is to my family. So while I have seemed to have vanished in the internet world, I have been living full time with my family.

The past eight months have brought many a changes in me. I would not even know where to begin to share our adventures since we left Utah. My heart has been touched, broke, re-built, then recharged, and to be broke again.

Winter brings much needed change in our life.

I have had zero free time.  I don't need free time.  It is a privilege.  While I may have been too busy to blog and write, I have not been too busy to reach out to my husband, kids, and the people God has brought to me.

The hours spent with campers, new friends, old friends, people in need, people who don't need anything, hurt people, happy people, and every crazy one in between - they have taken much of my free time and even more of my heart.

These past months have been amazing.  But now I find myself at the other end of the spectrum and am hiding out in a cabin in the Ozark Mountains for the winter.  My husband was determined to give us a break from the camper.  He has had his fill of traveling for the time being.  He has no desire to go anywhere and is ready for a break.

This is our third time renting a cabin.  The first was Wisconsin, then Utah, now Missouri.  

So, another adventure begins.  Day two in cabin - brown recluse!

Condensation in a Camper...I Might Have Won the Battle!

The battle is over...I think I won.

Time will tell.

Cold weather is coming to stay and with it condensation in the camper.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know the struggles I have with condensation.

With paper thin walls and extreme temperature differences, water/condensation collects on almost every wall and fills every window sill, every morning.

Mold becomes a serious problem and has to be dealt with constantly.  In the past I thought I was going nuts after having to wipe walls and sills for months at a time.  I had to dig everything out of cabinets that were on the outside walls of the camper and dry them out every other day.

I tried putting charcoal in bags, Damp Rid, small dehumidifiers, leaving a vent open, and other things but none seemed to help much.  They all helped a little, but not enough to keep my sanity!

So, when my husband decided he wanted to try to stay further north this winter instead of say warm Texas, Florida, or Arizona - I was thinking - make a reservation at the nut house for me!

I love my husband very much and try to trust his judgement.  We don't always agree but I decided to just go along with this and make the best of the cold situation and stay in the cold with a smile.

I researched bigger dehumidifiers on line.  I don't have room for one that is larger than 30 pints and I definately want one that is on the quieter side.  But, after reading the reviews it seemed that none would work.

So, when I saw one at Walmart the other day I just grabbed it and set it in my cart.  I figure if it doesn't work then it will go back.

And guess what....

It works!  So far so good!  Tonight will be a test of its efficiency.  With temperatures dipping even lower and us still breathing as much as usual - we will see how much, if any, condensation is on the windows.

I hope it will do the job and the battle will be over and I will continue to be only half crazy instead of totally!

A Day at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in Battlefield Missouri

Looking into the past is an exciting part of our trip.  While spending time in southern Missouri, we decided to go to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.  It was one of the largest battles in the beginning of the Civil War.  

This battle was the first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River.  It took place on August 10th, 1861.

Hundreds of men died here in a land that was torn between the north and the south.

The park has great walking, biking, and hiking trails.

Our family had a wonderful time there and can't wait to go back!

The View From My Front Door

Life on the road is just that - Life on the Road.  

Many aspects of life do not change because we are traveling.  There are meals to be cooked, dishes to be done, vacuuming the small floor space daily, laundry, schooling, baths, clipping toe nails, playing, paying bills, catching up on paperwork.

Our views always change yet other views stay the same.

The big difference is when I walk out my front door I may see this:

Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Year one - us kayaking

 Or this:

Sometimes it is the view while staying at a relatives home.

Some of the campgrounds have animals for all to enjoy.
Mansfield, Missouri

The mist on Nolin Lake, Kentucky

 Sometimes this:

Fall colors in Honea Path, South Carolina

Enjoying the birds in central Alabama

Alligator filled campgrounds in central Florida.
Withlocochee State Forest

 Other times this:

Some views of the dumpsters and water waste treatment plant make us laugh and
get in a hurry to move to the next campground.

The Spanish Moss hanging in clumps on the trees around a lake in Montgomery, Alabama.

Sometimes all we can see is the next camper over.

Other times we are right next to the beach and enjoying our kayaks.
Key Largo, Florida

The deserts of the southwest are beautiful and vast.
Hawthorne, Nevada

Sometimes we stay at extremely nice campgrounds that even
provide gazebos and three pools!
Nevada Treasures RV Park in Pahrump, NV

Of course, my daughters enjoy being near water, like here
in San Angelo, Texas.

It was hard to chose pictures for this post.  There are so many beautiful places we have been since heading out on the road.  

Our home may be small 

but our back yard is the entire country!

Camping in the Woods Has Its Problems

It is days before the home school convention I will be speaking at and sure enough I got poison ivy on my chin.  Can you believe that?  We live in our camper - in the woods...but still...right before the convention?

The leaves have filled the forests.  The campground is in full bloom and pollen is covering everything.  With the nice temperatures the kids have enjoyed doing school and playing outside as much as possible.  But, about every fifth time they pass the ball, someone misses it and the ball flies into the woods.  Someone has to go get it, and I know there is a patch of poison ivy over the fence.  Or, maybe it was dear hubby when he hiked through the woods to get lighter wood for our campfire.  Regardless of where I got it from, I sure have it.  That is part of living in the woods.  Whether the danger be poison ivy, bears, mountain lions, weird neighbors, or snakes, we have to deal with it the best we can.

So, hopefully the witch hazel I am putting on my chin will help the poison ivy to go away.  If not, I will see you at the convention with a very bumpy, red chin!

Daddy is so Strong!

Another day in the National Forest. Each day brings new adventure and great memories. After breakfast, chores, and bible study, I took the kids for a walk. Gabriel flew by on his bike; riding on the road half the time and in the ditch the other half. Josie was pretending to be a mommy while pushing her stroller and Tytus rode his tricycle, pretending it was a dirt bike. He doesn't use the pedals but instead pushes himself along on the ground with his feet - kind of like the Flintstones.

Naomi walked by my side with her camera at the ready. My dear husband came along and cut down a tree that was hanging over the road. It was quite low to the ground and he was concerned it would poke a hole in the roof of someone's camper. Of course, the kids were impressed when daddy cut half way through the tree and then pushed it to the ground with his hands. I was a little impressed, too.

We spent the next five minutes cleaning up the branches and then continued our walk. It was a beautiful day and none of us wanted to head back. Yet, we had to. Josie and Tytus were tired and Shae had to get back to work.

It was an active day with many projects to be completed. With the convention coming up, the one I am speaking at, we have a lot to get done. I am excited to share with people about our life and travels. I only have one hour for each class and I am finding it difficult to condense everything I want to share.

Cody spent the afternoon doing voluteer work and Hanna was writing and helping with cooking. Monday is work day so we do a lot of baking for the week. She made a huge batch of rice and a pan of cornbread. Josie made the pinto beans, with help of course. Naomi helped with school for the younger ones. Shae and I did our exercise video - I still have 10 lbs to go.

Now, it is late and I am still working on the magazine. It is much easier to get things done when everyone is in bed. I just hope Shae can sleep through the noise of my typing!

Taking a Break in the Snow with the UTV

Sometimes in the winter, we just have to get out and go for a ride.  So, for recess, Gabriel and I took our 

UTV into the woods to check out the snow fall and the beautiful woods.  It was a lot of fun to have some alone time 

with him, although my oldest son, Cody, came along on his ATV to see what the woods looked like with snow covering it.

The UTV did great in the snow and we only froze a little driving in the cold air. 

Adventure is necessary for an eight year old boy.  Taking to the woods, in the snow, with mom, definitely made his day.

Our time is so limited with our children.  School days can become long and boring.  Why not spice it up a bit - get a little crazy.  

Go do something fun!

Over the mountains and thru the woods to Missouri we go...

After spending many hours researching campgrounds and bible camps to do missions work at, I thought I had a pretty good plan. We'd leave the Mesa Verde, Colorado area and spend the winter wandering around New Mexico, western Texas, back to parts of Arizona then north again in the spring to explore Utah and then Hwy 50 going east thru Colorado again for the fall.

But, what was I thinking?  Why do I even waste my time making plans?

My dear hubby sat me down one morning, about a week before we were set to leave Colorado. He told me that  he felt we needed to go back to Missouri. There was a camp there that we loved and they would be needing new camp hosts next fall.  Shae wanted to look into taking it over. It is on about 1500 acres with two beautiful lodges, four large pools, outdoor activities, and a five bedroom log home.  The wages aren't great, but we thought Shae might be able to keep engineering some to bring in extra cash.

When I heard him say, "I think we need to go back to Missouri."  I almost tipped over.  What about my plans for the grand adventure around the south and then west again?  Zion, Bryce Canyon, off roading in Moab and Colorado.  Visiting family in Texas, Arizona, and again in Colorado. I was hoping that maybe, just maybe we could rent a condo on a beach in Texas for Christmas!

Missouri!  I love Missouri, but I had no desire to go back.  We had just been there in May and it was only November.  We hadn't been gone that long!

I controlled my tongue and facial expressions.  I love my husband dearly and decided I really needed to consider what he was saying.  Here was a great opportunity to honor him and his ideas.  Boy, I must admit, it wasn't as easy as I would have liked.  I knew I needed to be open to this not just in my facial expressions and lack of words - but also from my heart. 

If honor is not from the heart - it is not honor.

We discussed the idea thoroughly and I never really liked the thought of going back, but I love my hubby and trust his judgement.  The camp we were going to was wonderful,  a great place for everyone in the family, except not everyone in the family was looking forward to going back.  Only Shae and Cody wanted to go. 

It was growing for all of us.  Trust.  Peace.  Love.  Joy.  One thing I have learned on this trip and in life is that our happiness should not depend on where we are camped.  Our happiness comes from the Lord.  Our happiness does not revolve around our circumstances but instead around our inner peace and joy.

So, off we went. The four day trip back to Missouri was a tough one, but we made it.  The fall colors were gorgeous and we were welcomed by so many wonderful friends and family. 

We rode our ATVs and UTV in the Ozark Mountains and hiked the trails that wind through the hills.

Seeing my mom is always wonderful.  She lives in the Ozarks and looks forward to our coming back every year.  Usually we all put on weight from her wonderful cooking.