I just adore these two. They certainly make excellent subjects for photography practice!
And our squash. It did a good job playing my depth of field subject. Well done, squash. Well done.
We’re soaking in every ounce of warm sunshine we have left before the frost comes. It’s really just a matter of days. So Sunday afternoon, while it was shining beautifully on the deck, Ella and I took our paints out to the table.
Painting is a fairly still activity, so of course it had to be balanced out with some leaps off the deck furniture.
I’m having a ball with my photography class. Just a few more days of it and then I’m on my own! I’m thrilled with the new lens I have that allowed me to capture each of these. And I’m beginning to use my Canon more than my iPhone! Perhaps someday I’ll be considered a sort of photographer. How dreamy.
Remember our beloved Beatrice? We introduced her last fall on our previous blog in this post. We had such beautiful dreams for her…remodeling the inside and decorating with vintage Lake Superior decor, painting her exterior powder blue, and pulling her to picturesque camping locations throughout the north. It was something I had dreamed of doing for years, and I was thrilled when we found her for dirt cheap on craigslist.
Alas, our lovely Beatrice was not to be. She sat in storage throughout the long winter and her work was to began in mid-spring. However, when the RV experts had a good look at her, they came back with two options. The first was to rebuild the roof and multiple other parts, with a price take of many thousands of dollars. The other option? Let her rest. In the end, we found a nice home for her with a gentleman who will be using her as a hunting shack. It took me a while to part with the idea of remodeling her. I had pretty fantastic plans and imagined us pulling into a campground and being the talk of the place. We’d roll out our stripped awning and set out our chairs under a string of bare lights. Honestly, letting go of her hurt.
Even with the change of plans, we didn’t want to give up the idea of camping altogether, so we searched craigslist again, and found a perfect little pop-up camper in Minneapolis that fits us beautifully. And guess what? She doesn’t need any work. We immediately brought her home, set her up in the driveway, and camped our first night in her. A week later, we tried her out for real at a wooded, quiet campground only about 30 minutes from home. This little guy has decided he likes camping!
Ella has loved camping, too, introducing herself to every person around us. This girl is all about new adventures.
Camping food always tastes amazing. We did all our cooking on our stove that can be inside or outside. We opted for outside. Maybe that’s what makes it taste so good.
Ella is really into games since turning five, which is a lovely fit for camping. High Ho Cherry-O, anyone?
Her daddy is already teaching her the ways of fire. Look out.
Did I mention that Ella insisted on naming this camper Beatrice as well? She was quite disappointed about not getting to paint this camper, as we had told her we would do with the first Beatrice. After listening to her sadness, I gently asked if she would like to keep the name for the new camper. That somehow made everything okay. And now, after taking Beatrice and Ella on an in-the-woods camping trip, the two have bonded beautifully.
We’ll be out with Beatrice again next week, and this time, we’ll be camping alongside Grandma & Grandpa Scott! We can’t wait!
As we continue making progress toward our estate sale (details here), I’ve taken a little time to process what I’m learning about freeing myself from so much of my material stuff. Perhaps you’ll find this list helpful, too.
1. Know your reasons.
Why do you want to simplify? Is it so you don’t have to spend so much time keeping things organized? Are you preparing for a life change like a move or a new baby? Whatever your reason, it’s just that…yours. Don’t worry what it might look like to someone else. Just make sure you’ve thought it through. If you need to, write it down. That way you can remind yourself why you’re doing the work if you lose your motivation.
2. Find a cause.
What are you going to do with the stuff you’re purging? I suggest finding a great cause that you want to support by donating your items. Maybe it’s a local shelter, a church rummage sale, or your own sale to start a long-awaited vacation fund. Having a cause makes it far easier to part with things. If you’re donating to larger second-hand stores, I recommend looking into how they do as a company. Some chains don’t have the best policies. (Have you heard the Goodwill low-wage controversy for disabled employees? You can watch the NBC Rock Center report here and read about it on Forbes.com right here.) We try to stick to local organizations that help people in our immediate community.
3. Cut out distractions.
What are the things that are keeping you from making progress on your simplifying? Are you allowing enough time to get through each section? Are you constantly having little hands pull things out of boxes and demand they are absolutely in love with the toy they haven’t touched in a year? It’s important to strategize how to work around any distractions. Send the kids to grandma’s for the day (or the whole weekend!), turn off the phone, reschedule lunch dates, or leave your front curtains closed so no one stops in for an unannounced visit.
4. Move space by space.
Instead of trying to tackle your entire house in one fell swoop, take it space by space. It feels far less daunting and will give you a sense of accomplishment as you finish each area. It definitely helps prevent burnout, which you don’t want to hit if your entire house is a reorganization mess.
5. Use good boxes.
This may seem trivial, but I’ve found it can help in ways I hadn’t imagined. Using good, strong boxes helps the actual simplification process by encouraging you to keep your mind set on organizing. They can also keep things looking tidy, which helps prevent burnout on bigger jobs, especially if it will take more than one day to finish the space. Personally, nice boxes have helped me part with my nicer things simply because I wasn’t putting them in junky containers. In the end, it’s important to plan your boxes appropriately for transport. How much help will you have to move everything? What size vehicle will you be using? Big boxes may hold a lot, but they get heavy quickly and need more space in a car. (The boxes I’ve purchased for every move since we got married and now to prepare for our estate sale came from Sam’s Club. They have various sizes, but these are my favorite. They can be flattened, stored, and used again for future projects.)
6. Take pictures.
It’s hard to part with old tennis trophies, letter jackets, camp t-shirts, and other items that hold sentimental value, but are they really serving a purpose in an old box in the attic or hanging in the back of a closet? Instead of allowing such physical items to take up valuable space in our homes or even in our minds, take a picture of it and give yourself permission to part ways. Collect all your photos and put them together in an inexpensive photo book. Keep the book on a shelf and share it with friends or flip through it when you’re feeling nostalgic. After all, we’re usually more connected with the memories tied to an item than to the item itself.
7. Consider the emotional attachment you have with the item.
It can be hard to part with items that have some kind of connection with us. Was it a wedding or birthday gift? Did you get it at a special time in your life? Is it something you once loved and poured your time into? When simplifying, emotions can run wild, especially feelings of guilt for wanting to part with something “special.” One thing I constantly remind myself is that there are seasons of life and seasons come and go. We don’t need to hold on to the things that once brought us joy if they no longer do. And yes, that includes gifts. Do you think the giver of that gift would want you to have it if it no longer fits your purposes? This part of the process is probably the hardest, which is also why it’s so important to already have selected a great cause for your donations. If you know the set of mixing bowls your aunt gave you for your wedding shower will be going to your church’s kitchen, it will probably be easier to say goodbye to it.
Another note on guilt. I used to have time for lots of projects like sewing, baking, jewelry making, stamping, painting, etc., but I no longer have that time. At the moment, I want to be with my family and prepare for our future. I’ve allowed all of my project supplies to throw feelings of guilt over me for no longer putting them to use. It’s the same for a number of books on my shelf that I know I will never make time to read. Instead of continuing to allow these things to influence my emotions, I’ve boxed them up and will be selling them. I don’t want to give material things that kind of power over me, so I’m tossing out the guilt.
8. Take breaks but not too many.
Purging our things is an emotional event. Be sure to take time to break from it if you start to feel stressed. Watch a short episode of a light show on Netflix, go for a walk, have a cup of coffee. Let your mind rest. But don’t make your break too long or take too many. You might lose good momentum or end your work altogether.
9. Finish the job.
Finish what you’ve started. Complete each space to your liking and then get the boxes out of your house. If the boxes don’t leave, you may be tempted to start pulling things out again or the boxes might end up feeling like more clutter. You worked hard to get rid of stuff, so work just a bit harder and finish well.
10. Give yourself grace.
Simplifying is not easy. We live in a society that tells us we should have more, keep buying, continue to increase. We have emotional attachments to most of our material possessions. If you feel like you need a break, take one. If you want to hold on something just a little while longer, do it. If you get stuck, be gentle with yourself and ask a friend to join you. Sometimes an outside perspective is all it takes to keep moving forward. Remember, this is your life, these are your things, and you might need time to process it all. Praying helps tremendously. Do it before you begin, when you’re in the middle, and then again when you feel like you’ve finished. Speaking from lots of experience, God has a way of meeting us, with all of our wild emotions, right where we are, even with something as seemingly unimportant as simplifying. He never intended that our material possessions have a stronghold on us.
It really is amazing to feel a bit lighter by simply letting go of a few…or a lot…of our possessions. I’d love to hear about your own experiences and what you’ve found has worked well for you!
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A note on our own progress. We’ve nearly finished! We’ve gone through the house top to bottom. Now I’ve taken over for the small jobs like cleaning out the filing cabinet and refiling newer papers. We met with an estate sale company this week who say they will be able to hold a sale for us at the end of August. We’re working out the details, but we’re so happy to have a timeline! We plan to either go camping during the time of the sale or stay in a hotel. Something fun to separate ourselves from the sale. I’m glad our things will be going, but I don’t need to know who is buying each item. I’ve already said my goodbyes. And yes, I’ve taken plenty of pictures of our memories!
Today when I picked Miss Ella up from preschool, she urgently informed me I needed to see something in her lunch bag. I typically require she put on her seat belt before pulling anything out (this mama’s way of combating pokiness), but I could tell this was different. She dug through her bag and produced a sealed Ziploc bag with the following items enclosed:
Can I tell you how hard it was not to laugh on the spot?! This note is adorable! My blonde-hair beauty has never taken a scissor to her hair, but it does seem like an inevitable rite of passage for every little girl, so today was our day. I calmly asked her to buckle into her seat while I ran over to my friend, Amy, who was managing her boys. We had a pretty good laugh together. My sweet Ella has one little spot on the right side of her head where her hair is about an inch long. Fortunately, it blends in for the most part. While analyzing the situation together in the car, Ella and I decided that we’ve learned two lessons today. One, only Mommy or the stylist can use a scissor in her hair. And two, we shouldn’t always do what our friends tell us. Lessons learned. And I’m keeping this memento forever.
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When we found our {soon to be} beautiful vintage camper, Beatrice, last fall, I told myself I wouldn’t start shopping for decorations and such until spring. Well friends, it may not look a bit like spring outside in these parts, but according to the calendar, I’ve reached the golden hour! Yesterday, I walked up and down every isle in a local antique shop searching for treasure. Through the winter months, I fed my camper giddiness by pinning inspiring images on my camper Pinterest board. Beatrice won’t have a ton of space, so I want to be pretty intentional about what we get. On my first thrifting trip, this is what I found:
Three stainless steel canisters (flour, coffee, tea); a white enamelware pot; four plastic cups (never used); two hot pad holders; nine vintage Minnesota & Lake Superior postcards; one Little Golden Book. It is my vision to hang the postcards around the bottom bunk windows. Earlier today, I also found two vintage, handmade quilts for two of the beds and a big, newer quilt for the table that turns into a bed. Our primary colors will be red & teal, so I’m doing my best to stick to those colors while finding other vintage pieces that mix well with them.
Currently, Beatrice is still at the shop getting a little work done. We’ve had to halt work for a bit while we figure out how much time and money we want to put into her renovations. We did sell our motorcycles, so we’re using that money to do the work. But how much do we want to put into fixing the old roof for now? Whatever the decision, we’ll get to use her all summer, even if summer seems so far away!
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Today, little man Sam got his very first pair of big boy shoes. The two of us had such fun shopping for them. It was a little tricky because we needed a pair that would fit over his new ankle supports (Sure Steps) and also had a bit of a flexible sole. In the end, it really just came down to this one pair, and I think they’re pretty adorable. Don’t they look like little Cookie Monster skater shoes?
Sam is getting really good at army crawling and still rolls all over. We’re working on actually getting him up on his hands & knees, but at the moment it makes him pretty upset. His Sure Steps will help support his ankles so he doesn’t have to put as much energy and effort into keeping his feet in line when he’s trying to stand. Then he’ll be able to use his energy in the rest of his body to stay upright. We’re excited to see what progress he makes after this!
Look, Mom! New kicks!
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We are currently in the midst of another snow storm and school has just been canceled for tomorrow. Therefore, we’ll be huddled inside to play! As pretty as it is, I’m hoping this is the last storm of the winter. I’m ready to get this spring in motion!
Is there anything better than tucking away somewhere hidden with your love? How about if it’s in the middle of the week, out of cell range, without internet or TV, in the middle of a snow storm? Ahh, lovely. That’s exactly what Pete and I were able to do recently when a friend stayed with the kids and we headed up the shore.
We stayed for two nights at a small lodge along Lake Superior, not far from Grand Marais and the Canadian Boarder.
The lodge was old and cozy with a big fireplace in the family room where we sat for hours talking to visitors from all over the country.
There was also a pretty fantastic game room in the basement. It’s fun to play like kids when our own kids are with someone else.
Snack, anyone?
While we were cozy inside, it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was perfect.
The snow did eventually stop, of course. When it did, we walked next door to a little pub and restaurant. Their walleye was amazing. Pete and I ate under the watchful eye of this big guy.
After two days, we drove back to Duluth, caught an afternoon movie, and went home to cuddle our babes. Two days away with my love. I can’t wait to do it again.
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A few of you have asked about the progress of our sweet Beatrice – the vintage camper we’re working on. (If you missed our introduction post of our camping adventures, click here.) Beatrice is currently at a local camper shop getting a little work done. She needs some electrical parts replaced and a few spots patched in the roof. She’s also getting a new dinette installed since the old table didn’t actually belong with her and, therefore, wouldn’t turn into an additional bed. We pulled out all the mattresses and curtains before she left us, and we’ll soon be working with a local shop to have the them all remade (they were gross!). They’ll also be recovering the dinette cushions to match our vision for the inside, which means they’ll likely end up red. Once we get her back and the weather warms up a little (which is practically unimaginable in the bitter cold), we’ll paint her inside and out and start the fun decorating! I can’t wait for that! I’m thinking we may go primarily red and aqua inside with vintage postcards and maps of Lake Superior. Good thing we’ve got some great antique shops around here! I’ll be sure to post pictures of my antiquing and thrifting treasures as they are discovered. We can’t wait to go camping!
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What’s the weather like where you are? It’s frigid here! I may make a cup of chai and imagine I’m back in Kenya, where we were exactly one year ago. If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?
Ladies and gentlemen, new adventures are about to begin.
Meet Beatrice.
Yes, Beatrice. Or Bea. Miss Bea is a ‘vintage’ travel trailer from some time in the late-ish 1970s. (Some may say she’s just old. It’s all in the wording, and she deserves the title vintage.) Isn’t she just beautiful?!
Alright, I understand if you don’t think she’s particularly gorgeous, but think about all her incredible potential! It’s endless, my friends. Endless.
You may be wondering why on earth we would decide to add a camper to the mix. It’s a pretty simple answer, really. We want more time away together as a family. I grew up camping. Tents, pop-up campers, travel trailers. I have some really great memories playing tag in the woods with my siblings and swimming with other kids who were camping around us. I want our family to have that while we’re still here in the States. I adore the idea of tossing our stuff in the camper, hitching it up to the Jeep, and heading up the shore for a weekend. No distractions like house chores or work calls. Just the fam & the camper in the great outdoors. Yes, please.
Pete & I cautiously approached a delicate topic a few months ago that eventually led to the purchase of this beauty. I’m not kidding when I say delicate, either. We started to tip toe around the idea of…deep breath…selling our motorcycles. I know, I know. It wasn’t easy for us to even whisper the words.
How many times have I ridden my bike in the last two summers? Two. Yes, two. It’s just hard to make it happen with the kids. How many places do I go without them? And now that Pete is working further away, he can’t ride his to the hospital. He’s too tired to have the necessary focus to ride home after a shift. Thinking ahead, we’ll be selling nearly everything in two or three years when we pack up for Africa. Bikes included.
After praying and talking and letting some time go by, we decided that we would be okay selling the bikes. Then we started exploring an idea. I had been dreaming of someday buying an old camper and fixing it up a bit. We asked why it had to be someday and started looking on Craigs List for a camper with a little potential.
It wasn’t long before we came across an ad for our Beatrice. A couple simple pictures were included with the ad, which looked exactly like what we were looking for, so Pete called the owner for a negotiating chat.
The ad didn’t list a price but mentioned he would be interested in trading for it. What did we have to trade? Our bikes. That was about it, so Pete mentioned one. The seller wasn’t interested in a motorcycle but asked if we had guns for a swap. Well, no. No guns. Cash? How much cash would he want for it?
You won’t believe how much he wanted. Apparently he had inherited this little camper but already had a really nice fifth wheel camper, so he just wanted to be rid of it. A thousand bucks. A thousand bucks? Done. We’ll take it.
Two days later we were planning to drive to my parents’ house, and the camper was on the way. We swung through to take a look, crossing our fingers and praying she would be right for us.
Just look at her! We couldn’t resist her captivating beauty and incredible price. Yes, there are a few things that will need to be addressed, but we can handle that. We’ll be using the money from the sale of our bikes to cover the remodeling. That’s the part I can’t wait to do. I have so many ideas!
Basically, we’ll begin with fixing the roof and outside lights at a local camper shop. Then we’ll have the outside painted. We’re thinking a powder blue with a white stripe, perhaps. Then, we’ll move inside. The walls will be panted a very pale yellow (which is also the color throughout most of our house), the cushions will all be recovered in red, and we may go with new curtains in teal or a really pretty blue. We’re basically going for a 1950s or 1960s feel.
I’m so looking forward to hitting up a few antique stores to decorate. I want vintage postcards around the beds, an old map or two of Lake Superior, cozy quilts, little salt and pepper shakers, and durable plates and cups. I won’t go overboard and make it feel cluttered, since that’s not our style anyway, but I do want to make it cute.
Can you see my vision? It’s going to be adorable! And completely campable, of course. We’re already making camping plans with my parents and many friends for next summer. I plan to be in this baby as much as possible, even if it’s just parked in the driveway. Ella already thinks of Beatrice as her very own playhouse. She’s going to be great!
Oh, you’re probably wondering how we came up with the name Beatrice. Pete thought of it! Ella & I agreed that it sounded just right. We plan to have her name scrawled across the back, like you see on the back of sail boats.
Beatrice
Duluth, Minnesota
How grand.
Oh Ella, I feel the same way, my love. So many camping (and redecorating!) adventures await.
Did you go camping growing up? Did you use a tent or a camper? Do you have any memories that really stand out? I’d love to hear in the comment section below!
