26 Days of Thanks

Day 6

Having lived in a motor home for the last 3 1/2 months, I think I would be remiss to not use one of the 26 Days of Thanks to give thanks for my new-to-me house.

2 1/2 weeks ago we moved into our 1973 ranch style home, with lots of character and a back porch to die for,  it feels like we've been here forever.

This 3 bedroom 2 bath home represents a whole lot more than shelter for my family. It represents the goodness of God towards my family. I am so thankful He provided this house for us.

We do still own this lovely home in Gunter...and would love to make a deal with some fortunate family before the holidays...but no worries...really...God's got it under control.

Thank you Lord for the home you provided for my family. You are so good to us and words can't even explain what I feel or think when it comes to how you have provided and cared for us this year. Thanks for being Provider, Sustatiner and the Lifter of my head.

Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday time over at Sonya's Truth 4 the Journey .

Share you thankful list here or there or on your own blog!

1. My new house. We are moved in, unpacked (for the most part) and enjoying having a little more room to wiggle. Thanks for your prayers over the last 3 + months as we lived in the RV! Thanks to the Lord for our new home!

2. The Word of God. Powerful, Sharp, Comforting.

3. The Man of God. Our pastor celebrated his 40th year in ministry this past Sunday. It was a day of celebration as our church honored him. My takeaway point: Be faithful, people are affected by your faithfulness.

4. Stove/Oven- I'm cooking again! Life in the RV was not so condusive to cooking so we are finally enjoying sitting at the table around a homecooked meal.

5. Friends- online, at church, out of town or across the street- they are my sanity after crazy days and reality checks on days when I am way off. Thankful for their sweet fragrance and the truth they breathe into my life.

What are you thankful for today?

How to Catch a Skunk

HOW TO CATCH A SKUNK

First: Find someone who owns a trap...or perhaps you have one in your garage. Set the trap in the area where you have seen the skunk. Use tuna fish or bread for the bait. We used bread.

We set the trap at around 9:30pm last night. Here's what we found at 7am today:

Find someone who is willing to dress up in a tarp. Evidently the key to this process is not allowing the skunk to see you. Mr. Ray Calhoun was willing to be the skunkman and risk his life for us....what a hero.

Another key ingredient is for the tarp person to be very slow in sneaking up on the skunk. They don't like abrupt motions.

After you get close enough to drop the tarp over the crate, tuck the tarp around the trap like a present so that the skunk cannot see out. Beware: The skunk is not happy at this point.

Convince a couple of unsuspecting guys to help load the critter into a truck, then wave goodbye to the skunk....You're skunkman will take care of the rest. Don't ask questions.

And that's how you catch a skunk.

Save Us From the Skunk, Lord!

Last night after a scrumptuous home cooked meal with some friends (at their home), our family pulled back into our gated communinity (AKA the church lot which happens to have a fence around it). When we drove up, much to our dismay, we saw a certain black and white creature trying to get through the chainlink fence right by the RV we are living in. Geez Louise!!!

As we sat there in the car we struggled with the solution.

1. Get out and walk carefully to the door of the RV and pray the skunk didn't spray us

2. Wait and see where the skunk ends up going once he's inside the fenced area

3. Call someone who has a gun (sorry animal rights activists) knowing that if we shot the skunk he would spray as a defense mechanism

4. Go to the store an stock up on Tomato Juice to bathe in.

Well because we live in Texas and anytime a gun can be involved in hunting-like circumstances you take advantage of the opportunity- We called our friend Jeremy...and within minutes he and oldest son appeared with not one...but two guns.

Thing is, during the time between the phone call and their arrival, the skunk got through the fence and headed towards the RV. That was the last we saw of him. They searched under the RV, under the church buses, vans, on the soccer field....to no avail. Stinkin' Skunk.

All the while, the hunt is going on. Savannah is just about to have a panic attack in the car. She is worried about dad getting sprayed by the skunk. She decided that we needed to have prayer so I said yes....here's how it went...I kid you not.

Lord, please be with my daddy while he is out there looking for that skunk. Please don't let him get sprayed because the stores are closing and we won't be able to get any tomato juice for him to take a bath in. Please don't let the skunk spray us or our RV. AMEN.

I was laughing so hard! ...and a little thankful that she calmed her anxiety with prayer.

So, the skunk got away....the guys were disappointed that the use of guns was unnecessary. Maybe next time!

For more skunk stories with my family read The Skunk Always Wins

Things I like about living in the RV

Since our time in the RV is officially winding down...yes, we are moving into a house on Sept. 1. I thought I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about all the things that have made living in the RV so wonderful.



1. Togetherness...my family.



2. It only take 20 minutes to clean.



3. The canopy off the side. Great for sheltering from the rain.



4. A break from cooking (yes, it's been nice....but guess what???...I can't wait to get into my new kitchen and make some bread).
5. Less of everything...laundry, toys, dishes.



6. Heavy drapes that close out the sun and make it extra cozy for naps, reading and jammie-movie days.



7. Lawncare



8. Large shade trees



9. Cable and Internet hooked up



10. Swivel chairs...I don't know why...I just do.


I am so thankful for the provisions that God has blessed us with during this time. He is looking out for this family.


The lyrics to this Lincoln Brewster song sum it up:


You dance over me,
While I am unaware,
You sing all around,
But I never hear a sound.


Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
How You love me.


You paint the morning sky,
With miracles in mind,
My hope will always stand,
For You hold me in Your hand.


Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
How You love me.


Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
How You love me.


How deep,
How wide,
How great,
Is Your love for me.


Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
Lord I'm amazed by You,
How You love me.
Lord You love me.

Househunting

So our little RV excursion is coming to a close. It's been over a month now and we've crunched the numbers and are going to plunge into the world of mortgage and rent juggling. I know you'll miss the occasional RV humor we have all come to love, but alas, it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

First let me let you in on a little secret. We have looked at over 20 rentals. Not joking. I am amazed at what some landlords will charge for a cat urinated, carpet stained, mildew growing house. One house we went into smelled weird. I couldn't quite figure out what it was until I realized that the landlord had scented candles burning in every room....what do you think he was trying to cover up?

So, just as we thought there was no rental out there for us and that we would be filling multiple blog postings with hilarity from the RV, we got 2 calls from our special real estate agent friend. He had heard about 2 rentals. So we went and looked. They are both great. Now we have to decide. It would have been so much easier if one was horrible and the other was super, but no, now we have to make a real grown up decision. I hate this part.

I'll keep you posted on which one we choose...should be tonight!

Living It Up- RV Style

My family is in the midst of a move. Our problem isn’t unique. Our previous home hasn’t sold and we aren’t in the position to purchase another home until that happens. Meanwhile God has provided us a wonderful RV for our family to live in during the waiting game.

Going from a modest middle class home to an RV has been easier than I ever imagined. Albeit small, the home comes equipped with all our necessities. Air conditioning, hot water, refrigerator and other kitchen appliances and even two televisions! Wow…home sweet RV home. We’ve moved a week’s worth of clothing in and our toiletries and a few toys for the kids and we are set to make it for a while.

With all the modern conveniences we thought we had it made. I made advance preparations with groceries and toilet paper. We even waited one day before we moved in with the kids. Last Saturday night was our first night to spend the night. The kids were excited. We took our first showers, ironed clothes for the next day and took care of bedtime routines. Everyone was snuggled in bed.

We all fell asleep, slumbering like babies….until 2am when out of nowhere the loudest train ever made barreled through the city train tracks - located right behind the property where we are staying. As you can imagine we were immediately awakened and nearly horrified. None of us had given a thought to the train. We hadn’t prepared ourselves for the enormous noise and whistling.

The next night we were all more prepared. We talked about the train with the kids. We reminded them it would be loud and we assured them that nothing would happen to them. That night when the train came through, I was the only one who awakened.

Isn’t that just like trusting children? Children who trust their parents, who believe they will be taken care of. Shouldn’t that be just how we are with our Heavenly Father? Shouldn’t we trust his guidance? Shouldn’t we know that He will take care of us? No amount of noise, hardship, disease, pain, divorce or finances can keep us from His care. Thankfully we can sleep easy when we trust in Him.

Dessert You Can Make in an RV

Eclair Cake

Prep Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 4 Hours 25 Minutes
Servings: 14

"This is a very quick and simple no bake dessert cake. It uses graham crackers and a pudding mixture. It tastes just like an eclair, but there is enough for a crowd!! It is a great recipe for children who are learning to cook, there is no baking involved or any power kitchen tools. Just a bowl and a spoon!"

Ingredients:
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla
pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped
topping, thawed
3 cups milk 1 (16 ounce) package graham cracker
squares
1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate
frosting

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.
2. Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.
3. Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 7/28/2009