December 2014 Life Update!

What do you do when you've travelled four days, need to use the restroom, and there's no running water at your destination?

Hello, John. My name is Jill.

You use an outhouse.... Welcome to our December 2014!

The outhouse on my family's property.

Family and Friends, again!

The biggest blessing of December 2014 is being able to see my family again. Except for a two day visit from my father a year ago, I have not seen my family in two years. In fact, my family has never met my husband in person. (They've only seen his handsome face in pictures and Skype and heard his voice on the phone.) I was also reacquainted with the family pets-- Shylah (medium size dog), Char Belly (small size dog), and Tigeress (old cat). My sweet man has quickly made friends with his tender heart....

While at my family's home for dinner, their dog Shylah made herself very known to my handsome man. She laid her head on his lap and looked adoringly into his eyes-- begging for food. He has a hard time saying 'no.'

We've also enjoyed many days of fellowship with dear friends! In fact, my friend actually blogs at Mountain Top Spice and includes many pictures of her adventures, hikes, and delicious foods. My husband and I have SO enjoyed her and her family's company. It's also very refreshing to find like-minded believers who love the Lord and desire to draw closer to Him.

I am especially thankful that everyone has welcomed my husband with such kindness and conversation. He definitely stepped out of his comfort zone moving to north Idaho. I am extremely glad that he has fallen in love with the landscapes and has been welcomed into the homes of people he has never really known before.

[For privacy's sake, I will not post pictures of my family or my friend's and her family's faces.]

Hard Work

Since moving to north Idaho, my diligent husband has been hard at work on my family's land. Need proof...?

I tease.... :-) Although this photograph may seem to imply that my hard working husband is slacking on the job, he was actually working on a light switch above his head. Part of preparing the motor home for living was replacing the original lights for LED lights.

No, here's real proof of my husband's hard work...

Look at that large Idaho potato he harvested! hahaha... Just kidding-- again. My sense of humor suffers from the small spaces of a motor home. Please forgive me.

He is actually holding a large rock he found that looks just like a potato. Since Idaho is known for its "famous potatoes," we had to take this picture. In reality, north Idaho is not known for its potatoes. Rather, north Idaho is known for its timber, wildlife, perfect summers, and winter sports. But stereotypes will continue, and all of Idaho will likely be known for south Idaho's potatoes.

Sorry for the tangent on potatoes- small spaces, I tell you.

My dearheart plowing the driveway and parking area.

My husband levelled the driveway and parking area with more dirt and gravel just before our first "real" snow that stayed.

There it is! In addition to all of my husband's diligent work on the motor home, he has helped my father with the land. My dearheart has fed goats, turned compost, plowed the driveway and parking area, filled in trenches with dirt (pre-snow), and assisted my dad in any other way he can with digging a water well. Whew! Thank you, handsome!! 

Wild Weather

Although the picture above seems to betray it, this winter has been extremely mild. When we arrived in Idaho December 17, the ground was clear of snow. In fact, my parent's property was incredibly muddy, and we had difficulty getting in and out of the parking area in our two wheel drive.

For a couple of weeks, no snow was to be seen. Occasionally, we would wake up to a light frost, but nothing stayed.

At length, snow came!

The first snow that has stayed this winter began in the wee hours of the morning and fell nonstop until the next morning. We accumulated about 5 inches of snow where we are. The second snow this winter also lasted all day and dumped about 9 inches of snow. What a beauty the snow has been!

Christmas Day

Some believers find it difficult to celebrate Christmas because of its pagan origins. My husband I choose to approach Christmas Day as a cultural holiday rather than a religious holiday. We take December 25 as a day to spend with family and friends, and we celebrate Jesus everyday!

That being said, on Christmas Day, we gathered with my family at our friend's house for fellowship and celebration. What a delicious feast my friend prepared!! She and her family were very welcoming and generous to open their home to us. We enjoyed excellent conversation with our friends.

photography from a friend

A gift for my love-- photography from a friend

The dogs were totally chill... :-)

Motor Home Living

Kudos to anyone who lives in a motor home the size of a van-- and without running water. You. Are. A Superhero. Personally, I've tried it. If I absolutely had to, I could make do. Since we have other means and plans, we are choosing to move into a new home with space, electricity, and running water. Recently, I read a post I made three years ago. I mentioned having a goal of living off the grid for at least one month.

Guess what? Goal accomplished. Let's move! haha... We have lived in the motor home since December 17, and this Saturday is January 17 (also my birthday). We will be looking at an apartment on Saturday.

With our daughter on the way, we want a sanitary environment. We also try to take a realistic view of the living situation. Here are a few facts-- no complaining in my tone of voice: 

Washing our small set of dishes takes two hours or more. (Haul water- boil water- dish washing routine (which includes boiling more water)- dry/put away dishes.) 

Sponge baths take about an hour and a half each. 

We spend about $15 at the laundromat each week. 

We buy all of our produce and meats the day of at a store in town since we do not have a refrigerator (or electricity). 

Our motor home is unevenly heated; the very top is usually about 84 degrees, the floor is usually freezing temperatures.

We have about 1.5 feet of space in between the bed and the kitchen cabinets. The entry way has about three feet by two feet of space. The other side of the bed has about two feet by two feet of space.

We use a bucket, trash bag, toilet lid, and sawdust for using the restroom. My husband regularly dumps the waste. I put our sawdust in a cute container to help make it seem a little more sophisticated. haha

I "unmake" our bed every day-- comforter, throws, and pillows are all piled away-- so that the bedding does not get dirty by anything throughout the day.

Our motor home leaked, and to our knowledge, probably still will in Spring. In our first motor home leak, we had rain that seeped in and began dripping in three spaces: near the front and middle of the motor home and on every side of the loft area (where our bed once was). Our bed and bedding were soaked in that leak. The second leak was the result of condensation (our motor home being warmer than the snow on the roof) and was minor in comparison to the first. We have glued a trash bag to that area in the ceiling and diverted the water's course from right in the middle of where the bed is now to a bowl next to the bed (my husband's ingeniousness!).

Emotionally, the walls do seem to close in after a couple of hours. Due to lack of space, the only thing to do in the motor home is sit on the bed (if the chores are finished, of course). One might blame it on pregnancy hormones, but even my darling husband was getting antsy in it the other day (his first day to actually just "be" in the motor home for a longer length of time).

For our season of life (baby on board!!), this lifestyle is not realistic. We have "made do," but we have plans to move out as soon as the Lord opens up a housing opportunity. I know this lifestyle works for some people, and I know some people romanticize this living. Please do not take our decision to leave this lifestyle offensive. :-)

What I Do When the Walls Come Closer

To escape the tiny space (in the middle of winter), my husband and I have been taking advantage of cheaper gasoline prices. 

We like to go on drives (mostly short in duration) and take pictures of the scenery. 

We also like to go to cafes, the library, or spend time with my family or our friends. 

We spend a lot of time in Bible study with one another and individually.

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Of course, you may have noticed an increase in the frequency of posts on the blog. Now that I actually have time(!!), I am enjoying sharing our life in this blog. I find blogging a great de-stresser.

Finally, I have borrowed a couple of books from the local library. The first is A Name of Her Own by Jane Kirkpatrick, a historical fiction based on the life of Marie Dorion. I've begun reading it recently, and it seems interesting. I may write a book review of it or even do a study on Marie Dorion.

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The second book I have borrowed is one of my all time favorites: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have read the full length version, abridged versions, and watched nearly every televised/videoed version of it. The plot is incredibly complex and the mannerisms intriguing. 

At one point in my life, I hoped to move to England and marry my Mr. Darcy. Thankfully, the Lord placed me in Houston where my better-than-Darcy man resided! {Ladies, the Lord always knows better than we.}

As far as I know, that's it for an update! If you're wondering why I didn't mention our daughter in this post, please read my 32 weeks pregnancy update.

God bless you and keep you,

~Raquel