A break from your regularly scheduled program

I read this list on my friend, Starcat's blog and knew I had to come share, too :)) It was called something like "One Word"

Yourself: mama
Your partner: planning
Your hair: wild
Your mother: carefull
Your father: fun
Your favorite item: laptop
Your dream last night: processed
Your favorite drink: water
Your dream car: beachcruiser
Your dream home: teeny
The room you are in: bedroom
Your ex: thoughtful
Your fear: mess
Where you want to be in ten years: world-travelling
Who you hung out with last night: kids
What you're not: conventional
Muffins: blueberry
One of your wish list items: wood
Time: present
The last thing you did: read
What you are wearing: comfy
Your favorite weather: moderate
Your favorite book: informational
Last thing you ate: donuts
Your life: inspired
Your mood: relaxed
Your Best Friends: irreplaceable
What are you thinking about right now: non-stress
Your car: RV!!!!!
What are you doing at the moment: smiling
Your summer: adventure
Relationship status: family
What is on your tv: animation
What is the weather like: perfect
When is the last time you laughed: minutes

A Blog Facelift

I have been wanting to give the blog a facelift, since the focus has shifted to reflect our new adventures in this wildcrafted life of our's :)) Well, this morning I woke up with the words "big gypsy dreams" in my head. After promptly posting it as my Facebook status (and not being able to find my ipod), I decided to use my laptop and head over to my blog. I knew it had to be part of the title.

So, if you are viewing this via e-mail, come check out our new digs :))

p.s. - this makeover was WAY easier than the Gypsy Goddess' make over :)))

The Amazing RV Renovation

I love the app I took this pic with, especially since it made this pic look old,
so it could be my mom and her brand new RV! lol

Note: pics below, when I start talking about what I a doing and plan to do -- but be forewarned, I did not get great "before" pics. The RV is small, and there isn't a lot of room to scoot back and get a pic of a whole area, much less all the different walls, but there are some pics, nonetheless :))

Note again: I started writing this post the night before last, added more and edited yesterday, and am wrapping up this morning, so please excuse the possible less-than-seamlessness of it :)

Alright, here we go!

I have been having the most amazing time fixing up this RV for the last few days (yesterday ended up a day of park fun instead of work for the most part) :)) Words really cannot describe, but I would sure love to try!

So, first off, the easiest: I own it! I am allowed to do this! I can explore and experiment and pick and prod and PERSONALIZE to my living pleasure :))) I have this amazing vision in my head of it finished, and I love getting there!! Even better, I love the little detours that provide opportunities I hadn't imagined, to personalize it :)) This is feeling more and more like home every minute! I am so in love with this RV! I was in love with it before, like a blank canvas to an artist, but I am painting now (literally!), and I am LOVING what is flowing through me! WOWSERS!

I am learning SO much about every detail of her as I paint and tinker around. I have watched videos of people who renovated their RVs or converted buses or whatever, and it is really awesome getting in here and doing my own! I really cannot believe how easy this is. I am definitely on ameteur status with tools, and I am amazed with my resourcefulness with a hammer, a screwgun, and a few screwdrivers :))) I was inspired by the guy who built an amazing hobbit-style house, with just a saw and a hammer. I can do this RV renovation with the limited tools I already own (except I will need a saw of some sort, and I will be very thankful that Lowes cuts wood I will need, with their powersaws, as long as I go in with the measurements :)))) I am learning about every inch of her as I paint and look around and notice things that aren't working (or are) and want to know more about them. It's kinda the epitome of unschooling going on over here :)))

And this is like climbing through a rabbit hole. I go to fix one thing that leads to another thing and then I find I can do this with that thing. Wow. I did a lot of reading and preparing, and now those things are starting to grow in my visions of spaces (like the kitchen, for example -- thinking I might make a flow/living kitchen now since I am probably going to have to gut it anyway, because the storage is horrendous for living in!). I remember in one person's videos about their RV renovation that they said there is always 1 surprise when renovating a used RV. I think I found mine :)) The night before last, I had a detailed list of what "needed" to be done, and today the list grew a bit unexpectedly, and I am THRILLED about that!!!! In fact, as things come up, I see more and more clearly how those things happened to allow me to even better suit this space for us. I can't wait to show you all this gorgeous space that I see so clearly in my head and am seeing slowly manifesting into reality before my eyes. Renovating this RV is definitely an organic process. I am keeping lists, more for ideas of things to check later to see if I still want to do (and so I can share with you all what I have done and want to do, etc, and because it is fun! I love making lists), but I am renovating based on flowing through every inch of the RV and knowing my needs :))

I am trying really hard to make sure my kids feel like this is their home, too, that they get to help with what they want to help with :) It has been AWESOME to see Noble just jump in with some tools and start messing around with stuff, and Najaia, too :) And Kass has helped a bit and talked with me about ideas for spots :))) I have to be careful to keep their experience intact while quickly manifesting my own visions, too :)))

I've realized a comfy bed is priority number 1 right now.

The loft space ("before")

I LOVE sleeping in the RV. I love spending every moment in there :))) The first 3 nights, we slept in the RV, but the last 2 nights we have had to sleep in the house, because that unexpected surprise (mentioned earlier) involves the bed area up top, and I have to gut most of the space up there. Well, I have found that the house doesn't feel like home anymore. It feels weird being in there. I just want to stay out here with my love!!!!!

This RV LOVES us ♥ She is so happy to have us in here fixing her up ♥ I truly feel like her name is Gypsy Goddess. She is quite the goddess, and I feel the goddess coming out of her as I peel away the outdated layers and lavish her with love and beauty -- okay, maybe I'm projecting my own self-love! :)))

Everyone LOVES her! The neighbor kids can't hang out enough (especially when they got to climb up into the loft), and the babies love climbing all over her and playing in her! The first thing Noble did when the Leapleys left after signing the paperwork was strip down naked :))))) He knew he was home ♥ He tells everyone we see that we live in an RV, and he calls it "home" :))) He thinks of people in his life and asks me if we are going to drive to see them in our RV, and he says it is bigger or faster than every car he sees on the road :))) Even the cat loves it!! Sabastian has been in here all day and all night with us every day ♥

Where we usually find him sleeping :)) (the loft)

Posing for a picture -- no, he just needed some attention when I was trying to shoot the cabinets :D

He loves being in here so much,
he even tolerates the baby playing with him while he sleeps ♥

I am especially excited about the neighborhood kids coming over and hanging out and seeing me work on her, because they think it is so cool, and since we live in a poorer neighborhood, I feel like it makes it more of a reality for them to have one someday, too, if they wanted to :))

I wish I could take video of my progress, but the mic on my iPod is really bad (sounds really muffled), so you wouldn't be able to hear me :(( I wish more people could have seen her "before". I wish I had been able to take better "before" pictures so you could really see what all I have done :))) I'm BURSTING with pride with myself for what I have found myself to be capable of. Wow, me. So far, it's been mostly construction type stuff, with a teensy touch of electrical.

I've so got this.

And let me just say that if you are local and want to come see what's going on in here, please feel free to come check it out! It is so wonderful having company to come share this awesome journey with :))) That goes double if you own a shop vac or any other tools that may make this easier (like a saw LOL), and especially if you have any expertise you can share with me! :))) LOL

This RV was already so awesome when we got it. Like I keep telling the Leapley's, I am so grateful for an RV in such great condition, so I can focus on all the fun stuff :)) Even though we have come across a couple little things that are more than just topical, how blessed are we that it is so minor! This RV came to us in a condition we could have vacationed in comfortably, and the reason I am renovating it (other than I just love the opportunity to) is because we are hoping to live in it for several years. I decided, instead of just "painting over" some issues, that I was going to get down to the root (or the wood or the aluminum siding, as the case may be) and build it back up, since this will be our home for a long time, and because I don't want to have to do it later (and find the paint colors again and what not -- I have my prioreties on straight! lol). I want to get it all in tip-top shape immediately, especially while we have a house and room to do all this now :)) It's also a good opportunity to learn what we will need from the tools and bits of stuff that I have held onto (screws, wheels, etc), since I am doing everything now, so we don't have to carry that stuff around if I won't ever need it (or can get it later when we actually do need it). I am so grateful for the chance to learn and do, and more learning :)))

Alright, so here is my list of stuff that I have done.

• Spackled, taped, primered, and painted most of the interior (including places you don't see much of, like under the dinette cushions);



you can see the contrast between the dark wood that was in the whole RV and the white paint I did

• painting also included removing the edges of the carpet, so I could paint down to the wood in prep for wood floors

• New knobs on the cubbard doors above the windows (haven't done the kitchen, bathroom, and closets yet)
• All blinds out, and new curtain rods up (hoping the blinds fit my house ones that the dog completely annihilated in his anger at me about not being seperated right now)
• In the process of removing all red leather ( including the cab); I tried painting it white but realized it was paneling wrapped in foam and leather, so I took the foam and leather off and attached the paneling, waiting to be painted :)



• Removed paneling and (if needed) wood in upper bed area because of serious water/rot -- removed 1 window because the wood was so rotted around it, it crumbled away



My big helper :)))))

• Started to remove the carpet in the upper bed area before I realized that the wood under it by the window was black and water/rot damaged, so I have to take that whole thing out and rebuild a new one anyway
• Removed broken visor in driver's spot and screws from paneling in the cab
• Shorted out the electrical (long story) and learned how to change a fuse :))))

All that in 3 days amongst keeping my children alive, fed, relatively clean, and recently prioritizing activities and nap time ;))

My next step is to check the other side of the bed area for water/rot because there seems to be *something* based on the exterior. Then, once the bed area around the windows is checked and properly gutted, I am going to work on taking the flooring out of the loft area (2x4s sandwiched between plywood as a heavy duty frame).

Right now, the bed pulls out to be a queen, but it had this cool sliding floor thing to make the bed smaller and the cab space below bigger, but we won't need that or be able to use it, so I am building a whole new bed floor from scratch (and salvaged pieces that are in good condition). We are going to have a queen mattress on top and a foam mattress topper. We won't be able to sit up in bed (because the bedding will be so high), but an uber comfy bed is worth it :)) There are plenty of other places to sit :)

After I get the bed all finished, I am going to install my beautiful brown leather couch and take out this one:

And then my next priority will be either reupholstering the drivers cab (seats, doors, floor carpet) and possibly putting in a new stereo (just need a radio and an iPod dock)

or gutting the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the cabinets above the the sink will remain (but it needs a cabinet door where the microwave was and additional shelving, which I will have to figure out how to add), and the stove and oven will remain (gonna make a "counter top" to go over it so I have some counter space to work on when the burners aren't in use), and the fridge will remain (but I'm taking the leather fronts off and replace with chalkboard painted wood). I would like to put in a slightly bigger sink if possible (with another counter top cover thing), and I am going to gut the bottom (horrible use of space down there, and the kitchen is teeny, so I need every square inch I can get!). I am going to add some kind of beautiful splash sides just above the countertops, and I am gonna paint the kitchen plum. It will inspire me to cook and prepare food more when it is beautiful, and it will be a constant reminder of the goddessy earth-mama-y art of nourishing my family (purple does that for me :)) It's going to be fun figuring out how to make a compost bin and other "living kitchen" or "flow kitchen" things I shared in a previous post :))))

The next step will probably be the bathroom.

Another big project. Probably needs all new walls (don't have pics of the cabinets above the window, because the lighting from the window made the rest of the picture just look like black space), and there is possibly water/rot around the back window. The cabinets and storage areas in there are, again, not ideal for space-maximizing (I know, they didn't intend people to live in them, just visit), so that will be remedied. The tub is AWESOME, but it will need a new shower head, for sure. I anticipate some major beautifying, because I am quite particular about my bathroom looking like the temple it is, complete with a plant near the toilet. We shall see on the details, but that room is going to be LOTS of fun :))

The next thing to do will be the floors. I want to put in something that will be easy to clean (and the tool to do it requires very little space), so hardwood floors would be ideal. But I also want something child/dog friendly (fairly scratch-proof), and not a fortune or too heavy. There are some great options out there, and I will decide when we get closer to that step. I was thinking it would be awesome to find some kind of way to do something like this:

Mural made of pebbles

At that point, I would LOVE to hit the road for a week or so (a trial run, so to speak, to assess our needs better while we still have the house and our stuff to draw from) and then come back and finish the kitchen, renovate the closet space (it's just a big giant open space)

and reupholster the cushions for the dinette (might actually do that on our trial run)

leather on one side and fabric on the other -- which I will do, too :)

Somewhere in there, I need to make a few more curtains and detail/paint the exterior (including a gorgeous mural my sister is going to do on the back!). Hopefully, I will have money for solar panels, and I will need to learn electrical basics and figure out my current electrical system and adjust it to be solar. I may need a new water pump and a bigger freshwater tank (currently 20 gallons -- it should be a crime to put such a tiny tank in an RV that sleeps so many people!). I'm going to get new tires. I think I'm going to get a crash-course on the other appliances I'm not so sure about, so I can understand them better and take care of them better. I would like to learn how to change my own oil and other basics that I can do to pamper my beauty while she pampers us :)))

This is the feel I am going for in the whole RV :))))) I'm so excited about creating it :))

Ready

Wild horses couldn't drag me from this life right now. I am water, and I am in my flow, and I cannot be stopped. Rocks may stand in my way, but slide right by without breaking my stride.

On Facebook I recently wrote, "I JUST WANT TO BURST OUT OF THIS F*CKING LIFE!!!!!!! I am so tired of the sandbags holding me down and holding me back from the greatness within me that wants to explode into my reality! I feel like cobwebs are sticking to me, and I'm about to go ninja on their butts! Gawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd!!!! Just get me the f*ck out of here already."

Forgive the F-bombs -- they seem to spill out of me in times of explosions :))

I want to talk about the bolded part, though.

I feel like this lifestyle is going to lighten my load in life. I am so super-simple, and having this house and all the responsibilities and limits that come with them stops me from putting that energy into living and experiencing.

Everyone prioritizes what they value. Some value having a house and lots of beautiful and useful things. When you don't have those things to take up energy, what do you have? Well, I will be telling you in about a month :))

It seems that I will have a teeny little comfortable space that requires my energy, a space that is do-able and perfect for me, with lots of left-over energy for other things in my life. What I need lots of is closeness with my family and reflection time.

I am also anticipating having the energy to get more involved with community and events, since we can carry our home over and have it close-by when needed. Living to the extreme northwest of our county has meant lots of driving, if we want to do anything. Also, driving our home means that I don't have to have the kids all ready to go and everything packed up before we head out the door to go somewhere -- I am really looking forward to being punctual! LOL

Since our expenses will be so much less, it seems we will finally have the kind of income where we can enjoy places we previously couldn't afford. I am very much looking forward to taking my kids to some wonderful and exciting places, as well as some peaceful and beautiful places. I want to give my kids the most of what I feel is important -- family closeness, simple living, and an abundance of experiences :))

I have been reading blogs, talking with people, researching places to go, and making my own plans for about a year. I feel like I have been engaged for a year and tomorrow (when our RV is being delivered) is when I marry the road-life. I'm ready, and there is no turning back now.

It will be a month-long hand-fasting, where we will exchange vows of commitment in the form of financial, emotional, and time investment as I renovate the RV and learn about myself during the process of having free-reign over owning my own home. I am so excited about this upcoming experience. Tomorrow, we sign the papers ♥

I'm so ready. I've only been waiting a couple weeks for this RV, but I've been waiting my whole life for this road life. Enough preparation, I'm ready to touch this life, ready to deal with the tangible stuff, ready to feel my dreams materializing.

And the best part is that this is just the first step in the whole journey ahead of us in life. Who KNOWS where this step may take us :) Who KNOWS where we may be in a year, in 3 years, in 10 years. OH, the universe is full of limitless possibilities!!!

I'm ready!