What has been keeping me busy lately?

Lest you think I've died or quit crafting, I guess I better post an update and explain what has been occupying my mental and physical energy of late.

This is a view of the inside of our travel trailer.

To put it simply, my family and I are transitioning from being a full-time pastor's family to being a full-time, living-in-an-RV evangelist's family. Yes, we are moving four people from a two-story, five-bedroom house to a 32-foot travel trailer. No, we are not renting another house or huge storage unit. Yes, we are getting rid of at least 90% of our possessions. No, we are not crazy.

Like many people I've been reading after lately, I've been suffocating under the load of too much stuff. I long for a simpler, more manageable life. When my husband told me that he felt it was time for us to enter full-time evangelism, I knew our time had come to act on those longings. It is time to downsize to what we can reasonably manage and use.

I'm sure some people think we've lost our minds. After all, who in America understands that a 32-foot travel trailer with a slide-out is really more than adequate living space for a family of four? If you asked people in many other countries, they would be envious of the beautiful, cozy place we will have all to ourselves. It's all a matter of perspective. And faced with the choice of living out of people's guest rooms and suitcases or living out of a 32-foot travel trailer, I would pick the travel trailer every time. (You probably would, too.) :)

This is our travel trailer and Suburban, parked and waiting for us.

As of this writing, we have about another two months to finish the transition. We have our Suburban and travel trailer already purchased and waiting for us. We're simply trying to figure out what we really need in order to live simply and how to get rid of what we don't need (without just donating it all to Goodwill). There are days when I'm optimistic that we're doing great and then there are days when I don't think we're going to get it all done in time. I'd guess that's pretty normal.

My husband suggested I start another blog called "Wilderness Wanderings" to document our experiences living in the travel trailer. (Our travel trailer is a Wilderness brand, and my husband is a Bible scholar. He gets a kick out of the whole "wandering for 40 years in the wilderness" irony, especially since we'll be traveling around the country preaching and singing.)

Instead, I think I'll incorporate it into this blog, since I don't expect to be blogging entirely about RV life for years on end. I'm sure I'll be featuring my crafting projects along the way, and I really don't need two blogs to manage. After all, I'm simplifying, right?? And I'm sure I've featured some of my home projects on this blog before. My home will just have drastically changed size, that's all.

I'll try to keep you updated on how things are going, but if I go MIA for awhile just understand that I've probably gotten overwhelmed and don't have time to keep you up-to-date because I have to make the most of every minute I have to get things done in time. I'll be back. I promise!