Clutter Free??

I've been a flybaby fluttering and flopping, flying and stalling for fourteen years. You would think I would have the hang of flying at this point... um NO. I'm a wanna be Born Organized.

I can't imagine parting with my old roller blades and padding, the Grandchildren might want Mimom to skate with them someday. Don't suggest I part with ONE cookbook, I might actually crack one eventually. You know the drill. I might need it one day and when I do, I'll be sorry. Better to be safe than sorry right? My thoughts exactly.

Now I'm at my abode, staring at all this stuff, of course none of it is in it's home, some of it never did have a home. We come home do laundry, some of it goes back with us, most of it stays home... right where we left it.

Digging under my kitchen sink, I discovered... a snake! I don't care that he was very dead and very dried out stuck in a glue trap! He was UNDER my sink! I threw away the Tupperware pitcher I used to toss the glue trap with the snake firmly attached.

(I've dealt with 7 snakes in our old house, I do NOT want to begin that tradition again. Maybe if I'd stop using glue traps I wouldn't have a snake problem, or one that I know about.

I couldn't rest knowing I had snake... goo under my sink...(no evidence but I could imagine it well enough.)

It was the beginning of cleaning out every cabinet, cupboard, drawer in my kitchen. I put back the things I've actually used in the past year. The rest went into an I don't know box. I've decided to donate it without looking back.

The next day, I started on my living room. I went through all the stuff we've dropped when we get off the truck, if I can't find it a home, it's going to a new home.

My inspiration came from a group on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/spendingwiselylivingwell

I learned of a blog from that group http://www.becomingminimalist.com/

When I nearly gave up, he posted something inspired me to continue my quest to let the stuff go and live simpler and happier.


I let go of everything I don't love or need. It hasn't been easy but so well worth it.

A week later, and I really love the house, I've hated since we downsized four years ago.

The shed is full of stuff to be donated to charity.

I realized today, our finances are in order, we've been debt free sixteen days.

My house is clutter free.

My life truly is getting more amazing every day.

Don't Mind the Open Refridgerator

I'm home recuperating today.

In our wonderful journey, we barely got our load and headed to California, when the door of our freshly stocked refrigerator
flew open.

We were going through a little town speed limit 40 mph.

I quickly unbuckled, grabbed the fallen items and slammed the door shut. I sat at the table to repack the veggies into their shoe box.

Next thing I knew, I was in extreme pain laying at DH feet. My face was stinging. I couldn't move the pain so bad in my back.

A little old man pulled out in front of us, then stopped to make another left turn all within seconds. DH stopped, I did not.

DH pulled over, helped me get to the table. I had scrapes across my back. We are still in rural Texas, no ER nothing.

We were about an hour from our friends house. We continued on. I felt so much better by the time we got there.
They looked at the bruise on my back and the cuts and mentioned taking me to the ER.
(another two hours the opposite direction our load is going.)

The friends didn't have an extra bed for me to rest on. I chose to get back on the truck. my own bed is there and the pain was receding by leaps and bounds.

Fast forward to exactly a week later.

The bruise is a faint circle, no pain what so ever (none since the day after it happened.)
We were nearly home, we were parked for the night, the next day we'd unload at eight stores, then go home finally, or not...

We got some groceries, I went to the restroom, looked at my fading bruise, when I turned back from the mirror, my back went into a spasm.

I'm glad to be home and resting nicely.

Truck drivers don't have the leisure time to run to the ER when they need to. Many of them drive when they are sick with the flu, have toothache, headaches. They keep moving the product on down the road so consumers can live the life of leisure they enjoy.

living on a truck

It's been 17 months since we began our adventure.

I've learned a lot of things, like jumping out at the fuel island to be next in line for a shower while Hubs parks.
If we have cell phone service I let him know which shower I'm in. If we don't have service, he gets to play the knock on every door game. LOL. Not really, I wait for him at the front door.

We moved into a 2013 Volvo June 26, 2013. Like moving from a tiny apartment into a mansion. (big grin)

I cook at home, in the beginning, it was the only way Hubs could eat for his health.

Now,I realize we save so much money, and we're eating healthier.

Weight gain is a huge issue with truck drivers. Nothing to do but eat going down the road.

I loaded up with Apples,oranges,bananas etc. We invested in an air popcorn popper. I have a microwave and crock pot.
I make dough in my bread machine at home, for calazones, bierox,indian tacos, etc.
Heat and warm in the microwave.

When the microwave croaks, if we can't find another one with dials, I'll have to get a stove to go, seen at all truck stops.

I carry fresh romaine lettuce and all the makings for a salad in our little refridge:


We carry potatoes for a baked potato, or potato soup. We buy a roast to cook going down the road, sometimes I cook fresh spaghetti.

This is our wonderful table we are blessed with. (only Volvo's have a table.)

Believe it or not.. I really love this life.

Vacation

What were we thinking? Travel 1200 miles to go on vacation when we TRAVEL for a living!

It sounded fun back in March when our son suggested we reserve a log cabin by Jackson Hole WY to camp with them for 6 days. I reserved our cabin for six nights. yay.

  We got six days off for vacation… its gonna take longer than one day to travel 1200 miles. We aren’t flying.

  so we will pay for two nights we aren’t staying due to lack of planning on my part. I called the lady and let her know we’ll be in Thursday not wednesday. She said they have really been slammed begging for a cabin the weekend we want it. (Well yeah, its church camp up there, why we picked that same weekend.)

its gonna be so much fun I just know it.

"Edited"

We had so much fun. Laughter, love, fire at night as we made S'mores. We did have to wait in line for the one shower. Folks from Church Camp camping, came down to shower. (It was in a separate building.)

I waded out in the small creek to photograph someone falling into the creek. Needless to say, I was the only one that fell. I saved my camera, did not save the cell phone in my pocket.




We spent one day in the Teton Mountains, crashed a wedding at the little chapel to get his picture.


Thanks to my family with a sense of humor, my new bathroom Photo:

Blue Haired Lady Drivers

The little blue haired lady could barely see over the top of her steering wheel in her big green Tahoe as she came up beside us.

We were on a two lane highway, there were many clues to remind her it was not a four lane.

Number one... TWO LANES!!

Number two... the yellow lines marking the center of the road, not white ones.

Number three...the solid Yellow line marking a no passing zone.

Number four... the shocked look of the person about to be hit head on.

We pulled over onto the shoulder to allow her to get back in her lane...

Didn't phase her as the oncoming car hit the other shoulder. She just kept on passing everyone.

When are they going to make a law for Senior Citizen's to be re-evaluated?

Mom

I'm in Colorado now with my Mom. My mother has Alzheimer's. I try to give my sister (her main care giver) a break when we get through Colorado, I get off the truck until DH gets back through and can pick me up. Alzheimer's is not a good way to lose a parent. I lost my mom three years ago, that was about the last time we had a normal conversation where she knew me. I feel for her, in her lost world. Each one of us girls have our own way of dealing with her. My sister JD (that is her main care giver), uses the baby monitor. When she hears mom roaming around and waking others, she comes downstairs to check on things and clean up the mess mom has made trying to find the bathroom. Our older sister deals with it by staying away. I sleep on a mat beside mom's bed, she is like a scared little girl. When she hears me on the mat she lays back down and we both get much more rest. Mom is never hungry, so we fix her five meals a day and just tell her it's lunch, she is good to eat what we fix. (she lost nearly 100 pounds while her mind was still functioning. We tried to make her eat back then she refused.) She's put on 35 pounds this year with our new routine. Today, I fixed the shower, put on my swim suit to get the dreaded hated shower. She let me lead her in, I put a washcloth over her face like a little child and she didn't fight me at all. She and I both felt better with her all clean! yay. She is doing so much better with a routine.

Back To Colorado

Oct 6th, 2012
 So nice to wake up in our own bed, and have everything done needs to be done before we go out. We had a leisure morning with our coffee, me blogging.
  9 am we needed to eat something. (I didn’t wanna mess up my clean kitchen) and we needed a few things from Wally world. Now do we visit the in-laws on the way to Wally World or do we do shopping first. I voted for shopping, put off going into the lion’s den as long as possible.
  I had my list nearly completed, Van went to wait for me up front while I ran to grab milk. I got the milk, looked at veggies and my phone rang... it was the dispatcher.
  I inadvertently put MY cell phone number on van’s application.. So they call my phone. We have tried to tell them but... yano how busy ya get and to edit a number on the cell phone, it’s easier for now to just call the number on it... right?
I am running with my loaded cart to the front of Wal-mart holding out my cell phone hoping Van see’s me and meets me half way... NOPE.
  We loaded the car and back on the road again within minutes:)
Where to this time.... same run.. Nooooo but it’s okay I”m sure we’ll see other parts of the country soon enough

Our Truck

So we made it home, rest and relaxation... WRONG!

I grabbed ground beef out of the freezer to defrost in the microwave, threw laundry in the washer and started it. Dragged out my sewing machine to reinforce the Qualcom holder. Oh yeah forgot to mention that...

 Van said I wish I had a holder a type of pocket...

 ooooo I grinned (this was before we got all the junk taken out of the truck after we sorted thru it 3 times.) I whipped out my little bedside organizer. (I told ya I brought everything BUT the kitchen sink! Never know what ya might need.)

 I slipped it over the door of the glove box and slammed it shut... wow it works perfect! The big pocket holds the Qualcom, it has a kleenex department (yup we loaded our kleenex in it) another pocket for a book, scissors, maps etc.

(you can see not much room between the seats.)

Our entire Kitchen, (food in the red and white bag, popcorn popper, on a shelf on top of the microwave. This is hanging over our bed.)

All the storage we have in the sleeper behind my seat. Top shelf: food 2nd shelf plates,plastic flatware, cups, coffee, 3rd shelf: coffee pot, crock pot. fridge is below the third shelf.

opposite storage, is our shower/bathroom storage below that is our only closet.
and our bed

Mother in Law

(singing that old song) mother in law.. mother in law...

Mother-in-law calls:

 When did you take Dad to his last appointment?

Me: It's on your calendar, sometime in Sept.

Her: I ripped that page off already. When did you take him?

Me Sept 14. (I can't remember and I don't have my calender with me on the truck.)

Her: Well Dr. H wants to see him again, I don't know why he needs to see him after just two weeks.

Me: Dr. H is his skin doctor, the one we went to was his surgeon, he NEEDS to go see Dr. H after all the surgeries.

 Her: Okay I guess he can keep this appointment.

(I was trying not to laugh)

This morning before 8 am Van's phone rings
"Did you know Jeanne put SOAP in Dad's aloe vera?"
"What?"
 "Dad brought home the Aloe Vera that was on your dryer, you're not going to use it."
"I don't know what to tell ya, but... remember when Jeanne asked you to save Dad's empty Aloe Vera jugs so she could put soap in them for the truck?"
"Oh yeah, why didn't she mark it?
"It is marked on the OTHER side of the jug"
"Oh so it is."
(I'm still laughing, Why get upset at things I can't stop, like going into my house and taking stuff they gave to me.)

Boise City OK

We are finally in HOME Country! Yano ya kinda feel safe, with kindred when you get into your home state.
DO NOT FEEL THAT WAY!!

 Dollar General was across from Love's. Ya gotta shop when the opportunity presents it self right? After all you can only find so much stuff at truck stops along the way.

 I had safely navigated my way across a busy four lane hi-way headed back to the truck, six empty fuel islands, I crossed the one straight across from our truck. I seen a truck racing me.. only I didn't know we were racing.
 He comes right at MY island!! right at me. I side ran out of his way, we are nearly the only truck in the lot with 25 parking spaces, he can park ANYWHERE! He can see Van is in the drivers seat of the ONLY truck around, so it makes sense I'm going to get in on the passenger side right?
 He comes roaring back toward me as I am walking toward the ONLY truck on that side of the lot.
 I ran to Van's door and he let me in.
 "What is his problem?"
  "You seen that?"
 I think he was having such a great day, he wanted to give me lots of insurance and I was just too quick for him.