I was pleasantly surprised at the feedback on yesterday’s post! Thank you, friends, for being excited along with us about our new camper! We are truly SO excited, and its nice to know we have a whole slough of people in our corner, eager to see the outcome! Very very encouraging. Since yesterday’s post, we’ve already done more work, and I wish I could share it all buuuuut you’ll have to wait for Friday! Lol! 

Today carried the promise of rain, and I don’t know if you’ve been outside, but its SO HOT out there. I can’t imagine rain is actually on the way at all! Maybe we’ll get more done. But also, I have a couple of projects inside the house that need completing that I’ve been ignoring. I have some things to write and schedule. Some crocheting to wrap up. Some lists to make. Some videos and photos to transfer. My room to tidy up, as its been a mess since Waverly’s birthday. Whoops! Not to mention I need to check the garden. And there are so many weeds in our driveway, I should get to maintaining our property. There is never a shortage of things to get done! 

When did we become these people?? I remember watching TV aaaaall day on Saturdays. Where did we come from?!?! 

Welcome to our series, “RV There Yet?” It will be a six part series, where I will update you every week on the progress we make in the remodel of our camper! I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride with us! Whew! Good thing we have a camper so everyone can fit! (See me? See my lame joke? Ya ya do.)

We’ve had our camper for ONE week! Wait. 🤔 No. We’ve had access to the lot beside our house for one week. Lol! We got our camper on Sunday. Still counts. I’m calling it a week.

We don’t have a ton to show for our first week. Not tangibly, anyway, but its been a crazy busy week behind the scenes! The first priority was getting the obvious garbage out and getting the first layer of grime cleaned up. The worst of the mess was dust and dead bugs. Cher and I wiped and Lysoled up a storm, and the shop vac was never turned off for more than a couple of minutes between uses. Broken wood, nails, papers, old dishes, manuals, etc. lay everywhere! That first clean was a big job, but it was worth it.

Here you have it, folks! The “before” pictures. 😬

Unfortunately, as we cleaned and opened everything up, we discovered at one point or another, there had been mice in our trailer. Unsurprising, but still. Booooo 👎 There were none at the time we got it, and nothing was chewed anywhere that we could find! But there was poop, and one empty mouse nest. I was pretty nervous and discouraged, but Cher and my mom were SO encouraging that it wasn’t a loss, and Brady stepped up to the plate, pulling up the carpet and getting rid of all the mouseness.

Honestly, it looks so much better now.

There was a mattress in the bedroom that is in surprisingly good shape, so we’re going through the process of trying to salvage it and make sure its really good and clean before making the final decision on whether or not to keep it.

It is SO soft, stain-free, and has no chew marks whatsoever!

We’ve been doing a lot of demo this week, too! All trim and window valances have been removed, and decorative floral glass pieces (🤷‍♀️) have been pitched. Who knew gigantic moths like to hide behind stuff like that? 😳 I did not, but I do now. Its possible our shop vac has eaten a handful of alive things also. The things that were too big to eat with the shop vac were disposed of in other ways…

Brady took on the enormous challenge of the exterior!

Some of the siding had pulled away and edges needed resealing. It was pretty intimidating. He spent a ton of time researching and managed to find the best way to close up the sides really nicely and keep us safe and dry for as long as possible. Contact cement! He peeled back the siding in some places, replaced the plywood underneath, and has been cementing it all back together. This was a really big stretch for him, as he had never dabbled in anything like it before, but he was game to try!!

He’s such a hard worker.

That was a HUGE job. I’m positive Brady could write a whole post about just redoing the siding. You can see, he peeled it back to reveal the yucky plywood inside. He cut it out and replaced it with fresh new oak plywood. Its oddly pretty, hey? Piece by piece, he painted it with contact cement, let it cure for 10-20 minutes, and pressed it down (all sweepy) as hard as he could. It was labour intensive, and he crushed it. I’m very impressed.

Speaking of Brady and research, he has also been working hard on getting some prices for us! He’s been in contact with our materials guy for flooring, wall panels, MDF, etc. Meanwhile I’m looking online for second hand materials, like countertops and a kitchen sink. We’re making judgement calls about what to leave for another year and what we can make happen this year. In case you hadn’t heard, there is a pandemic on the go, so money is something we need to be careful with. I know it seems like we’re rolling in it with all of our projects this Spring and Summer, but we were fortunate enough to be able to use from a project fund we had been saving up. But as the project fund dwindles, we have to be aware of what can wait another year or two or five. But we have information and knowledge now.

Brady has had a couple of friends come through and give him tips and information about the plumbing and electrical parts of the camper. Those were the parts Brady was a little less confident in, and I know it helped a ton to have input from people who knew those trades, and knew about campers. I am pleased to say that ALL of the electrical works! Woot!! 🥳 There are some small fixes to do on the plumbing, but it all feels more doable now that he’s been walked through it. Thank you, Braden and Marlen! You guys really helped!

While I don’t have a lot to show you, there was still a lot to share and be excited about! There is much more to come, but I feel good about all we accomplished in this short week. We did a LOT of the legwork, and now we just have to get our hands on materials and get to it!

Here are our progress pictures after ONE WEEK!

This is JUST the beginning!! Eek!!

To throw a shameless plug out there, if anyone is looking to purge foam mattresses or a beater barbecue out of their lives, please sent them my way!

There you have it, friends. Week one, done and done ✅ If it were you rebuilding a camper, what would be your must-haves? What am I missing?

Our whole crew has been a picture of physical health since Covid-19 became what its become, thanks to seeing next to no one for months on end. But as I mentioned a few days ago, Waverly came down with a crazy rash about a week or so ago. After a call with her doctor and some pictures being sent via email, she prescribed a steroid cream for the bad spots and we figured we’d just ride it out. 

The thing was, though, that Wavy wasn’t getting better. She was, in some ways. I guess. Her belly rash went down. Some of the fluid-filled spots on her legs seemed to drain and scab over. Some of the bizarre markings on her hands lightened a little. But our little Miss was miserable. Being the chatty little communicator that she is, she would approach us, half hopping on one foot, scratching the other, exclaiming “Itchy. Ouch. Bandaid. Foot. Lotion. Help please.” We were only “supposed” to use the steroid cream on her hands and feet once or twice per day, and despite her being on Benadryl consistently for days, it just wasn’t keeping up. That, and other spots were forming. Weird looking, leopard-print-ish spots. So I called and booked an in-person visit for her. And that happened Tuesday morning. 

It was pretty bizarre being in there, honestly. I called the “clinic cell phone” to check us in so they could ask the Covid screening questions. Our appointment was close enough that we were welcome to come wait in the waiting room. We were first stopped a table and asked the screening questions again. We both had our temperatures taken, were given hand sanitizer, and I was asked to wear a mask. We waited in a very spare, quiet waiting room. 

I knew it was all pretty strange for Waverly, but she was so brave. I nuzzled her a bunch with my mask and made it fun for her. I would try and kiss her through it, and she would giggle and giggle when the paper mask would tickler her. She did great. 

When we did finally make it into an exam room, we sang and played and she inquired over and over about my mask. “I want one,” she’d say, and then she’d grab my nose and try to pull it off. It was cute. 

Dr. Guselle finally surfaced, in scrubs and a mask, and she was nothing but light and airy and friendly, as always. We chatted a lot about Waverly’s ever-changing rash, and Wavy cooperated beautifully as I lifted limbs here and there, slipped her out of her clothes, and then held her hands so she couldn’t scratch at herself. Dr. Guselle agreed that her tummy rash was WAY better than the pictures I had sent her a few days prior. She was curious about her hands and feet, though, as they look quite different, and weren’t clearing up as quickly as they should. The priority was Wavy’s comfort, because she has none. She is SO clearly asking for help, and Dr. Guselle agreed that we need to help her with that. Its very likely a simple viral rash, but the way that the Benadryl and steroid creams are juuust keeping her comfort at bay suggests she could be fighting something else on the inside. Her ears looked fine. No obvious infections to be seen.

*sigh*

So we talked Covid. The chance that she had Covid was next to nothing, and none of her symptoms are standard Covid symptoms. Nothing respiratory whatsoever. But her rash didn’t look like anything else I’d ever seen, or that she had ever seen. Not in her derm book either. And realistically, the more they can know the better! If, hypothetically, she did have Covid, that odd rash could’ve been a new symptom to watch for. I consented to Waverly being tested for Covid. Dr. Guselle mournfully reminisced about the time she swabbed Dekker’s nose and it bled. I couldn’t believe that she remembered that event so many years ago, but she said it had NEVER happened to her before, and was somewhat traumatizing. Lol! Maybe for her! We recovered! 

Dr. Guselle stepped out to grab her stethoscope, and asked if I was ok if she quickly ran in and measured a pregnant belly before she swabbed for Covid. That made sense to me. While she was away, I told Waverly what we were going to do next, and you can say a two year old doesn’t understand that much, but she is SO smart and responded the whole time. 

Dr. Guselle is going to listen to your back and your tummy.
Ok.
And then she’s going to look in your mouth. Can you open your mouth for me?
Ya. (opens mouth)
Good girl! Will you do that for her, too?
Ya.
Great! And then, you’re going to have to lay down and she’s going to put something in your nose. Do you understand? You won’t like it, but it will be fast. Ok?
Ok, mommy. 

I could only hope she was understanding me. We practiced opening our mouths when asked, and sticking out our tongues. We played in the mirror, and she tried to take my mask again. It was cute. 

It finally came time, and Dr. Guselle and I were both truly amazed at Waverly. She cooperated with the stethoscope and didn’t try to pull it off or get away. Then she lay down and opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. Dr. Guselle was wide eyed, and praised her up. Wavy tried to get up after that and I reminded her that she’d need to stay laying down for the test in her nose. She lay down and let me hold her hands up above her head. Dr Guselle cringed and said “Wavy, don’t look at me like that!” and then she went for it. 

Wavy flinched and grunted as the swab went in, and then just watched Dr Guselle intently as she stuck it aaaaall the way back and poked her throat. She coughed. And then it was over. 

The three of us in the exam room – 😳😳😳

She didn’t even cry. Dr Guselle was completely dumbfounded. She gushed that this had been the easiest Covid swab she had performed ever, kids and adults alike. I gave Waverly a huge hug, and she was immediately ok. Bizarre. I visited with Dr Guselle while I got Wavy dressed, and she was all smiles, telling Dr Guselle every article of clothing we were putting on. Pants! Shirt! Socks! Shoes! She was happy! It seemed crazy! 

We finished our appointment up with me bragging about my toddlers accomplishments, knowledge, development, etc. I made a crack about another one of my kids and Dr. Guselle laughed so hard that her mask sucked into her mouth and she slapped her knees. It was like old times. But, with masks, and weirdness. Finally, she typed up a prescription for something to help with Wavy’s discomfort and sent us on our way! We were told we’d find out our test results in 24 hours. 

It took two days, but we finally got our confirmation this afternoon that Waverly does NOT have Covid!!! Lol! It feels silly celebrating, because I knew she didn’t, but having it confirmed felt pretty good to me 🙂 Also, the medication Wavy is taking has lifted her itch, and her rash is lifting! Whew! Hopefully this ridiculous thing is behind us soon! I want my lighthearted little weirdo back! 

We’ve been really enjoying our backyard through this season of life and Covid. Goodness, can you imagine if we didn’t have our basement done when it started?? In winter, when its not even close to as easy to go outside?? We’d have all eaten each other alive! Thankfully, the basement is in good shape and we were able to put up a fence and a shed, throw in a garden, and even secure a swingset and a little trampoline. I’ll admit I’m pretty tired of a teeny tiny rain leaving us with pure mud in the backyard, but we’ll get to grass in the fall, or maybe in Spring, considering our new camper project. We shall see.

The big highlight of the backyard, at least for Brady, Cher, and t, is the fire pit! We are LOVING the fire pit! We regularly go outside in the evenings, just to burn wood. If that sounds silly, hear it from my perspective.

My life is built around function. I don’t remember the last time I made a purchase or spent time on a project that wasn’t directly for function. Function always wins with all of these children, and the fire pit has a function. But its also SO fun to just sit around it, with no agenda other than to watch it burn. Somehow, fires have become my letdown. My frivolous enjoyment. My clear headspace.

How did we live so long without one??

It was SO fun to share the news of our new summer vibe with you guys! We are pretty stoked ourselves to get the RV ready for us and out to the lake. I believe we have until August 21 to get the job done, so the six week series starts on Friday. I can already tell you it wont be a flawless series because August 21 happens to be Dekker’s birthday! I’ll likely write a bday blog for him that day, and you’ll get the “finale” the next day. Ooooor maybe we’ll be done early 😳 Who knows! Not me!

A quick list of what needs work!
A quicker list of what works!

The electricity works!
The fridge works!
The toilet is new in box!
The bump out works!
The awning works!
The batteries work!

🤔

Yup. Thats about it! Our little home away from home needs a LOT of fixing, down to the light covers, but we’re up for the task! I’m excited to show you where its at on Friday!! Thank you for joining us in our excitement!

You may notice in the coming weeks that there is a new home being built beside ours! But by “built,” I mean renovated, and by “home,” I mean RV! Ours!

So. We did a thing! We were recently fortunate enough to secure a permanent spot at Christopher Lake, and our latest big project arrived in the empty lot beside our house just yesterday. After careful consideration, Northridge agreed to grant us six weeks to complete our project in their lot. It is a tight timeline, but I’m excited to have a fire lit under us!

The camper is essentially a shell. It was bought to be gutted and turned into a bunkhouse, and the job was never completed. In our research, just about anything we’d buy second hand would need to be rebuilt to a degree anyway, so we decided to go for this shell of an RV for a fraction of the cost, and build it from the ground up.

A series dedicated to the remodel of our camper starts on Friday! If thats your thing, please feel free to follow along! We are SO excited! July might be one of the busiest months of our lives, but we’re completely stoked! The whole thing still feels a little surreal but its going to get really very quickly. I can’t wait!

It was lovely and odd being back at church today. Odd with everyone so separate, but lovely because I miss the people and I truly miss leading music and worshipping in a group.

Brady, Carrie, and I met at the church before things were meant to start, and got our sound checked and our things in order. It felt normal, which I welcomed. We were done practicing pretty early, and lingered on stage, visiting, until it was time to start.

I’ll be honest. It was strange. No one in the congregation was allowed to sing unless they wore a mask. There were masks available for the taking, but so few people had picked them up and elected to sing. It made me a little bit sad, but I know not everyone worships in the same way, so I had to make a conscious effort to understand that and consider more my worship for God.

And it worked out! Some people sang. Some stood and swayed. Some sat and paid attention and others didn’t. To each their own, always. Some people danced a little and lots of people did actions to a song or two. We got some good feedback at the end and it seemed like, one way or another, people reached a point of worship, and our job was done.

I’m sad to say we likely won’t be back at church for a while now. We have some things on the horizon over here where our time will be FULL and we’ll be away here and there, too. It was good to get there this time; to dip our toes in; to see what church is going to look like for the summer.

I hope you’re all enjoying your Sundays, and getting in some Jesus one way or another. And maybe finding Him on the other days too.

I know, the title really makes this sound like an exciting post 😆 We have some exciting stuff on the horizon but I’ll share that with you guys on Monday, probably. (No, not a baby announcement. I wish!)

Yesterday was a nice normal Friday. Cher, Dekker, and I went for a walk, which was a pretty cute gig.

We also spent a bit of time outside, trying to plant my kitchen lettuce in the garden. But the bulk of our time was spent inside with Waverly, since we’re trying to keep her from getting too warm. The other kids, however, played outside in the pool and on the trampoline. It was a really nice day.

Today held a morning walk and planning sesh with my mom, which was SO nice! I love her. I’ve also done a bit of crocheting and tidying, and some YouTube watching. I’ve been sipping iced coffee, and I ate nachos for lunch. Cannot complain!

Lastly, tomorrow is Sunday, and we’re leading worship at church 😳 Sooooo thats been a while! We won’t bring the kids this time, just to get a feel for the expectations on the kids. So, that’ll be “normal.” Aaaaand I already know the meals I’m making for Sunday so that’s always a relief for me. Sunday should be a fun day, but as I said, I’ll tell you all about it in the next day or two 😉

Have a lovely weekend, friends! I hope its normal and comfortable.

Its been a super crazy week since we got home from the lake. I’ll share all kinds of details and stories with you soon enough, but the last couple of days specifically have been centred around Miss Waverly and her banaaaaanas new rash she’s rocking! I’m actually going to refrain from posting pictures to avoid the mad guessing game, but I’d happily send some in private messages to anyone who wants to help or wager a guess.

Wavy presented something of a heat rash while we were at the lake. It was a very small problem, and didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. It lessened in a day or two, and save for a couple of lingering dots on her tummy, she seemed completely fine.

While I was in Edmonton, her rash exploded. It covered her whole belly and rode up into her armpits and neck. All the hot spots. She started scratching like a crazy person. Pimply spots formed all down her legs and her face, and some filled with fluid. Her hands and feet like by far the weirdest, with ringworm-looking spots and lines. She never. Stops. Scratching.

Yesterday, it had only worsened, so I called my doctor for a consult. She was booked, but they put us in the “urgent queue” to speak to a physician before the end of the day. As I’ve come to expect, Dr. Guselle noticed her name in the queue and snagged her out of there to call us herself. We talked in detail about Wavy’s rash and she gave me the office email to send pictures to. I sent her a long email with progress pictures, starting with the heat rash at the lake.

She called back shortly thereafter and figured, unfortunately, we’re probably looking at a couple of viral rashes mixed together that need to run their course. She could’ve picked something up at the lake, plus she’s teething, plus she’s prone to eczema. The perfect storm, lol! However, her symptoms needed help fast, so Dr. Guselle prescribed a special cream for her hands and other hot spots, like her armpits and leg folds. The bigger areas, like her tummy and the back of her neck, I’m treating with basic topical antihistamine, and she’s taking regular Benadryl. Today, finally, there is improvement worth noting!

There is more skin color on her belly between the spots. Her knee “hives” are waaay down. She’s not as puffy and swollen. Her hand markings are still pronounced but they’re lighter and less pronounced. I am SO relieved.

Goodness, Waverly. Always keeping us on our toes!

Cher and I decided Monday to go to Edmonton on Wednesday! Woot! It was a last minute decision, but she let it slip that she was thinking of taking me to Ikea as a birthday gift, and with July filling up the way it is, we decided to go sooner than later! And that happened yesterday!

We left at 5:30am, which was both gross and strategic. We hoped to avoid lunch traffic in Edmonton, and we did! We grabbed coffee and bagels on the way in, and listened to good music. The rain came as we drove, which we were eagerly anticipating, but it got a little too heavy, and made getting around big scary, spraying semis a bit more difficult than we’d have liked. But we made it!

We got to Ikea in good time, and only waited about five minutes to get in. Its worth noting that she and I both wore black leggings, grey leggings, and a blue button down. Of course its not well documented at all, but, great minds thing alike!

The weather was overcast but not cold. It was a pretty perfect setup actually! We scrambled a little to find a cart, but when we finally did, the shop began!

We spent a good three and a half hours in Ikea, and while it was sparser than usual, thanks to Covid, we both got quite the haul. I came out with new dishes, kids cutlery, bookends, a waterproof outdoor blanket, a yellow cactus and a planter, a big pot, a corkscrew, a cheese grater and container, sandwich bags, a kids duvet cover, drawer organizers, and plenty more than I’m confident I’m missing. It was an excellent haul!

Post-Ikea, we hit up Olive Garden. It was only mid-afternoon, so we basically had the place to ourselves.

And MAN the food was ridiculously good!

We ate far too much, packed the rest up, and headed out for a quick Winners break. Cher found one item, bought it, and we headed home!

We listened to good music, good stand-up comedy, and had a lot of good conversation the whole way home. It was such a special birthday celebration for me, and such a special trip for us 💜Here we were, thinking we wouldn’t get a chance to go on a trip together this year, and look at us go!

It was SO nice to be away together, but it is always SO nice to come home!