Our First RV Art Class!

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Trish

Last night I decided to take some time to experiment with our new Crayola pastels to get ready to present a mini-lesson to the kiddos. I had never used pastels before, so I spent some time reading about different techniques and styles. I doodled around and created an interesting flower using the blending technique. I left my sketch pad open and on the breakfast table to be “discovered” in the morning. (I find that our kids are much more inclined to try new things if I can entice them or hint at possible projects.) My drawing was a big discussion point over breakfast, and I was glad that the kids could recognize my drawing as a flower!

B was first to grab her sketch pad and give it a try:

M joined soon after, and they really started to get the hang of it!

Usually, the kids try one drawing and move on to other things. Today they surprised me by trying different versions and exploring their own ideas. M came up with a sunflower design:

Before bedtime, we were back at it and having a really good time. (I sprayed the finished drawings with a clear fixative to prevent smudges!) Here are a few of our finished pastel drawings:

The mobile office

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Ben

We are catching up on a bit of office work this morning. For the trip, I’ve switched to a notebook computer and am also using a Canon portable printer. The setup works pretty well!

The better part of valor

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Ben

My initial estimate of when we would be able to leave turned out to be more than a little optimistic. We’re now aiming for a departure date of 7/28.

We’ve been living in the RV since 6/28, so this is already our longest stay in a single location. Hopefully we can break this record in a location other than our driveway.

Stuff to do before we go includes finishing moving our stuff out the house, sorting through what we want to take with us on the trip, and cleaning out the garage. There are also a couple major RV mods than need to be completed before we go. There are plenty of other little things to do too.

So hang tight, we are leaving eventually, I promise!

Spice racks

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Ben

Just a quick modification to make life a little easier:

Gotta roll with it

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Ben

The kid’s berths both had tension rods with curtains for privacy, but they were constantly being stepped on and knocked down when the kids got into and out of bed. We solved this problem by using roller shades. Here’s a before and after:

Hopefully these will last longer than the previous solution.