The Choctaw Gypsy, a lesson in patience and fortitude

Years ago, I got this long camper. Some friends had it behind their house, and graciously gave it to me. We brought it to our house... She is a big travel trailer... We got her here, parked her next to the workshop, and got busy working on her. Then comes the detour.... My dad became ill. I spent my days taking care of him, with at least one grandchild in tow. As he began to recover, my mom fell ill. It started with a severe sinus infection, then to bronchitis, and eventually pneumonia. She started feeling better, and it was back to the Gypsy. Dad had a relapse, and Mom was diagnosed with Leukemia. My world revolves around my family, so, again, the Gypsy took a back seat. I cared for mom until she lost her battle with Leukemia. We spent most of our time in Medical City, in Dallas, Texas. On the weekends, my girls would drive to Dallas to stay with Mom, while I made the 2 hour trip home to care for Dad. During the weekdays, while I was in Dallas, my husband and girls took care of Dad. It was a crazy whirlwind, for sure. While the craziness was going on, my Gypsy was neglected. To be completely honest, she was dropped in the pasture, and left for dead... A few weeks ago, I decided to bring her to the house, and begin working on her. The neglect was showing. From the outside, she looked good. The inside, however, did not. Rats had nested in the oven, couch and dinette seats. The roof was leaking, and one of her doors was completely gone. The back door was still there, but it had a gap at the top about and inch wide, and...you guessed it.... more water damage.... I do not give up, when I am faced with challenges. I dig my heels in, and get to work. She is, in fact, a diamond in the rough.... and when I say rough, I mean ROUGH!!! She was hurting. The floor, for the most part is ok. The floor by the back door will need replacing, but that is nothing I can't handle.... Right? I, again, start demo. The dinette, and upper shelves were the first to go. I cannot describe the smell... it was horrid... Then, the couch. Again, the smell.... it wasn't bad, until I started moving the stuff out, but WOWZA! I refused to let anyone inside, for fear of them contracting some kind of horrible respiratory infection. Next came the mattress from the bedroom and the osb bed platform.... Yep... more smells........ But, it all came out. Trust me on this: a small sledge hammer is your friend sometimes! Talk about getting some frustration out! While I was in the bedroom, I noticed something strange. A random piece of romex running along the back wall. I pulled the paneling, and traced it to a metal junction box. I took the cover off the box, and was immediately shocked. The connection inside the box was missing wire nuts! So, there is a 110 volt plug, wired directly to the 30 amp plug in, with no wire nuts,in a metal box attached to a wooden box that holds the 30 am power cord. And, it was mounted UNDER the bed..... I was in such a state of shock about the fire hazard, that I didn't notice the extent of the water damage to the back wall..... Oh, but that is for another day... My next step was to find the bottom piece of trim for the missing door. This was a nightmare! After weeks of searching, I came up empty. I just couldn't afford a new door, so that was not even in the realm of possibilities. After a few trips to junk yards, rv supply places, machine shops and endless internet browsing, I decided there had to be a way to rebuild a door. I was in Lowe's, and was scanning the aluminum trim, when I had an idea. I bought 2 pieces of Angle Aluminum, and a door sweep. This is my 'Frankenstein' fix. I searched for fiberglass sheets, and styrofoam filler until I was getting frustrated. One day, I was at our local Cafe, and some of our neighbors/friends came in. Luckily, they were remodeling their mobile home, and had taken the factory door off, and replaced it. It was a bit bigger than my dimensions on the Gypsy, but it could easily be cut down to size. They refused to let me pay them for the door. Sweet people! And let me say this..... We have some wonderful friends! We loaded the door into my Tahoe, and off to the house I went! As soon as the weather allowed, I meticulously measured, and cut the door. Then, I took the 3 pieces of factory trim that I had, and dry fit it on the door. It was perfect! Mother nature had a bipolar episode, and we had freezing temps and high winds. This is Texas, but you just cannot work outside in that kind of weather, so, the Gypsy was closed up, the best she could be, to await tolerable temperatures. The weather forecast was looking great, and I was itching to get back to my diamond..... or my piece of coal, at this point.... Then, we get another set back.... everyone in our home came down with the flu. 7 days of fever, aches and sleeping, while the weather was soooo nice outside.... just my luck... We all finally started to get back to normal... as normal as this house can get, and my poor husband had to have surgery. Again, my family is my life. Gypsy was going to be put on the back burner again, no doubt about it. I am happy to report, at this point, everyone is healthy, and the Gypsy and I are back to hanging out together. Last Wednesday, I started the finish work on the door. I will say this again: its a good thing I don't quit easily.... In the amount of time the door had sat, freshly cut to the correct size, the fiberglass sheeting on it had came loose along one of the sides... no problem... I can just glue it back, right?? NOPE! The humidity would not allow the glue to set up.... I have an idea. It's kinda crazy, but it should work. I need duct tape! I can place a thin strip on the edge, to hold it down long enough to put the trim on....Now, where did my duct tape go?? I look in the workshop, barn, feed barn, house, trucks, my daughter's house, her shop... it has disappeared... a whole entire roll of glittered duct tape has vanished. I am desperate at this point. I have 2 choices. 1. Drive into town to get a single roll of duct tape. 2. Go to the cafe and see if Larry has any. Luckily, he did! Have I said I have great friends??? Back home with the borrowed duct tape, and I get back to work. It worked for the most part. I still had about 6 inches left that just would not stay down, no matter how hard that tape tried. Plan B. I took my trusty aluminum carpenter's square, and used two C clamps to hold the edge down, and the trim slipped right on like butter! Whew! I put all the screws in it to hold it until I could find the Rivet gun (seriously, looking for tools around here is a scavenger hunt every single day) Thursday comes, and we are still searching for the rivet gun. It has walked away from this circus. Who am I kidding?? It RAN away! My biggest supporter, my husband, tells me to get in the truck, we are going to town. He takes me to get pipe clamps and a rivet gun :) I am not a 'flower' type girl.. get me tools or something for my truck, and I am thinking it is Christmas. We go over a list of what we will need while we are in town. Caulk? I have 2 unopened tubes in the house... check Drill bits? We have a whole set of them in the toolbox.... check Plenty of rivets? the gun came with quite a few... check We got home after dark, so there was no more working on Gypsy that day. Friday, I rush home from the Cafe, eager to finish.this.dang. door... Rain is in the forecast, and I have a ginormous hole in the wall that needed to be closed! I start drilling holes for the rivets. I break the first drill bit on the second rivet. No worries, we have more.... then I break a second one, then a third... and I only have 6 Rivets in the frame. *sigh* After my pity party ended, I quit for the day. Yay for Saturday! The hubby and I head back into town... once again.... Drill bits are on the list. We get 3 of the best ones available, and I grab a small nail puller for the staples in the paneling while I am there. After all, I really don't need to make any more trips into town! We get home and start to work. I only needed 1 drill bit, thank goodness, and all of the rivets are going in like they are supposed to. 3 pieces of frame are on the door and riveted! Yay!!!! I get my angle aluminum Frankenstein idea going. Things are going great! All of the cuts are matching up perfectly, so I run in the house to get the caulk and caulking gun. I move the vacuum cleaner and carpet shampooer out of the laundry room, to get to the closet where the Caulk gun hangs... that is a comical scenario in it's own, but I get the gun, grab the caulk from the shelf, and I am feeling accomplished! I can see the end of the door building process and it is right in my grasp! I cut the end of the spout off, poke the hole thru the foil on the caulk, and set the gun. No caulk is coming out..... I poke another hole, thinking I just didn't get the hole right. Still, no caulk. It is dried inside the tube :( No problem, there is another new tube in the laundry room. Well, Heavens to Betsy, it is dried up too. UGH! Well, that is all for today, because I am exhausted and I still have a vacuum and a carpet shampooer in my hall. Sunday comes in and it is going to be a beautiful day! I get my coffee fix. Seriously, can anyone get motivated without a few cups of this amazing stuff? Not me. After the caffeine hits my system, I am on my way to... you guessed it... to town.... again.... I grab a tube of caulk, some paint tape (It was right there handy, and I know I will need it sooner or later, so, why not? I had forgotten to get the size of the rivets, so I just decided we would probably have enough. I was wrong. Soooo wrong.. I drive back home after getting a large sweet tea to go, and I am well on my way to having the door finished. I caulk the Frankenstein pieces together, clamp them in place, and start riveting. I was 5 rivets short.... Yes. 5 rivets halted the work again. Me and the husband go back into town, and get rivets. This time, I got the big box of 1,000 rivets, in varying sizes. Ya know, because I will need them and they will be here. Unless they run away to find the original rivet gun. We get the door finished finally! At this point in the project, my husband is as determined as I am. We get the door out to check the fit to the frame, and IT FITS!!! Oh the happiness filled the air. We were high on our own power. I lift the door into place, and my husband grabs the drill and screws, and we attach it to the frame. Before closing the door, for the final fitting, my husband stops me. He says "Now, Honey, I just want to say something. You cut this door, and as thorough as you were, you might need to make adjustments, ok? I don't want you to get frustrated if it doesn't sit exactly perfect." I stared him right in the eye, and swung the door shut. It was terrifying, yet exhilarating for the mere second that it took to close. And, it was perfect!! All of the trips to town, frustration and anger was gone. The door was attached and it shut perfectly. I was walking on a cloud!

Now, I am ready to install the door latch. Oh, geeeez! It ran away with the rivet gun......... To be continued.........

Handicap accesible camping and fishing

I have tons of friends who, like me, love to hunt and fish. Among these friends, a few are disabled. Some are from PTSD, some have lost arms, legs, etc... I love all of them the same, because these are the friends who are ALWAYS there to help. I can sometimes come up with some, shall we say, random ideas. Not one of my friends have ever said 'NO'....ever! So, as my husband and I were fishing one day, enjoying the nice, peaceful area that we were in, my mind started wandering. This happens a lot, in fact. My poor husband! So, as my mind wandered, I found myself thinking "how in the world, would someone in a wheelchair or on crutches, get down here to his fishing hole?" It expanded from there. I thought about the deer leases, and the camps, and deer blinds.... As we returned home, and got all of our supplies put away, I started some research on Handicap accessible RVs.... WOW $$$$$$ I found one that was 14 years old, retro fitted with a ramp and wheel in shower for a whopping $32,000! I almost fainted. My mind started wandering again. I am no expert, and I am certainly not a certified contractor, but, I have a few great friends who fit these titles :) I posted a plea on my facebook for an older and used camper, that was solid on the outside, but could easily be demolished on the inside, to remodel. Have I said that I have great friends??? In no time at all, I had 3 campers! We are in the process of gutting the first one, and the others will only need ramps, and ac/heat :) We have everything, and I mean EVERYTHING donated so far! From the campers to tires to bedding! I also have a great group of volunteers (my friends!) to paint, patch, remove, replace, or whatever we need to do! Along with this, I have friends, who have friends in high places! We have businesses donating things, like mattresses, parts, service, and even some wanting to put on a benefit concert and dinner to get the money for supplies, gas, hunts, etc.... Wow! I am overwhelmed at the blessings :) I answered my phone yesterday, to a greeting from a woman local to here, that has done phenomenal things for local kids. She had some pointers, advice, and mostly, she thinks my idea is great also, and she is on board with it! So, we are off to a great start! Pics coming soon! I do have to give a special shout out to a special person, my husband! His exact words to me were: Honey, I think you are crazy taking on a project of this size with all of the other things you have going on, but I am behind you 100% and will help out by doing whatever you want me to do" Then, he rubbed his forehead, looked down for a minute, then shook it off...I think he surprised himself by what he had just signed up for...but, he has been great! Any idea I have, he lets me say them, and then he will, in a nice way, tell me how to end up doing it right. ahhhhh, I love that man!

Crochet, Crochet, Crochet

I have been crocheting alot lately. Crochet and knitting are therapy for me, and with all the new babies coming into my world, I have been trying out new patterns and even making some of my own :) Below are some pics of a few of my latest projects. I have quite a few special orders stacking up, which makes me happy :) and nervous! haha

YaYa and PawPaw times 2 :)

YaYa is my name. The history of this name is as follows: This name was given to me by my grandson. I have always said, "I don't care whaat they call me, as long as they love me." Well, I ended up with YaYa! Which is different, and I absolutely adore it, because my grandson thought of it! He has given my husband the name PawPaw. When our daughter was pregnant, my husband insisted he wanted to be called Grandpa....Just goes to show you, grandbabies will call you what they want to call you! My mother tried to get her grandchildren to call her Grandmother, and she ended up with the name Gomi! Apparently, our children are all individual thinkers, and that makes me proud!

This last Thursday, our granddaughter was born! She is a perfect little princess, and we are all addicted to her! Although I have been making clothes, hairbows, headbands,and all kinds of things, in preparation for her appearance, now that she is here, my efforts seem lame! She needs an entire closet full of glitter, bling and pink!! PawPaw and her dad seem to think we have too much bling for such a little person, but I am a firm believer, there is NEVER enough bling!!!!

Now, I am preparing for the spring and summer. Swim suits, sundresses, rompers.... I sure hope she is not a tom boy! lol It is sure beginning to look as if my dining room table is going to be a semi permanant spot for the sewing machine! Maybe after a month or so, PawPaw will decide I need a craft room! :))

What little girls are made of.....

I am the mom of two girls, although they are no longer LITTLE divas... My oldest daughter is 25 and my youngest is 16. We were long past the cute little hair bows, dresses, patent leather shoes, and glitter...until now! My granddaughter will be making her entrance tomorrow morning! My grandson, her big brother, will be 4 next month, on Valentine's Day. I must say, when he came along, I was out of my element making things for little boys, but we managed very well! Now, I am back in my comfort zone, and my husband is drowning in the sea of pink and glitter once again!

We have been online, and in, literally, every store in town, looking for the perfect 'Little Sister' shirt. The big brother shirt was found months ago. So, since we were down to the last hours, we (and when i say 'we', i mean, my oldest daughter!) decided that YaYa, (me) could make one! So, at 7:30pm, YaYa started this adventure.

Although this was painless, and required very little thinking, It did, however, take a little preparation. First things first: Craft store to find the exact pattern. I was very lucky, today. We found Iron On decorations in EXACTLY what she wanted. Second: You must wash the clothing to remove any sizing from manufacture. And DO NOT use fabric softener.
Now, just follow the directions on the packaging for the decals. Now, every little girl has to have a little bling, right?? I added a string of pearls. Normally, I would not add these, as they are a choking hazard, but these are attatched with a safety pin, so they can be removed easily for washing, or sleeping!

The hardest part of this, was fitting both of the decals on such a small piece of clothing. But I think it turned out absolutely adorable! The only thing left is a little rhinestone in the flower, but I dont have time to break out the bedazzler tonight! That will wait until next week!

recycled bed slats

Years ago, we needed slats for our bed. I went to the barn, and found some old 1x2s that had been there for many, many years. I had long since forgotten about these painted, yet naturally distressed, slats, until we moved into our new home. I sold the headboard and footboard that they went with, and the new owners didn't seem to want the multicolored beauties. So, I put them back in the barn, until I could decide what to do with them. One day, out of necessity for a table in my bathroom, I made the trek back to the barn. Low and behold, there they were! With a little planning, measuring and a couple of drawings, I made this! The top removes, and there is storage inside! I absolutely love it!

more painted furniture...

I was in a local Goodwill the other day, and found a small bookshelf marked with a 3.99 yellow sticker, and it just so happened, that yellow was the .99 color that day! How lucky!!! I didn't get a pic of the bookshelf before, because I was so excited to get it painted. It was stained a dark walnut, with the bottom trim unattatched (but at least it was there!)
After just a few minutes (about 30), 2 coats of Krylon Ivory spray paint, and a little sanding, here is my distressed bookshelf! I love it! I cant wait to get some baskets in it, for the odds and ends (remotes, mail, small toy cars for my grandson, etc..)