The final countdown

Well, today is the last day before we leave this house behind. I'm excited about it but not as excited as I would be if we were actually leaving the state already.  We probably won't be on the road seeing any new places for at least a month while we save up some money for gas. This will also give us some time to work through any growing pains we have with our family dynamic or any rv issues. There are already a couple more things popping up. The water heater needs to be replaced. It is somehow not draining outside where it is supposed to and we are afraid there is mildew damage somewhere. We have noticed a mildewy smell in the bedroom area right next to where it is. Riki just discovered that water heaters are supposed to be replaced every nine years and well, this is the original, so that makes it about 13 years old. Oops.

And there is a water leak behind the toilet. He is afraid the toilet will need replacing too because he can't seem to fix it. They aren't huge issues and at least they aren't mechanical but they will need addressing fairly promptly.

I need to call camping world and find out if they carry the clothesline in the catalog that attaches to the bumper in the back. I already have two old fashioned washtubs with a washboard and wringer. Riki insisted I would have to leave them behind but I managed to fit them under the bed. I don't know how well it will work but  I am hoping to be able to set the washtubs on an outside bench or table to do laundry. Yes,  I'm a crazy person. I really, really don't like being dependent on laundromats or somebody else for laundry. Mind you, I don't think I'll be out there handwashing clothes in 50 degree weather but I still think it will really come in handy. So I need a clothesline and I'm all set I hope.

Willow actually slept on the foldout couch last night. This is pretty amazing. This is a child who refuses to sleep anywhere unless she is right next to me. She wouldn't even sleep in her pretty new ikea toddler bed for longer than an hour or two before she would come crying back into our bed. So when I woke up at three in the morning and she was still asleep since 8 p.m I actually had to go make sure she was still breathing. She didn't wake up until 5 a.m. That is the longest she has ever slept in her own bed. I tell you what though, that foldout bed is super cozy and she is up against the wall where she can't easily roll off. I think that bed is more comfortable than ours to be quite honest. At any rate I sure hope this is the beginning of a trend. I can't tell you how thrilled my husband would be just to get her out of the bed. I'm really going to work hard from here on out to redirect her there in the middle of the night when she wakes up. She is three years old now and I think it's time she learns a little independence.

I've been trying to make things more festive in the rv. I found some pretty snowflake window clings and these awesome LED snowflake lights with suction cups for the windows that change colors. I put our seasonal nature table and advent calendar in there. The tree will be next. That should be interesting and more holiday edition pictures will soon follow.

One more day of cleaning and moving stuff out the door of the house and then we begin our holiday family and friends adventure. I suspect lots of eating, drinking, and being merry!