Hello again! It took days to climb Mount Laundry, but it's finally done!!! That is a huge victory in itself!!!
So where have I been? We are torah keepers here (first 5 books of the bible on your bookshelf, not cult stuff don't freak out!!)
Being torah keepers means we are commanded to build a fort and camp for a week! How burdensome!!!
So prep work for camping took place, I bought a tent and a couple of blow up beds, one that folds into a couch. That was perfect for breast feeding! Something to lean back on in the quiet of the tent!
We got a lot of groceries and made a few things as well!!
#campfirestove!! Sadly fire consistency is not our forte and we didn't wind up using it for cooking..... but still the old man whipped it up with some old range parts and we wound up using it to season the cast iron. So not a complete waste.
Here is our tent! It's huge!!! 14x14 foot, supposed to sleep 14 as well, but come on, are we piling bodies in the woods...? It's was like a bedroom in the wild! Comforting and welcoming. Little Eden did not like it at first, bright orange and empty, but soon we had familiar items from home and she loved it!! Add a pack-n-play for her and a propane heater buddy and we were truly spoiled!!
And that's not all, see the tent in the back, that for Miss Ebony. She got spoiled and had her own roll of carpet foam and blankets. @tiredmama is a mean mama and wouldn't let her in with the inflatables....
#missEbony #campfirecoffee
Mr Aden in front of our outdoor kitchen!! The people we stayed with had an old sink in the yard they dragged out and hooked to the water hose. On sunny days we had hot water!! It was a blessing to have a station and not have to bend over a wash pot by the fire! If you look closely behind the boy, you can see where the kids tiled and grouted with flat rocks and sand!! They were the best helpers!! Simply amazing!!!
Got to have a rain shelter. Even the big tent held up well against the water! It only rained one night but we had heavy dew every morning from the river.
This guy came for the party, he was trying to hang out on anybody who would get close. Spent quite a bit of time with the doggo!
AND FINALLY WHAT I WAS MOST EXCITED ABOUT!!!!
This is a makeshift SUKKAH. A sukkah is a temporary dwelling and I thought we could make a good ole Ozarks fashioned one from some timbers and corn stalk. I made the mistake of forgetting that the wood was hickory and nearly impossible to get a screw through, let alone enough to make it super sturdy. We wound up strapping it to the trailer to ensure safety. We tied the stalks on with yarn and cord and then the kids had fun painting the house!! Sorry about the red blob, #notmykid.
Can you believe this baby had fun the whole time!!! She crawled around a blanket and tried to eat leaves, she sang to the fire and enjoyed fire cooked foods. She cuddled in the evenings and sat quietly listening, and she woke everybody up in the morning!! I tried to put our campsite away from the crowd but seeing as we were first to set up, everybody set up around us!! Lessons learned, I think they will forgive us!!
day view
So it was a lot of fun and we wound up staying ten days instead of 8. And we have major plans for next year, starting with a fancy loo!! Hope you enjoyed my adventures and I'm sorry I didn't get more photos, Seems like when your phone loses service, you find it practically useless!
I agree with you.
Glad you guys had a good time!
Congratulations on reaching the top of Mount Laundry! I've got mine finally done...but now it needs to be finished. As in, folded and properly put away. I could not believe the number of socks we went through this year since it rained a lot and the kids kept walking out of the tent in their socks. Yikes.
You took more pictures than we did last year when camping with a baby that age! That was a good idea with the mattress - I didn't know there was such a thing. Definitely something to keep in mind for future Sukkots.
Haha on the "don't freak out about cults" thing. It's taken even my Sabbath-keeping family a few years to not feel weirded-out by us camping out for the week. Every year we learn something important and it's getting easier. This is the first year I actually enjoyed the week and got a chance to actually sit and feel like this was a holiday instead of an intense learning session. Things do get easier!
That looks like SO MUCH FUN!!! I'm so glad everyone had a great time. I really missed you guys while you were gone and i'm so happy you're back. :)
Me too I think when it gets warmer I'm going to pitch that tent at your happy homestead and hang out for way longer than you would want me to!!!
Darling, you can pitch your tent in my yard any time. ;) ;)
I could never get tired of you and your beautiful family! Your husband...maybe. Hahaha!!! I love you guys!