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Camping in the Florida Keys

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Holly

I just returned home from a camping trip in the Florida Keys. We spent 4 nights and 5 days in Bahia Honda State Park on a little slice of heaven known as the Sandspur Beach. We are not seasoned campers yet but have a few trips under our belts at this point. Our first camping trip was to Bahia Honda 4 years ago and we were in tents. It was HOT!!! We decided then we loved camping but would sleep better with a bit of air conditioning.

New Curtains

Hubs set out to find us an affordable pop-up camper and was successful. We are the proud owners of a 15 year old Coleman pop-up camper complete with air conditioning. The only upgrades we have had to make to it were a new set of curtains and new tires. It sleeps 3 comfortably and 4 can be done with a little compromise. We have camped with it all over Florida and have really enjoyed it. It fits in places that a big RV could never go and I can tow it and set it up myself. This has allowed me to do an all girls camping trip in St. Augustine with my step mom and daughter.

We have brought our 5 year old grand son Amari along on most of our camping trips and this one was no exception. He is a great camper and enjoys the outdoors. Camping is not for everyone, our son Sam does not enjoy any kind of roughing it and so we do not bring him. Unhappy campers are like a virus and can really ruin a trip. This brings me to my first tip: Leave non-camping folk at home!

I struggle with over packing.

Campthony

Any kind of trip that I take I always seem to over pack. I have decided for our next camping trip we will try a more minimalist approach. I watched more than one compact car pull in to a site and take out a tiny little tent, a bag of charcoal and a swimsuit and that was it! Not us. We had 3 bikes, 1 wagon, 1 microwave, 7 fans, a fully applianced camp kitchen, 4 reclining chairs, 2- 10′ x 10′ awnings, 1 kayak with life vests and oars, 3 coolers and a 14 CF fridge! We all have some type of memory foam mattress topper which we just had to have as well. I printed a packing list off the internet to help with kitchen and toiletry items, this was extremely helpful to me and I highly recommend using one of these pre made lists. I was talking to my step mom today and she said while the trip was fresh in my mind I should make a list of the items I did NOT use. The only thing I could come up with was 4 out of the 7 fans.

No more room on the truck!

Then I wished we had an extra bike so we could all ride at the same time but it would not fit on the truck. Tip # 2: Bring only what you know you will use…….or use everything that you bring! I opted for the latter.

Planning meals ahead of time is a huge help and money saver. We had a menu all mapped out for the days we were there and I had all the meat and pre-prepped meals frozen for the long ride in the coolers. We used all our food and ended up eating out the last day. I was not prepared for how much food my grandson could eat. Swimming makes small people starving! Next time I will pack more rations. I am always learning and each trip we take I get a bit better at the meal planning. Camping in the Florida Keys provides some challenges as stores are far and few between. We did make an emergency store run for bacon to keep our grandson happy. He calls himself the baconater. Tip # 3: Pre-plan your menu and pack some spare food!

The Baconater working up an appetite in the ocean.

Bahia Honda State Park is one of our many affordable state run parks here in Florida. This one is quite a gem because it offers a handful of ocean front tent sites. The tent sites are hard to get and you have to work at it spending time on Reserve America’s website. You can book 11 months out and no longer. It is well worth the effort. The park offers lots of fun activities and the best beach in the Keys as far as I am concerned. The Rangers have put together some children’s activities that teach the kids about the shore line and what they may find there. Amari participated in a crafty lesson on sea beans. He learned about keeping our shores clean and created a mobile with trash, treasures and sea beans. Tip # 4: I was totally impressed with the program and would encourage you to see what is available at your local state parks for children.

Bahia Honda’s craft class for children.

Camping in a pop up with no shower, kitchen or toilet does have some challenges. Planning for these ahead of time helps. Remember to have any medications packed and handy. I put together a small plastic bathroom caddy that we keep our bathroom essentials in. Having this handy makes shower trips easier. We use the truck’s tailgate as a kitchen counter of sorts and set up a dishpan and rinsing area to do dishes. I do not use any paper products as then we are making constant trips to the trash dumpster and wasting a lot of money. I do the dishes after every meal. Tip # 5: Camping creates a lot of laundry and dirty dishes. Be prepared for this.

Take some time to enjoy the area you are camping in, explore the area and ask the locals about interesting spots or attractions. Spend a bit of time in advance doing some online research and try something new if you have been to the area before. We love the Florida Keys and have found many restaurants, attractions and landmarks that we enjoy. We were able to share some of those with our grandson.

Flagler’s Folly

I walked with my daughter Vicky through the shallow Atlantic waters along the coast for over 2 miles. This is our second time doing this and it was so much fun. Because the water in the Keys is so shallow you can be very far off the shoreline and still able to walk. You feel like your in your own private paradise. While I was out walking with her I kept thinking about how lucky we are to be able to do things like this. I spent a few minutes being grateful for my daughter, the ocean, our ability to walk in such a magnificent place and that no sharks came out to visit us.

The Turtle Hospital in Marathon FL

On our first camping trip to the Florida Keys we found the Turtle Hospital in Key Marathon. This is a real hospital that holds tours to teach awareness and to help fund their non profit mission. We were so impressed the first time we decided to take Amari. Our tour guide was passionate about the turtles and the mission of the hospital and her information and delivery was top notch. She was like an evangelist of sorts and I learned more about the turtles. Amari fell in love with this little green turtle named Taco. Tip # 6: Plan fun activities that focus on the area of the country you are in.

Check and see if your campground allows dogs and consider taking your well behaved dog. Our dog Reebok comes with us when we camp. This saves us money that would have been spent on a dog sitter. Reebok is not a barker and is very friendly making him a good fit for traveling.

Amari giving Reebok some good belly scratching.

There is lots of prep, planning, packing and researching involved in a successful camping trip. Make sure to spend some time relaxing and enjoying your family. Talk over your day in the evening and ask for feedback. Find out what everyone would like to do the following day. Amari is a swimmer, his plans included morning swimming, mid morning swimming, noon swimming, afternoon swimming…. this worked out fine for us and we were happy to enjoy the water with him.

I love to camp, I enjoy outdoor activities and do not mind the work involved. Camping has allowed us to vacation on a budget and spend time with our children and grandchildren.

Pennies to Prosperity, Holly

Human Connections

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Holly

Susan and I had been talking about recent events where the vital importance of friends, family and a strong support network were made so obvious. The connections we make with others in our lives determines our happiness and to an extent our success. I was feeling the desire to blog about these human connections and we put this important topic on our schedule for an upcoming post. This past Monday I received an email from my cousin letting me know that her mother had died. I am not particularly close to this cousin but have always had respect and love for her because of the way she treated both my mother and my grandmother before their deaths. My cousin has a husband, children and a full time job and yet she finds the time to care for my mother and grandmother’s grave sites keeping them beautiful with fresh flowers. Her mother was my uncle’s first wife and they divorced when I was in high school. I lost touch with her and only saw her twice in the past 25 years, the last time being at my mother’s funeral. When I read my cousin’s email I immediately knew that I needed to be there for her and her borothers. I live in Florida and the service would be in Massachusetts. There was just no question in my mind that I needed to make this journey.

I was able to visit with other family and spend time enjoying their company. I had a wonderful meal with my daughter and brother and then spent some alone time with my daughter…..a rare treat. Throughout the very short trip I was reminded over and over about how much I value these relationships and how much these people mean to me and my life. They support me in times of need, laugh with me in times of joy and make my life better daily.

I happen to be reading a book called “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin where she states that human connections and relationships are vital to happiness. At so many moments during this brief trip I saw this in action. I felt this deep connection with my cousins as I dealt with the memories of my own loss when my mom passed away. I did not get to spend lots of time with them but conveyed with hugs and love the care and compassion that I feel for them. What a reminder to me and a reinforcement of what Susan and I had been discussing about the importance of these relationships. Take time to foster your friendships. Be available to your loved ones. Offer encouragement during the great times and compassion during the hard times. Recognize what people add to your lives. I have the tendency to act as an island unto myself and can become very solitary and comfortable in my own little bubble. The great lesson in all of this is one I already knew in theory but struggled to put into practice. We need others, their support is vital to our lives. Human Connections add quality to our existence.

Pennies to Prosperity, Holly

Spring Cleaning the Supply Closet

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Susan

Spring is in the air? Well, it might still be a tad bit chilly but it is time to clean out the clutter. Since I live in Florida, we have very little use for a large coat closet. But the absence of a basement makes storage space a premium commodity. My dear husband installed wire shelving in our front closet so that I could store all of my office supplies in one place. As you can see it is time for Spring Cleaning the Supply Closet!

Here are my before shots. Things truly did start out organized but it didn’t take long to create this mess. The children were in and out looking for school supplies and it becomes a catch-all when we are cleaning up the living room. The worst part when it gets like this is I have no idea what I have or don’t and I may have a bit of an office supply addiction problem…

I pulled everything out of the closet into the living room so that I could organize it. I put all of the same type of supplies in one pile and everything of the same category close together. Once I had my supplies sorted, I took inventory so that I could easily see what was on hand.

There were 72 spiral notebooks. I know, 72? Well, they sell them 10 for $1.00 at the beginning of the school year. I usually pick up $2.00 worth of notebooks and put them in the closet. I really do use spiral notebooks all the time, but I guess not 20 per year. This August, I will refrain from buying spiral notebooks! I may even donate some of my supply to make it more manageable.

Spring Cleaning

There were also various other things that were in the closet including Christmas wrapping paper and decorations. Since our main storage area is in the garage, and it is not climate controlled, I do not like to leave paper out there for long periods of time. This year I invested in a container to house my wrapping paper and another container to hold the other wrapping supplies like tape, bows, tags, etc… They fit nicely in the supply closet and were well worth the $15.00 investment. The Christmas decorations went back into their box out in the garage. The cats were very curious about all the things in the living room and wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any of the fun that was taking place. They were also hoping to prowl around in the closet and find a new place to take a nap.

These are my after photos. All the supplies are now in there proper place and labeled. It is a pleasure to go into my closet now and find what I need easily and without having to dig through a pile. Whether I need sticky notes or staples they are right at my fingertips. Taking stock of what you have is penny-wise for many reasons. You can use what you have on-hand without having to layout more money, having everything labeled allows you to save time and work more efficiently, and looking at an organized space brings about a sense of peace which is good for your health. What space do you need to Spring Clean?

Pennies to prosperity,

Susan

Yard Sale Desk Makeover

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Susan

A few years ago, I picked up a secretary desk at a yard sale for $20.00. It was a solid piece of furniture but it had ink stains on the inside of the desk. My daughter really wanted a desk for her room and with the small footprint it seemed like this model would be ideal. I brought it home and she was less than thrilled so it went into the garage storage area. A few weeks ago I decided it was time for the yard sale desk makeover.

Unfortunately, I was so excited to jump into this project with my husband’s help, that I forgot to take a picture of the desk prior to paint. So here it is with the first coat of “bliss” paint. I loved the color and

Yard Sale Desk

the name of the paint seemed so serene. When I started, the entire desk was the natural color you can see on the inside plus a few ink stains. Someone had even put a footprint in ink on the side of the desk. A few coats of paint made a world of difference.

After applying two coats of paint, I decided it needed an element of surprise. What is more fun than decoupage? It is easy to do and costs very little to add a lot of color and fun to the piece. I started by

Yard Sale Desk

looking online to find images of beach scenes that I liked and I copied them into a Word document. Then I printed out the pictures on a color printer and cut them out into individual photos. I arranged the pictures in a collage style format on the inside writing surface of the desk. I used Mod Podge decoupage medium and a sponge applicator to adhere the pictures to the desk and put a thin coat over the pictures. I applied 4 coats of the medium over the pictures, allowing about 20 minutes of drying time between the coats. I let the piece sit for 48 hours to make sure the paint and decoupage medium were fully cured.

To finish off the piece, I changed out the wooden knobs on the drawers for silver metal knobs. I love my new secretary desk that has a whimsical, beachy feel. It now has a place of honor in my living room and is a relaxing place to sit and write or use my laptop.

Final Tally: my yard sale desk cost $20, a quart of paint was $15, decoupage medium and brushes were about $10, and the new knobs were $15. I have a great new work space that goes with my cottage-style furnishings for $70.

Share stories of your yard sale makeovers.

Pennies to prosperity,

Susan

Penny Wise Pillow Cases

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Holly

Penny Wise Pillow Cases

I made some pillow cases for my granddaughters this Easter and I thought I would share the directions. The pillow cases make great gifts that you can personalize by choosing personalized fabrics. My granddaughters are both big mermaid fans so that is what I chose for them.

Zoey and her Easter chick Ming Ming resting on her pillow case!

Here is the easy pattern: http://www.quiltmaker.com/webextras/quiltmaker/patt270.pdf.

The basic tools you will need are a sewing machine, a sharp cutter, an accurate ruler and a cutting mat. When you purchase fabric for this project choose a quality cotton that is at least 41 inches from salvage edge to salvage edge. Measure carefully and measure twice to insure you have taken the direction of the pattern into account. Wash and press all fabrics to insure they have been pre-shrunk. Take the time to press and trim threads as you work.

If you are fortunate enough to have a sewing machine that does some embroidery stitches you can sew a simple pattern on the small strip of piping. That really adds to the pillow case and gives it a high end customized look.

This past Christmas I made my oldest grandson a shark pillow and my daughter a pillow with fabric that was inspired by a Monet painting. She is a Monet fan and really loved this personalized one of a kind gift. I have made pillow cases to match quilts and bedroom decor in the past. The possibilities are really endless.

April is a great time to start thinking about gifts that you will need throughout the year and even for Christmas. Buying fabrics on sale or from the end of a bolt allow you to complete this project inexpensively. I have some football fabric that is really perfect for my grandsons but it is not a high quality cotton so I will use it for the cuff of the pillow case rather than the body. I will find a feel good fabric for the body that coordinates with the theme fabric. Fabric scraps are perfect for the accent strip and you will want to pick something with a nice contrast so that it pops.

I hope you enjoy making these pillow cases. I would love to see your fabric choices and finished pillow cases.

Pennies to Prosperity and Pillow Cases, Holly

Book Club is Starting at Penny Wise Moms

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Susan

Holly and I both love to read. We thought it would be fun to start a book club for our friends here at Penny Wise Moms. The plan is to pick a book per month, post the name for all of you, and then schedule a time to be online and talk about the book. Sound good?

Our first selection is Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews. This book is great southern humor with a bit of mystery embedded in the story.

Come with us on the funny journey as we meet Weezie Foley, a recently divorced antique picker, who has been kicked out of the house she completely renovated by her spiteful ex-husband. We also get know Weezie’s best friend, restaurant owner Bebe Loudermilk. The cast rounds out with Weezie’s mother, father, Uncle James, and the hot new cook at Bebe’s restaurant, Daniel Stipanek. Savannah Blues will give you an insiders view of the life and times in this small southern city.

On May 9th at 10 a.m., Holly and I will be online in the Penny Wise Moms forum to talk with you about Savannah Blues and see what you thought of the book. At that time, we will also reveal our pick for the next Penny Wise Moms selection.

If you are trying to be penny wise, Savannah Blues is probably available in your local library or can be purchased used on Amazon in paperback from $.01 or new from $2.89. If you need instant gratification, the Kindle edition is $9.68.

Pennies to prosperity,

Susan

Podcasts

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Holly

Lately I have been enjoying listening to Podcasts! I was looking for something to keep my mind busy while at the gym or on a walk by myself and did not want to purchase an audio book. I found the podcasts and downloaded my first episode of “Fit Girl,” I felt that was very appropriate for the gym. Since then I have found so many that I love. They have provided me with entertainment on long car trips and inspiration for goals I am currently working on. Many podcasts are free and the topics they cover are endless. I thought I would share a few favorites and encourage you to find a couple of your own!

My very favorite podcast is done by Lion Brand Yarns. They come out with a new episode every other week and I find myself waiting eagerly for the next podcast episode. They discuss all types of topics from the latest yarn fashion trends to new books available.

The last one I was able to listen to had a segment about the Pantone color of the year for 2013 which is Emerald. There was a baby gift segment complete with what yarns are durable and wash well making them perfect for use in a baby project.

The Lion Brand Podcast is recorded at their design center/store in New York City. I already have a trip planned there this summer and I plan on going to the store and hope to take a class! I have always been a yarn/fiber lover and listening to the podcast feeds my creativity and sparks ideas for new projects.

Any of you who know me know that i am a hard core Biggest Loser fan. I love Jillian Michaels and have been doing her Body Revolution workout series since January. It was great for me to find her podcast available for free. She is entertaining and knowledgeable. She frequently has expert guests on and most recently did a podcast episode on women and heart disease. I learned many things I never knew about heart disease. It is the biggest killer of women, more so than all forms of cancer combined.

Jillian can also be very entertaining and funny. She does the show with Janice her assistant and the two of them make a fantastic team. Jillian Michaels is honest, sometimes painfully so but treats all guests and callers with great respect and empathy. I love to hear her talk about the Biggest Loser show and about her children. She is great to listen to while I am walking or exercising. If I am feeling like falling off my healthy new year goals wagon she can keep me on the straight and narrow and motivate me.

Both Susan and I have learned many good habits and money ideas from Dave Ramsey. We do not always agree with his politics. His podcast is as boisterous, loud and opinionated as he is! He does not mince words with his callers or guests. This makes listening to him lots of laughs! He keeps me on track with my budget and spending.

Pick something that you are interested in and check to see if there is a podcast available on the topic. It is a great way to be inspired, entertained and learn some new things while not spending a penny!

Pennies to Prosperity, Holly

Evernote – The Best New Thing Since Sliced Bread

Posted on April 1, 2013 by pennywisemoms

I have started using a new program called Evernote. In my opinion, it is truly the best new thing since sliced bread! It is free and available to use on all types of platforms. It keeps all of your ideas and information in one place and then syncs everything to allow you to access your notes from any device.

It also has a feature that you can add to your web browser that allows you to “clip” any webpage you are on and save it in your online “notebook”. Every time you come across something that might be useful in the future, you can clip it and put it in a note in your online notebook. The notes and notebooks are also searchable and you can add tags to make it easy to find stuff in the future.

The filing hierarchy is Stacks, Notebooks, Notes, Tags. So you can create broad headings – Stacks, within the Stacks – individual notebooks, within the notebooks – individual notes, and within the notes you can attach tags to easily sort by a category across notebooks and stacks.

There is also a feature that allows you to create TO DO checkboxes within a note and then check off action items as you finish them. You can search by all TODO or just open, or just closed TODO items. This is very powerful.

Want to share information with friends or colleagues? From within your notes, you can share directly through email, Twitter, Facebook, etc… If you buy an Evernote premium account, only $45 for the year, you can setup notebooks that you can share with friends. This would be a terrific way to work on any type of collaborative project.

I am really excited by the potential of this program. It might be the right answer to the digital organizational challenge. Oh, you can also save all types of files in this including, text, picture, audio and video. The options are endless.

I have only been using this program for about three weeks. Already, I am using this for a myriad of tasks from scanning and saving receipts and business cards, creating a contact directory, using notes to collect ideas for future blogs, saving recipes, taking meeting notes and emailing to the group, and saving online articles that I want to refer back to in the future. Everything I need is all in one place and I can find all of it by searching instead of having to remember where I saved it.

How do you get information into Evernote? There are lots of ways. You can type directly in a note, create an audio or video file and upload, snap a picture directly to Evernote, scan and upload documents, send an email to your Evernote email account, or my favorite, create a speech to text note. When you forward an email to Evernote you get not only the body of the email but also file attachments. Snap a picture of a document, the text of the document can now be searched!

When you have time, check it out and let me know what you think.

Pennies to prosperity,

Susan

Meditation Challenge

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Holly

On March 11, 2013, I decided to try Oprah and Deepak’s free meditation challenge with the encouragement of a friend. I have enjoyed the experience and benefited from it so much I decided to blog about it!

I have taken Yoga classes before where a small amount of time was saved at the end to help center your thoughts and clear your mind. I am not very good at clearing my mind. My mind is like a busy little ADHD whirlwind that struggles to stay focused on any one thing….unless I am hungry then my focus is perfect! I have struggled with this most of my life and have yet to conquer it. These meditations are helping me to learn how to quiet my mind and feel less stress and much better focus.

This 21 day meditation challenge is called “Perfect Health.” Each daily meditation lasts for about 15 minutes and focuses on an aspect of good health. Oprah introduces the day’s theme and then Deepak discusses the centering thought for the day and the mantra, a phrase you repeat to help you focus. The mantra is positive and based on the daily theme. He then leads the meditation.

Last week’s theme was “balance.” Some of the daily topics were related to eating, movement and making connections with others. Whether I do my daily meditation in the morning or in the evening I begin to feel stress melt away, I find my focus has improved and that my day has a goal and I am sleeping better.

My life long pre-conceived ideas about meditation involved barefoot hippies at concerts in their VW vans. I decided to try this challenge with an open mind based on Oprah’s involvement and my pre-conceived belief that she would never be barefoot any where! It is always humbling and funny to me how life long ideas and notions are mostly nonsense. I am benefiting from this daily meditation and would encourage you to give it a try! It is free, very easy to access and requires only 15 minutes a day. 21-Day Meditation Challenge <meditationchallenge@chopra.com>

I would love to hear your feedback!

Pennies to Prosperity, Holly

WDW Princess Half Marathon

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Holly

Walt Disney World’s Princess Half Marathon

Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon

Three Princesses on the Run!

On February 24, 2013, my sister, my daughter and I participated in the WDW Princess Half Marathon. We have made this a bi-annual family event and plan to continue this tradition for as long as we can walk the 13.1 miles that make up a half marathon. My goal is always to train well and finish with no injury to my body. Sore muscles are fine; blisters, sprains and dislocated bones are not. This year we all finished with our bodies and pride intact!

Like everything that Walt Disney does the Princess Half Marathon is huge and very well attended. This year over 26,000 people participated in the race. WDW does their very best to deal with the large number of guests and racers but it can be overwhelming if you are not a crowd loving person. The race route is lined with water and sports drink stations as well as thousands of port-a-potties. Every racer is given a commemorative shirt and those that finish get wonderful medals. After the race, WDW hands out protein filled snacks for the racers and more drinks. Then the hard part begins….trying to find your family in the huge crowds of cheering onlookers and other racers. I am in awe of the women and a few men who participate in this race. All ages, abilities and disabilities are represented and all with the same goal of participating in a healthy, fun filled event with like minded people. It is wonderful to be part of something so positive.

I have had a couple weeks now to reflect on the experience and the race itself and thought I would share my reflections. I hope to inspire you to begin a healthy, family activity.

There were parts that I did not enjoy, luckily they were few and understandable. I do not enjoy getting up at 3:00 am. I hate it! My body functions better with a normal wake up time of somewhere between 6 and 7 am. I do understand that for WDW to host an event of this size and keep their attractions open and the roadways clear they need to start that early. It’s only once every 2 years so I will not fuss too loudly. I do not enjoy, or do well with, crowds. This was one huge crowd! The racers numbered over 26,000 and that does not include the volunteers, WDW cast members or family cheering groups. The crowd size caused a major bottleneck in Cinderella’s castle and it was not pretty or princess like! That is it for my complaints.

I love being part of a large group focused on a positive activity. I enjoy the camaraderie that happens when you have a common focus. It is an awesome feeling to be part of something like this. I love the same camaraderie that happens within our small family group of 4. My step mom is our cheering squad and the three of us are a mighty family force. We are able to be accountable to one another and enjoy months of prep talk and share our strategies. Our dogs benefit as well, sharing many of our training walks. I enjoy being focused on a goal. I like the planning and organizing that goes into training for something like this. We get 4 or 5 months of training along with all the benefits such as improved sleep, better energy and, for me, better mental health. Vicky and I plan times when we do training walks together and I love walking with her. We laugh and enjoy every minute. This year we did our final training walk along the Atlantic Ocean in St Augustine. I am reminded what a privilege it is to be able to walk along a beach with my daughter. For quite some time after the race, I experience a feeling that can only be described as a “high.” I am sure it has a scientific name and has to do with endorphins and I can tell you it feels great!

I encourage you to find an activity based on a positive, like health, and enjoy it with your family. Pick something that you all will enjoy and will challenge you without frustrating you. Celebrate fun time spent with those you love doing something great!

Pennies to Prosperity, Holly