Happy Campers

Almost two years ago, we did something a little crazy ....

 ... We got a camper! (And yes, it would have been much more dramatic, if I had posted the news two years ago when it actually happened.)

But here she is, our little old RV bumblebee. We found her parked outside my daughter's school, and it had been inhabited by a hippie crone looking for the right people to claim it. We could feel the love she put into it and hope to continue renovating it!

It's a '77 Dodge Robinhood, just three years younger than my husband! But like him, it's got good bones.

We love the bamboo floors, and plan to embellish the rest of the interior, and stretch our DIY skills to the limit. Our style is to preserve as many of the original details as possible, and repurpose as much as we can.

The next few posts will show the last two years putting our hearts into this baby, and creating some memories with our family. We hope to inspire other DIYers to getting out of the comfort zone and tackling some projects of your own! Thanks for reading.

Well, hello, FOUR years later ...

Hi! You weren't expecting me, were you? I should be creating some new blog for the new chapter of my life to make up for being absent all these years or something, huh?

I thought about it. A lot has happened in the last few years were I could very easily redefine myself and give the old blog a facelift (probably a lot easier than blowing all the dust off). Married Woman? Crafty Woman? Steadily Employed Woman? Reproductive Woman? Well, I think I'll keep being Ravenous Woman, but now with some babies, career, spouses, and domesticity in the mix. With lots of DIY, always.

I'm sorry for my absence, but I didn't forget about you. Thanks for not forgetting about me!

My Mantra for Today

Courtesy of Dear Sugar at The Rumpus, this is my M.O. for the day. And the mug is also on my wish list.

What are you setting out to do for today?

Image courtesy of The Rumpus shop

Lessons from Fruit

Love yourself today! And eat some fruit.

The Purpose Fairy

I read a couple articles from this blog last week and I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been thinking about a lot of things a lot, especially improving my mindset and my world around me.

This list was going around Facebook the other week and I finally learned about The Purpose Fairy, an inspirational blog with "ideas and suggestions about life." I checked out some other articles and got a great daily dose of emotional sunshine. Let's face it, we all need it.

Some great quotes to think about:

Ne te quaesiveris extra - Do not look outside of yourself for the truth


“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”  Ghandi


“Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”


Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to.


“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”Winston Churchill


Beauty is not in the face, but rather a light in the heart.


Whatever it is that you want, you have to want it more for someone else.


"How you treat anybody is how you will treat everybody"


My goodness, I could read for days and I suggest you do the same. I guarantee it will add at least one random act of kindness to your day.

My First Quilt Square

One small step for the community quilt ladies, one giant step for a fledgling sewer!

Painting With Pizazz

This weekend in St. Paul, I got to enjoy celebrating with my best friend on the signing of her new home. She got her keys the day I arrived. 

That meant lots of errands to run, rolling up our sleeves and diving into sprucing things up before she and her hubby move in. But first, celebrating the big day by christening the ice machine on the new fridge! I'm not sure I've ever seen Mitch this happy.

After our first day bringing a load of boxes over, hitting up Menard's and the paint store, and prepping the neutral walls with tape and tarps, it was time to get painting.

Mitch chose a warm, buttery saffron for the dining room and a toned down dijon for the living room to enhance the natural light.

The first strokes quickly turned to a finished corner.

And before we knew it, two rooms were ready to soak up their first coat.

Happy housewarming! Nothing like spring to motivate projects and new beginnings.

Getting Back!

I've been in a good mood this week. The days are longer, the world is warming up, and last but not least, my elbow is finally showing some signs of normalcy!

Last night I went to yoga for the first time since my fall in January. It is an amazing feeling when your body has been limited and you start to feel like yourself again. Unflexible, worst-in-the-class me. It was wonderful. I still have a long road ahead of me, since even downward dogs got me winded. My elbow creaked and cried out to let me know what wasn't working. I listened. I'm going to be listening to my body a lot more now, if there's one thing I learned from the injury.

I'm normally self-conscious in these settings due to my total lack of coordination and grace, but it felt absolutely amazing to be back doing all those little things you take for granted. I backed off and took it easy, I felt grounded, and for the first time, I didn't want to cry. Yoga makes me very emotional and at some point in a session I usually have a cathartic cry.

Not this time! There's little to cry about when the sun is out till almost 8 and you have an elbow that can stretch out 95% straight.

And the icing on the cake- I'm at the airport waiting to board a flight to New York City! I am ready for a week filled with coffee, friends, laughter, blossoms, and the hustle and bustle that I've been missing so much. And yes, I will tell you all about it.

Will catch ya on the flip side of the coast!