Campground Review: Duckett Mill near Gainesville, GA

If you are looking for a place to get away from it all, then Duckett Mill Campground on Lake Sidney Lanier near Gainesville, Georgia may be the just the place for you. This Army Corp of Engineer's campground may not have fancy amenities but the natural beauty and lake views make this a wonderful place to build your campfire, sit back and unwind.  Lake Lanier provides acres of water for boaters, fishermen, and sailors.

I stayed two nights at Duckett Mill Campground and liked it so much, I put this campground on my list of places to visit again. The campground wasn't that noisy or busy but this experience is based on a mid-week stay in July 2020 during the COVID19 pandemic, so your experience may be different based on when you come. I imagine this is a very busy place, especially with boats on the lake, during weekends and normal summer days.

Campsite Review: Site #2

During my stay, I was assigned to campsite #2. For $24 a night I had electric and water hookups. The tap water was brown when I first turned it on. The site has a moderately sloping driveway that ends at a flat, concrete paved pad. My Itasca 30T (approximately 33 feet long with 3 slides) fit well on the pad. If you have a longer RV, the sloping driveway could cause leveling problems. There are lots of nice trees all around and the RV is shaded most of the day. The site is fairly private, especially on the patio side. While I could see my neighbors, I did not really ever hear them. Next to the paved pad is a sandy area with a picnic table, lantern hook, and a fire ring.  Access to the water is by means of a sloping dirt bank. The site faces northwest.  Looking out my passenger side windows, the view of the lake is AMAZING! 

Cell Service, Wireless and Data Speeds

• There is no campground wifi service available.
• My Verizon Mifi jet pack had 1 bar. I tested speeds with and without using my Netgear antenna. Without using the antenna the ping was 30, download speed was 13 Mbps and upload speed was 1 Mbps. Using the Netgear antenna the ping was 30, download speed was 7 Mbps and upload speed was 2 Mbps. 
• My AT&T iPhone 7 had 1 bar. 

Since I was moving my camper from Alabama to North Carolina, I took a few days off from working online, so I was not worried about having strong internet connections. On the day I was there, I did have internet access for email and even some video watching at lower resolutions. I would not count on having strong high-speed internet for things like online teaching, uploading YouTube videos, or Zoom work calls.

Campground Amenities 

There was a bathhouse nearby, but since I have my own bathroom in the RV, I did not use it. I did stop in to look and can say that everything was very clean. The showers did not have a dry dressing area only a hook to hang things on.  The sink area has no counters to place your supplies on, so consider bringing some sort of caddy to place on the floor.

There is a dump station for emptying your black and gray tanks on your way out and dumpsters nearby for your trash. The campground does not participate in any recycling. Near the entrance to the park, there is a small beach area for swimming. There are no lifeguards. Around the campground, there are parking spaces for your boat trailer or extra cars. There is a boat ramp nearby.

Other RV Sites I Liked

I did take a quick tour of the campground and decided that there were a few other sites I might like to stay on when I come back again. My criteria for picking a site are easy back-in, flat pad where RV will be, water views, some privacy, and general overall beauty of the site. 

2 - this was my site on this visit

3 - my neighbor's site did not have access to the lake, but did have water views
42 - water view facing west
53 - water view with a flat driveway
80 - water view with a fairly level driveway. Parking for a boat trailer is right there
82 - water view facing west, with fairly level driveway
97 - water view with sloped driveway
103- water view with access to the water, facing west
104 - water view facing south with steep-sloped access to the water. Sloped driveway
107R - water view with no access to the water
109R - water on three sides with a "beach-ish" sloped area

"Tent-Only" Site Recommendation

If you want to camp at Duckett Mill campground using tents, there is really only one "tents-only" campsite I would recommend: Site #55R. This tent site is located at the end of a peninsula. You park your car in a small parking lot and then walk past the other tent sites to get to it. The site is large, clean, and has beautiful views of the water on three sides facing east, north, and south. Access to the water is down dirt slopes and there is a very little beach area where you can pull up kayaks or small boats. You could also take a chair down and sit with your feet in the water. I don't think I would swim there. The site has a picnic table, a lantern hook, and a fire ring. This site is so beautiful, I'd be tempted to camp-out in a tent just to enjoy the views and the sounds of the water.

Most of the other tent sites are set up too close to each other or only have a small area for your tent with limited privacy. If the tent site I recommend isn't available, then I would suggest that you camp in the sandy patio areas on some of the RV sites. That way you would have more privacy.

Final Thoughts 

Site 2 view toward my neighbor's site

This campground is a great, quiet, beautiful place, but it would be even better with a sewer hookup on the site. That way I could stay for two weeks and I wouldn't have to move the RV to dump my tanks. I would also like it even more if there were hiking trails. Next time I come back, I will need to bring an inflatable inner tube or a paddleboard so I can use the water more.

Contact Information
Duckett Mill Campground
3720 Duckett Mill Road
Gainesville, GA 30506
(770) 532-9802

Reservations: 1-877-444-6777
http://www.recreation.gov

Surviving a Tornado When You're Camping

Last month while camping in Alabama, I experienced a tornado warning and an actual tornado near my campsite.  At midnight, the government emergency alert blared on my iPhone waking me from a sound sleep. Panicked, I realized the alert was telling me to take shelter immediately. I dressed quickly and headed to our campground's clubhouse which is the only permanent structure on site. The camp host checked that we were all there and then we sat and waited. The wind blew around us at about 60-75 miles an hour. Then the power went out and I sat there in the dark with no iPhone, no personal ID, and no emergency supplies. That's when I began to re-evaluate my actions. I suddenly realized I was not prepared for any emergency when it all happens this quickly.

I Was Lucky to Survive a Tornado
Luckily, the tornado did not hit us directly, some say it made landfall about 3 miles away in a farmer's field. This morning, we could see that there was no major damage to any of the motorhomes, trailers, and campers parked in the campground. However, there was some minor damage caused by fallen pine trees, flying furniture, trees branches, and other debris.  Thank God we survived!

You Have to Act Quickly
Some of you may remember that a few years ago, I survived a hurricane while camping in Alabama and shared in my blog post, "Preparing the RV for Hurricane Nate". In that post, I listed the things I did to prepare my camper and what I took with me to my sister's house to ride out the storm. Well, I learned from my recent tornado warning experience that you have a whole lot less time to respond to the emergency of a tornado than a hurricane.  So, you have to plan ahead so you are ready before you hear that emergency alert. That way you know what you want to grab so you can get out quickly.

What to Prepare Before an Emergency Happens

So, you may be asking, "What if an emergency happens while I am camping? What should I do so I am prepared for an emergency?" Here is a list that I found on the CDC website and how I adapted it to work for me as a full-time camper.

1. Know your safe shelter. [Living in an RV, this changes every time you change locations, so ask the locals.]
2. Set up the alert system on your smartphone so you are notified when there is an emergency like a tornado, flash flood, or hurricane.
3. Have fresh batteries and a battery-operated radio or internet-based device to listen to emergency weather information. [I have a solar-powered battery pack that has USB jacks and a built-in flashlight. I packed extra charger cords since I plan to use my iPhone for my emergency alert and news updates.)
4. Have an Emergency Kit. [I have a Young Living duffle bag packed with 2 water bottles, some non-perishable food, favorite essential oils, first aid kit, two changes of clothing, and a pair of closed-toe shoes.]
5. Important information with phone numbers. [Insurance papers, proof of ownership for home, RV, car, etc. Photocopies of passport, driver's license, and other information.  I stored copies in an encrypted online server like DropBox. I put the photocopies inside waterproof sleeve protectors and taped them shut in case the cellphone and internet service is not working.)
6. I packed all of my things, except the solar flashlight and the iPhone

How Do You Prepare for Storms?

The weather forecasters are predicting more storms for this month. Hopefully, I will be better prepared the next time an emergency alert tells me to seek shelter.

I hope you found these tips to be helpful and that whenever a storm comes your way, you will be ready.  Do you have any other tips for preparing for storms and emergencies? Share these by typing in the comment section below. I love learning from all of you. Thanks, friends.

Weekly Meal Prep: Instant Pot Basic Ingredients

These last few months, many of us have been spending more time in our homes than usual due to the coronavirus disease (COVID 19).  The requirement to "stay at home" has brought with it many challenges, but also opportunities to improve the quality of our lives. For me, I decided to take this extra time "at home" in my RV to improve my eating habits. Using the Instant Pot for meal prep has just made that goal easier.

Meal Prep Makes Healthy Eating Easier
I want to eat healthier, really I do, but it takes a lot of time to prepare healthy meals. Normally, in our everyday lives, we don't have time to cook a big healthy recipe every night. I discovered, a few years ago, that it is easier for me to eat healthy when I meal prep.  I'm not talking about the kind of meal prep where you eat the same meals all week. How boring!  Luckily, I found a better way to meal prep on Mel Joulwan's blog, “The Clothes Make the Girl”, now called “Well Fed”. https://meljoulwan.com/ 

Prep Ingredients Not Meals
Instead of meal prepping recipes, Mel suggests that, for the most part, you meal prepare ingredients for your meals. It is so much easier to cook when you are busy if all of the ingredients are ready. During the week you can mix these prepared ingredients with different sauces to create meals. Mel calls these meals made with prepared ingredients "hot plates". She compared this way of cooking to the preparations a sous chef does at a restaurant. Wow! Now, I can eat healthily and still have the variety I want. 

The Instant Pot Makes Meal Prep Faster
When I got my Instant Pot, I realized that this wonderful appliance makes meal prep even easier for me! The prepping, cooking, and cleaning that used to take a full day now take only a few hours. This is because the Instant Pot uses pressure to cook the food. This pressure can reduce the cooking time of some foods significantly. Even when the Instant Pot takes the same amount of time as a stovetop method, The hands-off cooking of the Instant Pot lets me use that time to meal prep other ingredients, like cutting up fresh vegetables. 

So what foods cook faster or easier in the Instant Pot? Here is a list of  “ingredients” that I cook almost every week: steamed hard-cooked eggs, steel-cut oatmeal, rice, poached chicken, and steamed potatoes. I also love to make a big pot of chili in the Instant Pot at the end of my meal prep day. That way I have a quick and easy meal ready to eat that night after all my "not so hard" work.

Below are the quick and easy steps for how to cook each of these ingredients in the Instant Pot. I also included a list of ideas on how I use these ingredients to make quick and easy meals, snacks, and side dishes.

Ingredients I Meal Prep Each Week

Steamed Hard-Cooked Eggs
Ingredients:
4-6 eggs
1 cup of water

Directions:

• Put the water in the bottom of the pot that came with your Instant Pot. 
• Place the trivet or a metal steamer basket in the pot. 
• Place eggs on the trivet. 
• Close the lid. Push knob to sealing. 
• Press the manual or pressure button depending on your model. 
• Set the time for 5 minutes. 
• When the timer stops, let the Instant Pot sit on warm for a few minutes, then vent (carefully). 
• Place eggs in a bowl of ice water. 
• Once cooled, store in the refrigerator until you want to use them.  I don’t remove the shells until I am ready to use them. You can eat them plain with a little salt and pepper or use as an ingredient in recipes.

Note: While you can make steamed eggs in the Instant Pot, I still prefer to boil mine on the stovetop.

How to use hard-boiled eggs:

1. Deviled Eggs: cut eggs in half, lengthwise. Scoop out yokes and place them in a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, salt, pepper, a little mustard, and/or other seasonings. Mash to make a creamy paste. With a spoon or piping bag, put this yoke paste into the empty space in the egg white. Enjoy.
2. Egg Salad or Sliced Egg Sandwiches
3. Potato Salad, Nicoise salad, Cobb Salad

Steel Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients for 3 servings of cooked oats:
3/4 cup of steel-cut oats, I prefer Bob Mills
2 1/4 cups water (if you want thicker oatmeal, use 1/4 cup less water)
a pinch of salt

Directions:

• Add all of the ingredients to the pot in the Instant Pot. Stir.
• Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set valve to sealing.
• Press the Manual button. Set the timer for 5 minutes. 
• Let the pressure naturally release, about 15 minutes. 
• When the pressure is gone, turn the valve to venting just to be sure, and open the lid. 
• Stir oats to mix any moisture in with the grains. Then, I let it sit for another 5 minutes on warm so it thickens a bit.
• You can serve immediately, or store portions in containers in the refrigerator. I suggest eating the cooked oatmeal within 4 days.

Note: The full cooking time is about 30 minutes (5 minutes to get to pressure, 5 minutes to cook, about 15 minutes for pressure to naturally subside, and another 5 minutes at the warm setting to thicken up a bit). While this isn't that much quicker than cooking on the stove, it does prevent the boil over that usually happens to me.

How to use steel-cut oatmeal in meals and snacks:

1. Reheat with a little cream, diced apple, maple syrup, and chopped pecans. Love this!
2. Leftover Oatmeal Muffins Baked in an RV Microwave Convection Oven. Really. (I'll share teh recipe in a future post.)

Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
1 1/4 cups of water or broth
salt

Directions:

• Rinse the rice in a sieve to remove the starchy layer.
• Place rinsed rice in the Instant Pot.
• Add the liquid to the Instant Pot.
• Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set valve to sealing.
• Press the Manual button. 
• Set the timer for 5-6 minutes, depending on how sticky you want your rice.
• When the timer ends, let the pressure naturally release. Once the indicator shows the pressure is down, turn the valve to venting and remove the lid.
• Fluff rice with a fork. 
• Leftover rice can get dry, so add a little broth or water when you want to reheat it.

How to use rice in meals and snacks:

1. Mixed with meal-prepped poached chicken, steamed vegetables, and a homemade paleo hoisin sauce. Yummy!
2. Serve with a quick stir-fry using meal-prepped vegetables and sliced marinated beef with a homemade Paleo teriyaki sauce.
3. Rice pudding made with creamy custard, raisins, and a little rum.

Poached Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
1 cup of chicken broth or water
flavorings to add to the liquid (won't be eaten, but will the flavor will steam into the meat) Ideas: ends of carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme
1 pound chicken breast tenders, (frozen)

Directions:

• Add 1 cup of liquid to the pot.  
• Add any flavorings to the liquid. 
• Place the wire trivet that came with your Instant Pot into the bottom of the pot.
• Place the chicken on the trivet.
• Put the lid on the Instant Pot.
• Set the valve to sealing.
• Press the manual button.
• Set the timer for 25 minutes for frozen chicken. (If your chicken is thawed, cook it for 20 minutes)
• When the cooking time ends, carefully vent the Instant Pot. (I cover the valve with a towel and use the end of a wooden spoon to turn my valve so I don't get burned.)

How-to use poached chicken in meals and snacks:

1. Asian Chicken Salad: poached chicken, sliced cabbage, thinly sliced onions, shredded carrots, julienned snow peas, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, toasted sesame seeds, and homemade paleo hoisin sauce.
2. Chicken salad sandwiches: poached chicken, sliced grapes, diced celery, diced onions, poppy seeds, chopped pecans, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve with lettuce between two slices of whole-wheat bread.
3. Cobb Salad
4. Chicken Enchiladas
5. Shredded Chicken BBQ Sandwich with coleslaw

Steamed Potatoes (White or Sweet)
Ingredients:
1-4 Potatoes, depending on what will fit as a single layer in your steamer basket or trivet.
1 cup of water

Directions:

• Add water to the Instant Pot. 
• Place the trivet or a metal steamer basket into the pot. 
• Place potatoes on the trivet. 
• Poke a few times to ensure the potatoes don’t explode. 
• Close the lid. 
• Push knob to sealing. 
• Press the manual or pressure button depending on your model. 
• Set the time for 15 minutes. 
• When the timer stops, let the Instant Pot naturally release the pressure. 
• When the pressure indicator is completely down, carefully open the lid. 
• Let the potatoes cool before using them in recipes. Otherwise, they are ready to eat with a little butter or ghee, salt, and pepper to taste. 
• (If you want crispy skins, the Instant Pot is not a good cooking choice. Instead, bake them in your convection microwave or oven.)

How to use potatoes in meals and snacks:

1. Potato Salad: chopped potato, chopped hard-boiled egg, diced celery, diced onions, mayonnaise, prepared mustard, salt and pepper to taste
2. Mashed Potatoes: remove potato skins; add cream, ghee, and chives (Mash!)
3. Potato Pancakes: slice potatoes; add a beaten egg for binding, and a little flour. Form into patties, fry in ghee. Serve with sour cream, caramelized apples, or powdered sugar.
4. Potato Hash: Chop potato; add diced onion, diced peppers. Add to a frying pan with warmed ghee. Let sit till bottom is browned, and then flip. Brown the second side. Serve with fried eggs. (I like to put the eggs on top of the potatoes so that the broken yolk drips into the fried potatoes. Love it!
5. Nicoise Salad
6. Twice-baked potatoes

Just the Beginning of Meal Prepping in an Instant Pot

This post is just the beginning of what I would like to share with you about how you can use this great appliance to help you on your journey to healthier living. In future posts, I will share more about how I use these ingredients in recipes. For example, I am working on a post to share muffins made with leftover oatmeal. Another post will be on how to make the french Nicoise salad.

Comments and Questions?
I love sharing some of the things I am discovering on my journey to better health and a simpler life. If you would like to learn more about what I meal prep each week or more recipes for what I cook using the Instant Pot, please let me know in the comments.

For quick links to Instant Pot recipes in earlier blog posts, click on the RECIPES page heading at the top of this blog page.

What I Earn Working Online 2 Hours a Day

Are you looking to make some extra money by working from home in the mornings before you go to school, on weekends, holidays or summer breaks? Want to retire early, but still need to earn some money to make ends meet until you start using your retirement funds? Are you a parent who wants to work from home so you can care for your young children? Well then, teaching with VIPKID may just be the thing to help you make your financial ends meet.

In September 2017, I quit my office job so I could live and travel full-time in a Class A motor home. (So far I've traveled and lived in 20 US states and 3 Canadian provinces.) During that time, I realized that I needed to earn money to help pay for the full-time travel lifestyle I wanted. My little savings account was not going to last forever.

I Became a Remote Worker with VIPKID

I did some research on remote jobs and that's when I found an article in Forbes about VIPKID. The company was rated as one of the top remote work employers in the world. After filling out my application, participating in an interview, doing two video mock lessons, taking the VIPKID TESOL certificate quiz, and completing my background check, I was hired.  I created my portable blackboard, made some flashcards, collected some 3D props and I was ready to teach. There are a few other things you need to do to get ready to teach with VIPKID like selecting your profile photo, writing your biography, and recording an introductory video. I can help you with these if I become your mentor.

So How Much Did I Earn?
So, I know, you're saying, "Cathy let's get on with it. The reason I clicked the link, is that I want to know what you actually made this past year teaching with VIPKID."  Well, here is my Excel spreadsheet. In one year, I made about $4,000. I need to let you know that when I was first hired, I only opened two teaching slots each morning because I was doing full-time caregiving for both of my parents. I increased my availability to four class times (2 hours each morning) when they moved into assisted living. By having regular class times each morning regardless of my time zone, students began rebooking me as their weekly or bi-weekly ESL tutor.  I just got paid for my April classes and I earned about $600. While it's not a lot of money, I have to admit that I could make more if I worked more hours.

You Can Make More Money Than Me

You can make a lot more money than I do if you work more hours than I do. As I mentioned earlier, I currently only work two hours each morning. As someone who lives and travels full-time all around the USA and Canada, I wanted to be sure that I wasn't setting myself up for having to get up at 3am while I was living and camping on the Pacific coast, so I set my work hours as 6:00am - 8:00am Central Time. As you can see from the chart below, the only times you can't teach are when the students are sleeping in China 9:00am - 7:00pm Central Time. The times most highly requested are for our mornings and weekends. These times are listed as HOT on the schedule.

Benefits and Negative Consequence of Flexible Scheduling

There are many benefits that come with working with VIPKID as ESL tutor and an independent contractor. The biggest ones for me are that I have the flexibility to set my own hours, take time off for vacations when I want, and teach the grade-level courses I want. No matter where I go if I have access to a cell tower with high-speed internet, I can teach from my motorhome. When I travel on vacation with my family and friends, I can teach from my hotel room or AirBnB. I can teach in the mornings and still have time to hang out with Mickey Mouse at Disney World before taking a break for lunch. This flexibility also means that if a family emergency happens, I can cancel classes without financial penalties as long as I can "officially" document the reason.

However, there is a big consequence to having irregular class times and cancelations. Parents may be reluctant to book classes for their children with you. So, for all those who might be considering working remotely from home with VIPKID, I strongly suggest you do everything you can to have a regular schedule each week and month. This will bring you regular students who will make you smile every morning.

Things I Can Do to Make More Money

As you can see in my earnings chart, VIPKID is not like other "go to work" job. It does not provide a steady, regular income or health benefits. Students may take time off from class for their regular school exams, holidays, and national festivals. Your monthly income may ebb and flow if you just open up times for regular course instruction. So...

There are some things I could do to increase my earnings. First, I can get certified to teach lower and higher grade-level courses. Right now I can teach levels 2, 3, and 4. I could apply to teach Pre-VIPKID level 1 and the older students' levels 5 and 6. This would allow more students to book classes with me.

Second, I can open up earlier teaching times when I am on the east coast. I can always decide when I travel westward not to open those really early morning times. It may mean that I lose a few favorite students, but it would help me make more money.

Third, I can make myself available to teach at the last minute during the times I have opened. Currently, I require students to book classes no later than 24 hours before class time. Sometimes, I have open teaching slots the night before class time. By waiving this 24-hour notice requirement, I can earn an extra $2 every time someone books a late class.

Fourth, I can recruit others like you to start teaching with VIPKID. Every time someone uses my referral link to apply, I earn $100 after they teach their first class.

So, Do You Want to Start Teaching With VIPKID?

Teaching ESL with VIPKID is great. You log on for each class, the PowerPoint slides have already been created and the student is ready to log in and start working. What better way to start your day?

So, are you interested in teaching from home? I would be very happy to be your mentor. Just click on this referral link to start the application process.

This link will take you directly to the VIPKID (pronounced V-I-P-kid) website. You can also contact me directly at my email address: caminoturtle2016@gmail.com

I look forward to helping you on your journey to fun teaching and more money with VIPKID!

How to Become a Young Living Essential Oil Member

Are you interested in beginning a journey to good health and wellness using essential oils? Do you want to use quality, pure, therapeutic oils to create a toxin-free life? Well then, why not join me as a member of the Young Living Essential Oil community.

It's easy to join. You just use my member number when you enroll to have me become your enroller and sponsor. That way we can stay connected and I can help you to learn more about these amazing essential oils and all they can do as part of your commitment to living a healthier, simpler life.

Just click the link below to go to Young Living's become a new member page. This site will show you all that you need to get started:

https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=1340537&enrollerid=1340537&isocountrycode=US&culture=en-US&type=member

Some things to know about becoming a member:

1. Members can buy essential oils, oil blends, oil-infused supplements, and products to use with oils.
2. The Essential Rewards Program is a monthly ordering program that gives members bonus points and extra discounts for their monthly purchase loyalty. This is an optional program and not required as part of your membership. If you are interested in this program, you can sign up at any time.

Spring Cleaning: DIY Toxin-Free Cleaners

Do you worry about using toxic chemicals to clean your home? When I bought my RV, I hated the idea of using chemical cleaners. So many of the cleansers had warning labels about avoiding skin contact and toxic fumes. How could I possibly avoid the fumes when I was going to be living in a 300 square foot tiny home? I decided that I needed to make toxin-free cleaners using essential oils and other natural ingredients. That way I could rest easy knowing that the cleaners I used were healthy and I could clean my tiny RV home and be safe. 

Since this is the season of spring cleaning for those living north of the equator, I decided I would share some of my DIY cleaner recipes with you.  These recipes are all-natural so you don't have to worry about nasty toxic chemicals when you clean.  These cleaners are easy to make. You probably have many of the ingredients in your home right now. So, let's gather up some ingredients and start making awesome, wonderful smelling, and toxin-free cleaners.

Basic DIY Cleaning Recipe Ingredients

• Young Living Essential Oils, variety
• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Castile Soap
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Epsom Salt
• Distilled Water
• Witch Hazel
• Citric Acid
• Borax (I do not use on surfaces I touch)

* I only recommend using Young Living Essential Oils (YL) because they are Grade A therapeutic quality oils. Not all oils labeled as pure are 100% essential oils. Many other store brands are only 5% essential oils and 95% carrier oils or the water leftover from the distillation of pure therapeutic oils. For cleaning and aromatherapy, you only want to use oils that are 100% pure oils with no fillers. Quality matters when it comes to you and your family's health and wellness.

DIY Glass Cleaner Spray

This all-natural glass cleaner works great on windows, mirrors, shower doors, the outside of the microwave and other hard surfaces. 

1/2 cup distilled water, less 4 Tbsps.

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. rubbing alcohol

8 drops orange essential oil

8 drops lemon essential oil

Mix all ingredients and shake well. Put into a glass spray bottle. Label your DIY container. (Honest, you won't remember a month from now what it is.)

Spray glass surfaces and wipe with a lint-free cloth.

I love these NatureO amber bottles. I bought mine on Amazon. These bottles have settings for mist and stream spray. I like that they are dark glass, so they help the oils stay fresher. 

Toilet and Black Tank Cleaning Mix
One of my least favorite RV jobs is cleaning out the black tank. In case you don't know what that is, think of it as sewer tank mounted under your RV that needs to be emptied and cleaned out. Yuck. What I really hated were the chemicals you were supposed to put in the tanks to clean them. After you put the chemicals in the tank, you were supposed to vent the space and leave the area for 6 to 12 hours. That might work for some people but not for me. I live in my RV! So, I found this great natural toxin-free toilet and tank cleaner. Now, I don't hate cleaning my black tank as much as I used to. Really, I only hate cleaning the toilet a little bit.

1/2 cup Baking Soda

1/2 cup Citric Acid

1/2 cup Borax

10-15 drops Young Living Essential Oils: Purification Blend and/or Thieves Blend

1 tsp. distilled water (Use 1 ½ tsp. if making cleaning bombs)

Directions for Black Tank Cleaning Mix

Mix the baking soda, citric acid, and borax together in a large bowl. Add your essential oils and water. Continue to mix. SLIGHT fizzing is normal. The ingredients should remain as dry as possible.

I store my mixture in a glass jar (mine is a reused pickle jar). I add ½ cup to the toilet bowl and then flush it down about twice a month when the tank is about half full. If you want to get a good scrub, add some on moving day and let the movement of your driving slosh the fizzy mixture around in your black tank.

Notes for Making Cleaning Bombs

Add 1 ½ teaspoons water to the mixture if you want to use molds to make little cleaning bombs. Once the mixture is just barely wet, but sticking together, press the mix tightly into bomb molds. Let the molds dry overnight, then pop them out and store them in an airtight container until you need to use them. Based on the size of your molds, put two bombs in your toilet before flushing.

Sink Drain Freshener and Declogger

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup white vinegar

8 drops YL essential oils (Rosemary, Eucalyptus, and/or Tea Tree)

2 cups hot water

Pour baking soda down the sink drain. Mix vinegar and essential oils. Pour vinegar and essential oil mixture down the drain. Close the sink drain with a washcloth or the drain cover to seal the pipes and contain the reaction. Let this mixture foam and sit for about 15 minutes. Follow up by pouring 2 cups of hot water down the drain. 

Many online recipes for natural drain fresher use lemon oil, so why don't I use it in this recipe?  I have plastic pipes and I find that lemon oil can "melt" plastics. I'm not 100% sure there would be a problem, I just decided not to take a chance.

Orange Creamsicle Homemade Air Freshener

This is my favorite room freshener, and I've shared it with you on this blog before. I love how the orange and other oils help to elevate my mood. The smell just makes me so happy. Somehow everything feels cleaner and brighter.  If you don't like citrus smells, once you make the basic spray mix, you can add whatever oils you want. 

Basic spray mix:

1 oz. Witch Hazel

½ cups Distilled Water

Funnel (or measuring cup with a spout)
Small Aluminum Travel Spray Bottle 

Oils for aromatherapy and air freshening:

2 drops of YL Orange Essential Oil

2 drops of YL Tangerine Essential Oil

2 drops of YL Lemon Essential Oil

2 drops of YL Grapefruit Essential Oil

2 drops of YL Spearmint Essential Oil

3 drops of YL Stress Away Essential Oil

In a bowl or measuring cup with a spout if you don't have a funnel, mix essential oils with the witch hazel.  Add the water and pour the mixture into an aluminum spray bottle.  Print or write a label so you remember what you made.

Here is the link to the bottles I bought on Amazon (http://a.co/3rgr7tL). After two years, the spray nozzle needs to be pulled up each time you spray. I am looking for replacements. Any ideas?

Carpet Freshener

Do you have a stinky wall-to-wall carpet that needs to be freshened up? Mix up this easy to make powder and let it freshen your carpets for you.

1 cup baking soda

5 drops YL Thieves Essential Oil blend (or - 1 drop YL cloves essential oil, 1 drop YL cinnamon essential oil, 1 drop YL rosemary essential oil, 1 drop YL lemon essential oil, and 1 drop YL eucalyptus oil)

Mix the baking soda and essential oil and allow it to dry overnight. Then it is ready to use. Sprinkle the mixture on your carpet, let it sit 15 minutes and when you vacuum it up you will be left with a fresher smelling carpet.

Hard Water Residue Remover Scrub

1 cup Epsom salts

½ cup baking soda

¼ cup Castile soap

2 drops YL essential oil (your choice, but don’t use citrus oils on plastic or granite surfaces)

Mix all the ingredients together in a small container or bowl right before you want to use it.  Put a small amount of the scrub mixture on a damp cloth and rub in a circular motion on shower doors, bathtubs, tiles, drains, and faucets. Let the mixture rest on surfaces for a few minutes then lightly rub again to remove hard water residue. Rinse with warm water and dry with a lint-free cloth. This scrub works best on dry surfaces.

Mold and Mildew “Killer” Spray

½ cup of water

½ cup of white vinegar

20 drops of tea tree oil

Mix all ingredients and put into a glass spray bottle. Spray over areas prone to mold or mildew (showers, under sinks).  This spray won’t remove pre-existing mold or mildew stains so treat stains with hydrogen peroxide to naturally bleach away the marks before spraying the space.

Honestly, What Do I Use Most Often When I Clean?

After sharing all these wonderful DIY cleaning ideas, I am almost ashamed to admit that what I use the most to clean my house, clothes, and dishes are Young Living's Thieves cleaning products. There are three reasons for this. First, Young Living's Thieves cleaners work amazingly well. Second, they are made with essential oils, so I know they are safe to use. Third, sometimes I just feel too lazy to make my own DIY cleaners. 

If you want to learn more about Young Living and how to buy their products, contact me at caminoturtle2016@gmail.com 

I love sharing what I know about essential oils and how I use them in my RV life.

Do you have a favorite DIY cleaning recipe?

Type your recipe, questions, or general comments in the chatbox below. Thanks. I love learning from all of you. 

I really want this blog to be a place where we all share what we are learning about the journey to self-improvement and a better life. So, don't be shy. Add a comment to this post. Thanks.

PS: Just for a giggle

I thought I would show you how I wash my RV floors. I mix my Thieves cleaner (2 capfuls in a pail) and then put two of my Norwex car mitts on my feet. I put on some dance music and then dance to clean my floors. I just take off the mitts and rinse them out. No worries about my feet; I think they are actually cleaner, too. Because Thieves is all-natural, I'm not worried about any chemicals!

Instant Pot Asian-Inspired Chicken and Rice

Are you stuck in your house wondering what you can make for dinner? Heading home from work and don't have time to do any grocery shopping? Hopefully, you have some basic ingredients in your house that you can use to cook a quick, delicious meal. I created this Instant Pot Asian-inspired Chicken and Rice recipe during the coronavirus quarantine using ingredients I had in my RV pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. 

Want to give it a try? Go and look to see what you have in your pantries, refrigerators, and freezers that can be thrown together to make a tasty meal. Since I made up this recipe around the basic ingredients I had, you should consider my list of vegetable and spice ingredients as flexible. Feel free to experiment and adapt this recipe to match what you have in your home.

Imagine, you could do Spanish rice by substituting ground beef for the chicken; substitute chili powder, paprika, oregano, garlic powder and cumin for the ginger and Chinese spices; and add a can of minced tomatoes. Just be sure that you have at least one cup of liquid in the Instant Pot when you cook using pressure.

When you cook vegetables, spices, meat, and rice all together in the Instant Pot, the rice soaks up all the wonderful juices as it cooks. When you brown the meat before cooking, it helps to keep the meat moist and increases its flavor.

This recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to eating,; and, I humbly must say I think this meal tastes pretty AMAZING!

Instant Pot Asian-inspired Chicken and Rice

Serves 6 - (2 cups per serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can, water chestnuts, sliced
• 1 teaspoon, powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon, Chinese 5 spice
• pinch of salt
• 1 pound, chicken, chopped into 1 " cubes
• 2 cups rice, uncooked
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Assemble all your ingredients before you start. Things will happen quickly once you start cooking.
2. Set your Instant Pot to Sauté.  
3. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and warm. 
4. Add onions, green peppers, garlic, and water chestnuts. Cook until onions are translucent. 
5. Add chicken, Chinese 5 spice, ginger, and salt. Stir till chicken is browned (no pink showing).
6. Turn the Instant Pot off.
7. Add rice, water and soy sauce. Stir till mixed. Scrap any pieces of rice off the inside walls of the pot. 
8. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to sealing. Press the Rice option or set to manual for 12 minutes. 
9. Once the cycle is completed, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. If the pressure indicator is still up, you can carefully move the valve to vent. (I cover the valve with a towel before I turn it so I don’t get burned.) 
10. Stir everything in the pot to ensure the chicken and rice are cooked the way you want. 

If you want things crispier like fried rice, turn the Instant Pot to sauté and stir till everything gets to the crispiness you want. Garnish with a pinch of black pepper, some more soy sauce or the contents of a Chinese sauce packet you may have leftover from your last takeaway order.  Serve with a side of steamed vegetables.