The Good, the Bad, the Sad

Time to fess up, I've completely failed so far at one of my homesteading goals. I had been planning on hanging my laundry out to dry all winter long (unless it was wet out). That hasn't really panned out like I had planned. The call of the dryer has been too strong. For the holidays I even found a way to make our clothes smell like peppermint (and it was all natural, so brownie point there). True, it has been an unpredictably wet winter thus far, but still the main fault is mine. One day perhaps. Still washing my clothes in cold water (unless warm or hot is specifically needed for that load), still using homemade laundry soap, and vinegar as softner. So, I suppose it isn't a complete fall off of the horse, is it?
On another note, we have recently acquired an mini-RV. It is a 1972 GMC Minnie Winnie. It's old, it needs some loving. The engine supposedly runs fine though. We've begun painting it and working on fixing it up some, making it our own. A process that is proving to be slower than we would like with the kids around. We're hoping to be able to use it to go on long-distance camping trips with the kids (we have tents for local trips) and also to be able to see festivals and visit breweries.
Justin brewed our first batch of brown ale the other day. I'm so eager to try it. It should be an Imperial Brown Ale (lots of bang for your buck!). We also are getting closer and closer by the day, it seems, to all-mash brewing. Exciting times.
There has also been some drama here lately. I do not wish to dwell on it really, but felt it only fair to mention. I don't like the all-happy Christmas letters, and life isn't always rosy. I'm nursing some very hurt feelings at the moment. I'm disappointed in some of my loved ones in that, if what occured was a simple misunderstanding, they haven't the courtesy to call and say so ... and in the gut wrenching feeling that if it wasn't all a misunderstanding, then it was done without care, with intent, with malice. The longer that goes by without hearing from them the more it seems, sad to say, that that must be the case. Hopefully this will all remedy itself out.
Until then, we will keep taking the steps we need to take for our lives. To work towards our own goals. Baby steps. But if you want to lay a proper foundation, you gotta give it time to settle.