How To: Take the Stink Out of Your Workout Gear

What's behind this door? It's our third bedroom -- so, the laundry room, of course! Now, some of my favorite clothing items are in my fitness wardrobe (like my new Lululemon ensemble and my running skirt). On a daily basis, items are drenched with gallons of my putrid sweat. (I hope most of you have finished lunch by now.) I'm not embarrassed to say I sweat like a hog. In fact, I take pride in this fact -- it means I workout hard and that my body is efficient with cooling itself.

What I don't take pride in, however, are my housekeeping skills. And one major component of housekeeping is laundry.


Until recently, I didn't care much about throwing my regular workout gear and my "normal" clothes into the wash together. Wash, spin, and dry . . . it's all good. But Stephen has become increasingly picky about his running items -- not wanting me to dry them, etc. -- and it's made me become so, too. So we decided to come up with some tips and tricks for washing your most active -- and likely most expensive -- clothing

First, take a look at these labels from randomly selected items in our laundry basket:




What do they all have in common? Not a spec of natural fiber among them. Yup -- here we have nylon, polyester, Lycra, and more spandex than can be found in Richard Simmons' short-shorts. These special materials call for special handling, but don't go out and buy that fancy sports-only detergent just yet.

Now check out the cleaning instructions that I found most common among all pieces of clothing:



So, we're OK to machine wash -- cold. Like colors (and fabrics, I'm assuming). No ironing. No fabric softeners. Tumble dry on low. Or even line dry. It's all so confusing. And for a while, we tried to treat pieces individually -- meet their specific needs. As a person who absolutely hates doing laundry, I said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Here's a one-size-fits-all approach to laundering your workout gear. We find these methods work on pretty much every item -- keeping each performance-ready and stink-free.

• Set your washer to the warm/cold setting. This way, you can get the benefit of the warm water's scrubbing power . . . without the fading effects of hot water. We have also used only the cold water setting, but sometimes we find our clothes aren't as fresh as we'd like. So, water temperature matters.
• Also set your washer to the heavy duty setting. This way, you get a better clean without setting your timer longer -- thereby wasting less water in the process. You need that heavy duty power versus a regular or gentle cycle to power through the smelly sweat-soaked garments.
• Consider buying a cold-wash detergent. This way, it's specifically formulated for cold washing temperatures. Otherwise, we've had good results using our generic liquid and powder detergents. Our favorite right now is Method Laundry Detergent in "free + clear," though it's a bit pricey. Overall, we like using unscented detergents because when you're hot and sweaty, that perfume-y smell tends to overwhelm.
• Hit the kitchen. If your clothes are extra stinky, consider adding some scoops (1/2 cup to a full cup, depending on load size) of baking soda. I've also read that vinegar can help, though I've never tried it. But the method is to fill a spray bottle with vinegar (just regular, nothing fancy), and spot treat your items. So, say, spray some on the underarms of your shirts.
• Steer clear of the dryer. That's right: don't dry your clothes. We don't dry any of our workout stuff because, for example, some of these man-made materials may melt or lose their elasticity under hot heat. In fact, at times I've smelled a slightly melt-y smell after drying something by mistake. So, save some energy and just lie them out flat or hang them up. We have some ropes in our basement specifically installed for this purpose.
• If you must use a dryer, don't use fabric sheets. They can coat your clothing in their scent and softening "stuff" -- effectively taking away the benefits your fancy clothes have with sweat-wicking power, etc.

Overall, good exercise clothes are expensive, but they offer many benefits including moisture-wicking abilities, extra stretch, lightweight-warmth,  cool-ness, etc. You need to care for them correctly to ensure these awesome powers stay, well, powerful. But if you treat 'em right, they'll return the favor again and again. And if you have any tips to share that we didn't cover, please leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

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Fit Style: Skirting the Issue

I saw my first running skirt at a Women's Distance Festival 5K I ran back in the summer of 2006. There was a whole clan of women wearing them -- all different lengths and colors, fabrics and fits. And I must admit that, at first, I thought they looked silly. Not only that, those skirts couldn't be comfortable or efficient. Chafing for the sake of fashion definitely isn't for me. Those women, I mused, must care more about how they look than how they perform.

And when each and every one of those women kicked my butt that day, I started to think differently.

A year or so later, I found myself flipping through racks of shorts and other bottoms at our local running shop. And as I do with all new trends, I decided to indulge my curiosity. To run fashionably. To run and let everyone know that I'm, well, a girl.


I wore the skirt for the first time one sticky August evening on my quick 4-miler around the neighborhood. I hated every minute of it. The back was riding up my glutes, fully exposing my jiggly butt (or so I thought). The front flap was flapping in the breeze, fully exposing my thick thighs. The little short-shorts underneath felt weird.

Then some jerk in a truck beeped at me and called me honey, or something like that, and I headed home nearly in tears.

I threw that skirt in my running clothes drawer and never wore it again. That is, until this past weekend. As I've grown a bit older, I've become much more comfortable with my body. As a lanky teenager and even skinnier college coed, I never realized how tiny I actually was. I've indeed gained (healthy) weight in the years since. It's been difficult for me, but through my successes as a self-made athlete, I've overcome the hurdles of image distortion. Well, not totally . . . wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy? Truth is: I'll probably always struggle from time to time. However, I can feel a marked difference in my self perception now versus then.


What I discovered this weekend is that the running skirt isn't for fashion as much as it's for celebrating the female form -- however curvy or straight or etc. that form may be -- while on the run. (That is, self-celebration. It isn't for those crude truck drivers of the world who belch out crass comments and are oh-so gross.) And, for that, I have fallen in love with the style.

I had Stephen run behind me to let me know if my little black number was riding up too high. If you could see my butt. If I looked inappropriate in any way. He claims he was completely honest and that, no -- I looked fine. "Great," even. My favorite workout bottoms are still my Lululemon Empower Crops, but taking the skirt out for a run every now and again is fun. It's something I plan to do even if only for the sake of feeling good about myself.

Do you run in a skirt and/or dress? If you'd like to try, here are just a few great places to pick one up. My skirt is from Nike, and it's relatively first-generation. I see a lot of great styles out there now -- enough to make me want to take another out for a test run.

• Lululemon
• Nike
• Skirt Sports
• Running Skirts

And if you haven't already -- go check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

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Pumpkin Garlic Knots

Good morning, everyone. I'm celebrating 300 posts today, 400 twitter followers, and only being 4 people away from 900 subscribers! (And I don't believe I mentioned last week that we made it onto Ellen's StumbleUpon -- and webpage! -- for "favorite vegan recipes" and our chocolate-peanut butter whoopie pies) Woah. A lot of milestones -- all at once! Of course, this calls for a bread recipe. Garlic knots, specifically. But not just any garlic knots: Pumkin Garlic Knots.

I developed this pumpkin dough recipe mostly for its moisture content. As you know, we like grilling pizza . . . but often the crust burns quickly due to lack of moisture. Throw in a little canned pumpkin, and the crust stays good and moist, with only a hint of extra flavor. This dough recipe makes enough for one pizza and one hefty order of garlic knots.


What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used an herbed variety)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 3-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (I used King Arthur)

First, you'll need to make the dough:




STEP 1:
Pour the warm water into a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast. Let sit until frothy -- about 10 minutes. Then add your agave nectar, olive oil, and pumpkin -- whisk until smooth.



STEP 2:
Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. With you fist, make an impression in the center -- a "bowl" that's big enough to pour your wet ingredients into. Then pour in your wet ingredients.




STEP 3:
Start pulling everything together with a spatula. When you can no longer mix, use your hands to start kneading the dough. Keep kneading -- and adding more flour as necessary -- until you have a ball that's elastic, but not sticky.

STEP 4:
Lightly oil another large bowl and put your dough ball inside it -- flipping over once to coat both sides (again -- lightly) with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours. Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F, put in a pizza stone (you may use a pan, too, but it works best with a stone), and divide the dough into two equal pieces. If you're planning to use the other half the next day, just put it in a large Zip-Lock bag and store in the fridge. You may also freeze the dough for up to three weeks.


STEP 5:
To create the garlic knots -- just take off sections of dough (about the size of two tablespoons, if that makes sense) and roll them into a snake shape. Then tie that snake in a knot. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough. Once you've made all your knots, put them on your stone (or on your pan) and let bake until golden brown on the tops (anywhere between 10 and 15 -- or more -- minutes, depending on how big your knots are).

STEP 6:
While you're waiting, in a large bowl mix together 1/3 cup olive oil with 3 to 5 cloves of minced garlic . . . as well as some salt, pepper -- and if you're feeling cheesy, Parmesan or nutritional yeast -- to taste. There's really no right or wrong mixture, just what you like. Feel free to taste test. When the knots are done, dump them into the bowl and mix well to coat. Stephen likes to crush the knots a bit to let the oil seep in.

Enjoy -- and check back tomorrow because I'll give you a super gourmet grilled pizza recipe that involves brie, a balsamic-tomato-walnut sauce, and lots of roasted veggies!


And if you haven't already -- go check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon Report

Yesterday morning, Stephen and I drove to Ithaca, NY, to run the Skunk Cabbage Classic Half Marathon. Since our ultimate goal race is the Lehigh Valley Half at the end of this month -- we decided to run the event as a pace workout. For me, shifting gears isn't difficult. I welcome the opportunity to participate in an event, knowing full well that I will not push myself to the limit. To Stephen, not racing a race is, well, painful. But in order to save up enough energy (and save our legs), pace instead of race was necessary in this case.

Originally, we thought temps would be in the low 50s with a bit of light rain. Cloudy for sure. But when we arrived, we were blinded by early morning sun. The weather, indeed, was a surprise. And a good one. Especially to me -- the last time I ran this race was way back in 2004. I was 20, and it was my very first half marathon . . . EVER. Throughout, the temperature wavered around 38 degrees with wind driving sleet into my face the entire time.

Let's discuss the first time I ran this race, because it's a fun story about why you shouldn't do too much too soon. Prior to my run that April morning over six years ago, the longest run I had completed was around an hour and thirty-five minutes (so, likely 9 miles -- I used to run in minutes, not miles). Back then, I mostly raced 5Ks and 10Ks. I don't really know how it happened. In the month before the race, I started running a bit longer and thought that if I could break 1 hr and 30, I could most certainly run a half. Sure. I was 20. My body was resilient (I had hardly experienced injury at this point in my running career). Why not?

So, I woke early . . . drove to the race all by myself . . . and ran. In the driving sleet. In the freezing cold. Up and down rolling hills. Barely trained. And at the end, I called my parents (who lived about 2 hours away) because I was so happy. A finish time of 2:04:32 wasn't bad. I had finished the whole distance with minimal walking. Oh, wait. And I could hardly walk afterward! So, my mom and dad came up to visit for the day, take me out to eat, and help me deal with my injury (by taking me to the doctor). For the whole two months after the race, my left foot was bound in one of those Velcro casts because -- BIG SURPRISE -- I had earned myself not only the title of half-marathoner, but also of big-idiot. OK. That's harsh. But my 20-year-old cockiness had led to a severe overuse injury.


So, let this be a lesson to you all. I eventually recovered (above, I'm dancing for joy that summer, when I was finally sans-cast). But don't run a race you're not prepared for. I paid the price, big time.

Back to the 2010 edition of Skunk Cabbage. The race has grown immensely. In 2004, there were 218 participants. This year? 465 folks from across the area met to run thirteen point one in the sun. And that's just for the half. The event's 10K also attracted an impressive field of about equal size. The registration location moved from Barton Hall to Bartels Hall (which I think is a relatively new facility on Cornell University's campus). Anyway, THAT was also a huge improvement -- tons of space. Tons of bathrooms. Just really well organized. We registered. Warmed up with a quick mile on a nearby track. And watched the 10Kers go off and do their thing.



Our race started at 15 minutes after 10AM. I feel like the second after we lined up, the gun went off. Many people commented about how there was "little build-up" to the start. But, we were off. The wind was definitely present . . . blowing against me for the whole first two miles. And it was shortly after this point that we started to see the leaders of the 10K come in for their finish (their course was an out-and-back, ours was a loop). Stephen initially planned to run the 10K, but he figured getting in a nice long run would work better for his training. Those top racers looked incredibly fierce, though. I'm sure he would have rocked it.

Also around this time, I found myself next to this guy in his early 40s. He was spitting every five seconds (and that's honestly no exaggeration) and cursing at any car that dare challenge him to run on the side of the road ("Today's MY day to own the road, they can just move around. MOVE AROUND!"). Yikes. I made the mistake of sharing our 3-mile split with him. And after that, he attached himself at my hip and asked for the splits the entire race. "Is that one of them GPS watches?" he asked, seeming rather confused at the magical contraption. "Uh, yeah." Anyway, we'll get to the rest of the race in a minute. But seriously! Have you ever encountered someone who just wouldn't leave you alone?

I wanted to run this race for myself. I didn't want to push myself. But then this guy won't leave me alone, and all of a sudden MY time became about HIM. And I tried countless times to rid myself of the burden. Saying things like: "I think I'd like to slow down now, I'm not really racing today." He'd pull ahead for a bit . . . but on several occasions he actually came BACK to run with me! His negative energy was definitely horrible. He even told one of the cops to "piss off" when the cop told him to move to the side of the road (the course was open to traffic).

I don't want to go on and on and on about him. But this race wasn't the best, and it's mostly because this dude ruined it for me. I found my thoughts completely consumed with him -- and his spitting, which sprayed in my face a few times -- until we reached the final hill (and it was a biggie) around mile 10. He wasn't so good on hills, so I'd always pass him, and then he'd catch up again. But on this particular hill -- I heard him talking to me . . . and I simply chose to ignore him. I hate being rude. But after that, he pulled way ahead (again, I wasn't racing -- so those last two miles, I resisted the urge to get that final kick). He ended up finishing about 40 seconds ahead of me. And at the end of the race, he reached over and gave me this gigantic, sweaty hug (he was wearing a cotton t-shirt that was sopping wet!). I was too exhausted to resist. Ew!

Rude, awful race "partner" aside, I enjoyed my tour of the countryside near Cornell. I guess in my first time through the course, the weather had consumed my thoughts -- so I didn't realize how rolling it actually is. Here's an elevation chart Stephen got from his Garmin.


Yikes! Luckily, we've both been training on a few (mild) hills around our neighborhood in preparation. I was also around this crew of three college-age boys who were running their first half. They were a riot. We'd go up a hill, and on the downhill, they'd let out this comical sigh of relief. Basically, they were joking around the whole time. Which annoyed me just a tad because they thought the race was a bit of a joke . . . however, they redeemed themselves at the end when one of the three had fallen way behind. The two I was still around said -- "hey, let's go get him . . . we're finishing this together!" Awww.



As I closed in on the last half mile, I did increase my speed just slightly. I knew I wouldn't break 1:50 . . . but was completely OK with that. I'll try at Lehigh (which has fewer hills). As I rounded the corner and saw the finish, the clock read 1:50:30 . . . so I gunned it and finished in 1:50:47. A PR for me by just over 3 minutes. And by over 14 minutes from my last time running the race. Stephen did well, too, finishing 7th overall in 1:20:15.

We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day. Maybe a bit less wind (even Stephen says at one point, he felt like he was being pushed backward). But the volunteers were fantastic, the route was scenic, the other runners -- for the most part -- were nice, and the after-race festivities were great. Lots of food, massages, and socializing. Impressive for a race of this size . . .





So what's next for us? Well, we got a little crazy and signed up for yet ANOTHER race this weekend. Here's what's in store for the (never home)makers (so far) through October.

• Lehigh Valley Half Marathon (4/25)
• Lake Placid Half Marathon (6/13)
• Laurel Fest 10K (6/19)
• Boilermaker 15K (7/11)
• Wineglass Marathon (10/3)

Hey, you! check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Basic Homemade Polenta

Polenta is another one of those foods (much like seitan) we file under the "Stephen Specialty" category. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of biting into this treat, polenta is made from ground cornmeal, which is boiled in water and ultimately creates a grits-like porridge. When you refrigerate it, it hardens, and you can then use it in a variety of dishes -- including as a substitute for pizza crust! -- but we like it best lightly fried and in stir-fry.

Polenta is most typically made with a medium- or coarsely-ground cornmeal. So, if you plan to make this dish yourself, walk past the finely-ground varieties. Though the fine stuff can indeed be used to make polenta, its texture is off and its flavor suffers.


BASIC VEGAN POLENTA

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup soy milk (or other substitute)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup medium- or coarsely-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method . . .

1. In a medium pot, stir together water and milk substitute. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. When you reach a boil, whisk in cornmeal. Bring heat down to a simmer. And stir until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).
3. Remove from the heat and stir in nutritional yeast. Add the salt and pepper. Stir.
4. Pour polenta onto a large plate or into a baking dish. Transfer to the refrigerator and let sit for 1 hour, until hardened.

To make the dish you see above, we simply made the polenta and then in a separate pan, took some slices onion and cooked it in a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat until glassy. Then we added a bunch of baby bok choy and set aside once all warmed. In another pan we lightly fried squares of the polenta until golden brown. Then put everything in the pan together and tossed with a mixture of balsamic vinegar and agave (or honey just to sweeten a bit). Added slices of avocado. And, really, that's all. The combinations are endless!


ALSO check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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The "Sack" Method: Eat Your Veggies

Getting my daily intake of fruits and veggies is a struggle for me. I've been vegetarian for over 14 years, but I hate salad. How is that even possible? I'm not really sure, but I'm just not a fan -- especially of lettuce. And I have trouble getting myself around in the morning (we covered this last week in the chocolate-peanut butter oats post), so crafting an on-the-go veggie feast is somewhat difficult.

I surfed over to Fruits and Veggies Matter (http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/) and discovered that at my age and sex (26/F) and activity level (over 60 minutes per day), I should be consuming 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables every single day.

Compared to people who eat only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts -- as part of a healthy diet -- are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases. These diseases include stroke, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and perhaps heart disease.

Eating your 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables a day is easier than you think.

Easier than I think, eh? Yeah, I realize I'm just being lazy. I could choose to make meals ahead of time. I could create a salad with ingredients I like, like spinach and beans. But I came up with another method that suits my current situation well. I call it (drum roll, please) The Sack Method.


The Sack Method is just that: A ton of raw veggies -- chopped and thrown into a sack. Two of my favorites have been radishes and carrots because they crunch. They also go well with that super-easy hummus recipe from last week. And when I bring a gigantic sack of the good stuff to work with me, I'm less tempted to hit the vending machine or coffee kiosk for a late afternoon snack (of cookies and candy bars). I almost always have leftovers that can carry over to the next day.

But, you might be thinking, what counts as a cup?

One cup refers to a common measuring cup (the kind used in recipes). In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or 100% vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group. One cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or ½ cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup from the fruit group (from http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/). To find out more, check out this chart.

You're just dying to know, I'm sure. Exactly how many fruits and veggies you need daily? Just check out the handy-dandy calculator on Fruits and Veggies Matter. And tell us: How do you get in your daily requirement? Any tips to share with the group? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.


In other news, Stephen and I ran a half marathon in Ithaca, NY, yesterday morning. I PRed and Stephen maintained his lightning-fast pace -- and we weren't even racing. Stay tuned for a full race report, as well as our upcoming race calendar! We signed up for a crazy one over the weekend!


ALSO check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Savings Abound: Our New-To-Us Tent

And the savings just continue today on (never home)maker! Stephen and I love the mountains. We love the ocean. We love hiking. We love campfires. We love traveling. We love being outdoors! Naturally, camping is something we want to start doing a whole lot more of now that summer is near. In fact, we've already planned a four-night camping excursion for July on the coast of Maine.

Problem is: We didn't have a tent until very recently. I'm a bit of a camping princess. Not in the not wanting to get dirty part, though. I just like to have options. For example, if it decides to rain over the 4th of July (that's when we'll be in ME), I don't want to be stuck sitting in a soggy, tiny tent with a low ceiling. Plus, with all this money-saving going on, we wanted to purchase a tent that would work well even when we had kids someday. All this criteria led us to a cabin-style shelter.

I enlisted help from my Twitter friends for suggestions. And boy did we get a lot of them! Jessica, ultimately, was the person who suggested we seek out Eureka for a high-quality, water-resistant tents. They were a little pricey for the kind we wanted, though. (Like, $330 expensive, as in this particular model.) So, we waited. We went home to visit my family in PA one weekend . . . and something magical happened.


I was leafing through the local newspaper when I saw a small add for a sale IN OUR CITY for Eureka tents. I didn't even know we had a store in the area. Anyway, the sale was at the end of the week, and attendees could save anywhere from 10% to 40% off. It was meant to be, really. But would they have the kind of tent we wanted?

We had no clue.


When we got there, the place was packed. There were a variety of tents -- mostly smaller ones. But, then we saw it. The exact tent we had been eying on Amazon.com (well, almost -- it was REALLY close to it). It sleeps 6 to 8 people. It's ceiling height is around 7 feet. It has a front screened room (to suit my lust for variety of spaces). But there were all these notes on it like A-grade, B-grade, and C-grade. We had no clue what all this meant. After a quick chat with a salesperson, we discovered that A meant brand-new, B meant very gently used (only inside, never outside), and C meant used.



Who on this earth would want a used tent? Something a family had camped in for years and years. Rife with fleas. Or covered in deer urine. I don't know -- my mind goes weird places. Well, just open your hearts and minds, people! Used -- as we found out -- didn't mean quite what it sounds like. The tent, to be sold again, could only have been used for up to 30 days. So, there was a chance that the C-grade tent we decided to buy was basically new. And the price went from around $380 (the tent at the store was slightly different than the one we found online) to more like $180. After a discount, we got it for $165!


I'm bragging, I know. But what's the moral of this story? Be open to used items. We don't always need something brand new. Especially if it's just going to get dirty anyway! We swiftly returned home from Eureka with our (heavy) tent box and set it up that night (we wanted to make sure everything was in working order). I bet you're wondering if the tent was dirty. And, to be completely honest, it was just slightly. But hardly anything to be worried about. There was a leaf in the bag. Big deal. What we found when we set it up is that it worked perfectly. Anything that was "wrong" with it had been refurbished by the folks at Eureka prior to resell.



And now we have this gigantic tent for only a fraction of its original price! Do you have a story where you fell into a deal like we did? Where the stars magically aligned in your favor? Do you have any camping tips for us? Or anything else you'd like to share on this topic? Just leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.


ALSO check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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