Metris Getaway Adventures

We got invited to a cousin’s wedding in the West Chicago suburbs this past weekend and decided to use our new Metris Getaway for our one night of lodging instead of booking a hotel.   Preparations included the “milk crate project” and outfitting the van with a few more supplies.  The milk crate project was a success.  I ordered two black sturdy crates on Amazon:  I was actually quite happy with them when they arrived, and set out the very next day to make cushions for them using materials I already had on hand.  For fabric, I had some black stretch twill and I used 1" foam for filling.  To secure them to the crate, I used grommet trim tape, folded over and inserted into the corners as I sewed up the covers.  After turning out the covers, stuffing them, and hand stitching the opening closed, I attached them using black zip ties inside the crates in each corner.  The cushions are small enough to allow the crates to still be stacked, but large enough...

For us, purchasing a new vehicle is a bit like bringing a new pet into our household.     It’s a 20 year commitment to an object with which we will form an emotional relationship; an object that will be part of our family - present at our happiest events and saddest of times.     To put this in perspective, the vehicle we are replacing is a 2000 Volkswagen Eurovan.  It is a distinctly unique vehicle, with rear facing jump seats behind the driver and passenger, a side table that pops up, and a bench that makes a bed.     All of those seats come out, and the cargo space is amazing. It was with us as our daughter grew from a child to young adult. Her friends fondly refer to it as “The Party Bus.”     In grade school she could easily pick us out of school car line, and she could find us in the parking lot after the high school football games.     The Eurovan was our mobile bedroom, dining room, living room, pick-up truck, beachmobile, a...