March 23, 2016

How did I know this wouldn't be our last boat

I knew this wouldn't be our last boat, I just thought we would live on this one longer than 4 months before hubs started talking about selling it, to buy bigger. All this talk started about a few weeks ago when our broker called Joe and told him about a boat he knew of that was about to come on the market and wanted to know if we were happy with our current boat or were we at all interested in moving up?

Don't get me wrong, we love, love, love our current boat and are very happy with it, but I think we bought her out of a bit of desperation. If I had to break it down, I would say that we bought our current boat based off of the following percentages:

     20% | we love Catalina sailboats
     35% | we got it for an excellent price
     40% | we couldn't find the boat we really wanted
      5%  | we were tired of being "homeless"

Then, if that wasn't enough, hubs had to change out the water pump on our boat the other day, and well, he wasn't too impressed with all the things that had to moved to get to the engine. 

See, with the boat we have now, the engine is under the companionway stairs. So first you remove the stairs, then you move the few galley items that I store back behind the steps, because I can't waste space and leave that empty, like I probably should. Then you remove the shell that covers the engine....and now you can get to the water pump or whatever else you need to get to. 


That's not too terrible, however the harder part comes when you need to access the back of the engine from the aft cabin. 

Now if you can, picture all the things that we already removed before that are taking up temporary residence in the salon area and add to that anything and everything that is being stored in the aft cabin (including the mattresses/cushions). All this just for you to get the the rest of the engine. If you look real close you can see hubs' hand in the top left corner. He's wedged in the aft cabin to reach the back of the engine while I'm in the main area of the boat taking pictures and helping when I can, but mainly trying to stay out of the way and not trip over anything.  


With the boat we want (our dream boat, so to say) he wouldn't have this problem because, it has it's very own engine room and that makes hubs super-duper happy!!! 

We had been mulling it over when our broker stopped by and asked again, if we had any interest. Of course it's enticing because, it's the "dream boat"! But, we would only consider selling ours if:
a) we made money off the sale
b) we ended up with the dream boat

But how often does that happen?

Then the broker says, we could always fly your boat in under the radar at the upcoming boat show, see if we get any bites and if it works out good, then great and if not, you're not out anything. We both nod yes, (I'm thinking because, that could be an option). As our broker walks away though, I look at hubs and ask, "Did I just agree to what I think we just agreed to?" His reply: "Yep!"

In the end, we decided it was just to sudden for us! We want time to enjoy our current boat and we weren't looking to be homeless yet again. That, and the boat that got all this started was already sale-pending a week prior to the boat show. 

Joe has always been a wheelin' & dealin' kinda guy, especially if he can turn a profit! It was always cars in the past, but since we have moved onto a boat, that all stopped. But somewhere in the back of my mind I always knew he'd find his way back to it and I'm wondering now if it's going to be in the form of boats?! 

Just because we didn't put our boat in the boat show doesn't mean we have changed our minds. One day, we will get the forever boat, but first we need to decide which one she is!! 

March 7, 2016

Another sewing post

I am by no means a professional sewer, but I can usually get the job done, if I really want to. Up until now, the job has mostly been pillows and a few hooded towels for baby gifts.

I have sorta a love/hate relationship to sewing. It's not so much the sewing that I struggle with {although, there are some days I want to strap dynamite to the machine and throw it overboard} rather, it's all the prep work of measuring and cutting out material. If you feel the same way I do, let me suggest to you how I overcame my sewing challenges. 

First & foremost, if you have been using scissors to cut your fabric. Stop it! No seriously. I have always most always enjoyed sewing, but I loathed all the measuring and cutting, so much so that it would deter me from making whatever project I was working on. I would rather wash dishes than cut fabric with scissors. Ugh!

I got a couple gift cards for Christmas so I decided I to buy myself a rotary cutter and mat. Best sewing decision I ever made! 


I bought the material on a whim! I didn't have any projects going at the time, but it was cute and nautical and on sale, so I just got it and thought I'd figure out what to do with it later....that's the kinda sewer I am!! We had some leftover memory foam from our vberth mattress making, so I cut it into a couple squares and two smaller rectangles and thought I'd make some cushion/pillows from it. 

Ahh! That's how I'll use that material!!

Cutting out the material went by quickly and then it was time to start sewing! 


Again, they're not perfect, but I think they turned out pretty good, especially since it was my first time sewing box-style pillows and adding in zippers! 



We have three of these lower windows that I wanted to cover for a little privacy. And I'm sure the neighbors are happy to not have to see us eating dinner & watching tv every night. 


I used up the remaining fabric and made of few window visors. I cut up a car windshield visor and sandwiched it between the two fabrics, so each one is reversible! 



Now, that I've successfully learned how to sew in a zipper, I'll feel like I might be able to accomplish something bigger. I think it's time I attempt to turn this into a quilt....


Wish me luck!!! :)


**If, like me, you are nervous about sewing something with a zipper, check out this simple how-to video! I found it super helpful!!