Coastal Christmas

Wishing you a very Merry coastal Christmas from our hearts to yours!!! 

This is the first year we weren't home for Christmas. It's a little sad, but I keep reminding myself, we chose this new life and we won't always get to be at each family function. Of course, telling myself this, still doesn't make it any easier, but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude {for those of you who really know me, even typing such a positive sentence was hard for me}. :)  And yes, I'm already vowing to not miss Christmas next year!!! Whatever it takes! 

We are thankful to have such great family that not only will buy us gifts, but also pay for shipping to send it our way!! ;)

Don't feel too terribly bad for us, though! The liveaboards here at our marina, all got together and we enjoyed a wonderful potluck Christmas dinner!!! 

Merry Christmas to all.....and to all, a goodnight! :)

Photo Friday

I don't know what it is that I like so much about berries and foliage, but I do....and not just at Christmas time! :) 

Then, there's my love for palm trees....

I don't know if it's because they are a staple for tropical destinations or if it's  because I'm weird....some would probably go with the latter, but who knows. =}

I wonder, do these sunsets ever get old? 

They don't to me, but you would tell me if you're tired of seeing them, right?

Hubs seems to like them....

What's not to like about this guy? ....one day I will swim with the dolphins!!!! 

Christmas is in the air!!!!

I love this aromatic Christmas potpourri!!! I make it every year!!! 

What you need:

1/2 bag fresh cranberries 

1 whole orange sliced or the peel from 2 oranges 

4-5 cinnamon sticks

water {fill the pot half way}

Simmer on low{uncovered} for several hours on the stove. Or, {if you've unexpectedly run out of propane & you live at the dock, like me} you can cook it on high in the crockpot. 

***NOTE: You'll probably want to use a slow-cooker liner or if you're cooking it on the stove, try using a pot that you won't cook food in afterwards. 

Knot what you think

Unless, you're thinking knots vs. nots, than yes! this post is exactly what you think! :)

I decided it was about time to learn how to tie some knots, so that's what I did! 

First, I bought this handy dandy lil' book.

Next, I started, well, tying knots. :)

First up, is the square knot....

This has got to be one of the easiest knots to tie....plus, I already knew this one, thanks to my dad who taught me this as a child! Just wish I had remembered all the other knots he taught me. :) 

Here's my sad attempt at a triple bowline....

Oddly enough, I was not successful with the normal bowline knot, but had little-to-no problems achieving the triple....yeah, I don't get it either! :)

And finally, the scaffold knot....

This one seemed fairly easy....which probably means I didn't do it correctly, but it looks like the picture in the book, so, I'm gonna say it was a success!!! 

That's it for now! I tried several other knots, but they did not look like what the book showed! I think I need a different size line to practice with(?)....yeah, that sounds good....that's what I'm gonna go with!!! :)

Until then....

Like looking in a mirror!

Thanksgiving review:

I think this was the first time we were around (a whole lotta) family after having moved onto the boat...so we got questioned a bit on, How we like it? What we think? What do we miss (that we gave up)? Etc, etc.... We didn't mind though, it was sorta nice, having that many people interested in our liveaboard life! :)

We were at hubs' family when I heard someone ask him about how we liked living on a boat? I couldn't help but notice the other people at the table and how intently they were listening in. {I guess they (somehow) missed the memo of us moving aboard} It was like looking into a mirror of us from 1-year ago!!! She was excited of the thought of it, but not sure it  would ever happen....he was thrilled with the idea and couldn't wait to do it himself! Earlier that day, I was talking to one of Joe's cousins and she brought up the Tiny House blog and how they even thought they could do it....it being, sell off everything & basically become minimalists who live in an extremely small {compared to most} space! 

I'm sure most people think we are going to regret giving everything up...or at least some thing's, and I do!! But, the things I miss are not any {actual} items. I do however, miss a freezer that has the ability to freeze ice cream. Thankfully though, my mom sent my dad back to the store just to pickup some Blue Bell Coffee ice cream, for moi!!! I may or may not have had more than one bowl ;)     ....I was strong all summer long and didn't buy any ice cream, but I refuse to go another summer, sans ice cream. And, I have already told warned Joe not to be surprised when he comes home from work one day to see me sitting on the dock with a half gallon of ice cream and a spoon! ;) 

Rustic is the new lazy!

Rustic is the new lazy? What is she talking about?? Well, I'm so glad you asked....let me tell you! : ) Most people use the word rustic to describe a house, such as a rustic log cabin home! I, on the other hand, use it to spruce up the term lazy! =}

Last night Joe and I were cooking dinner. That's right! He was actually helping me cook!! I'd like to say I'm as shocked as you are, but surprisingly, he has been helping out more in the kitchen, er galley, since moving onto the boat! : )

We were going to grill out, but a brisk wind and colder temps made hubs decide to cook the meat inside, so he volunteered to cook it while I was making the rustic ranch potatoes. 

Joe wasn't sure what rustic ranch potatoes were, so I told him they were ranch potatoes but I am too lazy to peel the skins. {Now, whenever I don't want to take the time to peel the potatoes first, I simply add the word 'rustic' to the beginning of the recipe title and leave the skins intact}  ergo, rustic ranch potatoes!

He then says, "I like how we use rustic instead of lazy.....sounds much better!"

So, without further ado....here are my Rustic Ranch Potatoes....and might I add, they were delicious and so was the steak!!!

{you can find the recipe to these scrumptious, rustic potatoes on the one-dish wonders tab}

Photo Friday

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is in the air!!! I am so very thankful that we got to go home, even if it was for less than 48 hours. I'll take what I can get....I don't mind! :)

My plan was to get a photo of all of the fam to share here on photo Friday, but, well, what can I say? I was too busy talking to everyone and didn't take any photos. :/

The Christmas lights are up at the marina! 

Is it just me, or does anyone else see the reindeer {on the tree}, on the left??  : ) 

The marina next to ours, has this pretty Christmas tree up at their entrance! I especially like how the star at the top looks like it is a Dallas Cowboys star!!! Texas Pride, even though we are among mainly, Houston Texans' fans down here. 

Maybe I just see what I want to see! But hey, isn't that true of us all?!

This weekend will be spent putting up our tree {which shouldn't take too long, considering its approx. 3 ft and requires no assembly} and figuring out how one decorates a sailboat for Christmas. 

I love, love, love this time of year and all the Christmas lights! :)

The Great Divide

The great cookie divide, that is. It's not all about sailing & living aboard

....sometimes, it's just about cookies!!!

So, this weekend I made cookies! Yum!! Every time I make homemade chocolate chip cookies, I have to split the dough in half and put in two seperate bowls, mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips in one bowl and white chocolate chips in the other bowl and then bake the cookies. Hubs seems to think the semi sweet is too sweet and I seem to think....he is wrong! :) 

Making homemade cookies is a bit tricky on a boat. I used to think making the cookie dough took the longest time and baking them went by quick. But when you have an oven that's not much bigger than an easy-bake oven....it takes quite some time to bake 3 dozen cookies. Oh, but there's nothing better than a homemade chocolate chip cookie!!! 

Everybody, okay, 2 people have asked me how do I get the cookies soft & chewy, every time? The answer is simply this, 350°, less baking time and DO NOT use butter in this recipe. I know, I know, I'm usually the butter advocate. But for this recipe, you only want to use margarine. 

So, what is my recipe, you ask? I'll tell you! 

So, which do you prefer?  Semi-Sweet or White Chocolate Chip?!?!

Hello Sunshine

I have so missed sitting outside in the sunshine.....<3 warm weather!!! 

There's not a whole lot going on here lately, hence the gap in blog posts. The weather has finally warmed up a little, so I can once again sit outside and not be freezing. Which is great because cabin fever had already started to set in and I was going a little, okay, I had already gone a little stir-crazy. : / Joe swears we have 320 square feet of living space, but I'm here to tell you, it feels a whole lot more like 30 sq ft most days!!! And, while it's not the mid-ninetys, that I'd much rather prefer, this morning, albeit short, I was actually able to wear my flip-flops {oh happy day}.....I was starting to wonder if they'd ever get worn again. ; )

Speaking of close quarters....last night while cooking dinner, hubs, {noticing I was flustered with my small amount of galley workspace} asked what he could do to help? I don't think he was quite prepared for my answer though, when I responded with, "I could use a workable can opener in a more functioning galley on a bigger boat." Is it possible to get carpal tunnel in your shoulder from using a can opener?? Ugh, some days are better than others, but that's just part of the trade off....I guess. : )

Hopefully, the bigger boat comes sooner rather than later, but we have got to build up a little more in the nest egg before that can happen. Let me know if you come across any money trees out there {that you're willing to share}....we could sure benefit from a few branches! : }

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. 

Photo Friday

So...photo Friday isn't going to be very exciting today. Ever since the cold front came in a couple days ago, we have been doing a whole lot of hibernating and not very much photo taking. :{ 

I did manage to capture a couple good sunset shots before the cold snap arrived. 

And the next day....

This next photo is bittersweet for me...

We sold my beautiful Beemer this week. {insert sad face} Moving aboard means you sell off or give away a lot of your belongings so I knew it was only a matter of time, before my car was gone too, but oh well....it's all part of the trade off. 

And, that's it! See, I told you, not very exciting this week. I hope this cold weather goes away soon so I can get back to taking pretty pictures and going outside again. I mean, I moved to the coast for a reason....I thought it was supposed to be a little bit warmer down here. I guess we need to move further south, say, the Bahamas??

What do you think?!? :)

Holy cold front, Batman!

The front is here and it is cold....Brr!!!

In other, yet still related news.....we bought this handy dandy, air-circulating heater that works quite well.....

It warms our whole bome in less than 10 minutes! ;)

 

A little backstory on what a bome is:

A couple of weeks ago I was on the phone with my brother, and if you know him, you know that 99.1% of everything he says is a joke. And even when he is serious, he is still funny, for the most part anyways. That said, our conversation was about him coming to our boat with my nephews! He had asked if we called it our home, even though we don't live in a house anymore? I told him the boat is our home now, so yes, it is home even though it's a boat and not a house. He couldn't rationalize that because he thinks {like most landlubbers do} that a house = a home. He declared it will now be called a bome {home + boat = bome}. To which I replied, why not a hote? He said, a hote was just stupid {because apparently a bome sounds normal??) and he had already decided it will from now on be referred to as a bome....so, a bome it is! 

Oh the conversations he and I have had! =}

A house doesn't make a home any more than a boat does. The only factor that remains is whether or not you can live in a small space and still call it home....or a bome as it may be! :) 

Photo Friday

I started something new last week,  I posted {on facebook} this week: in photos. And because I know y'all are all living vicariously through us, Friday's will now become Photo Friday here on the blog &  I will post pics from our week.

Hope you like this weeks photos! :)

Me, sipping coffee on this chilly morning....and Joe, in the shadow! :)

Joe, working out....in jeans!!! 

Views of the marina pool....

Breakfast at our favorite lil' spot on the canal!!!

Palm trees, blue skies and Old Glory!!

What a beautiful life we get to live!!!!

Real sailors have tattoos

You're not a real sailor until you have a tattoo, or two or three....so they say, anyways. 

Normally, we would never even consider a tattoo, but then we thought, "when in Rome"! 

And so, we thought short & soft{that's long & hard 2nd cousin} about it and decided we would just do it! 

We like Kenny Chesney's Pirate Flag song so much, that we used that for inspiration....plus, it's so fitting with our liveaboard lifestyle!! 

So....Joe got this pirate flag tattoo {sorry it's blurry, hard to get a still photo on a boat}

I was going to get a cute little island girl tattoo, but I decided I wanted something more low key, so I got this Palm tree instead{it's still islandy} :)

Nah, who are we kidding....we know you don't put a bumper sticker on a Rolls Royce!!!! :} 

No discrimination to those of you with tats....it's just not for us! 

{breathe parents, breathe....I can't believe you actually thought we got tattoos} 

:)

We've Gone International!!!

Our blog audience is international {as seen by the light/dark green shaded areas on the map above} and our facebook page is sitting at 100 likes!!!!

{technically, we have over a 100 likes, but FB only counts people likes & not likes by other pages....I however, count them all :} 

These are 2 major milestones for us and we are so happy and thankful for all our readers/followers!!!

Many, many thanks ;)

Oh and, Happy Halloween....if you're in to that sorta thing! :)

Simple living and a lot of work

 

I love this saying, and that's what living on a boat is all about! .....it's even more apparent now as I sort through my clothes, again! 

The rod in our hanging closet broke last week and ever since then, the inside of the boat has been in shambles.....and driving me cRaZy! Though, I'm glad it broke, because that gave me the perfect opportunity to convince hubs to turn our hanging locker into a more user-friendly,  use of space, that can accommodate rubbermaid bins full of clothes, shoes, purses, etc....basically, whatever my little heart desires! ;) 

Currently, our boat looks like this:

See what I mean?? It's a wreck!!!!

Even the cockpit is a mess, while we try to figure out what bins we want to keep and what can be donated. 

So today has been a day full of cleaning, organizing & building. I've been sorting out what we really need to keep on the boat while Joe works hard at transforming the closet. 

It's coming along...

And, we're back to an organized life!! 

I love it.....thanks hubs!!!!! 💜

And hubs says, you never really know how hard it is to remodel when there's no flat surfaces & nothing is square.....it would be like, building shelves in a bowl. :/

Fall isn't in the air{which is fine by me}....but it's here

Halloween is almost here and Thanksgiving is right around the corner which means, it's time for me to decorate for fall! Yay!!! Though, decorating on a boat is slightly more difficult than decorating your house. Good thing I can think outside of the box....my sis' has long referred to me as a crappy crafter, so I put my crappy crafting skills to work yesterday and came up with this!! 

There may not be room for all the decorations I would have used at my house, but there's always room for a wreath! :) and, I think it turned out pretty good!! 

I have never been one to decorate specifically for Halloween, I prefer to just do a fall/pumpkin/turkey/maple leaf theme and that way it can stay up for October & November! :) 

I think my homemade wreath {by moi} looks exceptionally beautiful on our handmade companionway doors {by hubs}!!! 

Not at all bias, I know!! ;) 

What made us decide to live on a boat? Part two:

If you missed part 1 of this story, you can read it here.

So, we had made the decision to buy a sailboat, now we had to narrow the search down to size, layout, and functionality. 

As a full-time liveaboard, we knew we would need more storage than if we were just planning on being weekenders. We really liked the layouts of Catalinas and they seemed to have the best use of space {for our budget, anyways}. After Joe searched 100's of different boats and more brands than I could count on my fingers & toes combined, our researching always brought us back to a Catalina. 

Of course we wanted {and still want} something bigger than a 30 footer, but at the time of purchase, and because we wanted it to happen quickly rather than waiting longer to afford bigger, we went with a 30' Catalina. 

Everyone says, you won't find a bigger 30 foot with any other brand than that of a Catalina sailboat. I know it sounds small, especially when we came from a 2,200 sq ft house, but any boat will sound small with that comparison. 

We kept close tabs on  the broker's websites and when a Catalina 30' {within budget} became available we made an offer and it was accepted! 

Now, was the hard part, for me anyways. I had to move away from my family and a job that I absolutely loved! Hubs was fortunate that he was able to transfer down here with his job, but that wasn't an option with my job. :/  I was a nanny for 2 of my nieces and walking away from that job was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It goes without saying, that I had become seriously attached to those girlies and their momma, {one of} my sis! Then there's my parents, whom I have always lived within a hour from. I don't think you ever truely realize how big Texas really is, until you can't just hop in your car and be at their house in 30 minutes......miss y'all every day! ;) 

Despite how hard we knew it would be to make the move away from family, friends, & my dream job, we knew this was to be the next chapter in our lives. So, we did it! We said goodbye to a life we knew and people we loved and moved aboard our Catalina! 

For just the two of us, Irie has made a great starter boat! And, we couldn't be happier with our decision and our new life afloat!! :)

Finding a place for e.v.e.r.y.thing

When you go from a 2,200 sq ft house to a 30' boat, you have to get creative in all things storage-wise. Good thing we were both really great at tetris....{and our mom's always said we spent too much time playing video games}. Little did they know, we were prepping for our life afloat, long before we even met! ;)

Not everyone can say they have pantry items stored behind their couch cushions. Actually, you'd probably be admitted for an eating disorder if you lived anyplace other than a boat or RV and you had that. :/ 

A seemingly normal settee {couch} on the starboard side {that means, the right side}:

And now with the cushion removed:

Yes, I reorganized it before I took the photo. But, that had more to do with, Joe putting all the food in there haphazardly, last time....and my odd, OCD to have my pantry look nice & neat and all the labels facing forward. :) 

And, the lovely port {that's the left} side...

{yes, I have a hazelnut coffee creamer addiction that fits into a Rubbermaid bread box. and, that's not the only place it's stored :) don't judge}

I've got to admit though, it does have it's advantages and probably disadvantages to having most everything within arm's reach. On a few occasions I've been able to grab something from the "living room" while simultaneously, cooking in the "kitchen" which is helpful. The flip side, however,  is, it's incredibly hard to avoid the sugary and/or salty snacks when everything is so close. Two edged sword my friends....two edged sword! :/

We are lucky to live a life, that most people only ever dream about living! It's not all fun & games though, it's hard work fitting a house into a boat, but we're  happy to make that sacrifice!! ;)