Keeping busy....decorating vs. organizing

There's no reason why you can't decorate when you live on a boat....you just have to be more creative about it! 

Now every female of a liveaboard couple knows, you can't drill any holes in the boat for decorating purposes. {I use a lot of tape and command hooks} Although, if you ask me, I'd say that in a way, hubs was "decorating" the cockpit when he drilled eight holes to hang the lines up in this very organized way.

....but what do I know?! ;) The lines do like nice though, don't they?! 

      FYI: rope is referred to as line once it's brought onto the boat. No, I don't know why normal words all have a new word that means the exact same thing, other than sailors want you to learn a whole new language whilst also learning a whole new hobby. Left is port, right is starboard and rope is line. Why can't it just be left, right and rope?? I don't know, maybe there's a Rosetta Stone somewhere out there that teaches the sailing jargon. I could play it when I go to bed each night and get in some valuable sleep learning time!!

-rant over-

He did allow me a few holes to hang up a spice rack. Which helped clean up the space so much! I went from this bowl of my 'most used' spices....

 

To this neatly organized spice rack!

I think what it really comes down to is, the wording. If I say I want to hang up a pretty picture for decorating purposes, it's a no go on drilling holes. But, if I want to organize the boat in order to keep it neat and tidy looking....that just might me the magic phrase. :)

For the jazzed up galley cabinets above, I used a decorative tape. It's like contact paper, but instead of large sheets, it comes in a small roll {similar to duct tape}. 

 Simply remove the hardware, affix the tape, replace the handles and there you have it!!

I have big plans for the bathroom{head}, if only I can remember where I bought the tape in the first place. Haha! 

Until next time....

Nobody puts baby in the corner.....or me in the v-berth!

We had been on the new boat for only a week when we noticed we were getting a lot of moisture in the aft cabin, partly due to all the rain we've had lately, I'm sure. 

We pulled everything out of the aft cabin, so it could air out. I put a few moisture absorbent contraptions in there and left the fan on to help circulate the air better! Since we had the berth all cleared out, we decided to bite the bullet and go ahead & order the not so cheap, Hypervent Marine product to put under the cushions. 

In the meantime, that meant we had to sleep elsewhere. Hubs asked if I wanted to sleep in the the v-berth & my answer was, "Nobody puts baby in the corner!" {I was actually quite proud of myself, because I am the type of person that normally needs about a day to come up with the perfect rebuttal}. So, we decided to make up the bed in the salon, it was comfortable enough, but it would've been better if it was about a foot longer. Because both of us are pretty tall, we couldn't quite stretch out all the way, unless you slept diagonally, and then the other person was really squished!!

The Hypervent arrived!! And now it was time to measure & cut it to fit these weird bed shapes. 

I bet you didn't think our bed was so big, but here's hubs measuring the foot of the bed....while all you see are his feet and legs....he may have also been checking the engine as well, got to make the most out of your bed being torn apart! 

Here it is in place under the cushions! Of course I forgot to get pictures of the measuring, cutting & installing because that was a two person job and I was busy being the 2nd person, but it's not rocket science, just measure, cut & install. :) 

This is what it looks like on the underneath side. That white plastic-type stuff helps to keep the air flowing & cut out the moisture under the cushons to avoid mold from growing. 

Lastly, here's what it looks like close up! Keep in mind it will raise the height of your cushions, but not by all that much. 

We had just enough to do both cabins and we have already noticed a huge difference in our war on moisture! 

Fixing things already!

Every boat owner knows, there's always something that needs fixing! The fix list over this past weekend was replace the shower sump and buy a new head, because apparently this one is shot. And, because it wouldn't be true boat life if only one thing needed to be fixed, our refrigerator also decided to crap out on us {pun intended}. No refrigeration and no head....two pretty major items for full time liveaboards and yet, I don't know how they both went unnoticed in the survey that was just done. 

Poor hubs had to work on the head on his day off. It was already a crappy day {no pun intended} because we couldn't go out sailing, again. We've had the boat 3 weekends now and every time he has a day off, it rains. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!! 

So we, ahem, he replaced the shower sump pump and worked on the head while I focused all my energy on not throwing up....I don't do well with smells and let me tell you, a t-shirt folded up into 16 layers and I was still struggling. Oofta may!!! 

{the smell is all gone now, thank goodness!} 

After all that, I noticed the refrigerator didn't seem as cool as it normally does, so hubs started to diagnose the problem as I tearfully threw out all the food {buh-bye  +/- $30, it was nice knowing you for a brief moment}. Joe figured out that the control module had stopped working. So because the brain isn't telling the arm what to do....it has no choice but to do nothing. And of course you can't just go buy that part, oh no, they want you to buy a brand new unit {um, I don't think so, why replace the whole thing when all we need is a new brain}. However, now we have to find & order it online, so I'm back to not cooking again. Ugh! 

{ding-ding} Order up! .....wish I could show a more glamorous brunch than pb&j on a paper plate, but this is what we eat, sometimes. I've been dreaming of my oven nachos again! Oh how I love them, though I usually make those before we take someone out sailing for a pre-sail snack, I might have to make an exception. Of course I'll probably need to wait until we get the fridge fixed and I actually have food to cook with.....yep, that would probably be smart!! ;)

Until next time....

And we're back living on a boat....But, it's not what you think! ;)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....the boating community is some of the nicest people we have ever met!! We had numerous other boaters offer us their extra cabin when we so quickly became homeless. But knowing how small a boat can be, we didn't want to invade anyone's space that way.

We didn't however mind {too terribly much} invading family's space, when we crashed their vacation and spent 5 days with them on their 37' fifth wheel. Thanks again for that!! ;)

We then spent a week at an extended stay hotel and was starting to wonder where we would be living next, when we were offered a boat to stay on...score!! One of hubs' coworkers had just bought a 40' Marine Trader trawler and wasn't planning to move aboard for a little while. So when he offered to let us live on it through the month of September....we graciously accepted!! 

Now, because it's not ours I don't feel right about sharing photos of someone else's boat, especially without their permission. But please go do a bing/google search on this type of boat {if you don't already know what it looks like} so you can see what awesome digs we temporarily have!! 

It is seriously so huge compared to Irie! It's like a mansion in terms of size comparison.... About twice a day, I hear hubs saying, "how he is going to have a hard time getting me back on a sailboat" ....especially all these small ones he's been looking at lately! And yes, all boats are small compared to what we are currently staying on! :) 

As much as I do love power boats, I know fueling them would be quite costly and wind is free....blah, blah, blah! :)  We will be back on a sailboat....soon, I hope!! In fact, we are planning a mini-road trip this weekend to go look at some boats, so wish us luck in our search for the next boat! 

Congratulations....we're homeless!

Well that was quick!!!

They say the happiest two days of a sailor's life is:

1. the day he buys his boat 
   
   
   
2. the day he sells his boat 
   

Call me crazy, but hubs seems a whole lot happier in the first photo than the 2nd one! 

Poor guy! I hope we find the next boat sooner rather than later, so we can get back to that happy place in our life!! 

*Full update coming soon....

Sail for Sale

Trying to sell a boat, while living on it is a lot harder than selling your house, while still living there. Mainly, I think it's just because it is so much smaller than a house. Plus, there is no real hiding spots to toss something into when you have an unexpected showing...,because every nook and cranny already has something tucked into it. :)

While our boat isn't technically on the market, it is still being shown as if it were. Our broker showed it three times on Saturday {with good reviews} and they are showing it again today!!! Every time I clean it up for a showing, I take a one last look over everything to make sure I have everything staged & looking good and I get a little sad feeling, while simultaneously, feeling excited¡! 

I'm excited because I know how much our current boat has meant to us and I feel we will get that much more out of our next & bigger boat! But, then I'm sad because this is the boat that we started on and she has been so good to us!  She has been the perfect starter boat for us and I feel she will be a great boat for her new owner too, whoever that might be!

All bright & clean and looking so pretty!!!

I hope it sells quick so we can get back to being sailors & liveaboards, but on the other hand I'm not looking forward to being homeless either{since we haven't found our next boat, yet}...I'm hoping it works itself out and just has a domino effect and everything rolls into place perfectly! But since our life isn't a scene from a movie, our backup plan is to stay at an extended stay hotel or something. And while I think it would be sorta nice to have a bathtub again, for a brief time, hubs is not looking forward to a stay on land. I think he will forever be a boat dweller!!

 So, for any of you who were taking bets on when we would give up this boat life....we are not done yet, we are just moving towards a bigger boat!!

We're just like you....only prettier! No wait, that's a Miranda Lambert song

Although, we are a pretty pair! 

See what I mean....

Sidenote: This guy makes my heart swoon!!! I love my beach bum, sailor husband, but there will always be a special place in my heart for my cowboy husband!!! 💖😍💖 #sameguy

Where were we? Oh yeah! We're just like you....

Only our house is not a house at all....it's a boat. 

And the living space is equal to that of, let's say a one car garage. 

When we turn on the tap & water doesn't flow out, it's not because we forgot to pay the bill.....it's because our holding tanks are empty & need refilling....even if it is 9:30 at night. 

When I 'vacuum & mop'.....this is what it looks like. I know what you're thinking, that looks like a lot of fun! Eh, not so much, but it's not bad, either. 

We go inside when it rains, just like I'm sure you do! ....{you wouldn't believe the amount of times we get asked, "what do you do when it rains?"} Seriously. 

Our backyard is a really large pond....also known as the ocean!

We still do everything we did when living in a house....now, it's just a lot closer proximity!

This is what it looks like when I've just "mopped" the floors and Joe needs his lunch out of the fridge so he can leave for work. That's where that close proximity actually comes in handy & I can stand on the bottom step with one foot, while my other foots is prpped on the ledge under our oven....and reeeeach into the fridge!!

We, er I still cook and bake....yes, we have an oven, and a fridge, albeit both tiny, but we have them! Here's just a few of the things of cooked up recently, in my itty bity kitchen! 

{Note to self: add these recipes to the recipe tab} ;)

We still have clothes that need to be ironed, so, I use my flat iron on clothes too! Every item on the boat needs to be dual-purpose. 

Making the bed is a bit more challenging, but clean sheets are a must, so making the bed becomes a must as well. This is probably why I don't make the bed throughout the week....kind of like a little reward for putting the clean sheets on it

Now, if you really want to know what it's like living on a boat....take this challenge! Next time you wash your sheets, try making your bed while you're laying on top of it. If you can accomplish that, you can live on a boat!!! 

What about you, could you/would you live on a boat? Let us know in the comments!!

The back yard needs mowing!!!

Our yard needs mowing!! Yeah right, that's a sentence we don't use anymore!! In fact, I think that's hubs' favoritist thing about living on a boat....NO grass to mow!!! The other day, I heard him telling someone, "he hadn't mowed grass in over a year & what a great feeling that was". I was thinking, "you haven't mowed grass in longer than the time we've lived on a boat", because I did 70% of the mowing when we lived on land!!  But, I digress!! I let him think his memories are accurate! ;)  I, on the other hand, actually miss mowing grass....sometimes....a little bit....okay, not much!!! :)

This is the current view of our "back yard", pretty sure there's no need for mowing!!! Maybe, some fishing! Unfortunately, we are not allowed to fish in the marina. Not that anyone would want to eat the guys swimming around in here! But, I don't eat fish anyway, so I would just throw them back! 

I watched Jaws for the first time e.v.e.r. last night at our marina liveaboards bbq pavilion/outdoor theater!! {that's a mouthful} I know, I know, who waits until the 40th anniversary of a movie, to watch it for the first time?!! Well, all I can say to that, is, I've always been late to joining in on the latest trends!!! :)

Almost positive I saw a shark this morning in our "back yard"!! I really don't know what it was, I only heard the big splash & saw the bottom fin....but it was huge, whatever it was!!!

{this is one of last times Joe was on a mower....and giving (one of) our adorable niece(s) a morning ride in her pj's doesn't really scream "mowing the grass"}....but, it sure is a cute photo!!! 

Happy 4th Y'all

Our second 4th of July has arrived and what a beautiful day it is here in southeast Texas!!! I love that our marina is so patriotic and puts up numerous flags...makes our life afloat even prettier!!!

We were supposed to have some family come down for the weekend, but they had to cancel at the last minute. So, we made some last minute plans.... Last night we went to a fireworks bash at someone's house, met some new people & watched the fireworks from the dock of their lake house!! It was a nice view!

Today, we spent the morning cleaning & prepping the boat to be ready to go out later! As I type this, we are sitting poolside, enjoying the sun with a little swimming!! 

The restaurant here is providing free food this evening, so we will hang out until then, grab some grub & set sail!! :)

Originally, we were not planning on taking the boat out because there are far too many crazies out, but we talked with our dock neighbors who are taking their boat out along with another couple and decided to go anchor out and watch the fireworks from the water! Yay!!! We will just have to wait until all the crazies get out of the way and then we will all come back in slow & easy! 

Hope everyone has a happy & safe Independence Day!!! 

Making our boat a home

Pillows, pillows and more pillows! I may have a teeny tiny problem. You see, even before we moved onto the boat, I had a love for all things ocean related. Now I know what you're thinking, pillows aren't from the ocean, ah, but they sorta are when they are made using ocean/beach themed material, are they not? Ok, they're not, but I'll use whatever I have to to make my case! 

I had already been wanting to add to my collection of throw pillows when I read Lahowind's post on her many boat pillows, so, I  ran with the idea. {and I'm not done running, either....shhh! dont tell hubs!} ;)

Below is our salon {aka living area} lots of family photos & even two of my neice's art work is displayed. :) oh, and let's not forget, those ocean pillows. 

And the other side of the salon...

More pillows, a couple more photos and lots of baskets & bowls to keep everything on the shelves looking neat & tidy. 

When I found these indoor/outdoor pillows I snatched them up and added them to my collection. I am now up to 10 pillows, it would've been 11, but I finally won the war on Bertha and she took a hike to the dumpster a few weeks ago. :)

The itty-bitty head {aka bathroom}

Again, baskets to keep things looking clean and more importantly, so little things are not sliding around everywhere when we take the boat out. And, a custom sized rag rug made by moi for the itty-bitty bathroom floor! 

End result:

The v-berth {aka bedroom}

Nothing fancy, and not even really a room, just our cozy, lil' loft-style, bed! 

The little nook on top of our hanging locker {microscopic closet}

And, my favorite part of the boat, the galley {aka kitchen} 

Favorite, because standing in that back little corner I can see every part of our boat that makes our home!!

My dainty kitchen, not like anything I've ever dreamed of having, but it has its charm too! 

Everything is neatly packed in and easily reached while cooking, cleaning or just grabbing something to drink!

I've tried really hard to create a home in our boat....and I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. It's important to me to make it feel homey, so that I don't feel like I'm camping. If it feels like a temporary thing, it'll most likely stay that way....and we want this to last longer than a vacation. 

Pillows, photos and rugs, basically, anything that adds texture, a pop of color and a personal flair....these are the things that make up a home, for me! 

Where have we been?

This last week, the crew of Irie {i.e. hubs and I} flew to the Bahamas to see our friends and fellow sailors, on s/v MiJoy!!! It is good to have friends in pretty places! :)

And oh, what a pretty place this is!!!!

We first met Mike & Joyce when we moved to Kemah and quickly became good friends, really more like family! 

It was so very nice of them to share their boat with us.....and yes, we still want to go cruising ourselves! 

We did so many fun, new & interesting things....I'll try and recap everything from the last ten days! 

Let's see, there was, 

• Ocean/transom showers

• Swimming, standing with stingrays

 

• Island hiking 

• Attended beach church with sandy toes 

• Explored a deserted island 

•{attempted to} blow a conch shell & picked up a few other shells, as well

•Played lots of beach volleyball 

•Slept on a trampoline {at least that's what it feels like when you're at anchor and there's strong winds}

•Sailed to Lee Stocking Island & back to Elizabeth Harbor

And saw some amazing sunsets

 And even a moonrise (I don't know why there's not moonrises & moonsets)

 

Yep! I'd say it's safe to say, we had an unbelievably incredible trip and can't wait to go back! Maybe our next visit will be on our own boat....that's the goal, anyways!

 

Who wants to come see us, when we're out there cruising the islands?