Did I tell you I'm into DIY?

So it's not news that I'm into Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Projects. I come from a long line of yard sale shoppers, trash pickers, crafters and do it yourself lovers. Living on a boat has also taught me how to scrimp and save money while reusing items that in another life I may have just thrown away. During my DIY hunt online for an alternative to those chemically enhanced plastic Glade Air Fresheners I stumbled upon Smashed Peas & Carrots. This awesome "Mommy Blog" offers up a clever alternative idea that I just had to try.

We used:

Mason Jar
Baking Soda
Essential Oil
Scissors
Safety Pin

If you already have some of these items around it makes it that much cheaper! I purchased three 8 oz. mason jars from Shell Lumber for .99 cents each.  I already had lavender oil & baking soda on hand so, my initial investment (ha ha ha) was very small.

Fill the jar half way with baking soda, add about 10 drops of essential oil. Cut the paper to fit the inside of the lid, fit onto the top of the jar and place lid over the paper tightening down on the jar. Then poke holes in the paper with a sewing needle or safety pin. Gently shake it up and allow the sweet scent to fill the rooms! We put one in each head but the scent filled the whole boat, making it feel calm and clean.

This project is truly one that will last a long time, whenever you want to release more of the scent just give the jar a little shake. You can also add a few drops of oil to prolong use.

If you give this a try, please let me know what you think!

Really, Refrigerator?

After living for the past 3 years without refrigeration we have slipped into the world of comfort pretty easily. Currently we have a household fridge on board. It came with the boat, it's old but it worked fine. But, suddenly the fridge lost her cool. Just to give you all a quick update we kicked off Project Galley a few weeks ago by ordering a new 20" range. Isn't it just fitting that the fridge would go on us? This is how one chore turns into a bunch of little ones.

It's almost as if she knew we were getting new appliances and wanted a replacement herself! My first clue  came on Monday morning, (of course not on the weekend) when I noticed the milk wasn't very cold. I mentioned something to G and he said to call the repair man (since he was at work). Here is where is gets interesting. Repair man arrives, he takes one look at the fridge and says, " You need a new one." Really? "That will be $20," and with that he is gone.

Now I have the magnitude of finding a fridge bearing down on me. Have you ever had to replace a broken refrigerator or other major appliance? It's not a quick and easy job. Typically, you would drive around to various appliance stores in search of the right fit, design and price. For us, we don't drive so getting to a couple of places in one night between 5pm and closing was just not going to happen. We set out to our local Home Depot and were told they had no stock, anything we wanted would be a special order. Booo! We stopped to grab a bite to eat and while we sat, we thought... if we are going to have to order something we might as well get something perfect. The Home Depot salesman was searching through inventory on the Home Depot website, I mean, we could do that! So back home we went, sort of befuddled.

Meanwhile, the freezer is still going strong and now has all of the perishables like milk and yogurt inside. GR gets to thinking, if the freezer is still working something must be able to be repaired to cool the refrigerator part. So we sleep on it, work all day and voila! When GR finally gets home from an extra long day at work at 9:30pm he tears into the fridge! I pulled up a parts breakdown of the current GE model we have and GR took a quick peak into where certain items were before he started dis-assembly. After removing the housing and fan we came up with the lazy culprit causing all the fuss! The motor that runs the fan was not running.

Seventy five dollars later we have the part on order and expect it Friday! 'Til then we keep our fingers crossed. I'm so happy we were not forced into buying another household fridge as the goal here to be more self reliant. A 12 volt system would be better in that way, but we sure would lose a lot of space, so we are torn. One thing is for sure, we will not take our luxury for granted! We should have a running fridge and a brand new range this weekend! Woo hoo! Hurray for handymen!

Five Favorite: things about the "switch" we still love

Changing from sail to power is a popular topic on this blog. While the things we love about the switch may not be power boat specific they are specific to our boat and the changes we have made. I may not talk about it enough but the changes are always on my mind. Let me just jump head first into this post.

Felicity in her slip @Dinner Key Marina

*Never having to duck down! - I can't say enough about the fact that we don't have to climb into or duck down into any parts of the boat! We can walk in the upright position through every hallway, doorway and stairway. Getting into a sailboat depending on the location of the companionway and the steps can be a tricky maneuver.

*Always having enough room in bed!  - I'll admit it, I'm a bed hog. Give me a big bed and I'll hog it up just like I did the small bed. No, really in all seriousness folks, Pullman berths (where the bed is up against a wall and only the person on the outside can get up to pee without having to climb over the other) are a thing of the past for this pee-weasel! I can sleep soundly the whole night through and not even bump into GR. We each sleep with a body pillow and somehow we still manage to have plenty of room AND sleep like babies! Bonus!

*The Fridge! - When I tell people about our humble beginnings and how we spent 3 years aboard with no refrigeration they totally of get why I' m excited about having things like ice cream, frozen meats, yogurt and cheese readily available to me! Having the fridge has made my life soooo much easier. Prior to the fridge our menu was limited and our grocery trips were plentiful. Now, I can make one trip weekly to the market and stock up. Making busy weeknights with homework and lunch packing less hectic.

*Showering aboard!  No more shower bag for this girl! I get to keep all my shower goodies in the stall! I can wake up in the morning and jump in the shower! We could jump in the shower before bed! Hey, one could even shower twice in the same day! Hey, hey, hey now we are talking! I do not miss wearing shoes in public shower stalls or seeing other peoples hair clogging up the drain. Best part is - I never have to worry about someone else hogging all the hot water!

*The Couch - If you have been over, you have had a seat on our couch. Isn't it great? I know salon cushions are so convenient because they can lift up and have storage underneath but man is this thing is comfy! On days when I have sat on the couch for a movie it's been absolutely heavenly! Eventually, we think we might change up the salon area a bit to make it suit our style but the couch works for now. It's just funny to think that "yes, yes I do have a couch on my boat." LOL!

**It is not my intention to sound like I'm better than anyone or any other kind of boat. This was our change and it works for us. We love it and want to share why.

Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day. — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

You know that feeling?

The one you get when you walk by your boat and get all tingly. You think to yourself, "Wow, what a cool boat." Only to realize, it's yours. You own this magnificent looking vessel. Well, I had that moment last night. Up until then it really hadn't hit me yet.

First, this is a big boat, really big. Second, dang she looks good! It's one of those pinch yourself moments. It was only a little over a week ago that we were living in Guatemala, boat-less. Now, here we are having traveled over 130 miles on our new home.

Felicity is her name and happiness is her game. Yes, I know that feeling and it feels pretty darn good!