New Table: Part I

The motorhome did not come with a dining area or table or any kind of useful surface. That really left it up to our imagination as to what we wanted for our family. I went through dozens of ideas of my own as well as pouring over photos of other table remodels people have done before we decided on a winner.

Before: No table behind passenger chair, just carpet. Fridge is on right reflecting old sofa-bed behind driver's chair.

My dad pulled out the old hardwood floor that was in the kitchen area and built a half wall that will help support the table. I took inspiration from this family's website who needed to be able to seat 6 at their table. We're using unfinished upper cabinets, that will be painted to match, as the seating bench. The table is built much like the bed/sofa frame but with a decoupaged map on the top. I had been trying to decide where to incorporate the map feature and thoughts of putting it on the wall in the bathroom flitted in and out of my head, but I think the table is a better place.

 I took a few liberties with the world in order to have everything fit nicely on the table top, but I kept the latitude lines so if someone wants to get picky they can re-align the latitudes and figure out where Australia really is.
Decoupaging this baby was a nightmare! I wouldn't recommend it. In theory it seems easy...until you apply the glue. At which point the whole map stretches, in all directions. Gah! I even cut the thing in half at the last minute so it wasn't so unwieldy. Then it bubbles, a lot. After you've smooshed down all the bubbles with pins and spoons (great burnishing tool!) and you apply the first coat of poly, it bubbles up all over again! This is SO not cool. I don't know how people decoupage an entire wall!

 

Wretched bubbles!

To be continued...

Remodel Progress

I'm getting so excited because things are really starting to come together. We have about 75% of the painting done, the bunks are built and the full sofa/bed is constructed--we're just waiting for the foam to arrive. Some of the lighting has been replaced and we bought new faucets and a toilet seat that are ready to be installed as soon as the painting is completed. We also picked up the wood flooring today and its gorgeous! Can't wait to finish the painting so we can install it. (Noticing a trend here?) Got some peel and stick stainless steel tiles to create a backsplash in the kitchen...So many changes!!

The painting has really brightened everything up dramatically. I went with the color Swiss Coffee #1812 and had it color-matched at Sherwin Williams; its a delicate ivory color.  I've typically used their zero VOC paint, Harmony, and had good results with only one coat but this time, maybe because there is very little colorant, the coverage is frustratingly poor. It takes 2 coats, sometimes 3, over a primer to get even coverage.

I'm waiting, not very patiently, for my Sunbrella fabric samples to get here. I really want to order the fabric for the mattresses and curtains. Because having materials that won't off-gas in such an enclosed space is important to me, we shelled out a lot of money for a healthier natural latex foam for the mattresses, not stinky-petro-chemical memory foam or formaldehyde-off-gassing urethane foam. Which means I need to cut costs by upholstering them myself. Maybe I can convince my mom to help too.

My dad has been indispensable to this whole project! Between Captain's consulting work and me homeschooling the kids and skating, its challenging to find time to work on our to-do list. But my dad is out there building away nearly everyday and making amazing progress! Maybe he's just in a hurry to get his quiet house back ;)

On the Road and Going Nowhere

We left the peninsula around 3pm and crossed over to the east bay to take a less busy route south. After only 90 min on the road we hear a loud, startling sound and thumping. This could not be good. Immediately we pulled off the highway and looked. At first I didn't see anything, but upon closer inspection the truck had blown the back inside tire and there was metal hanging underneath. Nope, not good. We called the roadside assistance number and they were very nice and sent someone out to help us. 45 min later we had a great mechanic telling us that its even worse than it looks. Fan.tas.tic. If anyone is familiar with NorCal we were on hwy 580 just before it merges into I-5. Hot, dry and middle of nowhere. Oh and speed limit is 70 which means people are really going fast! We could see the rest stop a mile up the road and I had to pee like nobody's business. Needless to say its very awkward squatting next to a Uhaul with traffic on both sides. Mr. S was a trooper holding a blanket in front of me. Enough said.

Turns out the blow out ripped off the sheet metal that protects the fuel lines underneath, then sheared off part of the siding and the gas cap. In doing so it crushed the fuel line and was digging into the outside good tire. After 2 hours working on it in the hot sun and fast hwy, the technician was able to get it repaired enough to be moved. The closest town was Westly (yeah, I've never heard of it either) and it was determined that a part of the pinched fuel line needed to be obtained from Uhaul. So now we are spending the night at a tiny little motel, who took pity on us and gave us a deep discounted rate. But at least they have free wifi which gives me an opportunity to catch up on my blogging. We'll see what tomorrow brings. :)

To be continued...

6/28

Let the Adventure Begin

After 2 straight days of intense packing and multiple mishaps, we are on our way! The 17' Uhaul is packed with a little room to spare. This is the smallest Uhaul we've ever used. Captain says it will be like driving a sports car,  I'm not sure I'd go that far. We're towing our car behind and Mr. S and I will also be riding in the cab.

Time to load the car onto the transport. One of our neighbors who we'd never met before popped by out of curiosity and stayed to help out. Perfect timing because I couldn't even watch as Captain tried to line up the wheels and not drive over the edge.  Too much stress!

The real reason he stopped by was to complement us on our ingenuity for placing an extension ladder and sawhorses in front of the car trailer because our neighbors kept parking very close to either end of it.

Thanks to all our friends who kept our kids occupied and stopped by for moral support during this transition! We'll miss you!!

Adios Foster City!

6/28

Who Needs Summer Camp?

On Monday we called Comcast to schedule internet shut off for Thursday. As soon as Captain hung up we lost our wireless connection. Coincidence? He called back to see if it was a glitch and we had already been terminated and removed from the system. Really?? Meanwhile he was still supposed to be working online. The kids were using the wireless for the ipad and their ipods so they weren't pleased either. Therefore, I haven't been able to stay connected or update the blog until now. I've been totally relying on my phone to stay connected and using tons of data. I'll do my best to catch up...

I really don't see why all our friends stress out about finding summer camps for their kids all day. Just do what we do, drop them off at the airport and come back for them 7 hours later! Okay, before you call CPS, that's not really the entire story. We had planned on Mr. T and Divagirl flying early to their grandparents and we booked them on United months ago. I even called the airline to clarify their somewhat beguiling policies. We got there an hour and a half before the flight and its already delayed 45 min. We find the Special Services desk and ask for a gate pass. Because Mr. T was allowed to travel as his sister's guardian only one parent can get a gate pass. Hmm, ok, Mr. S and I waited until Captain got them through security and settled comfortably at the gate. Then we bid them farewell and went home to pack. We'd been following the flight info through notifications and the flight kept getting delayed. Long story short, after many hours at the gate and 2 hours on the plane the flight was cancelled. Stop packing, return to airport, pick up kids and carry on. (to be continued...)

6/26

2 Weeks Left

Two weeks until we leave and the landlords have already re-rented this place. We've sold a handful of things on Craigslist. We're trying to eat up the food we have in the house. We're trying to sort through our belongings for those that will make the cut. But we have a problem. Its HOT. We are experiencing a heat wave here and we don't have a/c, heck we don't even have a breeze. Its in the 80's in the house and no one wants to pack, no one wants to eat the meals I have to make, and we're all a little cranky.

I'm starting to wonder how this move is going to come together...

Sort and Sell

This is a process of minimizing. The first step is to sell any belongings that you don't love, need or use on Craigslist. Wait for people to call and inquiry. Arrange time for pickup. Wait for said pickup time and wait and wait and wait...Yes, that's usually how it works for us and C*list. Although we have managed to sell 2 tables and the patio furniture.

I've been going through knick knacks and home decorations and deciding which I want to reuse and lovingly pack and catalog them away and which ones I'm really tired of looking at. My stumbling block at the moment is the box of old photos and the box of last year's art work (for 3 kids), both of which need scanned or photographed so that the originals can be tossed. This type of project overwhelms me!

The goal is to get most or all of the big stuff sold first then have a yard sale for the remaining little things, donating whatever doesn't sell after that.

I've packed up several more boxes to go into storage. Doesn't it always seem that things get messier before they get tidier? The garage is on my list for this weekend. Although, the kids may win out and we may just hang at the pool and wait for Captain to return from his business meeting. It is supposed to be in the 80s and 90s this weekend.

My Baby is So Grown Up!

Sometimes its hard to believe I'm the mom to 3 awesome kids, and then I remember my oldest is turning 14. And then its extremely difficult to believe that I'm old enough to have a teenager! (One look in the mirror usually brings me back to reality pretty quick)

Yes, my baby boy who made me a mom for the first time, is turning 14 today. (*sniff*)

Happy Birthday Mr. T!

Last night I booked the flight to Florida for Mr. T and DivaGirl at the end of June. We thought it would be easier to send them to grammy's house ahead of time and let Mr. S, who was a little bent out of joint that big brother got to travel across country in November, travel with us in the moving van. Can I just say that airfare is getting ridiculous?! Last night I was logged in to the airline and figured I'd just book round trip tickets since we will need to get back to CA in the near future for ortho appts. While I was logged in, my first search brought up $439 pp rt. A little high, but okay, book...alas, in the time it took me to decide to click 'book now' I get an alert that says "This fare has gone up. The lowest fare is now $480 pp rt." Well, crap. Let's do a little more research...da da dah...okay, still the best deal, let's book it. What??? Another alert: "The lowest fare is now $509 per person..." Are you kidding me?! The price hiked twice in the 2 hours I spent making reservations. So I changed my strategy and booked a one-way for each and total for 2 passengers my total came to $509. Blarg.

A little note about unaccompanied minors traveling by plane, it can be easy-peasy or it can be very challenging depending on the airline. Obviously you will be limited by the airlines that fly into your closest airport. For us we had a decent selection as we fly San Francisco to Orlando. We also have the equally close options of San Jose or Oakland. So here's a breakdown of policies by airline with the best, IMO, at the top.

1. Alaska  ages 5-12 pay $25 fee, non-stop flights only; age 13-17 service fee is optional (Flights are generally on time and crew members are pleasant)
2. Virgin  ages 5-14 traveling without an adult who is at least 15 years old, $75-125 fee; ages 15-17 service is optional, non-stop flights only, includes a complimentary snack. Children under 4 years old are not allowed to travel unless accompanied by an adult who is at least 15 years old. (Awesome flying experience)
3. United  ages 5-11 pay $99 service fee, non-stop flights; 12-17 service optional or can travel as an adult. (Not my favorite carrier, flights are often late)
4. Southwest  ages 5-11 pay $50 service fee each way, non-stop flights only. (Would be ranked higher, but never fly to where we want to go)
5. Delta  ages 5-7 non-stop flights only, $100 service fee each way; ages 8-14 non-stop or connecting flights, $100 service fee each way; ages 15-18 service is optional.
6. American Airlines  ages 5-7 non-stop flights only, $100 service fee each way; ages 8-11 non-stop or connecting flights, $100 service fee each way; ages 12-18 service is optional.

These are the top 6 that I would consider. If you have had experience flying unaccompanied minors I'd love to hear about it.

In our case they kids won't technically be considered unaccompanied minors since Mr. T is 14.  I actually had to call the airline to figure out how to book him and they told me to check him in as an adult. That means that DivaGirl, being 6 at travel time, is accompanied by a guardian. Either way, we can still approach the counter and pick up gate check passes for the rest of us to see them to the gate and through security. Being well flown kids, they will not need grammy to do the same when they arrive, they will just follow the signs to baggage claim and be met at the end of security.  Mr. T has flown unaccompanied before and has been at this airport before so navigation shouldn't be very difficult.

Let the Simplifying Begin!

The countdown has begun. All the friends and relatives who planned to visit us have come and gone. Which leaves us 3 months to sort through our belongings and sell, donate or store what we don't want to bring on the RV with us. Emphasis on the sell or donate portions. I have stealthily been pulling things from here or there and sold some things on craigslist, had one garage sale and donated what didn't sell. But there is so much more to go.

Some time ago I taped little labels on the big furniture that said "SELL", "KEEP" or "RV". Unfortunately, the pieces that are labeled to sell are used everyday (hint: Sofa sectional, dining room chairs, computer desk) so I won't be able to sell them until June. :(

So I'm back to stealth packing. That's when you remove things from the house that nobody ever knew were there to begin with. LOL I just get so excited that I overdo it one day and then burn myself out for the rest of the week. Must learn to pace myself.

Across Country Storage

I'd like to say that everything went smoothly from California to Florida, but I can't. Nothing horrible, mind you, but many unexpected bumps along the way. Captain and Mr. T planned on taking 10 days starting the day before Thanksgiving to drive slow and methodically across the country so that we could store the (still nameless) Barth in Florida. However, it had been 3 weeks and it was still at the mechanic's shop, apparently waiting for a part.

So we arrive the day before Thanksgiving, planning to just leave from San Jose instead of back-tracking 45 min to our house and then leaving again, pick up the Barth and leave the mechanic's to fuel up and the steering column begins a very nasty shimmy. Back to the mechanic's. Turns out it needed another part to stabilize the steering column. After several panicked phone calls, the mechanic managed to have the part shipped from Vancouver second day air--due to the holiday that means Monday. (Now we are freaking out a bit because we are losing valuable travel time...) Monday we show up at the same time as UPS and the supplier only shipped one of two pieces! Ugh. So the decision was made that the trip would be made without the new part.

Eastward ho! The first day went remarkably well, but by the end of the day there was little cabin power. Weather was clear but there was a storm front on the way. Turns out they stayed right out of arm's reach of inclement weather the entire trip. When they stopped they parked at rest stops and never had a chance to plug into shore power. Evidently the batteries have issues and by the second day the heat no longer worked, nor the radio. The last 2 nights they chose to book a motel room than endure the dropping temps with no power. Wise choice.

Anyway, long story short, they made it to Florida in one piece on Friday, just in time to catch their flights home on Saturday.

Downsizing

In an effort to live more simply the inevitable must occur. We have to downsize.

One thing I've noticed in all the homes we've lived in is that no matter the size of the home, it will be full to bursting. We just don't stop accumulating stuff. We have lived in homes that including the basement exceed 4000 SF down to one bedroom apartments of 760 SF. The biggest thing about a house is that we can stockpile our possessions without giving them much thought. We don't have to think critically about every item and say to ourselves: "Do I need this? Is it beautiful? Is it useful?" Instead we can say: "I might need this someday, I'd better hang on to this. I could totally do a project with this...someday." Or my personal favorite: "This hasn't worked in the last 3 houses but it might work for the next one, better keep it."

The trouble is, someday isn't on the calendar. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Nope, no Someday. So I end up with a stockpile of stuff (some organized, some not) to do future crafts but due to the other obligations I have in my life, I never get to it. So all that stuff just ends up leaving me stressed out, feeling unfulfilled and collecting dust.

I am positively giddy about downsizing. I am a packrat. Not a hoarder. I like to keep sentimental items that serve no purpose at all except to make me wax nostalgic. I'm really good at getting rid of other people's stuff. Really Good! But enter into emotional attachment and I freeze, I waver, I fill really big "maybe" boxes. I am looking forward to the time when everything I own serves a purpose, even if that purpose is to make me smile.

In preparation for our road home I've been going through closets rooms and labeling big items with cards that say RV or KEEP or SELL. We plan on getting a POD to store the things we can't part with, putting the things that we need in the RV and selling the rest to start a nest egg for the trip.

Even with as many moves as we've made, we still accumulate stuff. It is so freeing to fill those SELL piles. Simple feels wonderful!