Another few new favorites..

So I'm scouring the shops for things that can not only have a dual purpose, but can be easily stored.  Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack!  This is not the easiest thing to do.  It seems like most of the items I want are for the galley.  I guess that since I have such a small space to cook in, it seems like I can't find anything that will work.  So, I've found a few items that I really want but have not found locally yet.  Here's what's on my list...

Collapsible mixing bowls 


The red section is silicone and it collapses to store flat

 Collapsible Colander

Collapsible Dish Drain

I've found silicone mixing bowls that flex at Target, but they do not fold flat for storage.  I did get lucky and find the collapsible measuring cups and I SO love them.  They take up such a small amount of space in the boat that I happily threw away my glass Pyrex measuring cup. 

Looks like I'll be doing a little on-line shopping soon!

Added to my list of new favorites...

So I'm now throwing away all my regular cotton towels.  I have discovered microfiber bath towels and I'll never go back to cotton again~lol  Not only are they more absorbent, but they dry SO fast and take up less than half the room of regular towels.  If you're interested in getting some, make sure you get the "terry flocked" towels and not those super slick ones.  The slick ones seem to push the water off instead of absorbing it (learned from experience).  I found the terry towels at Marshall's on the clearance rack today:-)  Going back tomorrow to see if I can hunt down a couple more!  Then, ALL the regular towels are going to the marina's "Free" table...

Found these at Towels by Doctor Joe


I found some on-line that I may order later, a 6-pack for only $7.35.  Not positive they are the same size as the ones I found today (I'll pull out the measuring tape later), but they look the exact same:-)

Solutions to different problems...

Living on the boat is fairly easy.  There's such a limited interior/living space, it never takes more than 30 minutes to clean (and that's a pretty darn good scrubbing!).  It takes longer to make the beds than that.  I had another boater (yes, my Coffee Club has come through again) make a suggestion.  When she washes laundry, she puts TWO fitted sheets on her bed.  When one is dirty, she takes it off and throws it in the laundry bag and uses the lower one.  I explained that my dogs have access to my bed, so I would be pulling it off constantly and she suggested that I get thin coverlets, like at motels, and cover the beds during the day, since that's when they are on the bunks, and shake them out in the evenings and cover the unused settee at night.  That way, there's no dog hair on the sheets (I vacuum the sheets constantly) and as a bonus, my extra sheets are actually stored "ready to use"~lol  I love the Coffee Club!

Still more storage problems...

It's getting cooler in the evenings, but the days are still warm (anywhere from mid-70's to mid-80's) so now we need some warmer clothes.  After a trip to the storage room to pull out clothes that are a little more suitable to the weather, there's even more clothes on-board to figure out how to store~lol  That means having to come up with a creative solution for all these clothes! 

I've pulled some summer things we won't need to carry to the storage room, but we still have too many clothes left to fit into my original storage areas.  I've used all the zippered travel bags that I have, but what do I do with the rest?!?!  Well, after putting a little thought into the problem, I've decided that the head isn't likely to be fixed within the next several weeks, so I'm cutting some leftover plywood from the bed project to build a platform for a few storage bins to keep the "over flow" clothing until all the summer items are put into storage.  I wish I had somewhere to hang up some of the clothes (our "closet" is SO small, it holds 4 shirts and 3 pairs of work pants for Bob...it's STUFFED!).  Oh well, I'll figure it out soon enough I guess.

Good Boatkeeping

My new favorite book!

My neighbor has loaned me a book called Good Boatkeeping.  Now, I'm not exactly "Susie Homemaker", so I started my first impulse was to say Thanks anyway.  She must have seen that "look" in my eye because she insisted.  Thank goodness!  Good Boatkeeping has become a valuable source of information!  I must find my own copy ASAP!

This book tells you how to do everything from keep your head (bathroom) running efficiently to finding storage solutions for almost any item.  It covers cooking and cleaning (did you know you can wash laundry in a bucket with a plunger~lol)  It even has a solution for tea stains on mugs (who knew toothpaste could be so handy).

I love this book!

Easy solutions to easy problems...

My family can only be called Accidental Sailors (thus the name of my blog) because we were not ready to live aboard when the Mystery found us.  Now, we spent years living in a Mini-Winnie (a class-C Winnebago), so we do know a little something about getting the most out of a small space.  I did live aboard when I was in St. Thomas, but my time was divided between a 145' three masted schooner and a 36' Beneteau.  There is no comparison other than they float~lol  There are a few solutions to problems and issue in all boats that are the same though, here's a few of them...

Salt water does not produce suds in soap.  Not matter how much you try, unless you are using Joy dish soap, you won't get a bubble.  Joy can be used to clean almost anything on a boat.  Decks, dishes, yourself, etc.  Joy is my friend:-)

That door or hatch board that is sticking only needs a little spray of Pledge.  The wood swells when it's hot and humid.  It's amazing what a little Pledge can do:-)  Pledge is my friend (couldn't get the hatch boards out yesterday).

When storing cereal (flour, oatmeal, basically anything dry), remove it from the box and store it in a screw top plastic container with a little plastic wrap under the lid.  It keeps the moisture out and keeps the cereal fresher longer.  I lost 2 boxes of Life cereal before I remembered:-(

Dog food must go into a sealed container and NOT kept in them bag.  Soggy dog food isn't good.  Just ask Bert, he'll turn his nose up at it~lol

Also, the most important thing of all...if you think you won't need it, then you probably will.  Stock your boat to accommodate for all possible scenarios~lol  If you think it's a personal necessity, leave it behind~lol  You'll probably never take it out of the box;-)

Have refrigerator...will make room!

Sara, in front of the refrigerator and over the storage compartment.

Now I have made it no secret that we live in a "sardine can", so it's should not be surprising that adding a tiny, 1.7 cubic foot refrigerator is a HUGE production.   I have removed the cushion in the quarter berth (thus kicking Sara and Bert out of their "bed") and have decided to extend my "galley counter" by adding the refrigerator just inside the entrance to that space.  The new refrigerator is narrow enough that the dogs can still pass by and get to the back, where they like to sleep.  So, I have everything ready to now install my much missed refrigerator (I hate hauling ice for the cooler!).   This should be an easy thing to put together, right?  Well....

Now that I have removed the quarter berth cushion, the door to the refrigerator won't open.  The cushion to the settee is in the way.  That's a fairly easy fix, I can get some of the scrap out of the lumber pile and raise it up.  Wow, this is going a little easier then I thought it would!  So, I now have my scrap wood, my refrigerator door opens and closes with no problem and all is good.  Wait, now Sara and Bert won't go into the quarter berth and they are sleeping on the settee?  What's up with that?!?!

Evidently, the new refrigerator puts off so much heat that we will never need to buy a heater for the boat:-(  This isn't good.  The dogs won't go back into that nice, cozy space I saved just for them!  It's too hot back there now!  Grrrr...time for yet another plan...

Bob has now been recruited to help me.  My refrigerator is now back about half way into the quarter berth (I've lost my extra "counter space", but can now access the storage compartment...sort of).  Sara's bed is now at the entrance to the quarter berth, right at the foot of the settee, which she seems to approve of.  Bert has taken to sleeping in the v-berth with Max and the dogs are situated.  Except for Sara when I actually need to get into the refrigerator.  She has to move then.  Or when I want something in that handy little storage compartment that I found.  She and her bed BOTH have to move then. 

Yes, my refrigerator has become something of a pain in the fanny, but I don't have to haul ice anymore (unless there's beer in the cooler), so I guess everything has turned out a little better than it was~lol

Now normally, I'd be a little miffed at myself for not having a better set-up, but Bob has come to the rescue, yet again:-)  While working, Bob took it upon himself to make the space around the refrigerator a little "friendlier" for me.  I've worried about where to store items so they are more convenient and easier to grab when needed.  He's put all the electrical cords (to charge the camera, cell phone, etc) into a cigar box with a drop front lid on top of the refrigerator (that's pretty nifty since it fits just perfect) and he placed a piece of wood in that wasted space where the boat has the molded cockpit seat to store my much "lost" towels.  Ahhh, the search for my misplaced towels is at an end.

We still have a decent amount of space behind the refrigerator.  I have not decided what I can use it for, but I'm sure there's going to be some little-used item stuffed back there before too long.  Maybe that electric griddle will fit there....

Sara's bed covers the storage compartment.

The refrigerator is held up with scrap wood.

Bob's improvised towel storage.  Not exactly pretty, but it works!

All my cords and cables fit into the cigar box on top of the refrigerator.

The electric outlet still needs a little wok, but it's better than sitting on the galley counter!

My still unused space behind the refrigerator (notice the dent we found when unpacking the blasted thing!)

Where are all the towels?

I am finding that no matter how well you plan where everything will go, it's never going to be enough.  I have attempted to arrange the boats storage into a logical fashion, but nothing seems to work.  Let me tell you how it actually works...

I'm looking for the coffee creamer.  Its in the very bottom of the cooler, so I must remove the bottled water, wrapped sandwich meats, etc (plunging my hand into ice and water as each item is removed).  I now have my coffee creamer, but must decide how to "logically" put the items back.  Of course, creamer should be on the bottom since I only use it in the mornings.

Wait, now I need to shower so I must find the towels.  I remember putting them into the bottom of the storage locker under the bench in the salon.  Of course, Bob has now added a few items also.  So...once again I must got through the process of removing everything from the storage area just to get to the towels.  Now I must decide how to put everything back, putting in what I think we won't need that much first.  As I finish, Bob wants to know where I put the screwdrivers...  Didn't I put those on the bottom?  GRRRR!

My day seems to be spent finding what I need in the bottom of the storage lockers and rearranging everything.  There HAS to be a better way.  Think I may buy a label maker and start putting labels on the inside of each storage locker until I figure out exactly what needs to be where.

Converting the quarter-berth...

Quarter-berth before the refrigerator

So I've gotten the cushion pulled from the quarter-berth and picked up a blanket for Sara at the local Goodwill and I'm ready to get a refrigerator.  Bob and I will head out to WalMart this evening and bring one home.  I'm so excited!  It almost feels like Christmas~lol  We'll still keep the cooler for a few things (bottles of water, Gatorade and other drinks), but our food will be easily accessible from inside the boat now.

Sara doesn't seem to be overly please that the comfy cushion is no longer available to her, but she will hopefully take to the blanket fairly well.  I've placed her food and a small bowl of water in the back so she knows this is still "her space".

When I removed the cushion, I found yet another storage compartment that we hadn't found yet.  WOO HOO!  More space to put things!  I don't know if I'll be able to open it after the refrigerator is in place, so I'm not going to put anything there yet.  If we can't open it easily, then I'll store our non-season clothes stored in zip bags.  That way we only have to move the fridge twice a year...we'll have to wait and see.