Homemaking

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Dollar Tree Haul

I have to confess that I became addicted to Dollar Tree stores when I was in the US last year. I’m not one of those crazy people who buys random stuff just because it’s cheap, but they do have a lot of really good products that I actually need. In fact, I’m still going through my stash of waste bags that I bought expressly for emptying the litter box, buying enough so that I could scoop twice a day and have enough bags for a year. That investment was all of two or three dollars. 🙂

So when I saw a Dollar Tree by the Walmart in Minot, I ambled over after dinner to see if I could get the things on my list:

a) A new pair of nitrile-coated gardening gloves, which are awesome for hooking and unhooking the toad as they are warm, but water proof, and easy to slip on:

My last pair was pink and my current pair is green. Stock image because they are filthy. 🙂

b) A slightly bigger basket for the produce. I had bought a black one last year:

And think that this slightly bigger pink one fits in better with my decor (although it’s a bit too hot pink):

c) A tiny waste container for the dressing room into which I could put cotton swabs, band-aids, lysol wipes, etc. without having anything on the floor. This yellow bucket was perfect:

I also picked up a couple of food items, including honey graham crackers, that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else, and a bath sponge. The cashier said to me, “Did you find everything you were looking for? And maybe some extras?” I don’t think that he believed me that everything but the honey-mustard chips were on the list! And as for the chips, I’m addicted to mustard, okay?

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Thank Goodness for Organization

Last night reminded me of my first few days on the road and how much time it took to find space for everything. While I tried to put things away as I brought them back in, the day grew very long yesterday and I piled the last few (dozen) loads wherever there was room. I thought I had at least four or five hours of work ahead of me by the time I was done in the apartment. HA. There was nothing that hadn’t been in the rig before, so it was just a matter of remembering where each item went and I was done in under two hours, which included reorganizing a couple of cabinets. I still have a few little things to square away this morning before I take off, but I did about 95% last night before falling into a pile of exhaustion.

I’m off to do a last load of laundry, mop the apartment floor, and, eventually, hook up the car. I hope to be underway by noon.

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Thoroughly Spoiled!

This past winter was the first in my life where life wasn’t a struggle and that I was snug and warm in even the coldest temperatures. I knew that getting back into the RV would take some readjusting, but I seriously underestimated how cold it would get in there last night! I woke up around 6 and turned on the heat, but what I really needed was an extra blanket, which was in The Apartment. I don’t like to sleep with my electric blanket on, so that was out of the question. I still had a better (quieter, darker, restful) night than I’ve had in months and the cold meant snuggly cats! Oh, it’s good to be home!

I made coffee at home this morning (yay for propane, which boils water about 10 billion times faster than electric coils) and poured it into my to-go mug to take to the Apartment. I’ll focus on doing my bookkeeping this morning, then run last minute errands this afternoon. For one thing, I don’t want to forget to pick up my last pay cheque! I’m sore from all the work yesterday, but I really can’t take it easy today. I know I have way more to do than it looks like.

As an update to yesterday’s woes, a good soak with water got the toilet flapper working, and then I lubed it with veggie oil. So except for a leaky tap, it looks like I’m good to go.

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On Schedule, But Feeling the Pressure

I have another full day of transcription, so I didn’t start anything in the rig today that I couldn’t finish in a few hours. I woke up feeling ambitious and was going to put on a coat of yellow in the front room and loft, but the amount of transcription ahead of me this week curtailed that enthusiasm. I will paint one wall that is getting on my nerves, but that is all.

So today I redid the entrance stairwell. I cannot believe what a difficult project it is to make it look nice and still be water tight. It’s much, much better than the last attempt to improve it, but still not particularly photogenic.

I also brought down a couple of loads, including some food! Having food back in the rig is really starting to make departure day feel very real. I started the fridge on AC yesterday, and it’s already nice and cold, but I won’t be putting anything into it until I fill up the propane.

With all that needs to be done with the rig, it’s easy to forget other issues I need to tend to before departure. The biggest priority are my taxes and end of this invoicing period’s bookkeeping. I did remember to call the credit card company today to inform them that I’ll be traveling through the US, but declined to purchase my travel medical insurance until I know for sure what date I’ll be attempting a border crossing (it looks like Monday, not Tuesday, at this point!).

Jody has decided that I don’t need her help to get my mattress back in the rig and the borrowed furniture out of The Apartment, so departure will really depend on Gary’s schedule. I asked him for help the last time I went for dinner and he was amenable, so it’s just a matter of finding a matching free time slot. I would really rather do it earlier in the day so that I still have a few hours to square away The Apartment so I can spend just one night in the parking lot here, but if it ends up being a couple of nights, that’s fine.

A week from today, I will most definitely be back home, on the road. This winter, the best of my life, has been an incredible personal and professional journey, but I am more than ready to see what comes next.

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Just About Ready for a Homecoming

It’s amazing how quickly I was able to get the rig squared away this morning! Except for the case of the missing driver’s side curtain (very curious), I’d say my study is looking pretty good!

Now:

versus before:

Here’s the small bookcase and desk with the new tops:

Here’s the best before shots I have of the set up before:

and

Where the top was just put there for storage/picture taking and wasn’t attached or usable in any way.

Doesn’t it now almost look like a built-in now, instead of a mix of two unrelated pieces of furniture? The top is fantastic; it fits perfectly, so no more dropping things behind the small bookcase! I will probably end up putting a hole in it for feeding wires so that I can keep my external hard drives on the bookcase, but I won’t know for sure until I get my tech back in here later this week.

I also squeezed one of the end tables in beside the filing cabinet… and forgot to grab a shot of that! 🙁 I wish I would have thought of doing that sooner so I could have refinished the top. But I’ll leave it as is for now. I just didn’t have space for it in the library and it gives me some space to store all the leftover paint. 🙂

I’m going to bring one more load down, then I will get back to transcription. My time management today has been excellent and I am making great progress with both projects. Another thing that is helping me feel accomplished is that I have put two bags full of donations in the car and I know I can at least double that amount by the end of the week!