Wednesday, June 8, 2011

A little interior decoration

WELCOME to our new Follower, ain't for city gals!  Sheryl has a neat blog - she refurbishes small travel trailers - in her words, "after complete renovation my goal is to have the trailer be like a little jewel box inside and bright and colorful on the outside."  What an undertaking - you go, girl!  And thanks for joining Katie and me in our full-timing adventure.  We're happy to have you along.

I'm finding it hard to keep The Palms neat and orderly.  It's such a tiny space that if I have a few things out, it looks messy.  And when I'm sitting at the table I need things, my cords, remotes, calculator, tablet, pens, my Kindle and MP3 are always nearby, glasses, etc., etc., etc.  I never realized how much "stuff" I need around me to function, but I always had enough room to spread things out in the condo and everything had it's place.  My desk had drawers and my living room end tables had drawers, too.  Now all I have is the table.  No drawers close by.  I started out with a plastic container that I put on the bench seat beside me, and started putting things there, at least they were off the table and nearby.  But I didn't like the way that looked.

When I got the two packs of tea for my cold/virus/whatever, I wanted to get a nice little box to put them in so they were handy on the kitchen counter.  A little "tea box."  So I went to Michael's, where they have tons of cute boxes and baskets.  I got one for the tea, and then decided to get a couple more - in fact I got five of them. 

One is a small box that looks like a book - I put it up by my pillow, and it holds the TV remote if I'm watching TV, Kleenex, my phone, etc. It looks like a book beside my pillow, but I have everything close by in one place and nothing will fall or get lost.  Just lift the lid to get a Kleenex, or get my phone.

I put two in the kitchen, the tea one, and another that matches the pot holders I got.  For now they, along with my new cutting board, are stacked on top of the toaster/oven.

 I picked some lavender at the condo today - I love this little vase.
It has a frog inside to stick the stems in.

 This is empty, so far, I just liked it and it matched my potholders.

 This is the box holding the tea bags.

Then I got two large book style boxes that are next to me on the bench.  They don't take much room and hold a lot.  The cover opens and there's a lot of room inside.  I love the way they look.


Aren't these cool looking? They hold quite a bit of "stuff." 

I can't believe I'm still getting organized, but I am.  Tomorrow - the closet!  The Magic Hangers.

I've been asked how Katie is doing in our new life in The Palms.  She's doing fine.  Who knows what she's thinking, though.  She's just started "guarding" me when I'm in the kitchen.  She will sit (or stand) with her back to the kitchen until I leave it.  It's very sweet of her to keep me safe in my kitchen.

 Katie the Brave, guarding her Mommy : )

Poor thing has to wait for me to lift her up and down when she's ready for bed, and ready to get up in the morning.   Last night I was up later than usual, and she was driving me crazy. I finally realized she wanted me to lift her up so she could be in bed.  I guess I need to learn new signals from her.

So far, so good.  She's eating and sleeping well, and loves her walks.  She's getting more walks than ever before, so that's a good thing for her.  And for me, too.

From Me and Katie, have a great Wednesday evening, everyone!  : )

16 comments:

  1. Those boxes are really neat and what a great idea for storage!
    Glad Katie is adjusting to her new home. Our doggies love RVing!! :-)

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  2. nice boxes!!..they look much better than a plastic basket!

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  3. I love the boxes! I like having little baskets around in my s&b for 'stuff'..I'll bring them in the RV as well.

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  4. Love those book boxes especially. I brought along one that is a 'hat box' to hold some miscellaneous stuff. Our 3-lb Buddy constantly had to be picked up for the couch or bed. I found plastic fold-up steps at CVS for $10. He loves them and I do too. I am going to buy some "boxes" to replace a couple of plastic containers - thanks for showing us your new decor.

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  5. We have steps for our girls to get up on the bed and when we're traveling, I just toss them up on the bed. Scooter definitely knows how to let me know when I've forgotten to put them down for her. And how wonderful to have such a brave girl. Those boxes are just wonderful. I may have to go to Michael's here in Billings and just check things out.

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  6. Katie is just so adorable! Don't you wish they could talk sometimes so you could ask WHY she guards you in the kitchen? Loving the Palms and the decorative storage you've found.

    Thanks so much for your nice supportive comments on my blog. I've been unable to leave comments on Blogger (this one may not make it either)- not even on my own blog!

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  7. Love watching you settle in and "nest" in your new home. Katie looks like she is adjusting really well. Our animals love RVing too, because we are always close by in the rig. Jeremy especially likes that part, he doesn't have to run around the house meowing loudly because we are in different rooms.

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  8. I think boxes are the way to go. They are so elegant.

    My little doggie also can not get on or off of the bed. I sure would like to find some steps for her that would fit in the bedroom.

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  9. HaHa, Luci still wants me to take her outside to potty, even tho she has a perfectly good doggie door. Guess she liked that part of rv'ing! I use baskets but really like those book/boxes..

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  10. I like those boxes too. I got some of different sizes and some that would nest inside of a bigger one to corral my office stuff. That way, I have a bigger box that I can take out of its cupboard and set down anywhere and have my little office things at hand whether in the RV or in a relative's or friend's home. I also love how pretty they are so each time I use it, I get a little aesthetic lift.

    Just be careful of water - the boxes are not waterproof. Organization is critical in a very small living space. Everything needs its place and one that works for you.

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  11. I find that I have much less tolerance for clutter in the RV because of the small space (and now that I'm home, I'm trying to stick to that attitude!). But what a cute idea to use those little boxes! I think I see a Michael's trip in my future :)

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  12. I really like the books boxes. I could use couple around the house!

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  13. It looks quite organized to me and I think you've done a great job. That's pretty funny about Katie guarding you in the kitchen.

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  14. Thanks for the shout out girlfriend! I need to start doing that for my new followers. I do try to keep my stuff to a minimum but full timing is a different story...I would probably need boxes with a clear front so I could remembe what the heck I put in them!

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  15. I'm jealous! I love reading your blog and dreaming about your lifestyle. I'm in my early 40's and it's all just a dream right now. My husband and I are originally from San Diego and now live in AZ and work hard for a house that's hard to keep up with. I often think about moving into something much smaller, like an RV or even a small condo. We enjoy camping in our small RV, but couldn't live in it with our two dogs. Anyway, can't get my husband thinking about this right now, so I just read your blog and dream and wonder if we might be on the road someday, too. Keep sharing and thanks for the inspiration! God Bless you and Katie and stay safe out there!

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  16. Looks like you are just a few months ahead of me. Thanks for the writing. it's kind of addictive, isn't it?

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