A couple of small mods

Last Friday when it was raining so much, I decided to drive into town.  I was so overdue with my laundry it was almost criminal.  I was literally running out of clothes, which I've never done before, so we got The Palms ready to roll and drove into town.  It was such a wet, gray day outside, everyone had the same idea and the stores were pretty crowded.  When I was drying my laundry, almost every drier was being used.  And this is a BIG laundromat.

Then we went across to Beals Outlet, a kind of department store that's like Marshall's.  They have clothing in the front and housewares, etc. in the back.  Whenever I want something special, I go there.  And I found exactly what I was looking for.

I have a black silicone mat that I've been using to protect my cook top cover.  The cover is a black metal bi-fold top that folds back out of the way when cooking, and covers the burners when they aren't being used.  Well, having a black stove/cook top and living in the desert, you can imagine how many times a day I wipe it clean.  The metal cover wouldn't be so bad, but I didn't want it scratched, so the black silicone cover solved that.  But it really collects the dust, and I need a wet sponge to clean the silicone mat, not just a cloth or duster.  I've been wanting a wooden cutting board to put there and I found the perfect size at Beals. 

Perfect fit!  This is the smooth side, the other side is for cutting meat, it has a well around the board to catch juices.  It almost matches the color of my cupboards, too.  And did I forget to mention it was only $14.00?  Now that's a deal!  One of the easiest mods I've done.  Directions:  lay on top of stove cover.  LOL.

The other thing I've been thinking about is a large sturdy box that would fit on the dinette bench seat near the window that could hold my Bose radio. The storage boxes I had it on were a little messy looking and not as steady and secure as I wanted.  It would be better to have just one large box, hopefully with a lid so I could turn the lid upside down and have a lip to keep the radio from sliding off.  When we travel, I could put the Bose IN the box to keep it safe if needed.  I found the exact size I was looking for, the colors weren't bad, and I bought it.  It's covered with a cloth material and the top is padded. 

Not the perfect mod, but it works far better than the three "book boxes" I had there before.  I put them and my Wii console and remote inside the box for now.

But NOW I'm thinking, as much as I LOVE having the wonderful sound of good speakers, I'm worried they might be using too much power.  I've been wanting a small, battery operated speaker with volume control for my Sirius radio, Zen MP3 player, and for the computer, when I need higher volume than the laptop provides sometimes.  I used to have a nice little speaker with volume control, but it finally stopped working and it's hard to find small speakers with that volume control.  And I don't want wireless, just AA batteries.  I've actually been looking for one for some time now, and finally found one on-line that I think will be perfect.  I'll show you when it arrives.  It'll be here in a week or so, and if I like it, I might attach my Sirius radio to the new speaker and put the Bose back in it's storage box under the dinette.  Changes, changes.  Makes life interesting.

I had to get out my printer to print out some documents the other day (more about that in a future post), and as it was sitting on the bench seat next to the new box, I thought - I'll bet it will fit into that box.  It will be close, but I might have a good, easy way to store the printer and have it nearby to use when I need it.  Right now it's in a box at the foot of my mattress in the over-the-cab bunk, and it's a pain to get out.  I have some Birthday cards to make and print, and when they are done, I'll see if the printer fits.  If so, bye-bye Bose.  For now.

There was a cooking frenzy in The Palms on Saturday, and I now have a fridge full of left-overs that will last for three or four days of lunches and dinners.  Every so often that happens.  It was especially fun on Saturday.  It was raining, cloudy, and cold outside.  I put a good audio book on, the Wave heater was throwing out some hot air, and I was super hungry.  All the right elements for a cooking fest.   I boiled eggs for sandwiches, to put in salads, and for deviled eggs, cooked rice, made a huge potato salad, big batch of Spinach Surprise, and roasted chicken breasts.  Nothing fancy, just good food and now a full fridge.

Don't you just love it when the fresh water tank is full, the propane tank is full, the gas tank is full, the black/grey tanks are empty, the freezer is full, the fridge is full, laundry is done, the on-line orders have been placed and there's nothing on the shopping list or wish list, the sun is shining and all is right in your own little world?  That's me today.

This is Thanksgiving week, and Katie and I have a lot to be thankful for.

From me and Katie, have a great Monday, everyone!  :)