Marvelous Monday Update 6/24/2024

Almost a month ago, I drove over 2 1/2 hours to buy this...

2017 Casita Camper

I'd been looking at RV's for six months or more.  I'd never towed a trailer, let alone a camper, nor had I backed one up.  I wanted to be able to travel and take my furbabies with me.

Arent' they cute?!

Once I got back to my city, I went to a local empty parking lot and practiced backing up. 

I can't say that no cones were harmed in this adventure.  I knocked several over and crushed one during the hour long practice session.

Long time readers may remember that my driveway is steep and long.

 

However, I was able to get this 17-foot camper backed up and in place.

Look at how close to the curb I got it!

The furbabies and I spent several weekends driveway camping to get them used to it.  

 

 

Now, they know the word "camper" and each time I take them outside, they want to go in the camper!

Mom!  Camper, pleasssse?!

The Casita has everything a large camper has, but on a small scale. It's just big enough for me and the furbabies. Maybe one other person.

The wet bath is to the right when you come in the door.  For those who don't know what a wet bath is, it's a toilet/sink/shower combination. When you take a shower, everything in there gets wet.  Hence the name.

I love that the toilet is up on a pedestal above the black water tank.  It's like using a toilet in the handicap stall at public restrooms.

This is a view of the bathroom door closed and the side dinette.  The side dinette coverts into a single bed.  It has storage underneath each of the seats.

At the rear of the Casita is the large dinette which converts into a full size bed.  I doubt I'll use the rear dinette and just keep it as a bed.  At least I have the option, though.  There's a TV in the corner and I'm able to use my Amazon Firestick with the hotspot on my phone to stream movies and watch YouTube. Very cool!

 

There are also room darkening shades and a curtain to close off the "bedroom" area.

 

 The kitchenette has a two-burner propane stove with a cover and a shallow sink.  Above the stove is an exhaust fan and light.

 

When I close the stove cover, I can use a dish mat to put my newly washed dishes on.

It has a 4 cubic ft 3-way refrigerator which means it can run on battery, propane, or shore power (electricity).  It's got a tiny little freezer, too.

Directly above the refrigerator is a microwave ready space. For those who don't want to put a microwave in, it can be used as storage.  The door opens down flat so it can be used as a food prep area, too.

 

There are storage "cabinets" (more like cubbies) along the upper edge around the perimeter of the camper.  Larger storage spaces along the bottom edge under the dinettes, stove, and sink.  No space goes unused in this tiny home on wheels.

Since I brought it home, I've been doing some modifications or "mods" as others call it.

My Casita was missing the emergency brakeaway cable. So I had to get a new one.  Turns out the previous owner took it off and used it on another RV... because the Casita didn't originally come with one. 😒 I guess I find it hard to believe because if there is a breakaway module on it, it had to come with a cable, but whatever.

The breakaway cable is a safety feature that engages the camper brakes if the tow chains come loose from the vehicle.  To think I drove home 2 1/2 hours without one... 😐 Thankfully, it was an uneventful trip.

The only outside storage door opens towards the sky and it's a pain in the rear to get something out because it falls shut.

I installed a door clip to hold it open.  So now while I'm digging around in there I don't have the frustration of trying to hold it open.

When I picked up the Casita, the 7-pin plug was full of dirt.  This tells me they didn't keep the plug off the ground.  One would think the previous owners would've cleaned it out, but no.  I did right before I plugged in to tow it home.

To assist in keeping the plug dry and dirt free, I installed a connector storage kit.  I really like how it keeps the cord from free dangling and up out of the way.

My latest modification is painting the camper tongue white.  If you've never tried to hitch up a trailer, let me tell you... it's hard to see a black tongue with a vehicle back up camera.

By painting it white, it is SO much easier to see!

Stayed tuned for future posts on my Casita and travels.

Until next time...

Maybe You Don't Know of Craft Night

 Last year, I found out that my local library hosts an adult craft night one or two nights a month.  They schedule different crafts which is a great way to try them and not invest a lot of money. My library hosts craft night for FREE! 

BLANKETS FOR CHARITY

One of the first craft nights I went to was making tied blankets for charity.  The blankets went to first responders and organizations who dealt with children.  My group made two blankets.

What kiddo wouldn't like a blanket like this?

 

I took the leftover corner squares home and made a cat quilt for the hostess' cat.  She said the kitty just loved it.

No fabric was wasted in the making of blankets 😀

 

PUMPKIN DECORATING

I'd carved pumpkins before, but never decorated one. We picked out our pumpkins and were provided a plethora of decorations to bling away.  It was a lot of fun.  My pumpkin is still in good shape and I decorated it last October!

These are the pumpkins from everyone who sat at my table. Who knew we were so imaginative?

SOAPMAKING

A soapmaker came to the library and taught us about the history of soapmaking and talked about their eco-friendly company.  It was so interesting!  After the talk, we were shown how to make soap and we got to make some. We got to pick out our own color(s) as well as the scent(s) we wanted in our soap. Another fun craft night!

 

 

 

MACRAME GNOMES

I thought this was going to be more macrame knot tying than tying the cord around a ring. Cute, nontheless.  I made mine into magnets.

DIAMOND PAINTING

Whew!  I sure do give kudos to those who love to do this craft.  We worked on a coaster for a little over two hours at the library. Then I took mine home and worked on it at least another two hours to finish it.

Sparkly and shiny and pretty, yes.  All those little "diamonds"... aye, aye!  Definitely not a craft for me.

FLOWER BOOKMARK

This was such a fun craft.  We had our choice of dried flowers and leaves to make this.  You can't tell from the photo, but there's also glitter on the bookmark.  So pretty!

If I get time, I'd like to do this again on my own.

BLUEBIRD WATERCOLOR PAINTING

The most recent craft night featured watercolor painting. The subject was a bluebird.  The library had a instructor teach us via Zoom.

Mine needs a little more work, but not bad for not knowing what I was painting other than it was a bird. LOL  Now that I know what kind of bird it's supposed to be, I want to paint it again.  The commentary of the other patrons while painting was hilarious.  The hostess had to rein them in. 😲

If you're interested in craft night, check with your local library or see if they have a schedule of programs and events on their website.

Until next time...

 

 

Homestead Happenings - Part 3

 Before I could complete the paver project, I had to do some concrete repairs on the front step.  Again, another first for this type of project. Talk about learning experiences!

Left Side of the Front Step

Right Side of Front Step

Corner of Upper Step

Using plywood scraps, I build corner forms and set to work mixing up quick set concrete.  This stuff definitely sets up quick.

 

Stuff I used.  Time consuming, but not difficult.

After about 10 minutes I could remove the forms and set to work smoothing out the sides and edges.

Upper Step Repaired

Repaired Left Side of Step

Repaired Right Side of Step

What I learned:  Only mix what you can use in one section at a time.  Quick set cement does set quick!

 

Another well overdue project completed.  I'm sure I saved $$$ learning to do this myself.  My Dad would be proud!

Until next time...

Homestead Happenings - Part 2

When we last left off, I was dealing with the water run off and dirt flowing out into the driveway due to storms passing through right after I had the shrubs removed from around The Homestead.  What a mess that was to clean up!

After some quick research, I did some shopping.

I started with these

Then I had to get more!

They are 8x3x4" retaining wall blocks perfect size for small retaining walls, raised flower beds, and garden walls.  They are made to look like naturally worn flagstone.  Fairly light weight at 8lbs each.  The color I chose is called Ashland.

Shovel, level, mallet, and pavers at hand, I set to work.  First project was to keep anymore dirt from washing out onto the driveway from directly next to The Homestead.

One the pavers were in place, I lined the bed with landscaping fabric, then added dirt to bring it level to the top edge.  Then I topped it with red mulch.

Earlier in the summer, I decided a solar fountain would be a fun addition to The Homestead.

I wanted to incorporate the fountain at the front of The Homestead so I designed the next paving project with this in mind.  This project also intended to keep soil from sliding out into the driveway.

I spent many a day and some late nights getting this built.

Once the border was built, I also lined this with landscaping fabric followed by lots and lots and lots of dirt!  Since this is where I planned to put the fountain, I topped the dirt with small river rock for stability.

Next thing I know, it was November and getting colder.  I still had quite a bit left to do!

I quickly set the remaining pavers in place temporarily and put down mulch so I knew how the borders would look in front of the house.  I didn't quite have enough, but my plan is to finish this part in 2024.

This was my first ever landscaping project of this magnitude. It's not be perfect... I do love how it's turning out, though!

Until next time...