First Camping Trip a Success

I know it has been a month since our first camping trip but I have been very busy with my craft shows.  We had a wonderful time when we went camping.  Bella handled great! She is just so cute.  My suburban is bigger than she is.  When I leave the curtains open, I can see straight through her and what is behind me with my rear view mirror.  We didn't arrive at the campsite until after dark.  We were meeting up with friends and that's who I had back her in.  Still not very good backing  her up.  I need to practice backing up.

My Grandsons form L- R, John Eric and Rayson

My 2 daughters and my 2 grandsons and a little girl my daughter kept this summer went with me.  The kids had so much fun.  There were a few things I forgot (rug, broom, fly swatter).  Oh, and fire wood.  My mother lives about 4 miles from where we were camping at Kerr Lake so I was able to borrow all of these items and picked up wood and twigs from her woods.

 

John Eric, Ellen and Rayson contemplating the cold water.

The only damage Bella suffered was 2 knocked out screens and one bent curtain rod.  All things fixable. I haven't had time to fix them yet nor have I had time to finish up the trim on the inside and build the cabinet over the stove.  I will post some pictures as soon as I figure out how to get them from facebook to here.

I will also be setting Bella up for Halloween.  I will be sure to take pictures so that you can see her with her awning.  I designed and sewed her awning to match her polka dots.  It looks really cute if I should say so myself.  Ha.  I am still making things for crafts shows, so I need to stay on track with that and try to finish Bella before it gets too cold.

Oh My Aching Feet

I have finished Bella!  I started this morning running around and picking up her new running lights, trim for her awning and more paint.  It is now 1:00 am and I have just taken my shower and have sat down for the first time since I had my morning coffee.  As soon as my grandsons get out of school tomorrow, we will be hitting the road for our first camping trip!  I am praying that Bella does well on her 2 hour trip tomorrow. 

FINAL COUNTDOWN

Oh my gosh....I am going camping this weekend and Bella is not finished!  Yikes!!  Well, it has been raining cats and dogs and I can't really do anything much with the rain.  So I took advantage of the situation and made her awning.  It turned out pretty good.  Now I can't wait to see it on her!  I have 2 more pieces of paneling to hang on the ceiling and I will be finished with all the paneling.  I will be putting up the rest of the trim tomorrow and painting that.  Then I have to hang the bunk bed back up (another million screws).  Oh, and hang the rest of the cabinet doors.  The cabinet over the sink along with the back splash will have to wait until I get back from camping.  I am only one person....not wonder woman. 

I will post pictures, but not until I get her to the lake and all set up.  Steve promised to spray paint the rims for me before my trip.  We'll see.  I am pretty much a control freak, so I will probably paint them if he will just do the muscle work of scraping off the rust.  And maybe I can talk him into cleaning my propane tanks so I can paint them.

I have covered all the cushions that go at the table, but have not covered the cushions for the back couch/bed.  I think I will just wrap them in a blanket or something until I decide which material I am going to use.  I hung all the curtains and put the cushions in the front, since that is finished and my grandson, John Eric and I slept in the camper Friday night.  It was a lot of fun, but I have 2 words...memory foam.  I will definitely be making a trip to Target before Friday.  I have a 2 hour drive ahead of me to get to the Kerr Lake on Friday and I haven't even practiced pulling Bella with my Suburban.  I drove her home with my daughters Durango which is a lot smaller than the Suburban.  I have always heard that God watches over "idiots" and "small children". Ha  Well I sure hope he is watching over me on this trip.  I know he has been right there with me during this whole process!  Thank you God!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rain, rain, go away!  I want to finish Bella!  Have been working on the inside some.  Cutting paneling and putting it up.  Also painted some.  Should have waited to paint after I hung all the paneling.   Everywhere I hit the wall or ceiling with the paneling or nail gun I will have to paint again.  Oh well, story of my life.  Have my first camping trip planned for Sept. 20th-23rd.  I will be taking my grandsons (John Eric 6 and Rayson 5).  They have been patiently waiting since Steve bought me Bella the end of May.

Rayson celebrating his 5th birthday and John Eric looking on.  I love these boys!

Sneak Peek of Bella & Her New Toys

I am the most impatient person in the world.  I just couldn't wait until I finished painting her, so here is a sneak peek!

 

Front End

Street Side

I am having soooo much fun!  Ran out of red paint...back to Lowe's Hardware.  I have finished all the white.  Have to paint the stripe on the curb side and back end.  I am also painting something else on her front end but you will see that later.  Went to the Hillsville, VA. antique and gun event they have every year.  Since I have been living within 45 mins. of this event for 16 years and have yet to make it to it, I was determined I was going today.  Note to self "lose weight"!  Fat women can't handle all that walking up and down hills that look like mountains!  And it may be the only place you would go that people are allowed to walk the streets with their guns, I assume they have just purchased.  Kind of scary!  Anyway, I did find some goodies for my Bella and my future camping adventures.  Check out her presents below:

Vintage Grill, Picnic Basket, Ice Crusher and Cooler

She was tickled RED!

Decisions Decisions

What color to paint Bella?   Well I know she is going to be red and white.  But what design do I want.  I have looked at soooooooo many vintage travel trailers that I think I might just scream!  I want to paint a red stripe with white polka dots.  I know, sounds crazy but I don't do anything normal.  Although it may just be a plain red stripe since I know I will have to paint all the polka dots.  I was thinking I could make a stencil and spray paint the white dots...or I could just paint them all by hand.  I will be spray painting her entirely since I don't want to pay anyone to do what I can do.  What to do, what to do?  I am making her awning for the front and it will match the red and white polka dot theme.  I have already covered all the cushions and sewn all the curtains.  As soon as I get all the paneling up, I can start painting the inside.  I also have to rebuild the cabinet over the sink and stove.  I reused all the screws and hinges on the cabinets and I have already spray painted them white. 

She is looking so pretty.  I can't wait to post the finished photos!  I have taken out every single screw and replaced them with new ones.  I have put silicone putty around all the trim, windows and door.  Anything that looked like it might leak...I caulked!  New putty under all the trim and windows first and then I caulked.  Hopefully she will not spring a leak anymore.  I have been working on Bella since the end of May off and on according to the weather and more steadily the last 4 weeks with the exception of one week because I was on jury duty.  I think she should be finished within the next 2 weeks just in time for my first craft show.  My list seems to be a mile long still on Bella and then I have my other list for my craft show that is a mile long.  Lord give me strength....

Soooo Cute!

Appliance Paint : /

Painted my stove top red this weekend....  Got to thinking about the propane and the new paint job and decided to check it out online.  Just because a can of spray paint says appliance paint does not mean it is for all appliances.  Seems Rustoleum Appliance Paint is not for use on stove tops according to their website.  This makes me mad because now I have to remove the stupid paint. Which means more work on something I could have avoided had I done my homework before painting.  Ugh!!!  Glad I haven't painted the oven door or hood.


However, I did get the rear-end of Bella back on last week and all the putty under all the trim.  I started cutting the paneling Thursday and got one piece on the ceiling.  I found out very quickly that this is a 2 person job.  It took a tole on my right arm.  My wrist, elbow and shoulder ache.  I stayed in bed most of Friday because the pain was excruciating and have not worked on Bella since.  Work will resume tomorrow.  Steve has promised to help with the paneling.  We'll see.... 

Nail In The Foot

Got started early today (9:30), early for me.  Was moving along quite nicely until I stepped on a board and the nail went into the arch of my foot.  After a few choice words (and asking God to forgive me) I hobbled into the house and cleaned it up.  Of course my grandsons have used all my band-aids, so I called my neighbor the nurse for a band-aid.  Good thing we have a nurse next door. Ha

Finished putting Bella's front back on yesterday.

Started working on her rear end today.  This is what she looks like.  I don't have a table saw, so my son's father-in-law is going to cut 3 pieces of wood for me.  When I get that back, I can put her back together.

 This is what the front looked like so there is hope for her rear end. Ha Ha  And, if my small tools would stay charged long enough, I may put the ceiling back up tonight. 

Shopping Day Only

Steve kept part of his word.  He took me out for breakfast but didn't have time to go shopping with me.  He had to mow some yards.   That was okay because I would rather go to Lowes Hardware by myself than with him anyway.  He rushes me.  I like to look at all the neat stuff they have and he wants to get in there and get out.  I purchased new screws, paneling, wood, and paint today.  I didn't get to do much work on Bella because I also got volunteered to take the dogs to the vet at 3:00  and by the time I got home I didn't get much done before it was time to go to my sons softball game....and I ended up babysitting tonight for my little spider monkey (nickname for my grandson) Rayson.

I will try again tomorrow.  I need to get busy because I hear there may be rain coming our way.

Till tomorrow....see ya!

Work Resumes

Well, it has been a while since I have posted about Bella.  She is torn all to pieces.  I have been removing putty from the windows and trim that I had removed a week ago.  Poor thing, she looks so sad.  Steve (husband) told me to please finish her because she looks awful and he is tired of looking at her like that.  Hello!  It takes time to do these things when it is only me, myself and I working on her.  It took 2 hours today just to remove putty from 1 window and two pieces of aluminum that covers the front and then wash them.

So I made a proposition....I said that I would do as much on her tomorrow as I can if he goes with me to get the wood, paneling, screws, more putty and some spray paint for her!!  He said okay and he would take me to breakfast too!  Wow, that was more than I expected!

The A/C was too big for Bella, so we discussed it and will wait until next Spring and get her a top A/C unit so that I don't have to make any cuts in her siding.  I figure by the time I get her on the road we won't need any A/C...just a fan probably or maybe even a heater.  Ha!

I am going to take pics tomorrow before I put her back together.  My mom and niece came to see me last weekend and I think they were shocked.  Probably think I will never finish her.  I will and soon.

Bella

Bella before I brought her home!