Our Sad Little Trailer, the Grand Tour

I’m not gonna lie. I’m overwhelmed with this particular project. This is one of those times I would like to have a sibling, or two, or three… the kind of relationship with a person where you can call them up and say “Hey… I have this sad little trailer and all these lofty ideals for it… can you come over and help me?” I tried to get the kids involved, let’s just say they’d rather be playing in it than priming it. *boo hoo* It would appear the attention span for painting and priming is around the length of a vine video. (Insert mom eye roll)

The ELECTRIC blue has got to go! Seeing our kids playing in our trailer gives me mixed emotions. Looking under, over, and through this trailer I have found dirt, insect remnants and rodent droppings. This is not my favorite kind of job. If you would have asked me as a teenager what my favorite car was I would have told you the truth… a limousine. This project is FAR from limo worthy. #nottooproudtowork

There is BLUE OVER-SPRAY ON THE GLASS WINDOW. smh… what am I doing?

The tour continues into the kitchen, with the oven. I have no idea how this could even stay. While it was working when we first bought the trailer… I don’t know if I can ever clean it up to Pinterest status.

Pinterest is absolute torture. I have no idea why I even have a Pinterest board (https://www.pinterest.com/wholeheartart/the-happy-little-camper/) except for the fact that I am helplessly addicted to finding cute and adorable inspirations that haunt my dreams and make me feel absolutely awful… remind me again why I pin? Oh yeah! It’s FUN!

I would like to replace the kitchen counter with butcher block, that way it could act as a cutting board along with a counter top and serve a dual purpose in the small space. I am also considering a smaller sink. I like the round sinks from Ikea, although 8 of us will be camping together most times.

What on earth am I going to do with these drawers? WHY on earth do they have plastic edges?

Let’s not even discuss this picture. “A sandwich is a sandwich… but that’s a MEAL!” – Sinbad, from the movie Houseguest.

I DO love this back window and sink. It has the original charm that led me to want this little trailer.
THE FRIDGE WAS SPRAY PAINTED BLUE!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH   My daughter looks how I feel right about now.  

I have learned over time that when a project is midway there is always chaos and disaster. It is as if we are attempting to win a war against ourselves. Life would be easy with an unlimited budget, of course. To be able to say “Do this – Do that.” To someone else.

However, there is this odd sense of accomplishment that seems to happen when you look at the bottom of a barrel of paint, or go to bed exhausted and layered in primer. I have NO IDEA how long this particular project is going to take. I have NO IDEA how I am going to be able to accomplish it, and I have NO IDEA how I am going to convince my children to give me more than 20 minutes of their time (willingly)… YET.  Perhaps tomorrow we will band together, sing “Cumbaya” grab some paint brushes, blink our eyes and the trailer will be finished… here’s hoping. 😛  (Signed – One Exhausted Momma)

P.S. I DID vacuum all the nastiness up… the kids are safe 😉

The Start of a Vision…

This is our “baby” who was looking quite adorable today waking up from his nap as we set out to look at our loving “Uncle Vince’s” property.

DO WE LAND?

Do we “land” a travel trailer… or do we plan on seeing AMERICA? That really is the question of the hour. I mean right now, my son sits next to me on our second computer watching Minecraft videos. I don’t blame him he just got off work at 11:30pm… and he is only 17. If we are going to “go all in” and live out of a trailer for a year (or two) I don’t know if I would like to ‘stay’ anywhere at all… especially with this type of view in sight…

This beautiful road  wove in and out of the California countryside like a fat and lazy rattlesnake. Our son when he saw it immediately stated how he wanted to go down it on his long board… how it was “calling to him”. Too bad we didn’t have it with us… and a helmet… and full on body wear… and a police escort LOL.

We stopped at the “Red Shack” by the reservoir straight across from the property and had sno-cones. It was 100 outside and this was the only stop before you got back into town. There are no filters on any of these pictures. This was a picturesque California day.

All in all it was a great day as a part of the ongoing #huntforthehappylittlecamper saga. I even found one locally that looks JUST LIKE OUR LOGO… it was absolutely perfect, until we heard back from the guy selling it… IT WAS SOLD! Look at how perfect… it could have been… *SIGH*

However… it would be just like God to orchestrate what we think we want into what we really need. That same gentlemen is selling another travel trailer, a slightly larger more refurbished one which he wants to sell to us at a great discount if he can sell to us directly and by-pass the lot he usually sells to. We get to see it Monday… and I am SO EXCITED 🙂

As far as a “permanent” location, or a “mobile” one… I haven’t decided. The fact our kids are needing to “check out” after working all day at 17… could be an indicator it is time for all of us to check out.

The Hunt Begins…

This is NOT our camper… though I wish it was.

As a matter of fact, we do not have a camper yet, we are just now starting to look. While the dream of my heart is to have a relaxing and well put together completely refurbished trailer… what fun is that?! I know like most of the best things in life, “perfection” only can come through trial, error, and time.

So THESE are the types of trailers we have been looking at…

Egads is all I can say.

One of the listings literally said “we are axing 5900$”. Good Lord, sometimes seeing the beauty behind the sad, lonely, and depressing is mind numbing and potentially exhausting. I maintain hope though. I have a VISION and that vision can be seen on my Pinterest board:  The Happy Little Camper as well as below…

  

One can dream… right?

I suppose it is crazy of us – a family of eight- operating four businesses at a time to even consider a “weekend” project like locating and refurbishing a travel trailer to maybe one day… move in to?

I also suppose our time and limited budget, should be spent on more important things like college funds and investment accounts. While this is all true and to be desired, we as a family have always maintained to live our lives by the Spirit.

That still small voice that says “You should do this”. Sometimes it comes as a fleeting idea, sometimes a strong and loud statement, and sometimes it comes by way of your eight year old who sees you looking at travel trailers online and says … “MOM!!! Are we going to go CAMPING! Oh, I would love a trailer… I would sleep in it EVERY night!”

Hopefully, that child’s dreams will come true soon. Hopefully we will find a ‘sad and lonely little trailer’ which just needs some Heilman Family TLC and a caring eight year old to see the possibilities. That would make me one happy little camper.