Boat Crafts

My whole life I've enjoyed doing crafts, I've enjoyed decorating, making things pretty.....  And luckily I've actually gotten much better in the past few years than I was when I was in my teens and 20's.  I don't credit this to anything I've done except for taking some "Paint and Sip" classes.  Amazing how much better you paint after a few glasses of wine, and the promise of a sushi bar next door so you can gorge yourself after class until the wine wears off.

Although sometimes horrible accidents take place.....

I took a floral design class in college and even made my own wedding bouquet.

Most recently the hubby and I went on a date night to a glass fusion class.  He only has one good arm right now, so obviously his piece was limited.  (Heehee, I've been asking him if he'd like to go bowling or play pool.)  We get to pick up our finished projects on the 20th, so more pics are coming.

But I think I have some delusional expectations about the amount of craft time that I will have available once I can start cruising full time.  In my brain I picture myself painting on a beach, or from the aft deck.  That I'll have time to arrange flowers and sew all sorts of port coverings for the boat.  But then I have the sneaking suspicion that I won't have much more time for crafts than I do now.  And I'm fairly sure my hubby will tell me we don't have room for craft stuff, but I think I'll keep my delusion around for a bit longer.

What type of crafty stuff do my cruiser friends actually find themselves having time to do?

Mani-Pedi Withdrawal

Warning:  This blog falls into the "Princess" category


From the ripe age of 15 or 16 I have always had my nails done.  Notice I said "had my nails done" NOT "did my nails".  I've always had tiny nail beds and loved the way that fiberglass and solar nails look.  My natural nails will grow, but they grow out at wonky angles and they start curving under on the edges.  Also, I'm pretty bad about breaking a nail and then letting the fact that they're uneven drive me CRAZY.  I've literally broken a nail at the beginning of the day, not had a pair of clippers, and it driven me so bonkers that I trimmed the other 9 nails with a pair of scissors just so they would match lengths.  You may make your jokes about OCD or anal retentiveness now, I have no shame.

Now, I realize that while cruising I am not going to be able to have my nails done and most likely my poor innocent little nails will become less than attractive.  (It's ok little nails, don't cry.)  So I am desperately trying to figure out what to do.  For the past few months I've stopped getting my nails done and been trying "at home" solutions.  "Acrylics" laughed in my face and made jokes about my sculpting skills to "Solars".  **sigh**  Regular Nail Polish, even the good stuff, would chip, crack, and peel within 24 hours IF I managed not to mess them up before they dried.  "Press Ons" - have these ever worked for anyone?  EVER?

So we're left with Gel Nails.  They paint on like polish - sounds easy, right?  You put them under a UV light that "cures" them - and yes, I'm wondering what the AMP draw on that little baby is.  But then it's hardened and stays that way for 2 wks.  No chips, no cracks.  If my nail breaks, it just breaks.  I don't have to worry about fake nails that would rather rip off your entire nail than break.  Sounds like a pretty good deal.  What could go wrong???

So it's question time again.  How do my cruising friends care for their nails?  Have you completely given up or do you have any secret tricks?

P.S.  I did just buy a Pedi Egg for my feet, I think my toenails are at least a battle I can win :)

A New Way of Doing Business

The hubby and I aren't very political.  But one thing we've always felt comfortable being vocal about, was that we wish one candidate would come out and set the bar by stating that he would not say anything negative about his opponent or what his opponent has done.  Instead he would focus on the positive things he's done and will do.  We like to think this would create a new standard.

And maybe it wouldn't and this is just some lofty pipe dream of ours.  But it is the way we've decided to do business, and we're pretty excited that we've seen it in other companies as well.  We've decided that we won't put down or talk bad about any other Watermaker company.  What they say about us, is their own business.  But we're choosing to take the stance that each company has something special to offer.  And we will sell our units by focusing on what we have to offer and NOT by telling you what the other companies don't offer.

We had the pleasure of meeting Rich from Cuise RO at the Annapolis Boat Show and everything we'd heard about him so far was true.  He's a great guy with great products to offer.  We had a customer contact us this week and say that Rich had great things to say about us too, and that spoke volumes to him about both of our companies.  Maybe next time we can actually share a drink with him instead of just dropping off a Bloody Mary and running to pack up and hit the road.

Harvest Festival at Shelton Vineyard

With the craziness of boat shows and TV appearances for the hubby, we have barely had a chance to breathe.  So today we jumped in the car and drove 90 miles north to the Harvest Festival at Shelton Vineyard.

I think here in the Carolinas that the chill may be in the air to stay for awhile, so we started off our visit inside with the wine tasting.  (Hey, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)  We found a really nice Port and the Riesling was pretty good too.  And Port is good for warming up the insides, so after the tour we got a bottle to drink as we enjoyed the festival outdoors.  A tractor pulled us around on a hay ride and we listened to some Bluegrass.  Hubby heard the banjos and got a little nervous…

I saw a shirt with the best saying ever and think I need it as a Christmas gift:
W.I.N.O.S.
Women In Need Of Sanity

My Heart Stopped Beating

There are certain calls that I wife should not have to wait for.  One from the coast guard, to tell you if your husband is alive or dead, is one of them.

Thursday, September 20th it was early evening and I was finishing up some computer work when I received a call on our DIY Watermakers 1-800 number.  I was asked if my hubby was on a plane with his friend flying from Texas to Florida and if he was that the coast guard had been in contact regarding an emergency on the aircraft.  The line disconnected and I was left with a feeling of disbelief and the taste of metal in my mouth.

I'm not sure why it happens, but when your heart and stomach feel like they're both battling for who gets to reach your mouth first, I taste metal.  From my early 20's the taste of metal and fear have been synonymous with each other.  Not the "I'm being chased by a bear" fear, or the "a big spider just landed on my arm" fear.  Not the fear that causes your adrenaline to spike and everything to become clear, but the fear that is accompanied by a deep seated knowledge that everything may NOT be OK.  

The next few hours were very surreal.  I had called the local Galveston Coast Guard office and they had put me in contact with their district office out of New Orleans.  After I rattled on about not knowing if the call had been real or a prank, the Coast Guard officer informed me that an emergency had occurred on the aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico and helicopters and boats were on their way.  He had no more information than that, but thanked me for calling and assured me that as soon as they knew something they would call me back.  

They also asked for physical description and photos.  I think it was then that it started sinking in that the helicopters and boats were looking for bodies, not people.  I stared at my phone for the next hour waiting for it to ring.  I knew that if the plan had gone down in the ocean that the chance of them surviving was very slim.  And even if they survived the crash, would they be found out in the ocean with no life raft and darkness approaching.  At this point all I could hope for was that the emergency beacon had gone off by accident, b/c I knew that if they crashed that the Coast Guard would be calling to tell me my husband was dead.  

At some point my brain starting clicking enough to call my parents and let them know what was going on.  Besides that I was in a fog, a haze just sitting and waiting for the worst.  

My phone rang a couple of hours later and I scrambled to answer.  The Coast Guard told me that he had "Good News" and honestly what he said after that didn't matter much.  The words "alive" and "very very lucky" were about all I heard.  I thank him profusely and he let me know that they would inform my husband to call me as soon as the helicopter landed.  I hung up the phone and cried tears of relief.  

As my Dad said "that's real grown up stuff to have to go through", and I hope it's not something either of us have to ever go through again.  He is OK, they floated for about 3 hours but I'll let him tell his side of the story more in depth later.  It is funny how things like this make you appreciate each other, and make you realize that every time you say goodbye to someone that it may be the last.  So don't waste your time on petty fights, whose right or wrong, and you can never say I Love You enough.  We've joked around about it a lot this past week b/c if you think too hard about it you just can't help but cry.

So in case y'all didn't already know.  I love my hubby and he's everything I could have ever hoped for in a partner, a friend, a soul mate.  

Ridin’ Along in My Automobile

My baby beside me at the wheel.  I finally got all of the things finished up in Texas and have head eastward to relocate offices, work on the new business, and cruise with the hubby up and down the east coast for a while. 

First off I do have to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has visited the new web page for DIY Watermakers.  The response this first week has been overwhelming (in a good way) and a lot of it has been coming from this blog’s readers.  So, a big virtual hug for everyone reading this!  And if we ever meet in person I’ll give you a cookie too.

Now, a cross country road trip could be boring for some.  But with the hubby, the princess, and Bella the “diva cat” in the car it’s been pretty interesting.  I am pleased to announce that Bella slept the entire first day.  Sometimes sleeping so deep that I did the “mom” thing and tugged on some hair or an ear until she moved just to make sure she was still alive. 

We have gotten to experience a seedy roadside motel where we stopped because it was beside the Waffle House we stopped at and we were both exhausted and it met our requirement of “had a deadbolt on the door and a bed we would both fit in”.  I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have stayed there alone, but the only safety issue we encountered were the ninja ants that kept biting us in bed but then disappearing before we could find them.  I knew it was ants because I saw a trail of them in the bathroom the next morning.  Sneaky little bastards. 

But it hasn’t been all possibly dead cats and seedy motels.  We had a flat tire too!  Not to worry, several southern gentlemen came to our rescue and helped us put a plug in and get along on our way.  Even the gas station attendants had “southern” hospitality and charm.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a more delightful roadside emergency experience!

The drive through the mountains has been beautiful and I can’t wait to experience the east coast.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah!

Today’s post has been brought to you by my favorite drink and slightly embarrassing fact about my childhood. 

The other night I was introduced to possibly the most genius idea since the invention of the iPhone.  A Bloody Mary…..(wait for it)….garnished with a Slim Jim.  This bar had taken the Sunday Bruncher’s excuse to drink alcohol before noon and made it EVEN BETTER!  Let me break it down for you – how to make this amazing drink.

Start with an empty glass and “salt” half the rim.  But instead of using salt, use a Cajun seasoning called Slap Ya Mama.  Then fill with Ice and pour in about 2 fingers of your favorite vodka.  I like Ivanabitch in my Bloody Mary, and just this weekend learned that the bottle also fits in my wine bottle Woozie.  Pour in about 1 finger of Lime Juice, a splash of Olive Juice, and fill up the rest of the glass (about an inch and a half below the rim) with Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix.

Now it’s time to garnish.  Take a Slim Jim and cut it in half so that you have 2 shorter beef jerky sticks, place one in the glass like a straw.  Take a piece of celery and do the same thing with it.  Stick a toothpick/plastic sword thru 2 large green olives and drop on top along with 1 pickled okra.  Then sprinkle about 4-5 “hot” green beans on the top and you have the ULTIMATE Bloody Mary. 

So at this point you have my awesome drink recipe and you’re probably waiting for me to fess up about the slightly embarrassing fact about my childhood and where this blog’s title came from. 

When I was about 7 I learned that cartoons were not real and had to find human versions of my childhood crushes.  Robin Hood the Disney character was a bit difficult, but my other crush was He-Man.  So when you’re 7, who looks like He-Man?  Hulk Hogan, that’s who.  So at 7 I started watching wrestling every chance I got.  I grew up around arm wrestlers, body builders, power lifters.  So these guys didn’t look that odd to me.  And I watched Soap Operas (go Days of Our Lives) with my mom, so the WWF and WCW were a pretty natural fit. 

Another one of my favorite wrestlers was the Macho Man Randy Savage - also known to younger generations as the “snap into a Slim Jim” guy.  So, I have to admit, that I’m taking slight pleasure every time I have a Bloody Mary in the cockpit, slipping in an “Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah J