I’m all unpacked and ready to share photos. Though, I don’t really love the photos. I wish I could spend days and days carefully painting walls, selecting carpets and big giant art to hang on the walls. There is so much I could do to make this place shine. But it’s not going to happen. I’ve stolen enough time away from freelancing to do as much as I have. I have to buckle down and work work work so I can pay for rugs and wall hangings and other important things like food and bills and taxes. So consider these photos a work in progress.

First up is the outside. It’s a trailer. It’s not like I can lift it up and put it on some kind of foundation. No swing porch here. My mom has been growing flowers in that front bricked area. They aren’t really doing it for me. I have visions of aloes growing there. I’m thinking I might channel Georgia O’Keefe and go with the whole desert flavor. Anyone have a cow skull they want to donate to my cause?

Here’s a view from the curb (on the right). That’s green rock you see there. It’s very popular out here in the desert. You don’t have to water it. Maybe I need to enlarge that so you can really see it’s awesome beauty.

All I can say is I’m sure glad I have such a cute red car to distract from it. The kid helps a lot too. I think the front yard will look much better with a big cow skull right there in the middle in the gray rock, next to the misshapen pine tree. Don’t you think? Maybe I just think too much.

Here is my entry way and tricycle parking zone. I thought putting some plants here sort of gave my side door, that I use as a front door, a little privacy. I can’t really explain it but I felt like my door needed some kind of transition other than driveway meet kitchen. Isn’t there some sort of Japanese term for that?

I’m so proud of my giant yucca plant. It was a b-i-t-c-h to move but I love it so. I got that big plant way back in 1995 from Smith’s Food and Drug. I used to work in their advertising department and for some reason someone gave it to me in a paper cup right when I got laid off and they picked up shop and moved back to Utah. I’m not kidding. A paper cup! It was so small and now look how big it is. I hope I keep it forever. I might have to plant it in the ground one of these years though. It’s getting so big. I just hope the frosts out here in the desert don’t kill it. Yuccas come from the desert, right? It should survive. Hopefully it didn’t get too spoiled living by the beach all these years (sort of like me).

From the driveway, you walk into the kitchen. This is my cooking area. If I was going to live here forever (which I’m not), I’d take out all the floral wallpaper and lay in one of those sheets of tiny turquoise tile behind the stove. But then again, if I was going to live here forever I’d probably rip out the stove and paint the cabinets white and…oh I can’t even start. I’m not going to live here forever!!! That’s all there is to it.

Across from the cooking zone is the sink and microwave zone. I do sort of miss my old sink with the view of all the people walking to the coffee shop. The good thing is, I don’t spend hours and hours in front of the sink anymore because I have a dishwasher!!! Woo hoo! It’s so great. Just as great as I always imagined it would be. It’s noisy and whirs madly all the time but I love it so.

Here’s a view from down the hall. You’ll be glad to see my froggy painting moved with me. And somebody needs to put their shoes away! We are working on this. Bug is terrible about kicking off her shoes right when she walks in the door and then leaving them out in the middle of everywhere for me to trip on. Also, those shoes have officially been retired. They were worn through on the heels. She wears them everyday!! Of course Gap no longer carries them so I don’t know what the princess is going to wear now. I hope her pink cowboy boots suffice.

This is the kitchen view while standing in the dining room. It’s not so bad. I thought I would get rid of the chabby chic chandelier thingy but it’s growing on me. It used to be bronze colored but my mom and I painted it white a few years ago when we were attempting to de-seventies the trailer.

We also took out the avocado green plexiglass from the hutch and put in this black screening you see, thinking it would look like an old fashioned pie safe. My mom is into country. I’m not. Now I’m kinda wishing I kept the green plexiglass. It was kind of groovy (and matched the ugly stove!). I could put in some paper (white? avocado green? persimmon? a print?) behind the screening but I’m on the fence. I’m waiting for some kind of crazy inspiration to hit me. Until then, the black screen is fine. My mom used to have those cupboards packed with all kinds of country clutter which was fun but sooo cluttery. I may be rebelling a bit.

No country clutter here. Looks like I’m ready for a housewarming party. How about next week? You’re all invited.

But apparently the apple does not fall that far from the country clutter tree when it comes to baskets. Look how I’ve filled up that entire buffet space with a bunch of baskets. What the?!! I put them there when I was unpacking and then just left them. It’s not ideal but I don’t know where else I’m going to put my baskets. Why do I have so many baskets anyway? Do they multiply in the night? This is just wrong.

Did you notice my new funky red clock? (insert singing: Wontcha take me to FunkyTime!) I kinda dig it. Too bad it’s light plastic and cheap from Target. But we can pretend it’s metal and I found it in a diner on route 66 or something.

Next up, the dining room. Sorry, Mom, but the cute apple print calico window covering on the door has got to go. I would have taken it down already but the screen door is an eyesore (it has a plastic rubbermaid bin lid stuck in it to keep the dogs from going through it. I can’t make this stuff up.) and I need the privacy from my neighbor, the rapper, who lives right next door. Yes, I live next door to a rapper. I guess he has some albums out but I don’t remember his name. I need to go make friends with him and his family. I never see them but I hear them. Oh, do I hear them.

You might have noticed the shelf thingy. What do you call that? That’s another remnant of my mom’s style that I thought I’d get rid of but is now growing on me. I’m pretending it’s my Paris cafe shelf. I really have to be careful not to clutter it up though. I love the espresso cups and the books but the other stuff is too much maybe. I did get those cups in Paris just in case you were wondering. Oh the memories…

From there, if you turn you will see my living room/office and a PINK Christmas tree! I ordered that lovely thing online when I was back in Washington D.C. I wasn’t going to. I thought it was a little over the top and frivolous but Bethany talked me into it. I thought it would make Christmas in a trailer a little more special for a certain pink-loving princess. We are going back to the beach to celebrate Christmas Day with Toby but in the meantime we can be festive out here too.

Naturally, Bug loves it.

And so does our pink Christmas dog.

Too bad I took that shot in low light and it’s blurry (because I refuse to use my point-and-shoot camera’s flash). I could have used that shot for my Christmas card this year. Maybe I’ll re-shoot. I don’t even know if I’m going to tackle Christmas cards this year. It’s always a good business move since I LOVE to design cards but the whole broken-family thing sort of puts a damper on my holiday message. I have some ideas but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Here is a view of the living room again, aka the ballroom.

This is the movie-viewing zone. I’m borrowing my mom’s mac mini until she needs it in January. It’s really nice to have it because we can watch DVD’s, view Netflicks movies and play on the internet without using my laptop. Eventually I’ll have to set up something else when I give my mom her computer back but for now it’s useful AND it makes my office look super professional, as if I need to have TWO computers to do all the massive freelance jobs I have.

This is my office. This is the one area that needs some big things. I have my eye on a craft table at Ikea that has a light box built into it! It’s only $130 (with legs) but I’m holding off because I have already spent too much on this move.

I’d also like a great big giant painting on that wall. My friend Deb creates these really beautiful watercolor wash paintings that I’m in love with except most of her paintings are influenced by the ocean (as that’s where she lives) and I’m thinking I need a desert version. She said we could create one together. I’m really looking forward to that.

Here’s a close-up of my uber cool desk. As you can see, Bug “works” next to me. She has her own laptop. I need to take a picture of it. It’s a baby wipe container with keys marker-penned into the inside. It opens and closes just like mine. I’d take credit for that brilliant idea but Bug got the idea from Annalie.

Enough office, living room, kitchen…let’s move onto the bedrooms!

My room looks much better thanks to a refurbished mattress and box springs that I bought at a thrift store. Don’t worry, it’s clean and unused. No bed bugs here and it was a ton cheaper than buying one new. It’s actually kinda comfy. The quilt is borrowed from my Grandma. The curtains are cast offs from the kids I babysit. I probably should iron them one of these days.

On top of the curtain rod is a funny stuffed monster snake guy that Heather bought for me ages ago. He’s not looking very photogenic up there. I really need to take some close-up photos. He’s the best stuffed animal ever. I think he keeps bad dreams away too.

Another shot of my bathroom and me posing. I’m too sexy for my hair-doing station. Bah Hahah!

This is Bug’s bathroom that is across the hall from my room. I know! We have TWO bathrooms!! You move inland and suddenly property value goes down and all these luxury items start showing up in trailers. It’s crazy and I love it.

And last, but not least, we have Bug’s room. We still haven’t really figured out where to put her bed but for now we have a folded up futon that fits under the counters. She doesn’t really sleep there but she does spend a lot of time there crying and carrying on when I send her to her room for not listening. I’ve since taken down that bulletin board and moved it into my office so I can put up my inspiration pictures on it. The phone cords need to go too but I haven’t gotten that far. Also that shelf under the air conditioner is soon to be dismantled. That was left over from my mom’s computer desk.

The other sides of Bug’s room are not very photogenic either. I hate her plastic dresser. It used to hide in her closet and didn’t offend me so much but now, as you can see, her closet is built-in with shelves. I actually am very thankful for all those shelves because I have a lot of art and craft supplies (and she has a lot of toys) and they all seem to fit in here with room to spare. She hangs her dresses up in my closet. We’ve worked it out. So this basically is just a play room that she shares with me and my craft supplies.

And that’s that! Phew, that was a long post! I guess I’ll post more photos as I make more improvements but for now I’m done with the inside. Next up: yard work!