Ariston 6+ Gal. 6-Year 1500W 120 Volt Point-of-Use Mini Electric Water Heater
Voila! Home Depot again. This lil guy is suppose to provide enough hot water for a quickie shower. It will definitely provide enough for dishes and hand washing. 
A true tankless was not in the budget- and I have been warned that if you do tankless, don't go with the cheapies. 
Fortunately, in Texas a cool shower is fine most of the year, and if it's not I guess I'll just be super motivated to build the bath house, pronto. 

After I gushed about the amazing deal on the Makita polisher on Amazon, I got a wee bit nervous. What if it was a return? What if it was crappy/ broken/ the spawn of the devil, I don't know! Then the box arrived, looking less than reassuring. 
However, upon opening the box... ta da! A whole new box for the tool itself, looking completely unopened, the accessories and bag all beautiful and new new new. Whew. I will not lose faith again!! Alllll super groovy! 

Ok, so for all my waxing about the miracle of internet shopping: sometimes ya gotta see it. 

Remember the cute lil fridge, with good ratings? Well, it's DOLL SIZED. Guess I had not put it into context that what had been in the trailer was not a standard sized "mini" fridge. 

I found this one in stock near me at Home Depot. Sugar Plum was home from school sick, but fever-free and getting mighty board, so we went off to check it out. 

It still seems pretty dang small, peeps. I guess when I read that it was 4.5 cu feet, I just thought it was gonna be HUGE. Not so much. Well, on the bright side, I guess there will be ice cream, right? Right;) 

I had my doubts, but these look VERY good. So good, I'm spending another $350 for the remaining 2 vents so they will all match. Nerd alert detail: John found the spray rubber that matches the original factory internal finish. Oddly satisfying:) 

Clean, simple. You likey? 

Remember the Great Marmoleum Mind Blow? Where I dashed all over town AND all over the internet to agonize over a Skittles rainbow of choices, each seemly more God-awful expensive than the last? We were into the $1,000 plus before installation, and besieged with dire warnings about "Authorized" installers? Worst of all, my fickle heart just did not fall in L-O-V-E with any of the choices. RISKY. 

You see, I kept getting confused by the fancy colors and forgetting that I want neutral. I like to mix things up- and hard coding in a vibrant floor choice does not achieve that. Fabric and throw rugs achieve that. So, I tossed my hands up and went whining to the good people of the Spartan chat board. And, some lovely genius posted a link and a testament to cork flooring. 

And, you know, it instantly made sense to me- visually, design-wise, cost, use. How much more organic can you get than tree bark? And it's much less expensive; about half the cost. Options for both glue down (non-toxic glues) and "click" style. AND... if I don't love it, I think I can even use it as a sub-floor for one day when the Marmoleum of My Dreams shows up, hubba hubba. And there's MORE! It's a sound and thermal insulator. It's "soft" and forgiving on the back. It's "sealed" so it does not require much maintenance and from what anonymous internet reviewers say (what? you don't consider the unwashed masses to be a reliable source of data?) it's not delicate. What could possibly go wrong here??? (Don't even think about telling me anything that can go wrong now that I can finally sleep through the night again.) 

And to my DELIGHT, it turns out that my cork was actually a popular material in the mid-century modern movement and was even the default in Eichler houses. 


Yeah. I know! B-I-N-G-O, we have a winner!!!

While no one is ever going to accuse me of running anything other than my own damn opinion on this blog, I feel compelled to tell you I Did Not Make This Up: 

"Cork was not a highly advertised material during the postwar era, but it was amply used. Builder Joseph Eichler automatically included it in all of his postwar modern tract houses in California, thanks to cork’s functional and aesthetic appeal. ... The natural, resilient material coexists well with modern furniture and accessories, and is easy to install and maintain. It is reminiscent of the look of some linoleums and vinyl flooring styles, and is considered rapidly renewable, therefore makes the greenies’ seal of approval. Cork is offered in a variety of patterns and colors... and is an excellent option in a postwar ranch home... It is less expensive, easier to maintain, sound absorbing, and striking in a modern interior." 

See? Someone else made it up!! How 'bout that fer fancy? Regardless, it's very satisfying to have a decision made. I feel like a detective; and for once I'm glad my project is moving slowly so I can research and agonize on my own timeline. 

What do you think of a cork floor for my Spartan? I'm feeling GOOD about it, guys. 

What do you think about a central vacuum system? 'Cause if there is one thing I've learned from surfing the internet it is that there are things you never even thought of that you might want! 

Nutone's entry level central vacuum is great for small homes 2200 square feet. Well designed and powerful the Nutone CV400 fits the job, whether its your home, garage, RV, or boat.. This vacuum has a small footprint so it takes up less space. Drawing only 8.5 amps of power the CV400 is energy efficient. 

It's 11inches in circumference, 30 inches high. I wonder if it could be hidden in the old heater box? or by the wheels in the corner of the kitchen cabinets? 

Good idea to keep dust/ pet hair down OR waste of space/ time/ money? Have I gone ca-razy?? 

From the Killing Me Softly files: Death By Flooring Options. 

Yes. I am being "serious". 

I know that the Spartan will have to endure baking in the Texas sun. One of my priorities is not to have chemicals off gassing and making it smell bad, and BE bad for healthy breathing. 

The other logistical considerations: weight, wear, keeping clean and looking clean (2 different things!). 

And... of course: STYLE. 

This is my attempt to choose by ordering samples on-line from Marmoleum. Left sample= Too damn dark. Right sample= better, but not sure I like the "stone" effect... not very vintage, and kinda bland.  

Oh, and one other thing.

Bear in mind that I have 200 square feet to cover, + the recommended 10% overage=  220 sf.  So, this is just not going to be a minor line item on by budget. Ahem. 

I like linoleum. Old school, green, long wearing. Fashion colors, ya'll! Except- for once in my life, I don't want flashy. I want it to look good, but, be neutral enough that I can change things up without, say, a blood red floor. Which would be killer! But... might get on my nerves over time. 

And, at $5 plus/ sf we are talking about a $1,000 minimum. Which means I need to LOVE it. Sigh. Keep looking. 

This is my trip to the decorator floor showroom. They have a crayon box worth of choices, but I have to remember not to fly over to the brightest thing like a magpie. Left/Green- meh, Center/Yellow- too boring, Right/ Red- fussy) 

I also am guessing at how the it will complement my beechwood interior. All samples are photographed up against wood to check how they "work" with it. I am concerned about the trailer being dark- the chocolate brown floor in there now does a helluva job hiding dirt, but, it hardly brightens up the place. 
Here I am at the "Green" showroom, which has lovely things, wonderful vibes- and everything costs the moon and has to be special ordered. 

Left/ Yellow- NO. NO. NO!  Middle/Gray- Actually my favorite of the bunch, but worried it will be too dark. Right/ Blue- Pretty. Very pretty. But... not neutral.

There were also trips to dive-y little flooring closeout places, and big box stores, but they could not really communicate the whole VOC/ toxic status to me.  And, to be honest, at this point I was just exhausted and overwhelmed and sick of thinking about flooring. 

God, it's not even fun to write about the flooring headache. Why? Why are you still reading this?? 

What do you think? Are you an interior decorator person magically reading my blog and dying to advise me? ADVISE ME. Should I bite the bullet and go with the Gray? It's kinda masculine and crisp looking to me. The mottling is prettier in person. Or the Blue? Sky blue, more fun, relaxed, vacation-y. 

Ackkkkkkk!!!!! I. Don't. KNOW. Or really care anymore. Apathy for the win!!