Saturday, August 4, 2012

We are in!

I am starting the tour at the back of the bus in our classroom area.  This is underneath the bed and holds the toys, books and our clothes.  We couldn't function in such a small space with out this area. 

Our Ikea shelves hold the books, wind up toys and art supplies.

The other side holds our baskets full of clothes.  We downsized to three baskets each.  So when you see me at the grocery story wearing the same clothes as the day before, remember that girl only has three baskets! The best part of this space is that little window.  It makes the space feel bright and cheerful. 

Here is our king size bed.  In the house we slept on a queen size bed. Not so comfy!  Now we all sleep like little babies!


We have a bat, Stelluna, that roosts in our roost. 

All of our curtains are held up by magnets.  We bought regular curtains and turned them horizontal and hemmed them up.  They work out great!


Here is the bathroom.  Two words get us through the not-so-private time:  courtesy flush.

Stock tank bathtub finished.  Notice how the shower curtain rod is lowered. 

When we are not in the shower, we raise the shower curtain rod up and it isn't in head-bumping range. Jim Bob is a genius.


The curtain rod is made from copper tubing.

Pantry, dirty clothes, bathroom stuff, microwave, toaster area. 

Here is our front loading washing machine.  I love this machine.  We totally upgraded here!  This is also where JB has his clothes, the linen closet, printer and supplies and Zeb's diaper area.


We are going to hang a cool medicine cabinet here.  We haven't found the perfect one yet.  Here is one of the record clocks I make. I am mainly selling them wholesale across the country these days.  Keeps me busy.

Here is a picture of the back end of the bus.

Here is the sink side of the kitchen.

Full size fridge side.

Recipe books are stored on top of the fridge.  No space is wasted.  Our friend, Joy, made that super cool octopus mug.  LOVE IT.

Cabinet next to the fridge.


All of our dry mix storage.

Fun plants add a splash of color!

Full size stove.


All of our dishes are on the shelf above the sink.  Super easy access.

I am standing at the front of the bus looking towards the back.

I made these cool little turkey buzzards out of magnets on my laser machine.  I love the turkey buzzards around here and will miss the site of 100s of them soaring in the air.  So I made my own!

Air conditioner #2 and propane heater.

We traded our big TV for this little bitty thing that is the perfect size for us. 

Jim Bob built the box that the TV sits on.  He made this little metal ledge that slides between the metal wall and the window and just hangs there.  No screws or nails or anything in the side of the bus.  Pretty cool.  Now I just need to paint it!

Our fun couch and rug - Ikea. 


This is the dash of the bus also known as my office. 


Front end of the bus.

Jim Bob built me a cool shelf for my records.  I finally got rid of those cardboard boxes!

I love the little spots that we get to hang our favorite things.  Here is our little guardian angel made by Beverly Mangham.  Check them out:  http://www.eotdac.com/

We found this photograph at an art show in Rockport.  I thought it was appropriate for our space.  Check out www.jamierood.com for some more awesome photographs!


Jim Bob built this trap door to close over the steps that lead out of the bus.

Now the kids can't fall down into the dark hole.

Here is Lena Marie giving the trap door a try.

I am going to mosaic our back splash with beer bottle caps.  It is going to take me forever but I thought it would be fun.  Another cool thing about the bus is the little shelves that the electrical boxes make.  Perfect for our little flamingo and Clementine!

A little Todd Van Duren action on another box.   


Jim Bob put our christmas lights on a switch.  Love it!


Here we are at the RV park. 


We transplanted some of our bamboo from the house into a pot to take to the property.  It has new shoots already.


Recycle bins fit perfectly under the bus!


Here is our dining room table.  Lena Marie says that we are having a picnic every evening.  It is nice!


Wagon full of toys!


Here is our dryer:  clean West Texas air.

We have been in the bus for about two months now.   We are loving it.  Yes, it is tight but it is really comfortable and our little family fits in it perfectly.   There were a few changes in the design but all-in-all I think it is exactly what we imagined.  We can't wait for the next chapter in our adventure!












17 comments:

  1. I use this blog in my classroom, Sustainable living and Farming at CCHS and my students love it! The bus is really beautiful and your 2 kids adorable!! thanks for the blog and pics!!! Tai Hewitt-Alberts(SRSU alumni)

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    1. Thanks Tai! Way cool that your school is offering a Sustainable Living and Farming class. I want to take that!

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  2. I am so inspired by the school bus! It really shows me that you can live with less without sacrificing quality of life. Thanks for sharing you new adventure!

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  3. Yooooohhhhhh Punkin and hi Mrs Punkin, so glad to have found you again (or you found me.) Thanks for calling and all this, bus, studio, family...everything seems totally awesome and fun. Hopefully we can come see you guys soon. We have to stay in touch and get caught up some more! ;) Jim S

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  4. Hi guys! Isn't bus living the best?! My wife and I are doing a similar thing please come visit our blog www.wildbluebus.com Maybe we will roll through your neck of the woods one of these days.

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    1. hey there colin, thanks for checkin' in on us. i checked out your blob...your adventure looks pretty cool. if you are ever in the neighborhood you would be more than welcome to spend the night or spend the month. have a great journey and safe travels. jim bob

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  5. This is an Amazing Idea! Looks like such a fun project for your family! Keep the pictures coming! :)

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  6. Hi there, we are about to start our adventure living in a housebus. Love your idea of magnets on the curtains. What kind of magnets are they?

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    1. Hi there Mumma! Congratulations on your bus adventure! I hope you love it. Jim Bob found the magnets on Ebay. I think you can buy a 100 of them for like $50. They are called Rare Earth magnets. We used 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/8" and spaced them about 12 inches apart. They hold the curtains and everything else from laundry to our Netflix movies up. Thanks for the comment and good luck!

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  7. Oh my gosh! I LOVE your bus! I have been wanting to live like this for years. My husand and I are currently looking at buses on eBay to get an idea. Yours is so inspiring!!!

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  8. Thanks Jessica! We bought our bus off of Craigslist. Jim Bob drove his motorcycle across Texas to pick the bus up and then loaded the bike in the back and drove it all home. He broke down in the middle of nowhere but was able to cruise to small town and patch it up and make it home. That was quite the adventure for him! I hope you guys get to experience bus livin' - it's good for the soul! Please keep us posted on your progress!

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  9. What a lovely home!! We also live in a bus in new Zealand hubby wife three year old we love it.

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  10. Our family is working on our Skoolie now! We have a king size bed (stored at my mothers for now) and were thinking we would have to scale down, but we also bedshare and the idea of sleeping on anything smaller makes me squirm (especially after the money spent on the King while I was expecting). Seeing your layout made me rethink our layout! How did you build the frame for your king size bed?
    Karlee Dawn

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    1. Hi Karlee! There is no way we could live in our bus with two kids without a king size bed. OMG. Jim Bob built the bed frame with lots of 2x4's . The frame actually sits on that metal lip that goes around the bus that the seats sat on. Then he built the frame on top of those 2x4's...probably on 12 inch centers. Then we laid 3/4" plywood on top of the frame. The sucker is solid and doesn't creak and give when we climb up for bed. I know those king size mattresses are huge and take up space that you don't have to give but it is SO worth the it! Your sleep is precious and nothing feels like home like a comfy bed. If you don't have a place to lay comfortably, that's not home! King size! King size! King size! Your dreams will thank you! After years of living in our bus, I still wouldn't change the layout. It works really well for us. I bet you guys will figure out what will work for your family too. It takes time but when it all works out, you will LOVE it! Thanks for checking out our blog and leaving a comment. LOVE IT! Cheers!

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    2. http://adventuresoftheyellowschoolbus.blogspot.com/2012/08/sweet-dreams.html

      Here is a link to the post that I made about the bed. It gives you some pictures of the frame being built! Good luck!

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