A BATHROOM REDO ON A RAINY DAY

Lest you think I have fallen off the face of the earth, we are now on our 4th day of vacation at the lake.  In spite of the heat and now, a rainy day, we have been having a ball and are keeping quite busy!  Son Jeff met us up here Friday night and spent all day Saturday here.  It was really a treat because it has been so long since he's been up to the lake and he is usually all work and no play.  But here he is with The Husband and Milo on the beast after a fishing excursion.  It's hard to believe he is thirty years old...seems like yesterday he was ten years old,  catching frogs and fishing off the dock!

The heat has been insufferable but we have managed to keep busy.  If there is a nice breeze I can tolerate being outdoors.  Our flowers and plants are paying the price, but The Husband keeps using his home remedies and we haven't lost anything yet...just fewer blooms.  We had a nice thunderstorm with a lot of rain last night so that should help. 

This is my project for today, painting the powder room.  It shouldn't take that long, as you can see, half of it is bead board.  Emily was in charge of decorating the bathroom/mudroom when we renovated a few years ago.  The mudroom has a wonderful Pottery Barn bench with a cushion and baskets below, and a shelf with hooks above (I can show you better when I finish with it).  She painted the bath this dark red and the mudroom a chocolate brown.  The laundry room is beige.  Overall, it's very dark and not very beachy looking. 

We made a trip to Menards yesterday and I picked out this new color, the middle one called Aqua Whisper.  I think it's going to look perfect and really brighten things up.  Emily, if you are reading this, I'm sorry!  But I think you will like it!  So that is one of the things on my agenda for today.

I am in the midst of planning a cocktail party with my neighbor, Barb.  We have a guest list with about 30 people, friends around the lake.  Pretty invitations were printed and we wrote out envelopes yesterday, so I have to go to the post office in town and get them mailed.  I ordered some fun party things from a website called Smarty Had A Party, disposable forks and serving spoons and tongs that look like real silver.  Napkins, plates that look like china...it's a really great website.  

This weekend we have a big group of family and friends coming up, time to bring out all those inflatable toys!  The weather is supposed to be wonderful.  Now, it's time for me to get off my bum and scoot.  I will be back with pictures of the painted bath/mudroom as soon as I can.  Stay cool!

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT!

This is just a short post so you don't think I am MIA.  The heat here is dreadful again and I have been a recluse up at the lake for the past 5 days.  The water temp is in the 80's, it's like taking a bath.  With fish.  At night it would cool off a bit and I would sit outside reading, but for the most part, stayed in, even cooking on the stove instead of the grill.  We had a good thunderstorm on Saturday but it did little to cool things off.  The Dog Days Of Summer!

We brought The Husbands new boat up with us from Illinois.  Boy, did he fill this thing up with gadgets.  A motor, depth finder and he made a plank of wood into a holder for his fishing rods.  I chickened out of taking the maiden voyage with him Saturday morning.  We got up a 5:00 a.m. and I made him a carafe of coffee and wished him well.  I was so worried he would break down in the middle of the lake!  It wasn't like he was sailing around the world alone.  He came back about 3 hours later and was a little disappointed that he only caught one bass.  He went out twice more on Sunday and Monday and had no luck.  There is a saying that in the heat, the fish keep their mouths tightly closed.  He was quite proud that our neighbors came over to check out the beast!

Friday we leave for two straight weeks at the lake.  I am praying for good weather.  Either that or I will have to just brave the heat because I really don't like sitting indoors.  16 whole days.  I am beyond excited.  Of course I will have to get used to fishing again on the beast, and I have been a real sissy about taking the wave runner or kayak out because of the mean swans on the lake.  They chase you flapping their wings and they are by no means small birds.  

All is good on the home front.  I have so much to do before we leave.  We had son Kevin and Mary Clare over for dinner last week.  I made lasagna and stuffed shells.  Rumor has it that after MC runs in the Chicago Marathon in the fall, they are going to start a family.  I am so excited!  This and Emily getting married in May is just too much!  And...we are putting together a trip to New Mexico for this spring.  We have never been to the Southwest so I'm really happy The Husband is up for this.  I have a girlfriend that I've know since grammar school that lives in Albuquerque and we are going to see each other for the first time in 25 years.  We have been having email marathons and it seems neither of us have changed a bit.  I am really excited.  More on this later.  

I hope all of you had a great weekend.  Let's all hope for an end to the heat and do a little rain dance! :-)

FLUFFING THE SUMMERHOUSE!

Whew, the temperatures have finally cooled down to 85 degrees.  Considering it was well over 100 this past week, I am relieved!  I stayed in as much as possible, pretty much only going out to water the flowers.  I did lose 2 pots and I want to make a run to the nursery to replace the flowers..  Then I will keep my fingers crossed that we don't have another heat wave like this.   

Up at the lake, I occupied myself cleaning the Summerhouse.  This is not to be confused with the main house.  It is a detached separate sort of guest house with two pull down beds.  See the little porch on it?  Sitting there we have a wonderful view of the bay.

Behind this settee, you can see what looks like a closet door, but inside is a pull down twin size bed, and another on the other side of the room.  Surrounded by trees, it feels like you are waking up in a treehouse!  The glass windows pop off so that you are just screened in.  It's a great respite from buggy evenings.

This is my favorite chair.  I love to sit in here and watch T.V. or read.  There is even a window seat for the dogs!  I found the chippy little drop leaf table at The World's Longest Yard Sale and the wicker chair came from a little antique store in South Haven, Mi.  

So, I spent a good part of Saturday in the heat cleaning and scrubbing, dusting and fluffing.  My little playhouse is ready for some relaxing days and evenings!

The dogs didn't take the heat well at all.  Here's Milo trying to catch a breeze.  Luckily, the heat died down Saturday night and the wind picked up blowing cool fresh air in.  We left the lake Sunday afternoon to pick up a new toy...a fishing boat!  The Husband has been searching Craig's List  and we finally found the perfect one in Valparaiso, IN.  It fit perfectly in the truck and it's now in the driveway ready to go back up to the lake on Friday.  We used to take a lot of fishing trips when the kids were small, renting cabins in Wisconsin and Michigan, renting pontoons and fishing all day.  When we bought the lakehouse, we got into so many other lake activities that we only fished occasionally off the dock.  So...I have my oars ready and you will soon see us out on the lake at 5:30 a.m. when the fish are jumping!

I hope all of you had a good week in spite of the wretched heat.  I will try to get around more in my visiting.  My To Do list is a mile long, but I hope to catch up on everything in the next couple of days.  See you soon! :-)

ALL AMERICAN WEEKEND

Happy 4th of July all!  Well almost.  It seems the whole weekend was a celebration with company and cookouts and fireworks and don't forget the hamburgers and hot dogs!  All things American!  I fiddled with my table and couldn't decide on a centerpiece I liked better, so here are the two I narrowed it down to.  I keep all my July 4th things in a cabinet in the garage.  Apparently The Husband moved most of it to a shelf in the shed, "Jane's Gardening Stuff".  Sneaky guy!

I think I like the runner better.  Milo wore the scarf the rest of the weekend. 

We got up to the lake Friday night and stayed until this morning.  Abby dropped in from a nearby lake where she was spending the weekend and we had a few friends on and around the lake pop in...otherwise, not near the 27 people we hosted last year!

We played in the garden and although we had a little rain twice, everything was watered over and over due to the 90 plus temps.  I managed to sit outside or in the Summerhouse when we weren't playing with the lake toys, but I finally succumbed to the heat yesterday and stayed in most of the day.  This heat wave seems to have no end in sight. 

This is a little sign I bought last weekend in Galena.  I did get a little burned on the boat and a few new freckles (bad me...no sunscreen).  Otherwise I stayed out of the sun. 

I had to take a picture of the daisies blooming.  And I filled vases with them for every room!  We definitely have an abundance of them!

This pic is out of order...I had a little bit of the red, white and blue everywhere!

I wanted to show you the bottle holder I bought in Galena also.  I'm not sure yet where I am going to keep it.  It will be great for parties when everyone is drinking something different. 

Yesterday was The Husband's birthday.  We celebrated with steaks and clams and potato salad and corn on the cob.  Yum!  He always has such a festive birthday.  

Saturday night we watched the fireworks out over the lake from our balcony.  I recently started to fix up the balcony, which is off of our bedroom, a nice rug and bistro table so far.  We had the best seat in the house!  I can't seem to take night pictures with my camera so you will just have to imagine how beautiful it looked (the sky!).  Milo was a little frightened, he sat and my side and I petted him.  Layla investigated every corner of the balcony...new territory for her.  

Today I am dragging.  Our section of town has a parade tonight and fireworks and tomorrow night we are going to a barbecue.  It makes me tired just thinking about it...but give me 5 minutes!

Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  Happy 4th of July to all!

APPLESTONE COTTAGE & BLONDIE'S JOURNAL MEET!

Our visit to Galena, Illinois has come and gone.  This is the 4th time we have met up with Cindy and Dan from Applestone Cottage. Once a year for 4 years!   Galena is a nice place to meet because it's a halfway point between our homes.  And it's a great little town with tons of little shops and restaurants set against a backdrop of rolling hills and valleys.  We met up on Saturday afternoon at this restaurant.

Wonderful Italian decor and food!  The Husband and I actually arrived the night before.  After a 5 hour drive and getting stuck in traffic, we checked into our B & B and then went out for a nice dinner.  Afterward we stopped at a little place and listened to some great jazz music.  Then it was back to the inn.  I was a little disappointed in our room.  It was very small but had a large bathroom with a jacuzzi tub.  Alas, no shower.  It is really difficult to wash your hair in a tub under a faucet!  The Husband was really not happy with this at all!

Here's Cindy at the restaurant.  After a year of only blogging and emailing, we picked up the conversation where we left off!  The Husband and Dan are very much alike and get along great. 

After lunch it was time for some serious shopping.  The streets were full of people and even some street musicians. 

We stopped off and on to just soak up the atmosphere and listen to the music.  Why do the Cindy, The Husband and Dan all have their arms folded?!

I fell in love with this wreath but it was a little over priced.  I did find a lot of cool stuff that I will share with you in another post.  Since all we had to do was throw our bags in the car, I didn't hold back shopping!

I have been borrowing my daughter's Vera Bradley overnite bag lately and looked at a few in this shop.  Wow, the prices were steep.  I guess I'll just keep using Abby's!

The shops had a little of everything.  And it was nice to step into them and out of the heat.  Actually, it wasn't that bad...in the mid 80's, I would say. 

This is where all of us stayed, The Queen Anne Guest House.  I am lacking pictures although I had every opportunity to take some.  We were rarely there.  We did join in with the owners and other guests for refreshments late Saturday afternoon.  Anita made the most delicious carrot cake and iced tea.  The guests wanted to know how our little foursome met and we started talking about blogging.  Amazing how in the dark people are about what blogging is, and sometimes it's very hard to explain.  They were laughing over our description of what a "Party" is and tablescaping really blew their minds!

This is the resident kitty and it was as friendly as could be!  Isn't he/she pretty?

We had dinner Saturday evening at One Eleven Main and the food and atmosphere was wonderful.  There was however, a mishap that involved Cindy and a clumsy waitress, but I will let Cindy tell you all about that.  The next morning we met for breakfast downstairs (our rooms were right across from one another) and we were served a fruit parfait, and egg casserole, some kind of streudel cake and juice and coffee.  Then we set off for more shopping!  At about 1:00 we had to say our goodbyes.  We have a whole year to plan on where and when we will meet up next!

Galena is really a pretty town, very close to the Iowa border.  I wish I could have gotten better pictures of the rolling farm fields.  Considering how flat Illinois is, it's like being in another part of the country.  The Husband and I made several stops on the way home; lunch at a little diner, an antique shop where I found some really neat things, a garden nursery where I bought another hanging flower basket, and two stops for more iced tea.  The temps had crept up to the 90's.  We finally made it home by 5:00.  

It was a fantastic weekend, never a dull moment.  I know Cindy and Dan had a much fun as we did.  Now I have a lot of laundry to catch up on and a lot of flowers to water so I have to run.  Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  Visit Cindy to read her post on our trip!  See you soon! :-)

A SUMMER WEEKEND

Happy Summer!  Wow, I can't believe it has been over a week since I last posted.  We had a four day weekend at the lake and just got home yesterday.  If I haven't visited you, I promise I will try.  Time is just flying by!  Before I get to the antics up at he lakehouse, I am sharing some pictures of the work I have been doing here.  The patio got a good clean up and I planted flowers for two days straight with the help of Emily.  I have no doubt that when she is married and has a home of her own, it will be beautiful!

The celosia really pops on the table.  I found this little candle holder at Homegoods.  The pots are from Pier 1. 

I found some neat succulents at my garden center and decided I would try my hand at growing a few.  They are very inexpensive and fit perfectly in a pot from Home Depot.  I sound like a talking ad for these places but this was the year I had to really break down and replace a lot of my pots and planters that were beyond chippy!

I know this looks like an eggplant but it is actually a zucchini that I found randomly growing in my herb garden!  I can only assume that a bird dropped a seed.  What an innovative way to plant a garden!  Am I a lucky girl or what!

All work and no play is not the Blondie way!  We took a break and went to one of my favorite places for barbecue Thursday night.

Everything is cooked on a wood stove.  I had the spicy Greek sausage and The Husband had the ribs.  It all comes with pasta salad and Texas toast. 

I love looking at all the memorabilia.  What a nice break.  Have I mentioned that it has been in the 90's all week?  I didn't need an evening in the kitchen after all the yard work!

We loaned the lakehouse to our friends, The Millers for a little vacation of their own.  They had been there several days when we arrived on Friday.  This is 4 year old Ella.  She is just a ray of sunshine.  I love hanging out with her!

All of The Husband's hard work on the beach really paid off as you can see.  Ella had a ball making sandcastles and playing with her little dolls and critters. 

The Husband usually mans the grill alone, but this time he let Snow assist him.  The Miller's have an Italian butcher and get all their meats and cheeses and spices from him.  Snow makes cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto that is just so refreshing on a hot day.

Corn from the Midwest is the best!!  Have I mentioned that our local farmers grow corn and beans for the Green Giant brand?  Ho Ho Ho!

This is the Miller family; Ella, Snow, Luke and Craig.

And here is the happy couple. They are fun and helpful and just like family. 

Sometimes when I come home from the lake, I feel like a child that has had too much time outdoors and just needs a good long nap!  We took boat rides, swam, rode bikes and ate...a lot!  Oh, summer fun!  Now I have rto recover and get ready for our weekend in Galena, Illinois with Cindy and Dan from Applestone Cottage.  I'll be sharing a lot of pictures next week...this is sure to be a wonderful time.  Until then, stay cool and enjoy this first day of summer.  I will see you soon! :-)

A GARDEN PARTY

Whew!  Did everyone have a scorcher of a weekend like we did?  It was in the 90's and if it weren't for that little breeze, it would have been miserable.  For me, it's just too hard to stay inside when it's sunny and beautiful, so I made myself busy.  The Husband's best friend came up and helped him replenish the beach.  This view overlooks the small bay.  What a job that was, shoveling 4 yards of sand into the water.  I was however, in charge of food and beverages! 

I also got the front porch summertime ready.  It's so peaceful to sit out here with a book and listen to all the action on the lake.  I picked up some plants at the local florist in town and potted a few, these do well without drying out too badly.  I have matching chairs on the other side of the porch, but I need some sort of table between them so I'll wait to show you that side. 

The robin that was previously here finally went away and a new one came and built a different nest...I could tell by the material.  Of course I kept scaring it going in and out!  The Husband thinks I should put a big rock up here to keep them away but I think that's cruel...it's such a perfect place for a nest!

On this side of the porch you can see the wisteria that has gone wild.  I actually had some blooms near the bottom this spring but it is still so young.  It has finally reached the balcony above.  I believe it may just eat the house!

I potted this little basket inside.  It held ivy that I lost over the winter. 

A newly opened rose...

...and daisies that stubbornly won't open!  I want some cut flowers!  I wonder if it is because it is so dry.  I watered everything in sight but we have no sign of rain coming this week.  What's a girl to do?

This is one of my favorite plants.  I have it potted with lobelia.  It will be pretty when it spills over.  

All work but a little play, too.  I made a slab of ribs with an apple whiskey sauce...you have to try it, I think it's made by Bull's Eye.  We sat out late at night and looked at the stars through the trees.  Soon we will be having a lot of company up, so I enjoy this peaceful time.  And we are planning our two week stay next month.  How fast the time goes!

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  I 'm joining Tracie's Garden Party again this week, I met so many nice ladies with beautiful gardens last week.  Visit Fishtail Cottage and see what I mean!  Have a great week! :)