SEASONS

Right now everyone is having such crazy weather.  We have been so lucky here with the cool temps and rain every couple of days.  I could use a bit more sun, but otherwise it's just perfect.  My garden is loving it!  I turned my small patio into a virtual jungle!  See the table somewhere in the middle of this picture?  The Husband refuses to come out and have coffee with me in the morning for fear of a shoot or vine clamping around his ankle and working it's way up.  When I had the  splendid idea of growing a few plants in containers here, it really sounded brilliant.  And then they grew and grew and grew some more.  I see a children's book in the works here.

Anyway, it makes me happy and I don't think I'd change a thing next year.  Well, I may ask The Husband to enlarge the patio.  ;-D

I've yet to sit out here at night in the soft glow of my pretty lanterns.   Last call for the dogs is about 8:00 p.m., and then the vampire hour starts.  Bats!  I sit facing west as the sun goes down and the silhouettes of the brown bats darting and swooping and feasting on bugs is entrancing.  Well, it was until a few years ago.  One swooped right under the umbrella of my table, just inches from me.  So now I watch the show from inside.

Milo loves his backyard, but for some reason, if there is no one out with him, he does his thing and then sits on the back porch and barks to come in.  So I have been going out with him about 5 times a day, 15 minutes a shot, and we both get some fresh air.  I do a little weeding or grab a magazine at the back door and lose myself for awhile.  He's content to stalk squirrels and  I love having my quality time with him.

I had plans to make bruschetta the other night.  Then I realized I would have to blanch, peel and seed my precious tomatoes so I made blt's instead!

I've really been enjoying the Mediterranean cookbook that I recently bought.  One of the things I am really interested in doing is making some flavored cooking oils.  The author gives proportions for making oils flavored with herbs and spices with an olive oil base.  These can be used for drizzling  over vegetables or pasta, brushing it on good bread and broiling it, or just for dipping.  So I loaded up on some Mason jars, smaller than the ones we usually see since you are only using about 1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

I was very surprised at the grocery store the other day to see pears, nectarines and apricots in the produce department.  It seems so early!  Too early!  Seems we were just feasting on berries and citrus fruits and nothing says fall to me like pears.  Thursday, Emily and I went to Michael's and fall decorations were everywhere.  I remember last year downsizing a bit so I wasn't the least bit interested in what they had.  I'm in the middle of making two wreaths, hopefully they will be finished soon so I can show you.  They don't take long to make, it's just finding the time to do it...so I did pick up a few odds and ends.

I know that school has started in many areas.  That's a sure sign summer is coming to an end.  My kids always started the 3rd week of August and that was perfect.  Daughter Abby starts student teaching in 2 weeks.  She's very excited and begged me to take her shopping for "teacher clothes"!  So off we went to the mall and I have to say, we had a great afternoon.  In my mind I kept thinking...this will be the last time I take one of my children shopping for school.  .  My kids will always need me, in one capacity or another, albeit new needs, new experiences.  It's the things I've repetitively done for so long that make me feel a little empty inside.  Setting the same scratched  wooden table for dinner in the evening, one plate less every few years.  Three toothbrushes in the bathroom instead of six, a small carton of milk in the fridge instead of a gallon.  Well, it seems I'm getting a little melancholy (baby). I know we've discussed the "empty nest syndrome" a few times, but feel free to add your thoughts.  Was it hard or were you looking forward to it?  What do you do with the extra time (if you have it), and do you feel twinges of not being needed or sort of in the background now?

So, I will have two wreaths to share next time.  By the way, the boxwood dried up and withered away.  I think I procrastinated a bit too long.  We are almost ready for another clipping and now I know to work quickly so I can enjoy it for 2-3 months.  I also have the hooks for The Husband to attach to my new window, of course I could do it myself, but because it's glass and I don't want it to come crashing down on anyone, best to leave it to him.  And finally, I'm going to be allowed into Emily's new home with my camera (gasp), so I'll be sharing some of her gorgeous rooms and decorating ideas.  So stay tuned! :)

XO,

Jane

HOME AGAIN

It feels like my first normal day after coming home from the lake on Saturday.  Ten whole days with no end in sight until last Friday when The Husband looked at me and said, "I've had enough." And I said, "Tomorrow it is!"  We came home, dropped all of our bags and crawled under a quilt and slept the rest of the day away!  We did a little bit of everything during our time there; some antiquing, exploring, eating dinner out, cooking a lot in the kitchen and outdoors, some cleaning for me, some tinkering for him...and then it was time to head back to reality.  

Now I have to share this picture (above) with you.  I posted it a few weeks ago after finding the funky old birdhouse hidden away in the shed. Well, we must have some daffy birds on this lake, they liked (or didn't like) the birdhouse so much that they built a nest on the roof of it!  Fussy, fussy...maybe they didn't like the accommodations!

There is a little town south of us in Indiana, many of you Midwesterner's have heard of Shipshewana.  It's population consists mostly of Amish folks and it's always a treat to visit the shops, restaurants and flea markets there.  The Husband goes once every summer to stock up on his boat rope where he gets an incredible deal at the flea market.  He had gone one day and wanted me to come back with him in the worst way.  I knew he had to be up to something.  The building above is just one of the many gift shop/antique malls.

And this place had a lot of Amish made furniture.

Adirondack chairs are a big seller now.  Look at that giant basket!

Well, The Husband was just about peeing himself wanting to show me a few things he found in an antique shop.  He has been wanting to create a space at the lakehouse where he could bring work with him to do on weekends, and the guest bedrooms were out of the question.  He devised a way to use a corner of the master bedroom.

So, this is his new office space, designed solely by himself with a chippy vintage trestle table and two stained glass windows that he fell in love with.  He swiped this chair from the Summerhouse, so he's on the hunt for one.  And the picture in the middle is mine, he just wanted to see how it looked.  I am quite surprised by him, he's such a lover of fine furniture, and not so much the antique variety, and he's just pleased as punch that he found something to work in a small space.  I'm happy, too, I think it goes well with the style of our room.  When we get it all put together the way we want it, I'll show you the big picture. 

And while we were looking at the stained glass windows, look what Blondie found!  I am thrilled!  I now have not one, but TWO windows!  I brought it home because I couldn't bear not seeing it all the time.  And it wasn't until yesterday until I found the perfect place for it.  I need The Husband to add some hooks and then I'll show you where it's going to go.  I am SO happy!

Back to the present...our weather has been super cool for almost a week, in the mid 60's.  When the sun isn't shining, it almost feels like we are going into fall.  With little rain, there is a crispness in the air.  My flowers are doing really well, I don't think they were liking the heat we had been having prior to this.  I actually paid Abby to water the pots and feed the bird.  She would call me to report how many tomatoes she picked that day, and proudly proclaimed that our vicious little parrot now loves her. 

I've often overlooked this shade of petunias, but this year thought they would go well with the salmon colored impatiens and geraniums.  I am so pleased with them,  Just so pretty and spilling over the pots. 

My tomatoes are on the small side but the flavor is incredible.  We've been cutting them in half and eating them over the sink with a big slabs of Mozzarella on them!  Delish!

I did really well eating healthy while we were gone, lots of fish and veggies.  I did get into the ice cream a few times but I'm okay with that.  I had ordered this book from Amazon and was super excited to see it when I came home.  I'm hoping to find some fresh, healthy recipes in it, and these are organized by seasons as well.  I'll let you know how I like it.  

So, we've settled back in...the house smelled a bit musty being closed up, Abby spent most of her time at work or at her boyfriend Tom's house.  I spent Sunday opening windows to let in the fresh air, dusting, scrubbing, tossing old food, changing sheets, washing towels and then we ordered some good old Chicago style pizza!  Welcome Home! :)

XO,

Jane

Joining Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday!

LAKEHOUSE...THE GOOD, THE BAD. AND THE LOVELY

Day 7 at the lake...no boredom yet, but I have resorted to daily naps.  Life is slow here in the country, we like the pace.  I thought I'd give you a little taste of what I see every day, I just walked around with my camera and tried to capture the mood, the happiness and the solace I find here,  Remember the fish I found at Homegoods?  This is how they look on the wall of the covered patio,  Hubby loves them and I think they are kind of cool.  Still...something is missing and I can't pinpoint what.

I know I show you my beloved daisies every summer, but this year they have gotten so tall!  Thankfully, my rose climber blooms before they get this height. I deadhead them and there are many more buds.  I'm not crazy about how tall they get...do they need to be cut back in the fall?

The Husband  built a beautiful arbor years ago and his clematis always do fine.  They bloom in late summer and he is thinking of adding another variety that blooms earlier, especially on that right side..  I love that you walk through it to get to the boats.  See the seats inside?

You might remember this chair from the picture in Romantic Homes.  It' just a favorite of mine...the first thing I ever spray painted and one of the oldest pots I own.  It has a crack in it as you can see.  I'm going to try to seal it at the end of summer.

We've had this swing forever, made by the Amish in a sweet town in Indiana.  I'm going to show you a bit of that in my next post.  While there, I bought a seat cushion for it that's so cute!

As I said, life here is slow.  The Husband has a lifting restriction (Gawd, I hate carrying in those groceries by myself!), but he keeps busy washing and waxing the second most important thing in his life...his old truck.  The first would be his fishing boat.  I don't know where I fall in here.

We had our share of rain this week, then humidity and then yesterday some horrendous wind blew in for about 6 hours.  We had whitecaps on the lake which could rival the ones we have in the winter.  And now we have temps in the 60's.  In July!!  I haven't checked the forecast for the next few days, but I am so longing to sit on the end of the pier with a book and get some vitamin D.

Just a shot from the covered patio.  The daisies are up against the shed.  It's like a small barn that the previous owner built.  I hate going in there, there are always wasps.  Ah, country life!

Here is a picture of the kitchen from the great room.  It's a galley, but larger.  On the left are semi finished built in cabinets...as some of you know, our carpenter up and left us in the middle of the night.  He also left the trim unfinished...and, I did not stage this picture at all so the counters are a mess!

I thought of deleting this picture...the floral sofa and pillows  look crazy.  This furniture has lasted over 20 years, we found it at JC Penney.  I think it's time for some new things but let's let Abby graduate from college first!

And finally, the steps that lead to the second floor.  The carpenter never finished these either.  So you can see we have a lot to do and I'm sure it will get done in good time.  Never think lake living is a breeze...there is always something.  But we focus on the good and we get by marvelously!! :)

XO, 

Jane

WIDE OPEN SPACES AND MASON JARS

When we are up at the lake, one of our favorite things to do is drive around and get lost.  It's quite entertaining.  You can drive for miles on end and see nothing but corn and bean fields, farmhouses and barns.  Most of these roads have names, but they aren't posted; if lost, you have to ask a local and they'll tell you something like, "Take Old Gate Road down to Fallen Bridge Road and take a left when you hit Old Joe's farm...".

Last night The Husband suggested we go have dinner at a new restaurant on Fish Lake.  "You do know where Fish Lake is, honey?".  And I get that look that men always seem to give when you question their sense of direction.  At 6:00 p.m. we head off for Fish Lake about 20 minutes away.  We drive around it several times before we realize we have seen and admired an old stone house at least 4 times.  No restaurant.  So we head back out on a main road thinking we just might have the wrong lake.  After driving what seems like an eternity, we come upon a small town and pull into an old filling station/general store/barber shop.  My jaw drops as I actually see The Husband asking for directions.  "Well," says the old man in overalls and a plaid shirt, "Are you lookin' for Fish Lake, Big Fish or Little Fish?".  The Husband asks for directions to the one with the new restaurant.  "Well, I ain't heard of any new restaurants in these parts," he says, taking off his John Deere hat and scratching his head.  So, we headed on back home and ate at the local restaurant, The Full Bull.

On Friday morning we went down to Elkhart, Indiana, the closest town to get groceries.  They call this area Michiana.   I never drive this way alone.  Each time we go, The Husband takes a different way and all the roads look the same to me, a mix of sand, dirt and gravel.  And then like magic, a highway appears  and soon you see an interstate road running through and all that it brings  with it; a Walmart, Lowes, Cracker Barrel and Long John Silver.  In Walmart I am remembering an entry by a girl on Facebook, "Who let out all the inmates to roam around Walmart today?".

On our way back home (a different route), we pass this little barn and screeched to a stop.  I thought it would be a little different, I've found some real treasures out here in the middle of nowhere.  The Husband has a strategy he uses when we stop at places like this.  He stands around making small talk with the owner; the weather, the price of corn this year...and soon they are best buds.  Nonchalantly, The Husband will pick up something and they will start reminiscing about the days of old and before you know it, The Husband will have scored something for half price.  But I did, too.

Here's my new/old metal beer stein!  I put it next to a bottle of wine so you can see how big it is.  If I ever finish this post, I'm going up to the farm market/nursery/general store to get some petunias.  I'm keeping up with my mantra, "If you can't use it, lose it!".

I also came home with these.  7 old Mason jars in their original metal carrying rack.  I'm not sure why they're in  the rack, they fit just perfectly.  In my imagination I see a woman in an apron toting the jars full of homemade jam to a sickly neighbor or maybe even the country fair cook off.  What will I use them for?  I don't know, maybe just put them in my Hoosier cabinet with the 30 others.

Now, if you want to go to The Dollar Tree and get some regular old Ball jars that are squeaky clean and never been used, I have a few ideas for them.  They make wonderful fruit fly traps.  The were everywhere when I got here Thursday night.  No fruit left out rotting but a sticky floor that brought to mind all the margarita's the kids were making over the 4th of July weekend.  I had fruit flies in my kitchen last fall.  I turned to my old friend, Google, and learned they love apple cider vinegar and that did the trick then.  But here, now, I was fresh out of it.  I read that you could use wine so (while wiping a tear from my eye), I filled two of these up with some cheap chardonnay.  For two days not a fruit fly came to visit my ingenious trap.  Then this morning, when I was cleaning up breakfast, I looked and saw them swarming around our orange juice glasses.  Ah ha!  I'll let you know how that goes.

When I know I'm going to be here a long time, I love to pick up some flowers and I can do something large that makes a statement because the harvest table is long and the room is big.  Love gladiolus!

And other than a few more tweaks, I think I have most of the master bedroom finished.  I found an arrangement I liked for above the bed and I put a chair a found at Overstock a few years ago in the corner near the balcony doors.  The Husband hung my curtains a few weeks ago.  It's hard to tell in this picture but the room is a mix of light blue and green. Now on the other side of the room is my dresser, filled with all sorts of interesting things from bobby pins to deodorant to Tums.  Next to that is an old rocking chair with my dirty clothes on it and in the corner sits an old TV that doesn't work on a crate that the previous owners left here.  To the right is the balcony that looks out over the great room.  The Husband also keeps his hamper there, which isn't such a bad sight, it's just that he aims for it and usually misses, so that wouldn't have been a pleasant picture.  One of these day you'll get the whole room!

The Husband has to go back to Chicago for a meeting tomorrow and plans to drive back after.  I have a feeling he'll be too tired.  I really do not sleep well here alone.  At least in Chicago there are always squad cars roaming around.  I think our little town has two total.  And they never come around the lake.  But at least Milo and Layla, for little dogs, have a mean bark!

All is well here health wise.  No boating for The Husband yet but he's making himself busy washing and waxing his truck.  And I'm happy to say my blood tests came back normal so I am truly happy.  Thank you to those blogger friends of mine that I email back and forth with...you rock!  And thanks to all of you for caring and your well wishes.  I'll be back in a few days. :)

XO,

Jane

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

This is a well worn description of most July days (and I probably used the same post title last year and the year before), but they are here.  Big time.  Temps in the 90's, humidity and no breeze whatsoever.  I was thinking today about how much  we talk about the weather.  Most of my posts start out that way and I think it's because I know it's going  out to all of you throughout the country that may be having the same (or not).  I have nothing to complain about during this heat wave...I go from an air conditioned home (okay, a little bit of an antiquated system), to an air conditioned car, to an air conditioned building.  Yet it's like second nature to want to vent about the heat, the rain, the snow, the cold.  It's so rare that it's just "perfect".  I wonder if we can ever just accept the highs and lows as the norm?  As I get older, I want to hold tighter to each passing day, they can run out all too soon.  I don't want to wish summer away because fall is so much cooler, I want to embrace each day and later think, "Yeah, we made it through the dreadful summer of '13 with a lot lemonade and trips to the beach!".  I'm getting Pollyann-ish again...but you bet I can get crabby when it's like this.  Today I came home mid afternoon and The Husband had turned off the air conditioning and had the doors and windows open.  Hello?  It's 94 degrees outside!  Needless to say, he may not get dinner tonight.  

These are some of my hosta's this year, I don't know if I caught them near the end of their bloom time or if it's just the heat, but they are drooping a bit.  I have a variety of them at the lake that have white flowers.  The scent is intoxicating.  I cut them and put them in vases and they perfume the air in a big way.  I don't know the name of the variety, most of my plants come from divisions from friends and family.  

The day lilies are blooming, too.  I have clumps of them everywhere.  My sister moved into a house years and years ago and the backyard was almost overgrown with these, so she was giving them away.  Every couple of years I dig some up and plant them in another spot.  They are like weeds.

The Husband was sprung from the hospital Sunday morning.  We were hoping for Friday or Saturday but he started to run a fever and was super weak and tired so they kept him.  As much as I carried on about that wretched drive downtown, when I heard he had the fever and they were doing tests, I really started to break down.  Aren't things supposed to go like clockwork?  Don't we have things down to a routine?  Sometimes I live in a delusional world.  I can be quite a worrier but most times I deny bad things are happening to buffer myself.  The glass half full sort of girl.  My daughter says that I am the only person that can tell someone to go to hell with a smile on my face.  But I digress.  I shot up to the hospital, but only  after taking two wrong turns and getting caught up in the annual Taste Of Chicago Festival.  Yeah, it only draws about 3 million people a day.  His fever had come down, he slept, I slept, and finally he was good to go on Sunday.  Since then he's been a little on the crabby side being cooped up at home.  He gets bored easily and wants to be on the go.  We have about 3-4 weeks of this to go (says the girl with the glass half empty), but I'm so grateful he is home and well (says the girl with the glass half full).

Three weeks into my healthy eating plan and doing good.  I have sneaked a few packages of M&M's in here and there, but I am sticking with the good stuff.  This is a variation of a Caprese salad with cucumbers and red onion added.  If I'm stocked up on veggies, I can come up with anything because I love them.  But it takes time to prepare, now I truly understand where the term "fast food" comes from.  I try to make meals before I'm hungry, and with all the fiber I'm getting, I stay full and rarely want to snack.  Anyway, this is how it is working for me, I just thought I'd update you because today I had an appointment with my doctor and I am down 8 pounds since my last appointment in April.  Yay!  Who knows when I lost it because my scale and I are enemies.  And on the down side, this was just a check up for her to monitor my asthma and she found that I had a few swollen lymph nodes.  She said it was most likely a low grade infection and sent me for lab work and a chest x-ray.  I will get the results tomorrow.  I feel fine, in fact I feel better than fine...we'll see (says the girl with the glass half full!).

Tomorrow is a lazy day and then Milo has a vet appointment on Thursday.  He had been wheezing a lot in his sleep and I was worried.  It has pretty much abated but I thought I needed to run it by the vet.  After that we are going to the lake, for how long, I don't know.  I don't think The Husband can go on any of the boats with his incision healing so maybe we will take some day trips to some of the quaint little towns Michigan is known for, especially along the lake.  And I have plenty of work in my garden.  I've loaded up a few great books into my Nook library and I plan to REALLY get some reading done instead of this one or two hours every night when I'm too tired to hold my eyes open!  I will be back soon! :)

XO,

Jane

A LITTLE GARDENING AND RAMBLING ON

It's been a very busy and exhausting week.  And the week before with the holiday was crazy, too.  I love having people at the lakehouse, but for  being a rather happy recluse, I got to missing those quiet lazy days sitting on the beach, thinking and dreaming all by myself.  Anyway, The Husband's surgery was Tuesday morning.  We were up at 4:00 a.m., but it really didn't matter since we couldn't sleep at all.  His surgery went well and he was in his room by noon;  groggy, happy and even a little silly...morphine can do that.  Once I knew he could sleep comfortably I left and later the other kids came up to visit.  Since then I have been going back and forth.  This is a part of my route, along Lake Shore Drive.  Can you see the sailboats beyond the trees?

And there is the hospital up ahead (this is interesting stuff, isn't it?).  I hate to use the word hate, it's an awful word, as we were advised by Mrs. Frankenthal back in the 5th grade.  But I truly hate the drive to downtown Chicago.  The expressway I take is always busy with cars going 80 miles an hour and constantly changing lanes.  There are exits on both sides so you always have to be alert and be in the right lane at the right time.  I'm a very experienced and good driver, but I get rattled doing this.  And the parking garage is huge and complicated and I always lose my car.  Then again, I can get lost in a phone booth!  So, The Husband is supposed to get out tomorrow or Saturday but that is looking iffy as he has not been able to have anything by mouth yet.  His stomach has been upset and his doctor thinks having food will make it worse instead of better. 

I relish the early morning hours when I can sit on the patio with my coffee before it gets hot and humid, stroll around pruning whatever needs pruning and just loving the quietness.

My tomato plants are growing by leaps and bounds, they are almost taller than me so I starting pinching them a bit.  I've probably never mentioned it, but I used to have a rather large vegetable garden on the other side of the house that gets a lot of sun.  I grew everything and even canned salsa and pasta sauce with all my tomatoes, peppers and onions.  Then I started to get really invasive weeds that started out too small to pull (and there were many), and then they just overtook it.  Long story short, I gave up on it and the plot is still there.  Maybe some day I will give it another try.

And happily, I'm getting tomatoes (although they look like Granny Smith Apples! lol!

  Last week at the farm/nursery/general store at the lake, all the plants were very marked down and I found this rosemary plant trimmed up like a tree.  I love it and love cooking with it.  The Husband abhors dried rosemary, he thinks it's like eating slivers of wood!  I can bring it inside over the winter and keep it in a sunny window.  I know, I have to get a bigger basket!

I brought this topiary thing home from the lake, too. Sometimes smaller garden pieces get lost in all the outdoor space we have there.  I've tried many different types of vines in this but because the bottom part only holds about 4 inches of soil, it's always been a failure.  I brought it home as it will be noticed more here on the patio (please ignore the big cracks, this patio is over 80 years old, let's just say it's charming).  It's probably too late in the season but I think I'm going to toss some morning glory seeds in there, they grow anywhere.

Well, that's the end of Garden Talk for the day.  I had a break today and went to Homegoods with Emily.  I've mentioned that my son Jeff bought his first home.  She is designing his backyard patio which runs the length of his house.  Beautiful stone and columns, so she's looking for decorative accents.  I, of course, have been on my quest to simplify and stop spending on frivolous things so I didn't intend on buying anything.  And then I saw these fish...wouldn't they look great at the lake, outside on a very blank wall on the patio?  And to be honest, I haven't done any decorating there for years.   We started out with a lot of second hand furniture, most of which was bought from the previous owners.  Over time we replaced it with new things.  And for some reason, up there, when I finish a room, I'm done.  Nothing more to do, nothing more to add...  our main focus is outdoors relaxing and having a good time.  But I like these fish and all the summer stuff was marked down.  Yes, I'm still living the simpler life.

And...yes, I am still following my quest to eat more healthy, whole foods as I told you about a few posts ago.  It's been over two weeks of eating fresh, healthy foods without additives and preservatives.  I cleaned out my cabinets of all the processed food I had, as well as the fridge.  Abby became very interested in joining me in this healthy way of eating and so we hit the grocery store and filled our cart  with fresh produce, pure 100% juice (Odwalla is a great brand), brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc.  And everything has gone smoothly.  With all the fiber I'm getting, I feel full after meals and snack less.  When I do, it's fruit, frozen yogurt, almonds.  I have on occasion had a piece of pie or coffee cake, but I truly believe your taste buds can change and it just becomes more natural to eat food the way it's supposed to be.

Okay, I've rattled on long enough!  I have to say I'm rather enjoying my time home alone.  The house stays neat and clean, I can stick to a routine without interruption and it's just...well, peaceful!  But I do miss The Husband and want him home again.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Hopefully next week I will have more interesting things to chatter on about! :)

XO,

Jane

RUMOR HAS IT...I'M IN ROMANTIC HOMES!

Well, last week it was a rumor!  Several bloggers emailed me and told me they saw a tiny little feature about my blog in Romantic Homes magazine.   Problem was, I think I was the last to see it!  Rushing around and getting to the lake was taking away all my time.  Of course I knew it was coming in the August issue and I was truly anxious to get my hands on a copy.  Up in Nowhere, Michigan, it's hard to find anything besides a general store and gas station.  Friday, Emily and I went to do some grocery shopping in South Bend, In., and there it was!  "Should I buy two copies?"  I asked Em.  "Mom, it's just a paragraph!!".  So much for impressing my kids.  I am thrilled and excited beyond words.  Thank you so much, Beth Livesay from Romantic Homes! And I hope you guys don't have to drive 45 minutes to get a copy!

We had a five day stay at the lake for the holiday.  Hectic sometimes but always fun.  I did my share of patriotic decorating (there are actually carnations in these jars!).

A little bit on every surface that didn't have food, sunglasses, bug spray and wet towels.

This little flag looks like it was drooping a bit.  The weather was in the 80's and the humidity lifted by noon, so it was perfect to spend the whole day outdoors.

We never lacked for things to do.  On Friday, The Husband organized a group to take a kayak trip down the Rocky River.  Now if it was named the Peacefully Calm River, I might have been tempted.  I think my sense of adventure went out the window when I found my first gray hair!  Everyone came back looking a little worse for the wear and the girls were much more straightforward than the guys, "Jane, you wouldn't have liked it."  Apparently the river was not only rocky, tree branches were swatting them in the face and they hit some rapids (my son and Abby's boyfriend actually flipped their kayak).  No, not for me.  But The Husband seems to be on a frenzied quest to check off adventures on that bucket list lately.

More signs of a good old time, abandoned toys on the beach.  Must have been lunchtime.  All day Saturday there were bands playing out on an island near the sandbar.  This is a large area of the lake where you can anchor and get off your boat into 2-4 feet water.  People dance, play Frisbee with their dogs and lounge on floaties.  The Husband ferried 2 groups the sandbar at a time with a designated pick up time.

Our corner of the bay was dog heaven.  The neighbors to the right had four, and next to them, 3.  We had our two as well as Emily and Mike's little guy Rusty.  Layla is usually relegated to the Summerhouse...

...and Rusty the pup had his little crate for some down time between playing in the water and going for walks.  He's the runaway type, too.  Milo is okay on his own but he made a lot of visits to the neighbors to check out the dog scene.

I failed to get pictures of the food.  We munched all day on fruit, some homemade dips and chips and some seriously delicious appetizers.  Lunch/dinner was a lot of burgers, chicken, hot dogs and brats.  Everyone brought salads and side dishes.  And clean up was wonderful (for me anyway).  I would walk into the kitchen and it would seem like a fairy had come in and cleaned everything up to a sparkle.  Abby washed loads of bath and beach towels, and Emily was constantly fluffing and tweaking the house (my little interior designer is a neat freak!).  And I wanted to mention these pies.  In the next town there is a little bakery that also serves breakfast.  You can purchase pies that the owner has assembled from scratch, and then bring them home to bake them yourself.  Super fresh and delicious!

Of course there are mishaps and problems.  Last year son Kevin fell off the stone wall where it had started to crumble.  I think we also had an overflowing toilet that year.  This year it was my turn.  Friday night we were watching a gorgeous fireworks display across the bay.  Afterwards I started to walk down to the pier to see how the kids had liked it and and whoops!  See these cobblestones?  Yep, stepped right on them and twisted my ankle.  We have ground squirrels that are burrowing under our patio, and yes, we've hired someone to fix this and are still waiting.  I'm just glad it was me and not someone else.  I hobbled around the next two days but it was really only painful when I had to go up or down the stairs.

Our 4th of July fireworks display is shot off the island and at dusk, a zillion boats go out on the lake and anchor to watch.  The number of guests we now have for the holiday has made it impossible to go out, so we walk down to the boat launch to watch it.  It was spectacular, as always.

This is Milo this morning. He totally wears himself out at the lake and with meeting all these new canine friends, he really outdid himself this time!  I could use a nap or two myself.  But on a serious note, The Husband is having surgery tomorrow, a follow up sort of surgery to the one he had in December.  If all goes well he will get out on Friday and then there will be a 2-4 week recovery.  He wants to spend it at the lake.  He is NOT going out on his fishing boat!  I am going to set up a comfy chair at the end of the dock with his tackle box and pole and he will have to be satisfied with that.  I plan on doing some more gardening and maybe we will take a few day trips.  So if I don't get around to visiting you this week, you know where I am.  

So, run out and get your copy of Romantic Homes at Walgreens, CVS or your favorite grocery store.  And remember, you never know who is watching your blog! :)

XO,

Jane