Homecoming

Yesterday was Homecoming for Central Michigan University! We enjoyed watching the parade from the home of our friends Dave & Cindi. They have lived here a little over a year and the changes they have made are remarkable. The biggest change outside is the purple color, which so matches their lively personalities.
My favorite participants in the parade were this Pipe and Drum group. 2 weekend's in a row I've gotten to hear bagpipes!
These are 3 of my friend Sue's grand-children - as good as they are adorable!
Sue's youngest grand-baby with his daddy and our host Dave. Quite the stylin hat!
Our hostess Cindi in her kitchen. She had to leave her own party to catch flight to NYC for a hair show. She is our favorite hair dresser (and will kill me for posting this photo)! The rest of us made it to the game and watched CMU win 35 to 10 over N. Illinois Univ.!!! Go Chips!!!! Oh and Cindi, thanks for letting me be your husbands "date" for the day!!!!

Rejuvenated Rocker

Last year my neighbor put this rocker out by the curb for whomever wanted it. Fortuantely I saw it first and grabbed it! After removing the rotted seat, I set it in my garden with a pot in it.
This year (in fact it took me until 2 wks ago) I scrubbed it, sanded it and painted it apple green and white. Next year I'll put a prettier pot in it, but it works for now!

The Swans and more....

An afternoon on the veranda of our get-a-way week-end. Our hostess Mo is in coral and that's Sue from Life at Home in black lounging on the swing. Notice the fun fabrics - black & white polka dots and stripes. No ugly ducklings here or below.....
This is the guest sitting area off the bedrooms on the second level. The bench is the size of 2 twin beds end to end and over looks that lovely view of the lake.
Sue and I shared this room - I took the cozy bed in the nook. The bed cover is a chenille bedspread to which Mo had a quilt made and added to underneath. Oh so comfy and warm!
She also had peg hooks hung in the guests rooms with a bench beneath. Perfect for keeping guest "clutter" contained.
The second guest room includes these fabulous bunk beds - I was quite taken with the bead board ceiling too. There's another nook with another bed....thank goodness our hostess likes company! We hope to go back next year!!!!

The Interior

Continuing on with the interior of our week-end "cottage"..... the kitchen and breakfast nook are the heart of this home. The design and decor invite you in and we gathered here for food preparation on this awesome butcher block counter top. How I managed a photo with no one in it is a mystery, but I think they were all on the porch....The utility hall off the kitchen may have been my favorite space. It's filled with storage, a pantry, 2 seats from the original Tiger Stadium and more. The utility room is off to one side and.... ....this adorable powder room is located just to the left of the swinging door with the "porthole"
The sitting area ell's off the kitchen/breakfast nook - fabulous fabrics in blues and greens, thick crown moldings frame the rooms, beadboard wainscotting and ceilings, the texture and grandeur of the stone fireplace and then that view!! It was like walking through the pages of an interior design magazine!!! Once Sue @ Life at Home gets her computer up and running again- she will have more photos of this home and with her eye for detail she will take you on an even more amazing tour of the cottage!

Dinner and Sunset

.....continuing our day of inspiring vistas and moments....this is Arcadia Bluffs, a golf course and fabulous resturant overlooking Lake Michigan. The challenge of this golf course would seem to be softened by the beauty it's set amongst...As the sun began to set, a lone bagpiper strolled to the bluff and began a serenade. Chills and awe filled us as we watched and listened.... Thoughts of my Scottish ancestors who had settled in this area - perhaps in part because it reminded them of their homeland.

With the adirondack lined up to catch the view.....

the sun set over this spectacular golf course and a freighter on it's journey southward.... The end of a glorious day compliments of our Creator!

A Slice of Heaven

This week-end I enjoyed the beauty of this beautiful new home located in one of the more spectacular settings I've ever experienced. A girlfriend and her husband recently completed it, replacing the smaller cottage they had retreated to for the past 9 yrs. The care they took in building a house which looked as though it could have been there for 50yrs. is remarkable. Eight of us women ranging in age from 26 - 81 and the youngest gal's 4yr old son, soaked in the beauty and each others company. This first shot is taken from the small lake the cottage fronts. A quiet lake, with lots of geese and swans to entertain us.This is a view from the back of the cottage. Just a short 2 minute walk to the west and.....
well here are a few of the ladies making the stroll along the path, through the dune grass to.....
this spectacular scene! Can you imagine having this to relish in every day??? It is Lake Michigan just south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes and well, coming over the edge of the hill and seeing it just took my breath away. I had to run out of my sandals and wade into the water the minute I saw it!! Believe it or not, there were even more God inspiring moments as the day went on, but I'll save those for tomorrow.

Waning Days of Summer

Even though we've had the delight the last couple of days of temperatures in the 80's, my garden knows it's almost time to rest for another year. Although the chrysanthemum are just beginning to bloom! A good rain would probably insure another month of beauty, but here in mid-michigan, that doesn't seem to be in the forecast this year! Ahh, another day to drag out the hose and water. Am seriously considering an automatic sprinkling system for next year!

I have been awaiting this week-end when a group of us girls are going to a friends new cottage on Lake Michigan. Yesterday we discovered that our hostess has had pneumonia for 2 wks., one of us has to have carotid artery surgery on Mon. and one of us has bronchitis (that would be moi), but we are still planning to go!! It will depend on how contagious I am (off to the dr. today - yes thus far I am self-diagnosed, but since niece Samantha and her dear Emma are both just getting over bronchitis I think that my diagnosis is quite accurate. ) Anyway today the sun is shining and I think sitting in it will be just what the good doctor orders!

The Sinclair "Girls"

Yesterday was a very special day! I took my motherJean (in beige on the couch) to visit her 3 sisters. They are all in their 80's - my mother being the oldest at 89! Their cousin Pauline (in the cutest black gingham shirt w/matching trim on the hem of her capris) joined them too - she will be 93 in a few days!!! She brought along a friend (relative?) Hilda - in blue. My cousin Libby is taking notes on the stories they are telling ( and may have figured out who Hilda is...)

Her mother is Wilma (seated behind the walker) and beside her is their baby sister Mary. Marjorie is in lavender at the other end of the couch. We enjoyed lunch at The Cherry Hut, dipped our toes in Crystal Lake and paid our respects at the cemetary to those family members that made our life possible! Even tho my mother is legally blind, she enjoyed being in the presence of her sisters and visiting a few of the places she frequented as a child. A special day for all of us.

A cozy chair

Had been looking for the right chair for my guest room for quite sometime.....and then I found it! There was an estate sale a block away a couple weeks ago. I went at 8am and zeroed in on this for $45. Trust me I didn't dicker on price, but scooped it up immediately! The hat boxes are another "find" at TJ Max and make just the right height and pattern next to the chair. Sue, Cheryl, Mary Kaye, cousins, all - your room is ready!