Lakehouse fun with Jane (Blondie) and Al!

Hi All!

Dan and I got to spend a wonderful week-end with this lovely couple!

Jane, many of you will know her from her blog, Blondie's Journal and her husband Al.

Jane and Al are simply the best and opened their lovely lake home and showed us the best time!

This was our third get together since we met through blogging and they have become very good friends of ours!  We so look forward to our time together.  I have to tell you that blogging friends can easily become real life friends and that it is worth meeting up if you have a chance!

This is a partial view from the back side of their lovely lake home!  Jane is very modest about her great decorating skills!
Honestly, she has a lot of talent and it shows!

Their kitchen...isn't it just charming!  I think it fits perfectly in a lake house!

A view of their dining room table.  Al made steaks for us Sat. night and we dined in here, what a treat and a feast it was!

Here's Al firing up the grill for one of our many delicious meals!  And Jane was always busy inside preparing the side dishes, she is such a great cook!

A sample of our menus!  LOL!  Actually we had steaks and chicken and brats and Jane made a wonderful chicken salad for lunch one day.

The guest cottage.  Now isn't this the most adorable thing?   Such a charming little place and Jane has it fixed up so cute!  We slept inside but we could have spent the night out here because they have two twin beds that pull out of the closets...like a Murphy bed.

Wonderful charming places to sit and enjoy the scenery!

Some inside views of the guest house..... I simply loved it!

Isn't that shabby white table perfect in here!

My favorite spot is that little window seat!  It's also Al and Jane's dogs favorite spot to be too.  Jane and Al have two of the cutest little furry friends, Milo and Leila, and my hubby and I just fell in love with those cuties!

On Saturday, Al and Dan took the wave runners out for a cruise around their beautiful lake.  We had gorgeous weather with highs in the mid-seventies and lot's of sunshine.   A perfect day!

Hubby and I relaxing in one of their arbors!  They each have their own and I believe this one is Al's.

Saturday afternoon we took a beautiful ride around the lake.  There are so many gorgeous homes, some of them are truly mansions, I just wish I had gotten more pics of them.

AHHH!  Now this is the life!

We have plans to get back together soon because our time always seems to go by so quickly~

I need to get them up to our home and we may go back to Galena in December!

Thanks Jane and Al!

And thanks everyone for coming by to visit me!  I am behind on my blogging but I hope to get some visiting done in the next few days!

Cindy

Porch Party, Paint Party!

Welcome Everyone!   My porch is small but I think it is colorful and cozy.

My hubby and I use it all the time and especially now when we are having such gorgeous summer days!

 An old bench I painted last year.

A tablescape from last summer!  I enjoyed this look!

Our patio is still a work in progress.  Hubby re-did the picnic table and chairs last summer.
You can see the amazing picnic table re-do by clicking here.

And he also did the chairs!  You can click here  if you want to check out that re-do!

Potted plants

Old wicker chairs.

And a table-scape I set-up for my in-laws when they came for lunch!  It was fun to serve them out here.

A table set for two.....

With a view!

Thanks for coming by my friends, I have a busy week and then Dan and I are off to visit Jane (Blondie's Journal) and her husband Al.   I know, I know I am a lucky gal!  We get to stay in their lovely lake home too!
Take Care and I will be by to visit with you all soon!
Cindy
I am joining Rhondi @ Rose Colored Glasses for her annual porch party!

And Debbie @ DebbieDoos for her summer Paint Party!

I am also joining Marty for Tabletop Tuesday!

When you get a chance check out all of these fun parties and their great links!

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What I got for the Money.....or Addison really scored!

Hi All!

I have been busy rummaging through garage sales looking for baby toys!   Addison needs toys when she is at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I am amazed what I can find used that looks pretty new!  This little doggy was still brand new in his box.  Addison spent a good part of yesterday trying to figure out how to pull it!

The box says 12 months and up and she is only 8 months but she was getting the hang of it anyway! 

And here's what I got for the money! Just $20.00 bought all these toys!!!

Most of them are fisher price or v-tech.

The one toy in the back retails for $35.00 brand new.

I love finding lot's of fun well made toys for her at a fraction of the cost!

And back to the little doggy!  Just wait until she's walking which probably won't be that long!

She crawls like a little maniac, pulls herself up on everything and is curious as all get out!

She would pull so hard she would tip right over!  Grandma is tired but babysitting her is keeping me young!  LOL!  ( I hope) otherwise it is making me old before my time!

Take Care and let me know what you are up to!

Cindy

I am joining Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures.

June is bursting out all over!

June is hands-down my all time favorite month!  June is a  re-birth of all things beautiful in this world.  Witness the first thing I laid eyes on yesterday morning.  A mother white-tail deer and her two newly born fawns were prancing across my front yard.  I took this picture through my window as to not scare them off.

And the hydrangea ivy is bursting out all over!  I love it when it starts to bloom and very soon it will be filled to the brim with these pretty and delicate white flowers.

Our apple trees promise to produce a bumper crop this year!!  Come August, I may be tearing my hair out trying to find places for all the apples and if nothing else, the deer will have very full bellies!

My perennials are starting to look mighty fine. 

I love my painted daisies!  They are a sure sign of June around here.

I have potted many flowers and I still am adding more....I just seem to not be able to stop myself!  LOL!

 My babies breath is looking quite lovely, another sure sign of June!

Another sure sign of June around here is when school let's out!

Yesterday, was hubbies first official day of summer vacation.

He just finished his 30th year of teaching and will probably teach several more.

But I have to say with all that's been going on in our state, this has been the most stressful of years.

Now finally we will have a few hours to spend together without the stress of this year's happenings.

And yesterday, to celebrate we took little Addison and went to a free zoo in a little town about an hour away from us.

And Addison was as wide eyed and excited as could be!  It is so much fun to see the world through her eyes.  Being a Grandparent is one of life's great joys!

She visited with some piggy's and other various barnyard animals.

 Got up close and personal with a bear!  Oh was she amazed!

And the pure joy of childhood!  A baby swing and Grandparents who love to push her!

Total Joy!

And total fun for a sweet little 8 month old baby girl!

And a Grandpa who enjoys her and plays with her as much as her Grandma does!

Oh yes, the joys of June!

Babies, baby deer, flowering trees and good weather!

Thanks for coming by my friends!  And what is your favorite month if you don't mind me asking?

Cindy

My Mom's Metlox Poppytrail on a Sizzling Day!

Hi All!

All week I have been trying to get a post together and it just hasn't been working for me!

We've had record breaking heat with a high of 100 degrees yesterday, in the 90's today and only a high of 69 tomorrow!

That's Wisconsin for you!

When I talked to my son yesterday who lives in Phoenix we were hotter than they were.

The table I'm sharing today is near and dear to my heart.  These dishes belong to my Mom.

They are Metlox Poppytrail in Blue.

My Mom purchased them when I was a little girl.  And the neat part is that she bought them with green stamps!  Does anyone else remember their Mom's using green stamps?  My Mother would save and save and then we would make a trip to the Green Stamp Store.  I would always go with her and I remember being as excited as she was to see what her stamps would purchase. 

I remember very clearly the day she bought these!  I think I was 9 or 10 years old and my Mom was able to buy a complete set.  Sadly, over the years some chipped and some broke so she is down to 5 dinner plates, two cups, and various smaller plates etc. 

Here are the cups....I just love the shape of them.

So I have decided to start searching for pieces and help her get her collection back up to par!

The place-mats were purchased at Wal-Mart last summer on clearance for .50 a piece!

I bought them to use on our picnic table but thought they might work well today.

I just purchased the creamer and sugar bowl on E-Bay.  I haven't told my Mom yet but I think she will be pleased!  The creamer and sugar bowl were $11.00 plus $5.00 in shipping.  Not bad, prices seem to vary a lot so I will be spending a bit of time searching I do believe.

I think these are actually little dessert plates.

The dinner plates!  What I love is the Americana look to them.  And since they were actually made in America, even more Americana!  A little history about Metlox.  They were a California company that produced china from the 1930's to about the early 1970's.  There are so many neat patterns, a lot of them have a raised pattern and they are really quite lovely.  Just type Metlox into the E-
Bay search engine and you will be surprised at the variety of patterns.

The napkin rings are also my Mom's!

And in keeping with the blue theme!  Little Addison just turned 8 months!  She is crawling up a storm and generally into most everything!

She is so much fun and she cuts into my blogging time but I love babysitting for her and wouldn't have it any other way!

So what's up in your neck of the woods?

Cindy

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.