New desk and new spot to hangout.

Blue sky looking up from Lakeshore Drive to Ridge Street in Marquette.

While waiting for the sled dogs to return to Marquette we took some pictures...tried out the self-timer. It makes most sense to look at these from the bottom to the top in my attempt to get the picture right.

The weather during our vacation has been amazing. Blue sky since Thursday. We've seen Olympic curling, a little of the biathlon, and men's and women's hockey at various bars and at the PEIF.

I bought a lottery ticket today and have been doing some research. We might buy Hunter Lodge or Birdseye or even 193 Lakewood Lane. I'd definitely need to tour all of the properties that UPWaterfront.com has listed.

Moon Leaf - James A. Schwalbach, 1970

When it feels like there is nothing good to eat in the house I make a sampler platter.

Red peppers, carrots, pineapple, celery and peanut butter, pickles, sesame bagel and cream cheese, hummus, cheese chunks, and butterscotch chips.

I had this wallet since the year 2000. Finally, 2 weeks ago, I threw it away and got a new one.

I picked this little side table up at the Bank Building Antique shop in Negaunee a couple years ago. It is the right height for a coffee mug and sits next to the loveseat in the dining room. The top of the table is dark wood (pine?) and the legs are painted the soft greeny color. A quick dusting and it was ready to be used.

Please notice the pretty (cough, cough) stencil stickers that were applied by the previous owner around the perimeter of the dining room and kitchen floors before they were refinished.

Play Kitchen for Bei's Birthday

Last Saturday Bill and I searched around town for the parts for this cool little play kitchen. We built the entire thing in less than 2 days. Delivered to Beira for her first birthday. Idea from here: http://suttongrace.blogspot.com/2009/06/repurposed-entertainment-center.html

and here: http://vintagesongbird.blogspot.com/2009/12/diy-is-fun.html

Red Wing Crock from a moving sale in Marquette 3 years ago.

Inspired by: pennypeopledesigns.com

This old table was in a garage for a long time. It is very rustic and has a lot of character and function. It is the perfect height next to the arm of a couch, the perfect width to fit in the funny spot between the stairs and the weird bump out in the living room, strong enough to hold a heavy television, and plain enough to blend in. Currently it is in the dining room next to the love seat and holds (as you can see) lamps, plants, and speakers. Below it is our "technology basket".

Another thing on my summer rummage sale list was a magazine rack. This maple rack is solid and has quite a bit of birdseye on it. For $3 and a little elbow grease it was definitely a deal. I dusted it and removed two pieces of wood that didn't seem original. It is a functional piece of furniture that holds some of my other summer rummage sale finds -- COTTAGE LIVING MAGAZINES!

This dusty table was free. It has an old Ashley furniture lable underneath. It's functional, light, and needs to be dusted.

One of the things on my rummage sale list was a Bundt pan. I think I got this for either a dime or a quarter. I've made 3 Bundt cakes and all were delicious. The latest (pictured) was an Amish Friendship Bread made with a starter, flour, sugar, milk, oil, and pudding. It was good but took 10 days to make. I made a cake that was just as tasty this summer in less than 2 hours with a cake mix and pudding.

I took some pictures of some of the non-new things in our house. The table was one of the first things we bought. It was going to be in an estate sale in Menominee.

The chair is from Target. Do you remember when they would have that section of stuff after Christmas? One year it was called Global Bazaar. I snagged 4 of these chairs and our coffee table on the first day it was marked to 75% off.

Happy Groundhog Day!

I've been watching three different networks this morning and keep checking Groundhog.org for the annual update. It's a snowy day in Lansing.

Just heard the announcement -- he saw his shadow! 6 more weeks of winter!