I'm having a rip roaring relaxing time!!

It is gorgeous here at the lake! 70s during the day, 50s at night, perfect weather for fires and s'more making and drinking coffee with friends.

My girlfriend and her 3 kids came on Monday afternoon. We relaxed and chatted with the kids played in the sand and water and gathered sticks and made a fire. We had chicken tacos for dinner and s'mores around the fire. Everybody went to bed late and it was just a fabulous day.

Tuesday we all woke up by 8ish. I woke up to a note from Jordan and Isaac. They were on the boat and I'd see them by 10. They made it in at 11. They did not catch any fish.

Anyway, I made English muffin egg/cheese sandwiches and bacon for breakfast. We sat around and waited for the boys to come back with the boat. They got back and we went out. I let all the kids take a turn driving. My girlfriend's 3 year old dd thought it was great fun! And when I wasn't looking, she pushed the trottle all the way down so we could do FAST! She sat on my lap to drive. And she was simply adorable. I really wish we had the camera, because the look on her face was priceless.

We ate lunch. Lunch is very important for kids of all ages. Then we did the most lovely thing, and put older people in front of a movie and moms and littles took a nap :) Lovely!

Dinner was burgers and chips. Easy peasy! And then another evening of fire making, s'mores and coffee. Showers. Oh yes, all were in need of showers.

Today it was way to choppy for me to want to be on the boat. So after breakfast (blueberry muffins and fruit), we drove over to a fish hatchery to feed the carp. A huge cluster of carp. You toss them bread and they slap all over each other. The kids loved it.

Home for honey grilled chicken and rice. And then kids back to the lake to skip rocks. Mom to sit on the deck and chat and knit and relax. And then, sadly, my girlfriend and her kids had to head home. It was a lovely visit! And so nice to have fellowship. And snuggle a little 3 year old girl that thinks I am wonderful.

Monday evening she was cuddling on my lap and looked at me so sweetly and said, "Miss Kelly, I am ready for my shower now." So off I went to give her a shower. I miss those littles.

So after they left, I instructed my boys on what to do while I was napping, and went to nap :) Jordan and Allen went back home for church and will be back tonight. Isaac decided it was very important to stay and fish ;)

Happily I've already cooked dinner today and cleaned the kitchen. We will have leftover. I'm going to have coffee. We may have a fire. Isaac and I may go for a boat ride later. I've not seen him at all since I've been awake.

I just have to say how very much I love it here, and how badly I've needed this break. We'll be heading home soon. Which means the weekend, and Doug home :) But this week has been simply lovely.

We're at the lake!!

We are having gorgeous weather! It is in the 70s in the day, 40/50s at night and the sun is shining and no rain forecasted!

What a beautiful week to be at the lake! One last relaxing week doing nothing but fishing, reading, fellowshipping, sleeping, etc., before the end of the season. We'll still come up during the day to do the grass and leaves. Doug and I may spend the night a time or two. But this will be the last week we'll be here this year.

My girlfriend and her 3 kids are going to come and stay with us. I'm looking forward to relaxing and talking and just doing nothing.

I didn't even forget my camera. So hopefully we'll take lots of great pictures.

Isaac got a new lure for his birthday (which isn't yet, but hey, we're here). It's the Banjo Minnow. He is really hoping to catch a lot of fish. He saw it on an infomercial and just had to have it :::snort::: He is going to catch the fish that aren't even there!!!

Then we'll go home and hit school hard. It has been a slow and rocky start. But I am sure we can redeem our time and have a great 12th year of school.

We've been at the lake the last few days!



Monday we went to the lake. Isaac's friend, Zach, came with us. Jordan came back and forth as he had to work. My Gramma also came with us.



We had a fabulous time! We were there 3 days and it only rained 2 of them LOL! But not all day thankfully.



The first day was nice, but looked like rain, and we did have a storm that night. Isaac and Zach fished in the little boat. Isaac caught a 24" walleye (which is now tucked into the neighbor's freezer). They also caught bass, striper, catfish, perch and bluegill. They released most of those.



Tuesday we went out on the boat. It was gorgeous! See that blue sky and puffy clouds? We enjoyed having Gramma with us on the boat. Isaac drove us around some..............
Here's Jordan fishing. I can only get pictures of his back it seems like..................

Tuesday evening it was gorgeous. Jordan was working. Isaac and Zach were fishing. So we had a fire and made s'mores. Here's Gram roasting her marshmallow (she didn't grab the camera to get my picture, so you get lots of her :) )
The gorgeous sunset Tuesday evening.
Today the guys went to Linesville, PA and fished the carp. There is a fish hatchery there. Many people come and feed the carp. They are SO GROSS! They just pile on top of each other and scarf down the bread!

You cannot fish in the hatchery, but just on the other side of the line, you can. You bait your hook with bread and cast your line just ouside the boundaries of the nursery waters. Then somebody else lures them over by tossing more bread in. You can pull out some huge fish that way! We just catch/release the carp.

While the guys fished the carp, Gram and I lazed around.................
We had a fabulous time! I am very glad to be home, though :)

You know it's spring when you head to the lake!!!

We had a gorgeous week last week. Monday started out in the 50s with sunshine and we had sunshine SIX DAYS in a row and it climbed up ti 80 degrees on Friday YAAHOO!!!!

The boys were hired to put in docks. I did not get down there in time to get their picture putting them in though.

Jordan and Isaac headed to the lake about 10. I went to pick Doug up from work, do a few errands, get Allen and do another errands and we got up there about 1:30.

It was BEAUTIFUL!!! Not a cloud in the sky! I LOVE spring at the lake. I love any day at the lake :)

So Isaac and Jordan did 3 of the 4 docks they were hired to do. They will do the other in two weeks or so; probably the same day they do Dad's.

Doug and Allen raked leaves........
And raked some more.........
Oops, I forgot to go take pictures of them working! I snapped this one of Jordan. He is quite happy to be done, but still wearing his waders. What a handsome young man he is! It was amazing to watch them swinging the sledgehammer and carrying dock pieces. They are quite strong with muscular arms. I am glad no girls were there :::snort::: Doug was amazed at Jordan's arms! It showed off his tattoo nicely, too LOL.
Allen was not happy to be raking and took a rest.........

Switched to the blower. But work is work and it wasn't fun either way LOL.
All right! Docks DONE! Let's clean the boat. Isaac cleaned their little boat while Jordan went for a fishing license. Isaac won't need one until the end of Sept. when he is 16.
Still cleaning........
They decided to lift it into the back of Jordan's little pickup and drive it to the lake. They needed Dad's help for that!
Isaac sat in the back to make sure it didn't fall out. They didn't have to drive far. The lake is 3 houses down :)

Isaac fishing on Bob's dock..........
Allen and Isaac fishing.........
Jordan trying his luck in he boat! Nobody caught anything though.
I sat on the swing and read a book and knit a little. This was my view while everybody slaved away. So peaceful and beautiful!
So spring is here and we are thrilled! The weather is turning ick again next week with rain and cooler weather. Hopefully it warms back up again and is dry. I hope to spend 1 night each week through the end of the school year at the cottage. It is SO much easier now that Jordan drives and can get himself to-from work and church activities and then come up afterwards :)

It was a fabulous day at the lake today!!!

The weather has been absolutely wonderful lately! You'd think it is July by the way the temperatures and humidity are acting. If you closed your eyes, you really would think it is July. But looking at the pretty leaves reminds you it really is fall.

So I thought we should take advantage of this wonderful weather and go to the lake. I asked the boys to work really hard until lunch. They did. I grilled chicken, we ate, we cleaned the kitchen and we were off!

So we get to the lake and I went in to use the bathroom! It is a 50 min. drive, I had coffee and a lot of water before leaving, and I had to go. So I sit down and do my business and then stand up and happen to glance into the toilet!!! I see A DEAD BAT FLOATING IN THERE!!!!!!

EEWW........I go running and screaming out of the bathroom. Jordan comes running and thinks it is absolutely cool! Thank God this bat was DEAD! Jordan scooped him out of the toilet and into a ziploc. Sorry, no pictures, I am still freaked out about it :::snort:::



So the guys go down and fish and I browsed the Sonlight forums and started knitting a new baby blanket.

The guys come running up to the lake with their great cathes. They were excited. The fishing had been very slow lately and this was great! I took their pictures, drove them to the bait shop so Russ could take their pictures, and then we gave the fish to Bob and Cindy.
I grilled hot dogs for the boys. They ate and mowed the lawn and went fishing until dark. They didn't catch anything else.

So I go into the OTHER bathroom (because, you know, it's broad daylight but a bat may have dove into the toilet) and this is what is at MY FEET! Sorry, blurry picture, but that was the best I could do and I was not trying any more. Now, all you readers in TX and the dessert, I know this spider isn't that big, but it is BIG for the north where they all die off in the frost every year!!! Can we say EEWW???? I flushed him in a hurry. I do not want him crawling into bed with me this weekend!!!

I have a bit of the heebie jeebies about going to the lake Sunday night alone. Spiders I can deal with. But bats??? What if there is a bat? A live one? While I am there alone??

Anyway, we had a fabulous day. Now we're home and Allen is in bed. He has a headache and opted to go to sleep. The rest of us are watching the Indians beat the Yankees! with a score of 4-1. Go Tribe! We're hoping they win tonight and put the Yankees out of the running :)

A few shots from the lake today!

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? See the red leaves? I cannot believe the leaves are starting to change already.

Many people have already taken out their docks, so the view into the lake is so beautiful! Mostly just water and shoreline, instead of docks and boats! It is SO beautiful and peaceful there!!

Dad had the pontoon taken out. But the sailboat is still there for now, the kayak and the kids' boat. Isaac was in his boat..........

We had an absolutely fabulous time at the lake this weekend!

Friday the weather was gorgeous with temps near 80* and sunshine!! We left the house about 10:30, went to the apple orchard (I do love that part of fall ), stopped for lunch, picked up some movies from the video store and stopped at the grocery store on the way to the cottage.

We got all settled and went out on the boat. We were the only boat out there! Oh how lovely So we took a ride, turned off the motor and just cuddled and enjoyed the peace, quiet and solitude! Then Doug fished for a bit and I knit.

When we came in, we ordered some dinner and watched a movie and then Doug watched the baseball game.

Saturday was FREEZING! High of 53* I think. We forgot to close the windows :::oopsie::: We slept in, and then Doug built a fire in the fireplace and we snuggled under quilts and stayed in our jammies watching movies. We took a walk. We enjoyed the benefits of being without children. We watched movies. We just relaxed. Doug watched baseball agian lol. I could have done without so many sporting events. But he rarely gets to watch baseball and football in the truck. So I knit or played Scrabulous or something.

We slept in again on Sunday. Well, I did. Doug gets up much earlier than I do. We had donuts for breakfast. We just did nothing. Cleaned up and come home about 3:30.

My niece had a bday party so we went to that and got our kids. Came home and did all the Sunday night things...get Doug's food ready, mop kitchen floor, scrub bathroom. The boys played video games and then we all went to bed. Weekends are just too dang SHORT!!!

So it was very relaxing to just be alone and together. It's strange that in a few years, our kids will be all grown and we can do that whenever. At least it's fun to think about :)

A Tour of Paradise!

It's ironic that Cynthia commented about if I've ever posted pictures of the cottage. I took pictures yesterday evening to give you a little tour. We call the cottage Paradise, because it is just so wonderful.

We are not roughing it by any stretch of the imagination. We have 3 bedrooms, a sleeping loft, a big kitchen, back room with sitting area and computer area, and 1 1/2 baths. There is satellite television and a computer with DSL internet. It really is wonderful!

Standing on the back dack looking into the back yard. We had a little fire last night and roasted hot dogs and made s'mores.
Standing in the back yard and looking towards the house. Behind the table area of the deck is the sitting room you'll see in the next picture. I guess I didn't upload the other side of the deck. It's where the swing is that I took a nap on. Behind that part of the deck is the computer area.


Sitting area. there is a wonderful view of the lake out those windows! On rainy mornings I sit in the loveseat and watch the lake.

Here's the dining/computer area. Go through that beaded doorway and there is a laundry room (no washer/dryer though) and to the left a 1/2 bath.
This part of the kitchen is behind the sitting area. See through that opening? That is where we sit and lounge.
The view from the kitchen sink. The door to the living room is to the left of the fridge. The door to the back room is to the right. It is a straight shot from the back door, through the sitting room, through the kitchen and into the living room.
Picture of the living room from the small hallway by the bedrooms. The wall opposite the fireplace is the stairway.
The master bedroom. Go through the living room and it is on the left. Behind the staircase.

The 2nd bedroom. This is to the right of the master. And the bathroom is right there, also. Really, really small hallway.
A view of the loft from the living room. There is a single bed up there.
Go up the steps and to the left is this bedroom. It is right above the master. The bed is to the left.
The sitting area is to the right.

So that is our little piece of paradise. I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Checking in from the lake!

I decided to bring the boys (and a friend) to the lake yesterday and spend the night. We had an awesome day yesterday!

~Fishing
~Swimming
~Rock skipping
~Lawn mowing
~Camp fire with roasting hot dogs and making s'mores
~I made 3 meals and cleaned the kitchen more times than I can count
~Took a nap
~Took a boat ride
~Read a book
~Boys had a PS2 challenge
~Not enough sleep lol

This morning I woke about 6:30. Everybody was sleeping (for 10 min. anywa). I am about to make some coffee, sit on the swing and watch the sun reflect off the lake.

The boys are carting down their boat. Thank God it will be docked today :) They are going to do some early (well it's 7 now so not quite so early) morning fishing.

I'll make pancakes, clean the kitchen yet again! And then get myself together, clean the cabin, load up all but the food and wait for Dad and Cay to come up. I'd like to visit with them a bit before heading home. Unless Doug is home early. Then I'll not wait for them. I am missing my honey! This week is better than last, but only because I ran myself ragged. I will not do that again!

What have you done this week?

Sunday at the lake.

We had a beautiful day at the lake on Sunday! Doug and Allen spent some time fishing on the pontoon while Isaac and Jordan used their new boat! Allen still does not like to hold his fish! So.....Doug is holding the fish and taking the picture LOL.

Jordan and Isaac's boat is not docked yet, so they had to carry it to the lake. It is about 150#, and they have to go about 1 block away. They were highly motivated to carry it down, but not so much to bring it back. They don't have a battery for the motor yet, so they are paddling right now. So I am sure their arms were sore. I told them no more boating until Dad gets it docked LOL. I think they are in agreement with that!


I saw some geese on the water. I couldn't zoom in very close, but they were too cute to pass up.

While all the guys were boating/fishing, I sat on the deck and read a book from my Summer Reading Challenge. After sitting in the sun so long I felt I would cook, I moved to the swing. Doug and Allen came up and found me sleeping there! I had only slept 5 hours the night before, so falling asleep on the swing seemed reasonable to me!

I forgot to take the camera out on the boat ride with us. Ahhh, well. It was gorgeous, take my word for it LOL.

We had a wonderful day and are looking forward to going up again this week. The boys are hoping my dad got up there to dock the boat. If not, I may take them fishing on the pontoon, depending on if we have company or not. I've invited 4 families to go up with us for the day this week. So far I have no definate answers. I've invited our friends for the past 3 weeks. I may quit inviting if people keep saying no lol.

A Day at the Lake

We had a fabulous time at the lake yesterday! It started out cloudy, and it was cold. But by 2pm, the sun was out. It was still cold...high of only 72*! but it was gorgeous.

The boys kayaked a bit when we first got there. They also fished, but I was at the house reading and won't let them take the camera to the lake. I am the MEAN MOM. However, Jordan's house keys and one of the 2-way radios are in the bottom of the lake. I'd prefer my camera does not end up there LOL.

We ate lunch and then the boys mowed Dad's lawn and the neighbor's lawn. Isaac didn't feel like extra mowing, so John (Jordan's friend and my "other son" since our families have been friends for 10 years) did Isaac's part. He said ten bucks is ten bucks LOL.

I took a nap and they fished some more. Afterwards, they convinced me to take them on the baot for a little shore fishing. I'll be glad when the boys' little boat that Dad is getting them is in. Supposedly this weekend! I hope so! I don't steer right, blah blah blah. But it was a nice ride before the fishing.

Then we cleaned up and headed home. It was a lovely day!

John and Isaac

Jordan They were racing to the dock on opposite sides!
Allen's sandcastle
John, Isaac and Jordan (Notice Jordan's handsome new haircut?)
Allen caught a fish, but it jumped the line. I took his picture anyway :)

Allen uncovering the boat
Isaac caught a nice large-mouth.
And a small one, too.