Adventures

The kids and I have been having a wonderful summer; an absolutely wonderful summer!

One of our best days was when Grandma and Grandpa took us sailing aboard their boat. I spent a great deal of my childhood aboard a sailboat, but my children had never been. Both S and K have traveled between Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island hundreds of times, but never like this.

My daughter reacted in much the way I did as a child when I didn't have Dramamine- she fell asleep for much of the trip. My son, on the other hand, had his sea legs instantly and delighted in exploring as much of the boat as he could.

Grandpa, Papa, our friend Barb, the kids and I even got to go explore Round island. The kids loved the dinghy ride - especially when the water was shallow and they could see the rocky bottom.

But it was the massive amounts of monarch caterpillars on Round Island that were the hit of the day. My son counted eleven on one plant alone. Sadly, we've only found two here this summer. We had such fun raising and releasing them last year, which apparently, after some searching in my archives, I forgot to post about. Oops!

This weekend Papa has another adventure planned for us. We can't wait!

Instead of Blogging

You may have noticed a significant decrease in my posting this summer. It's because I've been spending most of my "free" time sewing. Well that, and rereading the Twilight series.

The mittens are selling so well, I can barely keep up with the demand! (Which is a very good thing, I know.) Thank goodness there are three of us.

What will you be doing today? One guess where I'll be...

A Grand Afternoon

The kids and I were lucky enough to meet grandma and grandpa at the Grand Hotel for lunch the other day. Was it ever fun to watch the kids at the buffet - especially the desert table! There's nothing like a seeming unending supply of cakes, candies, and pies to put a smile on a child's face. (OK, mine too.) My son got quite a few amused looks as he was jumping for joy, clapping his hands and saying "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" while eying all those goodies.

If you plan to visit Mackinac and are looking for a fantastic lunch, the Grand Hotel buffet is a wonderful option. Don't let the price tag scare you away; I guarantee you'll never forget your lunch at the Grand. Even my two little ones realized it was something quite special - they are still talking about it. Be sure to go check out the fountain (down in the garden) afterward - splashing your big brother (or whomever you happen to be with) is included at no extra charge...

Rainy Sunday

It rained all day yesterday, so I opened the windows in my sewing room and listened to the rain while I worked on these little dresses. The original idea came from here, though I use my own pattern. They were all safely delivered to Nicole this morning and will hopefully make some little girls very happy...

Fortunately

All new homes built on Mackinac Island, that tie in to the sewer system, are required to have a sewer grinder. Most of the grinders look like a small green dome about two feet across and are located in the front yard - the house and the sewer line (which is beneath the road.) Each grinder has an alarm that lights up and sounds when the grinder or the pump isn't working correctly.

Unfortunately, our light went on recently.

Fortunately, my husband was home at the time.

Unfortunately, our grinder is located right in the middle of a garden.

(Fortunately, I've been able to disguise it with hostas and daylilies.)

Unfortunately, when it stops working I have to dig up some of those hostas and daylilies so my husband can get to the pump.

Fortunately, the man can fix just about anything.

The inspiration for this post came from this book. It's an oldie but a goodie!

Camping

Camping at Sandy Pines was a hit. Literally.

We fought (but in a good way),

and we couldn't not follow the Sandy Pines tradition of pimping our ride for Independence Day. I mean come on, if you are going to drive a golf cart all weekend, it had better look really good, right?

The fish weren't biting, but we still had a great time. Mostly due to the fact that we met a bunch of friends for the weekend and had fun just being together. Living on Mackinac Island can make doing things like this challenging at times, but it's always worth it. You can bet we'll be there again next year. Thanks Shannon for organizing everything.

Yes, my 40 year-old body is thrilled to be back in my own bed! Now that I'm home it is back to my sewing room (stuffed as it is.) I have an order of bibs, dresses, and mittens to fill...

East

After leaving Grandma and Grampie's house we headed east. My children do surprisingly well during long car trips - undoubtedly having something to do with the fact that they ride in a car less than once a month. Oh yeah, and car toys; special toys that live in the car and are eagerly anticipated.

One of the highlights of visiting Uncle B and Aunt L (after seeing them and cousin K of course), would have to be the Columbus Zoo. Northern Michigan doesn't have one, so a zoo is a special treat for us.

The zoo is huge.Thank goodness we brought our navigator.

If you're ever in Columbus be sure to stop at the zoo. There are nice interactive displays and all over the zoo there are great sculptures for the kids to climb on.

Next we camp back in Michigan and then we head home.

When we get home my bed is going to feel so good...