Cabin Hodge-Podge

A bit of a weird weekend at the lake cabin, thanks in large part to Mother Nature. The weather forecast threatened a wash-out all week and thankfully, Saturday and Sunday proved better than expected. No rain except for a torrential downpour Saturday night, but the wind -- the wind - was something fierce and made outdoor activities challenging, especially with little kids.

Also despite our best-laid plans not to be in construction mode at the cabin during the already-too-short summer months, there's inevitable spillover from projects seeping into our time there. Andi's spent a good chunk of every weekend staining decks, shoveling rock, seeding grass and tinkering with this or that. I think it's therapeutic for him, but the luster of entertaining the kids by my lonesome is fading (it's my M-F, after all, and I look to weekends to break the monotony).

That said, Andi's doing what he does best -- dreaming big, orchestrating, managing and delivering results -- we've made some beautiful updates to the cabin, including:

• the addition of a new lower deck, sauna and outdoor shower
• new stained concrete walk-out patio 
• new dock
• new stone fire pit 
• newly landscaped stepping stone walk-way to the lake
• new granite counter tops in kitchen and bar areas
• new stainless steel appliances
• new kitchen back splash
• new stained concrete flooring in middle-level bar area

I continue to be amazed by Andi's ability to juggle so much; every week, I show up to the cabin and another project has been completed while my husband's managed seventy-billion contractors, electricians, painters, landscapers, handymen, etc. to get the job done. I am truly appreciative of his attention to detail; the cabin's slowly transforming into "ours" after renting it for the last three years.

All these cabin updates deserve its own blog post write-up with before/after photos, and I'll do just that after Phase 1 of our construction plans wrap up this summer.

Anyway, back to the weekend ...

Big highlights from Saturday were our first trip to the revamped Tower House Restaurant in Cumberland. Andi and I both really enjoyed it; food was excellent, full bar (I loved having a gin and tonic without the breastfeeding guilt - whoo!) and the ambiance inside the restaurant was very nice. We'll definitely be back again.   

After lunch, our little family of four went for a boat ride on the lake. We saw our friends Oscar, Deanna, Josh, Krista and their daughters/our kids' BFFs Hannah and Kate outside their cabin so we docked up for a beer. Somehow, a quick stop transpired into an all day affair. Andi, Josh, Krista and I left the "big kids" Tory and Hannah with Deanna and continued our boat ride with Aden and Kate along. Then, Andi and Josh took Tory and Hannah fishing for a bit while the rest of us stayed back and prepared dinner. By the end of the day, Tory was covered head-to-toe in sand and dirt -- a true sign of an awesome summer day for a kid.

Tory and Hannah shooting Oscar with a water gun

Tory and Hannah driving the boat with their dads

Aden cut his second tooth on Saturday, so he was all over the board with emotion. One minute he was my happy, go-lucky boy; the next, in a screaming fit with pain. Poor little dude.

Saturday concluded with hamburgers and brats at Oscar and Deanna's cabin. Just as the men started to grill dinner, the sky turned black and a huge thunderstorm rolled into the area. We watched as Andi and Josh loaded up the grill into the back of the Ranger ATV and zoomed it to the big garage in the backyard. Then, we all high-tailed through the downpour to Oscar's man-cave garage for the remainder of the evening. It was one of those super-fun, unplanned evenings that make cabin life so great. We're so lucky to have great lake friends to share our weekends memories.

Mouth full of watermelon

We've got big plans for fun on tap for Fourth of July week. I'm off to finish drafting my meal plans and stock up on groceries for the festivities. Can't wait!