Janie's 60th at the Lake Cabin

My mother-in-law Janie said all she wanted for her 60th birthday was to spend the day at our lake cabin with family and friends ... so that's exactly what we did this past weekend. Janie, my father-in-law Jim, Tory, Aden and I loaded up the car last Thursday afternoon and drove to the cabin for a four-day weekend getaway. Andi met us there after work on Friday.

I wanted everything to be perfect for Janie's birthday. She does so much for our family I thought she deserved a relaxing weekend with good food, family time and fun. Janie likes to eat healthy, so I scoured Pinterest to plan tasty good-for-you recipes for our meals. Some recipes were big winners with everyone including this chicken salad, these steak fajitas, this ginger soy salmon and this Greek salad.

Our new meal planning chalkboard at the cabin makes me so happy!

Ginger Soy Salmon with Quinoa and Green Salad

Most of our weekend was pretty chill. Tory spent some time fishing off the dock with Grandpa. Andi took Tory and his parents to the Cumberland farmer's market via Ranger ride one morning while I stayed back at the cabin with Aden. We went for boat rides around the lake, sat on the deck in our "relaxing" chairs (as Tory calls them) and just hung out together.

Tory at the farmer's market

Grandma Janie and Tory on a boat ride

Our happy boy, Aden

It wasn't very cold this weekend, but one night it misted rain and Tory didn't want to get wet. She insisted on wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a blanket.

Notice the decorative 60 I made from black pipe cleaners, hot glue and wooden skewers? I wanted a few subtle decorations for Janie's birthday weekend and I thought this little 60 stuck inside fresh flowers was perfect.

Relaxin'

Weather-wise, Saturday was the best summer day we've had all season. It was in the mid-80's, super sunny with no wind -- a perfect day to be at the lake. Janie's sister Judy and her husband Phil, and Janie's friend Caroline joined us at the cabin for the day, so while the kids napped in the afternoon and Janie was occupied with her company, Andi and I snuck away for a few glorious kid-free hours on the lake. We cruised over to pick up our friends Josh and Krista (who's kids were also sleeping) and had the best time boating and drinking on the water. And, guess what? No one demanded snacks or drinks or screamed from wearing their lifejackets. It. Was. Awesome.

Krista and I sans kids!

Saturday night, we hosted another shrimp boil for Andi's family. Always a hit and seriously the easiest meal to clean up afterwards. Judy brought an angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. We sang "happy birthday" to Janie and it was so cute listening to Tory tune into the song. She and I practiced singing "happy birthday" all week in preparation and I think she felt pretty special being a part of the group. Now all Tory talks about is how next time we'll be singing for her birthday.

After a nearly-perfect sunny day at the lake, big storm clouds quickly moved in after dinnertime. The sky looked ominous and changed the entire vibe around the lake. Andi snapped a few pics of he and Tory outdoors under the colorful sky.

The storm just missed the lake and left an absolutely beautiful sight after night fall. Andi and I joined the neighbors for an hour or so after the kids were in bed and on our return home around Midnight, we silently floated in the canoe under a blanket of stars and thunder clouds lighting up in the distance. It was one of the most beautiful outdoor views I'd ever seen. Once we got back to the cabin, Andi grabbed his camera and we took the canoe out again on the lake to capture the moment. Breathtaking.

After midnight under a blanket of stars with thunder clouds in the distance

Oh, Pipe Lake. You'll always have such a special place in our hearts.