Cabin Color

The cabin is primed thanks to Dan. I was too busy painting the kitchen cabinets over and over, remember? Here's a green we're considering. I tried a couple other greens that we weren't satisfied with and this one looks promising. We don't want it too dark, but don't want mint green either. I only bought a quart of this so I can try again. I'm wondering if I shouldn't go just a shade darker or just go with this. I can see it with the red shingles, white window boxes with red geraniums but a little more of an olive or sage would work too. This light green will contrast nicely with the green grass and leaves. That's something I didn't really think about until a neighbor mentioned that. I have been looking at green paint samples too often and I'm starting to feel a little nuts about it. It's only paint, right? Dan can't take my indecision over green any longer so I can't talk to him. Does this look okay? I'll take any advice from anyone out there. Thanks!!!

Chores with Grandpa

Here are two pictures I've been meaning to post. I think these are from Christmas, it looks too cold for MEA. Anyway, I think they're very cute. Joey was excited to ride in the tractor at Easter and when it was almost time for bed he reminded Grandpa that he needed that tractor ride so they went out. Dad said that Joey makes the tractor sound while they're driving and wants to do the steering. David had Joey out while Dad was working with the cattle and when they got in the house, Joey asked "Why do you yell at the cows, Grandpa?" Then he started imitating the yell and did a pretty accurate job. It was pretty funny. Dad enjoyed that!

I got up at 5:55 this morning, thanks to the resident cardinal. I managed to fall back asleep at 5:30 when he was just singing, but when he started banging his beak against the window, I couldn't get back to sleep so thought I might as well just get up. It's a nice morning anyway. I made an egg-bake, washed dishes and am spending a little bit of time on the computer before Dan needs it for work. He has a funeral for his great aunt tomorrow so his never to be missed Monday work must be completed today. All the data comes in on Monday so it's his busiest day of the week. We still have a little priming to do down at the cabin this afternoon. I'm going to transplant some perennials down there today and I'm looking forward to that.

New Floor

Here's the new floor! We're very happy with it. I had to put 2 more coats of paint on the cabinets but I finally think I'm done. I had an eggshell finish and it was too flat so I finished up with a semi gloss and that was perfect. The ceiling is almost done. I wish I would have taken a picture of the ugly light fixture that was in the kitchen. I found exactly what I was looking for at Home Depot for only $29 so we were happy about that. Can't wait for that to go up. This Saturday, the wainscoat goes up on the walls and crown molding and then more upper cabinet work. We got the electricity upgraded on Tuesday so that we can run a decent window air-conditioner without blowing a fuse. It seems like a lot has happened but we still have a long ways to go. We hope to have it ready to go by June 1, it's good to have a dream, right?!?!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Sarah will be 15 in just a few hours on April 24th. I wrote 14 on her card, but even that just doesn't seem possible. It's been fun watching Sarah grow up into the lovely person she is now, inside and out. I love her unique style and appreciation of all things vintage. She's not afraid to rip up a garment or two and turn it into something that suits her. I predict she will have a very cool place someday and will probably have a cat or two. You can see Shadow loves her too. This photo is from last Saturday~too cute! Have a wonderful day, Sarah! Lots of love~Laurie

Calving Season

These photo's are from last year. This little guy did not fare so well. Hi mother did not know what to think of her new calf and refused to feed it and then proceeded to head butt it and flip it around. Despite Dad's efforts to hand-feed, the calf did not survive. I think he had the mother butchered as he didn't want a repeat performance this spring. I talked to Dad on the phone this morning and he was up to 22 new calves. He's about halfway through calving season.
It is an incredibly dreary day here. Dan and I went down to the cabin to finish sweeping floors and clear out a bedroom. Yesterday, Warren, Ann, Andy & Sarah came over on their way back from UMM and helped clear out the living room/dining room so that the floors can be sanded and polished. The extra hands made that go quickly. It was too muggy and windy to prime.
We had close to an inch last night and it's raining again. The upside is that the grass is getting so green. It's a wonderful change from brown. The lilacs are just starting to leaf out. I noticed the lily of the valley is poking up too. It's one of my favorite scents....can't wait!

Birdwatcher

I hung this guy up the other day. It was an impulse buy at Fleet Farm a few weeks ago. He was 8.99 if I remember correctly. He has a little bird book at his side and there's room for seeds in his leaf. Now, I'm thinking that I might need to pick up a couple more for gifts. I think he's adorable!
We had a loud thunderstorm last night and maybe 1/2 inch or rain. Things should get pretty green around here soon. Warren, Ann & kids plan to come later this afternoon and maybe do some more priming. We'll see how the weather holds out, windy and sunny right now.
We did a Home Depot run last night for paint, trim and cabinet handles. The wainscoat is coming from our local lumberyard this week so it won't be long before the kitchen is finished. Things are moving fast it seems. We found a light green exterior paint that I'm going to test on the cabin. It would be nice to have that decision settled. I will post a new kitchen photo this weekend and now I am off to make some potato salad. Have a good day! Laurie

Royce and Girls

Here's a nice picture of Royce with the nieces on Easter weekend. I was having difficulty posting the photo last night but it showed up today somehow.
It was another gorgeous day here. We also finished the MCA reading tests. Next week, we have MCA math tests and then two weeks later we give the spring MAP tests. It gets to be a little much but that's the way things are these days. Maybe in 5 years things will be different. That's one thing that I've learned in education, just hang around a few years and the pendulum will shift. Anyway, my fourth graders really tried hard and that's all you can ask for. I was also lucky enough to have perfect attendance for the last 2 days so no re-scheduling!
We did not watch American Idol results tonight because we were working down at the cabin but Ann passed on the unbelievable news that Sanjaya is history. I was beginning to think of him as a permanent fixture. Very good news indeed.
More good news, Al got the new doors on the cabinets and wow, did that ever make a difference! I'll have to take a picture soon and do a before and after. Of course it's not hard to improve on watermelon cabinets.
There were 16 loons in front of the cabin this evening, about 50 ft out. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me or the binoculars. I will sneak down there tomorrow and try to get a photo. Hopefully, I will be able to post a photo soon.

Scraping & Priming

That's what Dan spent the weekend doing anyway! This picture shows Dan just getting started with the priming on Sunday. He scraped most of Saturday and primed about half the cabin today. In the background you can see that the lake is mainly frozen on this side of the lake. Our cabin neighbor "Junior" told us that this side of the lake is always the last to open up. He is kind of a character and you will probably get a chance to meet him if you spend time at the cabin this summer. He's in his eighties, usually wears plaid and always has a cigarette in hand. He and his wife have a darling red cabin two doors down, you can't miss it.
So what did I do all weekend? Well, I brushed away about a thousand spider egg sacs so that Dan could work and I worked in the kitchen. Those watermelon cabinets needed 2-3 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint. When they're up I might give them another coat. When Al gets the new cabinets on top up, I'll snap a new photo. It's nice to walk into the kitchen and not see the watermelons. We decided that we will keep the watermelon picnic table though...that's kind of cute. I also put one coat of "mother nature green" in the kitchen. Most of the kitchen will be white so I thought that would be a nice blast of color above the wainscoat.
Do you know what was the easiest improvement in the kitchen? Taking the lime green curtains down. There are new French paned windows in the kitchen and I have no idea why you'd want to cover them up. Right now I'm thinking that they require no curtains and that will help give the tiny kitchen an open feel.
Well, this is getting to be a very long post, but just one more thing, we've been hearing the loons all weekend, but this morning I actually saw the first one. I saw it from our bay window in the house. I guess that at least one pair stays but the rest move on after a few weeks. Can you believe that week ago we had a couple inches of snow on the ground and it was about 20 degrees?!! I think we got close to 70 today!!

Clean Sink

Isn't a clean sink a pretty thing? A couple of weeks ago when it was in this rare state, I snapped this photo. The lamps cast a nice soft light in the evening. They're from Martha Stewart and came in a pair. I used to have them up on the fireplace mantel but this is where they seem to belong. I have another lamp on the opposite counter. If you have room for a little lamp in your kitchen I think it really gives it a cute and cozy look. The pictures taped in the window are spring gardening inspiration, something to look at besides the snow. The snow is almost all gone now I am happy to report!
I was outside around 9:30 this evening and the coots and ducks were making quite a racket down on the lake. I listened for awhile hoping to hear a loon but didn't. It was so calm and the stars were so bright. Orion's belt really stood out in the sky and it seemed fairly low too. I'm not really up on my constellations but that is one I recognize.
Al and I were down in the cabin measuring the kitchen. Next week, he's going to start on the cabinets. Most of the upper middle section will be ripped out for open shelves. He refaced the doors earlier this winter and we'll put those up once the tearing out process is complete. The plumber put the new furnace in yesterday and the new faucet so things are starting to happen. Tomorrow, I order the red shingles....there'll be no going back. Scary.

Flurries & Birds

I snapped this photo the day before last week's storm when it was a rainy sleet mixture. The cardinal has been a regular visitor at the feeders but he's not attacking his image at the windows as often. He's probably more occupied with wooing his mate, whom I haven't seen in a few weeks. I hope she's okay. A pair can raise three broods in a good summer. We've had the cardinals around for at least three years now so their numbers should be increasing. The bird in the background is a white breasted nuthatch, plenty of them around.

Easter

Hope you all had a nice Easter. We did! We spent time in Cyrus and Sisseton. It was nice to see so much family all in one weekend. I have some pictures that I will post later, haven't downloaded them from my camera yet. Today would have been nice to have off too but Dan and I both had work today. It's been awhile since I've had a full week of school. They're talking about 6 inches of snow again tomorrow so who knows....will we have another snow day? I hope not, an hour late or out early is fine but this is getting ridiculous.
The little arrangement in the photo is on the dining room table. Kris gave me the antique chick planter a few years ago. I think it's so cute. The glass dome is one of 4 that I currently have sitting out. I've been using them for a couple of years now but recently have noticed lots of stores with them. I think they look nice with natural or vintage items displayed inside. If you see a cheese dome in a thrift store that's all you need. Usually they're 99 cents. This one is not a cheese dome. I picked up a tiny one last week that I just love, about the size of a cup.

A New Bird

I have a new bird to add to our Sandy Point Bird List. It's a Fox Sparrow. We have several of them digging around in the seeds and dirt next to the side of the house. They're just passing through on their migratory route up to Canada. I hope they survive this snow and cold...poor little things!

Bird Cakes

Here's a recipe supplied by Shari for your hungry spring birds.

1 pkg corn cake mix
1 cup mixed bird seed
1 extra egg

Prepare the corn cakes as directed, stir in the extra egg and one cup of bird seed. I added a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts and dried cranberries for good measure. Bake in muffin tins or an 8x8 pan and cut into desired size. Bake as directed on the mix and cool completely.

I made this recipe a couple of months ago and the birds really did seem to like it. I'm thinking about making another batch this afternoon. Thanks, Shari!!

School's Closed!

And this is why...
Backyard view
And here's a view from the front.

It's still coming down pretty hard. We currently have about 5 inches. Most of the schools in the area are closed including Fergus and Alexandria. I think this might be the first April snow day I've ever experienced. Ann, Jen, what are you going to do with your day? Jen, I'm just guessing that you have a snow day too. I think I'm going to watch some HGTV and Food Channel. I have cupcakes to make for a cakewalk and maybe I'll do a little spring decor around the house if I get inspired by HGTV.

Twins' Opener

Twins win!!! 7-4 over Baltimore! What a great opener and it looks like Justin Morneau is going to be just fine. Usually, I don't watch a lot of sports unless Dan is around but it just seemed like the thing to do this evening. It's better than worrying about the snowstorm that is heading our way. There was some buzz at school today about another potential snow day, which I don't even want to think about since we'd just have to pay for it in June. I think I'll just enter the world of denial and hit the hay early with my new May Country Living magazine. I'd rather dream of gardening than snow.

April Fools Day!

Thanks Jen, for sending a perfect picture for my post today. I planned to show a snow photo but this is better. At least Courtney and Eric are making the most of it! It started snowing here mid-morning and is still going fairly strong at 4pm. Thankfully, it's not accumulating like it is at the Heaths. It must be their elevation. :) They live high up in the hills of Sisseton overlooking the river valley.
This weather really is quite depressing but what can you do besides patiently wait it out. Things can change dramatically during a Mn spring and this is a fine example of that. At least it gives us all something to talk about besides American Idol!!
Mom and I spent the day shopping in St. Cloud yesterday. We had a fun day despite the cold and heavy rain. We found some pretty primroses at Home Depot. I think everyone else in central Mn decided to shop in St. Cloud too. It was a pretty busy place.