Freezing temps

Freeze warning for a good chunk of Minnesota overnight last night through 8am today. It's 27 degrees up at the cabin this morning!  BRRRRR!!!!

Rob almost took a trip up to the cabin on Sunday, as we knew these cold temps were on the way.  The pontoon is still in the lake, and we don't want/need to damage the boat motor.  From the bit of online "research" we did, we figured that the pontoon should be fine.

There's still another couple weeks before we'll be up there.

*sigh*  I'm definitely not ready for these cooler temps.

An Un-Official End to Summer

Friday, September 2

Labor Day weekend – the unofficial end of summer. * sigh *

It's been almost two weeks since we were up here last. Rob mowed most of the grass when we first got up here. I unpacked and cleaned up a bit inside the cabin. We have special guests this weekend, too – Rob's parents!!!

Brendan went out for a tube ride. I got the pontoon warmed up; Keenan and I met them out on the lake. By the time we got out there, the tube was empty, and Brendan was riding on the Waverunner. Brendan bounced out of the tube – Rob says Brendan went up at least 5 feet out of the water. Unfortunately, he landed head first into the water, giving him a bit of a headache, and ending his tube ride.

Gave Rob's parents a tour of the cabin when they arrived, then headed out for a pontoon ride. The boys went swimming, too. Today was supposed to be the warmest day of the weekend.

Rob and I went out for a waterski run. I had a pretty good run. Rob, unfortunately, had to miss out on his ski run. I, somehow, ran over the ski rope with the Waverunner. Ugh!!! I was being careful, too. Running over the ski rope meant the Waverunner was no longer running, and we had to find a way to get us and the Waverunner back to the cabin. Rob swam and pushed the Waverunner from the water; I paddled with a ski to the nearest shoreline. I started walking back to the cabin (I figure about a 2-mile walk); Rob started paddling across the lake. Barefoot running??? I did that!!! I was “rescued” from my walk home about a 1/2-mile from the cabin. Thank goodness, too … I couldn't run barefoot on our stretch of dirt road, and it wasn't very fun walking on, either. Someone finally helped Rob out on the lake – giving him a ride back to our dock, to which he took the pontoon out to tow the Waverunner back in. We cut the ski rope, to release the tension, and decided to wait until we pull it out to take a closer look at it. Guess who'll be putting a new ski rope on their Christmas list this year!

Got cleaned up, ate dinner, and chilled for the rest of the evening. Played some cards (Setback) with Rob's parents, while the boys watched Tom & Jerry.

Saturday, September 3

The Waverunner is officially out of the lake for the season.  I tied it up to the pontoon and towed it to the boat launch;  thank goodness it wasn't too difficult for Rob to get the ski rope out/untangled!!!  I hauled the Waverunner into Dorset in the afternoon; showed up at the service shop at 2:30, but the place had closed at 2:00.  BUT, the owner was still there!!!  We talked about a few things....pulling out the pontoon and having it serviced, servicing the waverunner, cost of pulling out the dock, etc.  I was worried about having the waverunner serviced, but not being able to pick it up for a month -- NO PROBLEM!!!  On the work order, he just put on there to have it completed by October 1; that way it can get done when there's time, or if there are other jobs with a higher priority.  AND, there's no additional cost!  Small town business is quite different than what I'm used to here in the cities!!!

All of us went into Park Rapids.  Rob promised the boys a trip to Cuzzins Candy Store, and now we know Labor Day weekend is the best time to go because the candy is ON SALE -- most of it is HALF-OFF; some of their more specialty-type candies aren't quite half-off, but they're still marked down.  My MIL and I walked through a few of the shops along Main Street.  I was hoping to pick up a couple of "Angry Birds" shirts for the boys, but I didn't see them this time.  My deal of the day, however, was a tea kettle that I picked up at the thrift store.

On my way back from Dorset, I stopped at a few garage sales.  Found a few books for the boys, including a riddle book and a pack of Brain Quest questions for Brendan.

Minnesota Gophers played at USC.  I listened to some of the game on the radio (while I was out driving to Dorset, and garage saling).  Stopped in at the Iron Horse Bar & Grill in Nevis to catch a bit of the game and drink a beer.  It was a tough first half, seeing them down 19-3 at halftime.  When I saw the final score (17-19) Sunday morning, I was happy to see that they weren't totally blown away, that maybe they played a little harder in the second half (which I didn't get to hear due to poor radio reception back at the cabin).

Sunday, September 4

When my in-laws heard there was a Hardee's in the area, they wanted to take the boys there for breakfast.  So, I drove them to the other "big" town in the area -- Walker, which is to the east of us (Park Rapids is to the west).  We had breakfast at Hardee's; it was okay, but I still prefer McDonald's for breakfast.  Played at the Walker City Beach for a little bit, but it was a bit chilly and the breeze was cool.  Then had to drive all the way over to the WalMart in Park Rapids because I forgot to pick-up the pictures I ordered for my MIL.  The downfall of forgetting things....the time and miles added on for more than one trip.  On the bright side, I took a different route on the way back to the cabin.

Rob and Brendan took Grandma & Grandpa into Nevis for some disc golf.  It's only a 5-hole course; they played through it 4 times!!!  Keenan didn't want to go, so he & I stayed back at the cabin.

Our neighbors came over for some wine and chit chat.  They've had their cabin for almost 15 years.  It was very nice visiting with them.  I think some good times will be shared with them as time goes on.

Monday, September 5

Is it really Labor Day already?  Do we have to go back to the cities now???  We're not really ready to say 'good-bye' to the cabin just yet.

Played a game of Skip-Bo with Rob's parents before they hit the road.  They left at 8:00 am, and had a long drive ahead of them.  They were planning to stop somewhere in the UP (Upper Peninsula), but the e-mail I received from my FIL said they drove straight through -- motel prices weren't cheap enough.  Oy!!!  What a drive for them!!!

We took some time to clean up the cabin, and pack things up.  Drove two vehicles home, as the Nissan has spent the past two months up at the cabin.

The most amazing thing to me, however, on this day, is that Brendan spent the whole rest of the day, from the time we got home at 2:30 until we called him in at 7:45, playing outside with the neighbors.

Two Weeks at the Cabin -- very long

Sunday, August 7

To say I'm excited to spend more than 2 or 3 days up here would be an understatement.

Packed up the van and left a little before 10:00 this morning. The new bike rack came unhooked – the straps must have loosened after I put the bikes on. Oops! Made it to the cabin a little after 1:00; I was impressed that we made it to the cabin without any electronics!!! No DVD player; no touch pad games. Just books and CDs, and a nap for Keenan.

Unpacked and had lunch, then headed out onto the lake. Swam for a while then toodled around the lake a couple times. Docked the pontoon, and the boys played on the dock for a bit more – first, they “faux” fed the fish – tossing small rocks into the lake, and watching the fish go after it; then jumped off the dock a few times.

Rob mentioned that our lake area is a little weedier than he would like – not much we can do about it now, though – but, we do have a swimmable area....it just needs to be used.

Went into town (Nevis) for dinner. Saw two deer run across our road about a ¼ mile from the cabin; then saw a family of 5 deer (2 adults, 3 little ones) crossing Highway 2. Ate at the Ironhorse. Keenan seems to like chicken quesadillas, as he wanted to eat more of my dinner than the hamburger he ordered! Took a walk to the public beach on Lake Belle Taine – we looked at a cabin on this lake, but (obviously) didn't buy it. Rob joked about launching the Waverunner into Lake Belle Taine to see if we could find the cabin from the lake.

Chilling out and watching a movie for the evening (Ben 10), except it appears that Brendan has fallen asleep. I'm not surprised, though. He's had a headache and fever since yesterday evening. I'm actually amazed at the swimming he did today, despite not feeling 100%. Thank goodness for acetaminophen, I guess.

I've had a headache since before dinner – hope it's just that...a headache, and not anything like what Brendan has.

Monday, August 8

That headache I had yesterday afternoon/evening was a bugger. The Tylenol barely put a dent in it. Before going out for dinner, I told Rob I was at a non-functional mode – I couldn't think or make a decision about anything. I wonder if my blood sugar was a little low, too … I was hungry, really hungry, but I didn't want snack food; I needed “real” food.

In writing last night, I forgot to mention a couple of things: 1) Keenan wore underwear when we went out for dinner. He's been doing much better with using the potty. He's still not pooping on the toilet, but it finally seems like we're making progress. He used the bathroom twice while we were at the restaurant; plus, on the drive up here, Keenan said he needed to use the potty. We stopped at the first available gas station.

The puke monster showed up at the cabin after lunch yesterday, too. Don't know what caused it. Again, a food particle (tater tot?) might have gotten caught in his throat. I might need to have a conversation with the pediatrician – does Keenan need to go back on reflux meds? And maybe I'll schedule an appointment for him to see the chiropractor – it's been a while since he's had an adjustment.

I went for a run this morning. First run I've had in forever. I've lost a lot of running base. Kinda sucks, but at least I can still run. I'm pretty sure I saw an owl in flight … that was pretty cool. Ran 2.95 miles – to the end of the dirt road and back – in just over 30 minutes. Don't like the running shoes I was wearing; I haven't worn them in a while, and now I remember why I've opted out of wearing them – they cause blisters on my instep(s). When I came in from my run, Rob said, “That didn't seem very long.” Yeah....it was only 30 minutes, but seeing as how I haven't run in a while (though I guess I could have walked if I got tired), and I had hills.....I felt that this would be an okay first run to get my groove back on. Maybe tomorrow I'll run the whole lake – if I remember correctly, that should be about 4 miles. I'll wear my “old” running shoes, though. Maybe the shoes I wore today will have to become my lawn mowing shoes.

Spent the rest of the day “chilling” out at the cabin. I got lots of reading time in. Rob mowed most of the grass today – almost 1-1/2 hours, and he didn't quite finish; left a couple areas where the grass doesn't grow as quickly.

I thought we were going to head into town today, but that never happened. Looks like we'll do that tomorrow.

The boys went fishing today! I think Brendan really enjoyed it. He was okay with putting the worm on his hook, but he kept hooking the fish in such a way (through the eye; swallowing the hook) that Rob had to take the hook out. Keenan caught a couple fish, too, but he got a little wigged out with all the fish-flopping!!! The bamboo fishing pole from my mom was a great gift!!! And seriously, those little fishies were very quick to go after the worm(s) on the hook. Makes for an easy, and rewarding, catch-and-release fishing experience!!! Now.....if you want to catch the bigger walleyes (bigger than 30”) that are in this lake, you'll probably need different bait, a different spot on the lake, and a lot more patience.

Headed out on the pontoon. After sitting out on the deck and reading, I needed to cool off with a swim. Keenan ended up taking a nap on the pontoon. Wish someone would drive a pontoon around and let me take a nap like that!!! Took my cell phone out on the lake to see what kind of a signal we could get out on the lake. It was a little better than at the cabin, but not much. Not enough of a signal, in my opinion, to make a phone call. We should still probably look into a cell phone option for here at the cabin, but I don't think we'll worry about that until next year.

Rob put the Roll-n-Go together, then put the Waverunner in. While setting up the Roll-n-Go, Rob asked me to get one more block from the garage; a huge frog was hanging out in it, and I didn't realize it until he fell out when I was re-adjusting my grip on the block. When I told Rob what happened, he said, “I thought I heard a dog!” Yep....the frog surprised me; I yelped! I took the Waverunner for a spin; saw a Bald Eagle while out on the lake, so I slowed down to watch him soar.

Since Brendan fell asleep watching Ben 10 last night, we re-watched it this evening. Rob made a quick run into town to get gas. He saw five deer.

All in all, it's been a nice relaxing day. I'm about ready to call it a night.

Tuesday, August 9

Today felt weird. I'm not sure 100% sure what the deal is, but I have an idea....and it has to do with me. Let's see if I can get through today's events, then I'll consider evaluating my take on what's going on with me.

I woke up around 6:30 this morning – 1-1/2 hours earlier than yesterday – and was the first one awake. Had a bite to eat, then hung out on the couch for some quiet reading time....started a new book.

Keenan was the last one to wake up....close to 8:00. He leaked in the bed, and we had to wash his sheets this morning. No big deal; I'm glad it's a rare occurrence these days.

It was a morning of electronics – Wii and touch pad games.

Since we didn't make it to Wal-Mart yesterday, it had to be done today. We took the boys to Burger King (blech!) for lunch and to play, and then it was off to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, including groceries.

Got back to the cabin; the boys played outside, while Rob and I made pierogies. We don't have a rolling pin at the cabin (oops!); Rob made do with a coffee mug.

After making pierogies, Brendan and I took our bikes into town (Nevis), and rode the Heartland State Trail to Dorset and back. Two deer crossed the bike trail as we were headed towards Dorset; one of them even stopped at the trail and appeared to be staring at us as we were approaching it. We went 10.75 miles total. Kudos to Brendan. I bought him an ice cream treat once we got back to Nevis.

When we got back from our bike ride, Keenan and Rob were outside; the boys played outside until dinner was ready.

Went out on the lake for a pontoon ride after dinner. The boys were being pills for a good portion of the ride. Not sure what to say/think of their behavior. I was frustrated. Very frustrated. Squirrel-y behavior is not safe on a boat; they need to be respectful of the water, and the boat....if they can't do that, then I can't let them go out on the boat.

The boys played outside for a little longer this evening. And now, we're inside for the night, and they're watching a movie. It's almost amazing that they're still awake, especially Keenan, seeing as how he didn't take a nap today.

We've talked a little bit about what to do the next couple days, but haven't really come up with anything. I want to explore the area....bit by bit....to see what it has to offer. Maybe I should have done a little more “online research” before coming up on this trip, but I didn't want to over plan this vacation, either. I want to be able to relax and have a good time. For now....my thought is that we can explore the nearby towns and such by hitting up the public beaches and playgrounds – driving there gives a chance to get to know the roads; visiting the beaches and playgrounds provide us free entertainment, but we can also “tour” the towns to see what's around.

Wednesday, August 10

A little bit better of a day than yesterday. I was up early again (6:30); thought about heading out for a run, but it didn't happen. Started reading another book instead (one that I'm going to have to buy to add to my personal library).

I thought Keenan sleeping in 'til 8:00 was late. Guess I was wrong. That boy slept until almost 10:00 this morning!!!

Rob took a bike ride (left about 10 minutes before Keenan woke up) from the cabin up to Walker. In his words, “The first 4 miles sucked.” That's 'cuz it was all dirt roads and hills. It was a much smoother ride once he made it to the Heartland State Trail.

After Keenan finally woke up, the boys and I packed things up and headed to Walker in the van to meet up with Rob. I thought we beat Rob to the trail head parking lot. Got the boys' bikes out of the van and we headed down the trail to see if we'd run into Rob. Brendan got a little too excited about biking on the trail, forgetting Keenan is a much slower biker than he is, and that I was walking. He got way too far ahead of us. Mad mommy. Went down a little ways on the trail, without running into Rob, then turned around and headed back. Rob called just as we were getting back to the trail head. He was already in downtown Walker. He came back to meet us at the trail head; we continued on the path towards town to get the boys a little extra biking.

Walker is a cute town; I definitely want to go back to look at the shops. We grabbed Subway sandwiches and headed to the Walker City Beach on Leech Lake. I loved it! There's a playground, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, picnic tables, and a swimming beach. Very pretty, and a great place to hang out.

Came back for a pontoon ride and swim. Keenan fell asleep on the pontoon (again). Brendan kept track of the number of docks and different types of boats we saw along the shore. We got rained on, too! Did not see it coming, and fortunately, it didn't last too long.

The boys played outside for a bit after dinner. Keenan bonked his head in the garage – playing on and around the trailer, from what we understand. We didn't see it happen. Boys will be boys. Maybe he learned a lesson. A painful lesson, with a bit of a bump, but a lesson nonetheless.

Place your bets on what time Keenan will go to bed tonight. If he slept 'til 10:00, and he got about a 45-60 minute nap on the pontoon, waking up around 3:00, when will he fall asleep tonight?

And.....what shall we do tomorrow? Head towards another town? With a park/playground? Go for a bike ride? A walk/run? Another pontoon ride & swim??? Guess we'll sleep on it and see what tomorrow brings.

Thursday, August 11

Aaaahhhh.....today was a good day.

Went into town (Nevis) this morning. Brendan and I went on the bike trail, headed towards Akeley. Keenan and Rob stayed in town (Keenan biked for a little bit, then they must have played on the playground). It's about 7 miles from Nevis to Akeley along the Heritage Trail – Brendan and I probably went about 4 miles up before turning around. I didn't have Garmin with (silly me), so I'm only guessing how far we went. It'll be nice to get Brendan a new bike next year – one that doesn't have a rusty chain and fits him better, probably slightly bigger wheels, too.

Brendan and I went out on the Waverunner while Keenan took a nap. Rob started putting water sealant on the deck. We then pumped up the tube and took that out for a spin. Brendan had a great time.

Brendan and Keenan found a frog jumping around in the grass. Brendan caught it (more than once) and held it in his hands. It's just fun watching the boys play like that.

We made our first bonfire at the cabin this evening. Had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner (made in the pie iron). Scorched the first one (which became mine), but the rest turned out fine. I got the job of roasting marshmallows for our S'Mores. Mmmmmm.....roasted marshmallows....so yummy! The bonfire definitely made my day. I'm looking forward to the many more that we'll have here. I'll need to do find some campfire recipes....it'd be nice to make something other than grilled cheese sandwiches all the time. Maybe we'll do pizzas next time!

Brendan accompanied me on a pontoon ride around the lake. We were the only ones out there; very relaxing, and a great way to end the day.

Monday, August 15

So, I went back to the cities for the weekend. The weekend report was a positive one. They went to the pig races in Leader Friday evening. Brendan had a great time!!! He wants to go again and take his friends Ben & Zack. Keenan's name got drawn for the pig races, and his pig won! They had contests for adults and kids....such as hula hooping and jump roping; they also had a “dig for dollars” – they collected dollar bills from the crowd, then buried them in sawdust. The kids then got to dig for the money – Brendan got $2 out of the deal!

The puke monster showed up in the middle of the night – this time, it was Brendan. No apparent reason for the puking, and he's been fine ever since.

They went into town (Park Rapids) Saturday, which included a stop at the candy store for treats. It was a bit cooler on Saturday, with the temps only reach the low 70s, but they still went for a pontoon ride and swim. Rob wanted Brendan to wear his life jacket, but he had already taken it off and jumped in! It was slightly windy, and the pontoon got too far away from Brendan to swim back to it; Rob had to start up the pontoon and swing back around, and then threw Brendan's life jacket to him. Sounds like a moment when the life preserver ring we've been talking about would have come in handy (good thing I went to [the other] Fleet Farm over the weekend and picked one up!).

I arrived back up here before noon. I carpet cleaned the puke area; Rob had done a pretty good job cleaning it up, but said that it had been pretty stinky. He had opened up the window, and closed the door to try to air the boys' bedroom out.

I took Brendan out for a tube ride – as we won't be able to use the Waverunner these next few days. He was loving it, and at one point asked me to try and FLIP HIM!!! I was a little nervous about doing it, but I did, and he had the biggest grin on his face!!! Circling around and figure 8s created enough waves to make Brendan bounce out of the tube.

Keenan was a bit crabby in the afternoon; thought he was going to nap, but it never happened. We had an easy dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches, then went for a short walk down the Minimum Maintenance Road. After we had turned around and were heading back, the boys had run ahead of me; I saw two critters crossing the road, but because I only saw the rear ends, I don't know what critters they were – they weren't deer; one was dark colored. I had the boys stop, then stay walking by me. I then heard this scratching kind of noise; looked into the trees where the sound was coming from, to which I found a raccoon!!! Darn it; wish I had taken the camera with us.

Came back, showered up, and settled into bed.

Nothing like a big-honkin' spider to help speed up the shower process. I don't like creepy-crawly things, including spiders. I'm finding my guts, though – rather than leaving the spiders be, I squash 'em and flush 'em. Sorry spider, but that's just the way it's going to be.

The boys and I headed into town (Park Rapids) late this morning, around 10:30. We went to Heritage Park – another nice park that we'll definitely have to visit again. Playground equipment, basketball courts, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, picnic shelters, an unsupervised swim area, and restroom facilities. We ended up being there almost two hours! Brendan ended up playing and talking with some boys on the merry-go-round for a little while.

We then stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, including some groceries. I don't like taking both boys shopping. One at a time is fine, but taking both is a pain in the rear. I spend more time reprimanding their behavior; it's quite frustrating.

By the time we got home it was almost 3:00. I put the groceries away, and put dinner in the crockpot. The boys asked to watch a movie. Well, it wasn't actually a movie – it was Garfield and Friends cartoon episodes. I let them watch way too much of it this afternoon. I had offered/suggested that we go out for a pontoon ride/swim, but Brendan wanted to keep watching Garfield.

When it was time to eat dinner, it was looking like we wouldn't get a pontoon ride/swim in. This upset Brendan. Fortunately, we did get the swim in. Both boys put on their swim trunks, and we headed out right after the dinner dishes were cleaned up. It was very nice out, and the boys had a great time jumping off. They both just love doing it. I kind of wish we had gone out earlier to do it, but at the same time, doing it when we did worked out, too.

As soon as we came in off the lake, it was straight to the shower. They colored for a little bit, had some Lemon Drop cookies, and then snuggled down for the night. Keenan is sleeping in his own bed, giving me my bed all to myself tonight.

Tuesday, August 16

My boys are fully capable of expressing what they do and don't want to do. With that being said, it took a little extra work to get them out the door this morning because Keenan wanted to stay home and play at the cabin. I want to be flexible in our activities, and be able to let the boys make decisions on some of the things that we do, but if I let them make all the decisions on when and where we do things, there are going to be things that they miss out on. And since Detroit Lakes is an hour plus drive from the cabin, this trip was going to take a good chunk of time out of our day.

We ended up getting into Detroit Lakes around 11:30; both boys right away said they were hungry. We ended up at McDonald's. Ugh. So not my favorite place, but they at least can agree on it. We were there longer than I wanted to be, but it was cloudy and cool outside. It also gave me the chance to use the free wi-fi and check my e-mail. We finally left McDonald's around 1:00. We headed back to the lake to play at the park. The boys had a great time (took a few pics using the camera phone and posted them to Facebook). Seriously, hitting up the playgrounds is really the best way for me/us to explore other towns. Is it necessary to drive an hour plus to play at a playground??? No, there are other parks and playgrounds close to us, but at the same time, it's fun to play at the different playgrounds, and as I said, it gives me/us a chance to see the other towns, and to find out if it would be worth it to go back.

There is a triathlon this weekend in Detroit Lakes. I also found out that there is a half-marathon coming up in September. So....if we hadn't gone to Detroit Lakes, I probably wouldn't have found out about these events. Finding this out makes me want to know what other races/events take place up here. I just might have to start doing some races up here in the summers!!!

By the time we got home from Detroit Lakes, it was almost 4:00. The boys played Wii for a while; I mowed the grass. After a dinner break, we were all outside. I had a little bit of mowing left to do, and then I joined the boys. I got Keenan on the ride-behind (I fixed it this morning, so I should be able to take it off and put it back on again with ease) to see if he will fit on it. I toodled him around the garage and down our driveway a few times – just walking my bike to see how he'd do. He had fun with it. The ride-behind is a little big for him, but I think tennis shoes might help. I'm hoping the three of us can go for a bike ride tomorrow.

After that, we played with the jump rope. We were playing “helicopter,” which is one person spinning/twirling the jump rope around them while the others try to jump over the rope. We modified the game so that when one of us messed up, either Brendan or Keenan missing the jump, or me making an error in spinning the rope, the boys had to run a lap around the garage, and I had to jump rope while they ran the lap. I tried to get as many jumps in as I could before they made it back to the driveway. We had fun with it, and will definitely be playing that game again.

Thursday, August 18

The boys and I had a great day yesterday. We had amazingly beautiful weather – clear skies, sunshine, and warm temps.

We had a relaxing morning in the cabin, then headed to “The Big Muskie Park” (as Keenan calls it) for a bike ride. Keenan did a great job on the ride-behind! We did just over 8 miles – not very fast, but that's okay. We had a great time, and we got to do it together.

Played “Helicopter Jump” again. I need to work on my kegels – too much jump-roping makes me pee my pants!!!

Went out for a pontoon ride, and the boys did a little bit of swimming.

Cleaned up, had some dinner, and watched Astro Boy. Brendan called it an early night (8:30), and went to bed before the movie was done. Keenan and I crawled into bed after the movie finished; Brendan ended up crawling into bed with us around 9:30 – he was having bad dreams that wouldn't go away. Plus, he was burning up. Poor Bren....not sure what's going on with him, but he's had a sore throat for a couple days, a headache, and now this fever.

We have company/friends due to arrive this evening. We're going to lay low at the cabin today, and I hope Brendan feels better – Tylenol and Ibuprofen seem to be helping.

4:00, and naptime seems to have arrived at the cabin. Keenan is out in his bottom bunk; Brendan is quietly resting, and possibly trying to nap/sleep in the darkened living room on the couch.

Brendan is still feverish. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are doing wonders, and there are moments when it's hard to believe this kid is possibly sick. We went outside and played for a bit after lunch. Brendan asked to play “Cabin Helicopter” again. We also played catch with those velcro-type mitts and tennis balls. I wonder if you can use regular tennis balls with that game; the balls are kind of cheap, and the fuzzy outer covering seems to pull away from the ball awfully easily. The catchers don't seem to be made to last long, either. Brendan's outer ring fell off after only 3 or 4 catches!!! It still works, but you still expect things to last longer than 5 minutes of use!!!

And this spell of Brendan being feverish has me wanting/needing to add another category to the cabin notebook – “In Case of Emergency.” We should have a list of phone numbers (police, doctor, fire, hospital, etc...). And, we really should have phone access here at the cabin. I can go out on the lake and get a reception (we have Verizon), which works okay for texting, but not really for phone calls. If I need/want to make a phone call, I have to go into town (Nevis), and that's 6 miles away. Not far at all, but when you're alone with two children, and can't leave them alone, it makes doing those simple things a little more difficult.

Saturday, August 20

Our friends arrived Thursday evening. Brendan and Keenan were very excited to see them. The boys all went off to play right away, giving Lynn and I a chance to talk.

Rob showed up while we were eating dinner. Perfect timing, really. We cleaned up from dinner, then headed into town (Park Rapids) for fireworks. Small town fireworks....oh my! Not quite what I'm used to between fireworks displays in the Twin Cities, and the 4^th of July fireworks that we see on Big Brower. It was a very short display – couldn't have been much more than 5-7 minutes. But, the cool thing about it was that were standing across the street from where they were shooting them off – one of the buildings right on Main Street.

Came back from the fireworks, and Brendan pretty much went straight to bed. He was tuckered out.

Yesterday (Friday) was a wonderful day!!! It feels like we did a lot of stuff.

After breakfast, we drove to Itasca State Park. Spent some time a the Visitors' Center – they have great displays about different aspects of the area (the animals, the Mississippi River, the trees, firefighers, etc...). We then went to the Mississippi Headwaters. The boys kicked off their shoes, and went straight for the rocks where they can cross the Mississippi River!!! Keenan wanted to go across, too; it wasn't easy helping him across, and he got a little wet in the process, but he had fun, and asked to do it again! We also met a young man who is biking from the Mississippi headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico; he'll be leaving today, and blogging about his experience (http://www.cyclingsouthbound.blogspot.com). He's hoping to make it to the Gulf by mid-October. I'll start following his adventure when we get back home.

After playing around at the headwaters, we took a lunch break then played at the playground. Lynn and I walked over the beach area to look at Lake Itasca. I've only been to Itasca State Park a few times (I think this was my third time as an adult), and I've only experienced the headwaters....until today. Maybe some day (like next year), we'll take the bikes up there and hit up the trails.

Brendan jumped off one of the slides at the playground, causing his cheek to bump into his knee. It's all fun until someone gets hurt, right? With that, we called an end to our time at Itasca State Park, and headed back to the cabin. Stopped at a garage sale on the way back, though – I almost bought a purse that was made from Minnesota license plates and a seat buckle. It was very tempting; I like things that are different, but I can't imagine this being the only kind of place to get one, so I want to do some online searching to see what these sell for.

We took the boys out for a pontoon ride and swim. Brendan, Ben, and Zack each only jumped in once. Air temp was about 73 degrees; but, with the sun beating down, it felt nice and warm. Clouds had started coming in, though, and the boys got cold after their one jump. Keenan jumped in twice. I dove in once, but I stayed in the water for quite a while. It's chilly when you first jump in, but the water was actually warmer than the air.

Dinner consisted of sloppy joes, tater tots, and purple beans from our garden. We then did a bonfire and cooked s'mores. The boys continued playing together in the garage/driveway. Rob bought them a few fireworks/sparklers and pop-its.

Someone clogged the downstairs toilet, so Lynn went with me for a late night trip to the Park Rapids Wal-Mart (thank goodness it's open 24 hours!) for some plumbing supplies and a couple other random things. It was almost 11:00 when we got back. The toilet is unclogged, and today we'll replace the flapper and handle. Toilets are gross.

Sunday, August 21

Saturday was fun. The boys hung out at the cabin and played all day – riding bikes and scooters in the driveway, fishing off the dock and pontoon, tubing and riding the waverunner.

After lunch, Lynn and I drove into Walker to do some shopping. I ended up buying an ornament for our Christmas tree (a cabin), a Christmas present for my niece Victoria (a darling three-piece sweater outfit), and two pieces of furniture for the cabin (a bedside table for the guest room, and a wood bench for outside under the deck. We also took a walk over to the city beach.

Dark clouds were looming as we headed back to the cabin, and we ran into some rain.

Lynn packed their things up, ate some dinner, then headed to Leader, MN for the pig races. Very entertaining!!! We then said good-bye to Lynn, Ben, and Zack – they headed back to the cities; Brendan, Keenan, and I went back to the cabin for one more night.

Cleaned things up and packed up this morning. Rob mowed part of the grass, even though it was a bit damp; we left the cover off the pontoon, too. Rob found out that Nevis has a disc golf park – it's only 5 holes, but it's still a disc golf park. We stopped there and played a couple rounds before driving into the cities.

And thus....the boys' two week stay at the cabin has come to an end! Keenan wasn't ready to come home – he wanted to stay at “cabin home,” but I think seeing his friend Abby this afternoon helped make coming home a little bit nicer.

I Don't Do Worms

My mom came over for dinner last night.  It was nice having just her here.  She brought over a few "gifts" for me and the boys!!!

For me, she brought some knitting needles, yarn, and a couple of instruction books.  I showed her the pattern for some yoga socks that I'd like to make (or have someone make for me!).  So, this knitting stuff will go up to the cabin, and hopefully I'll find some time to practice knitting.

For the boys, my mom brought some bamboo poles and tackle boxes.  She also brought bait -- some live worms (which are now hanging out in our fridge), and some fake maggots.  I'm not a fishing person, and I don't like creepy-crawlies.  Rob isn't exactly a fisherman, either.

So, how are the boys going to learn to fish???  I might have to "suck it up" a little bit to help out the boys.  They will have to do the fishing, though -- I don't want a fishing license.  Mom taught them how to put worms on the fishing hooks, and I think they practiced a little bit.  Even though she got some fake bait, those "maggots" are still icky looking, and I would prefer not to touch them.

The poles and the tackle boxes (Go Diego Go and Penguins or Madagascar) are really cute, though.  Maybe the boys can figure out this whole fishing thing, and enjoy it!!!

Owning two homes

It's challenging enough maintaining one home; how do you manage two homes?  More specifically the costs to owning two homes?

One way we're "saving money" is to take some of our current (and older) furniture up to the cabin, and replacing it with new (or new to us) furniture for the house.  I feel very self-conscious about spending money, and would prefer to have my husband's input on some of these decisions, but when I ask him, I don't get much of a response, and he leaves it up to me.  So, should I then feel guilty over spending the money for making our house more livable and family friendly?

I stopped at Home Goods yesterday.  Ended up picking up a few things for the cabin: a set of steak knives (because I don't like the cheap ones we bought at Wal-Mart), a colander/strainer, a spoon/spatula, and a over the door/drawer hook for kitchen towels.

One question that comes to mind is: Do we need TWO of EVERYTHING???  There's got to be things that we have at home, that we don't have to have at the cabin, right?  And, there could/should be things that we have at the cabin, but not at home, right?

If we're only up there for a weekend, it's easy to say we can "do without," but we're getting ready to spend two weeks up there....do we keep that same mentality when you're up there for a longer period of time?

Heritage Road is our cabin, but it's still a year-round home.  We haven't made a final decision on whether or not we'll close up the cabin for the winter.  I imagine the fun times we could have up there in the winter -- snowshoeing, skiing, snowball fights, snowmobiling(??!!!?), etc... -- but winter maintenance could be a problem, especially with big snowfalls.  Somebody else would have to snowblow/shovel/plow our driveway when we're not there.  And then there's the cost of heating the cabin while we're not there.  Obviously, that decision doesn't have to be made right now, but it's something to think about.

Picture Post

This is an early favorite -- taken the first weekend the boys got to see the cabin.  The water was still a bit chilly that weekend in June, but they still managed to go swimming .... they just went in their underwear!!!

Lots of swimming

July 29

I hope I never tire of this place. I love the serenity here.

Left for the cabin around 9 this morning. Took the Saturn, as we didn't need to bring any big stuff with us for this weekend. Next trip, we'll bring the van – I want to bring up the chest of drawers. Plus, we'll be up here for a much longer period of time.

It's going to be a beautiful weekend. Highs in the 80s, lows in the 60s. Really! We couldn't ask for a better weather forecast!!!

After a quick lunch, Rob mowed part of the grass. I uncovered the pontoon, and opened up the bimini top. We hadn't opened up the bimini top, yet....thought now was as good a time as any to open it up.

Looks like Rob is ready to take a break from mowing. He's done about half of it. Time to “lube up” (put sunscreen on), get swimsuits on (oh, wait...mine's already on!), and head out on the lake.

==========

I learned how to drive the pontoon! Not such a difficult task, but, having never driven a boat bigger than the Waverunner, I was nervous to drive it for the first time.

Brendan and Rob went for a bike ride on the Minimum Maintenance road. I sat out on the deck, reading. All of a sudden, I hear Brendan crying. He wiped out, and scraped up his elbow. Poor guy. Gotta get those bumps and bruises at some point in time, right??? Reminds me of the wipeout I took as a kid (which was far worse than the one he took, and I still walked away from it).

Watched Monsters, Inc. after dinner.

July 30

A cloudy start to the morning, with a little bit of rain. Needed to get a few things in town (Park Rapids), so we went on a little driving adventure, without a map. Found our neighbors' cabin, on Big Stony Lake.

Stopped at the candy store in downtown Park Rapids. Saw some “Angry Birds” shirts. Thought it funny, seeing as how my BIL got the boys hooked on Angry Birds.

Picked up a couple of pins for the pontoon's bimini top. Those suckers weren't cheap – $6.99/piece. But, hey....they'll keep the bimini top in place.

Skies cleared up, and the sun came out after lunchtime.

Put the Waverunner in, and took it out for a while. Rob still doesn't think it's reaching top speed, but it seems to be running better than it was last summer. I got it up to 49mph....that's fast enough for me.

And now, it's clouding up again.

Started making a wish list of things I/we would like to have for the cabin: hammock, patio table & chairs, picnic table, blender, toaster oven (waiting for our gift to arrive, it's been on back order), camping/outdoor cooking gear, grill, game table & chairs, framed aerial pic of East Crooked Lake, bedside table, boat-shaped bookcase, lamps, bar stools, oversized cushy chairs, cabin décor, ATV, snowmobile. Remember, it's a wish list....it's not all going to possible, some of it might have to wait a few years (i.e., ATV and snowmobile).

Took the pontoon out for one more spin around the lake -- call it a "practice drive" for me taking the pontoon out without Rob being around. Brendan went with me....for another swim session....his third time today. The kid loves jumping off the pontoon -- so funny!

July 31

Again, didn't hang out for too long this morning. Rob cut down a couple of dead trees along the lake shore. I got the cover put on the pontoon.

Drove a slightly different direction – into Akeley, to see the Paul Bunyan statue.

Stopped at the DQ in Motley for lunch.

Got home about 2:30. Unpacked the car. I made a run to Trader Joe's – picked up 4 CASES (!!!) of Rice Milk. We should be set for a while – 1 case will go with us up to the cabin next week, seeing as how the boys will be there for two weeks.

Rob picked beaucoup de raspberries (plus, there's a ton more in the freezer). Ended up making another grocery run (this time to Cub Foods), to pick up pectin (and a few other things). Took the easy route, and made a batch of no-cook raspberry jam. I hope it's tasty!!!

Yay for a pontoon!

Friday, July 15

My cousin came over on Thursday to swap vehicles. We used his truck to bring the pontoon up to the lake. Rob gave me the duty of driving, to which I was a little nervous about hauling the pontoon – it's much bigger than the Waverunner. It wasn't so bad, though – just drove slower. Stopped in Motley for a bathroom/lunch break – little restaurant and gift shop attached to the Shell gas station.

The boys did okay for most of the drive. Keenan ended up napping for about 45 minutes. Brendan got to play with the Touch Pad during this time, which made him happy....but he ended up being quite a pill for the rest of the trip – bugging Keenan, whining about not getting Touch Pad time, etc... Unfortunately, this behavior didn't quit once we got to the cabin – I've had more than enough of his uncooperative, not-following-directions-or-being-helpful, sassy attitude. I hope it improves over the rest of the weekend.

After pulling into the driveway, we unloaded the truck. Rob started mowing the grass. The boys put on their swimsuits and headed for the lake. Brendan and Keenan were having a great time jumping off the dock. It is fun to watch them play and have fun. We were curious as to how weedy it was going to look – doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as that guy at the mini-golf place made it how to be.

Got the pontoon in the lake (and I'm darned proud of myself for being the one to do it, and without much of a problem!). Had a few problems, though – took us a bit to figure out how to get the tilt/trim to work and get the motor/propeller in the water. Then we forgot to prime the motor to fire it up. After a few tries of trying to get the motor going, we had nothing. Ended up pulling the pontoon back out of the lake (to which I was worried because the tilt/trim wasn't working at this point, either, and I didn't know if there'd be room for the motor to come out of the water). Back at the cabin, Rob took a look to see if he could figure out what was wrong, but he didn't have much luck.

I took a short walk – was hoping to chat with our neighbors. I am so glad I did! Our neighbors across the swamp are absolutely wonderful! Molly and John. John came over and looked at the pontoon – turned out the problem was that we didn't have the shift fully in Neutral. We must have knocked it slightly out of place or something. We stood and yapped with them for quite a while, though. They're a bit older than us, but not so much older that we can't enjoy visiting with them.

Made a second attempt to put the pontoon in the lake. This time, it was a success. I drove the truck and trailer back to the cabin, the boys rode with Rob in the pontoon to pick me up at our dock.

FINALLY!!! We get to go out on the lake!!! WE LOVE IT!!! Did a lot of looking at the shoreline – checking out the houses, docks, and boats. The boys wanted to go swimming, so we found a nice area to take a break – opened up a side door and the back door of the pontoon, and let them have a go at it. Keenan was the first one to jump in (that kid has NO FEAR). Brendan did most of his jumping with his life jacket on, but did about six or so jumps at the end without his life jacket. He's starting to try diving...and he's not doing too bad for not having any formal instruction!

By the time we came in from the lake, and I got the boys cleaned up, it was almost 8:00. Dinner consisted of corn dogs and broccoli. Eventually, I'll get around to better meal planning – I don't want to be eating frozen foods all the time.

I made a quick run into town to pick up a few groceries – ½ gallon of milk, some hamburger buns (for the association meeting/pot luck), and some lunch meat.

Saturday, July 16

Holy Humidity!!! It had to have been 100% humidity this morning. There was fog over the lake this morning, and our basement windows were so condensed, you could use a squeegee to clear them off.

I made a run into town (Park Rapids). Picked up a few things at Wal-Mart; stopped at the L&M Fleet Supply store (hardware/sporting goods store); stopped at the candy store.

The lake association potluck and meeting was today. It was nice to meet other people on the lake. Most of the people on the lake are like us – in that this is not our primary residence. There are only a handful of people that actually live up here year-round.

The sun finally started to peek out mid-to-late afternoon, and after the potluck/meeting, we went out for a pontoon ride and swims. I even jumped in the lake. It was chilly, but refreshing. The boys had a great time jumping off the boat (again). I'm glad I didn't sign the boys up for swim lessons this summer – it's just not necessary with all the water time they will get. It seems to make more sense for them to take swim lessons in the fall and/or winter when we don't have lake access.

And the lake --- amazingly clear!!! There is a guy on the lake that takes secchi disk readings throughout the year, and reports them to the DNR. He got readings today of 24 ft clarity!!! Beautiful....just beautiful.

Sunday, July 17

Another foggy morning. ALL the windows of the house have condensation on them!

One of these weekends we'll stay a little longer on Sundays, but it's not this weekend. Put the cover on the pontoon – a bit of a struggle doing it for the first time, but we eventually figured it out.

Left the Nissan up there again; we'll need it next time to put the Waverunner in.

Another June Weekend

Friday, June 24

Due to all the rain we received this week, the soccer fields were closed, thus canceling Brendan's Friday night soccer practice. On the bright side, we were able to come up the cabin earlier! Yay!!!

Brendan still wanted to do Mad Lib book club at the library. So, the boys and I didn't officially get on the road until just after 4:00 – we got stuck in rush hour + “up north/cabin” traffic. We still didn't do too bad with time, though. The boys and I stopped at Dairy Queen for dinner....so, the extra traffic and dinner stop added about 1 hour 5 minutes onto our drive time. Instead of making the drive in about 3 hours 15 minutes, it took us about 4 hours 20 minutes. Rob had just finished mowing the grass when we arrived.

Saturday, June 25

A little cloudy this morning, but still a beautiful morning. A bit of a wind, as well – the lake was not a quiet stillness today. Played a morning game of cribbage with Brendan – he WHOMPED me. I didn't get skunked, but he still beat me good....luck of the draw/deal/cut. Rob and I put another set of bunk beds together....for now, we're leaving them as separate beds, but we put them together so that they could be easily stacked if/when we want to actually bunk them.

Made a trip into Park Rapids.

Made stops at:

*Charlie's Boat & Marine – looked at a few pontoons. To buy the one we would want new would cost about $22K....and that doesn't include a trailer. At this point, I think we'd like to find a gently used/great condition pontoon that includes a trailer for around $12K. Back to craigslist I go.

*That goofy little store (S&L Outlet) by the Wal-Mart again – picked up another twin mattress. Still need one more mattress, but it's not an absolute necessary need for this weekend.

*Hardware store – broom & dustpan. They have aerial pics of area lakes – found one of our lake. $45 for a 16x20 print. Didn't buy it....I'll have to do some more searching to see what I can find – I'd love to have an aerial picture of our lake framed and hanging up in the cabin.

*Another furniture store.

*Subway – lunchtime. Dude. Nobody told me how good their flatbread is!!! I may never order a “regular” sub sandwich there again!

*Main Street Park Rapids – two candy stores; I peeked into a couple of shops, too.

*Wal-Mart – picked up a few miscellaneous things & groceries.

Called mom as we were leaving Park Rapids (around 1:30) to see if they had left the cities, yet. They were just leaving. Rob and I figured we'd see them about 5:00.

Beautiful afternoon around here – mid 70s and sunhine!!! I LOVED IT!!! Picked weeds out of the rocks along the sidewalk – funny how housework like that is a much more pleasant task here at the cabin!

The boys went swimming in the lake, and they were absolutely hilarious to watch. The first time, Brendan was in the lake, and Keenan just played on the dock. The second time, however, even Keenan was jumping into the lake (with his life jacket on), and then swimming to shallow water so we could pull him up onto the dock, only to do it again!!!

Mom and the girls arrived about 5:30 … they got slightly lost … and made the wrong turn right where I thought they were. I remember when I e-mailed the directions to mom, I debated on whether or not make a definitely clear statement about the turn. I thought my directions were clear, and really, they are....but they didn't go far enough north, and turned on the Cass County Road 33, rather than the Hubbard County Road 33. Their GPS helped them out, though.

And now....the frogs are singing away. I love listening to them. But, it's almost 10:30....time to call it a night, and head to bed. Hoping/planning on having some waverunner fun out on the lake tomorrow.

Sunday, June 26

It doesn't feel like a Sunday. Probably because we're still up at the cabin, and not heading home until tomorrow.

Brendan stayed up quite late last night. Brittany taught him how to play chess. He's definitely enjoyed learning the rules, and is intrigued by the game – he's been playing against himself off and on throughout the day! I like how Britt taught him the rules – she provided a story about each piece and their role in the game. Makes me want to see if there is a storybook out there about chess! AND, Brendan is already thinking about the possibility of joining in on chess club at his school!!! I see a chess game as a Christmas present in Brendan's near future (seeing as how Britt already thought she gave him a chess game for Christmas)!!!

I was already in bed, and basically asleep, when Brendan came in and said, “MAMA! We have to read!!!” I feel bad about us not reading together last night, but it was late – like 11:00 late. Maybe we won't have a reading streak as long as the one between that father & daughter (The Reading Promise), but we'll do as much bedtime reading togethere as possible.

So now....onto today....Weather forecast that we heard on the radio said it was going to be mostly cloudy, but we should still get temps in the mid-70s. I don't think that happened. The thermometer under the deck is currently reading 68.

We headed into Dorset – a town that claims to be the “Restaurant Capital of the World” – to celebrate Rob's birthday (it's tomorrow). We went to Campaneros, a mexican restaurant suggested to us by our (Lino Lakes) neighbors – they have a cabin up in this area, too. It was okay – Mexican food. Maybe it's that Mexican food isn't my favorite food – all those flour/corn tortillas, all that cheese, rice, beans, etc.... Bummed around the town for a little bit – not too many shops to check out, but a couple. I liked the book store, and wouldn't mind going back there again if I ever needed/wanted to buy a book (I try to save a little money by borrowing my books from the library).

Found an 18-hole mini-golf course in Dorset. The boys love mini-golf, and seeing as how they did pretty good bumming around the town, we let them play. Found out the guy that owns/runs the mini-golf course (and the RV park) owns some land (and is trying to sell it) here on our lake (too busy, and doesn't have enough time to enjoy it). He also made a comment about how weedy the bay area gets – so weedy that it's tough to actually boat in it....good for oxygen in the lake, and the fish tend to breed, I guess. I asked him if the weeds would make it difficult to get a Waverunner out to the main part of the lake, to which he said, “What's that?” When I finally came up with the right description (JetSki), he said, “Oh! I hate those things!” Bad experience with someone on a PWC coming within about 50 feet of him/people trying to fish. He also made a comment about being a bit surprised when he saw that the place was sold – that lake lots with a road in-between are the hardest to sell. His comments were a little disheartening, and had me second-guessing our decision to purchase this place. BUT, it's too late to be second-guessing, don't you think???

I love this place; the boys love this place. The opportunities for fun/adventure/exploring are endless. I love that we're far away from the hustle and bustle of city-life.

The boys went swimming again today. They were hilarious!!! It was only 68 degrees outside, but they jumped in! Brendan wore his wetsuit – it's still a little big for him, but it works.

It's a bummer that the weather wasn't as nice today as it was yesterday. But, I hope everyone still had fun. I'm going to have to come up with some rainy day activity buckets – including some artsy-fartsy-crafty stuff.

Monday, June 27

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROB!!!

Had early morning showers and thunderstorms this morning. Mom and the girls left about 9:15-ish. We stayed another couple hours to clean things up and put things away. During that time, it was quite nice out – the sun was shining, and it was warming up a little bit.

Didn't get to use the Waverunner this weekend. Bummer about that....but, maybe next time. Left the Nissan up at the cabin, too. I can drive the van this week; we'll take the van back to Michigan; we'll be home 4 days after coming back from Michigan, and then head back up to the cabin for another weekend. So, really.....not a big deal to leave the Nissan up there – plus it saves us gas mileage and money on traveling with two vehicles. Plus, it was nice to have the whole family in the vehicle on the way home – that's a first since getting the cabin, as we've been taking two vehicles up each time!!!

Oh! Britt & Alex helped Rob move the big couch from the downstairs to the upstairs – the living room is much cozier, even if it only has the couch and a coffee table! And now, I'm re-thinking putting the game table downstairs....instead, I want it upstairs. It seems to make more sense....plus, there's room for it. But, I'm going to hold off on getting the table that I think I want to get. I'll wait until after we get back from Michigan, and if the shop still has it, then maybe it's meant to be for me to get it.

I'd still like to get a bookcase for the boys' room; at least one bedside table for our bedroom; and one chest of drawers for our bedroom. I'm also going to need some closet storage stuff – just the simple stuff that hangs from closet rods.

And now....we're back home. It's sunny, but a bit windy. The boys are playing outside....getting all their wiggles and squirms out!!! We are so lucky – they are absolutely wonderful travelers! Did I mention that Brendan read for at least an hour on our drive up? He read for a bit on the way home, too. And Keenan....that funny boy – he looked at a book for a little bit, and then he looks out the window a lot – as we were leaving the cabin, he said, “Are you certain this is the road we took to the cabin?” Certain? Did that boy say, “certain?” Yes! He did!!! He seems to have a knack for where things are, and how we get to places. Gosh, I love my boys!

Introducing B&K to the cabin

JUNE 10, 2011

And to think we half-contemplated not coming up this weekend. I say half-contemplated, because in my mind there really was no doubt that we would be coming up here (to the cabin) this weekend, even with rain and cooler temps in the forecast.

We hit the road about 8:00 this morning. Made a pit-stop in Motley (about 2 hours into the drive) – bathroom break, snack, and a quick game of tag in the park (no equipment) to stretch our legs.

Arrived at the cabin just before 11:30. The boys were extremely excited (I was, too), and they absolutely LOVE the place! I don't think I could even imagine them not liking the place. We brought a few toys up here last weekend (cars/trucks/trains) – got the boys playing with those while we unloaded the van and set a few things up.

I picked up a bunkbed ($100 craigslist posting) Wednesday night. The only beds up here were Brendan and Keenan's bunkbed – Rob and I needed something to sleep on, and we hadn't decided what to do about our bed situation, yet. Put the beds together in our room.

Took a bit of a break from bringing stuff in before hauling the couch in. That sucker is HEAVY. It wasn't easy carrying it out of our house, and into the van – I wasn't looking forward to carrying it into the cabin and up the stairs to the living room! Needless to say, we barely got it in the house. The couch is in the downstairs living room – and will stay there until we get someone a bit (a lot) stronger than me to help haul it upstairs.

Made a trip into Park Rapids, the closest “big town.” First stop was a little store called S&L outlet – our neighbor recommended the place to us. They sell a little bit of everything, including mattresses and furniture. We bought 2 pillow-top twin mattresses, a queen-sized bed frame, a queen-sized mattress and boxspring, and a cutting board. The twin-sized mattresses went in the van (we needed those TONIGHT). The queen bed and mattress set is being delivered tomorrow. How awesome is that??!? I totally love that they are delivering, at no extra charge! I told them they should give our neighbors a discount the next time they're shopping there!!!

We then headed to Main Street. Rob promised the boys a trip to the candy store. After picking out candy (lots of taffy), we wandered Main Street for a bit. There's a few gift shops and specialty stores (including one for knitters and quilters), a couple of candy and ice cream shops, some restaurants. There's a thrift store down there, too – picked up a napkin holder, tea kettle, and set of coasters for $5. I definitely want to wander that area again....but with a girlfriend, and no kids!!!

Finally left Main Street and headed to Wal-Mart for another “stock the cabin” shopping trip. Some things we picked up include: Lawnmower, bathroom garbage can, tall kitchen garbage can (for recyclables), pillows, mattress pads, Pull-Ups and butt wipes, sunscreen; also picked up some grocery items....milk, cheese, butter, frozen veggies, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc.... and yes, I picked up some fresh food (apples, grapefruit, bananas, carrots, lemon, potatoes), too!

Saw two loons on our lake on the way back to the cabin. So cool!

We are a bit secluded right now, and out of touch with “the rest of the world.” Our cell phones don't work here – a small pocket that Verizon doesn't reach. No broadcast television, either – we're going to have to go the satellite route if we want TV. This will be a great weekend for us to hang out and explore....rest, relax, and have some fun together, and enjoy the beauty and tranquility that this place offers us.

To me....this place is amazing!!! I love it here. And so far, the boys are loving it, too!!!

JUNE 11, 2011

Another exciting day....and it's only 4:30!!!

Relaxing morning....as relaxing as it can get with our two boys! Actually, I was able to read for a little bit – grabbed a blanket and headed to the basement to sit on the reclining couch. Brendan came down after a while to say “Good Morning,” and to snuggle and yap. He then grabbed a book and sat next to me to read, too. Then Rob came down, and our reading time ended.

Sidenote discussion on reading, and books: Our library system has a summer reading reward program. After so many hours of reading (10 hours, I think), children can bring in their filled in sheet for a reward (water bottle); they can bring in their sheet, again, after 20 hours of reading to get a slightly bigger reward (I don't remember what it is). Here's my question: My child doesn't need a reading reward program to get him reading. This kid LOVES to read. I'd love to be able to have him participate in the reading program, but how do I/we keep track of the time he spends reading? Want to know what else amazes me about this kid??? He's reading multiple books, at the same time – there's one at home that we started reading together (My Father's Dragon); he left that one at home and brought a different one for us to read together here at the cabin (Hop: the movie); he's got books in each bathroom (two at home; and now two at the cabin); there's one in the car for this weekend (Guinness World Records, 2010 edition); plus at least one or two other books just lying around! How do you keep that many storylines straight???!?

Re-arranged beds this morning, so as to make room for the queen bed arriving here this evening. There are now two sets of bunk beds in the boys' room....and it will probably stay that way for a while. How many beds/people do you think we can sleep in this house. Once our new bed arrives tonight, we will have enough sleeping space for 6 people. We easily have room for two more bunk beds in the playroom/guest room....giving us a total of 10 sleeping spaces. I like those numbers.

Took a walk mid-morning; followed the “Minimum Maintenance Road.” I should have worn Garmin, gosh-darnit. I thought about grabbing it for our walk, but once again, I didn't. Silly me....next time, I will. I also need to go back to MapMyRun or GoogleMaps to look at some running options. Have I mentioned that I think it would be really cool to do Yoga out on our deck, or....even better.....out on the dock???!? I'll have to work on improving my yoga-knowledge!

Keenan found a toad on the deck. He left it alone, but then Brendan came out....he kept touching it and making it jump around the deck. I took a video clip of it.

Had some lunch, then headed into downtown Nevis. They were having some sort of 50s/60s “bash.” The boys played at the community park, and we walked around town for a bit. It's a small town, but nice – there's a 10-hole mini-golf course. Kids 3 and under are free; everyone else is $2. I like cheap entertainment. Stopped in the consignment store – I wasn't impressed. I did find a piece of furniture I liked – a cedar (or some other wood) chest. There was also a matching bookcase table and end table. Don't know how much the chest cost, but I think the asking price for the other two tables was $150 each. Oh well.....now, if it had been $150 for all three pieces, I would have been making a trip back with the van to pick it up. I would consider paying $75 for the chest....wish I had seen a price; didn't feel like asking about it at the time. Stopped by the meat store, too. They were cooking up Wild Rice Brats outside the store (as part of the 50s/60s 'bash'). Rob and I got one to share, but then the boys wanted to taste it, and once they got a taste, we had to buy another one! They're too funny, I tell ya! A few more minutes of playground time (while Rob made a liquor run – Summer Shandy, and some margarita mixes) before heading back home.

Hung out at the dock for a bit. It warmed up quite nicely today. So nice, in fact, that I regret not having packed shorts or swim trunks for the boys. As we sat and 'played' on the dock, their clothes started coming off. Keenan was down to his pull-up, and Brendan was down to his underwear. It was hilarious. Rob thinks they're weird; I just laugh, because I actually encourage it....they're still young enough to do it. Keenan and Rob headed in to get cleaned up. I stayed out on the dock with Brendan....and he finally got all the way in the water – he swam out to the edge of the dock, did a few bobs and such. He was having a great time!

Came in to get Brendan cleaned up and warmed up – Brendan received the honors of being the first one with a wood tick. It was on his left hip.

And now....we're heading into the evening. Rob is out mowing the grass. The boys are downstairs in the playroom (future guest room).

Not sure what we'll do this evening. Maybe put in a movie (it's the only thing we can do with the television for the time being). Maybe read (this is what I'd like to do). Maybe play some games (we have quite a few of those already).