Put your smile on

I saw this on a friends Facebook wall and loved it....had to share the laugh.
Ignore the lousy job I did of embedding the video from You Tube....it's my first time.   :)

Living My Memories

My Dad's side of the family has owned a camp on Indian Lake in upstate New York for about 100 years.  It started as a hunting cabin.  Not exactly sure when it became the family residence during the summer but I know that's how it was for my Dad growing up.  I was lucky enough to get to go for a vacation most years growing up...though never for an entire summer.  I LOVED my time on the lake.  "Camp", as we have always called it, holds fond memories for me...all happy ones. 

Here is Camp as it was in 1988:

Time stood still on vacation. My brother and I played from the time we woke up to the time we were sent to bed. We played in the woods, swam, canoed, water skied, caught frogs, worked on puzzles, visited at neighboring camps, cards & board games, read in the hammock, fed the chipmunks....so simple but unforgettable.

Me with our dog Charlie out for a canoe ride:

Me water skiing for the first time at age 11....still "got it" many years later as an adult:

My last visit to Camp as a child was at age 14.  My parents divorced and we never went again.  That is until I was married with kids of my own.  1988 was when we had a small family reunion at Camp with my Dad, Edie and my brothers family.   I was thrilled to introduce my kids to what was my favorite place on earth.

Here they enjoy canoeing (same canoe) with their grandparents:

We were able to take them back to Camp two more times after that trip.   Flying across the country was much harder to accomplish than a drive.   Who knows if my grand kids will ever get to go.  I hope so.

For now, hubby and I rent a house on Lake Cavanaugh here in WA and invite our family to come spend time at the lake.  The area is different, the "cabin" is a huge modern home, the lake is more crowded....but the lake is still a lake.  Our grand kids might not get to experience canoe riding on the same lake as their ancestors have but they CAN experience it.   And I get to live my memories all over again.  

A few pics from this years lake visit.

Jenn, Faith and David learning the fine art of summer relaxation:

David and Liam playing with dominoes:

Puzzles...gotta complete a puzzle:

Thank you Lord, for happy memories past, present and future.   :)

30 Years

Then:

Now:

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Super Easy Receiving Blanket

I put together this cute little blanket in less than an hour.  I already had the pieced top done.  The pattern is for two pieces of flannel so there'd be no piecing involved anyway. 
So nice to have a pattern that is quick and easy. 

Close up of the mitered corners:

Weekend with the Grands

Jenn and the grandsons came over this last weekend.   The weather was nice so we had lots of outdoor time.   Hubby had found a wooden mailbox at Joann's that he painted a few weeks ago.  We thought it'd be fun to put it on our property with "mail" inside for the boys.  We put it in plain sight for this visit but will hide it more as they grow older.

Here it is under the tree...waiting for the boys to collect their mail:

Close up:

This time we put some cars inside.  Who knows what it'll be next time.  
Barely got this picture taken before they were up and running!

They also love playing in the back of the truck. 

And we topped the night off with a marshmallow roast.  :)

Fun visit!