Oh, wow...can I move in??? Looks just gorgeous! Can't wait to see the finished product! Hey, send some of that snow my way, will you? We keep waiting...
Janie, what a PRECIOUS house! I love everything, and the summer house is like a doll house it's so cute! You are one very blessed lady. Winter or summer, it's one mighty neat place! Thanks for sharing. :-)
What lovely snow photos! I love your little lake house! It's darling & the little summer house is so cute & such a good idea. :) What fun it will be to go shopping for all the stuff, too. Hope you are staying warm & toasty. :)
Jane, it is so nice to meet you. What a wonderful summer house you have. It's beautiful through all the snow, I can only imagine what it looks like with the sun shinging, and the flying squirrel in the trees. Thanks for stopping by my blog.. I'm go glad you did. I'm glad you enjoyed the tablescape. Stop again anytime, I love company. :-) hugs ~lynne~
What a wondeful place! I can't wait to see the after pics! Have a happy week! ;-D
January 20, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Anonymous said...
Hi Janie! It's so nice to meet you! Brrr...looks very cold. What a beautiful place to spend time in. Thanks for the visit and I hope you'll come back to see me. Be a sweetie, Shelia ;)
Your snow pictures are just gorgeous. The third closeup picture would make a stunning Christmas card!
I'm LOL over your comment about "plundering". Oh, it's definitely a word...and if you really really plunder in things, you may get called a "plunder blossom"!
January 20, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Anonymous said...
Janie, What a cute summerhouse.....Beautiful place by the lakes and bay. Love the statement about letting your hair blow riding down the countryside..listening the radio loud. Thanks for stopping by...Happy Outdoor Wednesday..Katherinellen
What a great place! I love the summer house. And how lucky to have such a wonderful place to relax and restore on the weekends. Can't wait to see your summer pix. Thanks for the trip, and thanks for stopping by my blog. Glad you enjoyed the sunset. Kathy
Janie, I hope you are staying warm! We are freezing here today. I haven't been outside, but I need to go turn off the faucets! It's going to do it again today, too. Brrrrrr! We don't how how to cope with this. Heat, yes. Cold, no.
XO,
Sheila... with teeth chattering!
January 21, 2009 at 8:46 AM
Anonymous said...
How FUN! I love the house; what a great project to dig into and make your own. I bet it was hard returning to Chicago! Have a warm week...as warm as possible, anyway. :)
I am glad your stopped by my blog. I love your blog. I have added you to my favorites. I was born and raised in Illinois.
What a nice little cottage you have on the lake. It sounds like the perfect location. it is beautiful covered in snow. But, I can't wait to see your spring/summer pictures. Have a great day! Terrie
Hi Jane! Thanks a lot for your lovely comment on my blog- happy you found me! Your lake home is just fab- love its colour and the Summerhouse! Can't wait to see your renovation and your summer pictures! It seems like a dream home to me ;) Monica x.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr that looks so cold! It was 33 degrees when I went in to work today at 6:00 AM & I thought that was cold! But, of course... it is 72 degrees now. Life in Texas! Sometimes it's cold sometime it's not. I loved you photos. Please keep sharing them it is wonderful to look at!
Oh, I forgot to say... thank you for stopping by my little world for Tablescape Tuesday. I had to work a really long day so I was late stopping by...to thank you for your visit. Then I got so carried away with your snow/weather that my whole post (see below) was about that!
Hi Jane. Wanted to thank you for coming by to visit me today. I'm just taking a quick break from walking on my treadmill. I have 30 more minutes to go and if I stay too long I will not finish. So after I've been good and do finish my walk I hope to return to read your blog and get to know you better.
Thanks for visiting this evening. I hadn't thought about it. But you're so right, they do almost remind you of the days of glaciers. I hope you're having a super evening. hugs ~lynne~
She's a peach! And tell your lovely lake house not to worry -- I creak and groan and occasionally, too. ;-)
The pictures in the snow are so lovely...I want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and go right inside. Can't wait to see all of your projects...you know how I like a good project!
Your lake house looks like the perfect place to spend weekends. It will be summer before you know it and you'll be on the lake soaking in the sun.
January 24, 2009 at 5:56 AM
[Image]Off we went to the lake early Saturday morning and of course found exactly what we left behind. Guess. Driving up old Brownsville Road I snapped a few pictures of the surrounding farm fields. Around the lake, corn and green beans are grown for the Green Giant, so you may be looking at a picture of the field where the corn you have sitting in your cupboard was grown!! I truly feel like a midwestern girl when we are up in this part of the country. Driving down the backroads with open fields on both side, the windows rolled down, wind blowing my hair all over, the radio blasting...wow, what a feeling of pure freedom . But that is in the summer folks! :-)[Image]This is the lake house from the street. She is a sweet old thing. It was getting dark, snowing and I was freezing, but I wanted to show you where I spend a lot of my time, almost every weekend in the summer. Many renovations have been taking place there over the last two years. A major job was re-staining the entire exterior. It was light brown and now it is this sort of wedgewood blue. We also had the house lifted about 12 inches as it was sinking...yes sinking. The ground is marshy and back when the house was built 30 years ago there were no codes for building on the lake. Now everything goes under inspection before a permit is issued and newer homes are built with special foundations. So, the old girl was lifted in the summer of 2007 and she creaks and groans and occasionally we have a wall crack, but this is to be expected for the next couple of years as she settles back in. (And I thought we had problems here in Chicago in our 80 year old home!)
[Image]This is a view of the front porch. This was added on by Resident Carpenter last summer. I love this porch because it faces the big lake. The back side of our house faces the bay. We are basically on a strip of land with a channel that leads us out to the lake. I ordered some wrought iron furniture from Overstock.com last fall when everything went on sale. It's boxed up in the garage and I don't even remember what it looks like. Overstock has become my best friend as I can order and have it shipped directly to the cottage. And where else can you get shipping for $1.00?
[Image]I took a picture from the covered patio that looks out at the bay, which of course doesn't look particularly like water, but is. Resident Carpenter extended said patio out into the open around our cute little acorn tree which provides shade. By the way, cute little acorn tree has a family of flying squirrels in it. This summer I will try to get a picture of good 'ol Rocky, he's quite cute. :-)
[Image]This is a picture of the Summerhouse, as we call it. It also serves as a guesthouse when we are filled to capacity. The Summerhouse idea came about when we tired of making a run from the patio into the house when the mosquito's invaded on warm summer nights. We did not want to screen in our covered patio as we didn't need another room, and we didn't want a screened gazebo as our neighbors just built one...so, there you have it. The Summerhouse has eight windows and two Murphy beds which fold out from behind shuttered doors. I got as far as furnishing it with wicker but that is about it. I'll have fun playing with it when it warms up. Note the little front porch on it. It is so sweet. We have two glider rockers on it and we like to sit and have a more close up view of the water. I took pictures of the wallpaper in both of the bathrooms as the next time I go they will have been gutted. I think I mentioned, when it comes to the designing of the renovations and redecorating, I have the kitchen, Emily, Future Interior Designer Daughter has powder room, laundry room and mudroom and The Husband has the main bath.
[Image] I LOVE this wallpaper and hate to see it go. It is the bathroom you run to right off the patio when you have been out on the boat all day drinking beer. I bet there have been many sighs of relief heard within those walls! :-) The beach chairs make me smile as well as the kites and the sailboats remind me of the Sunday morning regatta which is just glorious to watch. Fun, fun wallpaper, goodbye. :-(
[Image] This is my upstairs bath wallpaper. I think it is so elegant. I once stayed at a bed & breakfast that had wallpaper similar to this and I loved it. It can't be salvaged, and as I said, The Husband has dibs on this room. I have my fingers crossed for the outcome. Since when did men start to take such a keen interest in decorating? I wish he'd just go fix a leaky faucet.
We had a great weekend. After looking at some of the new work we took Resident Carpenter out for a sandwich and a beer at our local tavern. He then got on a Greyhound to go visit a friend in Pennsylvania and I think it was the first time we've had the house alone in about two years!!
We have so much more to do. Renovations will be done by March 1, and then I have all the fun shopping to do: towels, linens, area rugs, art work...Oooh yum!!
See everyone again soon!!xoxoJane
posted by Blondie's Journal at 2:10 PM on Jan 19, 2009
"Weatherbunny Reports from Michigan"
24 Comments -
Oh, wow...can I move in??? Looks just gorgeous! Can't wait to see the finished product! Hey, send some of that snow my way, will you? We keep waiting...
January 19, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Janie, what a PRECIOUS house! I love everything, and the summer house is like a doll house it's so cute! You are one very blessed lady. Winter or summer, it's one mighty neat place! Thanks for sharing. :-)
XO,
Sheila
January 19, 2009 at 5:57 PM
Beautiful lake house! I think I had similar wallpaper in my bathroom. I never got tired of it...
I'll look forward to your after pictures...though I don't really see anything that needs to be changed!
January 19, 2009 at 6:23 PM
Jane this is a great tour. I would love to see it in person. It looks just lovely!
January 19, 2009 at 8:08 PM
What a charming blue house! The pictures are awesome. Thanks for sharing.
January 19, 2009 at 10:11 PM
What lovely snow photos! I love your little lake house! It's darling & the little summer house is so cute & such a good idea. :) What fun it will be to go shopping for all the stuff, too. Hope you are staying warm & toasty. :)
January 19, 2009 at 11:41 PM
Your home is beautiful! I'm sure you tire of the snow, but I must say you have some great photos of it.
Thanks for visiting me today & leaving me your thoughts!
Come again soon!
January 20, 2009 at 6:33 AM
Jane, it is so nice to meet you. What a wonderful summer house you have. It's beautiful through all the snow, I can only imagine what it looks like with the sun shinging, and the flying squirrel in the trees. Thanks for stopping by my blog.. I'm go glad you did. I'm glad you enjoyed the tablescape. Stop again anytime, I love company. :-) hugs ~lynne~
January 20, 2009 at 6:44 AM
What a wondeful place! I can't wait to see the after pics!
Have a happy week!
;-D
January 20, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Hi Janie! It's so nice to meet you! Brrr...looks very cold. What a beautiful place to spend time in.
Thanks for the visit and I hope you'll come back to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
January 20, 2009 at 9:16 AM
Your snow pictures are just gorgeous. The third closeup picture would make a stunning Christmas card!
I'm LOL over your comment about "plundering". Oh, it's definitely a word...and if you really really plunder in things, you may get called a "plunder blossom"!
January 20, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Janie,
What a cute summerhouse.....Beautiful place by the lakes and bay. Love the statement about letting your hair blow riding down the countryside..listening the radio loud. Thanks for stopping by...Happy Outdoor Wednesday..Katherinellen
January 21, 2009 at 12:52 AM
What a great place! I love the summer house. And how lucky to have such a wonderful place to relax and restore on the weekends. Can't wait to see your summer pix. Thanks for the trip, and thanks for stopping by my blog. Glad you enjoyed the sunset. Kathy
January 21, 2009 at 5:17 AM
Janie, I hope you are staying warm! We are freezing here today. I haven't been outside, but I need to go turn off the faucets! It's going to do it again today, too. Brrrrrr! We don't how how to cope with this. Heat, yes. Cold, no.
XO,
Sheila... with teeth chattering!
January 21, 2009 at 8:46 AM
How FUN! I love the house; what a great project to dig into and make your own. I bet it was hard returning to Chicago!
Have a warm week...as warm as possible, anyway. :)
January 21, 2009 at 9:03 AM
I am glad your stopped by my blog. I love your blog. I have added you to my favorites. I was born and raised in Illinois.
What a nice little cottage you have on the lake. It sounds like the perfect location. it is beautiful covered in snow. But, I can't wait to see your spring/summer pictures. Have a great day! Terrie
January 21, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Hi Jane! I really love all these photos with the snow falling. They are so magical. What a great summer escape you have! Love the porch!!
January 21, 2009 at 9:26 AM
Hi Jane! Thanks a lot for your lovely comment on my blog- happy you found me!
Your lake home is just fab- love its colour and the Summerhouse! Can't wait to see your renovation and your summer pictures! It seems like a dream home to me ;)
Monica x.
January 21, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr that looks so cold! It was 33 degrees when I went in to work today at 6:00 AM & I thought that was cold! But, of course... it is 72 degrees now. Life in Texas! Sometimes it's cold sometime it's not. I loved you photos. Please keep sharing them it is wonderful to look at!
January 21, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Oh, I forgot to say... thank you for stopping by my little world for Tablescape Tuesday. I had to work a really long day so I was late stopping by...to thank you for your visit. Then I got so carried away with your snow/weather that my whole post (see below) was about that!
January 21, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Hi Jane. Wanted to thank you for coming by to visit me today. I'm just taking a quick break from walking on my treadmill. I have 30 more minutes to go and if I stay too long I will not finish. So after I've been good and do finish my walk I hope to return to read your blog and get to know you better.
Hugs!!
Patti c
January 21, 2009 at 6:47 PM
Thanks for visiting this evening. I hadn't thought about it. But you're so right, they do almost remind you of the days of glaciers. I hope you're having a super evening. hugs ~lynne~
January 21, 2009 at 9:35 PM
She's a peach! And tell your lovely lake house not to worry -- I creak and groan and occasionally, too. ;-)
The pictures in the snow are so lovely...I want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and go right inside. Can't wait to see all of your projects...you know how I like a good project!
January 22, 2009 at 7:11 PM
Your lake house looks like the perfect place to spend weekends. It will be summer before you know it and you'll be on the lake soaking in the sun.
January 24, 2009 at 5:56 AM