Tag: Catching Up!

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Catching Up!

Hello All!  Still gathering information and photos for the Amsterdam post, but that doesn’t mean we don’t go on living…here is what we have been up to.



My brothers daughter got married last weekend and we had so much fun celebrating with the entire family.

 My youngest brother, Michael, his wife Lisa and their two sons, Zachary and Trevor.  

Roseann, my brother Gary’s wife, who was also the mother of the bride, made all of the floral arrangements.  She is so talented.  

 Of course you know Olivia and Zachary 🙂

Me, Olivia, and Trevor
Image may contain: 6 people, including Olivia Myers, people smiling, indoor

Image may contain: 5 people, including Olivia Myers, people smiling, indoor

 Lauren danced so much we thought she might give birth that night.  The baby is due August 2nd!

 Dave caught me by surprise 🙂

 Bethanie was a beautiful bride.

 I love my girls!

 This little guy, Matthew, had a crush on Olivia!  He followed her around all night 🙂

My brothers, cousins, sons-in-law…love them all.

At the library the other day, during the children’s reading program, our Township Supervisor came in to address the children.  He is such a supporter of our library and has recently given us the OK to build a brand new facility.  We can’t wait!
The summer reading program draws in so many kids and their families. 

I have been gathering ideas for the small bath and laundry room redo.  

For the guest bathroom we are replacing the granite with a brighter color.  Putting up wallpaper and a gallery wall.  Replacing the toilet and sink with white fixtures.  New rug and photos for the gallery wall.  

For the laundry room, I found this paper and fell in love with it.  One wall will be covered with this gray and black and cream design.  New washer and dryer and open shelving above the appliances.  I’ll get more detailed pictures and a design board later when I have more details.  Right now I am waiting for wallpaper samples to show up in my mailbox.  

Dave has been spending lots of time at dealerships trying to decide which car to get next.  He is also slammed at work and me thinks the relaxed Dave from vacation has been forgotten and replaced with the stressed Dave.:(

That’s what we have been up to.  Lots of biking and running still, Dave ran 9 this weekend while I only ran six.  We biked over 20 miles last week and worked out at the gym on alternating days.  

We both gained a few pounds on vaca but are trying to get back on track- trying to stay away from craft beer and fatty foods for awhile.  And we are trying to enjoy the outdoors in Michigan- we know our warm days are limited.
Take care Friends.  I’ll check back in a day or two with our Amsterdam post.

DAKLeave a comment

Catching Up!

Hi Everyone!  Life has been very busy over here.  Here is what we have been up to.  This weekend we had Dave’s brothers over.  Ken’s birthday was last week and we decided to celebrate it with a barbecue.  On the menu was chicken-kabobs, rosemary potatoes, green beans and a salad that Kim brought.  The meal was very good and the conversation was lighthearted and funny!

It’s funny when I planned this menu I planned how the food would be displayed on the island, as we got closer to dinner time, the food was placed down and I didn’t get a chance to organize it…just one of the pet peeves I have…just want to make sure all looks nice before the crowd started to serve themselves, oh well.

It’s so nice that Dave and his brothers are close.  They laugh every time they are together.  Which is nice, because their dad is not doing well and it will take strength and laughter to get through the tough times ahead. 


We took KJ to a new water park yesterday!!
Besides running and biking, we are also working hours in the garden.  We have also been playing each other in corn-hole and Dave is the new King of the game.

I have been reading a lot as well, half way through this book- so far a great story and quick read.  Reese Witherspoon suggested it 🙂

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Are you enjoying the warm weather?

We have finally been served up some beautiful weather here in Michigan!  We have been busy biking, running and relaxing on the back porch.  Speaking of the back porch, here are some new pics of the new pillows and rug I picked-up from the Home store.



The new colors are easy on the eye and match the outside of the hot tub perfectly.   

You can see the hot tub tucked away in the corner in this picture.  At night, even though the hot tub is closed up for the summer, we turn on the above lights and enjoy the quietness of the night. 
I originally bought curtains to hang from the pergola but Dave nixed that idea. 🙁
We ended up having some of Dave’s coworkers over for a party and played corn hole.  Have you played corn hole?  It’s super easy and pretty entertaining, we had boys against the girls.

I served dinner and really ended up liking the tablescape. 

We had KJ over on Sunday and he found his favorite spot in the yard- under the arbor 🙂

We enjoyed some biking a few weekends back in Traverse City and in Grand Rapids.  While there, we had to stop in at Perrin Brewery and the Filling Station!  These pork nachos got me so sick I was in bed early and so sick to my stomach…I don’t suggest ordering these at Perrin’s- they are full of grease.  Never again!  But the beer never disappoints. 🙂

 Dave was not affected by the nachos- he must have a stomach of steel. 🙂 

Ended up going on a biking weekend with this group of friends.  Such fun as we biked throughout Petoskey.

Hope all is well with all of you and you are enjoying some outdoor exercise and time with friends. 

Check in soon for another update to see what DAK has been up to!

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10 pictures as of late

 I love my girls!  They continue to make me proud an so happy to be their mother.

 

  We were invited to a family bridal shower and felt like we were in our own little world.  We just kept talking amongst ourselves and giggling.  
  Hanging with our friends at a beer bus tour over the weekend.
 A family Christening took place over the same weekend and it was such a pleasure seeing my nephew with his son.

  

 I made dinner for Lauren and Christopher the other day when I babysat with KJ.  I made us the same dinner and we ate lasagna for days.  This recipe is sooo good! 

We are loving the new outdoor lights we picked up at Costco.com.  We tried the solar route and they just didn’t perform.  These new lights are electric and are very bright!

Bonus picture!  Sweet KJ!!

I have been working on the back patio this week and I will reveal it to you next week!
Stay tuned. 🙂

Karen

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Let’s catch up!

A few pictures to start things off!

 Dave has been busy installing the lighting system I ordered from Costco.com.  


The system comes fully equipped with really good instructions.  The online reviews were amazing- so I felt comfortable that Dave could handle this one. 🙂

Well, when we tried the lights out they didn’t light up!  So here is Dave on the phone with customer service.  They were very helpful and before you know it, we had a well lit house.

We still have a few lights to place around the landscape.  I’ll post more pics at that point.  Overall, an easy experience and one that I will be able to enjoy for a long time to come.
Picked up this topiary from Costco this week and can’t wait to put it in a planter on the front porch.  Finally warm weather is here!!

My back porch is getting a make over!  These are the new colors I have chosen.  I can’t wait to put it all together.  

 All products were picked up from the At Home store.

I usually use the color blue as an accent out here, but I felt I needed to change things up this year.  I wanted a continuous flow from the inside of the house to the outside.  So now the colors will be gray, beige and black- the same colors in the house. 

I’ll update the blog when I finish this next week. 🙂

 KJ having fun outside at my brother’s house. He was digging for worms.

 We gathered there for my nephew Trevor’s confirmation.

 
 This is Trevor holding baby Ethan.  Our family continues to grow in numbers and in love. 🙂

Trevor is in 8th grade and is kind and loving.  He is just like my little brother, his father, Mike.

Dave and I tried a new taproom in Midland, MI.  It’s called Whichcraft (cute name) and it was very good! Lots of beers to choose from.

Finally the sun!  We have had a lonnnng winter and now we are finally seeing sunlit rooms- I love it!  

We haven’t decided on a rug for this room yet.  We are still looking around and taking our time.  Haven’t really decided if I want to change out the artwork yet either.  

So that is what we have been busy with.  What’s new with you?

Karen

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A new week, but the same weather :(

I can’t wait till Michigan finally warms up.  It has been so cold for too long.  We’re anxious to get outside and ride our bikes or go for a nice run.  In the meantime we are using our local gym for its full potential.

It was a great family weekend and I began mine by babysitting KJ.  We had such fun together!  Shopping at Target, he found a mask he really liked. 🙂

On Saturday we decided to go out for a pizza and craft beer at Bigalora and enjoy their happy hour.  
Then we headed out to the movies to see The Quiet Place and Chappaquiddick  Both were so good and yet so different.  One was scary and had me on the edge of my seat, the other got me mad that someone got away with murder and never served jail time.  I recommend both of them.  
   Image result
Image result

 Dave having fun between the two movies. 🙂

This book was in my hands the entire weekend, almost done.  So good, Dave actually said to me that I read too much.  Can you imagine saying that to a Librarian??
Dave ran 2 miles yesterday between rain showers and I sat and read.  I enjoyed a family dinner with my brothers on Sunday while Dave had dinner with his father.  We shared a Dairy Queen Blizzard at night while watching the Nightly News.  It was a nice weekend despite the weather.  

How was your weekend?

Karen