Mercer Continued

Hello Again – more to report from the North Woods!

Days two and three have been wonderful. Megan and Garrett arrived and we had a wonderful ham dinner to start us off. Most of our time has been spent in front of the warm fireplace, sharing stories. All while sipping on beer or wine, and eating cookies brought from home. One thing is for sure; no one will ever go hungry in this cabin.

 

Yesterday all four of us worked our tails off on the ice rink. Megan and I cleared the snow ourselves – this was a huge project seeing as we couldn’t get the snow blower to start and the rink was gigantic. Then Ted and Garrett flooded the rink that evening. So much work went into this rink! We were all exhausted and decided to go out for dinner. Cooking was simply not an option...

We went to the Cranberry Inn, which was highly recommended by the locals. It was quite good! Between the four of us we sampled the whole menu with steak, ribs, chicken marsala and walleye. And they had cranberry butter! These folks don’t mess around. After our bellies were full, we decided to venture to another local favorite; The Heart of the North. We had a few $1.25 Miller Lights and told some hilarious tales of the past and had a really great time. Regardless of the fact that we were the only paying customers there at 9:00 pm on a Thursday. It was really great.

Today we explored the entire town of Mercer in approximately two hours. We visited the Paw Shop, Whimsies, the Wampum Shop, the Warehouse, and most importantly, the world’s largest loon.

We came home eager to get out on the ice, and that’s where we spent most of the afternoon. It’s still a little rough so we’ll probably need to flood the rink again tonight, but it was great! Now the men are out fishing and Megan and I are inside blogging, reading, and keeping the fire going. Just wait till tomorrow – the adventure we have planned for tonight should certainly be blog-worthy!

ta ta for now!

Greetings from the North Woods!

Hello! I am writing from my grandparents cozy cabin in the Wisconsin north woods. Ted and I are here anxiously awaiting the arrival of Garrett and Megan who are coming in from Michigan. We're hoping that some more friends will be coming up from McHenry, too!! (After seeing these photos they'll be crazy not to come.)

So here's the scoop: We got in last night and Ted immediately started the fire. We unpacked, made dinner and went to sleep early (Ted needed to wake up early to ice fish... and that's where he's been all day) He will have to post about his catch of the day. I hope it isn't the 4 inch perch I saw him reel in this morning... That would be one unhappy fisherman...

We are wearing our flannel and planning to cook a ham dinner tonight! There is a constant flow of flurries out the window and my fingers are crossed for more. I'm hoping Ted will get sick of fishing and come ice skating with me soon... Ok, yeah right, I can't wait for another girl to arrive.

More posts and photos to come!

These are the Christmas Cards I mailed to my faraway college friends! 

I used colored paper scraps from the bridal shop, cut into slices, and glued together for a funky different texture. These were way more work than I originally anticipated, so don't feel left out if you didn't get one, lol. If you try this technique at home, have the slices professionally cut! 

What I was realizing as I was addressing things to Washington D.C., Washington State, New Jersey, California, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, and all over the Chicagoland area, is that my friends are COOL. And I have a LOT of traveling and visiting to do! Even though we are far away for the holidays, I was glad to mail them something special. :)

Holiday Cheer :)

Hello Friends!

So sorry for the lack of blogging this month but I'm about to catch up! I've been using my unemployment time to my advantage, (well, most of it anyway...) I've been creating fabulous things. My mother brought home a vintage desk that I've turned into my workstation

Now presenting to you, my miniature paper tree! Everything on this tree is a handcrafted paper decoration. I'm excited to finally show it off!

The tree is only about 3' and is a light champagne color - in natural light it has a vintage look. And it is a little bit crooked, oh well, adds character. I also stitched up the tree skirt from some fabric and trim scraps I found in the ole basement. I just had a lot of fun with this... working on it whenever I had a spare moment... in between job applications, interviews, and traveling. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Posts from the Road

Some favorite postcards I picked up on my trip!  

This card is three dimensional!

Great retro typography

Ok, we loved North Dakota... And the zig-zag edges...

Final Destination :) 

Road Trip Diaries; Day 1

A few weeks ago my old college pal, Lauren, called me up and asked if I would drive across the country with her. She had secured an employment opportunity in Everett, Washington and she needed someone to keep her company along the way. My answer: “I’m unemployed and I just bought a new suitcase! I’m there!”

And that is how the story begins.

Day One: (11/06/11) I headed north on an Amtrak to Chicago after a short visit with Ted. There I met Lauren who had driven in from South Bend, Indiana. I jumped into her over-stuffed Toyota and we headed on our way. I unfortunately was starting the trip off with a bad bout of pink eye, but with hopes that it would disappear in a few days, we didn’t even let that phase us. The drive on day one was full of catching up – so many good stories and gossip to tell! 

We practically flew through Wisconsin and Lauren drove all the way to Saint Cloud, Minnesota where she had arranged for us to stay with her friend Joe. By the time we got there we were both beat! I took a shower and fell asleep while she and Joe got a chance to catch up. 

Road Trip Diaries; Day 2

Day Two: (11/07/11) We woke up early and left quietly so as not to disturb Joe’s roommates (although they did not have the same courtesy the night before…) and we got back on the road. North Dakota was a lot more fun than expected! We stopped at the Welcome Center and picked up about 20 brochures that would take us all the way to Washington. The lady there really loved her job.

Friends!

Anyway, things were going really well – the scenery was gorgeous! – until we lost the luggage carrier that was attached to the top of the car!! I am not kidding, this was a scene out of a movie. We are driving along and we hear a funny thumping noise, we look at each other and shrug, I look in the rear view mirror and we realize was happened and start screaming and I pull over and before I know it Lauren is dodging traffic in the middle of the highway chasing down the giant duffel. Thank God some nice men pulled over to help us – they threw the giant bag on the back of their truck (with very little effort) and drove it to our car on the side of the road. They pulled some spare bungee cords from the bed of their truck and helped us secure the carrier again. The stupid thing didn’t budge after they were done with it. We said thank you and were on our way once again. Few! No real damage but we agreed, that was enough excitement for one day.

The Badlands by Moonlight

Bison!

Deer!

As we are getting close to Montana we pull over and get a glimpse at the Teddy Roosevelt National Badlands. This is breathtaking so we decide to take the driving loop around the park. Hands down, the best $10.00 I’ve spent in my entire life. It took almost two hours to do the loop, but I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Words cannot explain the sights we saw. Truly amazing. 

We finally get to Montana!! And they have a nice big “Welcome to Montana” sign so I beg Lauren to pull over so we can take a picture with it. This is what you’re supposed to do on a road trip after all, right? I snapped some photos and we scurried back into the car because it was now freezing. We stopped for some dinner in Glendive, Montana but when it came time to take care of the bill I realized my wallet was not in my pocket. And it was not in my purse. And it was not in the car. Ok, freaking out. I remembered having it when we were at the Montana sign.

The Bed & Breakfast

So, we drive back to the sign and look for it... By this point it is pitch black, extra thank you to Daylight Savings Time, and we can’t find it. Lauren secretly wants to kill me, but she kept her cool and was really nice about it all. We decide to call it a night and try to find a hotel near the border so we can wake up early and look for it in the morning. Ok, great plan, except this part of the country is over-taken with oil workers and every hotel we find is full. (Except Beaver Creek but that place was way too sketch and the guy at the desk had a face tattoo. No way.) We are at our wits end; if we go further it won’t make sense to come back and look for the wallet, but there was over $100 in cash in the wallet, not to mention if I don’t have an ID, flying home will be an absolute nightmare. We finally find a bed and breakfast (thank you Ted and your google skills.) We settle in for the night in coziest little room – we both took 45 minute showers to help us calm down. This was the best nights sleep we’ve ever had.