Been A Long Time

It has been forever since I last posted.  Like two years.  I'm busy.  It turns out 3 kids might have been our limit and 4 just kinda pushed us over the edge, a bit.

Do you ever have one of those days...

First thing...the scale tells you that you have lost 2 pounds!!!  2 pounds, I said!  In spite of the fact that you ate fried mozzarella sticks for supper and had a dessert of fried jalapeno bites (shut up.  seriously.  i live down the street from Arby's AND i skipped the jamocha shake, which earns me a gold star sticker).

Your kids are such cute, witty, funny little critters all day.  The kind of kids you always dreamed of having...matching clothes, pretty smiles, pink-shining cheeks.  They get along like a bible story (what?  i know there are not stories about kids getting along in the Bible, but if there were...these would be the kids).

You get every single item on your "to do" list accomplished...in a skirt...singing songs...pretty, merry little songs...not Nirvana Never Mind or NIN I Want to F...no, think Marry Poppins in flip flops!

Your sweet baby takes her two naps right on schedule.  You make a delicious supper that you all eat...sitting at the table...while you banter benignly over "who was the best President ever".  

You get all the kids to bed on time.  You never once even look at the proliferation of booze in the fridge and think "my god, is it time yet".  After bedtime stories you trot around the house (sans underwire of course) singing "We are the Champions" while congratulating yourself on another day all neatly wrapped up.  

Your husband comes home from a long day at work and greets you with "Hot mutha of fried chocolate!!!  You look like sex on legs, baby!  No, really!  How did you become even MORE gorgeous today while I was at work?!" (this is MY story and he really does say this in my story. zip it.).


??? No? Blank Stare.  Aghast.  Slightly uncomfortable.

Don't worry.  I've NEVER had one of those days either!  

Takes a bow.  

This story was brought to you today by a woman who might or might not be hiding in her closet for three minutes of muthereffingsilence...glaring at her scale...seriously, that thing is such a dick-head!   

Mine Are Better

Well, not really.  But it sounds so cheeky to say it!

I know you have not heard much from your Mistress of the Cottage lately.  After our "country song fall", it has taken some time to get my 'words' back.  You know the song where your baby dies, and you get sick, and your dog dies, and you break both legs, and your truck dies (3x's)...yeah, that song...

I was thinking about all of the stupid things people say about grief.  People say a lot of stupid things, but they say them with so much love, they come out sounding like the Hallelujah Chorus on Christmas Eve.  One of the worst is "time heals all pain"...WRONG!

My friends heal all pain.  The friends who brought me and my family food...the friends who watched Madam Lu...the friends who brought me my very own bag of sweet girlie smelling goodness...the friends who sent me cards, left me msg's...sent encouraging texts and quotes....My friends make me feel loved.  They are warriors when my warrior has moved away.  They fight for me.  My friends heal me.

I have two girlfriends who I can call ANY time and they would drop everything for me (well, 3 if you count my gypsy...who would totally do it when she is here).  I have a friend whom I have known since we were 5...5!!!  He is dearer to me than kitties, lilacs, and semi-gloss paint.  He is always available for some PBJ beer...(yep).  They remind me that even when I am sad...even when I feel my core is destroyed...there are some seriously amazing people who find me worth their love.  THAT IS AWE-INSPIRING!!!

My family heals all pain.  The Aunt who send a card out of the blue to let me know that she was thinking about me...the cousin who showed grace and compassion when I had to miss the most important day of his life...the moms, who have taken care of Madam Lu for me....the grandma who held my hand to take some of my pain...the grandpa who spent a cold-rainy day helping my husband dig a ginormous, Mastiff-sized hole.  If my friends are my warriors, my family is my backbone.  They keep me going when my life is just mush.

I have a group of cousins who are as unique of a group of people that exists.  When I say that we are close, it is only to say that I have a herd of people who would DO ANYTHING for me at any time...they have a gift of treating me the same no matter what...when someone does that, they remind you of who you are...my cousins are my people.  They simply are.

I have a family through marriage who makes me feel accepted.  They continue to welcome me with open arms...even after all of this time...even after getting to know me really well...they inspired me to start doing the things I love (ie projects...WAIT until you see what I have planned before Christmas...starts with a 'p' and rhymes with ain't!!).  They love my kids without question.  They are a spark of life.

Cottage De Haven heals all pain.  NOT the house.  The small group of people that live here.  The people that I get to spend my life with.  I have a son who became a caretaker when I was healing from my surgery.  Sir E was always around to get me a drink or just to sit with me.  He put his sister to bed each night (singing her songs and reading her stories without any requests to do so) while my legs were healing.  I have a son who became a worker.  Sir M ran countless errands for me, cleaned up after his sister, and helped care for our menagerie.  I have a daughter who snuggled me and cuddled me when only a snuggly-cuddle would do.  Madam Lu just seems to know when mommy needs a sweet little girl hug.  I have a husband who handles IT ALL with humor and diligence.  He held my hand, cried with me, and in the rare sun-shining moments made me laugh.  My people are my life.

As I finish this post and this filthy-foul-fall, I look forward to a new season.  Healing leaves you tender, but repaired.  I am inspired.  I am rowdy.  I am ready.  BRING ON THE SNOW!!!!

Love to you all!     

The Write Way

A quick post today....

Back to school time...I am sure that once they actually go back, I will have some emotional or pseudo-wise words.  For now, however, we had an excellent summer (my favorite to date) and in this final week it is painfully clear that it is time for these people to go back!

Sir E had a "pencil bag" on his school list.  Fine.  No, not fine.  They look like crap.  Cheap plastic things with wimpy little, tiny zippers that stick.  He will break this in two months.  In two months the stores will be introducing their spring clothes for next year and will not even have replacements easily available.

Time to dust off the sewing machine...

Some old scraps...

A flap to keep his "tools" from slipping out...

Pencil case.  Holds all of his pens, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, and room for scissors.  The straps are just pony-tail-holders sewn in....

Roll it up and Tah-Dah!  A durable, useful, pencil case!    Whew, now lets get those kids to school!

Boudoir De Litte Sirs Before and After

I bet you have been on baited breath wondering what the Mistress of the Cottage has been up to this summer...just pretend along with me...

Well, other than basking in the chlorine relief known as The Pool, I have been busy finishing (after 2 years) the boys' room.

Before and After pics....lets start with the bathroom...

I'm sure you all remember the white carpet, pink toilet, and peeling wallpaper...

And now we have natural slate flooring, a white toilet, and hand painted stripes...

Who can forget this delightful vanity?  Some of my favorite features were 1) the faux wood countertop 2) the pink sink 3) the ultra useful cabinet doors...because everyone knows you store your stuff in a big cabinet instead of drawers...

And After....The ultra useful vanity was replaced with one with DRAWERS for people to put their stuff AWAY in.  Symmetrical so that each boy gets the EXACT same thing!  New lights, towel hangers (see Sir M's green towel and Sir E's blue) the granite counter top is an improvement for sure!

Before the renovation the only place for the sirs to hang their towels was over by the toilet???  On a towel bar no less.  Little boys do not fold towels on a towel bar.  Unless you live to go up to their room and re-fold their towels on a daily basis, I suggest...

Hooks!  Everyone can use a hook!  The boys each have their own side and since everything they have is color coded, no one can blame someone else for leaving wet towels on the floor.  If it is blue, it was Sir E!  Isn't that tidy and easy!

And Now for the grand boudoir reveal....

Just to refresh your memory...their room was navy and red plaid wallpaper...the entire room...

After a nightmare that included removing two (2) layers of wallpaper AND re-surfacing the ENTIRE room's dry walled surfaces...we have paint!  Miss Melanie is here for a final inspection...

Don't be fooled...under this peeling paper lies a layer of paper that was glued directly to the drywall with absolutely no prep work...

Rugby stripes.  These are pretty timeless.  I am not worried about the sirs outgrowing this...

There are not words...neither for the mess, nor the awfulness...

I did remember to put the vent cover back on after this pic...

And the matching drapes...that were rotting, in real life...

I do still need to add some sort of window treatments...but for now this is SO MUCH nicer!  This side of the room is green with horizontal stripes.  It helps break up the pattern and spaces.  The window a/c is because it was a devilishly hot summer (the hottest on record) and the upstairs needed a little boost in order to be bearable...

You can't really even tell what a cool shape their room has with all of the same wall covering...

Blasted sun...well, here you can clearly see the "nook" where their beds are and then the other "room" where the pattern and colors change...

Good Grief...

Same area, different angle...much better...

This is the entryway to their room.  Again you can see where the room turns into another area and the change of paint...

I just love the rugby stripes with their plaid bedding. 

 This was by far the biggest project we have done to date!  It took FOREVER!  I am so happy with the result, though.  They have a useable bathroom (if they could just keep it clean) and their bedroom really reflects them.  Now what????

How to get Laid with Food (again, rated G)

When we arrived on the island our first meal was lunch at Hotel Iroquois.  This is one of my favorite places to have lunch.  The food is great and the alfresco atmosphere is absolutely perfect.  Luke had "Mackinac Whitefish Sandwich with Homemade Cheese-Dill Bread and French Fries" and I had "Vegetarian Focaccia Sandwish with Grilled Portabella Mushroom, Provolone Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper and Lemon-Basil Aioli Sauce".  It was delicious, but I was so excited to be there that I forgot to take pics.

For Dinner our first night we ate at the Cuhady Steakhouse located in Michael Cuhady's library at the Inn at Stonecliffe.
Michael was originally from Kilkenny, Ireland and left during the potato famine.  He became a gazillionaire as a butcher and later as the first person to ship meat on refrigerated wagons.  His summer "cottage" was finished in 1904.  It is a beautiful ride up into the island to eat here and while the food was amazing, again, I did not take pictures.  It was mouth-melting steaks, as promised.  And the atmosphere is romantic.  We made friends on the way up.  They were celebrating their first anniversary.  Imagine our surprise when champagne was delivered to our table, compliments of the newlyweds!!

Breakfast the next morning at the Bay View.  Oh wait!!!  First, when we got back to our room after dinner at Stonecliffe, we had a lovely surprise....an adorable chocolate cake for two from the Bay View to celebrate our 10 yrs!!!  Ok, so now on to breakfast.  Fresh squeezed orange juice...you know, like from a real piece of fruit.  Rose, the kitchen Goddess of the Bay View makes everything from SCRATCH.  And every morning, you get a 3 course breakfast.  Every evening, she has bistro style desserts that would put some well-known big city bakeries to shame!  Breakfast is served in a sunny solarium with a view of the fort and the bay.

Lunch the second day consisted of the Taste of Mackinac.  For $15 we got more food that we could ever eat and all the drinks we could manage.  There were representatives there from most of the major MI microbreweries and wineries...handing us cup after cup.  I loved sampling the best of all of the eateries of the Island.  I will say that everything from Millies was FABULOUS and we also really liked the food from Mary's.  Both are really good lunch choices.

Dinner this evening is brought to us by The Grand Hotel.  We were seated by the window.  Sigh.  You pay a flat rate upon entering the dining room.  This includes your 5-course meal and gratuity.  A bottle of MI wine is extra! 

The main dining room is done in kelley green and white and aqua.  Holy Smokes!  I LOVE this color combination.  I have been given many confused looks when I try to explain my love of these colors together...I guess the Grand Hotel and I get it!

Again, I forgot to take pictures of our appetizer.  I had "Vegetable Spring Roll, Duck Leg Confit, with Five Spice Cream" and Luke had "Chilled Jumbo Shrimp with Farro Verde and Sweet Chili Sauce".  There are not words.  For the soup course I had "Wild Mushroom and Onion Soup with Artichoke Tapenade" 

Luke had "Roasted Chicken Broth with Vegetable Mirepoix and Cheese Ravioli"

My Main Course "Braised Veal Osso Buco Milanese with Crispy Grits Cake,  Lemon Parsley Gremolata"

Luke had "Roasted Rack of Lamb with Pistachios, Chickpea Ragout, Rosemary Port Glace"

My Desert....um, chocolate cream tart

Luke's desert...

Here are some pics from inside the Grand.

The size and scale of this is hard to capture on film, er, um, phone.

The carpets are AMAZING!  Whimsical and sophisticated at the same time!  After dinner, we wandered through the Grand's Museum of Art.  There were also drinks and dancing to a live band in the ballroom.  We met a very fun family on the way back from dinner and they paid our carriage fare, much to our surprise.  So we hopped out, told Dorris and Larry (our noble horse-power) goodbye, and went into the Bay View.  Dessert this evening was homemade strawberry shortcake.  Oh my gosh.  Desert after desert...well, this is VACATION!

Breakfast our last morning at the Bay View.  Then we were on our way off the Island to Bellaire, MI.  Bellaire is in the Traverse region.  It is full of cherry and apple farms.  My favorite things about this area, though are the hills and lakes.  There are lakes every where.  Huge, Huge lakes.  Torch Lake and Lake Bellaire are BEAUTIFUL.  They make our dirty little, drunk filled, cottage stacked Lake fill-in-the-blank seem like the ghetto.  This is our favorite area to ski in the winter as well, it is right outside of Schuss Mountain.  The next blog will tell more about our amazing accommodations in Bellaire, but this is about food, so lets get on with it...

If you are ever within even an hour of Belliare, you MUST eat at LULU's.  You MUST.  We had the best food of our entire trip here.  Really.  Even better than the Grand.  Yes.  This was the most fabulous thing I ate the entire trip...appetizer  "GOAT CHEESE CAKE Watercress, Tomato Pepper Conserva, Fig Jam, Grilled Baguette"  I had already split it and so you cannot see the amazing presentation, but trust me, it was mind blowing.  And that paled in comparison to the way the goat cheese melted in your mouth.  The accompaniments were the perfect pairing of acidic and sweet.  It was perfection.

I had a nightly special of Halibut.  I cannot find the description anywhere, but they use local produce and it was again, the best of the entire trip.

Luke had "GRILLED HANGER STEAK
Parsnip Whipped Potato, Shiitake Mushroom, Brussel Sprout, Butternut Squash, Bacon Onion Jam, Rich Demi Glace"  I am not sure why the presentation is such a mess, but this must have been after he started devouring, because everything comes out of the kitchen looking like a work of art.  Also, we had a few cocktails (seriously, I only had 2) and we could barely walk home.  So be careful of the sneaky bartender!

That Completes our Culinary Tour!  I will wrap up the series with a look at the architectural drooling that I had time for in between all of the eating and hiking, in How to Get Laid in a House!  Until then, enjoy your peanut butter sandwich and cheetos for lunch...haaa!

How to Get Laid: The View (Rated G...come on people)

You all know we went to Mackinac Island for our 10th anniversary.  It is a super special place to us because this is where Sir proposed to me.  One thing I have learned in 10 years is that getting up at 3a.m. can be waaaay more fun than going to bed at 3a.m.  Five hours, and a beautiful drive later, you arrive here...Mackinaw City (and yes, the city is spelled Mackinaw while the island is spelled Mackinac PRONOUNCED THE SAME...if you use the c sound I will smack you...you know I will...there is a whole big story about why, but you will have to go yourself to get it!).  When you arrive in Mackinaw City, you have to take a ferry to the Island.  We always use Sheplers.  This is the view from their waiting area.  Beautiful boats.

After a quick ride...we arrived and this is a our hike to our dear Bay View B&B.  A little jaunt past the Yacht Club.

Home...our dearest Home!!!  Why is the Bay View so special???  1.  It is on the water.  Many of the B&B's are across the street.  2. The food....more on that in the next post.  3.  It is small.  Each room is completely unique and beautiful.  If you are staying on the Island without kids...this is where you should stay.  Take my word for it.  If you are staying on the island with kids, please stay at a hotel in town.  4. Rose!  To know her is to love her!

Our room...because I know you voyeurs want to know....

Full of gorgeous antiques.  The island has a strict Victorian policy.  There are not any steel and chrome polished rooms or buildings here. 

Well, it is perfect, what can I say.  At night we open the windows and you wake to hear the clopping of horse hooves on the street in the morning.  NO CARS.  NO Sirens.  Sigh...

Our view from our room.  Did I mention that it was 66 and sunny???  SERIOUSLY!

More view from our room.  The looong building at the top with the line of yellow umbrellas is the fort.  This was a pretty grand view.  The house across the street with the red window umbrellas is the Yacht Club.  The house next to it is privately owned....Brigadoon.  It has super cute boxers that sit on the front porch and watch the people walk by (real, alive boxers with cropped ears).

It was Lilac Festival week.  Due to "global warming" if you know how to read and "just strange but totally normal weather patterns" if you are a Republican (haaa! ok, sorry, just couldn't resist) half of the lilacs were already done blooming...but the other half were in full bloom and it was PERFECT!  We would just be walking along and whifffff...the smell was overwhelming!  The island is covered in lilac bushes and trees.  It has many varieties that are unique to the island itself and do not exist elsewhere in the world.

Some flower gardens.  Totally typical of all properties on the island.

Hello, yes, we are meandering down to lunch...

Lunch with a lighthouse view???  Of course.

 So, a few words...if you have not been to the island.

1.  If you take kids, go to the forts.  There is one in Mackinaw City and there is one on the island.  They are the bomb.  There is also Historic Mill Creek that is a great way to spend nearly an entire day.  Get the three pack pass. 

2.  If you want to ride bikes, take your own.  They are expensive to rent.

3. If you are smart, you will neither rent bikes nor bring your own.  You will see all of the tourists on bikes.  You will also see them walking their bikes for the most part.  The island has a strange anomaly of being completely up hill no matter where you are going.  Big, steep hills.  Just walk.  Trust me.  The island is covered in trails and shortcuts that you cannot use on a bike.  And walking up a hill expends waaaaay less energy than riding or walking your bike up it.

4.  Staying on the island is a completely different experience than visiting for the day.  I would recommend both.  It is only 5 hours away.

5.  The town is full of shops.  PLEASE DO NOT TAKE YOUR KIDS SHOPPING ON VACATION.  No matter what you tell yourself, your kids DO NOT like shopping.  YOU like shopping.  Suck it up.  Go hike and play.  Come back with your spouse or girlfriends and shop.  Put your big girl pants on and resist the temptation.

6.  This is not a bikini, sweat fest.  Please remember to bring a sweatshirt.  If your idea of a dream vacation is sweating, shopping, and putting on clothes that are too small, puh-lease keep your vacation plans in FL, which is probably your FAVORITE place to go anyways...


And next time...How to Get Laid with Food.....