Category: boun-sing ideas

September 18, 2013

Lately I’ve Been…

Sewing Build-A-Bear accessories for my Peanut’s stuffed animals. Those clothes get expensive and I found the perfect DIY projects online.
Fixing a workout bra that I somehow melted in the dryer. Didn’t even know that the fabric store carried bra hooks until I went looking for fabric for the above project. All I had to do was cut down the strap to the right size, burn the raw edges down with a lighter and sew the new piece on. So glad to have saved that one, since it fit really well. I’m mighty proud of my re-purposing skills on this one.
Re-seaming a thrift store T-shirt I found in college that I still like and has been sitting with pins in it for like 7 years. Ha!
Thrifting some necessary household items like 16″ x 20″ frames and some supplies for a jewelry storage makeover I plan on doing.
Spray-painting that thrifted shelving unit for my jewelry. I believe the wooden shelf I bought was once a spoon holder for collectors. Oh, you just wait and see what I did to it. I even went to the hardware store all by myself to DIY this one.
Hanging a collage wall in my dining room. I see these art displays in all my favorite home tours and decided to tackle one all by myself. It turned out sooo cute. I found this adorable $.50 vintage 3D picture that totally makes the wall. I’ll be sharing pictures soon.
Trying to keep my house from turning into a bachelor pad/frat house. Roomie just bought a beer brewing kid and a Soda Stream to add to my already cluttered counter space. Thinking of reworking the space a bit. This stuff doesn’t blend well with my vintage-chic aesthetic, as you might imagine.
Putting together bags of stuff to take to the thrift store. It feels good to get rid of more than we’re bringing in sometimes, especially when things start accumulating beyond my comfort level.
Registering for an EIN number with the IRS. I am now a registered business owner!
Eating soup alone at home while Hubster, Peanut and my Daddy-O go hunting. I’m really relishing this time alone.
Cleaning (finally!) one of the dreaded spots in my home. We have some high windows that accumulate spiders and webs and dust and ick. Whenever I clean it, I feel like the whole house is somehow much cleaner.
Making my bed with the brand-new quilt that I sewed. Can’t wait to share pictures of it on here soon. Just looking at it makes me happy.
Starting a new e-book project that I hope to launch on here in a few months. It’s in the baby stages right now, so I don’t want to share too much.
Buying tickets to the Sports and Fitness Expo being held in my town this weekend. Can’t wait!
Trying so hard to figure out how to connect my camcorder to my computer. I have a new cord on its way after a Radio Shack one didn’t work. I really want to add some workout videos for y’all. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new, more laptop-compatible camcorder.
Dreaming up another trip “up-north” in October or November. I want to make this a regular tradition if we can swing it and Hubster can successfully get off of work. We stayed in Crivitz last year.
Writing up a job posting for the open pastoral position at my church. Since one of the committee members knew I was a writer, he thought I’d be the perfect person for the job. I like to help where I can.
Adjusting to having a child in all-day Kindergarten. Paying for hot lunches, meeting teachers, already dealing with bullying, packing snacks, collecting Box Tops, etc etc etc. I already get up at 5:30 to work out, run, and get ready, but we’ve somehow been running late anyway. This school thing is like a whole new world for me. However, I just love looking through the Scholastic Books order forms with him. I get all giddy like I did in school when those pamphlets come out. My wallet is never more open than it is for a Peanut who gets excited about reading and learning.

I think Chalene’s book was just the kick in the back end I needed to make myself even more productive than a Type-A person like me already is. I can’t believe all the things I’ve checked off my to-do list already. I use Wunderlist on my phone and it’s a true lifesaver and life improver, plus just seeing all the check marks I’ve accumulated already makes me happy. I have my to-dos broken down into “Today,” “This Week,” and “Soon.” Every day I try to do one thing to tackle one aspect of my priority list. For example, my home environment is one of my priorities. Therefore, many of the above listed items are helping make my environment more desirable from cleaning to small space makeovers. Another goal is setting up more of a solid personal training side business, so I am planning on networking at the Sports and Fitness Expo I signed up for and I finally signed up for an official EIN number (so simple to do, it’s pathetic). I’m taking steps each day to make this dream more of a reality. It’s really quite simple once you break it down into steps.

There’s something about fall that makes me feel like nesting. The little bit of chill in the air outside makes me want the inside to be the most cozy place my family could ever enjoy. Listening to the sound of Feist and blowing trees while tackling all these projects is just making my heart swell. I’ve decided that fall is officially my favorite season.

What have you been up to?

September 6, 2013

Recent Thrifting Adventures

I set out on a mission: to dress up for Thrift Shop Day at work. I mean, how could a thriftaholic like me turn down a challenge like that?

So, I made my way to a local thrift shop that has a dedicated dollar section where they hold all of their…um…real gems. I was easily able to pull together an outfit for $5 and cracked up doing so.

I found some awesome stretchy electric blue leggings, a polyester house shirt with pockets, a gaudy orange knit shawl and a fabulous retro flower purse. Accessories were a $1 pair of shoes, orange and blue beaded necklaces, and a vintage head scarf. It’s difficult to distinguish all the patterns and everything that’s going on in this picture, but you get the point.

I guess it wasn’t quite as “out there” as I thought. Several people just thought that was what I was wearing that day, forgetting it was thrift shop day. Haha! I’ll let you know though, the purse, the shoes and the scarf will definitely be going into my regular rotation. I totally dig the retro purse.

On the same trip though, I was able to pick up some amazing “normal” items as well. I got Peanut some more button-down plaid shirts (his go-to look) and Hubster some brand new-looking jeans.

For myself, I snagged the following:

The cutest purple tank top. Upon examination, it even appears to be homemade. I love handmade any day of the week. I’m so glad I get to give this hand-crafted shirt a good home.

A cute tank by Canadian designer Point Zero that makes for a super-cute workout shirt

And my favorite find of all. I spotted this cute little clutch purse, buried in a bin, under a pile of wallets. I saw the tag on the side right away and thought, this must’ve been made by some cute little creative girl on Etsy or something. It had a ruffle down the front and was just so so cute. Once home, I had to look up the designer on the tag, Lisa Lill Studios. Check it out for yourself. This little clutch retails for $99. Um… SCORE!

I swear, thrift shopping is like treasure hunting for me! What is your favorite secondhand score?

September 4, 2013

What Love Sounds Like

Me: Maybe I should just work part-time and come home and watch TV all day (Read: sarcasm. There’s waaaaaay more to this statement than meets the eye)
Hubster: You can’t.
Me: Oh yeah, and why not?
Hubster: Because you’re a better person than I am.
Me: (nodding approvingly) Hm. Good answer.

August 28, 2013

Maximizing Life

It all started with a book I picked up from the library. Hey, Chalene Johnson wrote a book? Cool. What I thought was a book about fitness turned out to be a book about making every goal in your life you’ve ever wanted to achieve happen. This led to me signing up for Chalene Johnson’s 30-Day Challenge, reading Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog (a reference Chalene uses), reading Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan manifesto, and re-reading The Art of Nonconformity. The universe is trying to tell me something I think.

Out of ~~nowhere~~ everywhere, all these resources starting coming at me and they all seemed to have a common synergy. And they all seemed to pick up on my desire for personal progress. I’m feeding my ambitions with all of these resources and you can too.

Here are some of my favorite FREE resources for maximizing your hours, days, and life; melding your passions with your talents until you’re unstoppable; making your dreams a reality; and being more productive. These are not the new-age-y send-positive-vibes-into-the-universe-type resources either. These are legit, human psychology- and science-backed strategies.

Bubble.us: free thought bubble mind map software. Here’s a peek at my thought bubble. I broke it down by life priority and then by goal within that priority. My biggest priorities are God/Spirituality, Relationships, Health, Environment/Home, Career/Financial, Giving Back, Hobbies and Writing/Blogging. You MUST break down your life by priority in order to figure out where to best spend your time, with intention. If you’re not giving time to the things you value most, you’re not going to feel well-balanced.

List-making apps: Chalene strongly recommends using your smartphone for your daily list-making. I do find that when I make lists, I get more done in a day. I’ve used Astrid before and am currently looking into Evernote, Wunderlist and Remember the Milk. List-making sounds like such an unnecessary habit, but those of us that are most productive know just how magically motivating those lists really are. They perpetuate your goals.

Chris Guillebeau’s A Brief Guide to World Domination. Also check out The Art of Nonconformity from your library if they have it. You do not need to approach life in the conventional way, the way mom and dad taught you. Dare to be different. And if you can travel hack like Chris does, then you’ll be well on your way to every continent on Earth.

Michael Hyatt’s Creating your Personal Life Plan manifesto (see his sidebar). I like the way Michael takes a different approach to charting your future, by starting with your death. Michael also takes a Christian approach to life planning, which I strongly identify with.

O magazine: Finding your Passion. If you like pretty charts and worksheets, you’ll love this, my diligent little worker bees. If you don’t know where to start with any of this, start here. You need to know what your passions are before you can embark on pursuing them.

Self Magazine: Creating a 5-year plan based on your passions, dreams and goals. This isn’t the type of 5-year plan that the black suits ask you about in job interviews. This is the type of 5-year plan that makes you feel all giddy to get started.

Erica House: How to Architect your Own Happiness. Check out the mind map Erica uses. You could do that with Bubbl.us listed above. Just doing concept maps makes me happy:)

The Leap: I found this little gem when I was writing reviews for a local bookstore. The case studies of people in this book that went from ho-hum jobs to giant successes are so motivating, it’s hard to sit still. In the most general terms, Rick Smith talks about finding the overlap between your deepest passions and your best talents. Then, you take baby steps to get there, testing the waters first before you make that leap. No need to live in the poor house while you work on your startup!

You can read them all or read one or two. They all boil down to getting your priorities aligned, making steps each day toward your big life plans, and keeping to-do lists to find your happy. The only caveat to this reading list is that you can spend a whole lot of time reading without actually doing anything. Make sure you’re actually putting your plans into action in some small (or big) way every day. Use these materials to give you momentum while you’re charting your future.

Start today. Figure out what you’re meant to do on this Earth.

August 2, 2013

Celebrity Crushes

Ok, I admit, I may occasionally have the propensity to be starstruck.

This past weekend, we went to a little thing called Deerfest, which is a huge festival in our city dedicated to everything deer-hunting. I even picked up a little Realtree camo for $4, in case I should ever need it (although I hate hunting, so figure that one out).

What truly inspired this trip was when Hubster noticed that Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People were making a special appearance. Oh, and then we noticed the people from Lizard Lick Towing were going to be there too. Both shows our household actually catch on-the-fly sometimes, and we’re big fans. Um ok, let’s go then! Plus, Hubster has gotten really into hunting in the last two years, so we thought we might as well check out all the toys and equipment too, you know, while we were there.

So, we bought our tickets online. We knew we’d just be getting back from our Mackinac Island trip, but we just shrugged our shoulders and went with it anyway.

The line for Lizard Lick Towing was pretty small when we got there, so we met with the guys, Ronnie and Bobbie, right away. But of course we had to come back later when Amy was there. She looks totally different in person than on TV. Her deep southern drawl is quite the same though! I envy her guns–she was a record-holding powerlifter in the past! Fitness fanatic that I am, I tried googling her workouts, but came up dry. Hey Amy, if you’re reading this, I’d love to know what your workouts look like:)

Amy is also a petite 5’2″ with a tiny waist and is only 3 years older than I am. Details, details, but I just wasn’t expecting that! She’s also a mortician and went to school for radiology at one point. And Ronnie is an ordained minister. That’s quite the background story!

Look at those loaded guns:)

Then, we got in line to meet Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People. I have to admit, Jacob is a very nice-looking man in person:) And Troy was very open and sweet. I even got a hug, haha!

Other than getting all fan-girl on celebs (haha, actually I’m too shy), we also got to test-drive some ATVs and bought some really amazing local cheese, which is only fitting for this land of Cheeseheads. This was just a fun little experience that will go down in the memory book. If you can make it next year, I give it a two thumbs up!

What celebrities meetup stories do you have to share?

July 31, 2013

If you’re ever in Mackinaw City Michigan

A few days ago, I offered some insider peeks into our trip to Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island, and I thought it would be great to follow up the post with a virtual itinerary if you happen to travel there. From my experience, these are some of the highlights of the area that you should definitely try:

1. Pick a lighthouse, any lighthouse. Since the Mackinaw straits are narrow and freckled with islands, lighthouses are pretty essential for water travel. Shipwrecks are pretty notorious in the area, so towering beacons abound. Some are only retained for historical value while others are still in use. The Old Mackinac Lighthouse right by the bridge in Mackinaw City costs and comes with a guided tour, but there are a few just down the road that are free and self-guided. It’s neat to see how the lighthouse guardians lived. It was a pretty lucrative career back in the day, but also highly particular. Your house had to be immaculate and you were required to take scrupulous notes about everything from the grounds to the weather to transportation reports.

2. Catch a sunset at the beach. You won’t be alone. The night we went, there were people everywhere on park benches and lawn chairs. It’s so incredible to watch all the colors and the city-scapes. And hey, of course it was a full moon when we decided to wander down to the beach. Bonus!

Peanut learning how to skip rocks while we wait for sunset.

I happened to read this verse in Psalms while listening to the waves: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters.” And oh, was I hanging onto every word.

3. Try a pastie. I have never been introduced to a pastie in my entire life. As we headed to Upper Michigan, we started seeing all these pastie shops everywhere. We wondered what they were. So, when in Rome… we decided to try some. We finally did so on Thursday night. Basically, pasties go back to the time of mining when the miners’ wives would pack their husbands lunches. They packed meat, potatoes and veggies in this pastry shell. Reason being is they’re easy to carry along to the jobsite and very filling. We tried the taco and stroganoff pasties at one of the award-winning pastie shops. Yum!

4. Swim in the Great Lakes: When the weather stays hot for several weeks and the water finally warms up, a good swim in these giant freshwater lakes is refreshing. The clearness of the water is also impeccable. I couldn’t believe how clear Lake Huron was, but I guess I’m jaded by our yucky Lake Winnebago waters. Just make sure you bring water shoes! It’s really rocky everywhere, and you’ll appreciate the reprieve of aqua socks.

Wading in Lake Michigan

See how clear Lake Huron is? And oh so rocky.

5. Visit the butterfly museum on the island. It’s off the beaten path a bit, but sooo worth the visit, especially if you have children. They even give you a butterfly guide so you can even decipher the different types of butterflies. Standing in a greenhouse waiting for amazing ornate butterflies to land on you is pretty magical, if you ask me.

6. Try the fudge and ice cream. This is pretty much a given. Mackinac Island Fudge is pretty famous, and for good reason. You won’t make it one single block on the island or mainland without running into a sweets shop. Just give in at least once and see what all the fuss is about.

7. Travel via horse or bike. You have to anyway. No motor vehicles are allowed on Mackinac Island, except for a select few emergency vehicles and such. Even the UPS/FedEx/USPS guy delivered packages via horse-drawn carriage. You can plan ahead and bring along your own bike on the ferry or rent one. The clippety-clop of horses everywhere is just neat. It’s like you’re being transported to a whole different era.

8. But explore some of the island by foot. You miss some of the incredible details while you’re on a faster-moving vehicle. Horses and bikes cost by the hour (unless you bring your own on the ferry), so you’ll have a great opportunity to explore by foot as well. If you were to walk the entire perimeter of the island, it’s only 8.3 miles anyhow. These are just some of the neater details I caught:

Guests were building these Inukshuk-style statues everywhere along the rocky beaches.

Ornate details of a dragonfly

Beautiful residential details, flower-lined walk path and iron gates.

View of the shore from the topmost part of the island.

Hey, is that a groundhog? Why yes, yes it is.

9. Check out the local thrift stores. The prices in these stories in upper Michigan are much more friendly than the ones in the “big” cities. I couldn’t tear myself away from the kid’s section at the thrift shop in Cheboygan. No shirt was priced more than $1.50 and I got Peanut this handsome little button-down wardrobe–and a shirt for me–for less than $15, and they were all in great shape. It’s a nice way to inherit a few name brands that we wouldn’t normally pay full price for.

10. Get a load of the magnificent Mackinaw Bridge. I mean, unless you get to travel the San Francisco bridge every day, this is a pretty significant site. The towering bridge and story of its construction is just amazing. It does cost $4 each way to cross the bridge. Our ferry ride also took us under the bridge so we got to see it from all sides.

11. Gain access to an indoor waterpark, especially if you have kids. Several of the motels in Mackinaw City offer free indoor waterpark wristbands while other motels have waterparks built right inside them. On days when you’re not travelling and the weather turns sour, you’ll still have something really fun to do.

12. Visit the sand dunes. When I mentioned to my boss that I was visiting the area, she told me that the beautiful white sandy beaches were used for stand-in Caribbean photo shoots because of their similar geography and appearance. Many of the bigger sand dunes have a “look but don’t touch” kind of warning, and recent news stories about boys buried in sand dunes should give you a good idea about why you might want to stand back and admire from a distance.

13. And last but not least, when your son asks you to marry him by offering you a hand-picked upper Michigan wildflower, always say “yes.”

I genuinely hope this post is informative for those of you that are making the trip soon or even inspires you to make a special trip to the Mackinaw City area. If you go, stop back here and tell me about your trip! Or, if you’ve already been there, I’d love to hear about your experiences or if you have anything else to share.

Shortly, I’ll be back with a post about staying fit on vacation, based on my experiences on this trip as well as many previous trips. So, stay tuned for that!

July 28, 2013

Mackinac Island Trip Highlights

Oh my gosh, I can hardly believe it. I have not been on the computer in an entire week! Usually, my job has me tied to a computer for 8 hours, and sometimes when I return home I might spend another hour or so online with blog posts, etc. But this week, I was completely unplugged. Seriously, the only phone call I even made was handed over to Peanut so he could talk to his grandma. I think my poor overworked eyes and brains enjoyed the break.

That being said, I was really itching to get on here to stay connected with all of you and give you some updates on our fabulous trip to Mackinac Island. I have four other posts in development as well on maintaining fitness habits on vacation, turning family trips into learning opportunities, travelling on a budget, and a where to go/what to see post about Mackinac Island itself. The trip gave me a big hit of creative juices.

Let me just say, the weather turned out to perfectly coincide with what we planned each day. Outdoor swimming days and Island exploring days were met with perfect weather. Indoor movie days and lighthouse exploring days were windier and chillier.

Sunday: We left on Sunday for a long 5-hour drive “up north.” The weather looked pretty ominous the entire way, but we never hit any real rain. We got to cross the glorious Mackinaw Bridge on our way to our motel. We checked in, had a snack and decided to explore our surroundings just a bit. Mackinaw city is comparable to downtown Wisconsin Dells. Lots of tourist shops, wineries, restaurants and even a Haunted House. Most ridiculous $7 ever spent was at said Haunted House. Oh geez! It was cheesy, but I screamed at least 3 times and it will be one funny memory our family will always have. Sunday night, we endured a huge rain and thunder storm. It was exciting to watch and listen to it from our hotel room.

Amazing sandy beach rest stops along Lake Michigan

It wouldn’t be summer if I couldn’t walk around with a perpetual pinch bouquet in my hands.

Monday: The weather was impeccable on Monday. Hot enough to swim in the Great Lakes. Swimming in Lake Huron, though rocky, was fabulous. The water was so clear and refreshing on that hot mid-summer day. We drank it all in.

Swimming in Lake Huron

A girl could get used to this!

Peanut getting his swim on

Check out how clear that Great Lakes water is!

Tuesday: The weather turned cool on Tuesday, so our plans to catch Despicable Me 2 were perfect. The movie is very cute. We also explored a lighthouse on Tuesday–a great place to be when the wind was whipping and turning the lake into relentless undulating whitecaps. After all of that, we took a trip into Cheboygan where we stopped at a local thrift store and let Peanut wear himself out at the indoor playground at Burger King.

Wednesday: We decided on the midweek point to hit Mackinac Island. That way, we had something look forward to, but we also had an extra day padded in, just in case we decided we wanted to go back to the island the next day. Again, we couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather. It eventually warmed up into a comfortable temperature where we weren’t cold but weren’t sweating and the wind had dramatically died down. On the island, we took a guest-driven horse carriage ride, explored some historical sites, visited the amazing butterfly museum and had a lovely lunch out. The butterfly museum was the highlight of the trip for me.

Guest-driven horse carriage rides. We wanted to go horseback riding, but all the stables told us that for insurance purposes, no one under the age of 10 is allowed to ride. Carriage ride it is!

Cool old Studebaker we found behind the Fort.

Like my live butterfly hairpiece?

Wings on Hubster’s shoulder so gorgeous they almost look fake.

The Grande Hotel

Some of the views we enjoyed on Mackinac Island

Trinity Church on Mackinac Island

We ate at the Seabiscuit Cafe, which was perfect. The portions were more normal-sized, which is ideal since one can’t possibly carry leftovers with them for the rest of the day on an island.

I had the Honey Nut Chicken Salad Sandwich with sweet potato fries. The petite little sandwiches were just enough to be satisfying. The whole meal was oh so good!

I splurged on a white wine citrus fruit sangria that cost more than my dinner. So entirely perfect for a cheers to a great family trip.

Peanut even tried the local beer. Root beer that is…

We took a sobering meander through St. Ann’s cemetery

This gravesite was marked as the oldest one in Saint Ann’s Cemetery. It was a poor sweet little 8 year old girl who lived from 1825 to 1833.

Thursday: Our last full day on vacation, we did a lot of sleeping, giving the pool one last run, and leisurely enjoying the day. We took one last trip down a road out of town to see where it would take us. We ended up at a few more amazing places quite by accident. One more lighthouse, Heritage Village and a place called the Headlands. The Headlands is one of only a handful of designated night sky viewing areas in the entire country. Because it’s so secluded and tree-covered, night viewing is impeccably clear, especially for meteor showers and Northern Lights. Lining the road is a self-guided tour explaining the myths, legends and facts behind each of the planets.

Lighthouse staircase

Mackinaw City Lighthouse

Wigwam at Heritage Village in Mackinaw City

On the trails

Old home at Heritage Village that was originally built by hand from logs in the 1800s that stayed in the family until the 1950s. Insulation came in the form of crumpled up newspaper in the walls.

Heritage Village family kitchen garden. There was even a compost heap.

Friday: We left right away in the morning, and with the time change, got back home relatively early in the afternoon. The rain was monsoon-like on our drive home, but again, the weather was timed perfectly with our plans.

We’re safe at home and glad to have the weekend to rest from our vacation, you know what I’m saying? Tomorrow we’re heading to Deerfest to meet some reality TV stars and browse hunting gear. Next week, EAA is in town, so we plan to take Peanut to the viewing tower inside the museum to watch the planes go in and out. Peanut’s 5th birthday is also this week, so we have a lot planned. I’ll be taking tomorrow and Sunday to relax before kicking it up again.

Hope you had a great week! I’ll be back with a “If you’re ever in the Mackinaw area…” post real soon. Stay posted!

July 12, 2013

A Message of Thanks

I just have to give a shout-out to Hubster to let him know how much his support of my dreams means to me. This week we celebrated 7 years of wedded bliss, so what better time than now.

Sometimes, I have those moments where I’m in full-blown creative mode. I could think of 100 ideas off the top of my head, my eyes get really big and my voice gets quite animated. Not many people see that side of me (and it doesn’t happen that often), but Hubster does. When I get overcome with dreams, projects and ideas, he always nods his head in full agreement. And it’s not the kind of nod and smile that’s dismissive. It’s the real thing. The “I’ll build that for you” or “I’ll take you there” type of nod.

He’s offered to help me with DIYs that I’ve come up with for on here. The type that would normally have me putting supplies back on the shelf not knowing quite how to implement the project. Hubster even gives me more ideas than I started with and works through them with me to make them work or make them better. He sits in the hardware store for longer than he had anticipated to try and bounce around ideas with me. He even offers to check a different store for me when we don’t quite find what we’re looking for.

When I went in for my NASM test, he actually told me he said a prayer for me. I mean, this brings water to my eyes just writing about it. The man of quiet faith who rarely goes to church or talks about religion. I know he’s a believer, but he rarely shows it or speaks a word of it. He actually prayed for me, and told me that he prayed for me. I mean, I was so flabbergasted and grateful at the same time.

When I spout off ideas about workout videos and projects for this blog and my new personal training career, he obliges the role of photographer. He even spent an entire day alone in Chicago with Peanut while I went to an NASM workshop. He even agrees when I want to spend money on this stuff. Some of it comes from my own stash, but he’s super supportive of my spending–but he knows I am super diligent and super-conservative about spending so he trusts my decisions.

Hubster, thanks for being behind me on this one! It’s these things that make me remember how much I appreciate you and just how lucky I am. It makes a world of difference to have someone who supports you with his heart and soul. Mwah!

June 26, 2013

How to Re-Subscribe to Boun-See

If you haven’t heard yet, Google is shutting down its feed on July 1st. That’s like, next week. So, if you wouldn’t mind, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog via another feed. I just used Feedly to transfer all my own personal subscriptions over. Let me tell you just how easy it is–it’s easier than signing into your email or making a bowl of cereal. Really, it is. You simply give them your email address and they’ll transfer every single one of your feed subscriptions from Blogger/Google over to Feedly in like a matter of seconds. It’s one-click-simple. If you don’t want to use Feedly, there are plenty of other news feed options out there you can find with a simple Google search.

So, please take a moment to re-subscribe to my blog via a different feed or another means. I’m also on Bloglovin’ (do a search for Boun-See) and you can sign up for an email subscription on my sidebar. I would hate to lose any one of you in the transition.

I truly appreciate every one of you, dear readers. I plan to be around for awhile, blogging about health and fitness, DIY, family and thrift shopping. But most of all, I’m here to connect with and maybe even help you in some way, whether it be with health, family or making each day a little brighter. Let’s stay connected.

Thank you!

June 24, 2013

If You’re Ever in Door County…

…You must do the following things:

1. You must either tour a winery, taste test some wine, or at the very least peer out the window at all the orchards, wineries and specialty wine shops that you pass by. Wine is kind of a big thing in Door County. I did not hesitate to partake in this little tourism draw. I bought the lightest, sweetest moscato (my pick of poison) ever and Hubster actually found a wine that he enjoyed. Mind you, Hubster has never drank a glass of wine in his life. He’s a beer-only guy. The fact that he actually found a wine he liked was jaw-dropping.

My super yummy moscato

Hubster liked the cranberry cherry wine. We’re also gonna

give a new beer and caramel apple sauce a shot.

All from Fat Louie’s

In addition to every olive oil ever, you can also sample vinegars,

jams, salsas, and other specialty items at Fat Louie’s

Just check out this shelf of preserved goodies

2. Participate in some kind of cookout: The fish boils in Fish Creek are a form of entertainment in themselves and have been going on for decades. Campground fires and freshly grilled fare abound in the summer, so there’s no reason to eat “indoor food.” My special birthday request for my mommy was healthy chicken and veggie skewers with honey mustard sauce. It was soooo good. Thanks mom! And thanks dad for manning the grill.

Fish Creek fish boil

Fish boil in action

3. Climb or at least admire the bluffs and shoreline. There are a lot of public swimming beaches and nature pathways to enjoy in Door County. We didn’t have enough time to explore more, but we did take walks out onto the docks and took time to admire the beauty around us.

4. Visit a few specialty shops. Almost every little town in Door County is littered with the cutest specialty shop you could ask for. You’ll find a collection of bookstores, clothing shops, cooking stores, art shops, and so much more at every corner. You will find nary a Walmart or McDonald’s in the “thumb” of Wisconsin. We did quite a bit of shopping while we were up there, even nabbing Hubster a pair of deerskin summer riding gloves.

Artist at work painting mural

Only in Wisconsin are the flamingos still wearing winter boots.

Even the hardware shops are charming.

5. Try the ice cream and coffee. Likewise, ice cream parlors and coffee shops abound. Not only was Fat Louie’s a specialty wine and olive oil shop, it also had the cutest ice cream parlor connected to it. Yes, we had ice cream for lunch. Don’t judge. It was my birthday weekend after all.

We also stopped in the Linger Coffeehouse for a little pre-dinner snack. We all ended up full on their fresh bagels and cheese and fruit platter. You should see how they brew their coffee. Talk about fresh-brewed. I don’t even know what this process is called, but they put the coffee in these specialty filtering cones, poured hot water over the top, and let the coffee drip directly into the coffee cup. Cool!

A corner of the Linger coffee shop holds a guitar signed by

Keith Urban!!! It said “play me.” I thought, don’t mind if I do!

Fresh bagels and pastries

Our generous cheese and fruit plate that filled us up.

6. Go to an outdoor movie: Outdoor movie theaters are getting pretty rare these days, as would be expected. However, one totally retro one is still in operation in Fish Creek: The Skyway Drive-In. Although this was in our itinerary to do, it downpoured on Saturday night, keeping us indoors for the evening. I have been to this theater in the past as a kid though, so I know what a great old-school experience it is.

For our overnight trip, we stayed at one of the cabins at Beantown Campground in Bailey’s Harbor. Beer fest was happening in Bailey’s Harbor, which we happily lingered through. Watch out for those sea gulls though. Bird poop in the hair is not fun. Just sayin’. Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellies were playing when we were there. They are the cutest, most folksy bluegrass band I’ve ever heard at a local festival (well, with the exception of The Pegs). I’ve been listening to them on Spotify ever since. Look them up!

I bought Peanut a mini guitar. Ok, I admit, I’m harboring four guitars in his large closet already because I don’t know where else to store them. However, I’m super protective of them because Peanut, well, he’s 4. He’s not as gentle with them as I would desire. Now he’s got one that fits him just right and he can do what 4-year-olds do to it.

He just adores his brand new guitar, and I couldn’t be any more delighted. He played around the campfire for us and even played outside of some of the shops while grandma browsed. My little street singer even got claps from passers-by. Adorable!