Cottaging.

It has been a busy few weeks full of summer adventures, good friends, travel, gardening, crafting, and relaxing. We had friends from Germany staying with us for three weeks, and my blog was easily neglected. I have some craft projects to share, but this post is dedicated to one of my very favourite summer activities..cottaging. I don't have a cottage, but my uncle is kind enough to let us visit his every so often. It's on a small lake in Muskoka, and it is wonderful. One of my very favourite places.

It is quiet, fresh, and the scenery is incredible. I love sitting out on the dock and watching the boats pass by.

And every so often this boat comes by too, full of passengers waving to those out on their docks.

There are wonderful antique stores and even a vintage fabric shop for me to rummage through. This one is just too sweet.

Here I completed my Pink Gooseberry Cinderella bowl set. I had been looking for these bowls for a very long time.

This was Lola's first visit to the cottage. She loved exploring the land and swimming in the lake.

Being out on the water was so relaxing. I kayaked to the bigger lake and enjoyed the time spent alone. It allowed me to clear my head.

And others enjoyed the time spent together.
And after a long day we felt calm, refreshed, and at peace. Not quite ready to return to the business of the city, and anxious for our next trip up north.

Busy Busy Bee.

It's SpringSummer Cleaning time in our home. On a school schedule, it is much easier to devote time to such things when the course load is light. Now is the time we do a deep cleaning, repair, paint, and re-do around the house. This past week has seen all the curtains and blinds removed and washed with hot soapy water, every nook and cranny scrubbed clean, small repairs here and there, and now ripped up carpets and a fresh coat of paint for the spare room (which also happens to be the sewing room). What is now the spare/sewing room had previously been a boy's room, with Toronto sports team paraphernalia on the walls, a very worn carpet, and a neon yellow closet. It was definitely time for a change! I love to paint, and ripping up carpets is oddly satisfying, so this has been great fun for me. The cleaning isn't so much, but it must be done. Everyone chips in, so it's much more enjoyable and quick.

Today I took a little break from the painting to spend time with my good friend Janet..

..play some toddler games in the park with her oldest..

..and visit with her youngest and the owner of this tiny fist. It was a very nice break!

Janet has recently moved nearby, and I am so glad. We have been friends since the sixth grade. She's definitely one of the good ones! It is so nice to be able to walk over in about 15 minutes, although I do have to admit to stealing a ride over today. I can't wait for more park visits and hopefully a picnic or two with her this summer!

At home, I enjoyed the first raspberries of the season along with a few ripe strawberries from the hanging baskets. I love being able to walk into the yard and pick a yummy snack!

Can you tell I had been painting?

I will post some before and after pictures of the room soon, although I have many projects in mind for it so it wont be completely finished for a while. There will be a lot of sewing in my near future!

A Week of Pyrex.

My mom and I have always been very close. I'm lucky. She was very strict when I was young, but as I grew older she loosened up and we grew closer. We've shared many special hobbies over the years, giving us something to do together. This ranged from something as simple as going on walks together every evening, to redecorating, to going to dog school classes together with Lola. This past year we would attend church sales, holiday bazaars, and antique fairs together, and more recently she has come on many of my Pyrex runs. She has seen how much fun the hunt can be!

This past weekend, mom went up to cottage country (I'm so jealous, I love cottaging) and did some Pyrex shopping in the amazing antique markets they have there. It was so sweet of her to bring me back something, and I loved that she had so much fun doing it. She was telling me stories of how two other women were searching the market for Pyrex and it turned into a little friendly competition of sorts. In the end both parties ended up walking away with lots of goodies. My uncle, who's cottage she was visiting, did think she was a little crazy for buying so many 'old dishes', but she had fun doing it.

My Pyrex collection is getting a little out of hand, filling up two entire cupboards. This morning was spent packing up books into boxes to clear a shelf for bowls. If they were my books I would be donating them since they are never used, but since it's not up to me they are going into the basement storage closet until their true owner comes to pick them up (hopefully soon! I hate to see books not being appreciated).

I am going to have so much fun arranging and re-arranging that shelf! I bet this sounds silly from a non-Pyrex lover's perspective, but I'm sure you can understand that we all have our things. This one happens to be very useful - when I cook or bake I have so many dishes to chose from! I can even colour coordinate! Okay, that was only half-serious, but I do think food always looks better served in pretty dishes.

And who can argue with a pink patterened bowl? Not me!

I am grateful.

Friends.

There isn't much better than good friends. They brighten your day, and make you feel cared for and special. I am very grateful for good friends. Today I was surprised with a beautiful gift made by a special friend, and although gifts are never necessary, it is nice to be thought of.

A beautiful handmade crocheted blanket for my sweet Lola. I just love it! Of course Lola thinks her beautiful gift is much better chewed, so she'll only be napping on it under supervision.

Speaking of friends, I have a few projects in the works for the holiday season, but I can't share them here because of certain people who may be reading. Maybe I will post a few after the holidays!