Mini-me and I went on our “annual” girls trip last week. We really try to do one each year. This year we were able to stay at my cousin’s cabin in what is sometimes referred to as “lake country”. I grew up at this cabin…it’s a huge part of my childhood. I love being able to share it with my daughter.

The area had gotten significant rain the day before so the gravel road we took in the cabin was not a good choice. We made it but it was not a fun drive. The mud and gravel was really caked up under the van.

We had a good laugh later after the adrenaline wore off about on our Montana girls trip where we really did get stuck in the mud.

When we arrived the lake was like glass…virtually no wind. We immediately changed into our swimsuits to get as much time in the water as possible knowing that the weather wasn’t supposed to hold out for us.

We had a great time on the standup paddle boards. Neither one of us fell into the water. We left our glasses on shore just in case though and wore lifejackets.

Because of all the rain we’ve had this summer the lake is really high…as you can see we had to wade out about knee deep to get onto the dock.  As I waded into the water I noticed all the minnows swimming in the shallows just like when I was a kid. So many memories.

A campfire reheated hotdog was a perfect end to our first day.

Our second day was a rainy one. We decided to drive into town. Mini-me was interested in a used book store which happened to be on the same block as a couple antique stores. We both found some treasures.

After eating lunch at a favorite place alongside a lake, we stopped by 22 Northmen to pick up a 4 pack of my favorite summer beer.

I brought a bag of crafting supplies since we knew the weather wasn’t going to be perfect. I’ve been on a card making kick lately.

I managed to create 20 blank cards ready for sentiments. I love working with scraps and challenging myself to use what I have on hand.

The following day was very windy. Also not great to water sports so we decided to go hiking. Inspiration Peak isn’t too far from the cabin, so that was our destination.

The hike is fairly short but steep. The view was gorgeous.

Since it was still early, we checked out surrounding area map for another destination. We found a state park we’d never been to before.  We did a bit more hiking there before returning to the cabin to enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

We had a wonderful time quietly enjoying each others company. I’m so thankful my cousin let us use the cabin.

Today has boring household chores on the agenda as well as some shopping for interview clothes for Mini-me. She has a second interview on Thursday…this one is in person.

I’m not going to sugar coat it…this post is going to be all over the place. Kind of like my brain some days.

My neighbor, who is a prolific card maker, inspired me to get back at it. The first chore is cutting, scoring and folding the cardstock. Once I had a nice stack I began looking through my scraps and envelopes. An orange one caught my eye…a Shutterfly envelope. Inside I found a stack of photos perfect for cards. I know I originally ordered them for that purpose but they got set aside and therefore forgotten.

In a short time I had this pile of blank photo cards completed.

This is one of my favorite photos. I created this arrangement exclusively from my yard into a handmade pottery piece I picked up at a garage sale.

Independence day was a rainy day here so both the parade and fireworks were cancelled. The city made the decision to reschedule the fireworks until July 12th.

We are lucky enough to be able to walk a few houses down to the top of a cul-de-sac to view the show. The mosquitos were fierce but it was still a good time.

My garden is continuing to produce which makes me so happy. I grilled the yellow squash on Sunday with our meal. It was delish!

I’m also working on some coffee dyeing. It’s really hot but humid. I’m hoping the sun will overpower the humidity when it comes to drying these stacked pages. I have lots of different stencils and plastic pieces mixed in the stack to hopefully create some cool patterns. I’ll share my results at a later date.

What are you doing today?