Back to work I go.....

    

           

           Well, it's been nice, but it's back to the real world today.  With the exception of our little getaway, the past nine days have been full of whole lot of nothingness, and I don't feel bad for that one bit.  I didn't make a to-do list while I was on vacation (I know, it's so unlike me), I didn't do any school work (I'm sure I'll regret that later), I didn't go to the gym or watch my calories (that's bound to catch up with me), and I didn't make the house perfect by cleaning or doing any other house projects (yeah, don't really feel bad about that one). 
       Usually, I spend my days off of work by trying to do million little things here and there, but nope, not this time.  This time I relaxed.....and I have to say that it was nice.  I did some reading here and there, I journaled quite a bit, and I caught up on my blog.  
      I have to tell you that I could get used to being a stay-at-home wife, but when I mentioned it to Matt, we didn't see eye to eye;)  He informed me that if I was a stay-at-home wife, then I wouldn't have been able to do some of the shopping I did for myself last week, and we wouldn't have extra money to spend on the house or my many projects that I keep coming up with for around the house, and we wouldn't have been able to take our little getaway either.  Ahh, yes, I know he's right.  My job brings extra spending money into our budget, but a girl can dream can't she?
      Well, dream over, because it is 5:00 on a Monday morning.  Time to do some morning reading with a cup of coffee, hit the gym and get ready for work. Yep, vacation is over....sigh....it was nice to have a few days with nothing to do, but today's to-do list is already getting full.  After work, I'll hit the library, go for a walk in the park, have dinner with the hubs and work on my blog a little before going to bed and waking up tomorrow to do it all over again.  But that's really ok,  because I'm thankful to  have a job that I enjoy and a week's paid vacation.  Yep, life is good:)

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New Buffalo Review

I've mentioned before that when Matt and I travel we try to stay at places that will help make the trip more memorable for us.  This past week we stayed at the New Buffalo Inn and Spa in New Buffalo, Michigan.    

Normally I plan our trips months in advance, but this trip was kind of "on the fly", and when I saw the inn's midweek special on the internet, I inquired about it.  Basically the special was $20 off of the regular midweek price, a $50 spa credit and $20 towards breakfast at the local cafe. 

Here's a quick tip for when you plan any getaway (especially if you are planning a getaway at the destination's peak seasion).  If you are looking to save money, booking any room just about anywhere during the middle of the week, opposed to the weekend, will save you a lot of money.

New Buffalo is a small beach town in Southwest Michigan.  The inn was located in the heart of the small town and was a short drive or a good walk to the beach.  When choosing this destination, all I had to go on was customer reviews and photos of the inn's website.   The reviews weren't bad and the photos showed a variety of rooms. 

The room that I chose was a little smaller than the others, but I am very picky on the way a room looks and the the Miss Eber Knight room seemed to have the most charm.  The room had a vaulted ceiling with sky lights, a covered patio with a table and chairs, a huge two person deep jacuzzi tub, a fire place, a tv and a wet bar.  All of the rooms had access to the hot tub located in the garden area. 

My only concern about the inn was that it appeared to be a little outdated.  When we arrived, I was assured of this.  Not outdated in an "oh, I can't believe that I paid money for this" kind of way, but outdated in an "I think I saw those curtains in a magazine dated 1999 kind of way".  Basically, it appeared that our room had not be decorated in a good ten years, and the grounds needed a good upkeeping.  If the place was maintained a little better and the rooms were updated to this decade, then the inn would be a knock-out place to stay, because the overall experience was really good.  I mean, can you really go wrong with all the things they had to offer?  I don't think so, but I am a girl who notices details, and because of that I would rate it a little bit lower than other inns that we've stayed in. 

Across the parking lot from the inn was the spa.  You can see the spa selections here.  Matt didn't want the massage, so I gladly scheduled a fifty minute Swedish massage.  The massage was great, and it only cost us $22 since we had the $50 spa credit.  Again though, I have to say that the spa in itself was a little outdated. Basically, the service was good, but I really wanted to do some decorating while I was there.  Again, I pay attention to detail, so I'm sure most people don't even notice.

The town of New Buffalo was rustic and charming.  There's not a whole lot to do in the small town, but that's the beauty of this kind of getaway.  There were a few shops (most of them were only open from 10-6), and there were a few restaurants,  but most of the people in New Buffalo could be found at the beach.

The New Buffalo beach was beautiful, and the weather couldn't have been better while we were there.  There wasn't any humidity, and the temperature was right around 80 degrees the whole time.   When we were there, the waves were big and the rip currents were strong, but that's the way Matt likes it:)  On our last day, the water became calmer, and the waves died down considerably.  I did notice a bit of trash here and there on the beach that was left behind by its visitors.  We were only there for a few days, so I don't know how often the beach gets cleaned.   It would have been a little nicer if people threw away there mess before leaving the beach though.

Now, lets talk food.  We had a mini fridge in our room, so I packed sandwiches for lunch and snacks for the beach.  Many of the rooms had full kitchens, but I knew we weren't going to be there long enought o utilize that kind of room. 

We had breakfast at the local cafe, Michigan Thyme Cafe.  The cafe was really cute.  They had inside and outside dining, and they also had a really cute botique atatched to the cafe.  The menu selection wasn't huge, but the food was really good.  On the first morning, I ordered the stuffed french toast while Matt tried the quiche, and the second morning we had fresh blueberry pancakes.  The inn gave us $10 vouchers for the cafe each morning, making breakfast about $5 a day for the two of us.  We would definitely eat here again if we ever go back.

As for other restaruants in New Buffalo, we tried Casey's Bar and Grill the first night.  They did have a nice patio area that made dining enjoyable.  Dinner was less than $20 for the two of us, and the food was mediocre.  It was worth the money, but it didn't wow us.  

The second night, we decided to go where we saw a crowd.  We tried the Stray Dog Bar and Grill.  There was more selection at this restraunt, and the food was a lot better than the previous night.  Prices were about the same, but we spent a little more money, because we ordered more expensive items this time.  We still only spent about $30 for dinner, so it wasn't too bad.  This restaurant has roof top dining, but you have to be 21 and show your ID to go on the rooftop (I didn't have my ID on me and we were sent back down), which I thought was hilarious, because I noticed kids sitting at the bar downstairs.

We aslo ejoyed a classic small town ice cream shop while we were there.  Nancy's had a large selection of hand-dipped ice cream as well as an assortment of other cool treats.  Matt had there famous strawberry shake and said that it was the best strawberry shake he has ever had....that's saying a lot coming from my husband.  Nancy's was right in town, but if you wanted ice cream at the beach, then Jakes at the Beach was the place to go.  Jakes offered classic beach food, but they also served Nancy's icecream.

The nice thing about New Buffalo is that is right on Lake Michigan and Chicago is just across the lake.  The windy city was about seventy miles away, so spent they day there before heading back to Indy.  Over all, we had a great stay, and we would definetly visit Lake Michigan again.

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Butterfinger Cake

If you've been reading my blog this week, you know that we went out of town for Matt's birthday.  It was nice to get away, but it was also nice to come home and have a day or two to relax before going back to work on Monday. 

 Since we were out of town, I wasn't able to make Matt a birthday cake until today.  He requested that I make a Butterfinger cake that his sister often makes and brings to family gatherings. 

However, when Matt woke up this morning he was achy and stuffy.  He's spent most the day on the couch watching sports, and I wasn't sure if he'd want birthday cake today since he wasn't feeling good.  When I asked him, he assured me he wasn't too sick for cake.

I made the cake this morning, and as you can see, Matt's already been into it.  Knowing my husband and his appetite, I'd say this cake will be gone by Monday;)

Here's the recipe my sister-in-law gave me for Butterfinger Cake:

Tips:
Tastes best when made as a double layer cake. Even better when the finished cake refrigerates over night and is served cold. Unfortunately this can't be rushed. DO NOT put Cool Whip on until cake is cool, or the cool whip turns into a funky mess.

Ingredients:
1 German chocolate cake mix (and eggs, water, oil to make it)
Caramel topping (Smuckers squeezable caramel topping works best)

1 small can of condensed milk (may not use entire can)

1 regular size tub of Cool Whip

1-2 Butterfinger bars crushed

Directions:
Bake the cake according to directions. When the cakes finish, let them cool on a wire rack. Place the first layer on your cake plate, then with the rod end of a plastic stirring spoon, poke several holes in the bottom layer of the cake. Open the condensed milk and slowly pour the milk over the cake, letting some seep into the holes. Then do the same with the caramel. Sprinkle a light layer of Butterfinger crumbles over top. Cover the bottom layer in a layer of Cool Whip.   Gently place the second layer on top and repeat the previous steps to the second layer.  Finish covering the sides with Cool Whip, then drizzle caramel on top of cake.  Finally, finish the entire cake by sprinkling MORE Butterfinger pieces on top.   

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A Day In Chicago

Chicago is one of Matt's favorite cities to visit.

   

Since we spent the past few days in Southwest Michigan, we decided to finish our Michigan trip this morning with some blueberry pancakes for breakfast......

......and then head west for a fun-filled day in Chicago.

We started the day by walking to Milennium Park.

Then we crossed the Michigan Ave. bridge....

.....and did some shopping on the infamous Magnificent Mile.

Afterwards, we walked up the shore.....

.....and finished our day at the Navy Pier. 

I suggested that we eat dinner on the pier before heading home, but my husband informed me that he saw a sign for a KFC buffet that was located an hour outside of Chicago.  Matt really wanted to eat there, because we don't have KFC buffets in our area. Sadly, the KFC buffet is something that my husband has been wanting to go to for awhile now:/

This was NOT the way I would have ended a day in Chicago....

......but since it was his birthday weekend, I agreed to dinner at KFC.  I watched my husband go through the buffet line three times!  After one hour of eating, he was finally full ;) 

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My Husband's 29th Birthday



Yesterday, I shared this post with you about our little summer getaway for Matt's birthday.  Well, today is the day.....today is my husband's twenty-ninth birthday, and we've had a blast celebrating it on beautiful Lake Michigan. 



After a yummy breakfast.....

......we went for a morning walk on the beach

After the walk, we went back to our room and put on our swimming suits......

....so we could hit the waves.

After a few hours in the sun, we were wore out, so we took an afternoon nap ......

.......before celebrating the evening with a birthday dinner.....

.....and a birthday shake. 

We've had a great day celebrating Matt's birthday.  Now....I think I hear the hot tub callin' our name ;)   

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Another Summer Getaway

Matt and I headed north for another summer getaway today. My handsome husband will be 29 tomorrow, so we are taking a few days away from the everyday things of life to celebrate his special day. Here's how we spent our day once we arrived at our destination.

After checking into our room....

....Matt took a nap, while I went to the spa for an hour and enjoyed a Swedish massage.  I tried to talk Matt into getting one, but he declined by saying he doesn't like strange people touching him.

After the relaxing massage, we walked to a local diner for a casual dinner outdoors.

Then we took a short walk to the beach....

....where the waves were big....

.....and the wind was strong.....

...but with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees with no humidity, our evening stroll on the beach was very enjoyable.

After our walk on the beach, we stopped by the local ice cream shop before walking back to our room.



After such a relaxing day, there was no better way for me to end it than with a hot bath in the jacuzzi tub.

Today has been a great day!  I'm really looking forward to hitting the waves and soaking up the sun tomorrow with my wonderful husband!

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Enjoying Our Backyard Deck

       

           Yesterday, I shared this post about our front porch.  Today, I want to share another outdoor space with you.  When we moved into the new home, we were excited when we noticed the house had a small backyard deck to enjoy during the warmer months. Let me tell ya, we have big dreams for our backyard, but the reality is that we are making our house a home in phases, due to the desire to pay for everything as we go (ie: NO DEBT).  The  reality is that our dream backyard that includes a fence, a whole new bigger and better deck, an extended stone patio with wicker furniture and a fire pit, a pergola with beautiful hanging plants, a shed for more storage, fantastic landscaping with bigger and better trees and perhaps even a hot tub, if I can convince my husband the "need" for such a thing.....all of that is several phases away from being completed.  We're talking at least two years from even being under construction, so in the meantime, we have to make do with what we got and be thankful that we even have a place to enjoy an outdoor meal.  Having said all of that, here's how we made our small deck a cozy place to enjoy an evening meal this summer, and we did it all for less than $250.  Yes, we really are thankful that our house came with this nice outdoor space, and we are even more thankful that it didn't cost too much money too turn it into a usable outdoor space that we can enjoy.

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The first thing we knew we needed for our deck was a bistro set.  I wasn't having any luck with garage sales or Craigslist, so I began searching for a good deal on the internet.  It's a long story of how we finally ended up with this set that involves me ordering and returning a table.  I'll spare you the details, but I ended up ordering the chairs from Amazon for $85, and I found the table, which is not longer in stock, at Target.com for $85.  The total cost of our bistro set was $170. 

          

I made two no-sew seat cushions for $17.  You can find the tutorial here.




To brighten up our drab deck, I bought flowers from Lowe's for $10 and coconut baskets from Wal-Mart for $8 a piece.

A $2.50 citronella candle makes for a nice center piece on the bistro, and it keeps the bugs away in the evening.

Tealight citronella candles in glass votives cost less than $5 total from Flower Factory, and they are scattered across the edge of the deck to help create an evening glow as well as repel the unwanted insects.

I found this crate at a garage sale for $3.  It holds a $5 plant pot from Wal-Mart and more glass votives.

The petunias that are in the pot were less than $5 from Lowe's, but they are really struggling to survive in this heatwave.  Oh, and I also got a Live Laugh Love outdoor rug from Old Time Pottery for $6.

That pretty much completes our deck this summer.  The final cost of everything was around $240.  The bistro set was our big splurge for this deck, and while it was more than I originally wanted to spend, it certainly has seen a lot of use this summer.  Since I was able to find such great deals on everything else on the deck, I'm not gonna kick myself for paying more than I wanted to on the bistro set.  The cost for everything was still under $250, and when you consider how much the average person spends furnishing a deck, I'd say we didn't too bad on our final cost;)

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