Welcome back!

Wow!  It is about time I dust off this blog and get it caught up with life!  So much has happened since the lake renovation in 2012.  Our family has increased in size and we have been traveling extensively.  Here are a few highlight images from 2012.

The Christmas Story House

(My favorite movie!!)

Cleveland, Ohio

The first McDonald's

Des Plains, Illinois

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

National Lakeshore

Michigan

Niagara Falls

Bridal Veil Falls
Cuyahoga National Park
Ohio

Lake House Renovation

We have owned a 14-sided lake home for several years.  It has been the scene of many blissful weekends of relaxing, swimming, boating, and serious games of spoons, Rumikub, and Guess Who!!! In 21 years of ownership, we have not put one drop of paint on the walls or decorated in the least.  We had decided that this year we would remodel the upper level.  In February, water changed our plans when the service main cracked flooding the lower level!!  We have spent the majority of the summer there remodeling.  After changing some walls, we now have more usable spaces and have increased to 4 bedrooms from 3.  Here are some before, during, and after pics.  I did not take pics of some of the rooms, so I will be editing this blog as soon as I have them!

Upper living area-Great use of mirrors-UGH!!!

Living and Kitchen areas-wonderful trak lighting and stupid placed wall on the left

Lovely mauve carpet throughout the upper level

More mirrors and mauve carpet in master bath.  My fav is theater lighting-NOT!!!

Master Bedroom

Lower level junk heap area

Useless lower level area

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #3 aka the barracks!

During construction we had the "junkle" in our bedroom.
I kept singing-In the Junkle the mighty junkle the Roberts sleep tonight!!

Living area under construction-no more mauve carpet!!!!!!

and no more mirrors or theater lighting in the master bath!!

Here's what a wall looks like when you take 3 3'x8' mirrors off of it! 

The finished product!!!  Kitchen area
Trak lighting and stupidly placed wall are also gone!!!

This is the old site of the mirrored wall. 

Master Bedroom

Bedroom #3 (Barracks)-not finished but will be soon

stairs

new lower living area

Lower level bath

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #4 with lots of closet space for the necessary junk of home ownership!  Also, the bathroom theater lights are illuminating the closets now!  At least I can't see them!!

Lantern Festival, Missouri Botanical Garden

Even though St. Louis lacks access to beautiful mountains and beaches, we are blessed with a few fantastic sites such as the Muny Opera, the St. Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  This year the Gardens hosted a Chinese Lantern Festival which was really cool. 



Terra Cotta Warrior Wayne



The lanterns were illuminated at 8:00, just before nightfall

Always a great day for a wedding at the Gardens!!

Chinese Dragons, of course!!

2 faces of the 4-faced Buddha

Butterfly lovers

The Temple

A fisherman and his friend

and he actually caught a fish!!

Cherry Blossom Tree

Chinese goddesses lining the pathway

Double Seventh Festival

Three Dragons

Moonlit Pathway

Pandas!!!

Porcelain Dragon (made out of plates!!)

Lily pads reflected in the water

Now they are lit!

Entrance to the Gardens