The Cabin

The upstairs 'bunk room' before the dividers went up
The table started out this way, but I liked the
leaf being in all of the time, so it's turned the
opposite direction now. That view!! 
Going fishing with my little guy. One of my
favorite pictures
First full weekend in and we had a trip to the ER for stitches.
Braden nearly cut his thumb in half trying out
the final project in a whittling book. Note:
start at the beginning. :)
Christmas at the cabin
Craig's specialty: poached eggs with hollandaise and
fried potatoes
Our Christmas tree. Gibson and I decided
that we needed one last minute, so we
ended up with a wonky 4 ft tall leftover. The
paper star was the single decoration, adding
to the ridiculous look that we both adored!
Christmas morning. Presents were few and all cabin-related.
Flannel shirts, Gibson wanted a weather radio, several carving and
bow staff books, etc. No clutter, just the essentials so we can spend
our time having fun, not taking care of our stuff. Besides, how
many of us really NEED anything?! 
Legos for Gib (thanks, Santa!) and Braden listening to music. 
The dividers are up. It closes the space off a little, but now
we don't have middle of the night freak outs over someone
getting kicked or a pillow going over the edge. They have
their own little spaces now.
The boys going scouting for deer tracks. The son of our
builders, who also helped build our cabin, took the boys
out scouting for signs of deer and then took them out
for a special hunting day. They had a blast! Thanks, Nick!!
Craig in his favorite spot: the kitchen. I am so happy with
they way this room turned out. Simple and everything
visible at a glance. 
My favorite spot: the corner of the couch. I can see the
woods outside and almost the entire cabin from here. 
The cabin at twilight. I love looking at
the night sky when we're here.  It's so dark!!
A few of the books that we have at the cabin. I'm working
my way through the stack.
We have had a blast in the cabin over the past few months. It's been a work in progress, getting everything situated, stocked, figured out and getting used to being in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything for miles around, so you have to have a plan and be sure to take everything that you need with you. Food, etc. We haven't set up the laundry yet, partly because of dealing with an water/iron issue and partly because I don't want to do laundry when I'm here to have fun! :)  It's been a blast getting used to no phones, no internet and no tv. Nirvana for me, an adjustment for kids that are used to instant entertainment 24/7. Lots of board games, card games, cooking and exploring outside. Not to mention loads of time to read. I've nearly read an entire book cover to cover every weekend that we've spent here. I LOVE to read. The Dog Stars was a great read. Pete Fromm's Indian Creek Chronicles was just fantastic. I'll definitely be reading that one again. You can never read Thoreau's Walden too many times. Willa Cather~ she is my new best friend. My Antonia was just beautiful. I have more of her books waiting for me.

The layout of the cabin was so much fun to plan. Craig was SO, so great and just went with whatever I came up with (even when his face clearly showed that he thought I was a complete lunatic, i.e.: you want to paint our brand new wood floors BLUE?! WHAT the?!) and there's not a single thing that I would change about the entire cabin. I love every detail. Love, love, love. Nearly everything that is in the cabin was brought in the first month and I haven't wanted or needed to add anything else. It's simple and uncluttered and I adore it.

Oh, and then there are the walks. Lots and lots of walks in the woods. The quiet is such a gift. I cherish it.

Happy Friday, sweet friends!!