A Big Creek Vacation: Remodeling and Living Creekside

Vacation Week Has Arrived!!!

As we all know, vacation week goes by twice as fast as every other week of the year, so I’m going to celebrate and make the most of every day of my vacation!  We could not have special-ordered better weather for the weekend, and we definitely used our daylight hours wisely.

Where are we going for vacation, you may ask?  HOME!

My Old Country Home without trees behind it.

My Old Country Home without trees behind it.

Where else would I want to be?  The place I hang my hat is like a vacation spot in itself!  Don’t believe me?  Ask Brother Bear!  He and his family travel from Sunny Florida every year to vacation right here at Big Creek.  They’re on their way now, actually, and my home will be turning into the “summer cabin” it once was, for one week.

Remodeling Begins!

In the midst of the family, the swimming, some target shooting, and probably some horseback riding, our contractor is due in on Wednesday to start remodeling our sunroom (a.k.a. my craft room).  Sure, it’s been a challenge fitting all of my sewing essentials into our hallway, IMG_7251adding another chair to our already-full living room, IMG_7253and packing up all of my important stuff,IMG_7255 but we are so ready to get this remodel rolling!  

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know how much I love to watch people work!  It’s my talent.  I’m an awesome spectator.  I’ll enjoy getting to be around when the nasty, leaky windows come out and the new room takes shape.  I’ll try to stay out of the guys’ hair, but stuff like this just fascinates me!

Living Creekside!!

Our home away from home in the summer is our little spot of land on the creek bank, which we’ve always referred to as “The Park”.  Papa built an entire set of furniture that was secured into the ground with concrete back in the early ’80’s, and we rescued it from nature last summer in a big clean-up project.  Coach and B-Mack (our neighbor and friend, in case you forgot) rebuilt the parts that had deteriorated, and we have made even more improvements since then.  I’ll share more of that on Wednesday, because VACATION trumps Waves On Wednesday, and I’ve got lots to share this week….starting with an awesome creekside living purchase we made on Saturday!

Check out this super-cool outdoor cooler we found at Home Depot!  IMG_7266

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This bad boy drains out the back, and has some fantastic storage space in the bottom! IMG_7267It was marked down ($10-off the original price!), super easy to assemble, and will hold a ton of stuff!  It even has a handy paper towel rack and a basket for holding other essentials!  IMG_7265

 

This outdoor cooler is perfect for keeping lots of ice-cold drinks at the ready all summer long!  We’ve gotten it all set up at The Park, IMG_7269and can’t wait to have a crowd of folks around to help us drink all those icy beverages! 🙂

Thanks for joining me today, and be sure to leave a comment…especially if you have any tips for surviving a remodel while you still live in the house!  I know it’s a death-wish, but we don’t have another summer cabin to squat in.  I’d also love to hear from you if you have some outdoor living ideas; things you do to make your summer more fun and less work!  I’ll be sharing more of our tricks and tips for having a fun, safe time in the great outdoors on Wednesday, and maybe even on Friday.  We’re definitely planning for a memorable Independence Day!

X,O,X,O,   Martie