Life is better

at the Lake.  At least that is what my glass says.

Where else to spend our long weekend but at our favorite home-away-from-home.  To watch the sun rise, to listen to the waves crash, and to watch the stars sparkle.

We always stop two places while hanging in Oscoda.  We shop at Klenows, a small market in Tawas;  then correspondingly, we stop in at Brew Krew to buy wine to accompany our purchase.   This trip was no different.  I always look forward to these adventures. 

We popped in on our early morning shop hoping to find some stuffed pork chops.  The place is hopping busy.  I looked around and didn't see any stuffed chops but knowing that they have a great selection asked.  The butcher said, "no we don't." Bummer I thought.  And then he said, "but we can make you some."

For real? For real.  He asked for 15 minutes to make the stuffing and stuff the chops.  I was floored.  But we were thrilled.  What service.  I LOVE that place.  So we have stuffed pork chops on tonight's menu. 

A storm rolled through late Sunday morning and stayed for the day. It brought drenching rain, rolling white caps, and strong winds.  Perfect weather for good books and naps.

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

Other than a small plumbing problem that will be fixed later this week, it's been close to perfect.  Oh, and the glass is right.  It's better up here.  At the Lake.

Locals first - Art of the Table

I have previously written about our friends Amy and Steve Ruis.  And their amazing store in Grand Rapids, Art of the Table.  Amy opened in 2003 and we have been shopping there ever since.  

Wine.  Chocolate.  Tablecloths.  Candles. Goat cheese. Coffee.  Wine.  Did I mention magnificent wine?

I can shop for wine and the finer accoutrements anywhere.  What I can't do anywhere is call Amy or facebook her, tell her what we are having for dinner, and ask her to have a few wines ready for us. 

Really, I call the store and say this, "we are having flank steak with rosemary.  What wine should we have?"  And then she pulls a rabbit out of her hat - or more likely, a bottle from the bin - and we joyfully skip out of the store, breathless with anticipation for what's to come in our wine glasses.  The very wine glasses purchased at the store. 

I just love going into that store.  I love everything about it.  And with everything else they have going on, they make amazing gift baskets for holiday gift giving.

Check them out.  Local deliciousness.

Heat Wave

Sing it if you want, but it has WARMED up here. It's a balmy 25 degrees as I type this, much improved from the single digits with below zero wind chills. I hope those days are over for the winter. Mr. Handsome, regardless of the weather, loves being outside. Even on those days when it fell below zero, Samson couldn't figure out why we weren't outside. Truly, it was a mystery.

We had a wildly wonderful and successful weekend. And they always go too fast. Saturday, we visited our friends at Art of the Table and bought some goodies, including my favorite Patricia's Chocolates. Wow, are they good. We stopped by our friends Bud and Barbara and offered a little tech assist and then hosted our friend Mark for an amazing dinner. Paul made rack of lamb with honey and rosemary and it is fast becoming one of my top faves.

Today was particularly terrific as we knocked out some shopping. We stopped at Lowe's to buy a much needed rug for our dining area. Right after Christmas, it was $377 and I decided that was too much. I did some sleuthing on Coupon Cabins (and other coupon sites) and found a coupon. We also bought it during a sale and saved almost $60. LOVE that. Bought gas for $2 a gallon and picked up a few things, with coupons, at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Very successful shop.

Paul is making a batch of chili for the week. Sam's Club had some reduced for quick sale meats and we picked up a pot roast for less then $12. That should last us several meals - dinner and lunches for me. He is also on a pork chop kick - it is great meat and the recipes are amazing. Head over to the cafe to see some of the dinners he has cooked recently.

It's another busy week ahead. Lots of fun things at work and at home. Enjoy it!