Under One Roof

A couple of weeks ago my entire family rented out an adorable old farmhouse cottage about 90 miles north of Chicago in a little town on the Michigan shore. The 13 of us had such a fun weekend together. If you've ever spent any time with my family you know that there's bound to be good laughs and good food, both of which were in abundance.

In fact, we had so much fun that I barely even took any pictures. Although I did manage to snap a few while we were at the beach. In the upper 90's, it had to be one of the last really hot days of the summer! Also, this was the first time all summer that we took the girls to the beach. We had a blast although they could have easily played in the sand all day long! It's amazing how laid back I am when they play with beach sand--far different from the raging bitch I become when they play with their dirty little sandbox at home.







As for our accommodations? Well, I loved the style of the house. It was what I would call cottage chic. A good balance between the old and the new, which I've really been into lately. Like take for example this little sitting room



On it's own, I probably never would have taken a second glance at the leopard chair, but next to the plaid chair I think they make such an impact. Actually, looking closely, the bones of the leopard chair are pretty badass.



I'm sure they had it reupholstered from an antique.



And how cool is this dresser? So cool!



I'm dying to know if the piece came with the numbers or if it's something someone added? Either way it makes a simple looking dresser look like a piece of art. Amidst the five different layers of paint and unique drawer pulls--there's character. It's pieces like this that inspire me to refurbish old furniture. I love the history.

But I love my family more. And I realized how much we all needed this time together. We haven't had a family vacation since my brother got married 4 years ago. It felt great to be under one roof again--just like old times. All the siblings laughing, arguing, laughing some more. It was my childhood--just an older version of it.

Thanks for a memorable weekend! We loved every minute of it!