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An Afternoon in Harbor Springs
Hi All and Happy Fall! While Northern Michigan is stunning in the summer, it is equally fabulous in the fall. We recently returned from a trip Up North and I really can’t say this too many times… Northern Michigan is one of the United State’s best kept secrets. We had wonderful, summer-like weather on our long anniversary weekend. Heading up to Petoskey, Bay Harbor and Harbor Springs is the perfect way to wave our sad goodbyes to summer and usher in fall. (Last autumn, we were able to spend a weekend in the same area and I created a guide that you can check out here. )
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How to “Tile” A Fireplace with Wall Stencils and a GIVEAWAY!
Good morning All! Since it is officially after Labor Day, we got to work (actually on Labor Day) sprucing up the living room, specifically the fireplace. I was so happy with how our last project using Cutting Edge Stencils turned out that I decided to give a new stencil a try to update our fireplace. (If you missed the Laundry Room Makeover, check out the details of the stenciled flooring here and the entire “after” here.)
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A Hotel-Inspired Guest Room Makeover
Hello! I hope you all had a nice weekend!! If you follow Mackinaw Road on Instagram, you know that it was a goal to hold off fixing up the Beach Cabin between Memorial Day and Labor Day… but we just couldn’t help ourselves when it came to the bonus guest room. Part of it stemmed from the kids wanting to do a week of sailing school (and my husband texting me all of the ideas in case I was bored- haha!).
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Inexpensive Backyard Patio Ideas
Our lake days are coming to a close (although I’ve decided that summer really isn’t over until September 21 and there have to be some sandy-toed days yet to come). Lately, the car navigation has been calling our house “WORK”… pretty intuitive, I must say.
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DIY Ottoman for the Beach Cabin
When your friend shows up with her kids and a staple gun, you know it’s going to be a great DIY morning. This morning, we were attempting to recover an old storage ottoman that had been through all of the things (stains, dirt, babies using it as a pull up, kids using it as an indoor trampoline, etc).
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MUST SEE Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman. Raise your cyber hand if you’ve watched The Firm. Growing up in the 90’s, we were definitely intrigued with John Grisham, Tom Cruise, and the Cayman Islands. My husband and I visited awhile ago (almost 7 years now!) with our then 1 1/2 year old and really enjoyed 7 Mile Beach (pictured below). One thing that I love about our family is all of the travel we have been able to include in our lives. It has been rare lately that we are all home at the same time. Our sister and brother, Priya and Chris, recently visited this past June (actually at the same resort!), and they…
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Where to Eat in Chicago: Restaurants for Every Kind of Getaway
With music in the background, boats in the foreground, and all of the restaurants one could wish for in front of you, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with where to eat when visiting Chicago. Here are some suggestions based on what you may or may not be in mood for and the kind of weekend getaway you may be on…
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Butcher’s Union and A Summer Salad
Hello and Happy Friday! As is typical, summer has been going by much too quickly. Here’s hoping that it extends well into the fall like it did last year.
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Chicago with Kids: Can’t Miss Places and Restaurants
With Chicago only 3 hours away, we try to take advantage of it’s proximity and all that big cities have to offer as much as possible. When we were first married, we would go to Chicago almost every month. When the kids were younger, we visited less frequently (maybe 3-4 times per year). Now that they are older, we have been making the trip more often again (and loving it!). Here are some of our top picks:
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NYC in 48 Hours
The magical lights and electric energy is unavoidable in NYC. The infectious spirit will keep a tourist on a 48 hour trip able to see quite a few sights… unless their hotel has blackout shades… and they are parents of small children who haven’t slept in years… But still, even if that hypothetically happens, there are plenty of daylight and nightlife hours to enjoy the city. NYC can be visited repeatedly and there would still be something new to discover. (If you missed our trip three years ago, you can check it out here.) This time, there was some solo exploring due to one of us having meetings all day.…