Wednesday, July 25, 2012

North Camp Views




We have been going 
to the
Northwoods of Wisconsin
since our children 
were little.






 

I am not sure 
by exact definition
what geographical area
makes up the "Northwoods"
but in my mind...
"up north" is where the
white birch trees intermingle
with long needle pines
along the shores of acres and acres
of pristine lakes.

My favorite fishing spot, a lazy river full of rainbow trout.





Our favorite places to stay 
is any cabin situated on this specific chain of ten lakes
which are conveniently connected by small passages.


One of the passages from lake to lake. (Small two lane bridge overhead)





It is heavenly.
A quiet, simple lifestyle. 


Early morning fishing.



Love waking up to this!


Getting away from it all
for one week every summer 
is just what the doctor ordered.

Mr. PH

Fishing
swimming
boating
laughing
tubing
sunbathing
hiking
biking
 walking
more laughing...
... and at night,


the sounds
of kids laughing over
board games and puzzles,
or
card decks shuffling.
(Give or take some sibling arguments in there!)








Our trip is always towards the end
of the summer and I must 
try hard not 
to wish the time away
until we can be there.... once again.




They looks miseable, don't they? Mine are on the far left and far right.





If you are lucky enough
to have a cabin on a lake
somewhere... you are blessed!

Enjoy your lakeside haven.






It is certainly one of life's
simple pleasures. 





He watched me fish one day.... kind of nerve-racking. Was afraid he may swoop down on something I might catch!


Can't get back there quick enough.  :)


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Don't forget ... Favorite Recipes on the First!




Now friends...
please don't forget,
August 1st 
is slowly creeping up on us
and will be here before
we even know it!



Pink vodka lemonade from Pinterest




Pesto paninis from Pinterest


Lemonade cake from Pinterest


Remember last month?
July 1st totally snuck up on me
and I missed my Favorites on the First
post until late
the night of the second, thanks
to some sweet nudges from 
blogging buddies!

Italian meatballs from Pinterest



Well, that's summer for you...
leisurely distractions throwing
you off your game, right?

So this is just a friendly reminder
to get your favorite recipe or recipes
together to share on the first, ok?

Hoping my friend Yvonne at StoneGable will come by and share one of her infamous delectable recipes with us !


I am working on mine this week.
Haven't decided what I will be sharing just yet!

But to get your creative
"juices" flowing ---
 take a look at 
all these images from Pinterest.
Wow. They sure look amazing!



A calorie-free appetizer.... jk, jk! Pinterest


See you soon,
on the first for some
mouth-watering 
recipe swapping!


xoxox~
Alison


Shrimp and grilled yellow squash from Pinterest

(The top photo was a blackberry cheesecake from Pinterest.)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Giveaway Winner!


 

   

 

We have a winner!

 


 

Random Integer Generator

Here is your random number:
72
 
 
 
 
 
 
So what does this mean??? 
 

It means that 
 
 
 
 
 
Sweet Becky
at 
Sweet Cottage Dreams
is the winner!
She left comment #72. 

Congratulations!
(Somehow Becky,
I think these things might just
work in your white hutch.)
 
For those of you
who have not met Becky
or do not know of her
very creative blog,
please go visit her today.
She has a great eye for putting things together,
 and has many
wonderful collections. 
Perfect cottage style! 
 
Take a look:
 
P1010137
Antique transferware
 

White ironstone pieces



Vintage plaids



Thank you to all of you
who entered in the giveaway.
 

Old trophies and vintage rulers.

 Now go stop by Becky's
blog for a little visit, won't you?
Tell her she won 
and that Alison
sent you over, ok!?







Saturday, July 14, 2012

Summer Giveaway!



You are appreciated!





Hi friends,
it's been a while
since I hosted a
fantastic followers
giveaway.

Was out antiquing this week
and found some things
that I thought some of you
might enjoy also!


Up for the giveaway
are three items:
two pieces
of white vintage ironstone,
and one wicker covered bottle.









If you would like to win
this set, it's easy
to enter the giveaway
and there are 
several ways to enter.




TO ENTER
THE GIVEAWAY


Each of these qualifies as one entry:


1) Be a follower of 
The Polohouse blog 
and comment to tell me so.


2) Blog about and link 
the giveaway
for a separate entry 
(take any photo here to do so if you wish)
and comment to tell me so.


3) Post about the giveaway
on your Facebook page and "like"
The Polohouse on Facebook for an
additional third entry
(and comment to tell me so as well.)


The winner will be selected
on Tuesday morning at 9 am, 7/17
by Random.org




And that's it!


Thanks so much to all of you...
 for your kind comments
and support during the year.
This is just a little gesture
on my part to say thank you
for your friendships and
for stopping by to say hello.


You all are the BEST!


xoxox~
Alison

Thanks so much, as always for coming by to say hi. :-)










Monday, July 9, 2012

Summer Island Views


 Ha!
Now that I have your attention,
I am not talking about 
a tropical summer island.... 
but instead
a wooden kitchen island.
Boring.... I know.

Zzzzzzzzz. 
Wake up!





This is our kitchen island.
You've seen it before.

It's nearly ten feet long 
and almost 3 feet wide
and has a lower shelf area --
 perfect for storage
and the keeping of my
larger serving pieces 
and antiques.




When planning the kitchen, 
I wanted to find an antique
to use as an island -- something
with a little more character
than what the cabinet maker could make. 

So when I saw this antique (reproduction)
sideboard at the furniture market
in High Point, NC
it seemed like it could work
perfectly in the long space.



This is the back of the island.


It was not meant to be a free-standing piece
(as you can see in the photo above)
but luckily it was stained on the back
so all I had to do was find some decorative
wooden appliques and some frame molding
to make the back a little more decorative.
We also added a towel bar since it is across from the sink.






The medallion on the right is repeated on the island on the front and sides. I found a similar version (seen on left) to add to the back section to try to make it more finished since it would be free-standing. 






Two marble slabs are built into the top of the sideboard. We replaced the original ones with white Carrera marble to use for baking prep surfaces. They are 1" thick slabs but half of their depth falls below the wooden surface of the piece.













Old wicker suitcase and picnic basket for storage.







Vintage aluminum horsehead fence post top with a bowl of limes.






Guess what?
Illinois is having a cold spell!
So excited, the temps this
week are going to be in the mid-eighties
all week. THIS is great news!

Hope you are 
enjoying a little less heat this week
and maybe even some rain?
(We're still hoping for some of that.)


xoxox~
A