Come along with us on our Purely Michigan: Petoskey Michigan fun day-venture! Bayfront Park is beautiful and a fun park to visit that is close to the downtown area.

Purely Michigan: Petoskey Michigan fun- Stone Hunting!

We started off by heading to Petoskey, because where else do you have the greatest chance of finding Petoskey Stones! When we got to the Petosky area we headed to the beach to do a little rock hunting.  If you do not know what a Petoskey Stone is, it is a stone with a specific patterning on it, and it is not just a stone. A Petoskey Stone is also a fossil! Petoskey Stones can be difficult to identify, as their pattern only shows when they are wet, or waxed.  Otherwise, they look like any other gray stone. The day at the beach was full of fun and good weather. We got to see a baby turtle and ONLY in Michigan can you build sandcastles in October. The day was just beautiful and warm!

 

Purely Michigan: Petoskey Michigan fun – Downtown Shopping

Stone hunting is an activity that costs nothing, and you can have a great time.  Before going stone hunting, we put some thought into supplies. First stop was the dollar store to grab a colander, a scooper, and a water bottle. We also brought a bag to carry our supplies in and stones after we chose them. Unfortunately, our haul of stones only included very small Petoskey Stones, but we also found a little beach glass, so that was fun too. After we were done stone picking, we headed to the downtown shops for a little fun shopping.

The downtown area is truly Bougee life at its best. This town offers art, culture, and so much more! What really stood out was just how friendly the people were. We didn’t do a lot of actual buying while we did do some shopping. This day wasn’t about the buy, it was more about the looking and exploring. We have found as we get older, we have the desire to purchase less and have more experiences. That is one thing that Michigan offers. There are so many weekend adventures and fun places to see!

 

Pure Michigan: Traverse to Elk Rapids

As promised, we are giving you all the details of our Fall Home Projects!  All the things we have been up to, and we have been busier than ever with projects and getting the house ready for the holidays. We can’t possibly just run off every weekend for fun. Sometimes we have to do things and be home bodies. This is our opportunity to share some of the things we have been up to! Our youngest was spending the summer in Virginia, and before they came home, we decided to totally remodel their room. We wanted to give them something that was young adult driven, and very personal. We wanted to send the young adult message, and for the message they need to get life on a productive path. But also, we missed them a TONS and wanted to give them a nice gift.

We started off by emptying out the entire room and removing the carpet. She had the carpet for YEARS, and it needed to go! Of course, we were on a budget and couldn’t afford carpet this time, but also, we have pets, and carpet gets icky with pets.

Then we painted the walls black and as you can see we also painted the floor. And then installed the mural we got from TEMU!  YES! Temu has so many great finds!! But I will tell you a mural is not for the faint of heart. There is a section on this that collapsed in on itself and that glue is so strong! It took 4 of us down on the floor to get it unstuck. There was no other option, we prayed, we used our own body weight, we pulled, we breathed in and out as though it were our last breath…and the mural went up!

DIY: Fall Home Projects – Waterfall Lighting

 

 

 

After we installed the mural, we needed to make some adjustments. We had a gap on each side of the wall. We decided to install waterfall lights on each side of the mural. It was a simple process. We bought a simple curtain rods and sheer curtain panels from Walmart, and then found waterfall lighting at hobby lobby. This was a simple fix that took about 30 minutes to install start to finish!

 

 

 

 

 

DIY: Fall Home Projects-Time for the shelving units and decorating

For a couple hundred dollars we went to Menards and purchased simple to install shelving units.

We knew that in this remodel we wanted to create storage, and places for specific things. They have a healthy collection of skulls, and they also have a passion for Lego’s. We thought it would be nice to give them a way to display them in a very adult manor.

DIY: Fall Home Projects – Storage cupboard, new to them dresser and a real closet

We had a cupboard from the apartment that was an easy redo of black paint. Last year we picked up an old dresser that we intended to redo. We purchased the new knobs from hobby lobby and used the hardware that came on the dresser and just painted it. The closet was super small, we added extra hanging space, a light and a new door with a super cute rose knob. The details really make everything feel special.

DIY: Fall Home Projects – Completing the project

We moved the rest of their items into the room, added new bedding from TEMU, bought the skull and roses rugs from Temu, and then picked up the black and white skull rugs from TJMAXX, of course! We decorated with their most loved items, and things we knew they would not want to be without.

The look on their face, after a very long drive was priceless. They LOVED all the effort, back breaking work and thought that went into creating a cozy hide away room.

DIY: Fall Home Projects -Time to get the Kid!

I flew out on a Wednesday, and into Norfolk Virginia. And then we left Virginia at 10:30pm at night and laid our head to rest in Maryland. We got into the hotel around 2am, and Thursday we left around 10am. It was a very quick trip, and we drove solid on Thursday. We got home around 10pm on Thursday! When I say quick…it was quick for covering multiple states! And I have to admit, the Kid did a great job driving, I only got scared 3 times!

DIY: Fall Home Projects, Travel and Good Food-Let’s talk FOOD

After they got settled, the next day their best friends came over and stayed the night. With a special request for banana pancakes. I had no idea they loved them the last time we made them. But with a request for breakfast what mamma could say no??

Banana pancakes

Favorite pancake mix- add water according to directions- then add 1 egg and 2 ripe bananas. Just like you would for making banana bread. Mash them up! Then I add cinnamon to taste and a cap of vanilla. Yes, that is how I do it! I don’t really measure except for the batter according to package details. Then make your pancakes, the secret is medium heat, and flip when bubbling. Top with butter and syrup!

 

Zuppa Tuscana

Zuppa is one of our favorites and it is super simple. We have changed the recipe, as we use fresh herbs and no garlic or onion for flavor. We also use Jenni O Sweet Italian sausage instead of pork sausage.

I usually start by dicing up white or yellow potatoes and boiling them in chicken broth until tender. When they are boiling, I remove the casings of the turkey sausage and fry up the sausage into crumbles. I also chop up the herbs into fine pieces. Using Rosemary, Basil, Oregano and Thyme. After the potatoes are tender, I add the herbs, a little more chicken broth, and sausage. I let that cook a little bit and stir it around. I then throw in a couple cubes of our herb butter. Once the herb butter is melted in, I add in chopped Kale and some heavy cream (not pictured). This is really good served with a little crusty bread for dipping.

DIY: Fall Home Projects, Travel and Good Food-One last project

A few months ago, we had started our eldest daughter’s dresser, this weekend we actually finished it! This was an old solid dresser, and sanding it down, putting a fresh coat of paint, freshening up the hardware and then using a little wallpaper to create a creative flare. I also featured the supplies I used, because the chalk paint and the wax really changed the appearance of this old dresser!

 

Well, there you have it folks! All the wonderful things we have been up to. Our next blog post will be about our recent trip to Petosky. And not to forget we have more DIY projects to come! We will be opening our first Airbnb, so there will be remodeling pictures of that project, we will also be freshening up our master bedroom! We can’t wait to share it all with you!

 

Pure Michigan: Traverse to Elk Rapids

 

 

 

Grand Rapids: Mi Oz Escape- Pre-game Apple Barrel Donut Run

 

Every Saturday Adventure must be started out right! Today we ran to grab donuts before we headed off to GR! And my cup was filled with Crio Bru, and yes pumpkin spice obvi, and zero sugar pumpkin spice creamer. Because it might be 80 plus degrees out, but this girl is ready for PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON! Yes, I said it folks, its not fall in this house, it is PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON! Practically a holiday in my eyes…lol!

 

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– We are off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape provides you with virtual entertainment as you walk through the downtown area of GR. The game provides for 2-6 players, and you log into one phone as it gives you clues, puzzles to solve, fun facts. The goal is to help Dorothy return to Kansas, and all the characters get back to the Wizard of OZ. The wicked witch is playing games and keeping them from escaping the real world. It is the job of the players to help them.

This is a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday. There were 4 of us, all ranging in our 50’s that took off to play the game. The weather was perfect, at time a little too hot. But overall, the weather was wonderful.  We had a good time solving the puzzles and seeing the sights of downtown GR.

 

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Fun in the downtown

From the beginning we were excited to see people in costumes and were hopeful that it would be a fun day. The downtown area is always exciting, there is always something going on at the Van Andel arena. On this particular day families were out and about seeing the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks. Needless to say, the downtown area was very busy. But that did not stop us from having fun! We started off down by the Van Andel arena, where we started the app, and it took us on our adventure!

 

 

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– People in Costumes and downtown businesses

Along our way, there were groups of people dressed in character and really getting into the cos play of it all. Everyone was friendly and helpful.

I am sure that the downtown businesses enjoyed the extra traffic, and we definitely need to give a huge thanks to Insomnia Cookies for allowing us to use their restroom.

 

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Final thoughts

If I were to say that this was an “awesome” I would be exaggerating. This was slightly disappointing as we thought the clues and puzzles would have been based on the wizard of oz, and not just random puzzles. We were not able to take the phone we were using into downtown shops, so that was disappointing as we felt had they enlisted the businesses in the game, the businesses could have had more interaction with the players and even made some sales. However, it was a lovely day with friends, and of course the fun did not stop after we left the downtown area, we worked up a good appetite and decided to go grab dinner at the Cantina.

The downtown area of GR has some great shops, vintage stores, restaurants. It just needed to be more human interactive in our opinion. But then again, our group was slightly older than some of the other groups, so that could have been a factor. For young people that do not want a lot of human interaction, this could be a good way to spend a Saturday.  Stay tuned as we show the Cantina next…it is one of our favorite places to visit in GR.

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Dinner at Cantina

After a couple of hours out in the heat, we headed over to Cantina off of Paris, not too far from 28th street. This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants to go to. The food is amazing, the decor is fun, and it feels like a real experience. Which when we travel, we aren’t just looking for great food, we want a great dining experience too!

Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Dinner at Cantina– The Food!

If you love the atmosphere, you will adore the friendly staff, the bean dip station, and the wonderful menu! Overall, we had a great day with friends!

 

 

Lansing Mi: Saturday Shopping Adventures