Lost Mule Lodge

How to Discover What You Want in Life

Sending your kids off to college can be a new beginning for them and for you – whether you are crying your eyes out or kicking up your heels in celebration – one thing we all hope…

This is where I read.

This is where I wait.

This is where I sew.

Just kidding…

I can’t sew.

After my morning chores, I was waiting for a phone call from a friend and decided to scroll Facebook.

I loved seeing all the photos of friends traveling near and far for summer vacations.

Everyone was having such a fabulous time. I felt a bit sad… a self-pity kind of sad.

Sad that we weren’t taking a summer vacation.

I topped off my coffee and took my usual seat in the sunroom.

I always sit in what is called “the gunfighter’s seat”. The one in the corner – where I can see the doors and windows.

Not for the same reason as Wyatt Earp, but because of the view.

So I can catch the morning sky turn that glorious shade of red as the sun casts its crown on the trees in the east.

The windows and doors are wide open – bringing the outdoors in.

I scrolled some more and saw where some vacationer got bit by a shark in knee deep water.

I felt myself feeling less sad, actually becoming happier. My pity parties never last long.

I mean, I was sad that someone got bit, he was lucky it was such a small shark.

But now, less sad that we stayed home all summer.

Mother Nature’s symphony was streaming through the open windows like stereo. There is no better music.

The crowing of the neighboring rooster and the cows across the road are the melody to the chorus of the birds, the water and the wind rattling the leaves in the trees.

All in majestic harmony.

Any sadness or anger seems to dissipate through these open windows.

I want to invite you into this room so you could feel it too.

Leave the chaos at the door. Just be in the moment and soak it all in.

The sconce lighting emits a soft glow in the hours before sunrise.

Above me is the car siding the Amish introduced to us. We have since learned that it is also called “Ship Lap” – made famous by Chip and Joanna Gaines on “Fixer Upper”.

The wicker adds to the outdoorsy & relaxed feel.

You can read my post about these wicker chairs going from hot pink to brown here:

Shabby Cheek Wicker Chairs

You read that right… it is not a typo – go ahead check it out. It is hilarious.

That Sunburst on the wall is a little different than most because it represents my favorite element, the wind.

Not another person, house or yard is in sight.

All we see is nature.

Every window.

Every season.

Nature abounds.

The simplicity of this room is what makes it so easy, so relaxing.

There are so few things.

The clutter in my head clears to make room for the planning of the new day.

The next time you find yourself scrolling Facebook and feeling a bit left out, just look at the wonderful world around you.

The morning sky, a birds song, the smiling face of a loved one.

It’s there, we just need to slow down and let it soak in for a moment.

I feel blessed that we are at a place in our lives were a vacation sounds good – for an instant.

Then I look around and think, I am not sure any vacation would improve on what is right here.

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All photos, thoughts, experiences, and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Building a Floating Dock

You are about to hear how George built our floating dock out of scrap – in his words.

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As you have probably seen by now we are masters at recycling and repurposing.

No longer in need of the old cabin – it did not take long for the cannibalizing to begin.

Grab a cup coffee and find a seat gals – because your world is about to ROCK!

After 8 months of blissful living in our crooked little cabin and 2 years of sawing, painting, and staining, I am shaking the sawdust out of my hair! It is time to start decorating – and I am loving every minute of it!

There has been a lot of inspiration cross my dusty path over that time and I was paying close attention.

One thing that caught my eye was a “Recipe Wall” from my friend Karianne Wood over at Thistlewood Farms.

I loved it and couldn’t wait to create my own wall with words that held meaning for me in my new kitchen.

Now, this gal has been known to cook, (pointing at myself here) – but, I have never found a recipe worthy of a wall.

I promised myself – when it finally came time to decorate our home –

I would only use things that make me happy,

things I love,

things that trigger a memory,

things that have genuine meaning.

Deciding on a Lyric Wall was easy.

Picking the song was even easier…

It had to be something appropriate for the kitchen, and a song that would

…lighten our hearts each morning.

This song, Morning Has Broken, was a hit on the radio during the early 70’s but somehow it didn’t capture my attention until the early 80’s when we sang it at the funeral of my Aunt.

Frankly, I was in awe to see a hit song from the 70’s in a Hymn book.

Not to mention we were singing it at a funeral.

This must be a mistake…

As I sang from those written words, it was like I was hearing this song for the first time.

After over 10 years of hearing this song, those words were soaking in.

These lyrics were speaking to my soul.

So – I present to you my friends – our Lyric Wall – featuring

…Morning Has Broken

People credit Cat Stevens with the lyrics – but he actually found the song in a children’s hymn book.

He put the chords to it and it became a hit.

In case you are thinking of creating your own wall of inspiration… your favorite quote, words of wisdom, a line from a favorite movie, a recipe or even a song! Here is how I did this one.

Dish rack is optional…

Once I had the song in mind I had to choose a font, and the letter size to be visible from across the room.

After experimenting with various fonts the one I decided to use was Apple Chancery.

I typed it up just how I wanted the spacing – took it to the printer with the approximate dimensions of the space available on our wall. While at the printer I picked the color for the adhesive letters.

The printer was able to tell me the exact dimensions so I could paint the area before applying the lettering.

I had Wool Skein by Sherwin Williams left over from our basement walls. So, Wool Skein it is!!

Three days later I picked up the lettering.

We applied the adhesive lettering to the wall and then we built this gorgeous plate rack around it.

What better room than the kitchen to sing the glory of a morning!

Okay, maybe this doesn’t actually ROCK your world like it does mine – but hopefully, it created a bit of inspiration for a wall in your home!

I am anxious to hear your thoughts in the comments.

*** Full disclosure – when I, Lady Laughs-a-Lot says “we” I mostly mean “he”, Sir Lots-a-Wit ***