So I'm in my car with my son Eli just out & about running errands. We see a sign for a kids craft place & decide to stop in & check it out. It turns out to be this huge room off the back of a house. So we go in & ring the bell to let them know we are there. And who comes out of the door but Michelle! I was so excited. I mean, I've wanted to meet this woman for the longest time but she lived so far away. I didn't understand how we could come to be at her house but hey, who's gonna argue?
So she had shelves & cupboards full of papers & paints, glues & glitters, anything you could think of to use for kid crafting, she had it there.
We get Eli started on a project & she invites me into the house for coffee. So we hang out & chit chat for awhile, checking on Eli from time to time (because we all know what Eli can be like!)
Finally he's done creating stuff & she goes to walk us out to our car...but things have somehow changed since we've been inside. We've gone from a suburb area to a rural setting & we are now on a ranch with horses & cows all over the place. I ask her for a tour & she shows us all over their operation, they've also got chickens & a few goats (strangely, just like some friends of ours back in Cle Elum...) & it's just a beautiful setting. Then she says "I've got one more thing to show you...the guest cottages."
What? Have I died & gone to heaven? She's got cottages & you can actually stay here?
Oh. My. Gosh!!!
We go & have a peek in one & it's absolutely charming. All decorated with antiques & homemade quilts, just like I would do it. *sigh*
I've got to get home but she gives me her brochure & I promise to call her soon.
Next we seem to do one of those dream time-warp things & I'm arriving at her place with some girlfriends for a weekend getaway.
Michelle greets us & gets us all tucked into our cottage. It's just the right size for us all & we are looking forward to a weekend of much laughter & fun.
We have dinner (catered by Michelle's cook, how cool is that?) & go over to the big house for an evening of crafting fun. She's got it set up so we can scrapbook, make cards, or a centerpiece for our table. She joins us & we spend the next few hours being creative & laughing until our faces hurt.
The next day we go for a trail ride on the horses & boy you oughta see the cowboy guiding us...whew! He chooses the right horse for each of us & off we go. It was a great ride through some amazing country...our cowboy is charming & helpful, and tells us some great stories of ranching life.
Next is massage time, now that our buns are aching & we're all bowed-legged & sore from riding. (Of course, Michelle had a spa at her ranch...I mean, who wouldn't?) We enjoy our pampering & decide that tomorrow we might just need mani/pedi's too.
More fabulous food & crafting fun, and a lot more laughter shared by all.
The next morning we woke up & felt fabulous. We had breakfast & were just heading over to the stables to see the
My dadgum kids woke me up.
Oh man...
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Y'all should check out this post on Michelle's blog. Even though she doesn't really have a ranch with hottie cowboys & cute cozy cottages, she's got a dandy of a contest goin' on to promote her latest venture. Don't forget to let her know who sent you!!



