Honestly, I didn’t think I’d mind it but seeing how I’m SO EXCITED about our upcoming cruise, I think it should be a rule that we go on vacation ever year. No matter what.

Being as excited as I am, I’ve been looking through pictures of our last cruise. We went on the Carnival Splendor (remember the one that lost power in the middle of the ocean? Yeah, that one… but it had power while we were on it, thankfully) to what Carnival called the Mexican Riviera in May 2010.

It was MrC and I’s first cruise but the others that went with us (lake friends) had been on several before.

Let’s just say WE LOVED IT!

We saw cliff divers:

We ate amazing food both on the boat and off:

We had awesome margaritas & beer:

And we got to eat an amazing dinner every night on the ship:

(I’m in the back left)

Wait. I mentioned food twice, didn’t I? Probably b/c by the end of the cruise, I had eaten so much I was SICK OF EATING. This doesn’t happen people! I love to eat! But there is food available 24/7 on the cruise.

I also went snorkeling for the first time… which was AH-mazing.

Another great perk is that there are SO MANY servers just waiting to take your drink order or help you…. and they’re everywhere! On the deck, walking the halls…. anytime you need them.

I do have to admit that I think a cruise is much more enjoyable in a group. While MrC and I would’ve enjoyed ourselves, it was definitely more fun with friends to hang out with. On our upcoming cruise, there are 32 of us in our group (!!!). The core group are our lake friends and then their families & friends make up the rest of the group.

Honestly, I could use a week away from work.

Have you guys been on a cruise before? Have you considered it? 

We went with our lake neighbors and the three of them (LakeHusband, LakeWife, and MrC) were all catching fish like crazy. MrC caught this one:

Which he said was a black crappie. (I think that’s what he said anyway). He was too little and got thrown back.

So I watched everyone else catch quite a few fish for a couple of hours. Then I finally caught one. Then we went another hour with everyone else catching them and then I hooked into something big. And it wasn’t a tree fish*. I could tell it was going to break my line if I reeled it in so I let MrC and LakeHusband do the work while I stood back jumping up and down saying “I got a BIG one**!!” . Thankfully they didn’t “oops***” me and after all was said and done, I had this whopper of a bass:

LakeWife said I should get it mounted but I looked at her like she was crazy (and much to MrC’s delight) and said “Heck no! We’re eating this guy!”

And so he went into the “Lake House Fish Fry” freezer bag. We always have a couple of HUGE fish fries every year (imagine frying enough fish for around 30 people… that’s what we do!)  so he’ll be put to get use!

Have any of you been fishing yet this year?

* - A tree fish is when you hook a tree. Usually this means your hook is caught and you have to break your line. But when first hooked, they definitely feel like a BIG FISH!

** - This is totally a chick move to dance around the boat talking about your big fish while the men pull it up. But to be fair, I do bait my own hook. So ha!

*** -  “oops”-ing someone is when something happens and someone else lets your fish get loose. So if LakeHusband would’ve ‘accidentedly’ dropped the fish while dipping it out of the water, or if MrC would’ve ‘accidentedly’ let it get off my hook.

I love this photo. It’s a sunset. (I think I called it a sunrise before) and you can only see it like this in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees.

First I printed it in a poster size and put it in an old window frame that I refinished. We hung it up in our dining room but it didn’t have the effect I was going for.

Then I started searching online for companies who print your photos on canvas. A quick google search turned up BestCanvas.com. (Please continue to read this before you run to check them out, I think I was one of the lucky ones)

They had an advertised special on their website for 40% off any purchase and they had a lot of neat options (one of which I was looking for… to take one photo and split it into 3 canvases).

So I placed my order and paid $220 for 3  20″ x 48″ canvases. (Original price was $339)

A couple days later, I got an email from FedEx saying they had received notification to pick up my order and the estimated arrival date was 4 days later.

5 days later, I still hadn’t received my shipment. So I used the tracking number and found that my package still hadn’t been picked up. Sensing something was wrong, I googled them again along with ‘review’ and suddenly my screen was filled with customer complaints about this company. Many complaints were around Christmas 2011 where customers had placed an order and been told it would be shipped within the week. Several weeks later (and after Christmas, when most were to be used as Christmas presents) the orders still hadn’t been received.

My heart sunk when I read a detailed complaint of one customer who had received a tracking number (as I had) and months later still not received the package. They finally called FedEx who told them that the label had been printed a couple of months ago, but that FedEx had never been called to pick it up. There were also complaints of calling the customer service line only to reach a full voicemail. Some customers had been issued refunds but most customers recommended NOT using the company. A lot of customers noted that this company had changed names several times, probably in order to avoid the bad reviews that were following it.

So I decided to wait a couple more weeks in hopes that my canvases would arrive. (The pricing really couldn’t be beat, most companies wanted that price for canvases that were half the size).

A week after reading bad reviews, MrC got home before I did and called to say that I had received a package in the shape of my canvases!!

I was pretty nervous to open the box (one customer had ordered a Sepia canvas only to receive a black and white) but when I did, I was pleasantly surprised. I even consider them to be good quality* and exactly what I wanted.

MrC hung them up today and to my relief, even HE likes them:

Close-up:

MrC was weary of hanging the photos 1.5″ apart (he assumed we would hang them right next to each other) but I had a vision and he agreed to try it. I like the way it looks when they are hung a distance apart. MrC ended up liking the look as well. (He should know by now to trust my artistic eye!)

*It’s important to note that this photo is from my D3100 camera (a nice camera, but nothing super fancy) and it still turned out pretty darn good. I believe that the print quality is very good. The framing was good but doesn’t exactly sit flush against the wall. They do offer a thicker frame which may have fixed this problem. For my purposes, the framing is fine and I’m completely satisfied with my canvas!

So will I use this company again? Honestly, I’m not sure. I do think it’s deceiving to receive an email saying your item has been scheduled for pickup when in reality, it hasn’t. The price can’t be beat though, so if I’m feeling daring, I’ll probably try them again. I will admit that having $220 hanging there, unsure if I would get what I ordered was pretty stressful.

And no, we STILL don’t have a kitchen table. But MrC and I have both been making random comments about needing one (especially after MrC hit his head on the light you see in the photo) so hopefully we’ll find one soon that we both agree on!

Have you guys had any luck with buying a photo canvas of this size anywhere at a decent price?

My latest place was the Clifty Falls State Park Inn. I found the following wedding pictures taken by Angel Canary Photography. I fell in love with the view. I LOVE a good view. (Also, I love their photography)

I mean, isn’t it beautiful? The reception room rental fee was average (maybe a little high for the remote area it’s in) and the food was average priced as well. BUT they didn’t have the date I’ve arbitrarily chosen (5-18-13*) available. No big deal since nothing is set yet and we can really move the date to any one we want.

So last weekend, MrC and I decide to go mushroom hunting in Clifty Falls State Park. Obviously I was excited… but mostly b/c I knew we’d be able to swing by the Inn and see our potential reception site.

We found the view from the picture above…

But we also found out that the local power plant is directly in front of the Inn.

Obviously there were no power plant stacks in the photos I’ve seen.  It’s definitely the first thing you notice as you pull in.

While this doesn’t necessarily rule out this venue entirely, the whole reason for having it at that location was to get away from the city. And nothing says “city” like smokestacks.

MrC was pretty against the power plant stacks. So now I have a new current obsession. In the local big city.

If you’re married, what did you look for in a venue? Any suggestions?

(*I like when numbers work out evenly. I chose May 18, 2013 b/c it’s 5-18-13 and 18-5=13.)

Like the Lily Flower Bed in front of the barn. (We call it the barn, it’s really a huge garage)

We almost bought mulch at $5/bag for 2 sq feet. But we decided to see how much bulk mulch was… and I’m glad we did! We got mulch for $28/scoop with a scoop being 28 square feet. That’s only $1/1 square foot! It took 2 scoops to do the flower bed, but I love the “After” look.

When MrC suggested red mulch, I was hesitant. But then I saw a local business that had just been landscaped and they had a lot of green plants with red mulch and I loved the look.

What have you guys been doing for Spring Landscaping?

                                       BEFORE                               AFTER

Overall “After” shot:

My youngest nephew. The chickens were terrified!

Today we went out looking and I’m glad I wasn’t following MrC because I never would’ve seen this:

What? You can’t see it either? Let me zoom in a little.

Yep a little snake. He was about 2 feet long. Here’s a close-up of his markings:

I think it’s a garter snake but haven’t found an exact picture yet. MrC happened to see this about 3 feet away from him.I probably would’ve stepped right on it!

Nah, just looking for something.

Before:

After:

I’ve already done the door, now I just have to do the second window.

One of these days I’ll learn that taking my time to paint/stain something always saves time in the long run! Until then, a fresh coat of paint will solve anything!

Am I the only one who loves taking before and after photos? No matter what it is, I love being able to see the difference in something!