Recent Blog Posts

There is no place I would rather be on a sunny summer day than the shores of Lake Michigan. The water is always cool and clear, the white sand beaches soft and warm. But summer isn’t the only time of year I enjoy visiting The Big Lake. The view changes as the lake changes with the seasons, showing...
Read More>>

Everyone has their go-to salad recipe - this is mine. We love this salad - it is something I can just throw together in a jiffy!  I generally have the ingredients in the fridge and it pairs with fish or meat so nicely - especially anything grilled. Ingredients: - Cucumbers - Tomatoes - Red O...
Read More>>

Hello, again! How is everyone handling the cool fall weather? I am loving it. I just can't believe we had the boat out on the lake last week for one last hurrah. But now, I am ready for fall. Pumpkins, hayrides, warm bowls of hearty chili? Bring it on! We haven't turned the pellet stove on yet but w...
Read More>>

Hello, everyone and welcome back! The air is crisp and cool and our days are sunny, welcome October!! My kids have been bugging for weeks to go get pumpkins and cornstalks to decorate our porch but I just couldn't muster up the ability to take them, not when the temps were still in the 70's and we s...
Read More>>

If you wear your winter coat over your Halloween costume to go trick-or-treating, you’re probably from Michigan. By the time October 31st rolls around in the Mitten State fall colors are long past. It gets dark by 6:30pm, and the average high temperatures are in the 40s and 50s, depending on how ...
Read More>>

Fall weather arrived all over Michigan this week after we had an unusually warm September. Now that cooler temperatures are here, it's time to turn on the ovens and do some fall baking. What better way to start than with an apple pie made from fresh Michigan apples? First, go to your local orch...
Read More>>

There are so many sweets consumed on and around Halloween it is always fun to make a healthy festive snack. This one is perfect to bring into a classroom or take to a party - it is super easy too!  I found this recipe last year in the 'Family Fun' magazine. Banana Ghosts - BOO! In...
Read More>>

Have you ever found a unique item and wondered to yourself the history behind it? Or, remarked how unique and different it is and thought 'I must have that right now!' Today on the blog I'm talking about a unique gift item carried by Grandpa Shorter's. Popular and unique by nature but often questio...
Read More>>

Hi, everyone and welcome back! With football season in full swing (I'm listening to a game in the background as I type up this blog post), I thought I'd share a fun and easy recipe for homemade touchdown brownies. They are perfect for a crowd or just to make and have with family during a weekend foo...
Read More>>

Michigan has been trending on social media all week thanks to a story about a rock hunter from Copemish who found a 93-pound Petoskey stone in Lake Michigan near Northport. The man says he saw the stone buried in several feet of sand off shore. He made three trips to the stone’s location b...
Read More>>