The Birthday Bonanza Week

Welp.  Ry's 35.  And he's carrying it well!:)  

We recently helped Ry ring in the milestone with a party here at The Homestead followed by a few days up at the cabin for his actual birthday.

We put the Big Top up on Friday night and luckily when we woke up on Saturday, it was still standing.

Thank you to all our friends that came from near and far to help Ry celebrate- it was so fun to see you all!  I wish I had taken more pictures- sorry to all those I missed!  Here are a few:

We had a beautiful day for the occasion...

All the brothers were there.  

Keiru and I watched while Aaron broke out his dance moves...

The Naperville contingent came up.  Harper didn't drink quite her share of keg beer but...

This guy did.  There was quite a competitive Badminton tournament going.  

Lizzie and Laura heading to make more Frank Fashioneds...

Post barbecue beef haze...

No party is complete without a slip n slide.  My parents taught me that.  My husband was its biggest fan.  Patiently waiting for the kids to finish up so he could show them how it's really done.

Nick showing Henry the ways of the world.

It wouldn't be a Ryan Frank birthday without a Big Bass cake.  So I asked for them to show me their stuff.  They prevailed.  This thing was incredible.  

Ry made us a big bonfire to cap off the night...

My Chicago peeps (and incredible helpers) enjoying coffee on the patio the morning after...

My brother (aka the slip n slide architect and badminton builder) maxin and relaxin.  

The best brunch I've ever had.  A John Russell fresh market berries cobbler.  With Lizzie's touch of Black Dog gelato on top.  Delish.  There were also cinnamon rolls.  Do these people know me or what?

The sad fact that we didn't finish the whole keg.  Man, we're getting old.

We headed up to the cabin for a few days to relax and ring in Ry's actual day.

The boys on the pontoon out on Archibald Lake...

We hit up our favorite- Maiden Lake Supper club the night before the big tournament and in case you haven't heard the big news- we placed fourth!  

Everybody around here was pretty tuckered out after the long week but it was worth it!  Happy Birthday, Ry- we love you so much!

The Facelift

For the house people, not me...

This Spring has been all about change.  Making things our own.  Starting new.

Our house has been a major part of this change.  

One of the things I have wanted to update since we moved in was the color of the shutters, trim and the front door.  They were painted a crimson red color.  Very charming but very traditional.  Farmhouse if you will.  The style of our house is French Provincial and I wanted to keep that look and feel but give it an updated yet classic touch.

The "before"...

And yes, those yellowed plants in the front of the house are dead boxwoods.  It was a rough winter...

We tried A LOT of different options...

Family weighed in...

After trying what seemed like every possible grey, blue and blackish color the paint industry has to offer, we decided on Wrought Iron by Benjamin Moore!

We gave the landscaping a bit of a rejuvenation as well.  We planted new hydrangeas...

Ry removed an old random bush...

And planted a new lilac tree that was a gift from my parents.

The front door needed a new look as well.  We went with Benjamin Moore's Buxton Blue for the door itself and painted the storm door off white to match the rest of the trim on the house.

All in all it was such a fun project- kind of sad its over!:)  Ry will be pleased to not hear the phrase "Babe, what do you think of this color" for awhile:)  Now on to more fun things inside...

The Spring

After what feels like the longest winter of our lives, we’re starting to wake up to sunlight and green grass.    

We would be lying if we said every day isn't a challenge, and we don't expect it to be any different. We miss Hadley constantly. We're adding things (like planting trees) to our lives to make sure there will always be reminders of her; at the same time we are trying to heal and move forward. Finding this balance in our lives is a challenge, but we feel like we're doing as well as we could hope. The arrival of Spring, our home, our boys (Berk & Scout), each other, and our incredible friends and family are what have pulled us through this dark winter. We are picking up the pieces and again moving forward. We know some days will be harder than others, but thankfully we have each other to lean on and this crazy old house to keep us busy.

With the unofficial start of summer right around the corner, we're now making plans for a busy couple of months ahead and letting ourselves enjoy the little things in life once again.

We spent most of Spring so far getting our big outside projects completed so we can enjoy summer out on the boat and up at the cabin!  We thought we would share a few of the things keeping us busy these last few weeks:

The boring stuff:  Garage Organization and Yard Cleanup

Ry installed peg board in the garage to keep The Franks organized

We were still raking leaves from last fall:)

I painted the lamp post since it had faded...

Ry filled in weird sinkhole type areas in the yard with dirt from the "compost" area in the back

Mulch:

We ordered 7 yards of mulch that we spread in a day:)

The Frank Garden:

As some of you may know- Ryan had a run in with a few furry friends last year. So this year, Ry and his Dad built somewhat of a garden fortress to keep those pesky rabbits and deer out:):

Now that we have completed the bulk of our Spring to do lists- we'll start sharing the more exciting home decorating projects we have cooking both inside and out:)  

Happy early Memorial Day weekend- we hope you all have fun plans and the weather cooperates!

We'll leave you with the view from our front yard of last nights sunset over the lake...

Em and Ry

The end of an era.....

Hello!  Welcome to the Franks blog where we'll share all of our new and exciting adventures (the good, bad and the funny) out here in Lake Country.

We made the move from Chicago, where we had both spent 11 years of our life.  It's where we both started our careers after college, where we explored the city as young adults and most importantly- where we fell in love.

We bought a 1935 Lannon stone house on almost 2 acres near Pewaukee Lake.  Life has its share of ups and downs but we are both thankful to have each other and this beautiful house and so far we have enjoyed (most) every minute of making it ours...

So continues this next chapter of our lives and the joys of home ownership (and snow removal, and raking leaves and heating repairs and mail boxes that fall off their posts and.....)

Love,

Em, Ry, Berk and Scout too