It seems quiet here. But it has been anything but quiet. It's been a trip or three or four to the lake! We didn't have an overwinter renter for the first time since owning the house. So we are taking full advantage of the time to kick off our lakefront vacation rental makeover. And I mean FULL advantage. You'd think the Clampett's had arrived. I had to make a list we have done so much in such a short amount of time. I feel the house is finally hitting its stride. Things are f

Home again, home again. It was a whirlwind trip once again to the lake house. Kids spring break and just in time to catch the last of the deck construction. This has been a great project for the lakehouse. It will make vacation renting so much better for our guests. The first night we put plywood against the railings that weren't finished so we could just sit out on the deck and see what it will be like. The boys helped build the swing. In typical NC weather, it was got cold

Here's the latest. It's official we have completed the decking all the way around the house and the lower deck is also complete. Bring on the railings! #LakeJames #LifeisGoodCabin #VacationRentalRenovations #LakeLife #ShowingTheCabinSomeLove #2019SeasonKickoff Catch up with all the updates from the start: Old Deck New Deck - Day One New Deck - Day Two New Deck - Day Three New Deck - Day Four New Deck - Day Five

The latest image just in. The wraparound is connected all the way to the other stairs. Mr. Tony said that the wraparound should be complete tomorrow and then railing time! We widened the deck near the back door so you don't have to step around the door and almost off the deck to get in the house. It's the little things. So great to see the progress, step by step. #LakeJames #LifeisGoodCabin #VacationRentalRenovations #LakeLife #ShowingTheCabinSomeLove #2019SeasonKickoff Catch

John and I refer to these trips as 'turn and burns'. You are in the car longer than you are at the place you are traveling to. Well, I left 3 am Saturday morning, sans children, to do a pre-run of new stuff for the cabin before we head out next week for spring break. Artwork, furniture, stereo... (an excuse to go see the deck in-person). This cleared out about half my garage and guest room where it's been for the last three months and I was tired of tripping over it. I got in

Mr. Tony sent the latest images of the deck progress. You can see the new upper deck in place plus the two foot extension towards the water and the new left side addition. Who doesn’t like more deck? This new extension will allow better long range views down the cove towards the mountain. I cannot wait to take a cup of tea, sit in the rocker and stare off in the distance. Watch the mist rise off the lake in wisps. #LakeLifeGoals #Progress #LakeLife #DoesThisDeckMakeMyLakeLook

So I got a little surprise in my inbox this morning. The contractor, Tony Mc Grath, from Bay Harbor Construction sent me a teaser of the new lower deck. The old deck seems to be gone in just one day. They are already tearing right along on replacing it with new! I cannot wait to see it in person. Watching it remotely, counting down the days till I step out on my brand new deck. I am giddy with anticipation! Check out the progress. I will post more as I get them. #NewDeck #Lif

It's an exciting April Fools day around here! The Contractors have arrived and I see chunks of old deck streaming up the driveway like a line of worker ants, carrying away the old. The lumber truck has arrived and offloading the new wood to rebuild. I can barely contain myself! And this is only day one! #LakeJames #LifeisGoodCabin #VacationRentalRenovations #LakeLife #ShowingTheCabinSomeLove #2019SeasonKickoff #LakeSide #RememberYourWhy

[This is a series of year end posts about our year in review] It's been a big year for growth. And I am proud of how we have done and how far we've come. Learning lots of things. I am working on making us independent of VRBO/AirBnB/OTAs (online travel agents). What the heck does that mean, you say? The big boys are a monopoly. We can't get access to the first page of google as they have bought up all the online keywords. Despite diligent SEO optimization of the website and co

[This is a series of year end posts about our year in review] You can never go home again. I found that's true. I tried to see if things were the same. They weren't. Things always change. You can't stop it. So when we stayed at the house before we bought it I made a laundry list of things I would change. I could see from the guest's view. I didn't want to lose that perspective. So I kept lists. Lots of lists. It's hard. I am the marketer, advertiser, researcher, booking agent

[This is a series of year end posts about our year in review] The Lake. We wandered down the path with kids streaming out in front. Squealing with anticipation. It's a carolina blue sky. Big puffy white clouds. Birds are singing. Slight breeze off the lake. It's gorgeous. We round the bend and see it. Or don't see it as the case may be. The cove. The cove is nearly completely blocked. By a tree. The neighbors tree fell. Into the cove, crushing his boat house and dock. I had p

[This is a series of year end posts about our year in review] So began the obsession. I poured over listings. I looked and looked. I googled. I researched. I read. I called. Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor were best friends. I could tell you how long a house was for sale on the lake. I knew when a new listing would pop on within hours. I was a woman possessed! Then I found a house that looked like it ticked all the boxes. And it was for rent! What better way to look at a house th

[This is a series of year end posts about our year in review] It started in 2015, we were invited to stay with my brother and his family on Lake James. I was 8+ months pregnant with our last child. Unwieldy is a term I would use for my condition. I waddled more than walked. We stayed in a home with gorgeous views of the mountains and right out on the main part of the lake. There was a small sandy area where I could beach myself in a chair and watch the kids play in the clear

When you start running your own business its hard to write the words that don't sound trite. Everything has been overused and loses any impact or sincerity. I am thankful. Not for the hashtag. Not for the instagram effect, but I am honestly thankful. John is currently whipping up a frenzy in the kitchen for our holiday dinner. The pies are already baked and it smells amazing in the house. Right now, our last guests of the season are probably doing the same. It makes me smile.

Where does the Number One team stay when they have a Dragon Boat race? Our most recent guest Carol and part of the team stayed at the Life is Good Cabin! Wait did she say Dragon Boat?!? Yup. Life is always interesting here on the lake. We have Dragon Boat races. What is that you ask? Good question. Dragon Boating is born of a legend. With a history of more than 2,500 years, the sport originated in ancient China. The legends include warring states, radical politics and fierce

Can you feel it yet? The crickets chirping, bull frogs croaking and the lightning bugs blinking slowly in the humid heat. Every year school lets out and within the first few days of their SUMMER, regardless of the actual date, I ask the kids what is on their summer bucket list. There are some doozies but as the years roll by, faster and faster, the lists have become more fine-tuned and targeted. It’s neat to see what the kids have on their mind to give themselves the Best. Su

The latest water temp was taken 2 hours ago. It's 56 degrees. I can't imagine swimming in 56 degree water. Well, a long time ago someone pushed me in Birchwood Lake and it was 38 degrees. I didn't like it. And they weren't a friend anymore. This weekend is the first SwimRunLakeJames. Not sure what it is? Is a race through the park thats just around the corner from the cabin. The race distances are here. John says the only way he'll run if he's being chased and even then he'd

Article from http://www.vrmintel.com/how-to-book-direct-vacation-rental/ The word is out. Airbnb, VRBO.com, HomeAway, and TripAdvisor charge fees to consumers. Unlike in the hotel industry, where the booking fees are passed on to the hotels, these sites are charging guests for the use of their online catalogs. And the charges are not insignificant with an additional 6 to 20 percent surcharge added to the rental rate, which translates to consumers paying hundreds of dollars mo

So I have been mulling over the idea of where to take the blog. Travel inspiration? Rehab follow along? Local insider info? Too many ideas. As my mother would have said you can't compete with China. So I should write to my strengths. We are new to the area also so I can't write that I know everything to do, but I can write as we discover places. We are a small, tiny, little dusty corner of the internet. So with that in mind I want to shape this blog like a journal. SPOILER AL

The origin story. John and I started searching for our little slice of life many moons ago. We purchased a camp in upstate NY, in the Tug Hill area. Not much to look at but it had running HOT water and at that time, that was more than enough. We spent lots of time there tearing up the trails on ATVs and building some of the largest bonfires I have ever seen. A 10 foot wide fire pit begs these kinds of challenges. John was more than up for the task. :). Soon family discovered