A Quick Easter Vacation

We spent Easter with our grandson in Ohio this year, and once again, had our annual Easter Kite Flying Contest.  This year we added a drone to the fun, which videotaped from the sky!

We also spent a day at the Columbus Zoo, and 6 year old Carter used the map to guide us through each of the sections of the zoo!!

We had a fun time building legos, hunting for Easter eggs, running around the playground, watching Zootopia at the local theater, and playing games.

The weather was just perfect, and now that we are back in NY, snow is in the forecast for this weekend - YUK!

Happy Easter - my favorite decoration....

I made this bunny over 10 years ago.... 

.... and she is still my favorite Easter decoration to pull out every year!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Easter!

Another day trip to Aurora...

Saturday, my girlfriend and I drove out to Aurora.  It was a beautiful cold, but sunny day!

Our first stop was at MacKenzie-Childs - just in time for the Farmhouse tour and then some power shopping in the store!  The Farmhouse's double doors donned beautiful spring wreaths, the bed in my favorite room, the Buttercup Room, is hand painted with a view of Cayuga Lake, and a peek out of the window shows the path that will be filled with anxious shoppers this summer for the Annual Barn Sale!

Our next stop was to have lunch at the Aurora Inn where the fire in the entry parlor welcomed us in from the chilly day!.  We dined on delicious salads, with a view of the lake, and toured a few of the rooms downstairs. 

We then stopped into the fairly new Rowland House, another lovely Inn on Cayuga Lake.  The Inn keeper gave us a tour of each of the 10 rooms!!  The rooms on the top floor are decorated with MacKenzie-Childs themes!

My favorite pieces of furniture in this Inn were a pair of beaded chairs from India - can you imagine stringing all these beads?

Pleasant Rowland, who was the second of the 3 owners of Mackenzie-Childs owns the 3 Inns in town, as well as 7 other buildings.  Her taste in design and decorating is impeccable, very traditional and yet comfortable  The artwork in the Inns is beautiful, the colors are vibrant, yet relaxing and the restoration of these old buildings was completed to perfection.  If you click the Inn links above, you can get a peek into each of the Inn's rooms.

For a tiny, sleepy town in the Finger Lakes region of central NY, there are also some local wineries, a few places to dine, an Arts and Crafts center and Wells College - as well as MacKenzie-Childs!!

And speaking of MacKenzie-Childs, there are 5 weekends in July this year, so I wonder if the Barn Sale will begin on the 14th or the 23rd?  Or will they surprise us with a different date?  

Olive's Eatery...

Olive's Eatery, in Baldwinsville, NY is always a fun place to take someone to lunch, especially a friend who has never been there!

The decor is fun and full of whimsy...

...and there is a cute little gift shop loaded with accessories...

...and the lighting fixtures are filled with branches and blooms...

...and so is the powder room!!

...and how can you not notice the cornices made out of vegetables??

Upstairs are rooms filled with unique clothing, accessories, art work, foods and gift items!

If you are ever in the area, stop by for a delicious panini!!

Pirish - How our family celebrates St Patty's Day....

Our family is a mixture of many nationalities.  

For the past 3 years, the next generation has celebrated PIRISH, their name for the Polish St Patty's Day Party!

My daughter held brunch at her home....

...with a fabulous menu:

Pedro cooked green pancakes...

...while my "lassie" made mimosas:

And boy, were we ever surprised to find this little guy at her house - all the way from Ohio!!

We donned our mustaches and went off to my nieces house...

...my Polish husband donned his best:

Our family tradition to celebrate ANYTHING is to drink shots of blackberry brandy - and I mean ANYTHING - weddings, births, deaths, picnics, camping, holidays, coughs or general family gatherings! They even have special decanters engraved with their names and "Nostrovia Sto Lat" on them!

I made some Leprechaun Punch - Midori Melon, Moscato, Pineapple Juice and Sierra Mist - YUM!

It was a fun day and it's always a delight to see the next generation start to entertain the "ol folks"

And that's how the Polish, Cubans, Scottish, English, Germans and Irish in our family celebrate St Patty's Day!!

Pate´ of the South....

While in the Carolinas last week, A friend made "Pate´ of the South", a recipe she found in an old southern cookbook.  It was so good, that I came home and made a batch!

It is perfect on Triscuits and a bit addicting!

Pate´of the South

1 1/2 lbs grated sharp Cheddar cheese

4 oz cream cheese

3/4 c mayonnaise

1 T grated onion

1 t cayenne pepper

7 oz pimentos, chopped

Place cheeses, mayo, onion and cayenne pepper in a bowl and with electric mixer, blend until mixed.  Add pimentos and blend - don't over mix!

Store in fridge - take out 1/2 before serving to soften

(serves 12-16 people)

ENJOY!

I need help identifying....

I bought these dinner dishes, and serving pieces in a local antique store ....

...they coordinate very well with my Mackenzie-Childs dishes...

...each dish is painted differently, but in a similar style...

...I just love them...

...and would love to know about the artist and where and when they were made.

Here is the artist's signature - does anyone recognize it??

Do you have any idea how I could find more info about these?

Strawberry Mice....

Here is a cute and quick "foodie craft":

Strawberries with Twizzler tails, almond slices for ears, and chocolate eyes and nose:

For fun, serve on a plate with a mouse trap!!

Our Winter Vacation....

We just spent a few days in Charlotte, NC with relatives and had lunch at the Charlotte Speedway and a tour of the city:

Then we drove to Myrtle Beach - our room was on the 17th floor!!

It felt so good to walk in the sand!

We took lots of "selfies"....

Afternoons were spent at Boardwalk on the Beach, Barefoot Landing, the Boardwalk and Pawley's Island!  We also spent some time with old neighbors and enjoyed walking down "memory lane"!

Then we drove to Charleston and got a private tour of the city....

The city is a "walk through history",  gas lanterns, Chevaux de frise, the City Market, and lovely mansions: 

This was a great way to get out of our snowy town and enjoy some time in the south!  And we brought back the sun and warmth - it was in the 70's today!

Now I am ready for spring!!

The Traveling Tote #6

Welcome to the 6th edition of the The Traveling Tote!

January was a lazy month for me.  I caught up on cleaning and organizing the house, painting Valentine hearts, St Patty's shamrocks and Easter bunnies, and some antiquing and shopping:

                                        Syracuse Antique Exchange                                                     The House of S. Jaye Vendor Show      

Our neighbor, Paris, came over to "play" one night and loved my tote:

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Snowy winters are very common in central NY, but this year we never got any measurable snow until mid January...

...and it can be quite gloomy, and February brought even more snow...

...I considered hopping on a train...

...but this train was heading north....

...and my totes and I were dreaming of sunshine and warmth.... 

...so I hopped on the internet...

...and made reservations to go south!

So, while you are reading this, I am on my way to the Carolinas for some SUN and to visit some old neighbors and relatives!

I will tell you all about it in our June TT post!

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Visit my other Traveling Tote friends:

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Samantha with Christabel @ Samantha Stone

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

and "me" with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor!

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Panoply is offering a Giveaway, so leave a comment (either directly on her blog or by sending her an email mentioning this post) when you visit her blog for a chance to win a

 MacKenzie-Childs Sticky Note Pad and Set of 3 Courtly Check Enamel Herb Pots. Both are just in time for your Spring planning and planting (or for stashing pens & pencils, utensils - you decide)! 

A winner will be randomly chosen by March 15, 2016 

As always, if you have a Mackenzie-Childs Tote and would like to join our group, please email me - we are always looking for more members to join in on the fun!

ATTN: Donna, on the west coast, and Kathy B did you ever get your totes?  If so, email me!