Lavender Festival 2018

My hubby and I drove a short distance today to Armada, MI to attend the 16th Lavender Festival.  It was a beautiful day for visiting all the vendor's booths at Blake's Orchard.

Program and re-entrance "bracelet."

Entrance where we paid our $7 per person admission fee.

Just inside was a Michigan State Agricultural Extension booth.  It's our boys' alma mater so I had to take a picture!

This was the first day of the festival and it will continue thru Sunday, so I didn't think it would be as crowded today, but it was bustling with people.

Lavender honey and the bees that make it.

~ Jerry and Me ~

Lavender booths galore.

The Teatroiter was there again this year with her loose leaf teas.

She had small sample glasses of Green Cherry Blossom Tea that was so good I bought a package. 

Buttons anyone?  $5 a jar.

Teapots repurposed into yard art.

The Dobre Pierogi tent was back this year.  Their pierogies are very good.

We got four Potato Cheddar Pierogies.  Yum!

~ The Tea Boutique ~

~ Embroidered Tea Towels ~

Lovey's was a new indoor shop this year.

Beautiful tea set - The teacup says Happiness is a cup of tea.  The teapot says There's always time for Tea.  The teacup was $29 and the teapot was $50.  Since I just purchased the Royal Albert teapot, I was content to simply admire it and walk on.

You can't go to the Lavender Festival without getting a cold glass of Lavender Lemonade.

Isn't this gal who was working in the Lavender Lemonade tent cute?

My hubby's an ice cream lover so he wanted a dish of Lavender Ice Cream too.

Then it was time to call it an afternoon and head back home.  I didn't realize Blake's grew Christmas trees too, but we parked near acres and acres of them.  I'm enjoying summer too much to even think about Christmas right now.

My Kate Spade teapot locket arrived in today's mail.  I couldn't wait to open the package and examine it when we got home.  I'm so glad I purchased it because it's lovely.

One can work up an appetite walking around in the summer sunshine, so I was eager to try a new recipe for a Quinoa Salad that was in a Southern Lady magazine for our dinner.  

It was my first time to prepare Quinoa and oh my goodness, it was so good and very healthy.  Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Peppers, and Kalamata Olives are part of the recipe - very Mediterranean.

Our summer dinner.