Day Trip to Frankenmuth, MI

Do you shop on Facebook Marketplace?  I've only made three purchases through Marketplace and all were door pick-ups.  I was pleased all three times.  It's a good source for finding things that are no longer available in stores.  

Between 2015 and 2020, the company, 222 Fifth, made Easter dinnerware called 'Sydney' [the name of the bunny in the pattern].  Marshalls/HomeGoods carried the pieces and in 2018 I bought five teacups [which was all I could find], six salad/luncheon plates, eight appetizer/bread & butter plates, eight fruit/snack bowls and the tea set [teapot, cream pitcher and sugar bowl].  I've enjoyed using them at Easter time, and you may remember me blogging about them.

With thoughts turning to Easter this year, I decided to do some online searching for the pattern that's been discontinued and no longer in stores.  Some pieces are available at Replacements Ltd., and some are at E-bay, Etsy, Poshmark, and Mercari but not enough to give me a full service for eight, and the cost to ship dishes is usually more than the dishes themselves since they're heavy.  On a whim I decided to check Marketplace and a woman in Frankenmuth, MI had eight dinner and salad/luncheon plates, a platter, two serving bowls, four mugs, and four cereal bowls for $100.  A very fair price.

My hubby had just recently commented that we hadn't been to Frankenmuth in a while and it's always an enjoyable day trip when it includes a chicken dinner at Zehnder's, so now we had a specific reason for going last Friday. 

~ Entering Frankenmuth ~ 

The City was decorated for Easter.

We went to the woman's house first to pick-up the dishes, then went to Zehnder's for lunch.  I told the seller we'd arrive between 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Usually the restaurant is filled with people when we're there, so it was nice to beat the crowds last Friday.  The pic below was the dining room where we were seated.

I enjoyed tea with my meal and Jerry had coffee.

The restaurant was decorated for Easter and looked to festive.

With full tummies we made our journey back home.  The dishes weren't a 'need' but a 'want' and so perfect for Easter.  Now my mind is swirling with tablescape and menu ideas.

Leaving Frankenmuth

Happy March

My friend, Judith Rogers, posted this on Facebook this morning and it's so pretty I wanted to share it with you.  Credit is given to The Skylark's dream collage.  Don't you love daffodils?

Mother Nature is so unpredictable. Below is the photo memory that came through my Facebook feed yesterday taken on March 4, 2023 from my bedroom window.  That's my hubby shoveling snow.

Yesterday, March 4, 2024, when I was out running errands it was clear skies and 73 degrees! It set a record high for Michigan.   What a difference a year makes!   Today it's 56 degrees and cloudy, but thankfully no snow!

I've been shopping for Easter tablescape items and I've been everywhere!  It's coming together nicely, thanks to HomeGoods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx.  I was so disappointed when I went to Macy's and J.C. Penney's at a mall that once thrived with shoppers.  The parking lot was practically empty and I could have shot a cannon off inside and not hit anyone!  Consequently, stores have scalded back on merchandise due to shopper's changing interests, tastes, and shopping preferences and some departments were practically non-existent - no linen department [tablecloths, napkins, placemats] and no seasonal/holiday-themed dishware. So sad!  

The one bright spot in Macy's was accidentally finding the huge J.L. Hudsons WWII Employee Honor Roll that was tucked back by the elevators.  Someday Macy's will probably donate it to the Detroit Historical Museum.

I've been spending my evenings going through cookbooks for recipes to carry out the Easter/Spring theme for the dinner I'm planning.

I'll leave you with a cute St. Patrick's Day idea I saw on Facebook [first posted on Pinterest by Dollar Tree Stores] for individual Shamrock Quiches, using aluminum potpie pans and bending them in the shape of a shamrock.  So clever!

 

Tonia's Victorian Rose Tearoom

Happy Leap Year Day!  I can't think of a better way to wrap up the month of February than by going to tea, and that's just what my girlfriend, Lori, and I did yesterday. 

I had heard that Tonia's Victorian Tearoom was closing on March 2nd, so I wanted to visit one last time.  I'm sad that another tearoom is closing, but Tonia said it was not her choosing.  The owners of the 1910, three-story Craftsman House at 118 W. 3rd Street in downtown Rochester, MI are selling it.

This was the first tearoom I visited after becoming 'smitten by tea' in 1998 and it was one of my first blog posts when I began blogging in 2012.  I've been there many times over the years with family and friends. Loretta Curry was the first owner who established the tearoom in 1995, and Tonia is the second owner who bought it in 2017.  Below is a photo of how it looked when I first visited in 1998.

A current photo taken yesterday after the house transitioned from Green to Blue.

I took my granddaughter, Tiffany, there for her 8th birthday in 1999.  It was her first tearoom experience. 

 

We went again in 2011 when she was 20.  Time sure changes us! 

~ Fall of 2016 with friends during the Michigan Tea Tour ~

~ The last visit under Loretta's ownership in Dec. 2016 ~

~ Spring of 2017 First visit under Tonia's ownership with girlfriend, Lori ~

~ Last visit under Tonia's ownership yesterday ~

~ With Tonia ~

The tearoom was bustling with guests when we arrived at 11:30.  So many wanting to have tea there one last time before it closes.  Lori and I chose the Duchess Tea and it was delightful. Our tea selection was Chocolate Strawberry Black Tea, and the meal began with a cup of Cream of Asparagus Soup.

Two-tiered server with savories and sweets.

By the time we left the crowd had thinned out but a few still lingered.

Tonia took us upstairs where we chatted for awhile.  She has several ideas and options after the tearoom closes so we definitely haven't seen the last of her creativity.  We wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

A Tea-themed Day!

I asked the Whitney's tea blender for an Irish Cream black tea to serve during March and her sample arrived in today's mail.  I brewed a pot for my hubby and me to taste and will take it to The Whitney tomorrow for management's opinion.  My hubby and I liked it.  It's perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

I got an Ebay gift card for my birthday, so today I searched for some tea-themed clothing and found a cute Quacker Factory top, placed a bid which the seller accepted, and it's on its way to me.  It'll be perfect for next Valentine's Day.  Love Quacker Factory [QVC] clothing - they're  well made and unique!

When I went to work last Saturday, the young gal who gives historical tours at the Whitney Mansion gave me a lovely silk teacup scarf from the Smithsonian Institute.  It's so pretty and I'm anxious to wear it to work this Saturday.

A photo of a teapot pantry came through my Facebook feed today - for the tea lover who has a house big enough for a tea-themed bathroom and kitchen!

Wishing you a tea-lightful week!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This has been a lovely Valentine's Day for me.  My hubby and I left home around noon for New Center One [Business Center] of Detroit.  It has been on my bucket list for awhile to visit the Peacock Room [Women's Clothing Boutique] on the first floor of the Fisher Building, so when my hubby asked what I wanted to do for Valentine's Day I didn't have to think very long.  It was a beautiful, sunny day for traveling the short distance [16 miles].

I love visiting old, historic buildings in Detroit.  The interiors are so beautiful.  Below is the Fisher Building as seen from East Grand Blvd. before crossing over Woodward Avenue to West Grand Blvd.  It's where most of WJR's broadcast studios are located, as well at the Fisher Theater.

~ Front Entrance ~

~ It's a Michigan Historic Site built in 1928 by Albert Kahn ~

 The fresco ceilings and art deco chandeliers are beautiful.  Pictures don't do them justice. 

I couldn't help being a shutterbug!

Mosaics on marble walls.  There are 40 different kinds of marble in the lobby.   No wonder the 30-story ornate building is known as Detroit's largest art object!

~ All the way down at the end of the first floor corridor is The Peacock Room ~

~ This furry, plush Valentine coat [not a bathrobe] was for sale ~

The interior of the boutique is beautiful and quite large.

Such a cute sweater.  But it would have been much too hot to wear when I was in Paris last August.

My Valentine bought me these dressy gloves.  They're the only thing I saw that tempted me, although there was a wide variety of fascinators, hats and tiaras, and they were all reasonably priced. 

When we left Detroit we stopped at a restaurant for a bite to eat, then came home.

Remember the heart-shaped charcuterie board I was searching for at Walmart?  A member of a Facebook charcuterie group posted a picture of her charcuterie arrangement on the same board this morning. Isn't the food artistry lovely?  The heart-shaped brie is from Aldi's.

Before we left for Detroit, the mailman delivered a Hudson's keychain I purchased on E-bay.  It wasn't expensive [$17.95 including shipping] and I'm thinking the building can be removed from the keychain and put on a necklace chain.  I haven't done a Hudson's presentation since before COVID, but I couldn't resist buying this inexpensive replica of the beloved department store.

And last, but not least, another handmade birthday card from Georgia was in today's mail.  Thank you, Angela!  I love the creativity of handmade cards.

I'd enjoy hearing how you spent your Valentine's Day, which is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent that leads us to Easter.