Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 @ 11:57am | Author: Ashley
Yesterday was one of my two days off of the week, and I planned on spending it “doing nothing” – no work! :D It seems like it’s been ages since my guy and I have actually had a day off together, and for about four days straight, we looked forward to sleeping in ^.^ And sleep in, we did, haha. It was only until like 11a, but whatever; it was fantastic. Beyond just sleeping in, we didn’t make any solid plans; we went with the flow, and it made for a peaceful day off.
After we woke up, we went for a bit of a hike. We stumbled through brush, over dead logs, and cut through vines, to momentously reach our destination — the highest point in Oakland County. It was so beautiful and so serene. A camera couldn’t capture the moment. But I took some photos of the scenery nonetheless.
Unfortunately, I guess this spot is on the property of a monastery and belongs to monks, so I don’t foresee picnicking here anytime soon ;)
Sunday, October 9th, 2011 @ 10:30am | Author: Ashley
So last Saturday, I shared about some soap I bought at the flea market. Well, I never actually elaborated on the trip itself. SO, my good friend Daniel and I visited the Dixieland flea market last Saturday, and I’d like to share a few of the sights we beheld :)
(1) Vintage cameras, including a gorgeous Minolta. (2) Vintage bottles and cans. (3) Glassware. Interesting tidbit about the seller of this glassware? She’s a rude bitch. (4) Fabulous dragon and faery items throughout the market. (5) Mason jars = love. (6) Old school Pepsi bottles! (7) Some of the soap I purchased. (8) Good ol’ Daniel sporting a Mickey hat ^.^
Friday, September 30th, 2011 @ 09:30am | Author: Ashley
Renee and I visited her hometown of Higgins Lake, Michigan, for a few days early this week. We had a lot on our plate in the short amount of time we had, but I think we maximized our time, and got in so much!
Monday, she took me to a local art supply store, Arnie’s. The store was huge, and full of a wide variety of almost any artistic product you could imagine! We were like kids in a candy store. If we didn’t have to get back for dinner, we would’ve never left…
So that’s our eye candy for the week. Everything in the store was sooo gorgeous. A must-stop if you’re around Houghton Lake, Michigan.
Monday, September 19th, 2011 @ 07:33pm | Author: Ashley
Today, on the dreariest of days we’ve had of late, a visit was paid to the Rochester Cider Mill.
Cider season is just starting – the apples are just getting to the point of perfection. If the apples aren’t sweet enough yet, often times, cider mills will add pears to their brews in order to reduce the tart and tangy taste of early apples. I got to sample some of RCM’s regular and pear ciders, and both are delicious! They have also added a new chocolate doughnut with a chocolate frosting to their line up. For the first time as well, I tried their blueberry doughnuts – also fantastic, of course. But my loyalties will always seem to lie with the traditional cinnamon sugar cider mill doughnut. You just can’t go wrong with them. After taking a quick peak at the innards of the mill, we wondered outside and visited the mill’s sheep. Baah! Too cute. And of course, we went home with a dozen doughnuts, and a half gallon of cider ^.^ Yum!
Definitely stop by the Rochester Cider Mill this autumn. The facility is family-owned and operated, and all of their seasonal treats are so yummy.
Sunday, September 18th, 2011 @ 09:31am | Author: Ashley
Yesterday afternoon, my man & I headed over to Holly, Michigan, to visit the annual Renaissance Festival!
Homemade honey
I would LOVE to hang this over my dining room table!
Handmade leather & paper, hand-bound, guaranteed to last one to two thousand years. Beautiful!
Tons of tiny glass bottles full of things to smell? Jackpot!
The rooftops of some of the shops - so cozy!
A human fountain; yes, that's a real person xD
Performance art is a key factor in RenFest.
A typical skyline for the Renaissance Festival.
My guy playing with some toys. I'm not sure how he'll feel about being on the blog, but he's too good-looking not to put up xD
The Michigan Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair, an interactive outdoor event that focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional English village called Hollygrove during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the latter half of the 16th Century. A large number of patrons also regularly attend the festival in costume further fleshing out the streets with nobles, pirates, Vikings, wizards, rogues, wenches, and an assortment of fantasy characters. The festival also includes many nationally known Renaissance festival stage acts, juggling shows, sword fighting shows, lane acts, a two-hour feast performed twice daily, three full contact joust shows performed daily, and activities and games for children of all ages. – Quote
Can you believe that as a lifelong Michigander, I’d never been before?! They’ve been doing this every year since 1979!
For my first trip, I spent a large majority of time just simply looking. If you’re not looking to walk out with an empty wallet, you definitely need to go in with a game plan. There are hundreds of vendors and wares, and so much that you’ll just fall in love with: costumes, glassware, jewelry, leather goods, handmade books and paper, apothecary, food, and so much more.
As I had to work later in the day, I didn’t spend the entire day at the fair. Which is a good thing, because I was right at the cuff of “stop looking, and start buying!”
The fair is about $20 for adults, and discount tickets are available through special events at the box office sometimes, and through stores like Kroger. If you’re in the area, I definitely recommend visiting!
