Sugar Mill, Shabbylocity, and Apology!!

 

Wow!!  I am finally back!!  You know…back from outer space!!  Sure was a busy week, but a great week as well!! 

Missed all of you chickies out there!!

Today, me and my oldest daughter, Sam, went out to breakfast at a really neat place nestled in Deleon Springs State Park in the town of Deleon Springs.

The place is the Old Spanish Sugar Mill, and it was just that once upon a time.  I didn’t take any photos inside, but it is very charming, and very popular.
The setting is gorgeous, and this morning it was chilly here so they had a fire burning in our part of the dining area.  Aaaahhhh!   LOVE that!!

There are griddles at each table and you cook your own pancake and egg breakfast!  Quite a unique experience and FUN for all ages!

You have to arrive early or you will have to wait…an hour after opening the wait was 40 minutes.  We arrived 3-4 minutes before they opened the doors. 

 

Now I can’t tell you how it all worked, but that is indeed a waterwheel, and it utilized the 16-18 millions gallons of water that flow from the spring to crush sugar cane.  Amazing, huh?  You can see small photos of the inside and read a little more about it here if you’d like.

The water coming off of the rocks is water that has come from the spring, and it flows into the St. John’s River.  The spring is 72 degrees year round, and a great place to swim.  There are scenic boat tours, canoes, kayaks, and all kinds of wildlife on the property.  We watched otters play one morning!

 

Me and Sam!  No make-up with the sun in my eyes!!  Be kind!! LOL!!  Sam is our daughter that resembles me the most.  Even her hubby mistook photos of me after having Madison for her!! 

OK, nature photos, right?  You knew there would be some trees!  And these aren’t just any trees!  These are hundred year old oak trees that are simply AWESOME!!  My pics can’t really do them justice.

Here is a close up that will give you a little bit better perspective of the trunk size!  Each branch is as thick as a large trunk! 

Lady Katherine…here’s a tree for us to climb up in!!  A boy was up in one of these today!!

A little bit of fall color even here in Florida!!

After we left the park, we stopped at this little statuary and antique shop I have driven by for years, and never visited.  Today, I found that I have really been missing out!!  This is my new favorite place!!

Look at this fetching fella!!  What is it about gnomes?  I used to really dislike them, and now I think they are so cute!  He was just laying there in the leaves watching the clouds go by!

Never thought of putting an antique sewing machine in the garden, but I think I like it!!

I thought this metal Christmas tree was interesting with a chain as garland!  I love that people think of this stuff!!

What about this found object singing angel??  That is a weight from a barbell for her face, and her wings are saw blades.  I know she is singing because she is holding a hymnal!! 

I have no idea what these are but I thought they looked neat stacked there!

 The inside was packed full of treasures and delightful shabbylocity!!

 I thought this was really cool, but a bit scary at the same time!!  HA!!!

LOVE this display of mostly vintage dolls!!  Such fun!

And finally…a basket full of “duchess dolls”.  They are so cute and colorful!!

There was so much more that I couldn’t capture because of all things…my memory card was full!  HMMPH!!  A tad frustrating, but I got over it!!

That just means I’ll have to take my camera back and show you the rest next time!

AND NOW FOR THE APOLOGY!

I said I was going to do posts on destressing for the holidays, and you know what God spoke to my heart?
He showed me that I shouldn’t make a commitment to post regularly leading up to the holidays because it could create stress for me!  I AM SO SORRY! 

What I will do is post on what I am doing, and I hope that will help some of you.

Right now I am planning out my menu, and deciding on what the table will look like.  One of the things I’ve read that I really liked was to serve dinner buffet style…we’re going with that this year, so the table will have only a couple of side dishes and condiments on it.

I have decided to make handmade place cards, and may tie bows around the back of each chair.  When I get them done, I’ll show you.

This has been really long so I’ll stop here.

I am going to go visit YOU ALL right now!  Have a joyful Sunday filled with praises to our Lord!!

Hugs n Love,

Becky

Thanksgiving Countdown!!

Happee Saturday, sweet friends!!

Can you believe that tomorrow is November 1st????? I, for one, cannot!!  Where has the year gone???

As one who can allow things to stack up a bit at holiday time, my goal this year is to DE-STRESS the holidays at our home!!

 

Sounds good, huh?

 

WELL…I am going to do 1-2 posts each week dedicated to this end!  They will include decorating tips, planning help, and of course menus and recipes!!

We have a crowd over here each Thanksgiving (although last year we snuck over to Texas!! hee-hee!)  I want to make an extra effort to make this Thanksgiving especially lovely and visually appealing without added stress!!

ARE YA WITH ME, GIRLS???

Let’s get started!!!

We don’t do Halloween here at our casa, but LOVE decorating for fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

Lots of people have just been too busy to get their fall decorations out, BUT there is still time!!!!

Pumpkins and gourds are great to decorate with, and add so much to an entryway or vignette, and are a real guest pleaser!!

Here are some neat ideas from Better Homes and Gardens for a bit more primitive use of these seasonal wonders!!  BHG is a great online resource for lots of neat ideas!!  You can click the link, scroll through the slideshow and get instructions on how to do these if you’d like!

Simply painted with cute folk art designs

 I absolutely LOVE this idea!!  So whimsical and silly!  Make a LACE FACE!!!

This is really neat and so original!  Just nail small pumpkins to a board, and make quilt designs with a black sharpie!! 

 

A close up of the designs

Another adorable face made with metal jewelry findings!!  How cute would it be to make a few of these in different sizes and line them up??!!  Those grandies would love them!!

An assortment just displayed randomly on shelves
with big eye appeal!

 

And last but not least, this beautiful paper cutwork pumpkin!  Might want to use one of the flameless candles in this one!

Taking the stress out of the holidays helps us to focus more fully on their meaning, and to really enjoy the presence of loved ones and friends.

Preparations need not be extravagant to be welcoming and help set a tone for these special days!!

Love n Hugs to you!!!
Becky

Tea Shop Goodies Winner!!

Ladies…we have a WINNER!!!

And the winner is….

My lovely friend, Bonnie, who can be found at

One Designing Woman!!!!

 Bonnie is a such a sweetheart and her blog is full of loveliness!!!  Hope you’ll pop by to meet and congratulate her!!  She is an interior redesigner and shares her wisdom for design, life, and finding the joy in each day!

CONGRATULATIONS, BON!!  Email me your address, and I will get your package in the mail next week!!!  holidayinthesun_1@yahoo.com

Have a joyful Saturday!!  Loved hearing what you all had to say about Disney!!  If you ever make the trip down, make sure to let me know and maybe we can meet for lunch or something!!

HUGS,

Becky