i'm back....

hey there, i'm back from vacation in northern wisconsin. it was great to get away, but the there's nothing like coming home to your own bed! HA! HA! HA!

friday, after it rained i ventured over to stillwater, minnesota, which is located along the st. croix river at the wisconsin/minnesota border. hard to believe the last time i visited was back in 1999! so much has changed, although the kitchen store i remember was still there! LOL! 

first up, i wanted to share photos from a store called mara mi.  OMG, i fell in love with this store which is actually a store, studio and cafe in one! check out the cool photos below:

 NOTE the AMAZING selection of wrapping paper above and ribbon below!

OKAY, am i the only person who did NOT know DUFF GOLDMAN had his own line of fondant, sprinkles, baking dishes etc.?!?!?? REALLY!?!?!! guess, i haven't watched enough CHARM CITY CAKES lately! seriously, i had no clue!

i couldn't help but purchasing the BANANA SPLIT favored sprinkles! HA! HA! HA!

...YUM!!!!!

oh, let's not forget about the cafe! check out the yummy cupcakes below:

next up i came across a store called ALFRESCO. another place one could do some serious damage shopping! lol!

 the store had a little of everything, home decor, gifts, furniture, clothing, etc. check out beautiful couch below! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

across the street was actually the only store i remember, which is called THE CHEF'S GALLERY.

this store kept going and going....so much fun to wonder around!

finally, the last place i wanted to mention is called STILLWATER OLIVE OIL CO.

i have to say the DARK CHOCOLATE olive oil was my favorite! YUM! 

great way to get away from being cooped up at the lakehouse for a day and a half due to the rain! lol!

be sure and check back tomorrow, as i plan on posting about my little shopping trip over to edina, minnesota.

hopefully, you are all staying cool! it's a hot one out there, ick! thankfully, i've been spending a lot of time at the pool! meanwhile the central air has been on full blast, lol!

oh before i forget, rue la la will be hosting the GUCCI sale boutique tomorrow!

in case you aren't a member of ruelala, click here for your personal invite. sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE!

on the road again...

tomorrow we are heading up to the lake in northern wisconsin. wish me luck on the 7.5 hour drive, ugh! ha! ha!

...ARE WE THERE YET!!!!

you know it wouldn't be a vacation if "shopping" wasn't involved! hopefully, i'll have time to make it over to minneapolis, minnesota for a little shopping. just like i did last year!

oh, if you are a fan of corn be sure and check out the corn over at whole foods! YUM!!! it's amazaing! our local whole foods is selling corn .50 cents/ear! cheap, not! i remember when you could get a dozen ears of corn for under $2.00, lol!

just a few of my favorite places...

in case you missed the 1st post from my vacation, click here. 

as promised, here are a few more photos from a couple more of my favorite places to visit when i am up north.

next up suttons bay, michigan. bahle's has the best selection of barbour! i almost bought another jacket, but didn't! after all, i just bought one in georgetown a few weeks ago! ha! ha!

check out the barbour wellies...great deal for $89.00!

the annex which is their sale store had a nice selection of madras shorts and plenty of vineyard vines shirts!

here a photos from a few more of my favorite stores.

next up, here are a few photos from glen arbor, michigan, also home to cherry republic!

while at cherry republic you can enjoy their cafe. everything is made with cherries! cherry ice cream, cherry chicken salad, cherry pie, cherry wine, chocolate covered cherries, cherry peanut butter, etc. YUM!!!!!! 

below is a sample of some of their salsas:

below is a view of the cafe, great place to catch a bite to eat or even a slice of cherry pie or ice cream cone!

below is a view of the wine tasting/beverage building.

while we were at the tasting room they had some very tasty cherry guacamole on display! YUMMY!!!!

of course, i enjoyed a few samples of wine and non-alcoholic beverage samples.

below are a few more photos from glen arbor:

check back tomorrow when i share photos of a few of my purchases and a photos from harbor springs and petoskey, mi.

before if forget, below is a view from the shores of lake michigan! couldn't have asked for better weather --- low 80's and no humidity!!!!

"upnorth" part one...

happy 4th of july!

i'm home after 6 days vacay up at our cottage in northern michigan. it was rough driving home today!  we were spoiled with awesome weather! low 80's and NO humidity...who could ask for better weather! of course we get to chicago and the temps are in the 90's...UGH!!!

first up, i wanted to share some photos from leland, michigan. one of my all-time favorite places to visit! after all, i have been coming here my whole life! our cottage is located between leland and glen arbor. so many wonderful memories!

below are some photos from "fishtown" ...enjoy!
  

i loved the flag hanging below...such an awesome picture!

if you are in leland, you MUST pick up something from TUG STUFF!

i love the sandals above with the tug boat logo!

of course, you'll have to be sure and stop over at haystacks! another one of my favorite shopping destinations in leland!

another one of my favorite stores is niki & greta's. the store reminds me sort of what the mole hole used to be! oh, how i miss that store!!!!

check out the toilet below, hilarious! i love how they advertise for "poo-pourri" --- get it, ha! ha!

below is a view from the bridge looking out at lake michigan. although, my photo doesn't to the view justice! sorry, i forgot my camera....AGAIN and had to resort to using my phone!

here's a view from "fishtown" looking back up towards the cove.  btw, they have THE BEST keylime pie! seriously TDF delish!!!!!

finally, don't forget to pick up some whitefish and smoked chub from carlson's...YUM!!!

also, don't forget to stop over at the mercantile [the grocery store] and pick up some award-winning raclette cheese and sisson's peas & peanut salad! sounds crazy, but this salad is seriously delish and worth the ridiculous price! ha! ha!

here's a close-up of sisson's peas & peanuts....YUM!!!!

hope you enjoyed this brief visit to leland, michigan! check back later for more photos from my vacation!