Look What Followed Me Home!

My husband and I recently celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary. I say "celebrate" loosely since we have done this so many times and we are getting old, so it doesn't take quite as much to be considered a "celebration" in our eyes. We were married 2 days after Christmas. That was the only break we had between trimesters (yes, we are THAT old! U.F. was on the trimester system back then) that would be long enough to have time for the wedding and a honeymoon. We were both going straight through with summer classes, so no time off for us! I don't know how my mom didn't revolt but somehow we pulled off a lovely Christmas and set to work the next day preparing for the wedding and reception. We wanted a dinner reception but funds were tight between having a single mom and college tuition, so my mom, my Aunt Dott, and my grandmother made ALL of the food-the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS!! I don't know if I ever thanked them enough. But, I digress. Usually my hubby and I are pretty worn out this week so we keep it simple. That usually means a short trip out of town somewhere easy to get to and laid-back. It is usually to Mt. Dora.

Mt. Dora is a sweet little town full of antique shops, boutiques and restaurants. Back in 1981, it was painted pink for the movie "Honky Tonk Freeway". I remember that we had been in Altamonte Springs shopping and drove through on the way home to see for ourselves- and it was quite a sight! No computer photo-shopping back then, so they truly did paint it all! BTW, I can't be old enough to have owned a car like those in the picture! They look antique!!! Oh, I guess they are! And, I guess I am!!!

We love to go there when we want a quiet day although some days it is bustling with people but always has that small town feel. We particularly love to eat at the Windsor Rose Tearoom. My husband loves their Cottage Pie and I always get their Windsor High Tea. They have a new owner and chef and their menu has been tweaked a bit. Let me just say, if you are near Mt. Dora you really need to try this place out now-especially if you are a fan of authentic scones. These things are now humongous and fabulous-especially served with the Devonshire (clotted) cream. They now offer a package mix for their scones so, of course, I had to have it!. Now I am searching for Devonshire cream-not easy to find but I know I can make a "mock" version if I can't.

The town was still decorated for Christmas, the air was crisp, the sky was a brilliant blue and everything was perfect-just what I would call a celebration of the highest magnitude! After I had done all of my snooping, I remembered that I had my camera in the car and snapped a few shots just in one small area. It will give you a bit of a feel for the town-kind of a shrunken Savannah!

As I said, just the fact that my husband and I were together on this beautiful day and that he is feeling better than ever and just got glowing cardiological results was present enough for me but when he said "look for some little treasure", this beauty jumped right out at me! I found it in my favorite little home decor boutique, "Piece of  Mine".

I really am not sure why I am always attracted to olive jars and urns-I have more than my share but this one spoke to me. And, it has some "presence", will go with my multitude of PB jars and it is green! As I have told you, I always think of color when I shop-not to match my decor but to match a holiday or season-as, my home is hardly ever just decor but almost ALWAYS seasonal or holiday decor. Green will work for spring, late summer with the sunflowers, St. Pat's Day, autumn (mixed with the reds, oranges, golds and browns) and Christmas. My only regret is that I don't think it will be in my decorating any time the next month as I will go to Valentine's Day after Christmas and can't find a way to fit in that lovely green!

We are actually off to Gainesville today to shop for a new mattress. I can't tell you how much it hurts me to spend so much money on something no one will see (still waiting for granite in the kitchen and a master bath re-do, but, once again I digress), but we currently have a Sleep Number bed and as much as we have enjoyed it, it is time for a change. Off to see what we can find with a stop at the new Trader Joes and then the Fresh Market to see if they have their Valentine coffee flavors in yet-what is wrong with me? (Rhetorical question Kristin!) Stay tuned.