We actually managed to sleep in a bit on the second day of our trip, which is pretty much unheard of for us…but that just meant we were well-rested for our visit to the Mall of America!
My first priority was getting Caribou Coffee…I was not disappointed!
A big highlight of our trip to the mall was visiting the Lego Store:
We even got to see a “Space Brick,” built by the ESA from a meteorite:
The m&m’s store was also really cool…it ended up being one of my favorite stops in the mall!
There’s a whole Nickelodeon theme park in the center of the mall:
I think you can find a Dole Whip just about anywhere these days!
It was just so much fun to walk around a thriving retail space!
Before we left, we stopped for boba:
Five+ hours later, we finally made our way back to the car, and decided since the rain had held off, we would go visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
I loved the sculptures and the setting with views of the skyline in the distance!
Up next: A cathedral, a basilica, and a bunch more fun!
A week ago today, we left for our summer vacation on a journey north to the Twin Cities! We made some stops along the way, starting with Hannibal, MO, home of M*A*S*H‘s Colonel Potter and also known for the antics of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. We took the 244 steps up to the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse, where we were treated to a phenomenal view of the Mississippi River, and also saw the Tom and Huck statue:
We then made our way to Riverside, IA, the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk…I was entirely too amused by this stop!
After that, we had lunch at Joensy’s Restaurant in Iowa City, a place know for their pork tenderloin sandwiches:
Our final stop before we got to the hotel was in Clear Lake, IA, and the Three Stars Plaza and Surf Ballroom, which is where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson played their last concert before “The Day the Music Died.”
It was a long day of driving, but we finally made it to our destination outside Minneapolis, a very nice Marriott hotel with a gorgeous atrium. After we got checked in, I went for a brief swim, and then we watched the US Swimming Olympic Trials on TV.
I have been waiting and waiting for my favorite dress from the Miss Candyfloss Viva Rita collection, the lovely checked Virtue-Violette, to be released, because I really wanted to wear it on my birthday. I was getting nervous, but as luck would have it, it was released this week, and somehow, even with international shipping, it arrived on Thursday, the day before my birthday, so I was able to wear it yesterday on our birthday trip to Ste. Genevieve, MO!
I love everything about this dress. It is my very favorite style of dress from Miss Candyfloss, with functional buttons all the way down the front, which makes it perfect for wearing unbuttoned from the waist with shorts underneath (I’m planning on wearing it that way very soon!). The colors in the checked pattern, which are blues and a gorgeous purple/pink, are my favorites. And between the lightweight fabric, the swing skirt, and the sleeveless bodice, it’s nice and cool for summer!
I accessorized with a stack of Splendette Duchess bangles, a Meteor Jewelry Company necklace, silver hoop earrings from Elizabeth Claire Taylor, and an Erstwilder brooch, plus a pair of blue hair flowers:
Here’s a closer look at my brooch. It’s not specifically a birthday cake, but as soon as I saw it earlier this year, I knew I wanted it to wear for birthdays, and it looks gorgeous with this dress!
I found a great vintage sign that made the perfect backdrop for my look, too!
This beautiful dress made me feel like a princess on my birthday!
I still have a few pieces to share from this collection, but this was my last purchase for the season, which is always a little bittersweet to me, because I hate when things are over…but it will be time to look forward to the autumn/winter collection before you know it!
Today is my 45th birthday! I have to admit, I’m not liking 45 too much, if only because it rounds up to 50, and that makes me feel a little old. But, old or not, I had a fantastic day with my family!
I decided that today I wanted to go to Ste. Genevieve, MO, a town I’ve been meaning to visit for years. It was founded as a village in 1735, and was the first organized European settlement in what is now Missouri. It was transferred to Spain following the French and Indian War, but eventually the Louisiana Purchase made it part of the new United States.
We saw several old buildings, such as the Louis Bolduc House, which was built in the French Creole-style in the 1780s:
Even thought it was hot, we had a nice time walking around this historic district and stopping in some of the shops. Sadly, the Christmas store wasn’t open, but the sweet shop was, and Ladybug bought me a pineapple rock candy stick! We also stopped in the tea and spice shop, which smelled absolutely amazing. While we were in town, we stopped for ice cream at Sara’s Ice Cream as well….I had a strawberry cone, and it was really delicious!
I did try to give myself a heart attack on my birthday, though, because we had to drive across the Mississippi River at Chester, IL, on a bridge I really hate!
While we were in Chester, we saw the Popeye statue:
On the way home, we stopped at Starbucks so I could get my free birthday coffee…I love that they wrote a little note on the cup!
I celebrated my birthday in Animal Crossing, too…I was very sad that Roald didn’t come to my party, though.
Bunny, Ladybug, and Chickadee teamed up to make me a chocolate malt cake, and it was outstanding (we were all a little worried the candles were going to burn the house down, though…even though there were only 39 of them)!
I have wanted to see the Downton Abbey Exhibition ever since I first heard about it. I watched closely to see where it was traveling, and held my breath, hoping it would come to a location that was within a reasonable drive. When it was announced that it was going to have a stay in the Chicago area, I was excited…and dismayed. Because the original schedule made it impossible for me to see it. But then they extended the show to include the time we were in the area for Combo Breaker, and I was thrilled that Bunny and I would be able to see it for ourselves!
The first room we walked through was full of props and propaganda, plus interesting historical facts. We saw many familiar items from the show:
We even got to see a police document and handcuffs (no surprise there, as the Bates’ were in an out of jail on the regular!):
What really impressed me were how many full letters/telegrams we had the opportunity to read. These are items that were props on the show, but in many cases, never read aloud…I love that even though the audience was not privy to the contents of these documents, they were still well thought-out and complete!
There were a few technical difficulties in that room (flickering lights in some displays that made some of the information difficult to access), so I wasn’t really sure what to expect next. I was beyond thrilled when we walked right into the Servants’ Hall! We’re talking the full set from the show…the table, costumes, props, and of course the bell board. There was even a flight of steps leading “Upstairs!”
Next we walked through Mrs. Patmore’s kitchen. Again, it was the full set. All of the food and cooking implements that were so familiar from the show and more costumes:
The door to “Mrs. Hughes’ office” was closed, but we got to walk through Mr. Carson’s pantry. We saw his desk with the controversial phone and his wine decanting apparatus, as well as a cozy seating area and even more costumes:
We then moved on to a transitional space where we took a quiz to see what kind of servant we would be (unsurprisingly, we both ended up in the kitchen!), and also got a peek at a few of the Dowager Countess’ costumes and her desk:
We then moved on to Lady Mary’s bedroom, which had a few costumes like the other sets:
And then on to the dining room, which was just as grand as you would expect it to be!
Did someone hear the gong? Because Bunny and I both rang it, which must mean it’s time to change!
The final room, which focused on the fashion of the show, may have been my favorite part of the exhibition. When we visited Cheekwood in 2017 and saw “Dressing Downton,” I thought it was outstanding (and it was!). But there is just so much more on display in the current show, and I don’t think there were even any repeats of what we saw in the past! Getting to see so many beautiful costumes (complete with hats, shoes, and accessories) from the film up close was such a thrill (you notice so many more things under the bright lights in person)…I could have looked at just the clothing all day!
I especially enjoyed the section dedicated to Downton weddings, which allowed me to get a close-up view of the Grantham bridal tiara:
Another favorite display was of the outfit Lady Rose wore when she was presented to the King and Queen:
And Lady Sybil’s famous pants outfit was also fun to see in person!
In addition to outfits, there were also quite a few beautiful hats on display:
Plus jewelry and other accessories, including some floral elements:
I still can’t quite believe we actually got to see this exhibit for ourselves, and to be honest, if it came to the St. Louis area, I’d probably tour it again!
Today is Donald Duck’s 90th birthday! On this date in 1934, he made his debut in The Wise Little Hen. He was only intended to be a minor character…I sure am glad that didn’t last, because he’s one of my favorites!
I tried to come up with a whole themed dinner, but surprisingly, there isn’t a lot out there that screams “Donald Duck” (no, I was not going to make duck on his birthday!). So I settled on making a cake in his honor, inspired by the color palette Disneyland used for their 90th birthday tribute:
I had some fun with the interior of the cake, as well:
I was very happy with how it turned out, even if it didn’t match my original vision for it!
And we also toasted Donald with his favorite drink, strawberry soda:
I’ll leave you with my favorite musing about Donald Duck’s family, which I came up with almost six years ago:
“You know Donald Duck, right? His mother’s name is Hortense. Maiden name: McDuck. So…she could have hyphenated her name, and been Hortense McDuck-Duck, and that thought makes me happy. Also, there is a Goose family in Donald Duck’s universe. Which means there is the possibility of a marriage resulting in an offspring with the last name McDuck-Duck-Goose. And that thought makes me almost delirious.”
One of the places in Chicago I’ve been wanting to visit (since before the pandemic, I’m pretty sure) is Pullman National Historic Park, located on the far south side of the city. We finally had a chance to stop by there and walk some (but not all) of the grounds, and now I really want to go back and explore the rest!
The Administration-Clock Tower Building houses the visitor center. We didn’t go in, but we did walk around the entire (massive!) structure.
Hotel Florence was built in 1881, with an addition built on in 1914. It is obvious even today what a grand building it was!
A Metra line runs right across the street from the park, but you can also see the ghosts of the original rail lines (and in some places, they have even been turned into flower beds).
Here are a few more views of the extensive Administration-Clock Tower Building, which is about 700 feet long when you take into account the wing to the side.
I don’t know what this building was originally, but it’s a fantastic example of modern ruins.
The main gate, along with its curved wall, were built in 1886, but the original foundations were only discovered in 2020, so the (re)construction is new:
One Florence Blvd., originally an executive home, now houses a coffee shop:
The Greenstone Church was built in 1882, and is still used as a Methodist Church today.
The Market Hall suffered several fires over the years, but the lower part is still standing (with some help), so you can get an idea of its size:
Lovely colonnaded apartments were built on all sides of the Market Hall, and people still live in them today:
This settlement has a fascinating history, and benefits from the fact that many of the original houses are still lived in, making it a vibrant site that still hums with activity today. It is one of those rare places where history really comes alive as you walk the grounds, and I’d love to learn more about the people and events that were key to its past in the future!
I have been wanting to see a cool alleyway art project for years, so I was super excited to learn that the Umbrella Sky Project has an installation in Elmhurst, IL, that wasn’t too far out of the way on our trip to Chicago last month!
The day we went, the project was a very literal statement as it was pouring rain, so I didn’t get quite as many photos as I wanted, but I did get quite a few, and the wet ground really sold the theme!
It’s such a fun and colorful way to brighten up a public space!
We don’t have a reason to go back to Chicago to see it, but I hear they’ll be swapping out the color scheme of the umbrellas later in the summer, and I bet that will look cool, too!
