the girls had fun choosing a little charm for their “charm it” necklaces.  this was not planned but looking back this is a great idea.  it steered them away from wanting uber expensive frivolous purchases of wands, dresses and other paraphernalia.

we let them choose a charm at three different stores. cute!

oh boy.  dubs was a riot!  he loves toy story.

temporary tattoos.

high school musical (for the music note), belle, finn, shu, and mater.

my parents took us to fulton’s crab house in downtown disney.  it was delicious!

a waiter went around doing magic tricks 🙂

we did not go up in this balloon (it was too windy) but it looked fun!

the night ended with some ice cream!  cookie dough for me. always.
this was day one of our trip.  more to come!

we stopped in to the retail shop/wine tasting room/cheese making viewing area.

dancy found the sparkling grape juice to be delicious.

dubs liked watching the cheese makers.

oh so many wines.  now, i am not really a wine drinker myself.  if given a glass, i will tend to sip on that one glass all evening.  i do find the process fascinating though.

we came across one white wine that even i found to be delicious!  it is the late harvest riesling.  again, not a big drinker, but we did purchase a couple of bottles for gifts and a couple for ourselves.

there was an extensive farm area for us to walk around.  we visited the goats, pigs, horses, ducks, and roaming chickens.

then is was back in the car and down the road a bit to sutton’s bay.

isn’t this phone booth too cute?  there was a working pay phone in it.

there were several art galleries and quaint little shops.

i really enjoyed the unique book stores in each town…..this one did not disappoint.

for lunch we ate at martha’s cafe.  a MUST stop for a fresh, delicious lunch.

this is martha!  she was so sweet to all of our kids 🙂  we visited with her a little while and she shared the story and her love for martha’s cafe.

this was my chicken salad with asparagus and ham sandwich.

of course i peeked my head into all the little home decor stores.  this one was my favorite!  at home.
those blue candlesticks are now in my front foyer 🙂

here they are in clear.  the ladies will gladly ship them to you! 🙂 🙂  give them a call. 231-271-4664.  i wish i got their names, they were so helpful and kind.

what a cute storefront!

of course a stop at the candy store is a must.  we keep it simple.  one item, nothing that spins or takes batteries.  the suckers and rock candy held us over until we reached our next destination.

leland, michigan.  otherwise known as “fishtown”.

i really liked leland.  several of the stores are built up on the wharf with gravel walkways.

there are also several stores up on the streets.  another cute bookstore!

we found a pottery store in leland that i really liked!  the artist, ben maier, was not there but much of his work was just my style.

several light colored pieces with simple lines.

this technique really caught my eye.  we came home with some soup size bowls that looked like this vase.  white with grey edged sections.  i would love to add more ben maier pieces to my collection!

seriously, moments like this melt my heart.

there was lots of kayaking,  paddle boating, tubing, boat rides and turtle catching.  the water is so clear and i love not worrying about the salt getting in eyes and mouths…..

downtown traverse city is full of wonderful boutiques, bookstores, restaurants, art studios and home stores.

oh! and the antique shops!  there are so many, and they are great!  this one, lilacs antiques, is in elk rapids.  i am collecting plates for a plate wall so plates were what i was on the hunt for this trip.