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B-day Activities

Yesterday afternoon Jennifer and I didn't do a lick of work in honor of my birthday.  Instead, we headed 15 miles north to the little town of Van Alstyn.  First we went to a Bed & Breakfast, called the Durning House, for lunch at their tea room.  It didn't quite meet my expectations, but it was good enough.  We got the sampler platter which included their two specials of the day (Chicken Divan and Pasta salad) along with spinach salad.


The part about our stop at the Durning House that caused me the most excitement was seeing these leaves because they are the first real fall leaves I've seen.
After lunch, we located the real reason for our journey to Van Alstyn, Summit Mercantile.



It's an awesome antique store.  A true antique store like you see the designers visit on HGTV's "Sarah's House" or other shows, not a "let's rent out booths and people can fill it with their garage sale crap" like you tend to see around here.  They have wonderful stuff, but it's not cheap.  My favorites were two work surfaces that would make awesome kitchen islands...one on casters, one with a slate top.  I also liked two hutches that came from old farm houses (one in upstate NY and the other from Ohio).  I should have busted out the Nikon inside the store, but I didn't.  I'll do better next time...I'm going back in November for an antique jewelry trunk sale they told me about (pieces beginning at $25!).

I LOVE that they give a number for emergencies...it makes my mind start wondering and imagining all the different scenarios where one would have a "need antiques now" emergency!

After that we went to a little store next door.  They didn't have a ton of great stuff, but I did get this little vintage Halloween box with orange glitter...
We headed back to McKinney and went to our downtown area where we discovered two stores that are fun.
Diggin It is full of unique stuff for your house or garden.  I got a few rocks there, but I can only show you one, as the others are gifts for people who may read this post...
My favorite part of the store is this little guy... Brody...
He's a one year old Goldendoodle and I wish he was mine!

Then we found Patina Green, which is a farmers market, gourmet lunch spot and antique store all in one.



I purchased this jalapeno cheddar bread, which is divine.
I'm actually watching the clock right now as I blog and counting down the minutes until I can legitimately eat supper because I'm having a sandwich made with this!

Oh, and Lisa, Jennifer and I are going back on Monday for lunch!

For dinner we met Lisa at Patrizio's.  It was okay, but they got my yellow-fin tuna way, way too done.  After that I came home, opened presents and watched the Rangers clinch their spot in The World Series!  Yea!

It was a fun day!

Comments

Kelsey Claire said…
Sounds like a fun birthday! I love Ricks in Downtown McKinney. Counting down the days until my bday when I am going to go with the fam!
Caroline said…
So many cool places to shop!! First, I LOVE Sarah's House. Caroline and I watch it all the time. Ready for a new season. Second, Love the Tech rock. Third, I want to go shopping with you- great finds all the time!! Last, I'm glad you had a great birthday!
Abby said…
Happy Birthday! Your birthday looks like so much fun, I would love to do any or all of those things on my birthday! I feel a need visit and hit all of those places soon!!

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