Girls Get-Away

Earlier this summer, the Blue Star Museum list came out, and I was thrilled to see that Monticello was once again included.  We stopped two summers ago as we moved from IL to VA, and I went last year to the Heritage Harvest Festival, but I really wanted to take the kids for another visit.  Then I heard about the Frontier Culture Museum out in Staunton and knew I needed to go there.  So, Sunday morning the kids and I headed out.  First stop, Monticello!

We enjoyed a tour of the house and the garden, and then the kids enjoyed trying their hands at writing with goose feathers.  It was hot, so I didn't get to spend as much time in the garden as I would have liked, but I'll be back in about 6 weeks for the Heritage Harvest Festival!

We then headed to Waynesboro, where our 'home base' would be at the Best Western Plus, right off the highway.  After a very late lunch/early dinner at The Golden Corral (which Daddy doesn't like), we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the hotel pool.

The next morning, we heated to the Frontier Culture Museum.  We loved this cross-stitched piece in the English house.

And the girls played a ring toss game there, too.  Don't you love the pink of the house?

 At the Irish Cottage, we saw these Dorkings and fell in love!  We had a great conversation about all the chickens at the different homesteads.

 These were the Polish chickens at the German house.

 And another needlework piece I wish I could translate!

 Abby caught herself a chick!

 And this is a Dominique at the American Farmhouse.  Someday I'm gonna get me one of those!

 We had another late lunch at Mrs. Rowes, and I couldn't believe the food the kids got for $3.95...  entree, side, drink, and a sundae!  I had a great turkey sandwich with real turkey on homemade bread.

We found a Goodwill and then headed over to Sunset Studios, where we could watch them blowing glass.  We were hoping to blow our own Christmas ornaments, but that cost $40 EACH, and they had to cool overnight, so we opted not to.

We made our way to the Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft, which is a bulk food store.  I didn't get as much as I did last year when I went with Nancy, because we have a nice little Mennonite store here now.  I did buy lots of cheese!  Then we stopped at the Stuarts Draft Farm Market right down the road and I found RHUBARB.  So excited to make more jam!

We stopped at another Goodwill about a block from the hotel and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool.  After a dinner of crackers and cheese and some turkey (also bought at the Cheese Shop), the girls enjoyed a long bath and called it a night.

This morning we checked out of the hotel and headed to Chile's Orchard in Crozet.  I was disappointed that they only had a few 'seconds' and most of them were really far-gone, so we didn't buy much there.

We then went to Henley's Orchard, also in Crozet, where I got a whole bushel of peaches.  These, too, were seconds, but they looked much better.

 From there, we headed to the Our Lady of the Angels monastery where they make their own Gouda Cheese.  It was a lovely drive to the middle of nowhere, but we made it.

And then it was time to finally head home.  It was a lovely couple of days, and the girls were perfectly behaved, so everyone had a good time, even this Mama!  We decided we need to do something like this every year.