Tales of Traveling Tote #15 - Miss Aurora Tours the Farmhouse

 If you are here for the first time, welcome to Mountain Breaths. Today I am joining a group of talented bloggers to bring you our quarterly Tales of the Traveling Tote. 

Before we start the Farmhouse Tour, Miss Aurora enjoyed the flowering trees in spring at Sycamore Hill Gardens in Marcellus, NY on Mother's Day. We have gone for the last four years, and each year we invite someone from the family to join us. This year it was my sister Diane and niece Chelsea and we all loved it. My husband and I took a quick trip to Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs just before Mother's Day to stock up on Happy Place laundry detergent and goat milk soap. I loved the wicker picnic tote and the bed of ferns! 

Miss Aurora was very content traveling locally so in April, Joe and I attended the MacKenzie-Childs Warehouse Sale in Union Springs and added a few items to our collection. Then we headed to the lovely Farmhouse on Cayuga Lake for a tour. 

On the farmhouse tour, we started in the living room (parlor) that was under renovation.  Artist "Corey" from the Visuals team had finished the walls of the farmhouse, one bouquet at a time. Hand-painted flowers on tone on tone stripes. This is the new look. 

Below is a photo I took of the same room in the fall. A big change!

The 3,300-square-foot, three-story Farmhouse is an example of classic Second Empire/mansard architecture, which was popular from 1860 to 1900, particularly in the Northeast. It shows many features of that style, including a mansard roof, decorative dormer windows, and porches with columns. Its interior was remodeled extensively in the early 2000s, but some of its original charming features remain, including the front doors and several sets of pocket doors believed to be black walnut. Here are a couple photos that I took last the summer and you can see the mansard roof and porch with columns. 

Prior to being acquired by the founders of MacKenzie-Childs in 1986, the Farmhouse was the centerpiece of a working dairy farm. I have loved this vintage bed forever. Miss Aurora wishes she could have a bedroom like this :-)

Miss Aurora posting on the new living room rug at the Farmhouse.

Much to my surprise, we saw a woman with "The Tote" and we conversed and determined that the twin sisters were from California and visiting NY to attend the warehouse sale.  

It was a pleasure meeting Dot and Donna and having our picture taken with Tom. (a wonderful long time MKC employee that you will see at the barn sale if you attend). 

A short video.

Here's a few of the items we purchased at the MKC Warehouse Sale in April. A lone sleigh ornament which Joe quickly grabbed from the employee that was pricing it. I stash these items away, and it's like Christmas once I dig through the bag again in November. 

As you can see in the photos above, the MKC warehouse sale is packed with goodies. We never know what they will have so it's hit or miss. I try hard to only buy items we will use or give for gifts. This year we bought the following items:
Moose wine bottle stopper
Baseball cap
Small whisk
Canape knives
Angel ornaments
Owl ornament
Courtly Check dinner plates
Flower market salad plates

In the photo below, that is me pushing the cart in one of the rooms at the warehouse sale. 

At the end of April, we attended the Herb and Wine Festival on Cayuga Lake. For those of you who don't know the area, MacKenzie-Childs is located on Cayuga Lake, however we didn't have time to visit on this trip. Our spring blooms are late this year, so only the daffodils were blooming. I've included a picture from last year when the tulips were in bloom at the same time of the year. 

Yes, I am cold! It started out "warmish" and then the clouds started rolling in and rained.

  My new friend Melody.

Hope you enjoyed the tour! This was my 15th Traveling Tote post. Miss Aurora definitely gets around, and I had several compliments on "her" when I visited the retail store and had to explain that she is retired but may possibly be found on Ebay. The common thread of MacKenzie-Childs has started many conversations. We are offering the lovely Flower Market Globe Vase as a giveaway to our loyal readers. All you have to do it visit Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester. Let them know you would like to be included in the drawing for the vase.  It looks so sweet with flowers!

My friend Tami (who doesn't blog) shared this great photo on Facebook when she was in Cape May. Love how these totes get around! 

Come along and travel with:

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths (you are here)

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester

Lia with Miss Scarlett @ Cici's Corner

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ Pandora's Box

Ricki Jill with Countess de Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Until next time, enjoy your summer! xoxoxo