Do you ever go somewhere and think “Hey, I would like to start all over decorating at home?”

That sums up my thoughts when I traveled to Chesterfield, Missouri this month and stopped in at the wonderful Three French Hens.

Owner Jeanie Hood shared, “When I built my French Country home, I couldn’t find what I wanted so I opened my own store.”

Jeanie opened her store, ten years ago and today she is still going strong offering an array of old European antiques, reproductions, home furnishings, home accessories and unique gift items. “Since I can’t have it all in my house, I am blessed to have cool things here.”

To create a inviting home décor, Jeanie recommended mixing different styles and combining old and new. “When layering a home, it is more welcoming.”

While I didn’t have room to fit the great chair you see in the picture, I did buy a bag/purse that fit my need for something cool!

Stop by and have a bit of fun shopping at this distinctive store that has something for every shopper. Located at 16935 Manchester Road, Wildwood, Missouri 63040, the store is open Monday through M-S 10am-5pm Sun 12-4pm. If you are in the area call us at 636-458-8033 or log onto http://www.threefrenchhensstl.com for more details.

With the chance to spend time with family and friends during summer festivities, keep your local fairs in mind. In New Berlin, Illinois, the Sangamon County Fair is always a place with great entertainment and fun whether you are talking daughter, grand daughter, spouse or friend.

This year is no exception they brought out the big guns again with Little Big Town, Jake Owens and Trace Adkins who are coming to town to rock the fair. Last year the family went to see a favorite country act and enjoyed the small town feel along with the benefit of big time talent.

The Sangamon County Fair takes place June 19-24, 2013 at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds. The cost of admission allows visitors to also attend the concert.

The Sangamon County Fair takes place June 19-24, 2013 at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds. The cost of admission allows visitors to also attend the concert. For more information, log onto http://www.sangcofair.com.

The Highland Hammock State Park is one of the oldest around. Established in 1931. the park was built in part through the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC). Developed at the onset of the Great Depression, the CCC workers built trails roads and planted what was originally supposed to be a Botanical Garden next to the Highland Hammock. When the state of Florida established their park system the park and garden merged into one cohesive ecosystem that visitors can now come and see and enjoy.

On my trip to Highland Hammock State Park, I took the ranger guided tram tour and saw what the real Florida was like, palms, cypress tress and alligators and all!

Besides the park itself, their is also the CCC museum which captures the history of this unique program that put many 17-25 year olds to work.

For more information about Florida’s CCC Museum, call 863-386-6094. Highlands Hammock State Park is located off US 27 on SR 634 (also known as Hammock Road), four miles west of Sebring. Highlands Hammock offers a full-facility campground, as well as a youth/group tent campground. A full-service restaurant is located on the park grounds. For schedule and catering information, call (863) 385-7025.

On a recent trip to Baltimore, my friend Rose and I came face to face with a replica of the very flag that prompted Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner. We spied the Great Flag Window in the Star Spangled Bangled Banner Flag House. The flag is an exact replica of the flag that Mary Pickersgill created in the summer of 1813.

The Flag House is located at Mary’s home. As the War of 1812 unfurled, Mary created the 30 by 42 foot flag that Francis Scott Key saw from his view on a British ship the day after the British bombardment of Chesapeake Bay.

Francis Scott Key was an attorney that had secured the freedom of another American from the British. They were not allowed off the ship until after the attack on Baltimore. The morning after the battle, Key saw the flag still flying at Fort McHenry and he was so moved that penned the poem that he first called “Defense of Fort. McHenry”. The song was printed and hit the streets of Baltimore and soon everyone was calling it “The Star Spangeled Banner”.

As Paul Harvey always said, “that’s the rest of the story”. For information about the Star Spangled Banner Flag House log onto the website.(http://flaghouse.org ).

I am a sucker for history and preservations stories. The St. Louis Carousel qualifies as both. Located in Faust Park in Chesterfield, Missouri, the St. Louis Carousel is open for business. The carousel has more than 60 hand-carved horses and deer and was built in 1920 by the Dentzel Company of Philadelphia.

The Dentzel Carousel Company began in southern Germany as the winter occupation of Michael Dentzel. His main occupation was wagon making. According to company history, Michael Detzel sent his son Gustav to the US in the 1850’s with a full size carousel to America. Gustav settled in Philadelphia and began making cabinets and carousels. The company became a Mecca for European woodworkers. The business remained in the family passing on to Gustav’s sons William and Edward.

The St. Louis Carousel was originally part of an amusement park located in Forest Park. The disaster befell the park when it caught fire. Log onto the website and you can see a video of the raging fire that destroyed the park and left only the carousel standing. The carousel was then as purchased by a St. Louis native and carefully preserved. Over the years the carousel operated as part Sylvan Springs. In 1980 the carousel arrived at its current location and is operated by the Faust Cultural Heritage Foundation. There is something about a working piece of history that pulls at the heart strings.

The beautiful machine is run by a non-profit organization. The historic carousel remains open for riders to see and enjoy. This was one of my favorite stops and is a great place for kids of all ages to enjoy. Only $2.00 a ride, log onto http://www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/ChildrensFun/StLouisCarouselatFaustPark, and St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission’s http://www.ExploreStLouis.com website for travel information.

In all my trips to St. Louis, until this past week I had never stopped at the Butterfly House. If I had known what beauty I would see, I would have been there before.

Besides information about Assassin bugs, hissing cockroaches and creepy crawlers that little boys will clamor for, there is also the amazing butterfly conservatory.
Part of the Missouri Botanical Gardens the Butterfly House is located in Faust Park in Chesterfield, Missouri. The Butterfly House is a free standing butterfly conservatory where nearly 2,000 tropical butterflies are in free flight. There are as many as 80 butterfly species and 150 tropical plant species are exhibited.

Just stand still and let the butterflies alight! Out back is a beautiful garden area where weddings and events take place that you should also take time to see. If you are like me and have never taken the time to venture out to Chesterfield and check out this site, add it to your list. The website http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/butterfly-house/visit-the-butterfly-house/hours-admissions.aspx offers details of the cost and hours. Also check the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission’s http://www.ExploreStLouis.com website for travel information.

You know spring is really here when you can see it in the blooming flowers. What better place to see flowers in bloom than the Missouri Botanical Gardens? Set on 79 acre, the garden that was founded in 1859 is the nation’s oldest botanical garden in continuous operation.

The garden was founded by Henry Shaw, an Englishman that came to the St. Louis, just a river town at the time in the spring of 1819. At the young age of 18, Shaw saw something in the lush prairie that moved him. Purchasing land as his hardware and cutlery business flourished he expanded his investments to include agricultural commodities, mining, real estate and furs. Retiring at the young age of 39, he used his wealth to purchase more ground and develop the property around the country home he built. Visiting England, Shaw witnessed the Great Exhibition in 1851 and came home with plans to develop a garden.

Through his association with Dr. George Engelmann, a German physician-botanist they developed the garden and used the property to include a herbarium and research facility. The garden opened to the public in 1859.

Today, the garden is filled with a variety of plants where visitors can find a quiet place to reflect, or walk the paths and enjoy the beauty of the sculptures, bridges and fountains. The garden is as much about art as it is about plants. I love the history and the changes that makes each visit different than the last one!
There is a fee for admission and if you choose, tours are offered daily. Log onto http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit.aspx and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission’s http://www.ExploreStLouis.com website to learn more!

My visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago was wonderful, but one thing was missing. They have closed the penguin exhibits so I didn’t get my penguin fix. This past week though I headed south to the St. Louis Zoo and arrived just in time to see the penguins and puffins being fed.

Swerving to miss visiting school children I scooted my way up front just like a little kid to watch the penguins waddle and hop their way to the young woman doling out dinner. It was a fun site that made everyone watching smile. The tuxedoed birds took it all very seriously and paid us all no heed.

At the zoo, I was also able to see a brand new exhibit, the Sea Lion Sound which has been combined with the popular Sea Lion Basin and Sea Lion Show. Set on 1.5-acres the new exhibit offers visitors a walk through an underwater tunnel into the sea lions’ habitat to see the animals swimming all around them! Zoo information shares, “This $18 million, 1.5 acre exhibit offers a naturalistic setting for the animals in a landscape inspired by the Pacific Northwest coast.”

The St. Louis Zoo offers more than 800 species represented on 90 beautifully landscaped acres. The zoo is located in the historic Forest Park which is filled with a variety of stops that can keep you busy all day or weekend. Admission to the zoo is free with a charge for some of the shows and attractions. If you have kids age eight or older there is a very cool sounding background tour that sounds amazing! Check out this website http://www.stlzoo.org/visit/hourspricesdirections and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission’s http://www.ExploreStLouis.com website for more information.

Looking for a blast from the past? Check out the fleamarket at the Belleville, Illinois fairgrounds. This weekend event brings in around 200-400 vendors that offer a variety of items for sale from jewelry to fudge to items like the wringer wash machine offered by Northwest Trading Posts.

My husband and I just wanted a day away and the flea market offered some fun browsing. He found some literature and I bought a mirror with the Last Supper depicted that now has a place of honor in my kitchen.

See ya there!