I was on board the minute Barb mentioned Lemon Meringue pie. Long before she started describing the 12-inch high meringue peaks and the gorgeous lemon filling. I love lemons and I was ready for something sweet.
Would you believe me if I told you that I ate half of my "to go" piece before we got back to the car? You see earlier in the day we had a nice homemade lunch at the Blue Gate Restaurant, and Barb showed us their famous lemon meringue pie in the bakery case next door on our way out. I was a goner.
After a full day of wandering in and out of the shops in Shipshewana, we did eventually stop back at the Blue Gate Bakery for a slice. And Barb bought a whole pie to take back to her family - it is magnificent in person.
Sometimes my blog posts just fall into my lap. I mean really, as a candy lover, could I make up anything more interesting to show you? Not a chance.
I was in Aunt Millie's Candy Shop in the Davis Mercantile (same building as the Lolly's Fabrics) in Shipshewana when I saw him. A beautiful statue of a Native American man wearing a full headdress of feather lollipops. It was as beautiful as it was unexpected. I was so taken with the overall effect of the display that I didn't buy a handful of feathers.
What was I thinking? They would look so beautiful grouped on a Thanksgiving buffet. Or as a treat for kids who didn't want pumpkin pie? I did include a link (click "feather lollipops" above) where you can buy an entire box of them online. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you want to split a box, let me know!
Amish cows are fabulous. Can you see the brown beauty that started walking toward me when we pulled off the road? She "moo-ed" so much it sounded like she was trying to chit-chat and I'm sure she thought I could stay and gossip over the fence. But alas, my friends were waiting in the car, so I took a few photographs of her picturesque farm and went on my way.
I had spotted this dairy farm on the way into Shipshewana and put it on our "must photograph" list for the day. On weekends, Amish shops are only open on Saturday and they close promptly at five o'clock, so we needed to prioritize shops over cows. Luckily the weather held and after a wonderful day wandering Shipshewana, I was able to capture the cows in the long shadows of afternoon sunlight.
Photos like this are the souvenirs that I treasure.
I knew that I was in the right place when I saw a wooden quilt, displayed as art, on a barn. Isn't it fantastic? I was in Amish country in northern Indiana with my friends last weekend and was on the hunt for fabric. I was also looking forward to seeing some hand-crafted Amish quilts.
In my pre-trip prep, my mom told me that she had an Amish quilt! Who knew? When she described it, I knew exactly which one she was talking about (she had been to Shipshewana with my Dad about 20 years ago) and I look forward to getting back up to the cottage soon to take a closer look at it.
We had to fit all things Amish into one day (stores are closed on Sunday) and although I didn't get to a quilt shop, I did get to look at some wonderful fabric stores. I bought 2 companion patterns of cotton quilting fabric at A Little Bit of Lolly's, both are by Lakehouse and have French pastries on a dreamy vintage pink background.
This is a close up of the fabric scraps for sale at Lolly's. I thought that this would make a great puzzle!
