Sam Walton had a sense of humor as he answered why he drove a pickup truck!  This is from our visit to the Visitor’s Center in Bentonville, Arkansas.

If you’ve taken a cruise before, I would enjoy hearing how you liked it, whether it was on Royal Caribbean or another cruise line.  Personally, I’ve never been on one and wonder if I would be one of those who would be seasick.  It’s nice to know there’s nausea medicine to eliminate that problem.

Our son-in-law and his family went on a cruise several years ago back when he was in high school, I think it was around then, and they really enjoyed it a lot.  The food sounded so amazing, especially all of the fruit.  If you did go on a cruise, what was your favorite part?

……….<PART ONE ……. PART TWO…….PART THREE (Coming soon)>

In Part One of The Mansion at Elfindale series, I showed you the beautiful staircase and Chapel Suite where we stayed. To continue my review of this absolutely charming Victorian Bed and Breakfast in Springfield, this picture shows just how large the Mansion actually is. Shown here on one side of the Mansion is a covered drive for the carriage entrance.
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The history of The Mansion at Elfindale is interesting! John O’Day and his wife, Alice, lived in the Mansion which was completed in 1893 and contained 27,000 square feet. Several years later when John and Alice divorced, Alice was awarded the Mansion. Eventually, Alice could not afford the upkeep and sold it to a group of nuns for use as a school.
The nuns built a beautiful chapel next to the Mansion (which is used as a wedding chapel today and will be featured in Part Three of this series). Next to the chapel they built a three-story classroom building which you see pictured below.

The property was sold once again in 1977, to a small group of Iranian businessmen with intentions to use the Mansion as a safe house for the Shah of Iran, but that didn’t work out. So the property was sold again, this time to Cornerstone Church in 1979. They built a sanctuary on the property, made the chapel available for weddings, and made the historical Mansion available to the public in 1990 as a Bed and Breakfast after fully restoring and renovating it to make 13 suites, each with a private bath.
Each suite has its own distinct charm and personality, and I have chosen three more suites to illustrate that uniqueness and charm. In Part One, the Chapel Suite was featured.
The Veranda Suite as seen in the picture below has beautiful stained glass surrounding the doors out to the veranda.

When you go through the doors pictured above, you find yourself on this beautiful veranda pictured below. This is the only suite with a veranda and such a serene outdoor setting. Wouldn’t this be a lovely place to sit and have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning? So peaceful!

The Flora Jane Suite, pictured below, contains this beautiful canopy bed (reminds me of something out of a movie). Isn’t it gorgeous?

This suite, even though it contains the large canopy bed, is very spacious and also has a lovely sitting area where you can sit and relax or read a book.
The Rose Suite in the picture below is very spacious and keeps with the theme of roses. It looks like a comfy and cozy place to sit and talk, watch TV, or just relax from the busy life so many of us have!

Before closing, I must share one thing we really enjoyed. During the middle of the afternoon in the large hallway outside the dining room, you can help yourself to coffee or a selection of teas along with gourmet cookies. Or maybe you would prefer to have a cookie and some coffee in the evening.
We had delicious chocolate chip cookies. I could definitely get spoiled to afternoon tea and fresh baked cookies every day!

Next, I want to share with you about the beautiful wedding chapel and which suite I think would be wonderful for a honeymoon, so watch for Part Three!
………..<PART ONE ……. PART TWO…….PART THREE (Coming soon)>

…………<PART ONE ……. PART TWO…….PART THREE (Coming soon)>

We were blessed to be able to stay at this beautiful European style B and B, The Mansion at Elfindale which at one time was the largest bed and breakfast in Missouri.  It exceeded my expectations, and I must say that the pictures on their website do not do it justice. The pictures do not completely capture the spaciousness and elegance of this Victorian era mansion. We felt as though we had stepped back in time, only with the modern conveniences of air conditioning (which worked really great), cable television, and wireless Internet. Since the mansion was completed in 1892, I expected a little bit of a musty smell but there was absolutely none…not at all. My husband can testify to the freshness of the air as he has a very good sense of smell.

The Mansion is a wonderful place for a couple or a family with older children to stay.  This beautiful bed and breakfast in Springfield has hosted ladies’ retreats, even a youth group retreat, family reunions, wedding parties, and “girls’ night out” events.  If you’re headed to Branson, it’s less than 40 miles away which makes it a perfect bed and breakfast near Branson, yet out of the busy tourist area.

We stayed on the second floor which you can see on the far left side of the picture. A beautifully decorated, extra-large bay window provided us with a wonderful view.

Let me give you a tour inside.  Pictured below is the magnificent grand staircase made with imported teakwood, adorned with stained glass windows.

Once we got to the second floor landing, our room was straight ahead.  You can see my husband and our son unlocking the door to our suite.  By the way, there are thirteen suites in the mansion, each suite complete with its own distinctive charm and personality.  And this is very important, each suite has its own private bath unlike some B & B’s.

I was impressed with the sliding, wooden doors, the original doors from 1892.  Once inside, this was the first view of our spacious room, authentically decorated in Victorian style and elegance:

The Chapel Suite where we stayed had two very comfortable queen sized beds with luxurious sheets which made for a wonderful night’s sleep. There were plenty of pillows which were great for propping up to read in bed at night.

As I mentioned, we had all the modern conveniences of cable television, DVD player, telephone, and wireless Internet which was greatly appreciated while using the laptop.  Here’s another view of our room with the entertainment center:

The furniture throughout the mansion was styled according to the era in which the mansion was built.  This chair in our suite was so cool!  It’s the early version of a recliner which my husband took to instantly!

I could have slept longer, only I woke up hungry and thinking about the breakfast which was going to be cooked for us.  The first morning, we had eggs, bacon, sausage, cantaloupe, homemade biscuits and gravy with strawberry preserves on the side.  Coffee, a selection of teas, and orange juice were our beverages.  The second morning, we had eggs, sausage, homemade gourmet muffins, and sliced bananas topped with yogurt sprinkled with granola.  Our son took the picture below which is my favorite breakfast picture:

MORE TO COME!  In Part Two, I will share some interesting history of the mansion.  It was once a convent/school and later was considered as a possible safe house for the Shah of Iran before it became a bed and breakfast.
……….<PART ONE ……. PART TWO…….PART THREE (Coming soon)>

(Located in Hawaii on the island of Maui in a beautiful rain forest)

For more reading on Hawaii: Royal Kona Resort in Hawaii – Family Friendly

Family vacations are something that we have treasured throughout the years.  It’s a time when a family can get away from the hustle and bustle of the daily routine in life.   If cell phones and technological devices can be kept to a bare minimum, or better yet can be turned off completely, then the family can focus on quality time together.  It doesn’t have to be at a resort, even the simplest of vacations can accomplish bringing a family even closer together.

Several years ago, our family went to Hawaii for a vacation we will never forget.  Beautiful scenery surrounded us almost everywhere, and we had a lot of fun as a family visiting the abundance of sites and attractions on four of the islands.  When we were on the Big Island of Hawaii, we stayed at the Royal Kona Resort pictured above.  My husband was able to get a significant discount through AAA Travel, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this resort.

The Royal Kona Resort gets a top rating from us.  The resort, which sits on the oceanfront overlooking Kailua Bay, provides a perfect vantage point for a spectacular view.  We thoroughly enjoyed sitting by the pool and watching the waves crash against the shore which sent huge sprays of water up into the air.  Our kids especially enjoyed watching this.  The evening was so pleasant sitting outside that it was hard to go inside.

Once inside, our rooms were spacious and nicely decorated.  We slept well and were ready for sightseeing the next day.  Before heading out on our adventure, we had breakfast in the charming open-air restaurant pictured below.  The spectacular view of the Pacific along with the scrumptious breakfast made for a wonderful ambiance the family still remembers.
Once we had breakfast, we were ready to head out for the day.   We headed first to the Punaluu Black Sand Beach (this is due to the constant volcanic activity of the island) to see the huge Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles.

Then we headed on to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park:

Even though the terrain was bare in spots from the volcanic ash, it was a neat experience to be that close to an active volcano:

Next we visited the Ola’a Rainforest and went for a hike, enjoying the natural beauty of this lush forest.  Our daughter, Christi, and I walked at a slower pace:

After a long day of sightseeing, we headed back to the resort.

For anyone interested in visiting the Royal Kona Resort, they are a family-friendly, non-smoking hotel (they do have a designated smoking area).  They are conveniently located, being within walking distance of International shopping, historic attractions and restaurants.  Besides having a split-level swimming pool, they also have four lighted tennis courts.  And one of their popular amenities is the hosting of a luau (a Hawaiian feast) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  To contact them, you can call 800-22-ALOHA (222-5642).

* Note:  This post was completely my opinion.  I was not compensated in any way by the Royal Kona Resort.

Free Ticket:

Check out “Museums on Us” and see if you’re close to one of the 100+ museums participating in this freebie.  There are museums located all over the United States that have free admission for the primary cardholder on the first weekend of every month. Just click on your state and the museums will be listed.  This works with Bank of America ATM, debit and credit cards.

Our son told us about this offer last year, but then he went off to college and things got busy with us here so we never utilized this freebie.  Our daughter, Christi, reminded me of this offer (thanks again Christi!).  Our son is home from his freshman year at college and so I  located the museums we’re wanting to see.  We’re planning to visit a museum this weekend for FREE.  All three of us have B/0f/A cards and are the primary cardholder, so we all get in free of charge!

This past winter passed by quickly, and now it’s already spring.  Soon it will be summer and time to plan vacations.  Some people might be planning european river cruises, but for us it will be a simple vacation driving somewhere.  Years ago, we took some nice vacations  flying to Disney World and another year flying to Hawaii when our daughter graduated from high school.  But with the economy the way it is, I will be happy just to get away for a weekend.

If you’ve never eaten at Abuelos, this is a great Mexican food restaurant that our whole family really likes.  We don’t eat there very often, but we always enjoy it when we do.

My husband and I went there to celebrate our anniversary, and the great thing is that we had a coupon for “Buy an entree and two drinks and receive a free entree.”   I joined Abuelo’s eClub last year and received a coupon like the one mentioned just for joining.   The timing wasn’t right so we weren’t able to use the coupon.  So what we did this year was to wait to have my husband sign up for their eClub until the week before our anniversary.  That way, we were able to use the coupon for joining  on our actual anniversary date.

Not only were we able to get a free entree, but we had enough food left over for a meal at home the next day.  We both really like their enchiladas.  I usually barely eat two enchiladas by the time I’ve eaten a lot of chips and salsa.  My husband wanted three enchiladas.  So…we each ordered the four enchilada plate which was only $1 more than the three enchilada plate (and remember one plate was free).   There was so much food that we only ate half of our refried beans and “Papas Con Chili” (their signature dish of whipped red potatoes, four cheeses, red & green peppers, sour cream, garlic, and  jalapeno – yummy!).  We both got take-out boxes for our leftovers plus took our refill of chips and salsa that we had barely touched.  Like I mentioned, we had enough food for another meal at home.  The Frugal Novice would think that this was very frugal!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

We have had a lot of cold weather this winter in north central Texas, including more snow than we’ve seen in quite some time.  Some people have had enough of it, though, and are wishing for warmer weather.  They might even like an Orlando vacation so they could travel to where it’s warmer.  But soon, the really hot summer weather will be here and some of them will probably be wishing for this cold weather again!  How about you?  Do you like the weather hot or cold?