belmont mansion

We went on an adventure this afternoon to Belmont Mansion. It's one of those big Southern antebellum homes a few miles from where we live. They were having a birthday party for Adelicia Acklen (the woman who lived there in the 1800s), so admission was free and there was cake! Count us in, please. I was not entirely impressed with the decorations, because most of them were just an approximation of the originals (gathered from information in letters, etc.). But some of the stuff was neat. I only got a few good pictures because the lighting was different in each room and we were in a big crowd. Here were some of the neat parts.

This tiny staircase leading to the "cupola" (astronomical observatory) that we weren't allowed to go up.

This horse that wasn't entirely explained. Our guide only told us that it was made from real horse parts. I want to know more about THAT.

I really enjoyed all of the Victorian wallpapers.

Also generally enjoyed everything that was going on with the ceilings in each room.

The history behind the house/family is a little grim, but our tour guide was really excited about everything. ("And then all of her children died!!!" "...and they had 750 slaves!!" "And then SHE died of pneumonia!") Here's my outfit for today:

I keep talking about getting a haircut, and I just may do it this week.

Outfit details:
jacket: Target
dress: vintage hand-me-down from an old neighbor
tights: Target
shoes: Payless

The weather was actually kind of nice today (though still a little grey and wet), and I wore too many layers. I have a tendency to overlayer at all times; it's been a problem for a while now. This dress is an amazing little summer thing, and I was wearing 2 shirts under it (plus a skirt) and a jacket over it. After the tour we stopped at home for a bit and I had to remove a whole layer of clothes (our friend couldn't even tell. HA!). Anyway, I can't wait to wear this dress in the spring/summer.

And I like these shoes.

Even though they are shiny.
[Bonus points for anyone who can identify the record in the background of this picture]