Firehouse and Flatiron

What do the words firehouse and flatiron have in common? They are both local eating establishments that I patronized for the first time this past Monday.

About a month ago, when I hosted a clothing swap at my house, my best friend and I made plans to take a Girls' Day Out and head up the hill to Jerome. Jerome is a historic town precariously perched on the side of Mingus Mountain. It's Arizona's Mile High City. Ravaged by fire twice in its history, this old copper mining community still holds an air of Old West about it. It's not a place that is especially child-friendly, so we don't take family trips there. But, since my friend and I both have one child in kindergarten, and one child that will ride in a stroller, we decided to make the trek up the hill with our youngest kids while the elders were in school.

My friend sent me a text message on the morning of the long-expected trip to see if I wanted to make a stop at Firehouse Doughnuts as part of our day out. Firehouse Doughnuts is a recently-opened bakery next to Schoolhouse Restaurant in Cottonwood, and owned by the same person. It was on the way to Jerome. We had heard rave reviews about this place and since we were out enjoying the day, we figured, why not? The parking lot was tiny, but the inside space was generous. There was even a space just for kids to play. They had painted some walls with chalkboard paint, and there was evidence of tiny artists all over. Lily enjoyed playing with another little girl there.







The doughnuts were divided into "regular" and gourmet. The regular doughnuts had choices like caramel long john, glazed, apple fritter and pink glaze with sprinkles. The gourmet side and choices like chocolate/chocolate/chocolate (chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate icing), s'more and Oreo crumble. In between the two types of doughnuts were the gluten free chocolates and confections.

I opted to get the most for my Fun Dollars and bought 4 regular doughnuts. I knew Lily would want the pink with sprinkles, so put one of those in my box. I also chose an apple fritter, a chocolate creme and a chocolate glazed. I am almost ashamed to admit this, but, I sat there in the cafe, revelling in my day out, and I ate two of the four doughnuts. (I opened Pandora's box with this one. Ever since the NYBD doughnuts last month, I have had more doughnuts in 4 weeks than I have in 4 years!)

After sugaring myself up, and adding to my morning caffeine intake with a decaf (yes, there is still caffeine in it), we drove up the hill to Jerome. We made our first stop at Nellie Bly, the kaleidoscope shop. This shop is the largest brick and mortar store of kaleidoscopes in the world. I purchased some tear-drop prisms to make window light-catchers for some lovely ladies for their Christmas presents. (I also stopped by the Bead Garden in Sedona the next day to pick up some crystals to add to the window light-catchers.) 

After stopping into several shops with our strollers, and burning off the doughnut calories, we headed to the Flatiron. The new owner, Amy, bought the Flatiron almost two years ago, and is a friend of ours. We keep in touch mostly on facebook because she's a busy gal. When I first moved to Arizona, we all used to work at the same restaurant in Sedona. Since then she has bought a business, and my friend and I have had two kids each. Life changes us all, but it was so nice to reconnect with such a loving soul. She made the best pastrami sandwich ever. I was more than happy to give her a $20.00 for the sandwich, iced tea, and tip. She was so kind to Lily, as she banged on the table, rolled around on the floor, and asked for more raspberries. Tiny though it may be, the Flatiron has now earned a coveted place on "Rachael's List of Family-friendly Dining".

After another store or two after lunch, we packed up the strollers and merchandise, and purses, and babies, and diaper bags, and everything we stuffed into our strollers, and headed back down the hill. With the curvy road, our babies were soon lulled asleep in the back seat. What a wonderful day out with someone I enjoy spending time with, but don't get to see that often. Life with two children adds some element of craziness to both of our busy schedules, so making time just for us girls to hang out gave us both something we needed: sanity! 

Cheers to a Girl's Day Out!

Doughnuts at Firehouse Doughnuts- $5.00

Light-catchers at Nellie Bly- $12.00

Lunch at Flatiron- $20.00

Beads at Bead Garden to go with the light-catchers- $5.00

Balance this pay cycle- $58.00

Happy Spending!