Michigan Day Spa and Massage for the holidays

It has been a very good month for a spa getaway in Michigan. It seems like almost all of our guests at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast and Spa have been in need of a massage. Endless shopping, year end business stress, and planning family get-togethers take their toll on many people's bodies.  Our highly experienced staff has been here to alleviate stress, sooth tension, and relax muscles in an unlikely spa haven surprisingly close to home.

Munro House is located at highways 12 and 99 in South Central Michigan just an hour from Lansing, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, and Toledo; and just 90 minutes from Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Fort Wayne. It is not necessary to spend a lot of time driving to the far reaches of Michigan to enjoy a winter getaway when a short trip to Jonesville can refresh and rejuvenate singles or couples in need.

Our trained professionals have the time, patience, and knowledge to make your Michigan spa experience a good one by being attentive to your time and your needs. Massages at the Munro House last a minimum of one hour on the table. Many spas have a schedule to keep and need to turn over the table every hour on the hour. In these places, an hour massage includes time to undress, consult, and dress--that leaves only 50 minutes or less for your service on the table.  Relaxation is the key at the Munro House. 60 minutes is the minimum time our guests spend getting a massage. Testimonials from thousands of guests regularly include the same themes--amazing massage, personable knowledgeable staff, and total relaxation.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Olivia's Chop House replaces Chicago Water Grill in Jonesville

The restaurant formerly know as the Chicago Water Grill in downtown Jonesville is under construction and is scheduled to reopen in 2011 under a new name, Olivia's Chop House. A horrific fire burned down the grill in November of 2009, the reconsturction began in July of 2010, and the restaurant should be open by Valentine's Day.  The Hillsdale Daily News reports that owner Wayne Babcock chose to name it after his new born child, Olivia.

The new restaurant is being built on the space that used to be occupied by the Chicago Water Grill and May's Furniture Store.  The new construction will be much larger than the original restaurant.  There will be a bar, restaurant, private dining room, banquet room, and band stand.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Johnson's Pizza Delivery in Jonesville Michigan

A new restaurant is open in Jonesville. Johnson's Pizza and Subs (517-849-2890) is located on Beck Road behind Wal-Mart.  They have indoor seating for about 30 and also offer carry out and delivery.  I called in an order for a lunch time pizza and had it delivered to my house in Jonesville in about 20 minutes. The thickness of the crust was medium, the ingredients were plentiful, and the cost was reasonable. The owners are expanding their realm in the pizza business by venturing beyond their current location in North Adams and into Jonesville.  The site was originally built as the American Legion Hall and later was home to the Eagles Club. It had been vacant for some time before Johnson's renovated it and reopened it as a pizza shop.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Southern Michigan Snow Storm

The worst weather in recent memory in Southern Michigan occurred this past weekend. It snowed from December 10-12.  There were only several inches of accumulation, but the wind and the cold forced residents of Hillsdale County to stay indoors and wait it out.  The winter storm warning started on Sunday afternoon and remained in effect until Monday at 1:00 p.m.  I had high hopes of going to Detroit to see the Packers vs. Lions NFL football game on Sunday or the transplanted Giants vs. Vikings game on Monday.  The weather made it an easy decision to stay home.

The snow fell, the wind blew, the temperature dropped, and I shoveled.  Under these circumstances, shoveling a path to the vehicles in my parking lot was as much snow that would be moved on this day.  The plan became: wait it out, let Mother Nature get over her tantrum, and clean it up later.  Schools were already announcing their Monday morning closures a day in advance, so there was no hurry to clear the sidewalk.  The storm passed, the walks got shoveled, but the temperature remained the same, c-c-c-cold.  Single digit temperatures are tolerable, until the wind blows. That's when it really feels frigid, and it's been cold and windy for the past 4 days.

I turned up the gas fireplaces, kept the dogs inside, and spent most of the day watching TV.  I went to Wal-Mart in the early evening on Sunday and found that there were more stranded shopping carts in the lot than parked cars. My unofficial count concluded that there were more employees in the store than shoppers on this Sunday night during the Christmas shopping season. When there's nobody at Wal-Mart, you know there's something wrong.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Quilting in Jonesville

Lori Venturini has a very nice sewing machine.  She went to Trevathan's Sweep and Sew Shop in Hillsdale and bought a Janome embroidering machine several years ago.  She had been doing small projects for herself and for the house on and off since she got the machine. Trevathan's has regular classes to help people learn how to use their machines. They also have a comfortable classroom where sewers congregate to learn, share tips, and talk.  Lori did some logo work on aprons, did some fancy patching and personalizing on linens, and made a few gifts for friends and family since she got the machine.

Recently, her aunt Leona was diagnosed with cancer. Lori had received the same bad news in 2007 and very much appreciated the personal gifts she received from people whose paths she had crossed.  She received many gifts from hats to shawls to blankets.  These personal gifts helped her get through chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and a double mastectomy.  To this day, Lori gets great pleasure from knowing that someone took the time to create something special, just for her.  These things were constant reminders that she was never alone in her battle with breast cancer.  She feels that it is her duty to help people get through catastrophic events in their lives.  Personal gifts have helped her become the optimistic cancer beater that she is today. She hopes that her creations will help to inspire cancer victims and their families to become survivors.

Lori picked the fabric, designed the pattern, sewed it all together with the help of some master quilters, and created a beautiful quilt for her aunt to use.  She hopes that it will bring comfort under these difficult circumstances and will lead another person into being a Cancer Beater of America.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Grosvenor House Museum Old Fashioned Christmas in Jonesville, MI

Ancestors of the Grosvenor Family of Jonesville, Michigan, visit every year to host an Old Fashioned Christmas party in the house/museum that bears their family name. The family flies in from Arizona and stays at the Munro House B&B located right across the street. They kick off the holiday season by hosting the party while meeting and greeting locals and visitors at their family home, the Grosvenor House Museum.

The party includes 2 full days of live entertainment including local musicians and singers. Groups from around the county, including the Hillsdale Arts Chorale and Marcella's Singers, perform selections of traditional, classic, and new Christmas songs. Family member, Jarrod, also performs favorites on the museum's antique grand piano.  The parlor has great acoustics and is a wonderful and intimate location to enjoy Christmas music.

The house is tastefully decorated for the holidays by various local groups who keep a historic theme.  This event traditionally occurs every year on the first weekend in December.  The house is also open for tours on the 2nd weekend in December, but with limited live entertainment.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Turkish Coffee Cup Reader

Just when we thought we met the most interesting people, some more checked in. This week's memorable guests were here for a spa day. 3 ladies and their mom came on short notice, had their day, and were having breakfast the following morning when one of the girls asked to use our kitchen to make Turkish Coffee. We agreed, she brought her own coffee service, and prepared a cup of "mud" for each of us.  Turkish Coffee is served unfiltered, so the grounds need to settle before it can be drunk. "Mud" settles at the bottom of the cup.

Upon finishing, one of the girls asked her mother to "read a cup".  Vicki was trained in the ancient art of reading coffee cups.  She then told my wife, Lori, to turn her cup over onto the saucer and let it sit while the grounds ran down the side of the cup and settled on the saucer.  They then told the story of how they fled Iran when the Shah was deposed.  The mother has a Russian background through which she learned to read the coffee grounds much like a psychic would read a palm, tea leaves, Tarot Cards, or a crystal ball.  After a period of time, she asked Lori to turn the cup back up. The liquid formed a seal and the cup was stuck to the saucer. Vicki said that was a sign that Lori would be kissed.

The cup was released and Vicki began to read the stains on the cup. She told Lori about what was happening in her life and what to expect in the near future.  I was the only one at the table who actually knew anything about my wife. Vicki was eerily accurate.  Then the saucer was read, and Lori was told to press her finger into the mud residue that was left in the cup. That imprint was read, also.

My cup was then read. The things she told me were spooky-cool.  This woman didn't know me, but she told me things she shouldn't know. Apparently, the stain patterns left by the coffe grounds can tell a lot about the person. For the reading to be meaningful, or accurate, the coffee is supposed to be sipped while relaxing or in a comtemplative mode.

There are a lot of cool people who spend the night with us and tell their story over breakfast. We never know who will walk through the door, next. We are often amazed by the variety of people, the talent they have, and the tales they tell.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Something to Do on New Years Day in Michigan

New Years Day 2010 will be a better getaway holiday this year because it falls on a weekend.  Most everyone does something special for New Years Eve, but they just stay home on New Years Day to watch college football bowl games.  With New Years Day occurring on a Saturday, for a change, it is an ideal day for a winter getaway and do something different, interesting, and fun with your friend or lover.

Chef Night is an interactive cooking party being held on New Years Day at the Munro House in Jonesville, Michigan.  The kitchen will be open at 3:30, so all guests must arrive by 3:00.  Reservations are required. The event lasts about 6 hours and nobody has to drive home because everyone is spending the night.

In our busy lives, there is seldom time to prepare a 3 course meal for our own families. On Chef Night, regular people help to prepare a 7 course feast for themselves and other guests (up to 14!) with helpful instructions available from the hostess.  This year's theme is "international". Food from across the country and around the world will be prepared by 2 person teams of amateur chefs. Favorite and familiar dishes will be served along with tempting and exotic selections that are just not available on many menus in any restaurant. Past favorites and new selections from several continents will be produced on the first day of the year.

Many guests have chose to dress-up in a theme from the country of their choice. We've seen togas, lederhosen, leis, and more.  With Austin Powers being the International Man of Mystery, and this being an international food menu, 60's fashion is the suggested dress-up theme.  Some guests find it more festive to create a "look" for the day, and some people create a new look just by putting on an apron.

The 6 hour interactive cooking and eating food party costs $299 per couple and includes bed and breakfast.  It's a one night package with limited availability. Mention this blog post and give us the secret word "YEAH BABY, YEAH" to get a voucher for 10% off of this one night package only. 7 days notice required.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

First Snow of the Season 2010

The first snow of Winter 2010 in Jonesville, Michigan, fell on Thursday, December 3.  The weather man reported one inch of snow with 4 more expected.  The additional snow didn't come.

The house remains warm through the baseboard hot water heat system. With most of the 10 heating zones set to 72 degrees, the oldest house in Hillsdale County stays comfortable all Winter.  With 7 of 12 fireplaces converted to gas, most rooms can get toasty warm in very short order.  The big double Jacuzzi tubs with individual hot water heaters provide a soaking experience to warm up anyone who has been "chilled to the bone".

Extreme Christmas decorating has begun in the parlor.  The Nativity set and the Christmas scenes flank the 12 foot Christmas tree adorned with about 3,000 lights and 3,000 gold ornaments.

The parlor is the gathering place for all sizes of groups that choose to have their Winter Getaway or Christmas Party in Jonesville. Whether it's a reception for 60 people or just a couple's getaway, the Munro House feels like home and people feel comfortable here, regardless of the weather.



Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast