Write about your sweet tooth or other indulgence.

Busted! Lately I've been treating myself a couple times a month to a special little self-indulgence that makes me happy.

We have a florist in our town who just happens to be from my hometown in Michigan. When my family first moved to Macon and we were starting to explore the downtown area, I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the sign for Lawrence Mayer Florist with the two trademark lions flanking the front door. It had to be the same florist from Farmington, Michigan; how could there possibly be two of them with the same name? Sure enough, it was. Our families are heavily intertwined. Lawrence and Kay Clark Mayer bought my great-grandparents home back in Farmington, Michigan. My grandparents were very close friends with the Clarks. My mother gave Kay Clark Mayer tap dancing lessons when they were teens, and then she later taught Lawrence and Kay's son Jonathan in the 3rd grade. Jonathan now runs the florist business.

Anyhow, after receiving their floral deliveries on Mondays, Mayer's Florist gives away all the leftover roses from their previous shipment to any woman who comes in and asks for them. They're supposed to be giving them away in half-dozen bunches, but I always seem to score a dozen long-stem roses; maybe it's the family connection. ;) They're top quality roses and even though they're "older" they're always beautiful for at least a week after I get them.

Next door to the florist shop just happens to be Amanda's Cakery. Amanda makes AMAZING cupcakes. They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious; in fact, on the last couple of birthdays at our house, her cupcakes were requested rather than birthday cakes. This week, her specialties were lemon poundcake with raspberry buttercream, pumpkin poundcake with cream cheese icing, orange poundcake with orange buttercream, and red velvet with ganache drizzle. Need I say more? So, after getting my flowers, I stop in at Amanda's and further spoil myself by purchasing a scrumptious cupcake.

I'm a happy little camper after leaving Lawrence Mayer's and Amanda's. This has become my way of treating myself occasionally, the cost is minimal, and the best part is that it's always on Mondays, so it serves as a great little pick-me-up on my otherwise least favorite day of the week.