March Inn

Why"March Inn?" March Inn was the name of that magic place where I spent my summers growing up. I have alluded to this place before, and I probably will again. March Inn is no longer standing. The waters of Katrina rendered it unlivable so my children will never know that "March Inn." That makes me sad. In fact it brings me to tears whenever I think about it. I want my children to have their own "March Inn," and I want to capture our lives as they are growing and changing. I invite you to "march inn" to our lives. My hope is that you will catch glimpses of the real world. You will see our creations. You will see our chaos. You will see our affection. You will also see our frustrations, fears, and disappointments. Enjoy your march!

Friday, November 19, 2010

I just wanted...

...to take a shower and shave my legs. Instead, my almost two year old stood at the edge of the bathtub with the shower curtain and liner pulled back and screamed for the entirety of my quick shower. Truly you would have thought he was being beaten it was so loud. So much for smooth legs, not that it mattered because I am home alone for the weekend.

Yes, you read correctly ~ HOME ALONE! No children, no husband, no dog ~ just me and my agenda.


As a mother of three wonderful children who happen to have fabulous grandparents, I have the opportunity and the luxury of escaping with my dear husband for a long weekend here and there. And because my dear husband is also such a good father, I have escaped twice in the last year to go on "girl's weekends!" ~ once to the Big Apple and once for a women's retreat with our church. Believe me I try not to take these opportunities for granted and I know that I am beyond fortunate in this regard. Though sometimes what I crave is time alone in my house. Do you ever feel that way? Call me selfish, but this is something I have needed and wanted for a long time and I think it is coming at a great time ~ after our house is essentially empty and before the holiday rush.



After a good but very full day of being mom {and truly you don't want to know the ends and outs of our day ~ it would make you long for your pillow as you read}, I packed my husband and my children and the dog in my car and said, "goodbye, have fun, thank you, and be careful." I must admit that I had tears in my eyes because the reality is that I will miss them gravely over the course of this weekend, but I have plans. I have plans to completely empty the house down the street, wrap Christmas presents, take a long walk, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, and recover the contents of the hard drive of our old computer so I can do some monogram and embroidery and create some Christmas presents. I also want to do some shopping and possibly catch up with friends. Most of all I want to sew! I think I am most looking forward to some uninterrupted time at my sewing machine.

As always, I have more planned than I could ever accomplish in any given weekend, but let me tell you I am certainly going to try to cross off as much as I can. On that note, I'm signing off to go back to my sewing machine which by the way fits perfectly on a t.v. tray in front of a roaring fire that my amazing husband built before he loaded the car.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

None Too Soon

I deliberated on the title of this post for a long time. So much good has happened today that I wasn't sure how to encapsulate it. I probably can't! Let's just say "good" is an understatement. I have felt blessed at every turn!

I went with none too soon because that is how I felt as the moving truck arrived at our home just after 8:00 a.m. to cool almost cold temperatures and gray rainy skies. The rain was also dripping into our home in two locations ~ the kitchen and the dining room. The dining room floor is buckling and the parquet is popping up. My sentiment of none to soon was repeated as the truck pulled away just after 10:30 a.m. to sunny skies and warming temperatures. The truck was full of all of the furniture and a various assortment of stuff from our home and attic.


None to soon because I feel as if I have been collecting, packing, labeling, and stacking boxes forever. In reality I have! {I'm ready to have other things like my children's clothes and the holidays consume my time and energy.} I have been very slow and deliberate about the process. I have tried to keep a detailed list of what is in each box and a color-coded labeling system so we know where it needs to go in the new house. I have also been going through things and cleaning out.

My children probably echo the sentiment of none too soon more loudly than anyone. They are ready to have their family back to some semblance of normalcy and for their mommy and daddy {mainly their mommy} not to be consumed by getting out of the house.

The house is not empty but it is close. I still have what we call "the sewing closet" to go. This could also be called "the project closet" or my "office," and it is full of my sewing and monogram supplies, speech stuff, family filing, gifts to give, and some family heirlooms. In short if is full of what some might call junk but to me some of these items are my treasures and probably among the things about me that drive my dear sweet husband crazy.

There are also boxes, bags, and piles of stuff around the house. We are having a garage sale on Saturday. Not just any garage sale, but a demolition sale. Everything is for sale! There will be your typical household items, furniture, and clothes, but you can also buy appliances, doors, lighting, fixtures. You can even come take down the paneled walls in our kitchen and dining room, pull out a toilet or tub, or dig up a shrub. If you see it, it is probably for sale!

I've never had a garage sale before, but I must tell you I am a little excited. Frank and I have even gotten a sitter for Friday night so we can go to the house and organize and price everything.

I'll let you know how it goes!