this weekend in maine

      you know how it is on winter weekends with kiddos. you and your husband have a list a mile long of things you want to accomplish but all you really do is have a couple dance parties with the kids, bake cookies with the kids and get the paint out to make some pieces of art with the kids. which turns into a full-fledged strip naked and paint your stomach with war paint party (the kids that is). 

we love spending time with k+r so it's hard for us to focus on paperwork, taxes, making plans for the future, or getting the general adult stuff done. 

enter the fabulous grandparents that just moved to maine.

josh was able to stay home this weekend in peace and quiet and cross off a mile long list while i carted the girls up to maine for some quality time with my parents. it was a win. win. 

it may seem like josh got the raw end of the deal doing the taxes, but to have the entire house to yourself. to drink coffee in silence. watch some basketball games. read a book. get inspired about the future and start the legwork to make all the goals we have for 2013 come to fruition. i think there had to have been an ounce of bliss in all of it.

meanwhile, my parents, the girls and i went to the farnsworth art museum in rockland, maine. had york salads filled with all sorts of goodness at clan maclaren's. went antiquing at the rockland antiques marketplace where i found birthday gifts for josh. tea partied it up with my mom's collection of blue willow china. (the girls had french vanilla and my mom and i had a tea called malbec red. ha. full-bodied and lovely ).  watched episodes of downton abbey. made paper hearts. read children's books that take place in maine. and went on winter drives to take in the scenery.

and then we reconvened monday night in newport. josh relieved to have actually accomplished something on the weekend. the girls happy about all their new experiences with their grandparents. and i very grateful for my parents and their hospitality and thrilled to see my husband.