Last month we drove up to Maine one Saturday morning. It was a beautiful fall day and Jim, being the adventurous and spontaneous soul that he is, was not going to waste one moment of Saturday bliss. I, on the other hand was prepared to put my nose to the grindstone and work the day away, cracking the whip on our two older girls and Jim to assure that they would be working hard right alongside me. Jim easily won out and we found ourselves packed into the minivan and off on an adventure.
The drive stretched on and on and I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get there. The kids started to fall to pieces and I was feeling like this unplanned trip was not going to be worthwhile. Eventually, we ended up in Freeport, Maine at a run down L. L. Bean outlet. This could not be right. We browsed the store in utter shock that t
his was the world famous L. L. Bean store. It just could not be. We finally broke down and asked the most “New England” looking person where the “big” L. L. Bean store was. She laughed and pointed us in the right direction. With her directions, we found our way down into the center of town and ate some lunch at a really unique restaurant. It was a Mediterranean grill (who knew? Good Mediterranean food in Maine?) We ordered shish kabobs, falafels, chicken noodle soup, and spaghetti. It was all so delicious. The service was very quick and friendly, in spite of our nois
y children. After lunch we did some window shopping on our walk down to L. L. Bean. The L.L. Bean store is enormous, it takes up the whole block and we just so happened to be there on the da
y of the Christmas Lighting Celebration. It was crowded and Christmas was in the air! There was hustling and bustling and a desire to buy something just to buy it. Lucky for us, we got out of that store without spending any money. Whew! But, on the way out of town I was lulled into a little jewelry boutique called, “Olivia’s”. It had a great array of beaded jewelry- just what I was looking for! And of course, just what Anna, Miri, and Susan-Grace were looking for too. There was a lot of begging and a few tears and we left with just one bundle, mine. I found a really fun amethyst necklace.
Jim and I were anxious to get home now. The ride there was soooo long. We drove headlong down the interstate and about half way back to Massachusetts, Jim asked if we should drive along the coast. We both looked at each other exhausted and said, “No”. What a big mistake! We missed all of the quintessential Maine sites: lighthouses, coastal villages, and above all the ocean. What a bummer! I felt so disappointed after talking to my mom and dad, who both consider the Maine coast to be one of their favorite places on earth. I wanted to get back into the car and do it right. I couldn't help but think of the quote my aunt Bonnie had in her kitchen when I was a little girl, “If you haven’t the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?” Moral of the story, “When in doubt, drive the coast!”
o in. Some of my favorite plants are: The African Violet, the Jade, and the Christmas Cactus.
Last month we drove up to Maine one Saturday morning. It was a beautiful fall day and Jim, being the adventurous and spontaneous soul that he is, was not going to waste one moment of Saturday bliss. I, on the other hand was prepared to put my nose to the grindstone and work the day away, cracking the whip on our two older girls and Jim to assure that they would be working hard right alongside me. Jim easily won out and we found ourselves packed into the minivan and off on an adventure.
his was the world famous L. L. Bean store. It just could not be. We finally broke down and asked the most “New England” looking person where the “big” L. L. Bean store was. She laughed and pointed us in the right direction. With her directions, we found our way down into the center of town and ate some lunch at a really unique restaurant. It was a Mediterranean grill (who knew? Good Mediterranean food in Maine?) We ordered shish kabobs, falafels, chicken noodle soup, and spaghetti. It was all so delicious. The service was very quick and friendly, in spite of our nois
y children. After lunch we did some window shopping on our walk down to L. L. Bean. The L.L. Bean store is enormous, it takes up the whole block and we just so happened to be there on the day of the Christmas Lighting Celebration. It was crowded and Christmas was in the air! There was hustling and bustling and a desire to buy something just to buy it. Lucky for us, we got out of that store without spending any money. Whew! But, on the way out of town I was lulled into a little jewelry boutique called, “Olivia’s”. It had a great array of beaded jewelry- just what I was looking for! And of course, just what Anna, Miri, and Susan-Grace were looking for too. There was a lot of begging and a few tears and we left with just one bundle, mine. I found a really fun amethyst necklace.
Have you seen any of these hot off the press Utah Quarters!?
Just when I felt like I was going to break because of the rush and pressure and stress of Christmas and moving again (this time out of the country); it snowed and life slowed down. Everything was cancelled and the roads were basically closed. Our family sat inside watching the lovely snow, enjoying “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and playing memory match. It was really nice to stop and take a breath, not to mention the snow is really beautiful.
My friend Ellen was over at my house and took this picture of my children. She said as she took it, “Oh, this is perfect, the laundry basket in the background”. My initial response was, “no way, let’s move it!” Then, second thought, that is perfect. I grew up loving laundry, it’s clean, it's orderly, it's me! I had three children and still I loved laundry. One day my aunt came over to my house and said, “Oh, your house smells like your mom’s, it must be your laundry.” I was in heaven. She had complimented me to the utmost. Now, after five children, I do laundry, I don’t love it. But I have to admit, it still smells like my mom’s. Ancient Chinese secret? 
Nope, it’s Tide with April Fresh Downy. Love it! I am a black sheep in my family though, because I am actually okay with stained clothing (I can’t believe I just publicly admitted to that).
We went down to the Museum of Science. We had a great time there. At noon Grandma Gina and Papa brought the little ones home and Miriam and Gracie and I rode the train back down to the museum. The problems all started when we were trying to find our way from the Mass General Hospital train stop back over the highway and along the river to the museum. Everything seemed to lead to a dead end so I took matters into my own hands and started off down a path that I knew would lead right to where I wanted to go. Gracie tried to stop me, “Mom, Mom, there’s a sign back there that says, ‘No Trespassing’”.
My reply, “I don’t think so.” It wasn’t long before we were on an island in the middle of a freeway with cars racing around us at 60 miles per hour. Scary. Ooops. As JRR Tolkien puts it, “Short cuts, make long delays”.
My friend Behka tagged me. So here goes:
