birthday weekend...a healthy dose of r & r


early last friday, my best friend and i ditched the hubbies, the kids, the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, and all the other chores that fill our days and headed an hour or so north to lake geneva, wisconsin.

each year, around the time of my birthday, we try to sneak away for a few days of r & r.
denise has seven kiddos...i have four...
it's nice to be able to get away and thrift and craft and eat and simply converse without being interrupted multiple times by multiple kids with multiple needs.

we thrifted...
and ohhhhhh my, how we thrifted!
denise has always been a big lover of alllllll things white; and recently, with my neutral-ish decor re-do, i've been leaning more toward the soothing palette of whites.  her eye is more trained to find the white treasures, but she was generous enough to share many of them with me.
we hit up a goodwill that's always on our "must-go list," along with three of our favorite antique shops.
it's true that many antique shops are full of over-priced relics, destined to collect dust while their too-steep price tags fade over the years.
however, if you're willing to dig {like we are!} and really search, you can usually come up with some reasonably priced pieces.
we both found a trove of antique ironstone, stacks of white vintage hardcover books {for decor purposes}, sweaters for crafting, and numerous other goodies.

we ate...
and ohhhhhh my, how we ate!
neither of us wanted to gain ten pounds over the weekend, so we only ate out for one meal each day--waistline-friendly and budget-friendly!  plus, it afforded us more money to spend while treasure hunting!
but those meals that we did eat out were well worth every calorie consumed.
wisconsin-style all-you-can-eat fish fry...
sumptuous beer cheese soup {hello! wisconsin = cheese!  of course!}...
curd burgers {yes, more cheese}...
and "the mobster" pizza...
oh.  yum.

and, in what i'd venture to say was the highlight of the weekend for both of us, we crafted.
we hunkered down in our jammies, binge watched episodes of gilmore girls, sucked down lattes and copious amounts of dove chocolates, and cut and stitched and hot glued to our hearts' content.



most of the crafts we made are for our valentines mantels...
denise had been pinning project ideas on a "birthday weekend" pinterest board for weeks before our trip.

it's all-too-easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of everyday life.
it seems that often, we as mothers, as the family caregivers, neglect to take time for ourselves.
sometimes it feels selfish...all sorts of wrong...like there are so many more important things that we could be doing.
but i'm here to argue that sometimes taking care of me, taking time for me is the best thing i can do...
for me and for my family.
my days at home are so full and so rich...
and sometimes i just need a break from all that...with a bit of quiet.
and that's exactly what i came away with...
my spirit refreshed and renewed.

do you have any special traditions with your girlfriends?
times of rest and renewal?
i'd love to hear about them!

xo







3 comments:

  1. I have a mid-winter getaway that's coming up in a couple of weeks. We all gather at a scrapbook cabin in the middle of Minnesota's lake country for a long weekend of friends and creativity. The scrapbooking has mostly fallen away for other crafts now, but we love our time together cooking good meals, crafting, watching movies, and relaxing. Everyone accomplishes a lot, or not, and we have the best conversations. We go home refreshed, ready to better minister to our families!

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  2. Hi
    I'm curious which Goodwill you went to and the vintage stores! I grew up in the Chicago area but we have lived in Bristol, WI for many years. Lake Geneva is only 20 miles away. We love doing day trip there. My sis and I have spent many birthday celebrations there too :)

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