WAY TOO LONG!

say sassafrass!

yeah, that my grandpa!

laying on the finished deck

Hello all!
Yeah, it's been a really long time. September flew by and I don't have much to show for it. Business is so sporadic and I'm really hoping for a miracle to get us through... Owning your own business sucks when you're not busy... I am in some serious denial about the summer being over. September was absolutely beautiful and we got out and did some things we didn't get a chance to do this summer. Ian went to his first aquarium and has since turned us all into sea creatures. I am very often a dolphin or starfish. I have been slowly working my way to the end of this book I am writing. I read what I had so far to Ian the other night. He loved it! Made me read it over and over. I needed that affirmation to keep me going. Experiencing writer's block when you're not really a writer is frustrating. Andrew was able to get the deck finished (somewhat) in time to enjoy some nice fall days. Now he starts working for all the other people who need his assistance. Other than that, not a whole lot to report. Go Kick some leaves!
Big Love,
Sarah

TOOT! TOOT!

Ian's best bud, Oliver.


Riding in the caboose.


Sliding down the pirate ship.


Ian with Thomas.


Ian spelled this all by himself....

Hello All!

Well, Thomas the train was in town and it couldn't have been more fun. Although it was about 100 degrees with 100 % humidity, we had a blast. I, as usual was astounded by how well behaved my boy was. Suggestion to SOME parents. Don't let your kids have a ton of sugar before noon. It's really not that fun for the rest of us. Don't get me wrong. Ian loves his share of M&Ms. Every now and then. And very rarely before lunch. When it was time to eat at Thomas, my son decided on a "nice green apple and some water." Are you kidding me? He's so good and, as you all know, I adore him. To top off the wonderful day, his best bud, Oliver and his dad joined us. They had a great time. Eventually the heat got to us and we had to call it a day. What a day it was. Ian is already asking when we can go again.... Next year, Honey. I promise.

Big Love,

Sarah

STAY TUNED...

Last year with Thomas. We still have the same shirt. Can't wait to see the difference.

Hello All!
We are going to see Thomas the Train tomorrow. Be prepared for a full on blog update. So much
going on. Can't Stand It!....
Big Love,
Sarah

HOWDY Y'ALL

Hello!

Hope you are all staying warm and dry. This clearly the summer that wasn't... I'm sooooooo over the rain. It's killing business, plants and my mood. Ian has been such a trooper and when the sun does shine, we try to fit in as much outdoor stuff as we can. Still haven't gotten really sandy, yet. This week looks promising, though. Andrew has been doing amazing things to our house recently. The house we are in now, that is. The windows on the porch are in and the deck has been torn up. It won't be hard to sell once we get it done. It's going to be perfect. Had a very nice visit from the Baringers. It was a great excuse to have a big lobsterfest at our house. Great fun. All in all, the summer has not been that exciting. There's still August and hopefully the weather will cooperate. All for now.

Big Love,

Sarah

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY...

dancing with bree

showing off the official maverick tee

one of my favorite shots of all time...

Hello All!
Well, it's been a long time... Since my last post, I've become addicted to Facebook. For those of you who use, enough said. For those who don't, don't start. Completely and utterly addicting. With all this rain, we haven't been doing a whole lot. We had a wonderful day with Andrew's mom on her birthday. She took us all on a train ride which, needless to say, was more a present for Ian than any of us. It was great fun. Ian is itching to get outside and play, but it is just too wet. The weather had better break soon or we are all going to go crazy. The garden that we planted is all but gone. The corn seems to be doing okay, but everything else needs sun. I got a great idea for a children's book that I have started and continue to add to. More details as I get farther along. Wow, it's pouring again. Stupid rain. Time to close the door and watch the potential customers run by in hopes of getting dry. Hope you all are well. And dry.
Big Love,
Sarah

IAN IS THREE!

Hello All,

Well, another year has passed in Ian's short life. We decided, last minute, to fill our backyard with friends and family to celebrate our boy's third birthday. It was a spectacular day. The food was great, the laughter rich and the kids all got wet and dirty and full. It was perfect. I didn't know what to expect as this was the first time having a lot of people over. I had forgotten how fun it is to have a house full of people. The men broke out the guitars and banjos and mandolins and had themselves a blast. The kids were so well-behaved and everyone got along. Ian and I were able to catch TWO parades in the morning before our traditional shopping trip for his birthday present. The Boothbay parade is a very solemn affair that never lets me get away with dry eyes. In the middle of Taps, Ian let everyone know that this parade was for his birthday.. Lots of laughter, even from some of the Marines. Shhhh. I won't tell. The second parade was in Damariscotta and it was complete with marching bands and fire engines which made Ian very happy. I'm glad we happened upon that one. All in all, Perfect Day! I hope everyone is getting some sunshine as it feels soooooo good.

Big Love,

Sarah

GROWING UP A STORM

corn

cukes

basil

Hello All,
Sorry for not updating recently. We have been very busy at home lately. A week or so ago, we decided to start a garden. I miss having frsh basil and tomatoes and hate relying on the supermarket for them. So, Ian and I went and got some seeds and started them indoors. We are growing cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, basil and chives. We also had one of the best canteloupes the other day and will put the seeds directly in the ground. It's very exciting to watch these things grow. This week, we'll start digging where we will plant them. I'll try and keep you all updated on what actually comes up. The season is so close, I can taste it. Ian has been growing up so fast and I'm having a hard time keeping up. He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge that my tiny little brain cannot keep up with. By the end of the day, I'm dumb as a rock. The nice thing is that he tends to remember the answers that I give him and he's, for the most part, not asking the same things over and over. Now, we just have to make sure that the answers are correct. He has been reading books to me at night, which takes a little longer, but is incredibly rewarding for both of us. We borrowed a book from a friend the other day and he read almost the whole thing by himself. Crazy!!! MIT, here we come!!! Any way, got to run as I've got a short period of time to get a lot of stuff done.

Big Love,

Sarah

WELCOME SPRING!

Hello All!
Spring is here! The trees are starting to bud and my hyacinths are coming up and lending their color to the still drab yard. The air smells good and sun is warm on my face. Aaaahhhhh.
What a week... I am now officially in my forties as my 41st birthday came and went. We went out to the Hamptons for a few days to get our tent equipment back so as we can begin the Tiny Little Tent Company up here in Maine. On our way, we stopped off in Marion, MA to say good bye to our sailboat. I'll be sad to see her go, though we still haven't received a check, so, maybe goodbye was premature. We stayed a little longer than we should have and raced for the ferry. Strangely enough, we ended up making the earlier one and got to Hampton Bays early afternoon. Ian is now at the stage where he is asking, " Are we there yet?" Cute the first few minutes. We were in the truck for 8 hours. Mom, I apologize if I ever asked that question more than once. Andrew and I were beside ourselves. At one point, jumping out of a moving truck seemed like a good idea. We don't know if we'll be taking any long trips for awhile. Finally, we got to Gene and Danielle's for dinner and drinks. Oh the drinks... Gene made an insanely delicious meal and our good friend Brent was there to share in the craziness. Their son Parker is just about the cutest thing. Big giant eyes with the lashes to go with it. A constant smile. He is awesome. Let's say the end of the evening ended with rousing game of scrabble and a quick motorcycle ride. Don't ask... The next day, we made our way east to Urban and Maria's new house. Great house, great block, great company. It's always nice to see them. Natalie is getting so big and Katie is an absolute doll. Chris and Melissa were there. It was nice to see them. The new house is super comfortable and Ian especially enjoyed the play room. After we settled in, sort of, we headed for the beach. Now, the reason we went on these days was that our dear friend, Sean passed away 2 years ago. Every year, his friends and family make their way to the beach that he loved and celebrate his life. Sean was the kind of person who made everyone around him feel good and important. It was so nice to catch up with people I haven't seen in almost 3 years. Kids were playing on the beach and, aside from a few solemn moments, there was much laughter. It was the way he would want it. I saved this part for last because after writing about Sean, everything else seems so trivial and it brings tears to my eyes thinking of him. Then, I think of a particular New Years and laughter overtakes me... Thanks for the memories, Sean.
Big Love,
Sarah

NOT RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER

Hello All!
One of the great features of this renovation is having the washer and dryer upstairs. It is so convenient. They are off the floor so no more bending down, etc... Here's the kicker. A dryer weighs considerably less than a washer. Andrew was able to get the dryer up by himself. The washer was another story. There was just no safe way for the 2 of us to do it together. After lots of pushing and some help from some very sturdy boards, it's up. Pictures of what the final product looks like will be in the next blog. I've got laundry to do...
Big Love,
Sarah

MANY APOLOGIES

Hello All,
Many apologies to those of you who actually follow this blog. So many friends are doing blogs and I find myself cursing them when they are not updated. Pot, meet kettle.... I am doing my best with this. The truth is, I'm having a very hard time staying upbeat these days. It's that time of year when everything is that ugly grayish-brown. There's still a wicked chill in the air and the snow that is left has been pushed into these hideously dirty piles on the side of the road. We had a bout with illness that seemed to go on forever. It was really only a week, but, when your kid is never really sick and then gets his first ear infection, it feels like it will never end. It hurt me to see him in so much pain. We had many sleepless nights. On that, we are all back to normal, now... Spring is on it's way and I am looking forward to getting out and being in the fresh air with out having to grab a coat. Many of you have asked for pictures of the renovation that has been going on at our house. Andrew has been working hard rewiring the place as it was a fire hazard the way it was. I just don't think you want to see pictures of new light switches. Here are few of what the house looks like in this state of demo/reno.

Not too exciting, huh?

Big Love,

Sarah

This totally represents how I'm feeling today... It would only be more fitting if he was using his middle finger. Just kidding. Coming back from East Hampton in the next day or so. Will do new post when we get back/

Big Love,

Sarah

HOLY CROW! IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME!

Hello Folks!

Wow! So far, 2009 has proven to be quite a year. I don't even know where to begin. We spent a good portion of January living above my store so that Andrew could finally get around to renovating our house so that we can put it on the market. It was so worth it! It went from a great house with a bunch of small rooms to an awesome house that is almost completely open. There is still a lot to do, but the dangerous stuff is done so we can live there now. It's fun to go home every day and see the progress. It's going to be hard to leave when we sell it. But, then that means that we can complete the Alna house and not move again... Business has been better than I imagined it would be this winter. Thank you to everyone who has helped me out throughout these very trying times. You know who you are. Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, Ian potty trained himself. Well, Andrew and I helped, but, ultimately, it was his decision. So nice to not change diapers. Enough said. He is getting bigger and smarter and cuter and nicer as the days fly by. He has graduated to preschool and the change went so smoothly I was more displaced than he was. The girls at daycare are wonderful. I am lucky to have found them. Anyway, we are just plugging along here and waiting out the winter and looking forward for the spring sunshine. Hope to see some, if not all, of you very soon. Below are some pictures of the house and, of course, Ian.

Big Love,

Sarah

looking like a college student

learning the mandolin...

new stairs.. temporary

there used to be a wall and stairs here..

GOODBYE 2008! HELLO 2009!

Hello All!

Finally! I am so ready to say goodbye to 2008 and usher in a new year. This has not been a great year for me. Business is BAD and it's really hard on the soul... Enough said. Here are a few bright spots from the first part of the year. I'll keep posting until I've gotten through the entire year. Yeah, Ian was the constant bright spot...

On our way to East Hampton to visit with some old friends. It was a wonderful trip, but East Hampton just isn't the same as when I was growing up there.

Ian's Birthday. Such a happy day. He had such a blast. Andrew's parents were really just settling into their new house and we had a wonderful day.

Happy first day of Summer!!

Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor. Truly awesome day!

The beginning of the end... The Thomas obsession began. Despite a broken toe, I had a really great time with him that day.

Well, that gets us about halfway throught the summer and all the way through the battery in my laptop... Till next time.

Big Love,

Sarah