I haven’t blogged in a week. Shameful. However, it IS almost Christmas and I seem to be drowning in life. I’m not exaggerating. If I thought any holidays in the past were busy, I am hereby apologizing because no year in the past can compete with having a school aged child and a newishborn at Christmas. Is it just me, or are there entirely too many things that come home in your child’s book bag that require money, participation, or supplies? I can barely afford it OR keep up. I’m happy for two weeks off. By the skin of my teeth I managed to get both of Grayson’s teachers gifts bought, wrapped and sent to school along with the supplies for the holiday party AND tiny presents for all the kids’ stockings in the class (as per requested). SHEESH. And NOW… it’s time to shell out Spring baseball registration money. Already. I need an assistant…
Moving on! So, last weekend I went to Asheville, North Carolina with Charlie, my Sister-In-Law, my Mother-In-Law, and my MIL’s best friend for a long weekend. We stayed for three nights. I have to admit I was apprehensive. Charlie hates the car seat and is usually having a meltdown by the time I get to the end of my street. I couldn’t imagine what 3.5 hours in the car would be like. I am happy to report that she did just fine. Undoubtedly, it is because I was sitting next to her replacing her pacifier, loving on her, and talking to her. Nevertheless, it was a breeze. Once in Asheville, we checked in to our quaint little home that we rented through AirBNB and checked out of real life for a few days. Having three more sets of arms to take baby shifts was heavenly. I was actually able to relax (which I also wasn’t sure was possible). Thanks to my handy Tula, we walked miles and miles with Charlie in tow and she stayed totally happy. We had perfect weather, amazing food, and quality girl time that we all needed.
I fell hard for Asheville. If you’ve never been, it is in the mountains of NC. It’s known for being home to the Biltmore Mansion.
The downtown felt so outdoorsy and quaint. I really loved it. It’s definitely a walking city. There were so many lovely shops and eateries and tea bars and coffee shops. There were so many naturalistic businesses. It seemed like they REALLY emphasize shopping/eating locally, too. Some of the boutiques boasted local fabrics and even leather! There were lots of local farm to table type places too. There are countless local wineries and breweries. Overall, I felt like it would be a great place to live out your inner hippy dreams. Every restaurant we ate at had some option to give back. For example, at one place- you could donate your sides to the hungry. At another place, if you order a mimosa- they feed a child. Obviously we drank the mimosas, being the philanthropists that we are… It looked like they probably had great nightlife too, but Charlie isn’t quite 21 yet. So.The Biltmore Mansion was insane. It was decorated for Christmas and we did the candlelit tour. It’s definitely a must see. There was a choir there singing carols and all the other sights and smells of Christmas in the mountains. It was stunning. I didn’t take many pictures (which I guess is the sign of a good time), but here’s what got.
After we came home to reality, it was a jam packed “week before Christmas” at the Crenshaw house. I have family coming in tomorrow and my house is a legit disaster. On top of that, I woke up to an empty coffee canister. I haven’t cleaned yet, but by gosh I’ve made a batch of peanut butter fudge.
Happy Monday!
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