Human connection more important than ever...

If there is one thing I have learned from this dreaded global pandemic it is that I crave genuine human connection. And when I am kept from authentic face to face connection I flounder. When we all thought this would be two weeks of “flattening the curve” it seemed fun to cocoon with the family and ride it out. But goodness… over a year later it is exhausting.

Of course I love my family and all, but talking and just being with good friends also feeds my soul. I realize that when I have scrapbooking weekends with my friends I love being creative and using a different part of my brain than I use day to day. However, the pandemic has also made me realize that what I love most and crave most is long conversations, authentic dialogue, laughter and finding meaningful connections (and not looking at my phone for hours at a time!).

The Barn Owl Retreat is secluded in nature and the quiet lulls me into a deeper sleep than I experience anywhere else. I can count on the fresh air to remind me of all my blessings. And it is that “separation” from the day to day that helps me and my fellow crafters genuinely connect. This year when I retreat with my friends I will be extra grateful for the connection after all the isolation we have all endured.

I encourage you to reach out to your friends. Book some time at the Barn and reconnect with your friends. Nourish your soul. Distance yourself from isolation and bond again.

A sunset walk on the property

5 Tips to the BEST Girls Weekend Ever!

1. Get the date set early!

   There is nothing better than having a girls weekend to look forward to on your calendar, well in advance. The anticipation makes it all the better and gives you plenty of time to coordinate all the details (who will bring what? who will ride with whom? who sleeps where?).

2. Make it a three night weekend!

   Let’s face it. Life is stressful these days. We are all distracted. It takes time to get unwound. On two day weekends I always feel like I am saying “goodbye” before I’ve caught up on everyones lives and rejuvenated my soul. That extra day and night really makes it feel like a vacay!

3. Do a meal plan.

   Assign everyone a meal. Dinners can be assigned to two because they tend to be the meal requiring the highest time investment. Eating-in saves money and gives you more time together (and more time to scrapbook if you are at a crafting getaway). My gals have certain meals that we all love and look forward to year after year. Overnight Oats for breakfast and Home-made Broccoli Cheese Soup with Chicken & Goat Cheese Cups are just a few of my favorites.

4. Plan a “pamper” night.

   It is so easy to do a spa night on your retreat with all the great products available today - like the single use face masks available now for all types of skin. Add in some nail polish and some body butter and you will all being saying “Ahhhh” before you know it. [Remember to get a selfie while everyone has their masks on… great memories for years later!]

5. Allow for some quiet time.

   Not everyone is an extravert. It’s okay if someone wants to slip away for an hour to take a walk or read a book. Better yet…take a nap! I am an extrovert so I LOVE my girls weekends. I also rarely have time to myself with two school-age boys so having some quiet time to read the novels I started after my last book club meeting is so refreshing!

*Bonus tip for scrapbookers:

I love doing a “Scrapbook Challenge” inspired by the book by that name. You can gather a few unique products and pass them to the right. Each person has to create a layout with the products they were given. Another great challenge is to bring an enlarged group photo of your last visit for each person. Set a time frame and have everyone create a single page layout with the same photo! It is so cool to see all the different creative ways we enhanced the same photo! Some of the favorite pages I have ever created came out of a “Scrapbook Challenge” at my girls scrapbooking weekends.

Thanks for checking out my blog post! If you are looking for a new place to host your girls weekend. Check out the Barn Owl Retreat. We have space for crafters. But we are also very close to beautiful hiking at FDR park and miles of bike trails at Callaway Gardens. The perfect setting for a bonding ladies retreat.

Scrapbooking With Purpose!

Those of you who follow us on Facebook have already heard that I will be hosting an All Day Crop & Open House on June 30th, 2018. I am raising money for the mission of the Alzheimer's Association which seeks to improve the lives of those impacted by an Alzheimer's or other dementia diagnosis while working to find a cure or treatment by 2025. Alzheimer's disease is the only disease in the top 10 causes of death that has no treatment and no cure. 

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month and in honor of that the Alzheimer's Association holds The Longest Day fundraiser. Participants do what they love all day to raise funds for Alzheimer's. I am sharing my love of scrapbooking and the retreat space in order to raise awareness and funds. Join me by donating to the cause or participating in the crop (limited to the first 10 folks who sign up) or just coming by for the open house. It's a great day to come by and see the retreat space if you have been considering booking a stay for you and your friends. 

WIN a chance at a FREE two-night stay for up to 10 of your friends when you donate $30 or more. Must enter/donate by 5pm on June 30th to be entered in the drawing. Winner will be announced via our FB page on July 1, 2018.

Follow this link to learn more! Thank you. 

The draw of technology vs. communing with nature

So those of you who have stayed with us from the start know that we thought we had internet through AT&T in the fall of 2015, only to find out they were never able to plug in at the main frame and later told us that they would not be able to provide us reliable service so wouldn't offer it. We looked into Satellite Internet through our cable provider - DISH - and were told that in order to get satellite internet (which still wouldn't be reliable in bad weather) we would have to cut down numerous trees to get it close enough to the barn. We investigated several other "rural providers" to no avail. Enter the mixed feelings.

I have been coming to "our little slice of Heaven" in the valley since I was 7 years old. I always considered it my communal time with Nature. I grew up in bustling Miami and other than the beach there wasn't much "undeveloped land" anywhere. Because we only came in the summer my parents didn't think it prudent to get a phone line because we would pay for so many months we weren't there and we did have access to my Godmother's phone across the street to communicate to family or for emergencies. We never had a TV there until the 1990's and even then it was with rabbit ears and just the luck of what we could get. In the late 90's I think we added a VHS player so that movies could be watched when the weather wasn't cooperating.

In the early 2000's I remember visiting the retreat with friends and not having cell service. We actually had to drive to the top of the ridge near the Country Store to even get a signal. All the while I never thought of any of this as inconvenient or troublesome because I still basqued in the "escape from electronics" that the retreat offered. 

Then in 2005 & 2007 along came my kiddos. Both boys. Once they were old enough to walk we drove down to the retreat as many weekends as we could. They would play for hours in the dirt and tall grass. Learn to ride bikes on a more forgiving surface than a drive way. Climb trees. Catch fireflies. Watch the stars. Go fishing. Explore. They were just as mesmerized by the beauty as I had been when I was a child. At this time we only had a 15 inch TV- with old VHS player and tapes and they rarely even turned it on. I LOVED that! By 2010 cell phone service was better but not with every carrier. My kiddos rarely asked to look at my phone and I would usually not even take it out of my purse while there. 

In 2015 when we finally were opening the retreat to the public after three years of weekend work on it, we knew we needed to have amenities. I waited until the last possible month to get that TV and cable installed as I knew the draw from my boys would be real. To be honest... my family doesn't have cable at home- we stream Netflix and use antennas for basic channels- so my boys think it is a HUGE treat to come to the retreat where we have 140+ channels. *SIGH* 

I still miss the way it used to be.... the boys up at the first sign of light and already downstairs exploring nature in their pajamas. Now it's up and onto the couch watching whatever cartoon they don't see at home. There is a pang of regret in my heart for ever having gotten cable and a large screen TV. Just being honest! 

So now you know how I truly feel about TV and the internet and why I really like to market the Barn Owl Retreat as an "escape from technology!" It is good for the soul to commune with nature, with our creative side (scrapbooking) and put down our devices. I hope you will take the chance to escape the screen while you are at the Barn Owl Retreat. Have long & meaningful conversations with your friends. Take a walk in the pasture. Sit by the lake. Read a good book when you need a break from your craft. 

We have decided, for now, not to cut down any trees for the purposes of installing satellite internet. I am sorry to those of you who have the Cricket or other cutters that want to download shapes and fonts from the internet as you need them. Please know that hot spots work well for those brief needs! We thank you for your business and hope you will enjoy "our little slice of Heaven" as much as we do. 

MaryLea