Getting Ready for Spring.

I can find reason to enjoy every season. I probably don't have an absolute favorite season as much as I just enjoy having seasons. I can't imagine living in a region that is warm or cold the majority of the year. I need change. I thrive for change. Seasons are good because they allow me to see how time is passing and the ever changing scenery around me. All that being said, I really enjoy winter. I enjoy nesting my home to make it more cozy. I enjoy baking and cooking more as fresh fruits and vegetables are not always available to us. I really enjoy snow. Every year, however, when the snow starts to fade away and the wind becomes a little more harsh, I am desperate for the change in seasons. We've had some unseasonably warm weather over the last 3 or 4 days (45-50 degrees) and it has been absolutely wonderful.

This weather, combined with Cory being away for a few days, has really allowed me to spend some time with myself and create a healthy routine that will lead me straight into spring. After trying to make our elliptical fit all my exercise needs and it completely not working (apparently I hate the elliptical, but Cory loves it), I joined a gym and put in a good cardio session yesterday after work. I've been finding ways to cut out bread from our meals--lettuce wraps, etc.--which also makes me feel a lot better. Taking the time to exercise and read on a regular basis really helps me feel like me. I'm struggling to fit everything I need to accomplish in a day before bedtime, but I'm trying to not let it phase me.

I was recently searching around Pintrest and found a few projects that made me giddy for spring, so I wanted to share them with you!

Safari Pom Pom Window Installation by Marsha Golemac

 These sparkle elbow patches by A Pair and A Spare are adorable and a great addition to a spring sweater.

This bedroom set up from the latest UO lookbook is incredible. I love the mix of brights and neutrals. I really want to have more plants around our home this spring. I also think I could re-create the majority of this room on a tight budget. I love a good challenge.

I recently came across the Sunday Crossbow fashion blog and am inspired and smitten all at once. Even though she hasn't blogged since August, her outfits are designed on a budget and inspire me to be more creative with what's already in my closet. I get terribly insecure when mixing patterns and she's really inspired me to try it a little more frequently!

So that's what's inspiring me today. I'm ready for longer days and the hint of warmer weather. Of course, I wouldn't be upset if we had one more big snowstorm this winter, though!

xo,

What I'm Reading: Wildwood

It's been a while, but I'm happy to be back. One thing I've done this year is make more time to read and generally relax. I spent the majority of January reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with my sophomore class and enjoyed it so thoroughly, I wanted another text in a similar vein. So when I thought about Huck Finn, I wanted a text that would have a lot of nature scenes or descriptions, a fun, whimsical story, with characters I could truly admire. I really thought I would just have to pick up another Twain piece, but then I saw this post from One Sheepish Girl and instantly fell in love with the cover art of Wildwood (yes, some of us still judge books by their covers). I had a little money left on a giftcard from Christmas, so I ordered it online after reading a few blurbs about it (I think I paid less than $12 total).

A few things caught my attention about Wildwood. The illustrations on the cover of Wildwood looks familiar to me, so after I realized Colin Meloy, the leadsinger of the Decemberists, is the author, it all clicked. Meloy's lady friend, Carson Ellis, is the illustrator behind both the Decemberists website and also this book! Cool!

So, once I was completely finished with Huck Finn, I picked up Wildwood and was instantly smitten. The illustrations alone made me excited to read, but when I cracked it open and realized that it wasn't written as a book for kids--it was a book for really inquisitive, smart kids--I was overjoyed. I don't read a lot of young adult literature any more (which I should probably change), and I certainly don't find myself in the kids section very often, so to read a book that has middle schoolers as the target audience and actually enjoy it was awesome!

What baffles me, though, is that while the storyline is fairly simplistic and wonderfully whimsical, the language is extremely complex. As nerdy as it sounds, I've counted 40+ SAT vocabulary words throughout the text, and I'm not even at page 200 yet! I plan on recommending this text to some of my sophomores as an easy book to read over the summer that can also simultaneously enhance their vocabulary. It'll seem like a dream come true, I'm sure.

Wildwood follows the story of Prue McKeel's sojourn through the mysterious Impassable Wilderness, otherwise known as Wildwood, area outside of Portland, Oregon in search of her baby brother. As she discovers this magical, animal-controlled world, she also realizes the terrors of being away from home, having to trust four-legged creatures and nature itself.

Although I haven't finished it yet--on page 200 out of 540+--I'm excited to keep reading. Usually a longer text like this doesn't keep my attention long enough for me to actually finish, but this is certainly a keeper! Also, I love books in series, and the second book, Under Wildwood, has already hit the shelves. I'm eager to give that a shot, too, to see how Meloy continues this story!

What have you been reading in 2013?

xo,

Auburn 2012

Last Wednesday, after a long day at school, I piled into the car with my husband and two of our closest friends for a 4 day road trip to Auburn, Alabama. This is the third year we've made the trip and it certainly lived up to expectations! Also, I remembered to snap enough photos to share our trip with you! Hooray!

Our plan every year is to drive the majority of the trip after work on Wednesday and make it to Greenville, South Carolina to stay with Beth's aunt Kathy. It's always a late night, but this year we ended up in Greenville in record time (by 12:30 a.m.). The next day we hit up Kathy's diner, Midtown Deli, for delicious sandwiches and her ever popular chocolate chip cookies (they're different than any other CCC and so delicious!) before hitting the road to Auburn.

One of my favorite parts of making the trip from Greenville to Auburn is all the roadside stops and attractions to see along the way. We stopped at a gas station to fill up and I noticed this boiled peanut self-serve station. We definitely don't have anything like that here in Maryland. My friend Lisa happens to love boiled peanuts, so I wanted to snap a photo for her.

My other favorite stop on the ride from Greenville to Auburn is a tiny alcove in Atlanta, GA called Little 5 Points. We stop every year to hit up our favorite vintage shop and record store, and to stop by our favorite watering hole. We only stop for an hour or two, but it's always a lot of fun. In fact, the hand-painted brick wall from the photo above is a storefront in Little 5 Points.

We always get really pumped on the ride from Atlanta to Auburn, as it's only about 90 minutes long. This is when we start getting silly, singing the Auburn fight song and chanting the cheers from the football games.

 

Thursday evening we stayed in Auburn proper with Beth's friend Mark. By this trip, we have hung out with Mark quite a few times. You might remember him as the bride-dude from Rich and Beth's wedding in the spring. Thursday we went out and about downtown Auburn to get to know the locals and check out the sights. Our favorite stop was The Hound, a new restaurant specializing in bacon and bourbon. It is gorgeous both inside and out and the atmosphere was excellent. I love minimal yet woodsy design. The Hound is an ace.

We're really fortunate that the people who give Beth their tickets for us to use also give us access to the condo on Lake Martin. This is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever seen, so it's a treat visiting year after year. This was the view from our balcony:

Saturday is always full of food and football. This year's game wasn't until 6:15, so we had plenty of time to socialize and hang out with Beth's friends from college. I'm always amazed by the sheer quantity of tailgaters that make their way to Auburn for every game. It's serious business down there!

The best part of this trip was certainly getting to see a little bit more of the town and get to know more local establishments. It was nice to check out a new mom & pop game-day gear store and pick up a few gifts for students who are interested in Auburn University.

 

We even had more time to walk around campus and get those same students admissions information regarding scholarships and out-of-state tuition. 

Even though the Tigers aren't having the best season, this trip was certainly a lot of fun and a nice break from the daily grind of teaching. We're fortunate that we're given a certain number of personal days to use each year and that we're given the opportunity to travel.

Auburn is easily becoming a home away from home and I can't wait to get back. Do you have a favorite away-from-home town?

xo,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

There's a storm a'coming!

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We're home safe and sound from our annual trip to Auburn, Alabama. We actually got home earlier than usual (back in VA around 8:30), so we were able to swing by the grocery store and stock up on food and supplies before Hurricane Sandy took control. 

I woke up confused this morning, because my clock said 7:30, but it was still so dark outside. While we're not expected to get the brunt of this storm, Frederick is still on the watch for serious flooding and wind damage. We're expecting 5-10 inches of rain within the next 36 hours and nearly every public system and/or profession is closed for the day. I'm expecting to also be home tomorrow, as the peak of this storm is taking shape between 8 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow.

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We've got plenty of bread and water. I took all our candles out of storage and even baked some sweet potato fries this morning (in case we need a spicy snack ;)). As a graduate of Salisbury University, Hurricane days are something I've experienced fairly frequently. While the wind and rain can be scary, there are a few things to have on hand that are very helpful. I thought I would share my prepare-for-the-worst tips, just in case you live in Sandy's path, too!

• fill ziplock bags with 1-3 cups of water and place them in empty spots in your freezer. They will freeze and then keep the meat/foods frozen for longer if the electricity goes out. 
• fill up the bathtub(s) with water! There's no guarantee that you'll have water access once the power goes out (especially clean water), so you can use the water in the tub to help flush toilets. 
• stock up on: bread, jugs of water, canned fruit, jars of peanut butter, and honey. Jelly and jams must be refrigerated, but honey does not. Commence the pb + honey sandwiches! 
• hold off on lighting candles for as long as possible. Open up all the blinds in your house (unless the wind is dangerously bad) and use the natural light so your candles last longer.
• stack up all the patio/deck furniture from outside close to your house so it doesn't blow away, knock over, or smash into your windows.
• keep a healthy stash of craft supplies out in case you're with roommates, kids, or spouses. Most crafts require very little electricity and have the power to help time pass.

• keep your laptops/phones plugged in 24/7. I know this isn't the best for the battery life, but this way you're fully charged whenever the power goes out and/or flickers back on.

Now I need to heed my own advice and fill up our bathtub before it gets too late! Good luck today, east coasters! Be safe!

xo,

What am I packing for Auburn 2012?

 

While I'm busy putting together the last details for our Auburn trip, I thought I'd share with you a little list of what I'm taking with us!

• I'm in the middle of Jeffery Eugenides' The Marriage Plot and LOVE it. I'm so excited to finish it on the drive down to South Carolina. I also have the latest Real Simple packed because let's be honest, I take it everywhere with me anyway!
• Cory's favorite snack is peanut m&ms, so you'll be sure to find them in our snack bag. I also made a loaf of pumpkin bread, too! 
• The Black Keys aren't anything new, but I am still smitten with their first big release from 2008. It's one of my favorite albums of all time.
• This jacket from Target is my favorite staple piece of the season. I don't usually wear leathers or any kind of animal skin (the only exception EVER is a good pair of boots), so this jacket was a perfect fit.
• Cards Against Humanity is our favorite game recently. We can't stop playing it. Definitely only suitable for adults!
• After this summer, Cory and I have decided to ditch the GPS and keep our brains alert while driving. We love using our Atlas to discover the roads on our own! So fun!

What do you pack when you travel?

xo,

this week...

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This week is flying by *already* and it's only Monday!You might think I'm a crazy person, but truthfully, this week is flying by mostly because I'm only working until Wednesday! That's right, it's time for our annual trip to Auburn, Alabama!

This trip is so much fun for a variety of reasons. We leave after work on Wednesday and head toward Greenville, South Carolina to visit with Beth's aunt, Kathy. After we stay the night there, we'll grab lunch and catch up with her the next morning. Then we only have a short drive (about 4-5 hours) until we finally arrive in Auburn. We'll explore the town all day Friday and then enjoy the football game against Texas A&M on Saturday. After such a short stay, 14 hours in the car on Saturday is usually a raucous time, listening to all the football games we can find.

Either way, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year, so I'm pretty busy over here getting ready! Tonight is all about getting caught up on grading and updating my gradebook. I'm also going to start packing and bake some pumpkin bread for the ride!

The to-do list seems impossible right now, but it will be so worth it in just a few short days!

I hope you're looking forward to something fun this weekend, too!

Movie Review: ARGO

Living in this area is really interesting because it's actually flooded with highly accomplished people. For example, romance novelist Nora Roberts lives about 10 minutes outside of my hometown. Ideally, this part of Maryland is a great place for retirees because it's close to the D.C. metro area, but far enough away to not feel like you're being consumed by it. So, when I found out that the man Ben Affleck's most recent film is based on a man whom lives right outside my hometown, I wasn't entirely shocked.

ARGO is the story of CIA agent Tony Mendez plan to free 6 American diplomats that were being hunted down by the Iranian government in 1979 during the Iran Hostage Crisis. To be honest, I wasn't even alive in 1979, so my knowledge of the Iran Hostage Crisis essentially stems from whatever I can remember from my U.S. and World History classes in high school. However, the movie taught me everything I needed to know.

This was a really amazing movie for a few reasons:

1) It was politically neutral. It bugs me to no end when I see a movie that completely glorifies America when we were clearly in the wrong. Affleck did a wonderful job stating the facts at the beginning of the film that were (according to my middle-of-the-road history teacher husband) very accurate.

2) The intensity kept me on the edge of my seat. No, really. The EDGE. I could barely breath by the end of the film. The action was incredible, the pacing was perfect, and really, I just fell in love with the whole idea of one man saving so many lives.

3) This guy lives in my school district. His kids graduated from the same high school I did. Cory's students have turned in projects about "Jesse's Dad". This guy has essentially been my neighbor for the majority of my life and has had such a crucial role in American history, which is so amazing.

4) It's nice to see Ben Affleck in a serious role that isn't horrible. I can't remember the last time, or if I ever said, "Hey! That Ben Affleck sure is a great actor!" With all due respect, I know he's taken some time off to stay behind the camera, but in ARGO I was truly impressed. 

So, yeah. Movies can be expensive and we certainly only make it to the theaters a few times a year. ARGO was completely worth it. It is so nice to see such a quiet, but influential man be recognized for his dedication to the safety of Americans. Don't have plans this weekend? Well, now you do! :)

DISCLAIMER: The language in the movie is pretty filthy, but in a realistic sense. I don't live in a cave where I think our government officials speak in courtesies every day. Don't take teens with you unless you're comfortable with them hearing the f bomb a time or two. Other than that, the violence is limited, but when it does occur, it's pretty graphic.

Currently...

 (This is our favorite local winery, Black Ankle. It's an award winning winery deep in the woods of Western Maryland and only about 15 minutes from our house! If you listen to the Baltimore NPR station (WYPR), Cellar Notes always gives it rave reviews. The wine can be a little pricey, but certainly worth it every few months to treat yourself. We love the Syrah! The winery itself is gorgeous and surrounded by the most amazing view.)

Since I'm just getting back into a blog routine, I wanted to jump on the bandwagon and do one of these "lately" posts I've been seeing on some of my favorite blogs. So here goes...

Watching: A lot of post-season baseball. Unfortunately the Orioles didn't win against the Yankees in game 5, but boy was it fun to stay up late a few nights last week and keep my fingers crossed for Charm City's favorite baseball team! Since the Nationals also lost in Game 5, we're essentially cheering for anyone except the Yankees. ;)

Listening to: My go-to weekend morning album is always Harvest Moon by Neil Young. It's the perfect beat to make coffee, flip pancakes, and wake up slowly. Other than that, I've been listening to Songza a lot in the car.

Reading: I'm about half way through Jeffery Eugenides' The Marriage Plot. I'm really enjoying the characters and story line so far, but I have a feeling it's about to take a dramatic turn.This is my first Eugenides novel, but I've always really loved The Virgin Suicides movie, so I'm excited to see how it all ends.

Working on: A few new crochet accessories and a unit regarding campaign strategies used in the 2012 election. It's all I can do to squeeze in a few minutes every day to crochet. I'm determined!

Anticipating: The remaining weekends in October are looking very promising. This weekend Cory and I visited our favorite local winery, went out for sushi, and then saw Argo. Believe it or not, Tony Mendez lives about 20 minutes from us and his children go to school in our school district. Cory actually taught his son at his old school. It's a pretty small world and a truly inspirational story! A great movie--I highly recommend it! Anyway, we have shortened work weeks for the next two weeks and days chalked full of plans. It's an exciting, fun time of year!

A little effort to get things right.

After last night's post, I've decided to try to carve out a little bit of time every day--maybe even only 10 minutes when things are really tight--to post something or crochet something. That way I know I'm doing something that focuses on me.

With that being said, last night I stayed up way too late for a school night and opened back up my etsy shop. All the products are the same as last year, but I'm hoping to spend this coming Saturday morning crocheting new items and bringing to life different designs I've had in my mind for the last few months.

Anyway--if you're interested, head on over to the shop and enjoy 10% with the code HELLOFALL10. I'm hoping if I get orders then I will be FORCED to spend a little more time crocheting, right? That's the ultimate goal :)

Hope you had a great Tuesday!

Long time, no... anything?

(This is a shopping bag from a great independent bookstore in 

Shepherdstown, WV, Four Seasons Books)

I haven't updated this blog since August 16th. The unintended leave of absence over the last few months speaks volumes for the amount of personal time I've had recently.

Our last few weeks of summer were spent cleaning out Cory's aunt's house in Missouri. She unexpectedly passed away and we unexpectedly now have responsibility of her house and properties (*wanna buy a house + 40 acres of land in Missouri? Let me know!). After we spent a week working our butts off and cleaning out years upon years of memories, it was time for us to return to Maryland to start the school year.

To say that this school year has been a challenge so far is an understatement. With 45+ states shifting to the Common Core curriculum and Maryland adopting the PARCC tests next year, the pressure is on for teachers. My school switched to a new schedule where I am teaching more students and have 30 minutes less of planning time every day. To put it bluntly, I'm overwhelmed and overworked. The shifts that I need to make in my lessons to be "Common Core Aligned" is extremely daunting because I'm certainly not an expert in the curriculum yet and I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel every time I get started.

I've been trying really hard to keep positive and keep up with the snowball of work that is bound to roll over and squish me before the hints of summer flirt with me, but I'm writing so I can admit that it has been really, really hard.

With the transition, I have very little time to myself. I have never had much time after work to have a social life due to grading papers, planning, etc., but believe it or not, this year it's worse. Cory and I are running straight home to eat whatever leftovers we have in the fridge just to spend the next 3+ hours a night doing school work. Gone are the days that we might be able to catch the Monday Night Football game at our favorite local pub and indulge on their .20 cent wing special or meet up with some girlfriends for Thursday night dinner. I have only picked up a crochet hook one time since August. ONCE!

I haven't even had time to paint my own fingernails.

I guess all this is to say that I miss blogging, I'm miss crocheting, and I'm really missing being able to have control over my personal time.

Now, if you follow me on Instagram (liz_matheny) or Twitter, you're probably aware that I spent the past weekend in Boston with some college friends. I need to be honest--when the school year started to present itself in this fashion (i.e. when I realized I had little to no personal time), I started purposefully booking trips just to ensure that I would still get to see my friends and force myself to do something other than school work. This plan has worked out well so far. I had something planned one weekend a month in August, September, and October. I need to start thinking ahead to the winter months as I'm sure I'll be needing some friend-time!

I like my students and I like the school where I teach. I'm trying really hard to do right by them. But when can I start giving myself that same treatment?

xo,

P.S. If you're a teacher or work in the school system, how do you handle or balance the stress of the job and personal time? I would love any advice or tips/tricks to make this a better situation for me (and my husband)! Thanks!

Sunflowers.

Remember the time I stopped blogging pretty much all summer? Yeah, that happened. To be honest, I don't feel bad about it. I think it's important to roll with the flow and enjoy the time instead of having to pause every so often to make sure you've snapped enough photos and planned out enough blog posts.

This photo was taken in July when Cory and I were driving cross country. This was our second to last stop on our trip--Asheville, NC. We stayed in Asheville for two nights and had a fabulous time; it quickly became one of our favorite places we went on our trip. Specifically though, these sunflowers were part of a gorgeous sunflower field on the outskirts of the Biltmore Estates property. The very first thing we did when we got into town (we were early for our reservation) was check out the Biltmore. It was a pretty cool experience being able to see the largest house in the United States and see where Mr. Vanderbilt invested his money (into a large art collection). It was also very cool to see the rooms where Edith Wharton would stay when she visited.

Anyway. The point of this post is just to say that I missed blogging and I'm ready to come back. As enjoyable as traveling was this summer, Cory and I experienced many trying times as well. One of our favorite colleagues passed during the first week of summer, Cory's aunt passed the first week of July, and I had a small family emergency. We are extremely fortunate that we were able to balance the negative with so many good, rich experiences this summer.

Knowing that this summer was so full allows me to walk into the school year more focused and excited than before. I'm nervous for all the right reasons and am ready to meet my students.

xo,

Sweet Outer Banks, North Carolina!

My family vacations in the Outer Banks of North Carolina every summer near the middle of July. The past few years Cory and I have scheduled our personal vacations to be right before my family's vacation, so we can piggy back and make it a longer vacation in general. This year is no exception. The most exciting part about this year, though, is that my step-brother's family is also joining us. I'm excited to spend more time with him, his wife, and daughter, too.

Cory and I have been practicing some card games to play with the family. It's something we've been getting into lately--simple things to keep us entertained!

I'm sure while we're here we'll make plans to see Jockey's Ridge and maybe spend a day out on Ocracoke Island, too. Cory and I have already budgeted and made plans to swing by our FAVORITE indie bookstore in town (they have two locations we love). We're also hoping to take long naps on the beach and cook big family dinners. We're really hoping to soak in a lot of quality time, too.

The one thing my family always struggles with though, is where to eat. We'll probably go out to eat once or twice while we're here, but it takes us the longest time to decide where to go. Do you have any suggestions?

Let me know in the comments!

I'll be back with more blogging as I know our wifi will be much more reliable than other parts of our trip ;).

Take care,

Oklahoma City bound :)

(isn't it pretty?)

We're heading a little south today before we start heading back east. We're making our way for a quick visit in Oklahoma City! I don't know much about this town, but am very curious about it. If you have any recommendations for places to eat or things to do, please leave them in the comments or email me at donnasdecembers(at)gmail.com! 

We'll be here only for a night!

Thank you!

Greetings from Missouri!

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Hello, everyone! Cory and I are headed to the Springfield, Missouri area today! Of course I have big plans to check out Red Velvet's brick and mortar store while I'm in town, but we're also planning on paying some family members a visit, too! We're really hoping to catch a break from the heat while in the Ozarks, but it just doesn't look like it's going to happen. A girl can still cross her fingers, right?

I'll be back later with an update (if I have wi-fi)!

I hope you're excited for the weekend!

xo,

Louisville bound!

 

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Early this morning Cory and I loaded up our car and headed west to begin our 18 day road trip. We are EXCITED!

The first stop on our trip is Louisville, Kentucky and we should be arriving around 3 p.m. this afternoon (hoping that traffic is on our side). We will be in Louisville until Friday and have A LOT we want to cram into our short visit. We want to take in a lot of the downtown area that was recommended to me by a reader (thanks, Heather!). We're hoping to check out all the cute shops and bookstores along Bardstown Road, as well as take a peek inside a few of the local distilleries and factories (Louisville Slugger!). 

What I'm most looking forward to about this stop is that our good friends Rich and Beth are meeting up with us! They left for their roadtrip during the last week in June, so by the time we meet up with them tomorrow, they will be almost finished their tour of the country. It's pretty exciting that it happened to work out just so. 

Anyway, so my plan for this roadtrip is to soak in as much of the local attractions as I can and then if I have wi-fi, blog about it in the evening. If I don't have wi-fi, I'll update as soon as I can with loads of pictures and what not! 

Throughout this trip Cory and I will be keeping a conversational notebook (ie: composition book from Sunday's post) that we're both going to write in while we're driving or are in different towns. I'm hoping to use a nice combination of washi tape and my Instax Mini to keep photos and findings in it, too. I loved the idea when Cory pitched it to me; I think it will be a really great way to keep track of our vacation!

 

Wish us luck!