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,

Greetings from Asheville, NC!

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I woke up this morning in Asheville and am feeling really excited about exploring this town! This is the last stop on our trip before we hit the beach! I've been wanting to visit Asheville for years and I'm really excited to finally see what it's all about. Whenever I talk to someone who has visited or lived here, they always say it's a bigger version of Frederick (where I live), so that's promising!

Today we are trying out a few diners and places to eat that were recommended to us by some new friends. We're also going to try to find a cool record shop we searched for online.

We'll be here until late Sunday morning if you'd like to drop a few suggestions in the comments!

Thanks!

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!

Hellllloooo Colorado!

We will be driving into Colorado tonight and I am so excited about this leg of our trip! I am excited to see all the gorgeous mountains, hike out to Red Rocks, visit all the Denver and Boulder universities, and maybe even meet up with a high school friend who lives in Telluride.

We'll be in Boulder (and Denver) until Tuesday. It's the second longest leg of our trip.

Do you have any suggestions for things to do or things to see in this part of Colorado? We're up for anything!

Thanks!

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!

 

Roadtrip Videos

Lately I've been finding myself keeping Netflix off the TV and watching more Youtube videos than ever before. You guys know I've been a fan of the Vlogbrothers for years (I remember the very first video they ever posted in 2007) mostly due to my adoration for John Green and his books. I keep a close eye on recommendations they make about other Youtubers because I trust their judgment and they're usually spot on for good humor and videos. Considering they're the founders of VidCon, I'd like to think they know their stuff.

Nearly 3 years ago Hank banned forces with DFBTA Records and Rhett & Link. I totally forgot about Rhett & Link until this past semester a student excitedly said, "Mrs. Matheny! Have you ever heard of Rhett and Link?!" Of course, I had, cherub. Of course, I had.

So here I am enjoying my summer vacation, mentally preparing for our three-week road trip by watching my trusty standby--Rhett & Link videos. There are a few I wanted to share with you! Have fun! :)

I wish Cory and I would do this at every new state:

Or maybe we'll lipsync to this video?

I have a pretty huge to-do list to accomplish within the next 24 hours, but I'm in no rush. Instead, I'm crocheting, daydreaming about indie bookstores in the mid-west, and you know, soaking in as much cuddle time with Ralphie as possible. 

What are you up to today?

summer essentials.

It's July and I finally had the experience I wait for each summer--not knowing what day of the week it is. It seems silly, but that's how I know I've finally relaxed. It happened today and it felt GOOD.

Things have been quiet around here on purpose. We have been having some pretty sad happenings around here, but we're working real hard on making the best out of every day. We've been playing disc golf a few times a week, keeping cool inside, reading by the pool, and making most of our meals from scratch. I haven't been inspired to blog or crochet in months. I've really needed the time off to rejuvenate and find direction.

Cory and I leave for our summer road trip this Wednesday. I'm really looking forward to hours in the car with the wind in my hair. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, seeing new things, and taking advantage of this beautiful country. The photo above was me shopping for supplies. Obviously ingredients for s'mores, a bottle of aloe, and new composition books are essential for July, right? :)

I've been reading a lot recently. I finished Dave Eggers' new novel, A Hologram for the King two weeks ago and instantly fell in love with it's simplistic style. Eggers isn't exactly what I would call a simple guy or a simple writer. He often comes across as spastic and hyper, but I have always loved him for it. Hologram is different. He tells the tale of a 54-year-old businessman that is wishing for a lifeline in Saudi Arabia by selling him a hologram feature for business meetings. I learned more about the American spirit while reading this novel than I have anything else. It's beautiful. It's more about what Dale does while he's waiting for the King instead of what happens once he finally gets his opportunity. What I liked most about this text is that I could recommend it to anyone. I could give it to a student, I could give it to my mother (and I'm going to). It's a story that will stick with you each time you have a conversation with someone who has been fighting the good fight.

I also read Chuck Klosterman's new fiction, The Visible Man that was equally as charming, but for completely different reasons. Klosterman's famed as a pop-culture, non-fiction writer. That's his jam. That's what he's good at. Lately, he has been dabbling in the world of fiction. I was never impressed with his first fiction release, Downtown Owl, but The Visible Man had me completely reconsidering Klosterman's skills as a novelist. The Visible Man is unlike anything I have ever read. This novel tells the story of a counselor's experience with an unusual patient through the transcripts of recorded therapy sessions. I have never read anything else in that format, but it worked to really invest the reader into each of the characters equally. Sure, the narration bounces between both the counselor and the patient, but the reader seems to be given the opportunity to make judgments throughout the text as the omniscient reader. It was a really unusual experience, but I really enjoyed it. It was certainly different than anything else, but most importantly, it proved Klosterman's ability to write fiction well.

I just finished A Prayer for Owen Meany, a cult high school classic that I never read before. It was a great read, but way longer than what I would've liked. Oh well, that's John Irving for you, I guess.

I picked up my crochet hooks for the first time this week after a very long time off. It was perfect because I actually came up with two new designs that will be in the shop this fall! Which reminds me, Donna's Decembers shop is closed between now and August 1. I've been working behind the scenes on cleaning up the shop and making sure that everything is just so. You know how it goes. It feels like a good fresh start, which is what I really want.

Even though I haven't been blogging regularly, you can always find me on twitter or Instagram (username: lizmatheny). I'm hoping to actually post pretty frequently while we're on our trip. If that doesn't happen, you can definitely find me on twitter and instagram, as per usual.

So, what has life been like for you? How have you been keeping busy?

ALSO! Please keep sending us recommendations for our road trip destinations! We're really loving all the emails about things to do and places to see! THANK YOU! :)

xo,

Road trip: Recommendations needed!

Even though summer vacation technically began on Tuesday for teachers, I have been busy at work every day for hours on end. To be honest, my summer vacation will not really begin until next Friday, but that's fine with me. The extra money I'm making throughout these two weeks is going to a good cause: fun!

Cory and I finally sat down this morning and mapped out our annual July road trip! I wanted to share with you a few dates and places to see if you had any fun recommendations of what to do, what to see, where to eat, where to shop! Please, PLEASE leave your recs in the comments or email me at donnasdecembers(at)gmail(dot)com!

Thank you so much!

xo,

SUMMER.

 photo via Flavorwire via Interweb3000

I am so happy to make this simple announcement: it is finally summer! To say that I have been overwhelmed and exhausted from work is an understatement, but it's the kind of exhaustion that comes from working really hard and seeing the fruit of your labors. Even though teachers usually continue their work throughout the summer by taking classes or working on new material for the upcoming year, it is nice to have a symbolic end to our job. It's nice to work hard, have a deadline, reflect on our actions, and celebrate the rewards.

On Memorial Day, Cory and I headed to a nearby State Park, Cunningham Falls. It's a natural lake and waterfall area where you can go hiking, climb the waterfalls, or simply lay out on the sand. We had the best time getting dirty by climbing the falls and soaking up the sunshine while enjoying the cool water. As we sat there, I realized how much I miss interacting with nature on a regular basis. Those few moments of quiet and contemplation helped me focus on what I want to get out of this summer and what I want to focus on. I have been thinking about writing a summer manifesto, similar to Elise's and Delightfully Tacky's list of summer intentions. I want to make sure it's meaningful and will still hold me accountable for all those things that make summer summer. I think I just want to be patient and work on this list throughout the weekend.

So, that's what I'm thinking about on this first night of summer. What are the things that make summer so meaningful to you? Do you plan a yearly trip or participate in little traditions?

<3

Music to my Ears: Summer Concerts

Whenever life gets stressful this time of year, I instantly imagine my summer respite hovering right around the corner. I mentioned here that I've been daydreaming about lazy days by the pool reading juicy books and it just cannot come soon enough.

Another part of summer life that I absolutely love other than roadtrips and reading is going to concerts! There's something so fun about listening to music you absolutely love while being surrounded by people who are in the same moment, too.

While we're on our roadtrip this summer we're hoping to snag a couple local shows, but we're also hoping to see some local shows too. I finally broke down and bought tickets today for what ended up being a better deal than I could have possibly imagined!

I'm sure by now you've heard the Alabama Shakes; they've been buzzing around the southern rock circuit and have been recognized by SPIN and PASTE magazines on a regular basis. They also are in this month's issue of my personal favorite, Garden & Gun. Long story short, the closest the Alabama Shakes are coming to us this year is to an outdoor concert near Richmond, VA which is a little under 3 hours away. For me, no distance is too far from seeing a band perform, especially when I love them as much as I love AS.

So when I logged on to order tickets, I realized that instead of buying tickets, I was actually buying season passes to a Friday music festival! I was paying $40 for access to 10 AMAZING bands (including Carolina Chocolate Drops--read about when we saw them in 2010 here)! So now that we have our season passes ordered, we just pay $5 at the door to see each individual show. That is completely worth it to me! It'll make for some fun Friday roadtrips down to VA during the first few weeks of the summer. This small payment is turning into a huge way to keep us occupied over the summer. I'm just hoping we can convince a few of our friends to join in on the fun, too!

Here are some videos of a few of the bands we're scheduled to see. Maybe you'll like them and find someone new? Or maybe you live near Richmond and will join in on the concert-going fun?

Alabama Shakes:

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears

Carolina Chocolate Drops

ALO

xo,

Best Summer Movie: Wet Hot American Sumer

My all time favorite summer movie, without a doubt in my mind, is Wet Hot American Summer. It is a quentessential portrayal of every stereotype known to the American man about summer camp and the hope that the last day of camp evokes in campers and camp counselors alike. This film is sarcastic, inappropriate, and filled with hilarious actors like Amy Poehler, Janeane Garofalo, and Paul Rudd.

I found my favorite scene snapshots to give you a little tease if you haven't seen this 2001 masterpiece ;).

And if that weren't enough, here's the trailer:

What is your favorite summer movie? Hmm?

xo,

Liz

goodbye May... hello summer!

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It's definitely summer in Maryland.

Yesterday we reached 99 degrees. 99! The next few days aren't supposed to spare us much heat, but we'll push through..

This week will bring quite a bit of joy to me as I prepare to wrap up the school year and watch students who are very special to me walk across the stage at graduation. This year, being my 4th year teaching, I will watch the students I taught as freshmen walk across the stage. It's a really touching experience to watch young people grow up and see who they become throughout four extremely influential years. It's one of the reasons why I know I will always have some job in education.

This weekend begins summer break, and it's also the Frederick Art Festival downtown on Caroll Creek. I had been accepted as a vendor, but with the condo closing coming up, and my trip to San Fran (that I have yet to blog about... yikes!) I couldn't afford to pay the fee. It's okay, though. I have a show in Annapolis in two weeks, so like everything else in life, it balances out in the end!

This week I'm turning most of my attention to finishing up some inventory (bloom brooches, new necklaces, new product w/t-yarn, etc., etc.). I'm excited about the extra time to get into new designs and creations! I have a few vintage crochet books that are practically jumping in my face for attention. Their time will come.... soon.

What is on your plate this week?

P.S. Don't forget... 15% your COMPLETE order right now @ Donna's Decembers! Use SUMMER15 at checkout!

ETA: I will have a table set up outside The Muse this SUNDAY in downtown Frederick, Maryland. I'll be previewing new items (t-yarn!), but will also have some of the classic necklaces and accessories, too!

Crazy for sunshine...

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Is it just me, or has it been raining like crazy? If my memory serves me correctly, since the beginning of April, Maryland has experienced a 60/40 split between days full of rain or sunshine. To be honest, I don't mind, because fortunately, much of the rain has been during the work week. The other weird thing is that our temperatures have been fluctuating wildly (we're talking 53 some days... 87 the other...). I'm ready for some consistancy, Mother Nature!

Anyhow... I have been really loving some photography I've been spotting around the internet and I want to share some of the lovely photos with you. Each photo is linked to the source, so feel free to do a little searching on your own!

You may notice a trend of simple summer-themed events within the photos. As a girl who grew up in the country, I'm always ready to walk outside barefoot in the mud during the summer. There's something so fresh about it.

I'm so ready for summer to be here for g.o.o.d.

How about you? What are you crazy for these days?

...

19.5 days of school stand between me and summer.

That is all

:)

Swimsuit Season

Does anyone know where I could find a swimsuit like this?

It's May!

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Hey everyone! I'm back from a pretty busy weekend at the Towsontown Spring Festival. Whew. I was a vendor at a 2-day show wihch was a pretty cool learning experience.

What I Learned:

1- Arriving early on Day 1 is crucial; arriving early on day 2 is not.
2- So long as you check with security and the opinions of other nearby vendors first, leaving your main structure overnight is actually pretty safe.
3- Just because Day 1 is slow doesn't mean Day 2 will be. (Even in the rain today was a smashing success!)

I have a few other 2-day events coming up this summer; this show really got me pumped up for them!

In other news, yesterday was the first day of May.

To me, May always signifies the start of summer and massive amounts quality time with Cory. May has always been one of my most favorite months, and the coming weeks are looking very promising! Here's what will be happening...

*Today signifies the 4th to last Monday I will have to wake up for work between now and August! Only 3 more to go!

*I'm attending my first Orioles game of the season with a group of college pals this Friday.

*The Kentucky Derby is oh so soon, which means I get to go hat shopping!

*I am spending a nice long weekend in San Francisco with my mother (p.s. if you have any suggested locations or events for us, please email me!)

*My new blog design will hopefully be installed before the end of the month and I am very very excited to share it with you!

*Memorial Day starts the LAST week of school for me! Hooray!

What are you looking forwatd to this month?

I have been a very bad blogger.

Oh my heavens. I thought I would have so much time to blog once school finished last week--but alas, I have not! I am in full throttle wedding mode! Fortunately, I have also had some time to veg in a few new ideas as well.

For example, Janel over at Run With Scissors is hosting an incredible 30 Day Journal Challenge. She is an elementary art teacher who has the summer off and has chosen to spend her first 30 days of summer vacay inspiring use to journal a page based upon a specific theme each day. We're only on Day 5--so you have to join! Go check it out! She also has a flickr account where we have been uploading pics of our journal pages!  It's a must do--especially if you aren't as skilled with a pen like me!

I know I promised you a USA Scarf DIY--but to be perfectly honest, I'm just not in a place to focus on details. I'm scared if I type it out--I'll rush, and it'll be no good. I'll try better later in the week.

My bridal shower is tomorrow and I'm getting excited! Lisa is coming to town tonight--so my evening will be spent in Baltimore. As I was strumming through my daily blogs--I did find this:

Perfect! I might dirve down early and hang out in Hampden until it's time to go downtown to pick up Lisa! What an awesome idea!

Also, last night, I finished my very first crochet project of the summer:

A giant granny blanket that I made for an extremely deserving student. On the last day of school, a different student stole my wallet and cell phone. A student that I taught 3 years ago returned the wallet after finding it on the side of the road. I know she'll love this blanket (and hopefully the colors, too)! I really hope it shows my gratitude for her kind act of service. With a lot of travel time and down time in the evenings--it only took me 6 days to complete this giant blanket! I was thrilled!

Right now I'm working on a baby gift for a close friend who is expecting... I'll post more later.

Have a fab day!