Some interesting framed ducks.

Remember how I kept talking about this anniversary project I was working on for D?  Well I unveiled it for him the weekend we went on our anniversary trip. Traveling is my favorite thing ever to do.  And I especially love traveling with D.  We have the best memories from places we've been together.  His wedding vows even mentioned the Mediterranean Sea (which...I still have both of our hand-written wedding vows and plan to eventually do something with those).  Also, have I ever told you how his vows blew mine out of the water...he's the best.  But I digress.  Europe will hold the specialist of places in my heart.  Simple camping trips make us happy.  In the scheme of things, we haven't been that many places.  I decided to do something using vintage maps.

My initial idea came from my friend Brittney's blog where she wrote about gifted art and a cool map she made for her husband.  Brittney linked to this post at Young House Love that mentioned this project:

Above, Sherry actually used corkboard as a back and pinned the map in place.  I went with this idea and ran.  I loved the idea of a vintage map.  I love the idea of using that as art.  I love the ability to track where we go and the places we see.  It seemed perfect.  I wanted more though.  Our international travel has been where some of our best memories have happened.  What do I frame?  Which type of map?  And so the challenge began...I would find a vintage map of each continent.

I still wanted a super old US map.  After scouring ebay and etsy for weeks (and waiting until payday), I scored a 9x14 (I think) 1914 US map, which I had to fight a bit for on ebay.  On etsy, I found a North America vintage map, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa.  Count 'em...8 maps.  I couldn't afford to go out and buy new frames and cork (which by the way is EXPENSIVE).  And so the thrift search began...

[Scored this LARGE guy at my fav thrift store.  I figured it would fit the US map perfectly with the cork and a possible mat.]

[Oh and I scored this beauty inside the monster frame :)  That frame was around $5]

[Don't you wonder how someone ended up with this in the first place?  Good size for my smaller maps.  Also scored from my fav thrift store]

[Another "what were they thinking?"]

Unlike the Young House Love map, I was going for a bit more "rustic," vintage looking frames.  I could always reframe in the future if we wanted to go more modern.  Unfortunately all I could find when checking all my local thrift stores was  those three decent frames.  Others just didn't mesh well (think brushed gold) or just weren't big enough.  

Since I am getting all text happy on you, I'll be back tomorrow to give you a continuation of the project.

Well my camera cord is missing

And I'm really exhausted after 2+ hours of tilling to prepare for our garden!





But unfortunately that means I can't post updates on the anniversary project or our anniversary itself :(. D is out of town until wednesday, and I believe he misplaced the cord. So I'll probably end up with anniversary posts one month after our 1 year.

D left this morning and I wanted to spend the weekend preparing the garden, catching up on school stuff, and relaxing. After not seeing D much for the past few days, I kind of wish he didn't have to go. His travel usually doesn't bother me, but I'm feeling especially lonely without him today. I miss him making me weekend breakfast and doing weekend things. It's such a beautiful weekend here; I wish I had him here to grill out with me.

Tomorrow I plan to finish my tilling, fertilize, and water the garden. Then I hope to get my college school work completed. I'm debating buying some more yarn and starting a new crocheting project while drinking some wine and watching a movie :). I need to take a break from grading and lesson planning...might be winging it on Monday!





Oh and I'm also icing a blister from the extreme tilling!

Hope you're all enjoying beautiful, relaxing weekends!


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Gotta keep on keeping on.

I am alive and well.  On the heels of a tremendously shitty week last week (February didn't really fail me as the shit when down as a welcome to March), I've refueled my positivity and am basically trying to survive the remainder of this (school) year.  Bear with me!  I've got lots of wonderful things to update on...D's anniversary project, our anniversary getaway, a little bit of bad news (although I don't want to dwell on that), an year in review of one year of marriage, gardening, exercise (or lack thereof)  I've got all those posts to fit in while I spend 3-4 hours nightly grading student work, working on my own college coursework, planning for classes, planning and fixing IEPs, etc. etc.  I promise, I have a new found positivity that is helping me get through it all.  Unfortunately, positivity doesn't actually get work done for me. 

Here's to March and the count down to spring break...5 and a half weeks!!!!!

Organization.

In order to fully procrastinate (and deter my mind from what is going to be an utterly busy next week due to said procrastination), I'm thinking about planners and organization!  Since becoming a teacher, I've struggled with figuring out a way to plan my life.  Now I LOVE me some planners and lists.  I put stickers by exciting things in my planner to give me something to smile about.  When I was a social worker, I had this big, ole hour-by-hour planner where I wrote everything.  For some reason, this didn't work for me when I started teaching.  I didn't have as many appointments and didn't need an hour-by-hour deal.  I've been back and forth between my iPhone calender and my desk calendar at work.  I'm still pretty confident I need/want the desk calendar to have school meetings at my fingertips.  I really want something though that is chic and I can carry everywhere.  I want to have all my to-do lists, grocery lists, craft lists (even if it's a bunch of post-its on one page) in one place with my calendar.  Then I can transfer important stuff to the "family" Google calendar.  It still seems like a lot of places to have appointments...but you gotta do what works for you. 

Point being...I've been searching for a good chic planner.  Problem being...I really think I need/want a school year planner.  My life now revolves around the August-June school year.  Meetings at school are scheduled through the year.  In August, I want to be able to write all my scheduled school meetings for the 2011-2012 year (in pencil, duh).  I'm still scouring Etsy.

[Totally wasn't looking for a lesson planner, but I WANT this one for next year!  It is absolutely amazing on the inside!]

[That's woven ribbon and it's a 2-year planner.  You can choose your own colors too.  I'm afraid the calendar boxes are too small for me though]

[I like the fact that this etsy seller allows you to pick the inside layout.  There are some awesome options.  This one is a contender...I'm just not a fan of the spiral binding]

[Ooo!  And there's even an owl!]

 

Ok...enough procrastinating.  I'm off to read one of my books for literature circles.

Ta da!

Now this is why BlogPress is wonderful and I finally broke down and bought it...awful day today and I don't want to touch or look at my computer. Yet now I can still update you on THE HAIRCUT! Ah! It's about time!

Now please don't judge a few things: 1) my paleness, 2) my ridiculously poor ability to take self photos on my phone, and 3) everything else awful about these pics. I took them just to show you all the massive difference!

Before...


Ewwww! I cringe at everything about this picture!!

And after:



Terrible pic but you get the jist...brighter and shorter!

It makes me feel and look like a happier, new person! I really didn't want it as short as it is, but I agree that it probably needed all that gone to eliminate dead ends. Y'all! Talk about embarrassed walking into the salon with that mess! I promise I typically take much better care of my hair.

Now it was REAL hard trying to even figure out where to start at a salon in Raleigh. I debated a salon in Durham or Chapel Hill, but ultimately went with a Raleigh salon for convenience and necessity to get the shit chopped off! I wouldn't go back...it was good but it just wasn't "my" salon and stylist. The stylist also ripped an earring out of my ear...awkward. No bleeding involved, but we were frantically looking for an earring on the floor. After that, there was no question that I'll be hitting up my old Athens stylist this summer for a touch-up and trim.

Nonetheless, I hope my renewed view of myself boosts me a little for the new few months. Goodness knows I'm going to need it...I can't handle many more work days like today.

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Enjoying the weather and beer.

We're spending a wonderful, warm Saturday enjoying the sun and visiting local NC breweries.
Beautiful weather, beautiful brewery. I hope this weather sticks! Hope you're all enjoying fab weekends!







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Certainly not the healthiest meal...but this was a nice way to wind down after a long day/week. The weather here in NC was a nice 70+ degrees! Can you believe? After late meetings at school, and stopping by Target on the way home (BONUS: scored some nice new sheets originally $80, marked down to $20! Holla! I never find deals like that!!), it was wonderful to sit outside with the doggies. I enjoyed my beer and pizza until it started getting chilly. I came in to do more work.


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