Updates

Happy New Year everyone!

I start school again tomorrow (J-Term, though, which is an easy transition before "real" school starts on the 17th), and it's always hard to believe that the holidays are over. This year was especially unusual with a terrible ice/snow storm that devastated Little Rock. Everyone in the South always dreams of a white Christmas, but I'll think twice before I pray for one of those again! We were at my parents' Christmas day when we lost power, and stayed the next five nights at Peyton's parents house. We were thankful for a warm house and time with family (Peyton's brother was in from Dallas, and my brother and fam were in from Virginia), but we became tired of living out of a suitcase in our own town! It sounds silly to say after not truly traveling for the holidays, but it is good to be HOME.

Over the past couple of days I've been getting ready for my J-Term class, Intro to Italian, and am re-watching the first two seasons of Downton Abbey before the third season premiers on Sunday. Is anyone else as obsessed with this show as me?!?!

On a completely different note, I realized recently that I have not put up any updates that have happened around our house, so here are a couple of more recent ones:

1. New drapes for the front living room

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After:

 

 

2. Guest room details

 

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After:

(I still need to iron and stuff those shams, I just got them for Christmas!)

 

3. Entryway

 

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After:

I found these old Antique shutters at an estate sale, and when I realized they were from France I couldn't resist! Still need something to tuck underneath the table...

 

4. Valances for the den

 

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After:

 

 

 

My goals this year are to put wallpaper in the breakfast room/kitchen, paint that dark paneling, and get curtains in the guest room. We'll see how much of that happens! I never quite understood why my mom spent so much time agonizing over fabric and changing things in our house over the years, but now I do. I admit it: I love nesting!



thanks

It's typical in November, with Thanksgiving and all, to make lists of things we are thankful for, but I especially need to focus on the things I'm thankful for right now because it's been an overwhelming past couple of weeks. This time of year at school always seems to get crazy...in the winding down of first semester there are lots of school events, special assemblies, cumulative tests and projects, extra requirements from the administration, deadlines, and it's National French Week next week. We start basketball season next week, too, with two games a week on top of practice with the cheer squad. Last night I had a bit of a meltdown, mainly because I am weary. Exhausted. Burned out. Thank goodness for the light at the end of a swirling tunnel: Thanksgiving and Christmas break. It's in times like these that I have to force myself to focus on the good...on God's grace and sovereignty and purpose for my life...because it's easy to become negative. Making lists of thankfulness gives the right perspective, immediately. It's like magic. Today, at the end of a regular old Thursday at school, I am thankful for the small things:

1. watching my French Club students pour over National French Week decorations to be hung this Saturday
2. a birthday dinner with family two nights ago
3. Netflix at the end of a long day
4. peppermint coffee this morning
5. an encouraging email from a cheer parent
6. a birthday card from a fellow teacher
7. Peyton's morning cheerfulness
8. Chick-fil-a for lunch
9. a re-organized desk
10. a messy costume closet in my classroom...messy from lots of use
11. a hard conversation with one of my cheerleaders
12. hot tea for a sore throat
13. a quiet off-period

It's way too easy for me to write off a difficult day as a "bad" one. But look at all that good.

at long last...

This past spring break (yep, end of March), I decided to paint and refinish our "dining room" table. A good week-long project, I thought. Hah! I just finished this week! It's October. I definitely could have finished it before now, but with a nanny job this summer and my full-time job starting at the beginning of August, I didn't have many full days to work on it. Plus, using oil paint in 100+ degree heat didn't speed up the process. Here's what the table looked like before:

 

The table was a hand-me-down from my sister, and it had a hard, light maple finish. Here are the steps I had to take to get it to what it is now:

1) Sand it all down

2) Prime everything

3) Paint two coats of white oil paint (I called Uncle Phil a lot during this process!)

4) Strip and sand the table top with an electric sander

5) Stain the table top

6) Paint two coats of polyurethane on the table top

7) Sand it all again 

8) Paint on a gel stain and rub it all off (my mom helped with this)

I know you probably could care less about all of the steps, but I'm just trying to justify why it took me so darn long! Here's the final product:

 

I think that Peyton's favorite part about it being done is the fact that he can park his car in the garage again. He has been patient!

Sometimes I just want to...

...hit my students upside the head.

Ok, ok I really do love my students. Most days. The link below is to a 20-second video that perfectly encapsulates what I would like to do to a few of my students on those rougher days. On Wednesdays I have a block (90-minute) study hall with 26 sophomore and junior students, 21 of which are male. I REALLY wish I had had this video yesterday to a) threaten them, and b) comfort myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZRXf5fYk6c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I hope it makes you laugh!

The Start of a New Season

In many ways Labor Day is the symbolic end of summer and the symbolic start of fall. In Arkansas, the switch of seasons come Labor Day is truly only symbolic, though, with continued 90+-degree weather! I curbed the desire to pull out my boots and scarves by switching out some of my house decorations instead...pumpkins and acorns and fall-scented candles help me to live in denial of the scorching heat outside.

This weekend Peyton and I ventured to Fayetteville to help ring in the start of another, different kind of new season: Razorback Football!!! Peyton's parents have season tickets to the home games, and since Fayetteville is only about 2 and 1/2 hours from Little Rock, we'll be going to almost all of them! This year it's a double dose of fun since we also get to see my nephew Taylor when we go to the games. Still can't believe he's in college! The Razorback's opening game against Jacksonville State was a bit disappointing because we played a sloppy game, but we still won 49-24 in the end, which wasn't too bad. (Most people were predicting it to be more of a blowout). I think this is going to be a good season for the hogs, and I'm already excited about playing Alabama at home in two weeks!!! Biggest game of the season.

I didn't take any pictures at the game itself because we were all dripping with sweat, and I didn't want to document the grossness. Below is a picture of the boys in Taylor's dorm room, underneath a "Razorback Country" sign that Peyton passed down to him. Taylor is actually living in the same dorm that Peyton lived in, so the trip this weekend was quite nostalgic. (P.s. Does anyone remember this sign being in my dorm room in MacEvans??? Weird.)

Woo Pig Sooie!!!!!!!

Virginia

On our way home from Virginia Peyton and I discussed our favorite moments from the family trip (we had plenty of time...16 hour drive). Peyton said that his faves were golfing with the guys in Lexington, touring Jefferson's home at Monticello, and getting to see the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta at the Archives in D.C. I loved getting to see the Holocaust museum, going on a carriage ride through Lexington, and, of course, discovering new restaurants and spending time around the dinner table with all 14 of us together. Top moment, though: getting to walk through the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. with my Dad, who spent a year in Vietnam during the war. And last, how could I leave out Linden? All of us spent lots of time holding our new little 7-week-old niece! Here are some highlights:

 Can you believe that this is Nate and Christi's view from their backyard?!? So jealous. It's beautiful.

 Hannah loved holding her only girl cousin

 Here the guys are having a friendly competition blasting fallen apples from the multiple trees in their backyard!

 

Virginia has this really random drive-through safari park, where you can feed animals (camels, llamas, buffalo, emus, etc.) from your car. The animals are super aggressive.  Look how far this llama is in the car! That's Peyton holding the bucket.

 The Tomlinson's car getting attacked...  I was dying laughing. I mean, how bizarre?

 Andrew holding a little parakeet!

 Mom and Dad at Monticello

 The gardens at Monticello are unreal.

 We ventured in to the National Zoo in D.C., but regretted it a little due to the ridiculous crowds. We were all tired and annoyed, but Nathan perked us up a bit with his weirdness. 

 So fun to stumble upon a little French patisserie!

 The Lincoln Memorial was really powerful.

 Andrew ready to hit the pool!

 We even got to do a couple of wine tastings at some vineyards near our B&B. 

Thanks, Lord, for family.

It's almost here...

I have always found it incredibly difficult to enjoy the last week of summer before teacher in-service starts. I would like to be able to sit back, relax, and soak up my last few days of lazy mornings and schedule-free days, but I just can't! I inevitably pull out my binders of lesson plans to preview things, think about what I want to change, start moving boxes into my classroom, and begin getting a little frazzled thinking about all there is to do come August 14th (our first day of school). In fact, I've already created a new blog for my students as I try to meet all of the school's new tech standards. (If you're curious: madamelkg.blogspot.com). This year, there's one more thing to think about: coaching varsity cheer. Oh, and the fact that I'll have three lesson preps instead of two to do EVERY day. Why do I do the things that I do?!?!

Thankfully, I know that God will sustain and give energy and calm a stressed heart.

In other news, we just got back from a 10-day trip to Lexington, VA and Washington D.C. with my entire family. I'm in the midst of doing laundry and catching up! The trip was a blast, as we got to see my brother Nathan and Christi's new house and town and D.C. for the first time (for me). Peyton and I are posing below with Thomas Jefferson outside his house at Monticello. More pictures soon!