mi casa es su casa

Part of me wishes we could be homeowners.  There are many pros to this scenario...

1. a downturned market...we could find a deal
2. teacher breaks/discounts
3. tax breaks... there is even talking of the $8,000 tax credit coming back
4. our own space and yard
5. not having to take Luna down 3 flights of stairs just to go outside; not having to lug groceries 3 flights up stairs
6. HAVING A GARAGE!
7. decorating on a dime (only one of my favorite things to do!)
8. having a craft table / a creative room.... which may also dub as the so-called "man cave"...with a girly corner ;)
9. escaping from our Saturday night party neighbors and the crying baby downstairs... and all the other crappy parts of apartment life
10. being part of a community
11. making an investment

There are also cons...

1. breaking our lease
2. upkeep is all on us!-- and we might suck at that.
3. having to mow a yard
4. the extra $$ you pour into a house when you first buy
5. time-- to do it all.

We are not in the business of looking for a house at this immediate juncture, but our short-term plan is beginning to look in January, closer to when our lease is up (knocking a con off the list!).

So, just for fun, here are some ideas I've seen over the past year or so that I thought were really inspirational...



http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/

 I love this girl's blog and living room... I think it's so cute.  She's witty and funny and has a really great, frugal sense of style.  We would *die* with a white couch + Luna (that would drive me bonkers), but the whole aesthetic is great.  The best part: most of the items she got at thrift stores, Goodwill, or consignment shops.  (With some IKEA thrown in for the modern feel).  She sewed all of the pillows herself.  I really love the colors, too.


I'm obsessed with floating shelves.  I think they are really cool.  Functional, too.

http://www.younghouselove.com/

The bonus room/man cave might rock (they really don't have basements in the south)...

Okay...totally kidding!!!  Haha.  I don't think I could stand having a giant football player on our wall, but I would be open to the idea of having a D.Lions accent wall and a framed jersey.  Or even some fun throw pillows.  For fun for my husband, who will probably gladly have little to say in how we decorate our home, but who does so much for me and deserves something he loves.

Okay, that was an enjoyable waste of 20 minutes.  LOL.   In the mean time we will continue to live life in our little place and enjoy spending time at other people's houses. ;)

Off to the races...

...literally. I've been so busy these past few weeks. It's been insane. It's such a different busy than this summer, too. Nothing can prepare you for teaching. And I mean nothing. It's a give-it-all-you've-got-all-day kind of thing. Rewarding but hard. I'm barely keeping my head above water with the workload, and this other prep is killing me (6 classes, 4 preps), but leading kids to learning is something that never gets old.  Not even for a second.


One of my books...
the one I'm most excited
about. :)


Starting my thesis has also been on my mind, and I finally sat down to buy the books I'm going to use as my resources. I scoured amazon.com for about 3 hours, and tons of research later, I settled on $77 worth of books about reading in foreign language. I told my students about my "memoria final" and a 500 page book that I bought to learn more about teaching Spanish and how their brains work! Some were amazed, others baffled, and still others confused, but regardless, they are all sooooo excited when I take pictures of them in action to use as an appendix/documentation of my research. They so desperately want to be "famous in Spain."

"Take one of me, Mrs. S! I'll make it such a good picture!"

"The point is to act natural..."

"Okay, I'll act natural with my pose."

I empathize with this, though. I, too was that kind of child.

Drugs and Puzzles

Well, for about the last 14 days or so Charlie or I (or Luna) have been sick. It's been a long trek that we wish not to repeat any time in the near future.

I came home from Spain with a bad, dry cough which later morphed into a cold. Then Charlie came down with the same thing as soon as I was starting to feel a bit better. The doctors weren't quite sure exactly what was making us sick, but it was some form of bronchitis, ear infection, strep, and a bacterial infection that required antibiotics and steroids. Oh joy. Our kitchen counter makes it look like an ad for a pharmaceutical company.

So what does one do couped up in an apartment for so long when sick???  Start a 1,000 piece puzzle of course that renders your kitchen table useless!  Vicki had bought us a personalized puzzle for our anniversary (of the wedding party).  We've begun to work on it, and slowly but surely we are making progress.... hopefully the grand reveal to come.  Yes, we know we're so interesting.  :)

Home Sweet Home

It's been a while since I've updated--but with a legitimate excuse... I've been in Spain for a month and a half. I was getting the first part of my Master's degree in Spanish Education through a Cursos Internacionales program in Salamanca. I hardly had any time to sleep (let alone blog), so "Snearlytales" took a back-seat. But fear not... I'm baaaaack!

Palacio Real, Madrid

The experience. was. out. of. this. world. I think any time you visit a foreign country it changes you. I've lived in Spain before several years ago, so when I flew in in late June, a part of me felt like I was going home.  I missed the language, the food, the people, the atmosphere, and I couldn't wait to find myself in true language immersion.  It was beautiful.

This time around wasn't exactly a vacation, though.  Our 6 weeks was jam-packed.  Class all day, studying, adjusting to dorm life, excursions, city visits, seminars... you name it.  And trying to fit in a little bit of fun here and there. ;)

View of Salamanca, Spain

My University was built in the 13th century.... so walking to class every morning was such a joy (we definitely walked a LOT!).  The city streets are so rustic and unique...I just love them.  Beauty is everywhere... over half a century of students have passed under the same doorways I did to get an eduction. I'm honored :)  Here's a little video I made of the last 5 minutes of my walk to school... I hope you enjoy and are able to experience a piece of the beauty of Salamanca.

Spain wins the World Cup!  Gooooooool!

Salamanca by night

Catedral de Segovia

My journey was the experience of a lifetime, but by the end, I was so ready to come back home to my husband, my pooch and my life in Charlotte. I remembered all the things that I love about home and why I'm so proud to be an American. A piece of my heart will always be in Spain, but my one true love will always be home and my family :)

See you next summer, Salamanca!

Shopping for School Supplies!

Freshly sharpened pencils, notebooks, erasers, paperclips...the essentials for starting the school year.  Definitely not the key words of June...and for sure the most empty aisle in the entire store!

Yet, as one of my school years comes to a close, another is just beginning.  Today I went out to buy a few things for Spain... I could probably buy it there (at a marked up price of course), but I want to come fully assembled, ready with everything.  Just in case.  That's just my style.

My goal was to get some skirts, sandals, all my school supplies, an umbrella, and some pjs for under $30 out of pocket.  And I did--very, very craftily.  So craftily in fact that I will tell you.

What I got:

• 2 pairs of Steve Madden Sandals
• 2 pairs of PJ pants (one short, one long) and a tank
• 2 skirts and 2 matching tops
• 2 notebooks, 1 hard-cover folder, 1 notepad, 40 mechanical pencils, eraser, metal clips, led refills, and post-it notes

What I got for my husband as part of his b-day present:

• 1 Collared Shirt
• 1 Graphic Tee
• Addis athletic shoes

How I did it:

• COINSTAR:  These machines ROCK.  You take all of your loose change sitting around the house dump it into one at your local grocery store and cash out.  The key is, most people want cash, and the machine takes 10% of your total.  No thank you!  To avoid this surcharge, take a giftcard.  It's 100% money in your pocket!  A mason jar on our table totaled over $70.  (We've been saving up for about a year or so).  Cha-ching!
• BECOME A TEACHER:  Basically, you can assume that all your students will fill your pockets with Target gift cards.  And this is a fact.  I had a few leftover from students just waiting for the taking.
• ROLLBACKS AND COUPONS:  Target does have lots of clearances... you just have to know where to look.  Don't buy your items as eye level (because they are the most expensive).  Lots of them have sticky coupons right on the items.  For example, some of the sticky, clear post-it notes had a coupon on it for $1 off, but it's on ANY of their products.  They put it on the most expensive one.  Take it off, and buy the cheapest one.  Easy! 
• REGISTER REWARDS:  Off Broadway shoes gives you 10% back of your previous total on your next purchase.  I had about $8 in rewards leftover.
• AAA: New York and Company gives you an automatic 30% off if you are a AAA member.  I used my expired card to get it because the lady was nice.  Yusss!  PJs were 50% off, plus my 30% off, making them 80% off!
• SHOP THE CLEARANCE RACK:  Ummm...duh? ;)

Here's the booty:

Gettin' ready for school!!  Can you tell I love color?

love&family :)

This weekend was a great one.  We flew into Baltimore, MD for Charlie's cousin's wedding.  It was a CRAZY afternoon, trying to get to the airport by 4:40pm, but we somehow managed.  I was worried about recreating a scene from Home Alone, but luckly, we avoided the frantic, airport mad-dash.

Baltimore is a beautiful place--- it's historic, trendy, and scenic.  I think I loved it so much because it reminded me of Europe? ;)   

We spent Friday evening at a bar downtown enjoying bluegrass music, crab cakes and family.  By all accounts a winning combination.  It was so good to see everyone and kick-back.  Sometimes being so far away from family I think it's easy to fall into a groove, work ourselves into the ground, and when we come up for air, we forget how good it feels.

The next day we spend touring Baltimore with the family! Our shirts were sticking to our backs and the overcast sky was somehow relentlessly sunny...but it was a great time.

The wedding the next day was beautiful...and I can honestly say that I danced to every song...which was the plan.  It was a blast.  It was held at a beautiful, historic home (where Will Smith got married) and the ceremony was in the outdoor garden.  The vows were lovely, the night was a blast, and it was well-worth our trip to see everyone and share in true love.  Who DOESN'T want to be a part of that?

Here's the happy couple!

The flight back home wasn't so perfect...we battled a 3 hour delay due to the weather, but no matter.  We had a deck of cards, good books, and a Droid Incredible.  There's nothing a little Double Bexley and Bejewled can't cure. ;)

25th birthday surprise.

I turned 25 on May 25th. My golden birthday! I knew the next weekend that Charlie had a surprise planned for me. He just told me: "I have all the plans taken care of. Trust me."

That's when my wheels started turning... in my normal "wifely" way.

A surprise? Are we going on vacation? How long will we be gone? Should we let the apartment know? Do I need to pack a bag? What do I wear? Do I need to grocery shop this week? Do I need to buy anything special? What will happen with Luna???

"Trust me, Kathryn."

"I know...but..."

I was excited but anxious about it because nothing seemed to be planned.  I hadn't seen Charlie working on anything!  Come Saturday afternoon, the day the "festivities" were about to begin, I was confused. Charlie told me noon, and then 5:00, and then 6:00, and then it was close to 7:00... I was getting mad. Where is the plan? Are we leaving? Did you actually plan ANYTHING!?!?!?

Then a got a text with this picture inside:

A late birthday text?  Still confused.

Then I realized (with Charlie's prompting), that was OUR APARTMENT DOOR! My best friend in the world, Susanna (and her new baby and her sister!) had driven all the way from Michigan to surprise us for the weekend!! I couldn't believe it. I cried when I opened the door-- The best birthday present EVER!

I hadn't met her son, Sam before...but I loved him instantly.  Just as an "Aunt Kathryn" should.  I don't think you realize, until someone really close to you has a baby, how incredible they are and how special the gift of being a mother is.  It was so moving to see Susanna and how she has grown as a mother... and share that with her.  Sam's little smile melted me away!

The first day we went to the pool and soaked up the sun. :)  Sam got to go in the water for the first time!  Dinner was a night uptown.

The next day we went to Discovery Place and messed around like kids.

 I feel so thankful and blessed to have shared these precious moments with my best friend as she raises her son and spend such concentrated time together when there are normally so many miles between us :)

Sigh.  Did it really have to end?