We're back!

((image here))

After three weeks of wandering the south for the holidays, David and I are finally home for good. As I stare at the blinking cursor, I can't seem to put into words my first christmas, new years, etc. as a wife. There is one only word that does come to mind,  family. 
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I could tell funny stories, I could describe our trips, but that wouldn't do it justice. So, I'll just say this: New family, old family, growing families - Families are like those wonderfully old patchwork quilts that hold to together pieces of everyone's past and future.  They are not trendy or stylish decor - they were made for comfort and warmth.  They're made of memories, and any patches sewn on or added later will always fit because that's what a patchwork quilt is; a hodge-podge, a collage, a mish-mash, a wonderful collection. And that's what families are too. So, I guess the best way to describe my first married christmas would be to say I was blessed to feel the warmth of our quilt.  Treasure yours.

Spare time...

Now that school is out, I'm all over some christmas crafting.  Our latest project has been these caroling banners. Please excuse the bad photography, our kitchen lighting isn't the best. Inspired by this website, we decided these were the perfect fun and cheap decorations. So, last night, we played around cutting out letters, dipping pretzels in chocolate and listening to a Louis Armstong Holiday pandora station. And now, our walls officially say, "Fa la la la la" and "Pa rumpa pum pum" - two of the most recognizable lines in all of christmas songs, of course. 

What's next on the list? Maybe some Martha Stewart….

Or how about doing a little thrifting, finding some old sweaters, and making these as gifts? What a great house warming present! I think this craft may take the cake. 

Anyways, hope all of your holidays are filled with cheer and hope these fun ideas give you something to do on a cold winter's day. 

*And for some really great downloadable xmas tags, click here!

All for Soup

Today is a tomato soup and grill cheese day if there has ever been one.
Sadly, since the thanksgiving holiday out-of-town, our pantry was bare. So, if I wanted grill cheese and soup for lunch, I was going to have to make a trip to the grocery store. ("dun-dun" or other menacing music inserted here) As much as a love to bake, I have tried to love the grocery store, but I just can't do it. I loathe it. No matter how much I like the food, no matter how many deals I can find, I inevitably waste time and money.
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{GROCERY STORE VISIT FOR SOUP}
Soup, soup, soup... aisle with soup... Oooo look at those cute Ritz crackers with snowflakes on them! SNOWFLAKES! How festive! Everyone needs a cracker with a snowflake on it! 

No, Laura, no! Stay focused! THINK SOUP and grill cheese. Just keep walking. 
The festive Ritz almost had me, but I held strong... that is until I saw the holiday candles. There was an apple cinnamon, apple pie,  christmas tree, peppermint, french vanilla, fresh snow, fresh fir.... And I sniffed everyone thinking holiday thoughts, thinking how each one would bring such holiday cheer into my home.


SNAP OUT OF IT, LAURA! THINK SOUP! PUT THE CANDLE DOWN.
As I set down the candle, suddenly it was as if the holiday aisle was calling out my name. I just had to know what hidden treasure was on the holiday aisle that I could not live without.  I was a lost cause. Finally, after talking myself out of glass bottle cokes and egg nog, I made it to the soup where I promptly rewarded myself by also picking up some Salt & Vinegar chips... Here you go, Laura, these are for going to the grocery store and not wasting money on things you don't need! (like these chips)

Needless to say, I survived without doing any too much damage, and got to enjoy a good ole grill cheese and tomato soup lunch. Hope you're surviving this blustery day and the grocery store too.

A little out of sorts.

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.  ~Mark Twain

Sorry for not being around. It's back to blogging after seminar papers. 

Elmering in October

Bonfires: birthdays are best celebrated with fires, friends, & a few cold ones.

Bike Rides: fall = perfect weather, and David has been building and rebuilding bikes.

(Our kitchen doubles as garage)

Baking: anything pumpkin, anything cinnamon, anything yummy.

Battling birds: WARNING - neighborhood intruder.

A bird that followed Becca into the house and into her closet. (see bird conqueror below)

Blooming: planting mums. It's a fall thing.

Being Fans: yea, yea I just have to say it. War Cam Eagle.

The Best of October in the Elmer house.

simple reminders

I needed this little reminder this morning.

This is the time of year when everything suddenly feels like its out-of-control. I bet it was November when Chicken Little thought the sky was falling. School, work, holidays barely out of reach. Weeks crawl, weekends fly. So, I needed this little reminder.

Goodbye Weeds,

Hello Seeds,

So, it's November 2nd: Have a good day and give a good day.

*thanks ink+wit

Happy Weekend

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."

- Stanley Horowitz

Enjoy family, friends (and CANDY!) on this Halloween weekend.

3 eggs & a little sugar

Some people see baking as a chore, but after a day of philosophical thinking in the classroom, there is nothing better than baking. I think for maybe the first time in my life I may understand what people like about math.

In math, there is always a right answer.

I hate math. And I mean loathe it. But after a 3 hour debate on the meaning of "love" with variety pack of people, I see how -- 1 + 1 = 2 and always will -- can be quite a comfort.
But thankfully there is baking. I know that after a day of abstract thinking, when I beat egg whites and sugar together, they will always turn into delicious white puff. I can put them in the oven, let them dry over night, and in the morning I will wake up with delicious little white clouds that melt in my mouth.

Meringues. So, maybe we Elmers talk about food a lot, but there is real wisdom is sugar:

Mary Poppins: "A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down."

Mike Teavee: "Why is everything here pointless."
Charlie Bucket: "Candy doesn't have a point. That's why its candy"

Julie Powell: "You know what I love about cooking. I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolk to chocolate, sugar and milk, it will get thick. That's such a comfort."

And not to mention, meringues are about the cheapest cooking you can do. 3 eggs, sugar and spice (click here for a great recipe!)

ODE TO AUBURN.

(click picture to enlarge)

Today I am celebrating with Auburn University. Congrats on being ranked #1 in the BCS! Still, we must remember, as best put by Gene Chizik himself, "This place was great way before we got here." How neat to be part of such a rich history.

So, want some Auburn History? Today, while I was supposed to be learning about teaching research in the library, I was, of course, not listening and found this little picture in an old Glomerata. Man, in 1952 Auburn must have been a sexy place to live. Just look at those couples. This looks like it could be any dorm in the quad, and let me tell you, I never experienced this hot-and-heavy atmosphere at Auburn. I guess, considering that no coed anything existed, everyone had to hang around outside.

So, maybe this is not really a history or a football celebration, but an ode to the passion of Auburn.

Zora Neale Hurston (from Notasulga - just 15 min. from Auburn) put it best, saying:

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."

We love you, Auburn.

blanks walls and leaves on the ground

Hilda Grahnat

I love writing letters on leaves. Every year around this time, I used pick a lovely fall leaf, and write a note on it. Being a lover of mail and the written word, it just seemed like fun. In the fall, one of my dear friends from childhood would always open an envelope to find a colorful leaf with sharpie scribbles on it. I'm not sure exactly why I did it, but I knew this long-time friend would understand.

The funny thing about my love for fall leaves is the irony in it. I hate change. I cry almost every time I cut my hair. My clothes tear to shreds or go out of style before I quit wearing them - note, I still own and wear a pair of pants from the seventh grade at 23 - I own 3 colors of nail polish: hot pinky - orange, nude/lightish pink and clear. Why? Because I fake the change - I rotate 3 shades in and out so it "looks" like I change. I have the same car I drove at fifteen and sincerely don't want a knew one. And in my old house, the wall over my bed stayed blank for two years because I was looking for the perfect thing to hang over it and if I drilled holes in the wall, I couldn't change it if I didn't like it.

I have a new blank wall. Come see. Help me drill holes. And best example of all? I cannot let go of people. Memories. Change. I am the roots, not the leaves.

You may think I'm crazy, and, yes, my hatred is a bit extreme, but who really loves change - transience - temporary?

The leaves that I wrote letters on, that crunch under your feet as you walk to work, that act as decor on your mantles, that make for hours of fun when in piles - those leaves are proof that we can't escape change, but that it can still be a beautiful thing. Has death ever looked so lovely? Change is part of this world, and the desire for something eternal is just another reason to believe we weren't made for this.

Victoria Hannan

Pictures part of 1010

put a little color in your day

I can't get enough of Things Organized Neatly

'' we should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry. ''

-E.B.White

(picture by Jen Altman)

This is my life.

Actual Text Conversation:

Laura: Got time for lunch today?

David: Yeah I'll be home soon

Laura: What do you want?

David: Whatever you're having

Laura: Monkey brains and baby turtle?

David: With ketchup please. Baby turtle can be bland, and don't over cook those

monkey brains either.

we are ridiculous.

Oh, the places you go!

Remember that childhood game where you close you eyes, spin the globe and place your finger on the spinning ball til it stops - Then, immediately declare, "I'm going on vacation to..." or "I will forever live in..." (and frequently you're finger is in the middle of the ocean?) I don't know why I loved this game, but I did. Maybe it was because my parents took me to Europe at age six, and I already had the travel bug. But the "globe" game was up there with cat's cradle and MASH for me. It was a classic.

Thank you designsponge for bringing back good memories. Thank you for not only reminding us the wonders of the globe game, but for making it a chalkboard. They just upped the ante. I have been looking at this DIY project for weeks, and then yesterday, when the Pottery Barn magazine arrived, there was a very similar chalkboard globe for sale. Pay for it? No way.

Why is it whenever there's something expensive I just want to make it? Am I that obsessed with beating the system? Well, anyways, I was enjoying it so much, I thought you might too.

DIY CHALKBOARD GLOBE

Tumblr - dead to me

We moved! Welcome!

I must give credit where credit is due. My dear friend, Sarah Williams, introduced me to the idea of things that are "dead to me," and it is a concept that I have fallen in love with over the years. As a matter of fact, she used to keep a list of things that were "dead to her" on her refrigerator. Things that were dead to her could be anything annoying.

"Holding-hands while wearing backpacks" - dead to me.

Classic example of something on Sarah's list. Sarah, here are some things I'd like to add:

- pens that bust in my mouth - dead to me

- cats of any kind - dead to me

- bikers on campus who don't have breaks - dead to me

- holding-hands while wearing backpacks while walking up the stairs - dead to me

OH AND tumblr - dead to me

Yeah, the blog moved because tumblr is (enter stream of cuss words here). Although it is tempting with its pretty colors and neat titles, it hates google readers, editting ANYTHING, and I'm pretty sure it hates us personally. So, welcome to our new and improved home. We promise not to keep dragging you around. Thanks for reading and by the way, what's dead to you?

thought of the day

This is an old thought of the day from designismine. I guess this is the beginning of a list of confessions. Confession #1: Some days I wish I hadn't bought this so I could buy that. Ya know what I mean? I wish I hadn't bought _________ so I could waste money on cookie dough/magazines/something.else.silly.

And what else do I have to confess? Confession #2: DEXTER is a scary show. We just started Netflix-ing it, and it. is. scary. Come on people, aren't you creeped out by Dexter?

And three, I can't ever really tell when showers are dirty. There, I said it. Anybody with me on this one? I mean, I spray scrubby bubbles in there still and scrub around, but showers don't ever seem that dirty to me. Maybe I should get my eyes checked? Who knows.

The truth.

ELMERING - [el-mer] Show IPA
-verb: meaning to what? We're not exactly sure yet. I guess that's the point of this blog - to find out what elmering is exactly and defining it by simply living. David and I had sort of been joking around/toying with the idea of starting a blog, and "ta da" the blog entry before this one showed up. Thanks David. I had been teasing him saying I wasn't sure if I could share a creative space with him, and suddenly, LAURA had blogged.
So, here it is, a new blog: Just a little documentation of our life together.
PS - for those of you who know and love the original Elmer family, you will love this:

El·mer

[el-mer] noun: a male given name: from Old English words meaning “noble” and“famous.” (Of course it is.)