While in Delaware this weekend, we decided we simply HAD to visit Winterthur (pronounced Winter-tour or Wint-a-tour if you’re in a big ole’ hurry). Winterthur is a house museum of American material culture and handcrafted, decorative arts as well as a sprawling 60 acre garden. Winterthur was founded by Henry DuPont – yep, ‘the’ Dupont family with their vast family fortune. Mr. DuPont, who inherited Winterthur, lived from 1880 to 1969 and made Winterthur into the treasure it is today. During his lifetime, he expanded Winterthur into a 175-room mansion filled with historic architecture (that he had transported piece by piece from other historic houses across the United States) and decorative arts (such as George and Martha Washington’s china).
There are 6 floors, and we toured the 2 floors that contained the DuPont’s living quarters and guest rooms. We viewed the grand double staircase, the sitting room where the DuPont’s enjoyed the wedding receptions of their two daughters, the dining room (the DuPont’s kept on staff one footmen for every two houseguests), several tea rooms and sitting rooms for playing bridge, pianos, fireplaces, and other beautiful bedrooms and staircases. Each room is exquisitely decorated. I loved learning that during the Great Depression, when many families had to part with their beloved family heirlooms, DuPont saw to it that – since he had the means and the desire – he rescued as many handmade and historical American artifacts as he could and painstakingly had everything restored and displayed within his museum/home. I’m certain you could spend days there and see barely a fraction of what this museum has to offer.
Since my friend Erin and I are both Art History majors (and she is a curator of decorative arts and material culture at a museum), we were both completely geeking out at all the beauty. There were original American Chippendale furniture, wallpaper transferred from China, tea sets, handcrafted embroidery, original wood flooring, chandeliers imported from Europe, silver services, and so much more. After our house tour, we visited the Downton Abbey exhibit.
We learned that the director of Winterthur has a connection with the director of the Downton Abbey show on PBS, and he conceived and curated the idea for this Downton Abbey costume exhibit at Winterthur. It is not a traveling exhibit, and the costumes will be returning to England after this exhibition. We just HAD to go and see it! And I tell you, it did not disappoint. There were costumes from nearly every character on the show as well as detailed explanations of the meanings of colors, fabrics, cut, and style. It was interesting, for instance, to juxtapose the Flapper-inspired, controversial dress of Rose’s character with the dowdy and voluminous dresses sported by Isabelle Crawley – displayed just a few feet from one another. I also enjoyed how several displays incorporated a video projection of key scenes from the show in which the costumes were featured.
One thing I learned, for instance, is that lavender is the color of mourning. This is why the women of Downton don lavender gowns to George’s christening, since Lady Sybil has recently passed. I also learned that women were required to wear corsets at all times (no big shocker there) except between the hours of 5pm and 7pm after a long day of outdoor sporting activities. She would have to endure the corset again for supper, but it’s nice to know ladies were granted a brief reprieve.
After touring the house and Downton exhibit, we retired to the gardens for a few hours of leisurely strolling and sight seeing. DuPont was also a trained horticulturalist, and he designed each of the gardens, paths, and views throughout the 60 acre estate. The peonies were in full bloom, as were most of the azaleas. We enjoyed the Enchanted Woods, Pinetum, Azalea Walk, Reflecting Pool, Koi Pond, and many of the historic and impressively large trees (one is 250 years old!). The Enchanted Woods is adorable with little faerie homes, a giant bird nest, bridges inhabited by trolls, and a faerie circle of mushrooms – it is said that if children enter a faerie circle, they may disappear! (sensors produce a mist so the child appears to ‘disappear’ into thin air!). Everywhere you look there appears to be a bench or a perfect place to curl up and enjoy the view, have a picnic, or read a book.
One story I enjoyed in particular was in regards to an old redwood tree on the property. At one point, the tree became diseased and might have died. DuPont – from his love of nature and preservation – decided to save the tree, so he called in an arborist. The arborist devised a plan that is akin to a root canal – he bored out all of the diseased interior of the trunk, flushed the cavity with a light bleach solution, then reinforced the tree with rebar and many tons of cement. The plan (though ridiculously expensive) worked, and the tree is still thriving to this day.
I would highly recommend that you visit Winterthur if you find yourself in Delaware – it is well worth the time and money. A guide suggested that mid-April would be the most beautiful time to visit, when many of the flowering plants will be in full bloom (such as the cherry trees).
Ryan and I just returned from an absolutely adorable wedding in Delaware. One of our very best friends from UWMadison, Dale, married the love of his life, Amy, in Dover. Dale is a geologist studying to get his doctorate in Delaware, and he is such a witty, loyal, generous person that anyone would be lucky to have as a friend. Amy is his perfect match – a sweet, caring, and equally witty sidekick. They are completely wonderful together!
We had never been to Delaware, so it was a fun new adventure for Team Dembro. On our first night, we decided to be adventurous and visit a local seafood restaurant called Shucker’s Pier 13 (isn’t the East Coast known for it’s delicious Frutas del Mar?) I learned about a new seasoning called Old Bay. Listen, don’t make fun of me like our waiter for not knowing about it. We don’t have it in the Midwest! I also made sure I had the Crab Balls and New England Clam Chowder to get the full effect. Yum!
One of my favorite parts about attending Dale and Amy’s wedding was getting to hang out with so any of our friends and family. We met up with Joe and Erin, our besties from undergrad, and Mike and Alicia, Ryan’s cousin and another super fun couple. I haven’t laughed SO HARD in SUCH a long time. I mean laughed so hard I had tears, and I did the ugly hyperventilating laugh. It was so great to catch up!
Erin, Mike, Alicia, Ryan, Kristen, Joe – our best Bradley Cooper Selfie impression
Don’t we clean up nice? I love these people!
We found a lovely local restaurant called Countrie Eatery. It was a quaint country breakfast joint right on the bay. We loved it so much that we ate there for two days in a row!
I will also add that Delaware was not what I was expecting. Dover has some breathtaking historical architecture in some areas, and a laid back ‘big porch with a swing’ country feel in others. We saw sprawling fields and Amish communities tending livestock as well as more urban retail areas – what a mix! And I was pleasantly surprised by the laid back slightly southern drawl of the locals even though Delaware is what we might consider the ‘North.’ I am so glad that Dale has found such a lovely place to make roots and call home. I am heartsick already to realize that he won’t be coming ‘back’ to live (they’d better visit!) but equally excited for Amy and Dale’s new adventure.
Only 3 weeks of school left! We are barely surviving here, and everyone is going CrAzY! Here are the highlights from the week:
1. Assembly – We ended last week with an all-school assembly on Friday. There were basketball games, a choir performance, pom pons, raffles, shoot out competitions, videos, and so much fun! I believe these assemblies are important for so many reasons. They give us opportunities to teach and model appropriate behaviors in new scenarios, they build camaraderie and an all school spirit, a chance to appreciate one another’s talents, and they give students a time of release and a chance to build fond memories of school.
2. Teacher Gifts – There are 2 new teachers in my building that I have grown close to this year. They have been so much fun to work with, and I really appreciate how hard they are working with their students. I made them these teacher gifts – a post it holder. It’s just a plastic frame (about $1) filled with scrapbook paper, then wrapped in a ribbon with some fun embellishments to hold it in place. It’s an inexpensive but fancy looking and thoughtful gift that I hope they’ll like!
3. Art of Writing – You may have seen some of my other blog posts on the Art of Writing conference in Milwaukee. I think this is just such a unique opportunity for so many young authors and artists to be challenged, to network, and to learn a lot about their craft. Well our published book came in last week. My student’s artwork was featured on the inside of the front cover (we were ecstatic!).
4. Ph.D. Books – As I am nearing my defense date, I have been reorganizing my materials and preparing myself mentally for this important milestone. I took inventory of my textbooks I have purchased – wow! That’s a mortgage payment right there! There are books I loved and books I hated. I would say that I have learned the most from the handbooks in the lower left – they are quite expensive, but also a priceless wealth of knowledge. Any books that claim they can help guide you through the Ph.D. process with a smile on your face? Save your money.
This weekend, my sister graduated from dental school. Not just any dental school, but THE best dental school in the nation. I’ve watched in wonder and amazement as she has dedicated every ounce of her being to this endeavor, forgoing sleep to study day and night and become the best possible dentist she can be. She has gone on mission trips to Guatemala, organized local oral cancer benefits, and volunteered in many other dental education opportunities to help keep the community happy and healthy – one tooth and one smile at a time. She has worked so hard for 4 loooooong years, and we are all so proud of her. She is now Dr. Jenn. WOW!
Graduation weekend – yes weekend – was a two day event. It began with a mass and hooding ceremony at the church, followed by a reception at the dental school. The next day was a school wide commencement ceremony, followed by a luncheon at a fancy schmancy hotel. All of the rituals and formalities were really cool and fun to learn about.
After dental school, my sister is continuing on at the Children’s Hospital to do a pediatric oral surgery residency. True to form (and as a teacher, through and through), I put together a pediatric dentistry ‘survival guide’ as her graduation gift. She now has books about oral hygiene, a puppet and tooth brush for demonstrations, a squirt gun to shoot the ‘enemy’ (cavities, pain), temporary tattoos and bandaids, a squishy toy to deflect pain, a personal hand mirror (because watching can be cool, right?), children’s sized schnazzy sunglasses, coloring books and crayons, another stuffed friend for comfort, and various other fun distractions and prizes.
After this long weekend of celebrating, I am truly pooped. A few of my other friends graduated this weekend, too (YEAH Maureen and Lynda!) so I am off to toast them now. I will leave you with these pictures as a window into our fun, family-filled weekend of celebrating my sister’s amazing accomplishments. Here’s to so many more!
Au revoir, Week 35! I have so many highlights to share from this week:
1. Mother’s Day – I know everyone THINKS they have the best mom in the world, but I smile because I KNOW that I do 🙂 We had a lovely Mother’s Day this year – my mom allowed my sister and me to cook the entire meal. It was a great time, and lots of laughs were had by all. We grilled chicken and potatoes, had fruit and spinach salad, cole slaw, and my favorite – dessert! I made a Blueberry Crumble and French Silk Pie. Guys – it was to DIE for. Click for the recipe, and you won’t be upset you did! The Blueberry Crumble was paleo, sweetened only with lemon juice and honey and topped with almond flour and crushed macadamia nuts. Delish!
2. Book Giveaway – So I’ve decided to adopt a fun new tradition in my room based on this great experience I just had. I am currently reading The Maze Runner and enjoying it quite a bit. I decided to tell my students all about the first 3 chapters to get them interested, too. Then, I purchased a second copy of the book and did a raffle for all of my students who have had no late work this quarter. The winner was so excited! She said that she had been wanting to read that book for a while. The message – do anything you can to get kids excited about reading. ANYthing.
3. Countdown – 18 days left. Eighteen! Do you realize that summer is only 4 weeks away?!?! AAAAaaaaaaAAhhhhHH!!!!!!!! BTW, the students are having fun ripping off one more ring each day and watching the countdown shrink.
4. LLI Leveled Literacy Intervention – So I’ve been researching a new literacy intervention for us to use at our school in the fall. Preferably, we would like one that we can use to qualify students for special education referrals as well as one we can use to remediate and get our struggling readers up to grade level. What appealed to me about this LLI model is that it addresses foundational reading skills in addition to comprehension. It includes both fiction and non-fiction texts as well. It seems like a really great fit for our school. It won’t be released until September 30th, and my knowledge is limited only to the comprehensive sampler they shared with me. Do you know much about this model and its use with middle school students? I’d love to hear from you!
5. Gearing up for the Walkathon – Our all school annual walkathon event will take place in two Fridays. To get kids excited (and encourage them to start collecting pledges), the staff all wore our ‘retro’ Walk Shirts from years past. That means I got to wear a t-shirt and jeans each day this week! Such a treat 🙂 For the Walkathon this year, we are donating all of our pledges to the Cancer Treatment Center in Illinois on behalf of our custodian, Joe, who said he had such a wonderful experience there. The money will go to assist families with non-medical expenses. Last year we raised over $5,000, and I do hope we beat that record this year!
We’ve made it through Week 34! (Only 5 to go!). Time for highlights!
1. Testing – My poor students endured 2 rounds of testing this week. To help give them an extra boost, I brought in donuts. I blinked, and the box was empty. Teenagers are huuuuuungry!
2. School Flower Garden – This week our school’s art teacher organized an after school event for tending to our school flower garden. I think the tulips are just such a cheerful greeting at the front of our school. I’ve enjoyed watching them grow every day.
3. Cameras – As part of our Spite Fences unit, I got to teach my students about cameras and how they function. The thing is, they THINK they know everything about cameras. But each year, I am astounded at how silent the class grows when I start taking the camera apart and explaining how the film, shutter, aperture, advance film, and other features actually work. They have no clue. You can almost see the gears in their heads turning as they are soaking up the new knowledge. I look forward to that day every year! What’s neat is that my husband and I have a pretty extensive collection of antique cameras, so I can bring in our old cameras from home like the HOLGA above.
4. Classroom Countdown – Only 23 days left! EEeeekkkK!
5. Weekly Eats – This week I cooked up some more delicious, nutritious, Paleo foods: Poundless Pad Thai, Chocolate Almond Butter Cups, Cheat’n Chow Mein, Buffalo Chicken Salad. You can now officially worry that I am addicted to the almond peanut butter cups. I have a problem, and I don’t want a solution! My favorite meal, by far, was the Buffalo Chicken salad. Mmmm…
Did you know that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week? I smile that we get a whole week 🙂
At school, our principal is treating us to lunch on Wednesday, and the Student Council is treating us to breakfast on Thursday. So sweet!
I also wanted to share with you a few fun ideas about Teacher Appreciation. Are you looking for some fun freebies, deals, and discounts?
Chipotle – In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day, all educators – teacher, faculty, and staff – bring your valid school faculty ID to any Chipotle in the U.S. on Tuesday, May 6th, from 4pm until close and you’ll get schooled with buy one / get one burritos, bowls, salads, or orders of tacos. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED… I’LL BE THERE.
Applebee’s – Want a free dinner or lunch? Teachers eat free during Applebee’s Teacher Appreciation Day. Choose from any one of these select six entrees: Three-Cheese Chicken Penne, Bacon Cheeseburger, Chicken Tenders Platter, Fiesta Lime Chicken, Chicken Fajita Rollup, Oriental Chicken Salad. I don’t know how I’m going to eat Applebee’s AND Chipotle in one day, but rest assured I will figure this one out…
Discounts – By the way, did you know you can get a teacher discount at the following stores? Just show them your staff ID, or bring in a recent pay stub. Fantastic! * The Limited * J. Crew * Ann Taylor * Loft * Banana Republic * New York & Company * Coldwater Creek * J. Jill * Talbots * Christopher & Banks * Aerosole Shoes
Sale – And now, my favorite sale of all – a Teachers Pay Teachers site-wide sale! Head on over to TpT on May 6th and 7th, and you won’t regret it. This is simply the BEST time to stock up on lesson plans and items for your classroom. If you are like me, you have a wish list a mile long that you’d like to clean up. You’ve also planned out the rest of this school year, and you are already looking forward to the fall. It’s a great time to make a purchase! TpT is offering 10% off site-wide, and I’m also throwing a sale on everything in my store for 20% off. For you math whizzes, that’s a total of 28% off everything in my store. Just use the coupon code above at check out!
Gifts – Do you have a special teacher or colleague in your life that you would like to give a gift to for Teacher Appreciation week? Below is a collection of some of my favorite teacher appreciation gifts (click on the pictures to go to the original webpage).
And of course, any heartfelt idea or even a gift card is always so appreciated. My favorite gifts from students have been sweet notes or letters that I hang up on the wall behind my desk. I’ve also been so appreciative of gift cards, which force me to treat myself to something nice like a coffee or something I wouldn’t have otherwise justified purchasing.
But honestly? I really don’t need or expect gifts or lunches or anything – a simple ‘thank you’ once in a while goes a looooooooong way. Former students visit me and tell me how they are working really hard at high school, and this is the BEST feeling of all. Material things come and go, but the feeling that we have worked hard and made a lasting impact is a bright light that can never be put out.
Take some time to thank an educator in your life that has made a difference!
Week 33 is O-V-E-R! I lived to tell the tale and share some highlights:
1. Spite Fences – Just before Spring Break, we began reading Spite Fences, our final unit and novel of the year (Here is a link to our novel study unit). It is about a 14-year-old girl named Maggie living in Georgia during the Civil Rights movement. She is given a camera as a gift, and she begins to see the world around her with new eyes. I love teaching this unit every year, and I know my students learn a lot and enjoy reading it. We’re up to Chapter 7 as of today.
2. Audio books – I am so thankful for our iPads every single day. We are such a lucky district! The iPads have allowed us to share the audiobook version of Spite Fences with some students who really benefit from this extra level of support. I’m seeing so much more engagement and higher levels of comprehension this year with that modification in place. (Note: Only 8 of my 90 students receive this modification)
3. Countdown – With Spring Break behind us, it’s officially time to start the end-of-the-year countdown (29 days left, but who’s counting?!) Some teachers would caution against this. They would say that it encourages students to start slacking too soon as they dream about summer. On the contrary, I use it as a motivational tool. I have already planned all of our lessons through the end of the year, and I’ve shared every single assignment with my students via email already. They know exactly what they have to do before June 12th – and it’s a lot. Each day as we remove a ring, I remind them that we have X days left to finish our work, to cultivate good habits, and to end the year on a high note. We have grit, we have stamina, and we work right up until the bitter end. We don’t coast to the finish line!
4. Doggy Bath– Would you please look at these pathetic dogs. Just look! Don’t feel sorry for them. Their lives are filled with walks and belly rubs and treats and snuggles. Such ninnies.
5. Weekly Eats – I batch-cook all of our food for the week on Sundays. Though it’s a lot of work, I really look forward to it. It’s a time where I can think and center myself. Plus… food – ya know? Well this past week I made Almond Butter Cups, Dairy-Free Lasagna (I used homemade macadamia nut cheese), Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Bars, my Egg Muffins, and Green Sliders. My husband and I could’t get enough of the lasagna or the green sliders – have to make those again soon!
So how was your week? Can you believe it’s already May!?
I’m back from our staycation! It was one of the most fun and relaxing Spring Breaks that I can remember. If you’ve ever wanted to have a fun, affordable, and relaxing staycation, I’ve got some tips and ideas for you!
Tip #1: Start out with a plan. My husband and I made a post-it wall of ideas that we could try over our break. No ideas are bad ideas!
Tip #2: Prioritize. If you’re like us, you will have a tendency to be overly ambitious. You can’t do it all. Rearrange the post-its from most to least important to you
Tip #3: Don’t overcommit or overbook yourself. We do that. We have one week and hundreds of friends and we want to see them all! Remember that your friends will be there next week. We decided to visit with out-of-town friends and friends we haven’t seen in a long time during our staycation.
Tip #4: Plan some down time. We had ‘big plans’ days, and we also needed some ‘down time’ days in-between. ‘Go-go-go’ isn’t relaxing or productive. I suggest alternating out-of-town days with in-town days.
Tip #5: Set a budget. Most of our ideas were practically free (i.e. take the dogs to the park), and some of our ideas were kinda expensive (i.e. spend the day in Chicago).
Tip #6: Don’t plan anything for your last day of staycation. You’ll want to wind down.
Tip #7: If it isn’t fun, DON’T DO IT!
So here are some highlights from our Team Dembro staycation. At the end, I’ll also give you a list of our ideas (of which we did about half!)
Madison – Ryan and I are both UWMadison Alumni. We got engaged at the Humanities Building 🙂 We decided to visit Madison for the day (about a 1.5 hour drive from home). On the day we visited, they were putting out the terrace chairs at the Memorial Union for the summer – a BIG event on campus! We walked up and down State Street, and I got to visit my favorite shop, Art Gecko. We also purchased some much needed Badger Gear at the University Bookstore. Then, we had a lovely dinner at the Old Fashioned and got to catch up with our besties Joe and Erin (also UWAlumni, and our friends for over a decade!). It was a lovely day filled with happy memories.
Family – I spent Easter visiting with family. We started the day at Ryan’s mother’s house, and ended the day at my mother’s house for dinner. Above is my sister, Jenn, my brother, Stephen, and me. We had lots of great food and laughs! I love that my family all lives so close – we’re only about 45 minutes away from each other.
Divergent – Ryan and I FINALLY got to see the movie that has been on my calendar for MONTHS! I enjoyed it very much. I couldn’t help comparing it to Hunger Games, though, and thinking that I enjoyed HG more. But I definitely am psyched for Insurgent to come out! Who doesn’t love a saga?!
Down time – So after ‘go-go-go’ for a couple of days, we also needed some down time. Here are Ruffy and Rocket spooning. They are totally tuckered out after spending a day at Grandma’s house and my sister’s house! Too cute!
Museum of Science and Industry – Ryan and I headed down to Chicago for the day, about a 1.5 hour drive away. If you haven’t ever been to the Museum of Science and Industry, you are missing OUT! Don’t be afraid to NERD OUT! It was a good time. You know how most museums have a ‘look but don’t touch’ policy? Not this one! They want you to touch everything. It’s all interactive! There is a room where you can learn about storms and weather, which was my favorite. We also went on an elevator to the center of the earth to tour a coal mine, and then we got to go in an actual German U-Boat captured during WWII. They have a scale model of downtown Chicago, a Whispering Room, the history of Aviation and Bicycles, and so much to explore that you’ll wish you had a whole week!
Babysitting – We also spent some time catching up with our little niece (age 6) and nephew (age 3). We played real-life Angry Birds (this involved building towers and smashing them to smithereens, watercolor painting, and making window art (as seen above). We watched Phineas and Ferb, read bedtime stories, and that’s all folks.
Dog Walk – The boys loved having us home for the week. They got lots of exercise and activity. Zoooooooom!
Zoo – A visit to the zoo is in order during a staycation! I saw every single animal, but penguins are one of my all time favorites. And sea otters. They just have so much fun!
Food– Last but not least, FOOD. Most of our plans had to do with food. On the left is a bacon burger with an egg and avocado, yum! We also went out for froyo, made lasagna and root beer floats, got sushi, and grilled out. It’s nice to give yourself a break from cooking, too!
I won’t lie, we also did some important things this week. I worked on my dissertation, graded some papers, and cleaned the house. We picked out carpet and paint for the upstairs, which we are remodeling. There’s also laundry, grocery shopping, and paying bills. I know it’s a staycation, but life does move on. It’s just nice to not be in the ole’ routine and to have the flexibility to have some fun at home!
So here were our ideas for staycationing. We only got to about half of them. Let me know if you have any new ideas to add to the list for our next adventure!
1. See a movie
2. Go bowling
3. Visit Madison / Chicago / Door County
4. Go hiking
5. Bike ride
6. Plant some herbs and flowers
7. Rent scooters
8. Take the dogs to the park
9. Donate time / food / items to the Humane Society
10. Grill out
11. Make root beer floats
12. Get froyo
13. Dress up and go out for an expensive, fancy-schmancy dinner
14. Visit friends
15. Buy plane tickets / plan a vacation
16. Fly a kite
17. Paint a room in the house
18. Babysit
19. Go to the mall
20. Binge watch a new TV series
21. Visit the zoo
22. Visit a museum
Week 31 is ooooooover! Enjoy the highlights below!
1. Flipped Classroom – This week, I discovered the joy of Discovery Streaming and the Flipped Classroom. Did you know that you can use Discovery Education to create a clipboard of video clips? We are starting to read a new novel, Spite Fences, and in preparation, I wanted students to explore the time period and Civil Rights. My partner and I created a clipboard of about 10 videos to watch, with accompanying instructions for each video. So instead of ‘sit and get’ where we watch a documentary together and answer review questions, the students are on their own to investigate and teach themselves about the important topics at their own pace. Then, the next day, they use this information to create an Eyewitness Story (see #2 below). They were highly engaged, and – thanks to earbuds – you could have heard a pin drop!
2. Eyewitness Account – After viewing the videos and taking notes, the students were then asked to write an eyewitness account of a Civil Rights event. They had to chose an event, then become a person at that event, describing it in first person. They had some very creative ideas. I believe this is an excellent way to encourage engagement and creative writing that is also content based. Taking on perspectives is also a Common Core aligned activity. It was certainly a hit, and I was very proud of my students’ writing!
3. Social Frames – Another way I wanted my students to prepare for our upcoming Spite Fences unit was to investigate the influence of social frames on our society. We learned about gender roles – comparing and contrasting the 1950s and today. We also compared and contrasted interracial relationships and the role of race in identify as it has evolved from the 1950s to today. We could have spent a week, no a month, no a whole semester on this topic, but we only had a day. It was a very rich discussion, and I’m glad we had it. It will really set up students for understanding the themes of the novel.
4. Spring has Sprung! Have you seen the evidence that Spring is definitely here? The weather has been gorgeous in Wisconsin – 50 degrees, sunny, and oh so welcomed!
5. More Healthy Eats – I continue to keep my New Year’s Resolution and cook healthy paleo foods for us to eat every week. This week’s marathon cooking day included: Banana Pancakes, Kielbasa, Zucchini Pancakes, Dark Chocolate Cake Brownies, Spaghetti Sauce, Strawberry Banana Kiwi Popsicles, and Bacon Carbonara ‘Pasta’. I’ve also been juicing every morning. Our favorite combinations are 1) sweet potato, carrot, and lemon or lime 2) honeydew with apple and carrots 3) apple, pear, cucumber
One thing I learned, for instance, is that lavender is the color of mourning. This is why the women of Downton don lavender gowns to George’s christening, since Lady Sybil has recently passed. I also learned that women were required to wear corsets at all times (no big shocker there) except between the hours of 5pm and 7pm after a long day of outdoor sporting activities. She would have to endure the corset again for supper, but it’s nice to know ladies were granted a brief reprieve.
