My March Favorites

I will be totally honest with you all and admit that for the first days of March I had a serious case of the grumps - I was over cold weather, over snow, and over teaching nothing but test prep. Slowly but surely, though, the skies are opening up - here are the things keeping me sane this month!

1. Fleetwood Mac - Since my parents were a bit older than most of my friends', I grew up on 60's and 70's music. I abandoned the classics for a while and go through pop, country, rock, and even rap phases every now and then, but in the past few years I've fallen back in love with Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. This past weekend, my cousins (who were basically raised by my parents in the 70's) and I traveled to Charlottesville to see the On With The Show tour. Despite a few traffic-related headaches, it was everything we'd hoped for and more - top hats, tambourines and all.

2. St. Patrick's Day - I know that for most people St. Patrick's Day is a fairly minor holiday, but having studied abroad in Ireland and being married into an Irish-American family, I absolutely love it. My department celebrated today by doing a game show style team activity with rainbow and green-themed challenges and prizes. 

3. Once Upon a Time - We had a lot of snow days this year, and when I had run out of papers to grade, new books to read, and shows recorded on the DVR, I turned to Netflix. I'm not sure why I hadn't watched Once Upon a Time until now - maybe it was because the idea of a Disney show for adults weirded me out, or the commercials made it look silly. Well, I've always loved a good fractured fairy tale and Once is about as fractured as it gets - each episode goes back and forth between the characters' new, cursed lives in our world (the World Without Magic), and their old lives in magical settings like the Enchanted Forest, Wonderland, or Neverland. It's very tongue-in-cheek and funny, but also as dramatic as an episode of Nashville.

4. Antiquing - When my mom and I need some mother-daughter time but aren't sure what to do, a trip to one of the many local antique malls is always a good answer. We can spend hours browsing through nifty old things without spending a dollar - but when I do spot a deal on an antique camera, Pyrex dishes, or a blue Mason jar, I'm all in!

5. Hygge - This winter, a Dutch concept became my saving grace. I read about hygge on Yes & Yes and fell in love with the idea of creating purposeful coziness and warmth every day. My instant hygge-makers are throw blankets (I have a striped one from West Elm that I love) and candles.

What are you loving this March?