My reasons for not blogging summed up:
I sit down to do a quick blog check and hear too much silence in the next room. Hmmm. Silence and a two-year old just don't go hand in hand. Yes, my friends, my son found my deodorant and was licking it and digging his nose in it. Only in America would you find ku ku coco butter deodorant, but only in my house would you find children eating it.
To provide a brief overview of what's going on now...
I'm in Texas with the kids. Raoul's coming over for a visit next week. There's so much more to tell, but I'd better not blog too long, or I will find my pomegranate shower gel devoured.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fun in Bollengo
Okay, so I never got back to writing after Phoebe waking up while writing my last post. Since writing it, the weather warmed up again, and I took off for Bollengo, in the province of Turin. I ended up leaving on a Saturday afternoon and driving to Bologna (about an hour north of Florence). Raoul met me there that evening so that we could get to see some of the city before driving to Bollengo on Sunday afternoon together. While there was quite a lot to see in Bologna, Bollengo did not have so much to offer in the way of sightseeing; it's a small country town that was perfect for me and two little ones. There were puppies, ducks, geese, cats and kittens, etc... and my only stress for 10 days was trying to make sure Henry did not step in their poop. It was simply wonderful. Raoul was working at the director's villa just up the way, which
had a huge vineyard and garden with hundreds of fig, apple, and peach trees, and all of this outdoor space meant that we could be near the set without the risk of breaking anything or making too much noise.
Unfortunately my camera broke just before heading out the door; so, we were limited to Raoul's cell phone with small memory for taking pics. Here are a few:
In Bologna it was "Art in Piazza" day. Everybody was out with their kids, whose paintings will be displayed around the city.
Henry and the animals
A proud moment for Henry
Phoebe turned 4 months old!
The cast and crew
Okay, so I never got back to writing after Phoebe waking up while writing my last post. Since writing it, the weather warmed up again, and I took off for Bollengo, in the province of Turin. I ended up leaving on a Saturday afternoon and driving to Bologna (about an hour north of Florence). Raoul met me there that evening so that we could get to see some of the city before driving to Bollengo on Sunday afternoon together. While there was quite a lot to see in Bologna, Bollengo did not have so much to offer in the way of sightseeing; it's a small country town that was perfect for me and two little ones. There were puppies, ducks, geese, cats and kittens, etc... and my only stress for 10 days was trying to make sure Henry did not step in their poop. It was simply wonderful. Raoul was working at the director's villa just up the way, which
had a huge vineyard and garden with hundreds of fig, apple, and peach trees, and all of this outdoor space meant that we could be near the set without the risk of breaking anything or making too much noise.
Unfortunately my camera broke just before heading out the door; so, we were limited to Raoul's cell phone with small memory for taking pics. Here are a few:
In Bologna it was "Art in Piazza" day. Everybody was out with their kids, whose paintings will be displayed around the city.
Henry and the animals
A proud moment for Henry
Phoebe turned 4 months old!
The cast and crew
Thursday, September 25, 2008
BLAH
Summer's gone. Here it already feels like winter, and that just makes me feel blah.
Okay, so both kids are down for naps right now; I have the tile guy coming (or so he says) in a few minutes, and I want to give you a quick life summary before the kids wake up and/or I have to go and supervise the tile guy (and act like I really know what he's doing). So here goes:
I'm half-way through my month alone with the kids. It's been, well, challenging. Raoul's in Turin shooting a film. We're supposed to go up and meet him, but our car is having some problems that I want to make sure are fixed before driving 8 hours with two little ones. Since neither child is a great car traveller (if you have a child who always sleeps in the car or sits quietly, count yourself very lucky), I am hoping to make it out on Friday night/extremely early Saturday morning (i.e. 3 a.m.). This way the kids really should sleep most of the way, and I can have a chance to listen to the presidential debates (if they take place) in peace (so I hope...should never speak too soon).
Phoebe's woken up....will write more later.
Summer's gone. Here it already feels like winter, and that just makes me feel blah.
Okay, so both kids are down for naps right now; I have the tile guy coming (or so he says) in a few minutes, and I want to give you a quick life summary before the kids wake up and/or I have to go and supervise the tile guy (and act like I really know what he's doing). So here goes:
I'm half-way through my month alone with the kids. It's been, well, challenging. Raoul's in Turin shooting a film. We're supposed to go up and meet him, but our car is having some problems that I want to make sure are fixed before driving 8 hours with two little ones. Since neither child is a great car traveller (if you have a child who always sleeps in the car or sits quietly, count yourself very lucky), I am hoping to make it out on Friday night/extremely early Saturday morning (i.e. 3 a.m.). This way the kids really should sleep most of the way, and I can have a chance to listen to the presidential debates (if they take place) in peace (so I hope...should never speak too soon).
Phoebe's woken up....will write more later.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Micah's 10!
My nephew, Micah, is now 10 years old. Is this really possible?
Being an aunt is one of the greatest things ever. I will never forget how Micah would run to me as a toddler, laughing and smiling, as I called out his name. I will never forget holding him in the hospital after he was just born and being so overwhelmed with emotion. I love the joy the fills up in my heart at the thought of getting to see both of my nephews when I am sitting on the airplane or in the car knowing that after our long separation, we will be together again. And I hate the feeling of saying "good-bye" to them when I get back in that car or on that airplane because I know that I will miss them so much.
It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed and even harder to think about him being 20 in 10 more years. One of the greatest ups of the past 10 years has been having the privilege of being an aunt. Happy Birthday, Micah!
My nephew, Micah, is now 10 years old. Is this really possible?
Being an aunt is one of the greatest things ever. I will never forget how Micah would run to me as a toddler, laughing and smiling, as I called out his name. I will never forget holding him in the hospital after he was just born and being so overwhelmed with emotion. I love the joy the fills up in my heart at the thought of getting to see both of my nephews when I am sitting on the airplane or in the car knowing that after our long separation, we will be together again. And I hate the feeling of saying "good-bye" to them when I get back in that car or on that airplane because I know that I will miss them so much.
It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed and even harder to think about him being 20 in 10 more years. One of the greatest ups of the past 10 years has been having the privilege of being an aunt. Happy Birthday, Micah!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Nonna Jole
My husband's grandmother, Jole, turned 80 yesterday. We have been lucky to have her as our guest for the past month. She has given us a hand with the kids and with the cooking (she is an excellent cook), and I have gotten a chance to really get to know her better and hear the wonderful stories of her very interesting life.
Jole is one of seven children. With her mother being widowed at a young age, the kids were sent to work when they were really little to support the family. Jole began working for a wig maker and went collecting people's hair that they wished to sell for cash. She learned how to make wigs and style hair, and this led her to a very full and interesting career in the Italian (really international) film industry as a hair designer. She has seen the lows of a country at war and the highs of the best era of Italian cinema (which sadly has never come back to life).
In the picture you see above, she is with all of her great grandchildren. Because I don't have any grandparents that are still alive, I really treasure the time that we have all had with her.
My husband's grandmother, Jole, turned 80 yesterday. We have been lucky to have her as our guest for the past month. She has given us a hand with the kids and with the cooking (she is an excellent cook), and I have gotten a chance to really get to know her better and hear the wonderful stories of her very interesting life.
Jole is one of seven children. With her mother being widowed at a young age, the kids were sent to work when they were really little to support the family. Jole began working for a wig maker and went collecting people's hair that they wished to sell for cash. She learned how to make wigs and style hair, and this led her to a very full and interesting career in the Italian (really international) film industry as a hair designer. She has seen the lows of a country at war and the highs of the best era of Italian cinema (which sadly has never come back to life).
In the picture you see above, she is with all of her great grandchildren. Because I don't have any grandparents that are still alive, I really treasure the time that we have all had with her.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Dio La Benedica
Phoebe is now two months old (deep sigh). The time with her seems to be passing much faster than it did with Henry...perhaps because she is a calmer baby; perhaps because with two, I haven't had so much time to just sit and stare at her.
Phoebe, as you can probably tell from the pictures, is a chunk. It's funny because here in small-town Italy, it's really considered super fantastic if babies are fat. I cannot walk ten steps without someone coming up to me and grabbing a roll of fat on her arm and leg and saying, "Dio la benedica" (God bless her). Then they ask me, "Latte suo?" (Your milk?) and when I say that it's all from me, they exclaim "Oh! Signora!", and then seem like they get teary from the emotion. It's almost as if I have reached the level of respect that the Virgin Mary gets in this very Catholic country.
What's kind of sad is that with Henry, I did everything the same. I nursed him. He was not a small baby, but he was not fat either. Nobody ever said "Dio lo benedica" or praised me for my milk capacity. I feel kind of sorry for him...also because everybody praises me and Phoebe right in front of him. Let's just say it doesn't really help with the issues of jealousy for the new addition to the family.
Since I am nursing yet again, I would like to announce the return of nursing poetry. It's not the work of Keats or Dickenson, but hopefully it will bring a few smiles.
Phoebe is now two months old (deep sigh). The time with her seems to be passing much faster than it did with Henry...perhaps because she is a calmer baby; perhaps because with two, I haven't had so much time to just sit and stare at her.
Phoebe, as you can probably tell from the pictures, is a chunk. It's funny because here in small-town Italy, it's really considered super fantastic if babies are fat. I cannot walk ten steps without someone coming up to me and grabbing a roll of fat on her arm and leg and saying, "Dio la benedica" (God bless her). Then they ask me, "Latte suo?" (Your milk?) and when I say that it's all from me, they exclaim "Oh! Signora!", and then seem like they get teary from the emotion. It's almost as if I have reached the level of respect that the Virgin Mary gets in this very Catholic country.
What's kind of sad is that with Henry, I did everything the same. I nursed him. He was not a small baby, but he was not fat either. Nobody ever said "Dio lo benedica" or praised me for my milk capacity. I feel kind of sorry for him...also because everybody praises me and Phoebe right in front of him. Let's just say it doesn't really help with the issues of jealousy for the new addition to the family.
Since I am nursing yet again, I would like to announce the return of nursing poetry. It's not the work of Keats or Dickenson, but hopefully it will bring a few smiles.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Ode to Rosa
Several weeks ago, we picked up a lady hitchhiking to get to the next town. As unsafe as this practice may seem to those reading in the good ole' USA, it is not uncommon and not usually risky to do so here. Bus service between towns is rather infrequent; so, if you miss your bus you may end up having to wait 2-3 hours just to go a few miles away.
This particular Sunday afternoon, there was a lady with incredibly wiry brownish gray hair looking for a ride. We stopped. My mom, who had just arrived from the US, turned around to look at me as if Raoul and I were crazy. I assured her that everything would be fine. The woman got into the car on the backseat with me and Henry between us. She wanted to go to Carbongnano; we were only going to Caprarola (about 5 miles from our town), but it would still be a step closer to home, and she accepted and smiled. She had no front teeth, neither on top or bottom.
There are many times when you pick up somebody that there is just a peaceful silence that fills the car, but with our new friend, this was not the case. She began to say that her town, Carbognano, was much better than Caprarola because there were less "extracommunitarie" there. "Extracommunitarie" is the Italian word referring to anybody who does not come from a country pertaining to the European Union; the 'e' ending on this word means females not coming from the EU, a group to which I belong. Now, many people do not even think of Americans as "extracommunitari"; we are too rich of a nation. What is usually being referred to when somebody uses this word with such a derogatory tone is somebody coming from Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa. Since many people confuse my appearance with that of an Eastern European, I felt that I needed to start speaking with a strong American accent to save myself from being killed and so that my poor child sitting between us would not be the victim of her flying hands becoming incredibly lively in the conversation. As the story unfolded, we discovered that our poor car-mate had been left by her husband for a Moroccan lady that was hired to help out in her house. Before that he was having an affair with a Romanian girl. All happened a short time ago, and she was still moving all of her things to her new home in the extracommunitarie-free town.
After spilling out the story of her past, she began to talk about her future. She felt that eventually she would find love again, this time with a man who is "buono". I was really taken by her optimism. As we drove into Caprarola, she asked to be left on the corner of the main street and said that she would try to then find another ride from there. She gave me a hug, wished me luck, and said her name was Rosa.
Rosa has stuck in my mind ever since. We drove to Caprarola again this evening, and I searched for her alongside the road. I wish her a lot of luck in her pursuit of finding love again and starting her life over... and hope that her teeth (or lack of them) won't get in the way.
Several weeks ago, we picked up a lady hitchhiking to get to the next town. As unsafe as this practice may seem to those reading in the good ole' USA, it is not uncommon and not usually risky to do so here. Bus service between towns is rather infrequent; so, if you miss your bus you may end up having to wait 2-3 hours just to go a few miles away.
This particular Sunday afternoon, there was a lady with incredibly wiry brownish gray hair looking for a ride. We stopped. My mom, who had just arrived from the US, turned around to look at me as if Raoul and I were crazy. I assured her that everything would be fine. The woman got into the car on the backseat with me and Henry between us. She wanted to go to Carbongnano; we were only going to Caprarola (about 5 miles from our town), but it would still be a step closer to home, and she accepted and smiled. She had no front teeth, neither on top or bottom.
There are many times when you pick up somebody that there is just a peaceful silence that fills the car, but with our new friend, this was not the case. She began to say that her town, Carbognano, was much better than Caprarola because there were less "extracommunitarie" there. "Extracommunitarie" is the Italian word referring to anybody who does not come from a country pertaining to the European Union; the 'e' ending on this word means females not coming from the EU, a group to which I belong. Now, many people do not even think of Americans as "extracommunitari"; we are too rich of a nation. What is usually being referred to when somebody uses this word with such a derogatory tone is somebody coming from Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa. Since many people confuse my appearance with that of an Eastern European, I felt that I needed to start speaking with a strong American accent to save myself from being killed and so that my poor child sitting between us would not be the victim of her flying hands becoming incredibly lively in the conversation. As the story unfolded, we discovered that our poor car-mate had been left by her husband for a Moroccan lady that was hired to help out in her house. Before that he was having an affair with a Romanian girl. All happened a short time ago, and she was still moving all of her things to her new home in the extracommunitarie-free town.
After spilling out the story of her past, she began to talk about her future. She felt that eventually she would find love again, this time with a man who is "buono". I was really taken by her optimism. As we drove into Caprarola, she asked to be left on the corner of the main street and said that she would try to then find another ride from there. She gave me a hug, wished me luck, and said her name was Rosa.
Rosa has stuck in my mind ever since. We drove to Caprarola again this evening, and I searched for her alongside the road. I wish her a lot of luck in her pursuit of finding love again and starting her life over... and hope that her teeth (or lack of them) won't get in the way.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
So Very Ready
After the pain I went through in labor the first time around with Henry, I really cannot believe that I am putting the following phrase into writing: I am ready to get this baby out of me.
My blogger friends, I am huge. As I walk down the street, people look at me in amazement. I continue to get comments like, "Are you sure there's only one baby in there?", and then I get paranoid and have bad dreams of giving birth to 20 little hidden babies that never showed up on the ultrasounds. Notice this girl in the picture looking at me as I walk past her. Imagine getting that look more than 20 times per day.
And here I am from the side, eating a gelato. Yes, I realize that I have exceeded my kilo allowance for this pregnancy and the gelato isn't helping my size, but it's Italy and it's spring; so I am going to eat and enjoy my gelato!
After the pain I went through in labor the first time around with Henry, I really cannot believe that I am putting the following phrase into writing: I am ready to get this baby out of me.
My blogger friends, I am huge. As I walk down the street, people look at me in amazement. I continue to get comments like, "Are you sure there's only one baby in there?", and then I get paranoid and have bad dreams of giving birth to 20 little hidden babies that never showed up on the ultrasounds. Notice this girl in the picture looking at me as I walk past her. Imagine getting that look more than 20 times per day.
And here I am from the side, eating a gelato. Yes, I realize that I have exceeded my kilo allowance for this pregnancy and the gelato isn't helping my size, but it's Italy and it's spring; so I am going to eat and enjoy my gelato!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Ahhh Spring
Today in Italy we are celebrating Mayday. It is perhaps one of my favorite days because, after Mayday, you rarely have a return of the cold, winter weather which I dislike so much. Almost everybody is outside having picnics, and the traditional snack is fava beans with pecorino cheese. With the memory of the film, "Silence of the Lambs", I remember that it was kind of difficult for me to eat fava beans on my first Italian Mayday six years ago. That compounded with the fact that I was told that some people are very allergic to fava beans and as soon as they eat one may die. So, I took a little nibble hoping that my throat would not swell up and that I could get Hannibal Lecter out of my head. I have actually become quite fond of the Italian Mayday tradition even though this year I can't eat the fava beans (there's risk that the baby could be allergic) and am technically on bed rest so I can't go to the park. Still the weather's beautiful, the windows are open, the trees and flowers are blooming...I love spring!
Today in Italy we are celebrating Mayday. It is perhaps one of my favorite days because, after Mayday, you rarely have a return of the cold, winter weather which I dislike so much. Almost everybody is outside having picnics, and the traditional snack is fava beans with pecorino cheese. With the memory of the film, "Silence of the Lambs", I remember that it was kind of difficult for me to eat fava beans on my first Italian Mayday six years ago. That compounded with the fact that I was told that some people are very allergic to fava beans and as soon as they eat one may die. So, I took a little nibble hoping that my throat would not swell up and that I could get Hannibal Lecter out of my head. I have actually become quite fond of the Italian Mayday tradition even though this year I can't eat the fava beans (there's risk that the baby could be allergic) and am technically on bed rest so I can't go to the park. Still the weather's beautiful, the windows are open, the trees and flowers are blooming...I love spring!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Revisiting the Christmas Holidays
I started a blog entry at the end of the Christmas holidays but never had a chance to finish it. Since we have another holiday this week, April 25th, I thought now would be a good time to describe how the Christmas holidays are celebrated in Italy.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Christmas Eve is only the beginning of the gastronomical pleasure/torture that will follow over the next few days. On Christmas Eve, families/friends gather around 8:00 p.m. Tradition dictates that the meal should be without meat and is thus usually has a seafood theme. Mixed appetizers, pasta with clams, fried seafood mix, baked fish with potatoes, salad and a variety of vegetables made up this year's menu. It takes a while to get through all of this food. After dinner, out come the roasted chestnuts, Christmas cakes, cookies, and chocolate that you munch on throughout the evening while chatting and playing cards and bingo. Christmas presents are usually opened at midnight. Afterwards, the bingo continues until the early hours of the morning...
Christmas morning is usually spent waking up late, and then you have lunch: this time a variety of appetizers (cheese, fried veggies, salami, prosciutto, etc.), broth with tortellini, one other type of pasta (lasagna or ravioli), meat and a variety of vegetables, all followed by the Christmas cakes and more chocolate. If you can move after this afternoon, you are doing well.
It doesn't stop there: the 26th of December is also a holiday, St. Stephen's Day. Again, there is another huge lunch. This year, we celebrated with friends where we had a spinach and cheese appetizer, crepes with cheese and vegetables, polenta with sausage and tomato sauce, stuffed cabbage, tons of side dishes, more cakes and chocolate.
Then you have a few days to recover until December 31st and January 1st...
New Year's Eve: Yet again, there is a huge dinner. Everybody goes a little crazy with the fireworks.
New Year's Day: A huge lunch proceeded by a long nap while your body tries to process and deal with the incredible amount of calories consumed over the past week.
And if that isn't enough, there is still one more holiday left: The Epiphany "La Befana" on January 6th. Up until a few decades ago, Santa Claus was not the main figure of the Christmas holidays. In Italy it was the "Befana", a witch-looking woman who brings children stockings full of toys and candy (if they are good) or of coal and garlic (if they are bad).
A little Befana poetry:
(Italian)
La Befana vien di notte
con le scarpe tutte rotte
col vestito alla "romana"
viva viva la Befana !!
Porta cenere e carboni
ai bambini cattivoni
ai bambini belli e buoni
porta chicchi e tanti doni !
(English)
The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all tattered and torn
With a Roman-style dress
Long live the Befana !!
She brings ashes and coal
To bad children
To the nice, good child
She brings candy and many gifts!
Need I add that there is another big lunch on January 6th? And you also have all of the candy that the Befana left to munch on.
I started a blog entry at the end of the Christmas holidays but never had a chance to finish it. Since we have another holiday this week, April 25th, I thought now would be a good time to describe how the Christmas holidays are celebrated in Italy.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Christmas Eve is only the beginning of the gastronomical pleasure/torture that will follow over the next few days. On Christmas Eve, families/friends gather around 8:00 p.m. Tradition dictates that the meal should be without meat and is thus usually has a seafood theme. Mixed appetizers, pasta with clams, fried seafood mix, baked fish with potatoes, salad and a variety of vegetables made up this year's menu. It takes a while to get through all of this food. After dinner, out come the roasted chestnuts, Christmas cakes, cookies, and chocolate that you munch on throughout the evening while chatting and playing cards and bingo. Christmas presents are usually opened at midnight. Afterwards, the bingo continues until the early hours of the morning...
Christmas morning is usually spent waking up late, and then you have lunch: this time a variety of appetizers (cheese, fried veggies, salami, prosciutto, etc.), broth with tortellini, one other type of pasta (lasagna or ravioli), meat and a variety of vegetables, all followed by the Christmas cakes and more chocolate. If you can move after this afternoon, you are doing well.
It doesn't stop there: the 26th of December is also a holiday, St. Stephen's Day. Again, there is another huge lunch. This year, we celebrated with friends where we had a spinach and cheese appetizer, crepes with cheese and vegetables, polenta with sausage and tomato sauce, stuffed cabbage, tons of side dishes, more cakes and chocolate.
Then you have a few days to recover until December 31st and January 1st...
New Year's Eve: Yet again, there is a huge dinner. Everybody goes a little crazy with the fireworks.
New Year's Day: A huge lunch proceeded by a long nap while your body tries to process and deal with the incredible amount of calories consumed over the past week.
And if that isn't enough, there is still one more holiday left: The Epiphany "La Befana" on January 6th. Up until a few decades ago, Santa Claus was not the main figure of the Christmas holidays. In Italy it was the "Befana", a witch-looking woman who brings children stockings full of toys and candy (if they are good) or of coal and garlic (if they are bad).
A little Befana poetry:
(Italian)
La Befana vien di notte
con le scarpe tutte rotte
col vestito alla "romana"
viva viva la Befana !!
Porta cenere e carboni
ai bambini cattivoni
ai bambini belli e buoni
porta chicchi e tanti doni !
(English)
The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all tattered and torn
With a Roman-style dress
Long live the Befana !!
She brings ashes and coal
To bad children
To the nice, good child
She brings candy and many gifts!
Need I add that there is another big lunch on January 6th? And you also have all of the candy that the Befana left to munch on.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
HELP!!! RONCIGLIONE IS BEING INVADED BY NAKED PEOPLE WITH A LOT OF HAIR !!!
I was taking Henry out to the park the other day and ran across the entire display of naked people. It made me laugh.
As for everything else:
I have been put on bed rest because it seems that my little girl would like to make her debut a little too early. The good thing about this is that it has allowed me to officially go on maternity leave from work so I have a little more time for blogging. I still can't quite manage "complete rest" with a very active 19-month old boy around.
Today is the first of two days of elections here in Italy. From 2001 until 2006, the Prime Minister of Italy was Silvio Berlusconi (also the richest man in Italy). He was defeated in May 2006 by Romano Prodi. The Prodi government collapsed several months ago, and it was decided to have the elections again, reintroducing Silvio Berlusconi as the right-wing candidate and Walter Veltroni (the former mayor of Rome) as the left-wing candidate. Apart from looking like a walking and talking embalmed person, Berlusconi has some great (sarcastic tone) solutions to the problems of this country. One that I especially thought was intelligent was when a student was speaking to him about her financial difficulties, he advised her to marry a millionaire. And yet it looks like the Italian people may very well vote this guy back...at least Italy still has good food.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Going back on promises...
I am kind of feeling like a politician. I had promised to be a better blogger, and I have not followed through with my promise. I have several drafts of various entries from the past few months to finish up (one about the beloved Befana from January) that I will post in the next few days. For those of you who still come to my blog, thank you for doing so. I will try to be better about giving you something to read.
I am kind of feeling like a politician. I had promised to be a better blogger, and I have not followed through with my promise. I have several drafts of various entries from the past few months to finish up (one about the beloved Befana from January) that I will post in the next few days. For those of you who still come to my blog, thank you for doing so. I will try to be better about giving you something to read.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Back Again
Yet again I have been a blogger failure. Life just keeps getting on top of me leaving me little time to do much of anything "extra" like blogging.
Here's a little bit of what's been going on recently:
1. Henry is officially walking, or should I say running, and is a master at destroying everything that I have just put in place. Answer to this problem: To save time and a lot of energy, I don't put anything away anymore until he goes to sleep (only to have it all thrown into a frenzy again when he wakes up), and my house is a disaster. But a happy disaster.
2. It has gotten really cold here. We have heating on one side of the house but not on the other. I called the plumber, and he said "maybe Tuesday. Call me after lunch on Monday". That means next Friday at the earliest in Ronciglionese, our town's dialect. Thankfully we have a fireplace on that side of the house and one electric heater.
3. Raoul's been working a lot, and I have so many translations to do that it's crazy.
4. I have spent the last 8 or so weeks feeling "under the weather" because.....I am pregnant! 12 weeks today. So if my life isn't chaotic enough now, it will be in 6 months!
I promise to be a better blogger...
Yet again I have been a blogger failure. Life just keeps getting on top of me leaving me little time to do much of anything "extra" like blogging.
Here's a little bit of what's been going on recently:
1. Henry is officially walking, or should I say running, and is a master at destroying everything that I have just put in place. Answer to this problem: To save time and a lot of energy, I don't put anything away anymore until he goes to sleep (only to have it all thrown into a frenzy again when he wakes up), and my house is a disaster. But a happy disaster.
2. It has gotten really cold here. We have heating on one side of the house but not on the other. I called the plumber, and he said "maybe Tuesday. Call me after lunch on Monday". That means next Friday at the earliest in Ronciglionese, our town's dialect. Thankfully we have a fireplace on that side of the house and one electric heater.
3. Raoul's been working a lot, and I have so many translations to do that it's crazy.
4. I have spent the last 8 or so weeks feeling "under the weather" because.....I am pregnant! 12 weeks today. So if my life isn't chaotic enough now, it will be in 6 months!
I promise to be a better blogger...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
It's a long story
If you are wanting to know why I haven't blogged in such a long time, it's been for many reasons that I won't go over. Anyhow, I am back in blog world and will be blogging again more frequently.
Summer highlights:
1. Henry took his first steps. We celebrated his first birthday. Hard to believe..
2. Henry and I went home to Texas after stopping for a few days in Philadelphia. We had so much fun. It was nice to be back.
3. Raoul traveled by train from Venice to Beijing filming a documentary.
Now here we are almost at the end of September. Where is the time going?
If you are wanting to know why I haven't blogged in such a long time, it's been for many reasons that I won't go over. Anyhow, I am back in blog world and will be blogging again more frequently.
Summer highlights:
1. Henry took his first steps. We celebrated his first birthday. Hard to believe..
2. Henry and I went home to Texas after stopping for a few days in Philadelphia. We had so much fun. It was nice to be back.
3. Raoul traveled by train from Venice to Beijing filming a documentary.
Now here we are almost at the end of September. Where is the time going?
Monday, June 18, 2007
Lago di Vico
This is Lago di Vico (Vico Lake). It's about 5 minutes from where I live.
The best restaurant
This place is yummy. I love sitting outside to eat, and with the great food and view of the lake...well, it just doesn't get much better.
Lago Man
This man is ALWAYS at the lake. I love his approach to life, as well as his year-round tan.
This is Lago di Vico (Vico Lake). It's about 5 minutes from where I live.
The best restaurant
This place is yummy. I love sitting outside to eat, and with the great food and view of the lake...well, it just doesn't get much better.
Lago Man
This man is ALWAYS at the lake. I love his approach to life, as well as his year-round tan.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
My BIG Little Boy
Henry turned 9-months old yesterday...(Deep sigh). Here is a little about my little man:
1. He LOVES the dishwasher. When he hears me open it, he'll come crawling at 90 mph to be apart of emptying it or loading it.
2. He LOVES animals. Our cat, Peppino, is so patient with Henry, who loves to kiss him (unfortunately with his mouth open) and remove wads of his fur. Henry will go for any animal, pigeons included.
3. He has entered into a phase of being scared of things. He does not like people with sunglasses. He got scared yesterday of a picture of Saint Padre Pio that our vegetable grocer had on her wall. He does not like the vacuum cleaner and has begun to be scared of things that he used to love, including the "yup yup" alien/monster from Sesame Street.
4. He does not like riding in the car. If he is tired he'll sleep, and all's ok. If he's not, it will be a long ride.
5. Still no teeth.
6. Although he is so much better about eating solid foods, you usually have to sing to him for the last half of the meal to get him to eat everything.
7. High-pitched squeaks and squeals make him laugh.
8. He likes to be chased.
9. He has a temper.
10. If you make clicking noises with your tongue, he'll click his right back at you.
I love my little man!
Henry turned 9-months old yesterday...(Deep sigh). Here is a little about my little man:
1. He LOVES the dishwasher. When he hears me open it, he'll come crawling at 90 mph to be apart of emptying it or loading it.
2. He LOVES animals. Our cat, Peppino, is so patient with Henry, who loves to kiss him (unfortunately with his mouth open) and remove wads of his fur. Henry will go for any animal, pigeons included.
3. He has entered into a phase of being scared of things. He does not like people with sunglasses. He got scared yesterday of a picture of Saint Padre Pio that our vegetable grocer had on her wall. He does not like the vacuum cleaner and has begun to be scared of things that he used to love, including the "yup yup" alien/monster from Sesame Street.
4. He does not like riding in the car. If he is tired he'll sleep, and all's ok. If he's not, it will be a long ride.
5. Still no teeth.
6. Although he is so much better about eating solid foods, you usually have to sing to him for the last half of the meal to get him to eat everything.
7. High-pitched squeaks and squeals make him laugh.
8. He likes to be chased.
9. He has a temper.
10. If you make clicking noises with your tongue, he'll click his right back at you.
I love my little man!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Ronciglione
I would like to introduce blogworld to our town: Ronciglione. It's located about 35 miles north of Rome and 15 miles south of Viterbo. There are approximately 8,000 people who live in Ronciglione. We're five minutes away from the lake, Lago Di Vico, and live on the main street of the historic city center. Because there is quite a lot to this little place, I will write on-going blogs about the different aspects of the town, making this only an introductory blog.
This area is most famous for its production of hazelnuts. In fact, it sells its hazelnuts to the world-famous chocolate manufacturers, Ferrero, famous for Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Nutella. For those of you who don't know Nutella, it's what I would call Italian peanut butter, except that it's a chocolate-hazelnut spread. You eat it on bread (no jelly...it's quite enough on its own).
When I first tried Nutella, I liked it, but I wasn't just like, "Wow! That's the best thing I've ever eaten." But there is something strange about Nutella: once you start eating it, it's difficult to stop, and you don't know why exactly. Nutella is available in America, and I recommend buying a jar and trying it out. Spread it on a fresh baguette. Yummy.
I would like to introduce blogworld to our town: Ronciglione. It's located about 35 miles north of Rome and 15 miles south of Viterbo. There are approximately 8,000 people who live in Ronciglione. We're five minutes away from the lake, Lago Di Vico, and live on the main street of the historic city center. Because there is quite a lot to this little place, I will write on-going blogs about the different aspects of the town, making this only an introductory blog.
This area is most famous for its production of hazelnuts. In fact, it sells its hazelnuts to the world-famous chocolate manufacturers, Ferrero, famous for Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Nutella. For those of you who don't know Nutella, it's what I would call Italian peanut butter, except that it's a chocolate-hazelnut spread. You eat it on bread (no jelly...it's quite enough on its own).
When I first tried Nutella, I liked it, but I wasn't just like, "Wow! That's the best thing I've ever eaten." But there is something strange about Nutella: once you start eating it, it's difficult to stop, and you don't know why exactly. Nutella is available in America, and I recommend buying a jar and trying it out. Spread it on a fresh baguette. Yummy.
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