Monday, June 29, 2009

Would You Like To Be A Super Hero?

Mikiep's Give-A-Way!

The winner recives a Custom Illustration! Wow!

The winner picks who the person will be to be portrayed into a Super Hero!

Mikiep is a fellow Etsian and Blogger you must make sure you visit his shop. And of course you have to enter to win this amazing prize!

You can click on the enter to win above to enter. And to stop by his shop to see his amazing work you can click on the print below.

This is my most favorite item in Mikiep's Etsy shop!

"The Little Seamstress"- Print- Mikiep

Good Luck Everyone!!


Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Get 25 GB of free online storage. Get it on your BlackBerry or iPhone.

Friday, June 26, 2009

My Angel!

In Italy, June the 24th is widely celebrated for San Giovanni Battista. It is further celebrated for those who are named Giovanni.

My lovely angel (I like to think of him as my angel) Giovanni is slowly changing, he is now two and a half. Now I know what all the fuss was about the terrible twos!

No, I think it is wonderful that his character is beginning to come out more and more everyday. I think it has been slightly difficult for him, as it has been for me, to learn three languages at the same time. He completely comprehends the three, but he does seem to mix up his English, Spanish, and Italian. He was born in Los Angeles, he has already flown to Texas, Ireland, and Italy.

I think all that he can remember so far is Italy. It is a completely different culture. In September he will begin pre-school. He is very excited, being all day with mommy, of course he always enjoys being around other children!

He is growing quickly! I decided to share some of my most favorite recent pictures of him.

At the beginning of those hot summer days!

He woke up every morning running to put on his winter boots. He would not take them off until it was time to go to bed.

He loves to find a hiding place then call, "Momma, Momma" until I find him. The first time he hid in the laundry basket, it took me a while, I was not expecting it!

In this lovely days we try to eat outside in our wonderful patio as much as we can. We were getting ready for dinner, I had begun to set the table. What do you know there was Giovanni sitting on the table waiting for me to see him.

This past weekend we visited my father-in-law, I heard he had a present for Giovanni in celebration of San Giovanni Battista. What a present! Unfortunately it was cold and it rained all day. I know the first time he enters his pool he will not want to get out!!

His first pool! Wow!

He loves to pretend he is a robot! He gets upset because his hand will no longer fit through the toliet paper rolls. We have to slit them down the center, so he can continue using them as his robot arms.

Here you can actually see him saying,

"I am a robot!"

He loves to dance, he loves his books, and he always enjoys flowers!

He is an Angel!!




Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Luxury of Space

Reading the most recent issue of Italian , CasaAmica, I just could not get these images out of my mind.

What attracts me to them is their unique use of space and location.

This hotel is called, "Helix Hotel".

It is lovely how it is located on the surface of the ocean.

This photo is the interior of the hotel. When I saw this photo I was whisked back to my visit to the "Guggenheim", in New York City!

This is the winner of the Millennium Yacht Design Award 2009, it is entitled, "Origami".

It is entitled this because of how it transforms, it was designed by three designers.

This next image is from an ad for a company called, Flaminia. It is lovely but, I would be very apprehensive to use this bathroom!

This bathroom is slightly better. It is located in home in Bali.

Your outdoors, but your not outdoors!




Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. Try Bing™ now

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Fruits of One's Labor

One thing I found very interesting when I first moved here was almost everyone grows their own vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Also their own chickens! (We are usually stocked up with eggs from family and friends!)

Oh! Also their own marmalades, grapa, beer, and wine of course!

These photos are from a visit to my father-in-laws house. He is a gardener, (hopefully one day I can be slightly as good) engineer, electrician, builder, Renaissance man! He is self-taught in various disciplines. If he has a need for something, he figures it out himself!

These are his chicken, what a lovely roaster!

He sure enjoys eating tomatoes!

What wonderful tomatoes!! There is an additional section of tomatoes on the other side of his yard.

And salad of course! I am not sure how many different types he grows.

Additionally he grows, strawberries, garlic, onions, zuchinni, and various fruit trees. It's always a nice delight to visit!

This weekendend we will be visiting to help pick the garlic and salad. I is an amazing feeling to eat food you have picked with your own hands!





Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. Try Bing™ now

Monday, June 15, 2009

Beauties of Life

The loveliness of nature,

The recognition of a newly found delight,

The acknowledgement of ones labor,

The beauty of natures gifts.

These are a few of my weekend pictures. I have learned to always carry my camera with me.

I never know what I may capture travelling through the Italian country-side!





Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

My Herb Garden!

Yesterday afternoon I transferred the basil plants into their new residence of the herb garden. The seeds which had grown to a size where they needed more room. So they can now fill the last remaining hole in my herb garden!

Previously we had planted some arugula, I think we might have planted the seed in abundance and too close. They are growing slightly.

I have come to be a huge fan of arugula! Living in Italy, it is vastly used in salads, pastas , pestos, and pizza, to name a few of its uses.

Shortly after we moved into our house, my husband and I cleaned up our herb garden. The previous tenants had started it but it had not really been planned or maintained it nicely. When cleaning we left the rosemary, sage, lavender, and rose bush as they were.

Here you can see my little herb garden right beside my husband's grilling area.

BBQ or herbs anyone??





Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Get 25 GB of free online storage. Get it on your BlackBerry or iPhone.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Fleur

If one were to find a beauty as so, one would really know.

We have passed though days, with years gone by.

All we see is to our own delight.




Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Get 25 GB of free online storage. Get it on your BlackBerry or iPhone.