Lost Track of Time

With my new son, projects, and housework I have lost track of time!

So sorry to my readers, I will post very soon!!

Thank you for being a loyal reader!!!

Over a Month

It has now been over a month. I have begun to relax and enjoy the fact that my new treasure is now growing wondefully at home. Thankfully we are blessed with a second angel that sleeps through the night. Like my first child, he wakes only to eat and continues to sleep.

Looking back to my experience at an Italian hospital I can see so many differences between giving birth to a child in an American hospital (LA California) and an Italian hospital (Rimini).

In my next blog entry I intend to continue on this subject of, "Two Worlds and Two Births."

I FINALLY FEEL MORE LIKE MYSELF AGAIN!

SO SORRY I HAVE HAD MY HANDS FULL!

I AM NOW GETTING USE TO BEING A MOTHER OF TWO WONDERFUL LITTLE BOYS!

CHARLY CAME INTO OUR LIVES THREE WEEKS AGO YESTERDAY IN A HOSPITAL IN RIMINI, ITALY!

Rimini-History

The city of Rimini, Italy dates back to 268 BC in an area which had previously been inhabited by the Etruscans, the Greeks, and the Romans. It was a road junction connecting central Italy and northern Italy.

It is the birth town of my husband, and in a couple of weeks it will also the the birth town of our second son!

These are a couple of photos that I took on my most recent visit to Rimini.

It is located in Rimini Storico- or downtown Rimini- it is the forum of the ancient city where a church was built in the 10th century.

The existence of prestigious monuments such as:

-the Arch of Augustus- Built in 27 BC- The single gate 9.92m (32.55 ft) high and 8.45m (27.72 ft) wide.

-Tiberius' Bridge- build in Istria stone, it consists of five arches that rest on massive pillars with breakwater spurs set at an oblique angle with respect to the bridge's axis in order to follow the current. It is a bridge over the Marecchia River, which was begun by Augustus in 14 AD and was completed under Tiberius in 21.

-The Roman amphitheatre- Erected in the 2nd century alongside the ancient coastline. The edifice could house up to 15,000spectators.

Wow, what a wonderful beautiful vast history the city of Rimini, Italy contains!

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One Month to Go!!!

Today a complete non-stop rainy day,

Officially began my countdown,

One month to go and then I will be a mother of two!

So much excitement,

The amazing beauty of nature!

My Pregnancy

So I will be having another boy! He is to arrive on the 21st of July!

The delivery is to take place slightly over an hour away in Rimini.

The days are starting to get very hot, but all is well! The little one if very, very, active. Much more active then my first for certain.

The beginning of this week began with a story in the news in which a child in a hospital here in Italy was taken by a nurse to the nursery. After hours of not receiving her child back the mother asked about her child, only to find out the child had been taken from the hospital.

Midnight of the same day brought the return of her little one, a nurse from another hospital that had desperately wanted a boy, but had never had one, had tried to steal the hour old infant.

This makes me a little nervous, I had just been talking to my husband, I do not know how things work here in Italy. I have to make numerous requests to have my son in the same room with me the entire time I am in the hospital.

With my first, who was born in Los Angeles, California, he never left my side. And I was wide awake during my nights spent there for a couple of reasons. The first being, it was my first experience in a hospital I was nervous, and I certainly did not want anything to happen to my new little one. The second reason was that I was in such amazement as to how beautiful my little one was!

So I am moving right along, before I know it I know the day will arrive!

Another Year of "Artisti in Piazza"

Last year the program of performing artists included 56 various companies from all over the world! This June we will be having the 13th Edition of Artisti in Piazza in our beautiful medieval town of Pennabilli!

Over ten years ago "Grande festa della fantasia" began, now this year the festival will once again bring artists and artisans from all over the world to perform, and present their amazing work.

It is wonderful for the entire family! I sure am looking forward to my third experience of this wonderful festival!

For information regarding "Artisti in Piazza " take a look!

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SALE! SALE! SALE!

TWO REASONS WHY I AM HAVING A SALE IN MY ETSY SHOP:

-THE WONDERFUL WEATHER IS FINALLY HERE
-MOTHER'S DAY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

BEGINNING SATURDAY MAY 8TH UNTIL SATURDAY MAY 15TH

EVERYTHING IN MY SHOP IS ON SALE FOR 20% OFF!!!*

*I have a made a note on a few of my Custom Made To Order items not included in the sale.

Stop by and visit! We can all do a little bit of shopping!!!

This time around...

.. I think I will try using one of this!

With my first born I was aware of this product, how useful it can be for the little one and the mommy. I just never got around to making or purchasing one.

"Every little one has a need for a nest."

"Boppy. The first nest in the form of an embrace."

This time around I will try it! I wonder if it's the cute advertisment that makes want to try it so much the second time around!

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Beauty of Nature

It makes me so wonderfully happy that the beautiful weather has finally arrived! Walking home this morning from dropping off my little angel to school, I wish I would have placed my camera in my purse. A little note of my everyday- I always carry my camera in my purse because I never know what I may see.

Strolling across the sidewalk in front of me in the distance I saw a very long caterpillar. As I walked closer towards the brown fuzzy caterpillar I realized it was six caterpillars. It was as they were holding hands crossing.

I thought it was amazing and wondered if it is normal for them to walk or crawl like this. Reading up on them I found out they do not have very good vision, they can only see poorly resolved images. They determine the distance of objects by moving their heads from side to side.

It was so lovely, I had never seen anything like it before! Yes, it is the little beauties of nature that make my day whole!

Pizza Night Friday is Here!

One of the first things I realized when I began living in Italy is that I had never actually eaten an actual "Italian Pizza". I remember I was taken aback when I was first served my first pizza in Italy, it certainly was far from the "traditional" Italian pizza I thought I had eaten in New York.

For one thing the dough is completely different, it is actually very thin! No Pan Pizza or Tombstone pizza here!

Some of the most common selections one will find are:

-"Margherita"- which is basically the tomato sauce (Pomodoro), Mozzarella, and origano.
-"Prosciutto e Funghi"- contains pomodoro, mozzarella, cooked ham (prosciutto cotto), and mushroom (funghi).

My favorites are:
- "Tonno e Cipolle"- which contains pomodoro, mozzarella, tuna (tonno), and onion (cipolle)
- "Mezza Luna"- pomodoro, mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto cotto, pomodorini, and ruccola

And my favorite made at home pizzas:

- Veggie- Pomodoro, mozzarella, zuchinni, and eggplant (melanzana)
- Pomodoro, mozzarella, sausage (salsiccia), and onion (cipolle)

I have realized it is not that difficult to make the dough portion, even though I have still not mastered the ingredient ratios, I can extend the dough pretty nicely without using a rolling-pin, just my two hands.

My husband who is alot more advanced in the kitchen, uses his two hands up in the air, making a perfect round pizza, most of the time better then those found in pizzeria!

Pizza Fridays always gives us something yummy to look forward to at the end of the long week!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

The Easter Hat!

For Easter week I constructed this felt hat for my son! He just loved the ears which are wired therefore can be shaped however he pleases.

Since my son was home for the holidays, I got a little sidetrack from my work. That's okay because he sure was a cutie for the week of Easter!!

I hope everyone one had a wonderful Easter!

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One's Trade

I just realized how beautiful it is to have the passion of one's trade in there everyday life. Wow, to be so fortunate as to actually get paid for what one enjoys to do.

In the beginning of the education and everything else that comes with it, it can be difficult. But if you love what you do, that's a wonderful gift in itself.

I found this lovely image, it took me back to when my mother first taught me to sew. A part of myself and of her is now always present in every project or job!

Painting- Fancois Bouche- La Sarta- 1746.

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So Sorry!

I am so sorry I have not kept up with my blog! An amazing thing happened to me, after three years of being a full-time mother, wife, house-cleaner, and gardener, I returned to the work-force.

For the past week I worked a 45 plus hour week. For a couple of days I get to relax!

Wow, my first official job in Italy, I was amazed that so much was different. No birthday party celebrations at the work-place here! No morning or afternoon breaks, but we do get an hour and twenty-five minute lunch break!

I am working for a family owned company that produces garments for some of the most well known Italianand other fashion lines. I might see Roberto Cavalli, Jean Paul Gaultier, Calvin Klein, or Prada hanging on a rack! It is really exciting!

I am just begining to adjust working full-time again, and being a mother and wife. I have to remember it is no longer just my-self and my career!

Life, moving along.

So much has happened since my last doctors visit! This coming week I have my second visit coming up! I am looking forward to it and my continued experience with my Italian doctor.

I am proud of myself that I have watched my diet, and have been successfully staying away from yummy, yummy, chocolate.

This week, my three year old begin staying from 8 am to 3:45 pm in his pre-school. So glad the week is almost over! The first day sure was terrible, for me that is. Amazing how much happier he seems, we can see more of a wonderful light in his eyes! He sure enjoys it, I am so happy for him!! It sure gives me more time to work on my projects and clean the house at a slower, more detailed pace.

With a possible full-time job coming my way (I am still keeping my fingers crossed) and the second baby coming soon, my husband and I thought it was time to let the little one have a little more time with his friends.

I still look forward for the arrival of 3:45 so that I can pick him up from school and play a little before he takes his nap. (I was surprised, they do not take naps during the day at his pre-school.) But I sure was not happy the first day, as we arrived home, I was ready to play but he was ready to take a nap!

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The New Addition to Our Family!

Here he is! Even though I thought it was too early to tell the gender of my second child, my doctor could clearly tell it is a boy! Wow!

Everything is going well. Like my first pregnancy I have been very fortunate not to have any sort of nausea. Of course I do tend to get tired more often, it sure is hard to get out of bed some mornings.

And Italian foods seem to be doing me so good! I remember during my first pregnancy, by my eighth month, I was ready to see my little one!

I am still only at the beginning! Today marks my 14th Week!!

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Eating Right!

For me and the baby, I am changing my eating habits! It is not as easy as it sounds!

Fortunately my husband is amazingly helpful! For a week now I have been limiting my chocolate intake! It has been a struggle but I can only allow myself to eat one small piece of chocolate a week.

My weight if very important because during my first pregnancy, I began slightly over-weight. It basically was a big issue throughout the entire pregnancy.

More fruits and vegetables, less sugar, sweets, and chocolate! Indulgence, such as fried chicken only once a month! It is a novelty here in Italy, and my wonderful chef husband does make some wonderful fried chicken!

(I am safe from double cheeseburgers and curly fries from Jack-in-the-box! Ben and Jerry! Chocolate covered doughnuts! Just to name a few items that I would fall weak to in the states!)

New Year, New Adventures!

So the new year has now arrived! I have already begun my first big adventure! We are now expecting our second child! The baby is now three months old.

I recall how much research, reading, and question asking I spent so much time on, during my first pregnancy. Can you believe, after weeks of careful searching, on my first visit with my gynecologist I had a list of questions in our first meeting! I chose carefully, and we were very happy that it was a great choice.

Now my second child will be born in Italy! Wow, just in my first visit I already saw a difference!

As I was called in for my first visit, my doctor came out to call us in. We walked into a room with a desk, which is the doctors office and a patent's bed, and other medical items.

After I was asked a few questions, I was then asked to remove my clothing from my bottom half, then sit on the bed. Wow, I was waiting for the gown!

Then using a long prong like thing which was inserted, I could see my lovely little one on screen. No slimy stuff on the tummy here!

All in all it went wonderfully well. I am very interested in my future visits.

Giving birth in California and giving birth in Italy, it is still giving birth to a wonderful gift of nature!

More to come!