puppies in residence

Back by popular demand--puppies!

Well the little ones aren't so little anymore. Indeed, they'll be seven weeks old on Saturday, which means they are only a week away from being adopted out.

Sniff sniff.

We have found homes for five of the six, at least on the future caretakers' words. One of these is so excited that she's been asking me for a couple weeks already when she can come and take hers (one of the two that look like Stella). I'm staying firm on the eight-week mark though, so she'll just have to wait until next weekend.

I haven't posted photos, but the pups have been staying in what P calls their "residence" (seriously, in English but with an Italian accent) that I whipped up for them one afternoon. They have specified places to eat, sleep, play, and do the other stuff they need to do, and they're getting increasingly better at understanding which are which. This helps with housebreaking in their new homes, they say, so I thought it was worth a try.

Here are five of them (the fifth is a blur behind the two up on the mini-wall) wondering why I chose the sixth to let out of the residence to play with Mamma and me. They all get their turns, of course, but not all at once. That'd be crazy.


And here is the chosen one of the moment in an intimate scene with Stella. Yes I played with this a bit in Photoshop. Could've played for a lot longer, but alas, life calls.

Wouldn't you love a painting like this?

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

And hug a puppy if you can. If not, I've got it covered.

P.S. Don't forget to head over to Shelley's place for today's Dolce Italiano Contest recipe, Chocolate and Tangerine Semifreddo. Looks *fabulous*!

mio amore and me

Lately I've gotten a few requests for photos of P from friends and family, so I figured it was time to post another. You can also see another photo of him in my post Amore Mio in case you missed it.

Now here's the thing. I'm not very good at the holding out the camera in front of us and getting a good photo thing, so nine times out of ten P loses part of his head. And he didn't help things this time either as he thought the photo was already taken and turned his head before the click.

But I still kind of like it anyway.

This was taken last Saturday at the Feast of Santa Caterina di Alessandria. Why yes, I do have more photos. Stay tuned!

Today I'm thankful for:

P.

Punto e basta.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

P.S. Remember to check out the posts in the Dolce Italiano Contest and comment to enter the drawing to win a personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma:

Mosaic Biscotti, Sara's Ms Adventures in Italy
Chocolate Kisses, Ilva's Lucullian Delights
Ricotta Pound Cake, Here!
Chestnut Brownies, Shelley's At Home in Rome

And tomorrow head over to Jenn's The Leftover Queen to see what she has baking!

love thursday: a mamma's love

Stella Bella and the babies:

Just the babies:

Luna Balloona, always my baby:

Happy Love Thursday,
and now go see some more great photos at Phoctober!

what's cooking wednesday: the birthday edition

Perhaps some of you thought I was off tending puppies yesterday or maybe even early birthday celebrating. Don't I wish.

What I was really doing was nearly pulling my hair out over the inexplicable continued crap Internet connection I have. Ever since it went out about 10 days ago, it's been on and off--and yesterday was completely off. Right now it's touch and go (can't access many pages), but I'm keeping positive.

And aside from causing me stress regarding work, it's *completely* thrown off my blogging schedule. Argh.

Guess you'll have to wait another year for today's originally planned post. Or I'll just save it for NaBloPoMo...with which I sincerely hope Telecom Italia cooperates.

So here is What's Cooking Wednesday: the Birthday Edition...a day late for Wednesday, but just in time for my birthday! Woohoo!

For anyone who's curious, I'm 31 today. So send any e-cards in large font please. Hah!

Now, back to the originally scheduled post:

For my birthday, I always have this chocolate cake. It’s my absolute favorite cake in the whole world—especially when my mom makes it.

But I’ve been feeling a little daring lately, in the mood for something different. And that, for me, means carrot cake.

I love carrot cake, haven’t had it in at least four years, and besides—isn’t it just a great autumn cake, spicy and orange and brown and cream cheese icing and yum?

I have never made a carrot cake before, and I’m not entirely sure why not. Probably because my mom isn’t particularly fond of it, so she never passed on a recipe—and goodness knows I stick to the recipes of experts around these parts.

So I turned to these Internets and went for the first recipe that came up. I know. Really selective right? Well you see, I had been going over what I thought would go into a carrot cake in my head, and this recipe fit that, especially with the adjustments listed in the comments. So I made my own tweaks, and below is what I came up with.

This cake is delicious. It’s a subtle carrot cake, and by that I mean it's not at all like some store- or restaurant-produced cakes that make me feel like I'm eating a scented candle. I like my spices subtle, so if you like them stronger, you might want to adjust. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that if you think you don't like carrot cake, you should give this one a go.

Also, the original recipe had pecans. Some people in the comment section switched to walnuts, but I didn’t add any nuts at all—I'm not a fan of nuts in my cakes in general. But this would’ve been *fabulous* with raisins so I’ll make an effort to find them before I make this again.

My Birthday Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 ¼ c vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla

2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp nutmeg
3 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt

3 c grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Grease and flour 9 x 13 inch pan (or, as I did a 6 muffin/cupcake pan and a small loaf pan).

Blend together eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt and add to mixing bowl a little at a time. At this point, the mixture will be really thick, almost pasty. Now you’re ready to stir in the carrots.

Pour into pan(s), and put in the oven. The original recipe says 40-50 minutes for a full-sized cake. My muffins took about 20 minutes, and the loaf pan about 40. Just make sure to always test with a toothpick in the center—if it comes out with no batter, you’re good.

For amateur bakers, the other trick is the “spring back to the touch test,” which says, not surprisingly, that the cake should spring back to your touch. I find this one a big dangerous though as you can sink the top of your cakes and muffins/cupcakes pretty easily, so I always use a toothpick.

Remove from oven and let cool before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

The measurements in the original recipe looked really off to me so I used a tried and true cream cheese icing recipe that I’ve made before. You might want to play with this too according to your tastes and how much icing you like (I don’t use much). In fact, on the cake, I just sprinkled some confectioner's sugar on top. Look it's snowing in October in southern Italy!

8 oz softened cream cheese
4 tbl butter
1 ½ c powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Beat everything together until smooth and to your desired consistency.

Grating the carrots makes this one a little labor intensive, but it's worth it...especially if you're making it for someone special--like for yourself. Come on, show yourself a little love this Love Thursday!

Happy Love Thursday and buon appetito!

Edited to add a request:
If you leave birthday wishes for me,
please leave the date of your birthday too (no year required!)
so I can return the wish.

doggies in a box

If you've been paying attention, you know that the most recent addition to our household, Stella, is about to give us even more additions to the household.

Well the other day, Stella was acting a little funny, so I thought maybe the time was approaching when the puppies would be joining us. We have no idea when she was sperminated, other than that it was before August 31 when she came to stay with us. The gestation period of dogs is between 60-63 days, so for sure by the end of the month, there will be some action around here.

Stella's anxiety turned out to be a false alarm, but it did inspire me to whip together a whelping box for her. I swear that's what it's called!

Since I thought this was an emergency, I grabbed got a good-sized cardboard box and did it up with some old sheets and whatnot--whatever I could grab was going in just in case this was the real deal.

Just as I put the last sheet in, this happened:


And that turned into this:

I think she likes it.

And I couldn't help but sing "Don't be fooled by the nips that she's got--she's still (she's still) Stella in the box." Needless to say, P didn't get it. You get it right? (Notice I'm not asking whether it's actually funny.)

And then, a couple hours later--after the immediacy of the situation had passed and it became clear that there wouldn't be any little Stellas that day--I looked over and saw this:

For those who can't tell, this is Luna (who is *not* pregnant--see why here).

So the new plan is that when P and I finally move house (we should be starting work on the new place within the month!), Luna and Stella will have new homes too--because P has been commissioned to build some doggie boxes.*

And that's love right there.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

*Very different from the type of box Justin Timberlake has made famous.

stellaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Lovely Luna filled out this meme a while back, and ever since Stella Bella found out, she's been pestering me for some blog time. Yeah, she goes through my archives when I'm not looking. Crafty, this one.

So here's Stella's first meme, as originally filled out by Mushu at A Spot of T. You can check out Luna's meme here.

Not enough pooch talk for you? Check out our friends Phil and L over at the Dog Blog. They so crazy!

Whaddya mean you have to leave the house for three minutes?

1. What kind of dog are you? One that looks a lot like the other dog around here. I've heard that I resemble a Basenji and also a Cirneco dell'Etna. Whatever. I'm cute. That's all you need to know.

2. Are you a boy or a girl? I'm all girl, and, in fact, expecting.

3. How old are you? The humans think around 9 months, but I'm not telling.

4. Name one thing you received as a gift on your last birthday. Haven't even had one yet, at least not with these people.

5. Choose one word to best describe your physique. Wiry, and my mind is wily. Hah!

6. Share a quote. "Did I do that?" Steve Urkel.

7. Have you ever been stung by a bee? If so, where? Please don't put the malocchio on me.

8. Who's your strangest family member? Paws down, the other mutt. She does *everything* the humans tell her to. Weirdo.

9. Who's your favorite family member? Tie between the guy and the girl. They both give good petties and treats, so there's really no telling the difference between them most of the time.

10. Do you make an effort to be environmentally friendly? Yes. I'll "recycle" anything.

11. If you were given a blank canvas and water colors, what would you paint? The bunnies that the guy took me to see precisely once. I wonder why he hasn't taken me back there. Oh they were cuddly.

12. When is the best time for you to take a 20 minute nap? Only when everyone else is asleep, otherwise I'll miss something.

13. Your hair? "Every-freaking-where" says the one typing this.

14. What do you want to be in 10 years? A mom. I'm a shoe-in.

15. What you’re not good at. Saying no to strangers. I'll go to and take anything from anyone.

16. What are you wearing? Swollen nipples. It's a statement.

17. What aren't you wearing? My chastity belt. Obviously.

18. Your mood? Hungry. You got some biscuits in that pocket or what?

19. Your kitchen? Lovely. Would be perfect if that other dog weren't always up in here though.

20. What are you thinking about right now? Why there's chicken on the stove and not IN MY BELLY (said like Fat Bastard of Austin Powers fame).

21. Love? I got your love right here! Gimme a kiss! Or an ear! Or a leg! Mwaaaaaaah!

22. Foreign languages? I'm starting from scratch here, but I'm progressing nicely in English, Italian, and Calabrese. I'm smart.

Happy Love Thursday everyone
and Happy, happy Birthday Scarlett!

and baby makes four!

I've been holding in this news since late on August 31st, when I found out that we would be having a new addition to the family:

(A web cam photo is better than nothing, right?)

Yes, it’s another one with four legs, and her name is Stella. That’s “star” in Italian. Get it? Luna=“moon.” We’re so celestial.

So does Stella look familiar? Just in case you forgot (how could you?), here's Luna:


Well our mini-Luna seems to have been abandoned by some vacationers. For those who don’t know, it’s quite common for Italy to experience a dramatic increase in stray dogs around holiday time--some people just can’t be bothered lugging their pets around or making proper arrangements for them apparently.

Disgusting, I know.

Anyway, aside from the fact that I can’t comprehend why someone would leave their dog at all, I really don’t get why they’d let this cutie loose at the end of holiday. But she was found by the side of the road with a collar, so it seems that’s what happened.

P got suckered in pretty darn quick when he saw the Lun-essence, and although I didn’t really *want* another doggie around, she’s warmed my heart too. She's quite sweet, very lovable, and look at those ears!

Even Luna has taken to her, although Stella is sometimes still a reluctant playmate. She’s a bit skittish, understandably, and has huge separation anxiety. At first she wouldn't let P out of her sight, but she's doing a bit better on that front. And she has also learned to sit (most of the time) and give me her paw (all the time where food is involved).

And if you’re wondering about how big sister Luna is adjusting, I have to say that she’s been really great through all of this; Luna’s normally pretty aggressive toward other females, but within the first 24 hours of Stella’s arrival, Luna was ready, coaxing her to roughhouse a bit. So cute!

I can’t help but feel like a proud doggie mama who did something right in the last two years. You think that’s overstating it a tad?

I just can’t wait for the day when they’re snuggled up together so I can snap a photo. I’m confident that day will come.

It's just a matter of time.

Benvenuta Stella Bella &
Happy Love Thursday everyone!

P.S. Remember that today we're on Spaghetti Strike! Read more here.

love thursday: chased by a cloud part II

Remember when I posted a photo of a heart-shaped cloud that snuck into a photo of a cactus I was taking? If not, you can find it here.

This morning as I was working on yet another last minute translation project (seems to be the only kind this particular organization gives me), I looked outside of my balcony door and saw this:

Can you see a heart?
P tells me I'm crazy, but I see one in there.

To the left of that was this:


Now there you see a heart, right?

To the right was this:

Which I maintain is an angel or fairy with big strong wings, but
feel free to tell me what you see.

And while you're at it, for fun, what do you see here?
(besides the ugly roof and satellite dish)

I have some ideas but I want to hear you you think first--
and no, my thoughts don't involve hearts.

And yes, I did finish the translation, thankyouverymuch.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: amore mio

Shh...don't tell P, but I snapped this photo of him while he was taste-testing the merluzzo from yesterday's recipe.


I was across the table from him (not my usual seat) pretending to fiddle with the camera to prepare for upcoming food shots when I zoomed and snapped.

Just so you know, this is 1 in a series of 1. There may not be another for a very long time. Doesn't sit still much this one. Check out the movement in the fork!

And he's more than just a pretty face! For more P cuteness, check out Conversations with P. And if you want to read about how we met, it's in How a Jean Jacket and Some Wind Can Change Your Life.

I hope all of my American readers, at least, are having a nice long holiday weekend--I think I just may take one myself in honor of my birth country. God bless America!

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

life lessons with fast eddie

First off, understand that the title sounds way more naughty than this post is going to get; I've been thinking about innocent school days. As Judith pointed out in the comments to June is... , now used to be the time we younguns were released into the world every year.

And I got to thinking about Fast Eddie.

Have you ever noticed that I like asking myself leading questions with obvious answers and then answering? I sure have. Hah!

I’m fairly certain that I get that from my high school Algebra II and Trigonometry teacher, who I, and many students before and after me, called “Fast Eddie.” He talked *really* fast, which isn’t necessarily a great trait in an advanced math teacher, but I loved him anyway.

He did everything fast, in fact, and since he had the silkiest blond hair for a guy already in his late 50s, it flopped and blew in the breeze as he charged down the hall, as if he had been traveling by sports car instead of a pair of legs.

Hard to tell anyway, because he was always kind of a blur.

Fast Eddie was a smart, witty straight-shooter, and, most admirable to me, he treated us like adults but he always, always had the upper hand of the classroom. His very presence demanded respect.

He had also been a baseball player and coach for a long time, so he had that whole sports and competition thing going on too—which most often surfaced when a particularly trying English teacher (trying for all of us, including faculty) would peek in to stir up friendly banter during our classes.

Looking back, I suppose that was kind of weird, but it did mark the first time I heard the phrase, “Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out,” so I can’t say as though nothing stuck with me from my year of Trig torture instruction.

Oh, and did I mention he was free with cuss words? That’ll always win you points with high school kids.

I have two great memories of Fast Eddie, the first is a conversation we had after I had gone back home after having been in college for a few semesters, having already declared my English and history majors. He was crushed that I didn’t major in math—so I didn’t bother to tell him I didn’t plan to even take a math course in college, or, ahem, ever again. (And I didn't.)

His response was that I was wasting my mathematics prowess and that I’d, I quote, “have the world by the balls” if I doubled up in English and math, but, not surprisingly, that didn’t encourage me to meet with my university advisor. It was touching to hear his confidence in my abilities, though, especially after I had been out of high school for some time, and I’ll never forget it.

The other memorable moment happened when it came time for our first test in Algebra II, and the class conversation/pep talk went a little something like this:

Worried Student: Will [something about Algebra II] be covered?

Fast Eddie: (long pause; vacant look out window; smooths hair)

Look, folks, it’s test time.

(another glance out window; sits on corner of his desk while shaking foot furiously over edge)

What’s going to be on the test? The things we covered.

Will it be hard? Nah. Not if you know your stuff, but if you haven’t done the work, hell yeah.

Can I get by with bullshit answers? No you can’t. I don’t like bullshit.

Should I study? You bet your ass—this ain’t 2 plus 2 folks.

Any more questions?

I certainly didn’t have any, but the answering my own asked questions really stuck; I found it hilarious, and even better, effective. Somehow, that little Q & A helped calm my nerves for the first big test of high school. Sometimes you just need someone to give it to you straight, to let you know where you stand, to cut out the bull.

(Sadly, though, this story is about all I remember from Algebra II.)

I’ve always felt blessed to have genuinely liked so many of my teachers and professors, but never more so than when I came here and began talking to P and his friends about school. Not one of them could pinpoint a teacher they liked even a little.

Granted they were probably hellions whereas I was the class pet—only because of the effort I put into school, mind you. I was definitely no brown-noser and, in fact, had quite a few personality clashes with teachers as well, usually when I felt condescended to, but let’s not dwell on that today.

Because for this week’s Love Thursday, I’m thinking about some of those teachers who made an impact in my life, and Fast Eddie is certainly one at the top of the list.

What about you? Any teachers leave good memories behind for you? Any who you feel particularly indebted to? Any who you'd like to write a thank you note to right now (even if they've passed on)? Don't let me stop you!

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

getting to know luna

In the comments to yesterday's post, Ally Bean asked me whether my most perfect puppy Luna is bilingual. HeartinSanFrancisco praised her ability to bark in Italian.

I now realize that you all know far too little about this Furball o’ Love, and lucky for you, I found this great meme filled out by Mushu the Bichon Frise over at A Spot of T, my fellow She Who Blogs member, so you can get to know Luna a bit more (I added the last question, though, just for my pooch).

Oh, and if you’re one of those people who hate when bloggers write about their animal friends, I forgive you, and I invite you back tomorrow when there (probably) won’t be a mention of Luna.

But I make no promises. Look at this face!


1. What kind of dog are you? A really really cute one. Some say I resemble a Basenji, and indeed, my tail does curve in a most peculiar way.

2. Are you a boy or a girl? Girl power! You can read about some, um, complications of being a girl dog here.

3. How old are you? I’m 2 ½ years old but I don’t feel a day over 2 ¼.

4. Name one thing you received as a gift on your last birthday. Nothing. I hate my humans. No, seriously, my birthday is two days after Christmas, so I get a few days of fun—my favorite is always a raw hidey kind of bone thing (not actually raw hide but I don't know how else to describe it) and beef jerky treats from my Nana in America.

5. Choose one word to best describe your physique. Forte (strong)

6. Share a quote. "I spilled spot remover on my dog. He’s gone now." (Steven Wright)

7. Have you ever been stung by a bee? If so, where? No, knock on wood. Dang sometimes I wish I had knuckles.

8. Who's your strangest family member? I’m going to have to go with Papà P because the shorter one with the longer hair usually feeds me (plus she's typing this).

9. Who's your favorite family member? See Number 8.

10. Do you make an effort to be environmentally friendly? I do keep my own "compost" pile.

11. If you were given a blank canvas and water colours, what would you paint? Il mare (the sea) that I have yet to set paw in.

12. When is the best time for you to take a 20 minute nap? This is a trick question, isn’t it, because when *isn't* it a good time for a snooze?

13. Your hair? Floating about the house right now because of shedding. Oh, like the color and stuff? Caramel but for my white paws and strip down my chest.

14. What do you want to be in 10 years? A sly old bitch.

15. What you’re not good at. Playing nice with other bitches. And believe you me, they’re all bitches.

16. What are you wearing? A black leather collar with my name in faux-diamond studs.

17. What aren't you wearing? My harness, which is only for walkies.

18. Your mood? Chill. Except that it’s boiling hot.

19. Your kitchen? My home, actually, since I don’t do the steps to go downstairs--they're kinda scary. My food and water is in the kitchen and Mamma also put a bed in there just for me, so I don't miss the downstairs at all.

20. What are you thinking about right now? How freaking hot it is.

21. Love? I’m full of it.

22. Foreign languages? I consider English my fourth language. Doggie is, obviously, my first. Italian is second, and Calabrese dialect is my third.

If any other animal friends would like to play, please do and link to me and to A Spot of T.

Oh, and Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: cherry pickin' in three parts

I.

II.

I saw something on the news recently about it being a difficult year for the cherry crop here in Italy. In fact, I haven't seen many around for sale and the ones I have seen have been quite expensive, but when I do come across an affordable bunch, I know just what I'll do...cherry muffins, courtesy of KC at Niente di nuovo avviene sotto il sole! Yum!

Even if you won't be baking anytime soon, be sure to head on over and check out the photo--adorable and awfully Love Thursday-themed too.

III.

I have to give a shout out to my favorite Cherrye over at My Bella Vita. She wrote a tear-jerker (at least to me) of a post about me not too long ago, and I have to say that the warm fuzzy friendship feeling is mutual.

I never would've imagined that I'd find such a kindred spirit here in the middle of nowhere bella Calabria. You can read about our first in-person meeting here, and trust me, the fun has only continued since then.

Next up in the adventures will probably be our first shopping trip insieme. I tend to require moral support while clothes' shopping, especially around here, so it'll be great to have a buddy.

And hopefully we won't need anything stronger than a cappuccino from the new coffee machine to recover.

Although Love Thursday as an organized event is no more, I will continue to record the love that truly is all around, perhaps not every week, but as often as I need to.

If anyone else is still participating, please feel free to leave a link to your post here so we can all share the love.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: chased by a cloud

The other day while out walking with Luna on a gorgeous clear morning, I noticed that the cacti are starting to bloom flowers, soon to be followed by the delicious fichi d'india, or prickly pears.

So of course I took a photo.

Only after I uploaded it did I notice that a heart-shaped cloud had snuck into the shot.

Clouds of love are chasing me. How lucky am I?

Happy Love Thursday* everyone!

*Note that the founders of "Love Thursday" have decided to stop updating the Love is All Around site. Thank you, Karen and Irene, for reminding us all to pay attention to simple expressions of love in our daily lives.

love thursday: remembering the silver years

I don't have a lot of physical reminders of my childhood. In fact, as my mother recently told me, both cameras were broken at the hospital the day I was born (it wasn't me, I swear), so I don't even have one of those adorable minutes-old, crunched up and puffy-faced photos.

But the other day I received a package in the mail from my mom. She's moving from house to apartment and also moving a friend from apartment to retirement home, so she's sorting through a lot of old stuff.

And I'm the benefactor.

She thought now would be the perfect time to send me these:


My baby silverware.

My brother got his set when my mom wrapped them up as a gift to my sister-in-law for her first baby shower. Some of you may wonder if my mom's package was her subtle hint to get moving on the bambini, but really it's not. She's never been one of "those" moms so I know that this gift simply means she knew I would love to have these at this exact time in my life, and, as usual, she's right.

Being far from home, away from nearly everything that ever symbolized anything in my previous life can be difficult; yes, memories are in the heart, but it's still comforting to hold something that was once important to me, even if I didn't know it at the time.

Looking at this silverware, I think of how many relatives and family friends have touched these forks and spoons meant for my mouth only--although surely they had to take a bite or two themselves to convince me that pureed carrots were mmm-mmm-good, bless their hearts as it was a decidedly uphill battle.

Also in the collection is a special spoon from the local jeweler's; when I was born, they were running a special on engraved baby silver, and here's mine:


It has my name, birth date and time (it's 12:21 a.m. in case you can't make it out). Isn't the stork adorable?

(The ring, by the way, is essentially my engagement/wedding ring from P.)

And that wasn't the end of the package.

My mom also sent some things from the apartment of the woman now in the retirement home. Kitty has been like a mother to my mom and another grandmother to me, particularly since my mom's mother was never much of a nurturer, to put it kindly. I always felt a particularly special bond with Kitty because her birthday is just a day before mine (well, and 55 years earlier). Indeed, save twenty-two minutes, we would've shared our day.

I have countless wonderful memories of Kitty, but most involve cookies as she and my mom made them together every year for the holidays. Kitty loves to tell the story of one Christmas when I was "The Cookie Monster" who kept sneaking into her dining room and swiping pizzelles and chocolate chip cookies off the table--just from around the edges though because I had to get on my tiptoes to play thief.

And I can still smell the anise as I write this.

I remember trying to find excuses to tramp from one end of her apartment to the other down the long, hardwood floored hallway, which, looking back, probably wasn't all that grand but sure seemed so to my 4-year-old legs.

There was always something magical about Kitty's place because it was a like visiting a fairy tale. She had all kinds of grown-up fancy stuff that a little girl could want to be surrounded by--red velvet Victorian furniture, the best china and flatware (which I wouldn't appreciate until much later), a huge collection of dolls--in fact her apartment rather resembled a doll house.

And Kitty was the doll at just a few inches below five feet tall. Did I mention she only wore pink?

And so, among silver ladles and serving pieces, one particular item sent by my mom stood out:



We think it's an old-fashioned tea strainer, fitting in nicely with my tea and cookies memories of Kitty, but if anyone has other thoughts, please share.

Now I sit surrounded by a bunch of old silverware, some of it Kitty's grandmother's, and I can't help but remember how my own grandmother used to open up one of the bottom drawers filled with cooking utensils for me to play with. I'd sit on the floor and spend hours going through them, banging and clanging at first, then gradually asking what everything was used for.

I feel like a child again in the middle of all this fun, and I look forward to sharing it with another generation when the time is right.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

** On the sage advice of Goodthomas, I am proud to announce that my short story, Seeds of Truth, has been selected for one of the Author's Choice Awards in The Moon Topples Fiction Growth Contest. Do yourself a favor and go check out all the entries; they were all superb.

I'd like to thank Maht for the opportunity and for all his hard work to make this contest a success. Now everyone keep your eye on The Moon Topples for the next contest and join in!

love thursday: big gifts from little ones

Anyone away from most family and friends probably appreciates postal deliveries more than just about anything in life. I'm no different.

I love getting any letter or package, but it's particularly special when I receive something from my niece and nephew back in the States. Knowing that they still think of me in between soccer and baseball, school and birthday parties, iPods and whatever else it is kids play with these days? Warms my heart and, quite often, makes me downright giddy.

You may remember reading that Mia, my niece, had sent me a postcard from Disney. It arrived!


The other side of the cartolina is a family picture in front of Epcot, but I won't post it because I haven't asked permission. You'll just have to trust me that it's adorable.

Of course I save everything my niece and nephew have sent me. Here's a collection of some of the older stuff, drawings when they were both a few years younger:


But it's not limited to just drawings. They also send me little gifts that they've picked up here and there (usually with the help of Nana) that somehow remind me of them.

From left to right: Gangster Bean, a giraffe pin, and a little ceramic owl.

For the record, I'm never doing a photo shoot with a bean, a giraffe, and an owl again. You see how they all refused to look at the camera?

The Gangster Bean came about because before I left to come here, my nephew Michael was big into the Mighty Beanz. A list of all the beans, er, beanz came with the packets, and I told him about my affinity for Gangster Bean (go figure). So when he got his hands on this guy, he sent it off to me.

The giraffe is because I love giraffes, and my niece knows that. So one day while out at yard sales with Nana and Mommy, she saw this and knew I would love it. And I do.

The ceramic owl was gifted during the time of Filippo and Filippa, the wild owls that we raised for a little while. Isn't it a hoot? Hah!

I display their letters, pictures, drawings, and gifts throughout my house, and everyone always asks about them, their names, how old they are, etc.

And you know is always the most interested? Other children. When P's nieces and nephews or kids from the village come around, they zero on anything related to Michael and Mia (especially their blond hair!) and ask, above all, when they're coming to visit.

I can't wait for the day that they come and can meet all the people who already know so much about them. And somehow I don't think the language barrier is going to make a bit of difference.

Hearts seem to have a language of their own.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: helping hands

In case you hadn't guessed by now, I like my P an awful lot. He's quite thoughtful and sweet and handsome and lovable, and yes, I think I'll keep him.

But I'm not going to lie to you. He's not the hugest help around the house.

Now even that's an unfair statement because he does cook half the time, but see, I don't mind cooking, so if he didn't do that, it probably wouldn't bother me. Cleaning though? I *hate* cleaning of any kind (except organizing--me likey organization!), and unfortunately, apparently so does he.

I don't push him much because well, I work mostly at home, and, ahem, I'm the woman and all. Yeah, yeah, give me flack for that one (I give myself flack too), but it's an ingrained mentality that's hard to lift. Now try to rip it kicking and screaming gently ease it from a very traditional, southern Italian man who grew up in a very traditional, southern Italian household.

I figure half-arsed cleaning is better than repeated arguments, so I leave it alone for the most part.

But sometimes I get overwhelmed, particularly during the middle of the week when I'm out of the house for at least 2 full (10 a.m.-8 p.m.) days--especially if, God forbid, it has been raining, which means I haven't been able to do laundry for a few days. That stuff piles up fast even with only two people, you know.

But I really hate doing the dishes. A lot. So the other day I casually mentioned that maybe when I cook, he could do the dishes. That didn't go over well. In fact, it didn't go over at all. I'm not even sure it successfully traveled the short distance between my mouth and his ears--a new record for the Things P Didn't Want To Hear Game.

[Such a fun game, by the way, fully adaptable to any partner and free to play!]

Or at least I thought he didn't hear me.

Last night when I came home from teaching, I gave LuLu some LuLove, and then I went to the sink to wash my hands. When I reached for a tea towel to dry them, I was greeted by this:


This scene may not mean a lot to you, but let's just say that when P uses hand towels, they never end up Martha Stewart pretty back on the rack. But this time? I was duly impressed.

And then I grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the silverware drawer. I noticed that the spoon I picked up was one of our oddball ones with a design unlike the others--not strange until I realized I had used the same one in the morning before I left in my coffee and left it in the sink.

I flipped around to see this:


This had been half-full of dirty dishes when I left the house, and surely P had eaten something when he got home from work and added to the pile.

But then...he...washed them? And dried them? And put them away?

I kid you not, my eyes swelled with tears. And I didn't even mind that some of the silverware was out of place.

Who needs a big fancy ring when you've got an empty sink and folded dish towels?

I love my P.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: an illicit affair

I love strawberries. And I know I'm not the only one.

Last week at the Friday market, I bought a case of them (I have no idea how much they actually weighed) for 5 euro, and believe me, it was a deal. Just two little containers of them can run you 2 whole euro, whereas the case holds 10 containers.

And if you're unsure of my love of strawberries, let's make this clear--P doesn't eat them, so that entire case was for me, and was gone by Monday afternoon.

My strategy is to clean two containers at a time, stir in some sugar, and let them sit until they are in a gooey, teeth-curling sweet syrup. Don't worry, I eat some sans sweetener along the way as well.

On Friday afternoon, when I was elbow-deep in strawberries, P rescued this one (yes, it's just one) from the line of fire, providing me with a perfect Love Thursday photo:


I didn't end up eating the entire 10 containers of strawberries myself, though, as I shared a few with neighbors. My Aussie friend and neighbor returned the favor by inviting me over Sunday morning for breakfast, and this was the main dish:

Strawberries with fresh ricotta cheese drizzled with honey.

The flavors mixed together amazingly, and since my friend is also a restaurant pro, she even threw in a sprig of basil once she saw I was pulling out the camera. And yet again, we have a dish with the colors of the Italian flag; anyone else, expats or otherwise, find it odd how often that happens? All we ever had in America was that Fourth of July blueberry and strawberry flag cake, I think, which for the record, I've never made or eaten.

I really do love strawberries, but I appreciate them even more because here we eat everything only when in season. Sure, maybe an odd strawberry would've been nice in January, but that's not even an option, and I'm glad it's not.

My body is adjusting to seasonal eating, and I like it--it starts knowing what it needs just about the time it's coming into season. I found it this past year with artichokes, chicory, and, of course, my beloved strawberries, and it will soon happen with figs, peaches, cucumbers, and fresh, juicy tomatoes.

The mouth-watering anticipation makes everything I like just a little more special when I can finally have it. Or, absence apparently does make the heart grow fonder.

And so my illicit affair with strawberries will be in full force for a little while longer until all the 5 euro crates slowly disappear, and my obsession is put on hiatus once again.

Until next year.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: too many flowers are never enough

It's spring, and flowers are most definitely in bloom in the blogosphere.

Cherrye and Christina recently posted lovely photos of flowers they received; Alexandra shared a photo of gorgeous tulips that were waiting for her when she arrived in Holland. I'm sure there are many more floating around out there that I'm neglecting to link to--if you know of some, do share them in the comments. I love flower photos!

Turns out that not even my doggie is left out. You remember Helen, the flower-giving girl I've written about before?

Here's Helen giving Luna a wonderful bouquet:

FYI, because Helen is so dedicated to her flower delivery, it took her 15 minutes to scour the piazza to find all different colors of flowers.

As always, click to enlarge the photos for a better view.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

love thursday: lending a hand

A paw will work too.

Photo inspired by the story of Toby, a dog that saved his owner with the Heimlich.

Happy Love Thursday!

love thursday: love in the olive oil

Sounds kinky and maybe it can be, but what I'm referring to is what I noticed a few evenings ago.

When it's time to serve dinner, instead of dirtying yet another dish we (I) usually just take the pan full of whatever from the stove to the table. After a major sit-down with the other night's lovinly prepared delicious rabbit and potatoes, I was just about to grab the pan to take to the sink when I saw this:

Love really is all around if you pay attention--and what were we saying about the kitchen being a place full of love?

Happy Love Thursday everyone!