Torino Italy

Once upon a time... we lived here in Torino Italy.







This is me with the
Mole Antonelliana in the background. See the spire? That's it.



Here is our old neighborhood:



Just down the block from us was this castle. This would be a nice house to live in don't you think?



Closer:



But you have to get right up on the sidewalk to enjoy the true beauty of this castle. The mosaics.



Aren't they beautiful?

What Boys Like

As a mamma of three Wild Things of the male kind, I know little about little girls. But I know a few universal truths about boys of all sizes.

They like to go rock climbing.


They like to get their feet wet.


They like to throw rocks.


They enjoy putting it into 4 wheel drive!


When they get stuck in the mud-


boys are happy to call re-inforcements to come pull them out.


Boys are great at playing make-believe. (Mmmm, this rock tastes like gelato)!


Boys aren't too concerned about the muddy laundry situations they create for their womenfolks.


They love mud and dirt.


They like dirt so much they'll take a bath in it.


... and sometimes they'll even taste it.


But even covered in dirt, they are always adorable. Now I'm off to do laundry.
Go hug your boys today!
love,
Amber

Thirteen

I'm not playing favorites. My two eldest wild things- the tween and the teen aren't any less cute or funny than the baby. But as you've seen, I blog way more about the toddler than I do of his elder brothers.

Blogging about elder children can be complicated. I have to walk a fine line between showing off their fun-spirited and wild hooligan selves, and maintaining privacy for them; something that even if they haven't thought about it yet, I have.

The last thing I would ever want to hear from them is "Mom, you embarassed me!"

But today I am going to talk about my eldest son, and I don't think this is anything that ever could embarass him. I hope.

These photos were taken of my eldest and youngest sons a little over a year ago. They are among my favorites because of the cute factor. Not many moms wouldn't be thrilled to walk in the back yard and find their eldest son rocking the baby to sleep with such obvious enjoyment.
See what I mean?



I love his smile here:



But his natural affinity with his baby brother isn't what I want to talk about. It is his heart. His wide open, sweet natured heart. This boy constantly surprises even me, the mother who thinks highly of him and expects great things of him.

Teen Wild Thing- I think I love you!

These Eyes Should Be Illegal

It's true, and I'll tell you why. This is my nephew, and he has these big blue eyes that make me feel funny. See when he looks at me like that, I have to pick him up. What happens next is that I feel his sweet baby pudge and inhale the fragrance of his fine blond hair, as he settles himself in for a cuddle.

Then I turn to a pile of jabbering and cooing mush.

This little wild thing has Power I tell ya! And it starts with his eyes.
While I am kissing his cheeks and playing with his toes, my uterus tries to convince me that I want another one of these creatures. The semi coherent part of me says No! That would be crazy! I have more than my share of children. Remember the hundreds of sleepless nights, the endless pre-natal visits, the great adventure of childbirth! Remember that these sweet cuddly wild things also cry, sometimes at great length and for no apparent reason.

All of that is very true, but I am weak! Look at those eyes. It's a sickness, and I need help. Somebody please remind me how nice life is with children who are growing up, and without an infant in your arms day and night. Those big blue eyes have me under a spell. Help. Hello?

Happy Fourth!!!

Happy Fourth of July from our family

to you and yours!
love,
Amber

Here We Come!

Over the river and through the woods


to grandmother's house we go!


Where you can walk for miles and miles and still not arrive at your neighbors' house.


Where there are horses!


Where the horses and their kids get to kick up their heels and make a little dust!



Where it's a good idea to wear these fancy hats for protection from the hot sun.



And where after a day full of fun, you can grab a glass of lemonade and sit out on the porch and watch the sun go down in all its' ordinary splendor while evening breezes cool you.


Wishing you a safe, fun and exciting holiday week end!
love,
Amber

Monday Musings: Itty Bitty

We made man size calzones, and calzones for hungry big boys, and finally a little itty bitty calzone for a little itty bitty person.



A pinch of pizza dough, a dollop of tomato sauce and a sprinkling of mozarella is all it took to put a big sparkle in his eyes, and earn a happy "Mmmmmm" from this little Wild Thing. Of course he sampled the dough before it was ready to be baked, and he somehow managed to grab a handful of flour with his itty bitty fingers and trail it through the kitchen and living room. The dog even inherited half of his calzone when we weren't paying attention. And when his lips were covered in tomato sauce, guess who he came over to for a big hug? Before I could grab a napkin he grabbed me and turned me into his personal napkin (again). Yes this happens, sometimes daily. Nothing says "I love you Mamma!" like a lip print of tomato sauce on your new jeans.

And yet I wouldn't trade these days for anything. Soon he won't use me as his personal napkin anymore. Right now his needs are few, his wants are simple, and I can meet them all. I know when he needs a cuddle and when he wants to be tickled. Right now I am in his every horizon. Later, only a few short years from now I will not be his center, I will be peripheral. His wants will become more complex, and I may not be able to make all his dreams come true. But right now, right now we're tight. So I will take those messy kisses, the messy floors, the diapers and even the frazzle brain that comes with being with a toddler 24/7. This time is fleeting.

Honestly

I am thrilled to have been given the "Honest Scrap" blog award by KC of The Shock of the Old . Grazie mille KC!
Upon accepting the award I need to divulge ten honest things about myself and then pass the award to "a fellow blogger whose blog’s content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.”

My ten honest things:

I much prefer to read rather than watch television. I love the feeling of relaxation I get with a quiet moment and a book in my hands.

My cooking dramatically improved upon moving to Italy. It was there that I had the time and plenty of inspiration to take an interest of mine and turn it into a strength.

I am full of strange inconsistencies. For instance, I love to be a night owl, and yet I crave watching the sun rise in the mornings... but above all as a parent of a toddler the last 18 months of my life have been punctuated with very little sleep- and sleep is what I crave most!

I am very creative and come up with all kinds of different and fun ideas of how to fill my time. But drat it, real life intrudes with things like cleaning and laundry.

Time management is an area where I could definitely use improvement (see above).

As weird of a path my life has been, I probably wouldn't change even one single thing of which I had a choice! But I also like to look back and say "What if?"

I carefully guard and nurture my dreams because if they don't come true, I don't know what I'll do!

Physically, mentally, or spiritually, I am always on some sort of crusade for personal improvement.

I know I have many new things to learn, and I welcome them.

My life is full of blessings, and I am grateful for them. When I strive for better things, it does not negate the fulfillment I find in my life.

And here is an extra: I tend to "over think" things. While thinking of things I love to tell you all about it, and so I end up talking your ear off! (But you already knew that, didn't you)?



Seven is my lucky number, so here is a list of seven truly brilliant blogs I am bestowing this award to.


Cherrye at My Bella Vita
Michelle at Bleeding Espresso
Rowena at Rubber Slippers in Italy
Gail at Fort Rock Glimpses
Piccola at Life in la Citta' de Rosas
Shirley at Bocconcini e Pomodorini
Jeni at The Passionate Palate

Rodeo Bronc, I feel your pain!

Early this morning I brought the little Wild Thing into bed with me when he woke, and after a little cuddle we fell back asleep.

Suddenly and without warning I woke again. The Wild Thing was on my back bouncing up and down and squashing my kidneys. Bounce, bounce, bounce, then a high screech as he pitched himself off of me and onto the bed. "Good, game over." I thought to myself and tried to resign myself to the reality of waking up.

Bounce, bounce, bounce! "Wheeee!" he said as he flung himself off me again.

"Ugh." I said.

Bounce, bounce, bounce! "Wheeeee!'

This is way too much for a mamma to take before her first sip of coffee.

Nest

What would you do with the luxurious soft undercoat hair of a German Shepherd dog? Since she is shedding, we have been brushing her outside. It seems her hair has been re-purposed! This is recycling at its best!



What a soft new world these babies will be hatched into.

I have never been so close to this nest, but this morning when I walked outside with coffee in hand, I noticed the parent birds weren't around. I zipped in to the house to grab the camera while I had a rare photo opportunity!

The birds must have gone off for a romantic breakfast together. I know better than to get too close to the nest when the parents are around, after all it would be terrible if they abandoned their eggs, so I got a quick shot and left. Through the window I can see at least one parent bird has returned to the nest. Sweet!

Happy Spring!

Half Hour

What is the value of half an hour?

In half an hour I can shower, apply make-up and fix my hair.

In half an hour I can catch up on a mountain of laundry.

In half an hour I can catch up on emails.

I can get the breakfast dishes all caught up.

I can whip out a post for the dear lil' blog.

I can go blog-hopping, leaving enthusiastic comments all over the www.

I can (if I am extremely lucky and haven't fueled myself too much with coffee) take a nap with the baby for half an hour.

And on some days, when everything in the universe aligns itself just right, I can ignore the guilt for all the things I should do with a half hour of un-claimed time, and apply that time instead to one of my passions: Art.

This is what I did in an half hour of free time last week.






(sorry for the glare, but by using the flash you can really see the interesting texture of the tile in this photo)

I bought a large tile, 18 inches by 18 inches, and applied the kind of paint you can use on porcelain projects and that is easily baked on in your oven! I used my crock-pot lid to stencil out the oval shape- how is that for creativity? And wishing on the coming summer flowers, and my love of Tuscany and farm-land... well I was inspired to combine it all into something useful. I now have a trivet for my table, big enough to easily accomodate my largest spaghetti pot. All I have to do is glue on the back side of the tile some felt, so I don't scratch up the kitchen table.

If you have an extra half hour, what do you like to do with it?

For Kids: A Fun Easter Project! A Mini Tutorial

I first saw this idea on the cover of a recent women's magazine. I thought it was cute, but never entertained the idea of creating it myself. Then while searching for a fun Easter project for kids, I thought of this, and voila! Absolutely adorable cuteness overload- just for kids! Well, ok. There is no reason grown-ups can't get in on the fun, but this is a guaranteed kid pleasing project. My kids are all boys, so the pretty little flower idea had to make way for some male pleasing macho cactus plants- but I am sure you'll agree, the cuteness is not lost at all!





The first step is to break the eggs. Try to crack them gently on the pointed end of the egg, turning slightly and tapping again until it is easy to remove the "cap."





Take some soil and with a small spoon put some soil in the bottom of the egg shell.





Add the plant and gently push more soil around the roots and gently and firmly press down until the plant is well supported by soil.



When all your eggs are planted, spritz water on the plants.






Don't you think this will make a very creative table centerpiece that will make your kids, (or you) proud?

How To Make Pesto

It is green gold, and I love it! It is one of Bella Italia's greatest culinary treasures. Pesto. This recipe was given to me by my dear mother in law, la mia cara suocera. It is good. It is so good that even though it is very green, my wild things will happily eat it. And today I share this wealth with you.

First you gather your ingredients.

We have:

Basil,

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (first pressing and cold pressed is best),

Pine Nuts and

Parmigiano Reggiano.

You may add fresh garilic cloves and salt if you wish.

The next step is to mix the ingredients. If you are using a blender or food processor you can throw everything together and just mix, adding oil if needed.

If you will be using a mortar and pestle, you will want to start with the garlic, and the basil, salt, pine nuts, oil, and cheese. If it becomes too thick in either case, simply add more oil.

Ta da! It is done and ready to dress up your pasta oh so pretty! Or if you are like me and you can't wait to try it with pasta, it is a lovely snack spread upon some crusty bread. Feel free to garnish it with thinly sliced parmigiano and a basil leaf or two. Bello e buono!

The flavors of this pesto are so good, I dare you to stop after just one bite!

Come closer! Closer!

Mmmmm yummy!

Now my dear friends, for your viewing pleasure, let's see how a Genovese woman prepares her pesto! Enjoy!

I have just one little question for you. Have you ever made pesto before, and if so what kind? If you never have made it before, now do you think you will give it a try?