The Ivy Leaf

Fremont Sunday Street Market

2011-02-13T12:13:00.001-08:00

New post at... SeattleGrand.com

Coney Island...1970's

2011-01-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

Good Times:)

ArtFire Stocking Stuffer Extravaganza...

2010-10-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

Fun small gifts for everyone, such as these mini bookmark stocking stuffers!

Bike Ride...

2010-07-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky!

I can ride my bike here:

Pretty much just while I'm out doing errands.

Viva la Ballard!

Poor Sad Soccer Puppies

2010-06-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry Italy...maybe next year:)
Go U.S.A!

Seattle is Grand!

2010-06-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.seattlegrand.com/

1000 great things about Seattle!

Buon Cupleanno Laura!!

2010-02-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my marvelous mother-in-law! Still the same pretty girl!

Cheerfulness from The Market Street Singers

2010-01-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Delancey...More Pizza in Ballard!

2009-11-20T11:24:00.000-08:00

Delancey is new-ish in Ballard and it's a really small, simple place. They make great pizza with very fresh, high quality ingredients and super friendly service. So why did my sister, who lives on the east coast and has never even been to Seattle, ask me about this place? I don't know how this tiny, wonderful place is news 3000 miles away...but good for them, I say!

Yum!

So now we have Delancey and Veraci both right here in Ballard. We are so LUCKY!

Happy (Vintage) Halloween!

2009-10-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Circa...I'm guessing 1976 or 1977?
That's my adorable brother:)

If you know me...

2009-10-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

...you know my weakness is letterpress cards. I love them. I buy them. I send them. Why do I love them so much? I always loved paper. The crispness of the lines and colors dance lightly between art and science. Getting and/or sending hand-made, hand-written cards has only become more special in this age of e-everything. But the real answer is...I don't know, I just love letterpress. So...my new favorite is sweetolivepress.com :
These cheerful peonies are the splash of color I need heading into the cold months...and to send to my dears all winter long:)

Angel Wings Pendant Necklace in Sterling Silver...

2009-10-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Nice for the holidays...huh? Click HERE for more info:)

All Time Record Breaking Heat in Seattle...

2009-07-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

Since recording began, today has been the hottest day in Seattle...102 degrees. You know...we love to talk about the weather here in Seattle, but enough already:)

Happy 4th of July...

2009-07-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

A little lesson in Yiddish...

2009-06-13T15:28:00.001-07:00

schlemiel - the guy sitting with his foot out in the aisle

schlemazel - the waiter carrying the tray of soup that trips over the foot

schmegegie - the guy that the tray of soup falls on

Meow!

2009-04-03T11:11:00.001-07:00

Finally...I have made a cat bookmark shape that I like! Here is one in copper:
It's in my ArtFire shop:)

I am spending too much time on YouTube...

2009-03-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last YouTube post for a while. But it's good one:)

Flight of the Conchords...

2009-03-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Uh oh...it seems that Bret & Jemaine are both in love with the same sexy lady:)

DownToTheWireDesigns is now on ArtFire...

2009-03-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Seen Chuck's amazing jewelry? He has a new ArtFire shop...take a look HERE

Best thing about Maui...

2009-03-13T16:32:00.001-07:00

Many, many, MANY sightings of humpback whales:
Spectacular, fascinating creatures!

New York Black and White Cookie Pendant Choker Necklace by Diane Paone...

2009-02-27T14:49:00.001-08:00

Now this is a 'sweet' necklace...(yes, I know I'm corny but I can't help it):

It's the FAMOUS Black and White cookie from my childhood. We used to go to Zucky's Deli in Santa Monica and get them. I loved these cookies, I used to eat them down the middle getting both frostings in every bite. Zucky's is long gone and I have not had one of these in years. But THANK YOU to dpaone over there in her Etsy shop for her adorable necklace which reminded me of 'sweet' days gone by!

Ivy's Most Beloved Muffin Recipe...

2009-01-30T13:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Happy Joy Joy Muffins: Take butter, milk, egg out of fridge for 30 minutes or so before starting.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)

Mix into one bowl:
1&1/4 c regular flour
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c all bran cereal, ground up a bit
1/4 c white sugar
tblsp of brown sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
a dash of salt

beat into another bowl:
3/4 stick of melted butter
1 cup of 2% milk
1 egg

wipe some butter in each cup of your medium sixed muffin tin.

mix wet & dry ingredients, then add:

diced, dried apricot
and/or
diced dried cherries
and
semi-sweet chocolate chips
(I won't tell you how much...you know what you like)
Oh...and by all means, slivered almonds too, if you are into that kind of thing!

mix...spoon evenly into the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 16 minutes.

When the muffins come out, shake them out of the muffin tin right away and IMMEDIATELY eat the smallest one. Don't ask why...it's tradition.

This is the best known way, scientifically speaking, to warm up the house and lift your winter spirits. Don't ask why...it's science.

Enjoy:)

I Love Letterpress.

2008-12-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

There...I said it. Now the world knows that I'm a letterpresss fanatic...it is truly my weakness. I have great appreciation for those who do it well. Meet BellisStudios ! These cards are wonderful for their quality, cheerful designs and colors, and the artist/seller is as delightful as her work. I'm an Etsy girl, so I get mine from her Etsy shop: BellisStudios on Etsy. Pizza. Coffee. Letterpress. You know...the necessities:)

FOTC...

2008-12-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

This one seems sweet and tame but the message is...well see for yourself:)

Thank you Chuck for sending me a link to this about a year ago and introducing me to Flight of the Conchords. Can't wait for Season2:)

So ladies...the new, age old question...Bret or Jemaine?

News Alert...

2008-12-25T22:59:00.001-08:00

I am not leaving Ballard again until ALL the snow and ice is GONE.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

2008-12-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

That's all I have to say.

Still snowing in Seattle...

2008-12-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

Definitely the most snow accumulation I have ever seen here in nearing 20 years. What am I doing about it? A pot of chili, a pan of apple cobbler...anything that means the oven or stove needs to be on:)

They say 6 more inches...we'll see.

Snow in Ballard!

2008-12-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

A nice, pretty, couple of inches that makes everything look nice and wintery...but really hardly gets in your way. The BEST kind of snow! Here is a link to MyBallard's collections of Ballardy snow:
The perfect amount of snow:)

'Happy Thought' by Robert Louis Stevenson

2008-12-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

"The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

You know...I still remember my third grade teacher giving me the stink-eye for picking such a short poem for the assignment to memorize and recite a poem. But now all these years later, I wonder if any of the other kids in that class still remember their poems and who the authors were.

Stink-eye be damned!

:)

PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA

2008-12-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

Guess what I'm having for dinner.

I'll give you a hint. It's Pizza! And it's cooked in this awesome oven by the awesome people at Veraci Pizza right here in Seattle's lovely Ballard neighborhood:)

http://www.veracipizza.com/

Best. Pizza. Evah.

Ogni giorno...un po' l'italiano!

2008-12-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

Adesso...voglio scrivere italiano ogni giorno, in email con la mia suocera, anche qui, nella blog. Ho fatto un decisione che 2009 e' l'anno devo imparare la lingua, finalmente. Per favore fate commenti in italiano, se lo parlate. Anche, potete fare correzioni perche ho fatto errori...per certo!
Ecco website da Microsoft per traduzione... vediamo come ho fatto.

http://www.windowslivetranslator.com/Default.aspx

Translation to English of my terrible Italian by Microsoft Windows Live Translator:

Now ... i want to write Italian every day, in the email with my mother-in-law, here too, in the blog. I made a decision that 2009 and is the year i have to learn the language, at last. Please comments in Italian, if speak. Also, you can make corrections because i did errors... for sure!
That is website by Microsoft for translation... we see as i have done.

...well, you get the idea:)

Try that translator - it can be silly fun!

New Baby Alert!!

2008-11-09T10:18:00.000-08:00

Meet Ilaria!
This is the beautiful new daughter of Alessandra and Roberto. Complimenti!!
We LOVE her!!

A Beautiful Seattle Autumn Day in the Arboretum

2008-11-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice October and I haven't blogged much between our wonderful weather and my pesky election fever (almost over!!)...anyway here are the images from our lovely outing: It seems like we had a more spectacular changing of the leaves then I remember in past years. Such a beautiful day:)

Coffee Nirvana

2008-08-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

First of all...I apologize to anyone who thinks I talk/write/think about food and drink too much, but that's just the way it is:) Anyhoo...after much consideration, we have purchased an espresso maker. I thought this was going to make my husband happy and that would make me happy. Ha! Forget that noise...it's the coffee that is making me oh so happy! For him it's just back to where it should be, he's from Italy, the coffee is great in Italy, now he has great coffee as is normal for Italians. But for me, this is a cup of fabulousness the likes of which you could not find anywhere in town...and this is Seattle...we have good coffee here! But not this good:
This stuff is rocking my world!

Guess who...

2008-08-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

Hint: This photo is over 30 years old.
Hint: This photo was taken in Italy.
Hint: The subject of this photo is my very favorite human:)

The Ballard Locks Fish Ladder

2008-08-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some snaps of the Chinook salmon making their way upstream via the fish ladder as viewed from the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (what we like to call The Ballard Locks)...
They were HUGE and it was fun to see.

A Mid Week Treat...

2008-08-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

Today we are going to have a little mid week outing to go to the Ballard Locks, also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, also in my neighborhood. This is where the where they have, among other things, a ladder for the salmon to safely swim upstream to spawn. You can see them through the windows in an underwater room. Right now they have 26,000 salmon returning which is the most in over 30 years. I'll take my camera, but in the meantime...take a peek at My Ballard's great page on the subject: http://www.myballard.com/ballard-locks-seattle/

I'll report back later:)

One more from the road...

2008-08-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Why?

Why everyplace I go in Europe this guy is sticking his tongue out at me? The rude Italian strikes in Amsterdam! Where have I seen him before?

Seattle Space Needle...Etsy Style

2008-08-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Some artful depictions of the wonderful Space Needle from some talented Etsians...

There's this cool jewel box by reclaim2fame:
Moleskin Gocco Journal by the clever CleverViolet...

and one of my always favorites...bestintentions lithograph: That Space Needle is a thing of beauty...especially through the eyes of these artists!

Back to Seattle World...

2008-07-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well...since my trip has been over for weeks, and I have milked my good pictures for every blog post possible, and since I didn't take many pictures in Amsterdam...which was so beautiful...I guess I'll have to go back to blogging about my Seattle world (which, of course, is also beautiful!)

(FYI...Not the view from my house.)

Back to work as well...making pendants today:

Some new designs, some old designs...all available HERE at my Etsy shop.

Now off to look for other arts and crafts and food and fun to write about...Because that is my Seattle World!

Scheveningen, The Netherlands

2008-07-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

This was near the end of our trip. We flew to Amsterdam and were swooped up by the beautiful Hellen:

And the dashing Maurizio:

We were taken to the beach at Scheveningen, which was spectacular:

Many places to walk, sit, eat, drink and enjoy the long beach under a crystal blue sky. Also some suprising public art:

How cool is that? It looks like some photoshop fake, but it is a real thing.

Well I live in Seattle where we can boast twilight until almost 10pm during the longest days of the year, but this place...the sun didn't even set until well past 10...it was beautiful. I've never been any place like it and I hope to go again someday. Thanks Maurizio & Helen!!

Mangia da Alba...

2008-07-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like the cooking of a nonna (Italian for grandmother). Well, we were cooked for by two...Alba, la nonna di Fede and Pina, the great aunt of Fede. Here is some of what came our way:

Roasted tomatoes, Alba's famous spiedini, Zia Pina's cornflake cookies which I still want to try to make myself, and piadina from a local stand. I didn't take enough pictures...it was a feast. Best of all was the company! Here are Zia Pina with Fede's Mother Laura:

Diego looking happy and handsome:

And here is an 'artsy' shot of Alba:

Grazie! Tutto era buonissima!

Some of Romina's Creations...

2008-07-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before...Romina is my very talented friend. Now here are a couple photos of her crocheted potholders:
She has been getting ready to put them on Etsy...how about a little encouragement in the comments for Romina!

The Mosaics in Ravenna, Italy

2008-07-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

If you ever go anywhere near Ravenna, Italy, consider taking a trip to see their ancient mosaics.

So you say you want to know more about Ravenna? Well, off the top of my head I would say...

Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna once served as the seat of the Western Roman Empire and later the Ostrogothic kingdom and the Exarchate of Ravenna. It is presently the capital of the Province of Ravenna. At 652.89 km² (252.08 sq mi), Ravenna is the second-largest comune in land area in Italy, although it is only a little more than half the size of the largest, Rome.

Yes...the top of my head is Wikipedia, Go here is you want to know even more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna

Take a walking tour to see several locations which house the intricate, stunning mosaic work. It's not a crazy lot of walking and if you really want to see them, you have to go yourself because all my photos, even after trying to use photoshop magic, still only look this good:
You know...this photo doesn't look that bad...but the real thing will take your breath away.

Cesenatico by the Canal...

2008-07-07T17:22:00.001-07:00

Verona...

2008-07-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

We passed through Verona, Italy for just a few hours and it was beautiful, hot, crowded and beautiful again. Our friend Gionata who used to live there gave us the 4 hour agenda. We gave it a shot but the first place on the list, a cafe, had closed down in the 2 years since he had been there. The second place was Juliet's balcony where Shakespeare wrote the famous balcony scene between she and Romeo. Gionata was very detailed and wrote 'bacetto' meaning we should have a small kiss there...you know, for romance, then go to his favorite gelato stand. But when we got to the balcony area the heat, the throngs of tourists in a very small place and the huge amount of graffiti all over the walls were dampening the romantic mood. I think I said something like "okay okay kiss me already and let's get the hell out of here". I am a real heart-melter...huh? Anyway...Gionata, we then went to your gelato place and it was marvelous! So thank you! Finally we found a bridgeway along the Po River where we could breathe, rest, view this lovely sight and have a bacione...a big kiss! You know...for romance.

Cesena Cat...

2008-07-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

You know when you put your camera out the car window and click a few just to see what you'll get (probably only if you have a digital camera)...well I never saw this sweet road-side black cat when we passed...but I got him/her on film...What's the story about this cat? What's it's name? All I can say for sure is that he was by the road in a small village near Cesena, Italy. Feel free to add your fictional accounts of the life and times of this random Italian cat! Can we get a close-up?Sure!

A view from Bertinoro...

2008-07-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

Great Things about Italy...Part 4

2008-06-21T02:25:00.000-07:00

Interesting and beautiful people...

...such as Romina and Roberto. Romina is a first class Azdora. More pictures to come of some of her fabulous creations...they deserve blog posts of their own. Roberto Mercadini is an almost famous Italian poet and performer who is very funny and they are both talented and great friends.

And very beautiful and interesting...don't you think?

Gabicce

2008-06-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is the last beach town on the Adriatic coast before the Romagna region ends and the Marche region begins. It's a beautiful little town with a port that is used by many boaters. Very nice places to have a fresh fish meal...wonderful views.

Wonderful Things About Italy...Part 3

2008-06-16T05:01:00.000-07:00

Italians make the cutest babies ever...

Ciao Emma!

Ciao Franci...not a little baby anymore!

Things they do well in Italy...Part 2

2008-06-15T09:56:00.001-07:00

L'Amore!

Complementi a Fausto e Chiara!! Era un matrimonio bellissimo!

In Italy...

2008-06-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

...they know how to make really really good coffees...
And that's not all, of course. They have a lot of great things in Italy and I am experiencing a bunch of them. But a fast, free internet everywhere I go is NOT one of them...so I will have to be posting bit by bit.

Touring Magnolia

2008-05-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you live in a place like Seattle, which has such distinct and wonderful neighborhoods, you get a chance to be a tourist in your own town for just an hour or so. This morning was a rainy one and we almost flaked out on our plan to go the The Fisherman's Terminal in the Magnolia neighborhood (only a couple miles away...but a very different unique part of town where we seldom go). They were having a salmon grilling/BBQ competition which I saw on the event page of the awesome local blog MyBallard and we wanted to check it out:We ate some great seafood and had delicious coffee and got to hear The Tall Boys , a beloved local band, playing....in fact it was the fun, spirited music of The Tall Boys that pulled all the elements together to make this gray, rainy day event feel festive and lively...Thank you Tall Boys! It was a really nice event at which to spend an hour or so. Afterwards we decided to tool around Magnolia and got our selves lost for a bit. At that point we might as well have been visiting from thousands of miles away...it was a fresh view of our city, the pretty green neighborhood, stunning view of Salmon Bay, and windy streets all leading to someplace lovely. A nice outing.

Now I am blogging about it and dedicating this blog post to my #1 blog reader, Laura, who had gotten tired of looking at my snow post. Well, Laura...we've gone from snow to rain, so it is some improvement! Now if we could just see a bit of the sun...a girl can dream!

Snow in Ballard in April...No way!

2008-04-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Way!

Yes...It snowed tonight in Ballard. April 18th. Maybe not a big deal for you guys in the Midwest or East Coast...or Sweden. But it was quite a shock to us:

I know...it's not a lot of snow, still...it was something!

Old Arcade Machines in Italy...

2008-04-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

I think I was in Gatteo Mare or Villamarina when I cam across these.

I love the colors! Counting down the days until I return!

Tickets in Hand!!

2008-04-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

We have our plans for Italy! So I am already thinking of...

1. Refreshing my efforts parlare bene l'italiano. (Laura...forse posso chiedere aiuto!)

2. Refreshing my efforts to lose 5 pounds so that when I gain 7...I will not feel so bad.

Here is a photo gallery of what is to come...

We leave on the anniversary of this day in Italian infamy:

Green Tea Tiramisu...

2008-03-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

I know this will look weird if you never had it...but believe me how good it is. And I mean good!

It's melt-your-face-off good, and I'm not even a creamy dessert person. We had it at the very nice Village Sushi here in Seattle and I've got to say...It was a wonderful meal! I recommend this place to you Seattle locals (it's in the U District). Now for the rest of you, check around your city...and if any place has this dessert...go there now:)

Wedding Invitation Clips!

2008-03-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

These small double heart clips are great for wedding invitations, thank you card ornaments, seating card ornaments...they are just really nice for the wedding because of the 'two hearts' theme. They are hand-formed, flattened wire to be used a a graceful way to hold together the invitation, directions, RSVP...what ever your invitation packet includes, and the flattened wire will not damage the paper cards. It makes your invitation a true keepsake.

Check them out for yourself at IvyLeaf

Phone Photos

2008-03-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Okay...now I have a phone that is also a camera. I have actually had it for a while but have not learned sufficiently how to use it. I am FAMOUSLY lazy with new technology....and not just in America, but I mean world-wide notoriety. Anyway, the idea is that I should be able to put pictures on this blog from anywhere I go or anything I do. Such as my night out at The Tractor Tavern a while back where I saw a great local band called The Cops. Here is the picture (Please don't laugh at me...I am trying to drag myself into the modern age):

I wasn't even drunk.

Actually I think it's a cool picture. And it was a really fun night. If you want to see this band's website...here it is: http://www.thecopsmusic.com/ They were really good.

As for me and my phone photos...I can only get better:)

A Delightful Blog...

2008-02-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

For anybody but especially nice for parents of babies ...

http://museumofhappiness.blogspot.com/

My friend Diana did such a nice job on her blog...Bravo!

Beautiful...

2008-02-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

Just came across this artist on Etsy...
Robert Chunn is here in Seattle (there is such wonderful talent in this town!) Check out his Etsy shop, Monkfish to see more. And here's his blog...http://alla-prima.blogspot.com/

Marvelous!

For your Lovah!

2008-01-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day coming up...how about one of these bookmarks for your sweet one:

You can get it here: Heart Bookmark

Ain't love grand?

Go Diego!

2007-11-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

Great photo of my brother-in-law, Diego! He's competing in dance contests all over Italy and winning quite a few prizes. He's amazing! Fantastico!

Welcome Francesco!!!!

2007-11-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

I would write it in Italian but I can't think of any of the words to say CONGRATULATIONS!!

Luca, Marcella and Linda have added the perfectly adorable little Francesco to their family and we are so very happy for them!

Adesso...tutti Italiani, me aiuta per favore con dei parole Itaniano per questo occasione fantastico!

A Halloween Classic...

2007-10-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

Meet my friend's adorable (and very scary) kids. Well the triplets have actually turned 3...so this is an old picture back when they were only babies! But it is apropos...and just plain wonderful!

A Coldish Day in Seattle and Warm Visions of Italy

2007-10-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Every time it gets too Northwesty around here, I peruse my pictures from the summer...

A hot, dusty summer view from Bertinoro:

A warm smile (of my super-handsome brother-in-law Diego)

A humid summer night near the beach in Cervia, let's get a nice piadina!
And this day...this was probably the warmest, most beautiful day of the whole summer. And this is where I spent it.Yup...that was a ten minute trip to Italy on a Thursday afternoon in October that just brightened my day!

Give Me Strength....

2007-10-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

...to put this together:

Yes...that's right, we have been to Ikea. Twice in fact. This bad boy comes in two boxes which we didn't figure out until we got home. That'll teach us to use the 'self serve' check-out at Ikea.

And this:

This is a bag of (what seems like) millions of nuts, bolts, dowels, screws, nails, widgets, dingdots, phalanges, filkstops, twissies, dipbars...and other made up names of hardware type things.

I'll tell you one thing...this endeavor will involve A LOT of mint chip ice cream.

When the item is together...I will post a picture. In the meantime...it would help our morale tremendously if you'd leave your words of advice and encouragement in the comments:)

Thanks!

Auguri Hellen!

2007-09-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

My aunt just became an Italian citizen! Now when I say my aunt...she is much younger than me, way more glamorous and from Brazil...so please get ready for the gorgeousness that is Hellen:
That's Hellen and Maurizio...a very handsome couple indeed!

LowBall vs. HighBall

2007-09-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well...as previously blogged, I have moved to wonderful Ballard. Possibly the most delightful neighborhood in Seattle. Upon knowing this news, my friend Megan, who is always funny, original and wise, declared that Federico and I now live in LowBall. She has invented a new pair of names for upper Ballard vs. lower Ballard. HighBall and LowBall. I think it's going to catch on and be a real big thing...and I really want Megan to get the credit.

Since these names have just been invented, we're not sure where the lines are to be drawn, here is a map I found online...they say of Ballard, but how can that be if Market Street falls below the line, HOW CAN THAT BE?

Anyway...I will be investigating further into this matter, in blog posts to come, and we will discover where HighBall becomes LowBall...and when that enters into Fremont...thereby becoming FreBall.

All fascinating stuff, huh?

So far...so good!

2007-08-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well...we're moved and all is well. Special thanks to the moving crew; Megan who is one tough cookie and Chuck who is made of steel. The only thing missing is the internet, so this may be the last post for a week (writing from the wonderful Ballard Library).

Speaking of the Ballard Library...I love Ballard! There...I said it. Ballard is the best neighborhood of Seattle. I can walk to the library, post office, grocery store, drug store, fabric store, coffee shop, flower store, park, bars, pubs and restaurants, a great bakery, a movie theater, bank, bead store, kitchen store...enough. Suffice to say Ballard is the best!

Moving Day...

2007-08-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Oh...the excitement! Moving into our new house! That's all I can say for now...because there is still packing to do! Not to mention about a thousand trips up and down these:
Wish us luck! Updates to come!

The Day Alba Came And Cooked Us Lunch...

2007-08-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

I never did get these pictures online...this is going back to when we were in Italy and Fede's grandmother, Alba, came over and cooked us lunch one day. Well, today I am missing Italy and all our family and friends there and I am thinking about Alba. She came one day and cooked us a lunch like only Alba can. First of all she cooks this pasta dish that just does not exist anywhere else in the world, that I know about. It has some greens, not exactly spinach, not arugula...but sort of like that, and she chops it and cooks it into a sauce that is so delicious that I am sitting here a month or more later and thinking about it. She also saw some tomatoes and decided to whip up an Au gratin thing at the last moment...because Alba can whip up fabulous stuff like that without even thinking about it.Then she spent most of the day and I have to say...it may have been the most time that Federico got to spend with his grandmother for years. It was a real treat for him...me too, of course, but most of that afternoon was in Italian, so I didn't follow along the conversation, but enjoyed the company so much all the same!Ciao Alba...e mille grazie...era buonissima!

Abby Rose...

2007-08-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Lookin' good, baby!

A Very Funny Ebay Listing...

2007-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is a little long, but it is so hilarious...it was an Ebay listing for maybe $5 worth of pokemon cards, but the description was so funny and well-written that people actually bid this up to $142.51 by the time it sold. This woman is such a good writer. Here is a link to her blog:

http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/

and here is her wonderful description:

LOT OF POKEMON CARDS THAT MY KIDS TRIED TO SNEAK BY ME

I'm selling a bunch of Pokemon cards. Why? Because my kids sneaked them into my shopping cart while at the grocery store and I ended up buying them because I didn't notice they were there until we got home. How could I have possibly not noticed they were in my cart, you ask? Let me explain.
You haven’t lived until you’ve gone grocery shopping with six kids in tow. I would rather swim, covered in bait, through the English Channel, be a contestant on Fear Factor when they’re having pig brains for lunch, or do fourth grade math than to take my six kids to the grocery store. Because I absolutely detest grocery shopping, I tend to put it off as long as possible. There comes a time, however, when you’re peering into your fridge and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what can I make with ketchup, Italian dressing, and half an onion,’ that you decide you cannot avoid going to the grocery store any longer. Before beginning this most treacherous mission, I gather all the kids together and give them “The Lecture“.
“The Lecture“ goes like this…
MOM: “We have to go to the grocery store.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine.“
MOM: “Hey, I don’t want to go either, but it’s either that or we’re eating cream of onion-ketchup soup and drinking Italian dressing for dinner tonight.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine.“
MOM: “Now here are the rules: do not ask me for anything, do not poke the packages of meat in the butcher section, do not test the laws of physics and try to take out the bottom can in the pyramid shaped display, do not play baseball with oranges in the produce section, and most importantly, do not try to leave your brother at the store. Again.”
OK, the kids have been briefed. Time to go.
Once at the store, we grab not one, but two shopping carts. I wear the baby in a sling and the two little children sit in the carts while I push one cart and my oldest son pushes the other one. My oldest daughter is not allowed to push a cart. Ever. Why? Because the last time I let her push the cart, she smashed into my ankles so many times, my feet had to be amputated by the end of our shopping trip. This is not a good thing. You try running after a toddler with no feet sometime.
At this point, a woman looks at our two carts and asks me, “Are they all yours?” I answer good naturedly, “Yep!
“Oh my, you have your hands full.”
“Yes, I do, but it‘s fun!” I say smiling. I’ve heard all this before. In fact, I hear it every time I go anywhere with my brood.
We begin in the produce section where all these wonderfully, artistically arranged pyramids of fruit stand. There is something so irresistibly appealing about the apple on the bottom of the pile, that a child cannot help but try to touch it. Much like a bug to a zapper, the child is drawn to this piece of fruit. I turn around to the sounds of apples cascading down the display and onto the floor. Like Indiana Jones, there stands my son holding the all-consuming treasure that he just HAD to get and gazing at me with this dumbfounded look as if to say, “Did you see that??? Wow! I never thought that would happen!”
I give the offending child an exasperated sigh and say, “Didn’t I tell you, before we left, that I didn’t want you taking stuff from the bottom of the pile???”
“No. You said that you didn’t want us to take a can from the bottom of the pile. You didn’t say anything about apples.”
With superhuman effort, I resist the urge to send my child to the moon and instead focus on the positive - my child actually listened to me and remembered what I said!!! I make a mental note to be a little more specific the next time I give the kids The Grocery Store Lecture.
A little old man looks at all of us and says, “Are all of those your kids?”
Thinking about the apple incident, I reply, “Nope. They just started following me. I’ve never seen them before in my life.”
OK, now onto the bakery section where everything smells so good, I’m tempted to fill my cart with cookies and call it a day. Being on a perpetual diet, I try to hurry past the assortment of pies, cakes, breads, and pastries that have my children drooling. At this point the chorus of “Can we gets” begins.
“Can we get donuts?”
“No.”
“Can we get cupcakes?”
“No.”
“Can we get muffins?”
“No.”
“Can we get pie?”
“No.”
You’d think they’d catch on by this point, but no, they’re just getting started.
In the bakery, they’re giving away free samples of coffee cake and of course, my kids all take one. The toddler decides he doesn’t like it and proceeds to spit it out in my hand. (That’s what moms do. We put our hands in front of our children’s mouths so they can spit stuff into them. We’d rather carry around a handful of chewed up coffee cake, than to have the child spit it out onto the floor. I’m not sure why this is, but ask any mom and she’ll tell you the same.) Of course, there’s no garbage can around, so I continue shopping one-handed while searching for someplace to dispose of the regurgitated mess in my hand.
In the meat department, a mother with one small baby asks me, “Wow! Are all six yours?”
I answer her, “Yes, but I’m thinking of selling a couple of them.”
(Still searching for a garbage can at this point.)
Ok, after the meat department, my kids’ attention spans are spent. They’re done shopping at this point, but we aren’t even halfway through the store. This is about the time they like to start having shopping cart races. And who may I thank for teaching them this fun pastime? My seventh “child”, also known as my husband. While I’m picking out loaves of bread, the kids are running down the aisle behind the carts in an effort to get us kicked out of the store. I put to stop to that just as my son is about to crash head on into a giant cardboard cut-out of a Keebler elf stacked with packages of cookies.
Ah! Yes! I find a small trash can by the coffee machine in the cereal aisle and finally dump out the squishy contents of my hand. After standing in the cereal aisle for an hour and a half while the kids perused the various cereals, comparing the marshmallow and cheap, plastic toy content of each box, I broke down and let them each pick out a box. At any given time, we have twenty open boxes of cereal in my house.
As this is going on, my toddler is playing Houdini and maneuvering his little body out of the seat belt in an attempt to stand up in the cart. I’m amazed the kid made it to his second birthday without suffering a brain damaging head injury. In between trying to flip himself out of the cart, he sucks on the metal bars of the shopping cart. Mmmm, can you say “influenza”?
The shopping trip continues much like this. I break up fights between the kids now and then and stoop down to pick up items that the toddler has flung out of the cart. I desperately try to get everything on my list without adding too many other goodies to the carts.
Somehow I manage to complete my shopping in under four hours and head for the check-outs where my kids start in on a chorus of, “Can we have candy?” What evil minded person decided it would be a good idea to put a display of candy in the check-out lanes, right at a child’s eye level? Obviously someone who has never been shopping with children.
As I unload the carts, I notice many extra items that my kids have sneaked in the carts unbeknownst to me. I remove a box of Twinkies, a package of cupcakes, a bag of candy, and a can of cat food (we don’t even have a cat!). I somehow missed the box of Pokemon cards however and ended up purchasing them unbeknownst to me. As I pay for my purchases, the clerk looks at me, indicates my kids, and asks, “Are they all yours?”
Frustrated, exhausted from my trip, sick to my stomach from writing out a check for $289.53, dreading unloading all the groceries and putting them away and tired of hearing that question, I look at the clerk and answer her in my most sarcastic voice, “No. They’re not mine. I just go around the neighborhood gathering up kids to take to the grocery store because it’s so much more fun that way.”
So, up for auction is an opened (they ripped open the box on the way home from the store) package of Pokemon cards. There are 44 cards total. They're in perfect condition, as I took them away from the kiddos as soon as we got home from the store. Many of them say "Energy". I tried carrying them around with me, but they didn't work. I definitely didn't have any more energy than usual. One of them is shiny. There are a few creature-like things on many of them. One is called Pupitar. Hee hee hee Pupitar! (Oh no! My kids' sense of humor is rubbing off on me!) Anyway, I don't there's anything special about any of these cards, but I'm very much not an authority on Pokemon cards. I just know that I'm not letting my kids keep these as a reward for their sneakiness.
Shipping is FREE on this item. Insurance is optional, but once I drop the package at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility. For example, if my son decides to pour a bottle of glue into the envelope, or my daughter spills a glass of juice on the package, that’s my responsibility and I will fully refund your money. If, however, I take the envelope to the post office and a disgruntled mail carrier sets fire to it, a pack of wild dogs rip into it, or a mail sorting machine shreds it, it’s out of my hands, so you may want to add insurance. I will leave feedback for you as soon as I’ve received your payment. I will be happy to combine shipping on multiple items won within three days. This comes from a smoke-free, pet-free, child-filled home. Please ask me any questions before placing your bid. Happy bidding! :)
***

Well-done!

Copper Cowboy Boots Bookmark...

2007-08-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

Great for all those cowboys and cowgirls who love to read. This fun gift is available at my very own Etsy shop...click HERE

Pug Mania!

2007-08-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Feel free to wite your own captions!

How to Conquer 'Blogger's Block'...

2007-08-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Step 1-drink tea

Step 2-go to Etsy and seach around until you see something you like

Step 3- post a link to it and a nice picture of it:

This is an example of the truly lovely stationery available from Paperlove:

I love Paperlove!

Step 4- make a peanut butter and banana sandwich for yourself and enjoy it! You have conquered Blogger's Block! (for today...)

Another Italian Wedding...

2007-08-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

I remember fondly:)

Oh What a Night!

2007-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

It was a get-together of some highschool friends of Federico. The nicest, smartest, funniest crowd ever. We met at Anita sul Mare, the best restaurant for fish in Cesenatico for sure...and maybe all of Italy. Our friends Marco and Ericka own it and have created an environment of casual elegance, culinary creativeness and amazing freshness and quality. We were so lucky to be able to sit outside at the water on a beautiful night at sunset. The company was delightful, the food unforgetable. I am not a calimari lover, but that night I couldn't stop eating these fresh, soft, lightly breaded, delicately fried calamari discs. We had thinly sliced raw sword fish (sort of sushi style, yet totally Italian), among an array of other seafood antipasti. Then a dry passatelli pasta dish with shellfish, among several other pastas that were all perfect. Marco, who has sommelier training, chose wines that were all marvelous. There were lemon sorbet and coffee gelato for dessert and I mean it when I say it was the most delicious coffee gelato or ice cream I've ever tasted. Baby Emma was there and a tiny little angel. Francesca was there and is no longer a baby, but a smart, adorable toddler. I didn't take enough pictures...I never do. Too busy enjoying the evening.

Cheers to the Happy Couple!!

2007-08-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Congratulations and all our love to Romina and Roberto who tied the knot in Cesena, Italy one week ago today. We were happy and lucky to be there and it was a beautiful day!
We wish you both years of laughter, happiness and love!!!

Say 'Ciao' to Franci!

2007-07-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

When I've got the internet I haven't got the time...when I have the time...no connection. Now I have a little bit of both, but not much as we are running for a train to Milan and then we fly home the next day. I promise to catch up with all the pictures and stories when I am home. Until then I leave you with this most adorable face ever...Questo e' Franci! Francesca is the delightful, beautiful daughter of Michaela and Massimiliano . She is just as sweet and smart as she looks and we had a wonderful time together. Grazie Franci!!!

More to come from Seattle!

Piada!!

2007-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

You may have read about Piada...or piadina before in this blog. Well now I am in the land of it. It is a very popular, regional flatbread which we love. Piadina stands are everywhere in Romagna...in fact, here is one now!

A refresher course on the joys of Piadina:

Piadina, or you may see it called 'piada' and it's a wonderful Italian flatbread only found in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Festive little 'piadina' stands pepper the region, especially near the sea. These stands are recognizable by the red or light blue and white stripes that decorate the closet-sized establishments. One or two people work like bees to prepare and sell these delicious, fresh Italian sandwiches made from unique flatbread and a huge choice of Italian meats, cheeses and vegetables. A piadina stuffed with ingredients of choice, then folded over and cooked closed into a half-moon shape is called a crescione and is one of the most delightful foods in this land of delightful foods.

Why don't they sell this treat on every corner of every city and town in the universe?

Why Why Why??

Bertinoro

2007-07-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Questo e' un nuovo photo di Bertinoro vicino dove Federico e io facciamo il nozze due anni prima. (This is a new photo of Bertinoro, Italy...near where Fede and I had our wedding two years ago).

Come se dice "the scene of the crime"?

Now Italy...

2007-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

We arrived today in Cesena, Italy and are very happy to be here! The weather is hot but we don't care. Federico's mother made for us a nice dinner of prosciutto, mozzarella, olive bread, grilled eggplant, carrot & arugula salad and parmagianno cheese. It couldn't have been any better for this hot summer night.

No pictures yet as I forget to get the camera unpacked, so I have dug this up out of my archives. It is a dashing but rude Italian man sticking his tongue out at me in Bertinoro.

Rude but cute...I think I'll keep him!

Interesting sights in Ireland...

2007-07-23T06:49:00.001-07:00

Ride a real live dragon in Kinsale**

(**Note...dragon is neither 'real' nor 'live'.)

Drink Coffee...Do stupid things faster with more energy. (How do they know me so well?)

Not sure what they are selling in this Dublin shop...but the dummies look happy!

Cool car...

And the strangest sight of all...

A dashing yet rude Italian man on the streets of Cork sticking his tongue out at me. Where have I seen that man before?

Cork-Kinsale-Kilkenny-Dublin

2007-07-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

We are only seeing four places, but the scenery from the bus from place to place fills in the blanks. My pictures were not too good, so you just have to believe me that this is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Cork is charming...small, fun, great food, wonderful people. In Kinsale we ate at Fishy Fishy which was highly recommended and for good reason. In Kilkenny this was the view from our hotel room:

It was very dreamy and wonderful. We have had Fish & Chips, Irish Stew, and drank plenty of Guiness and other wonderful local beer. (The Temple Brau at the Porterhouse Pub is my new favorite worldwide!)

I love it here. Dublin is one of the best cities I've ever visited. I can't think of any reason to ever leave St. Stephen's Green (a city park to rival Central Park in Manhattan)...
Anyway, we don't have much time here left, so out we go...even in the rain (sounds like Seattle, no wonder why I like it!)

More later!

Irish Brown Bread

2007-07-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

I love this bread and will be trying to make it at home. Have you had it? This is what it looks like:

I have had it every morning for breakfast and I won't be able to give it up. Here is the recipe I found:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons toasted wheat bran

3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough. Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan.
Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Turn bread out of pan and cool right side up on rack.

Some butter and/or jam or honey and a cup of Irish breakfast tea (Barry's is the best!).

The perfect breakfast!

Ireland

2007-07-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

We are a few days into our trip and finally I have an internet connection that I can use for posting to my blog...but at the moment, not much time. Let me say first that I love Ireland even more than I thought I would, and that was a lot. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I could stay here for ever...but we leave tomorrow. Let me post this picture of the place we stayed in Kilkenny:
Just as charming as it looks. We started in Cork, we went to Kinsale for a half day, then Kilkinney and now Dublin. I love them all. Will try to post more pics later when I have more time.

Laura in Venice

2007-07-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

This is Laura, my mother-in-law, looking like Sophia Loren in Venice...

Very glamorous!

The Mighty Pacific

2007-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well...we're here in California for a few days. Right now in Mountain View and then down to Santa Monica. California is a beautiful place, but it's not for everyone. Aside from people (my family and friends), the thing I miss the most about California is the roar and the smell of the ocean.
This photo says it all...such beauty and power, but off balance...and not quite right. That is California to me. Still...it is awesomely nice to be here a few times a year.

Welcome Italiani!!

2007-07-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Ho visto quest'settimana molti personi di Italia vengono vedere questo blog...Welcome!

P.S. Chi sa dove' questo foto fa?

Presto...

2007-06-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Presto possiamo ritornare al'Italia per un viaggio. Provo imparare Italiano questo anno, come ogni anno, e spero posso parlare meglio questa volta. Per favore Italiani...parlanno lentemente con me' e hanno molto patienza!! Grazie Mille!!

Fremont Solstice Parade

2007-06-22T08:13:00.001-07:00

It was a blast! All the floats were wonderful...but here is my favorite:

I don't know how they made this 'tree' but it was magical...and that's not a word I toss around.

Grazie Laura!

2007-06-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Laura, my mother-in-law, who was moved by the picture of baby Emma to send in a nice vintage photo of Federico and Baby Diego. Well...both boys have changed a lot in the last 20 plus years, but I can report that they are both still just as adorable!

Sweet photo...Grazie Laura, much appreciated!

And Diego...Hope you feel better soon!!!

Emma...Bellissima!!!

2007-06-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to see "Knocked Up" which was a very funny movie. This morning we got the e-mail that Emma was born last night (to happy parents Gianluca & Natasha), we did the math and figured out at probably the same moment we saw the birth scene in the movie, Emma was across the ocean being born in Torino, Italy. So...we feel like we were there!

All our love and best wishes to the whole family!!!

And to Cangio & Nate': Saluti e abracci e la tua bambina e' bellissima...BELLISSIMA!

Guitar Bookmark in Copper

2007-06-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of those items that I made for a special request, the requester never bought it, and I've sold a bunch of them since. I love when a special order alerts me to an item that I never would have thought of otherwise. But now that it exists I realize it's a great gift for musicians, music lovers, guys, and also I've sold a few for 7th anniversary (copper) gifts. And is that Eddie Veder in the background? Yup...Federico's favorite!If you want one for the rockstar in your life...click HERE.

Any Time Now...

2007-06-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

The little baby girl of Nate' and Cangio (in Torino) is due today...but the doctor told them it could be a week more. Hurry up baby...we want to see you!

Parli Italiano?

2007-06-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

In questa posta voglio scrivo solamente in italiano. Posso parlare bene italiano? NO! Ma forse sono fortunato e posso parlare meglio di tu. O forse tu non parli niente l'italiano allora tu credi che io parlo molte bene. HA! Si tu sei una persona chi puo capire questo...per favore me dici qualcosa in italiani...PREGO!

Anniversary Coming Up...

2007-05-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Well it's been just about two years since the fantastic, frightful, frenetic and fabulously fun Italian wedding trip. What are we going to do for our anniversary? We think we'll go to La Spiga here is Seattle which is the resturant where we had out second date. Maybe our first date depending on your definition of 'a date.'

That date was eight years ago, but I remember what I wore, I remember Federico brought me Italian chocolates with fortunes in them, and for years we had what we considered to be 'our table' at La Spiga.

Now La Spiga has moved to a new, bigger, very beautiful space, so we no longer have 'our table'. But we still love it there and consider it our spot. So we'll be there on our anniversary. I wonder if I'll get Italian chocolates this time...