FINALLY!

TROUBLE
What a couple of days. A missed train...a missed opportunity...lost duckets...and 3 sick travelers.
It is all too easy when you are traveling and a couple of things go sour, to start grouping all the crappiness together into one great big mess of negativity. We started down that path yesterday morning and had to take a serious moment to re-group, have a "caffe", and just breathe.
In the end, it turned out to be a really great day. And to top it off, the missing 90euro (my fault) ended up being only a missing 40 after Jim noticed the washing machine wasn't draining properly and discovered a 50 euro note had been clogging it up! Yay! The machine is still clogged, so I hope our hostess enjoys that extra 40 big ones.
Also the little D seems the picture of health and the 2 big D's are on their way up!

GELATO
Could we be any luckier than to land ourselves in Florence,Italy during a gelato FESTIVAL!?!
L's first encounter with gelato (vanilla) was rather blasé. He didn't care for it much, and looked like we could have just as easily been serving him green beans.
The second encounter (melon & pink grapefruit) was a different story indeed!
Eyes wide, legs bouncing, hands shaking, little squeals, and a smile so big I'm sure even the people 486 steps (Jimbo's #) above in the Duomo could spot his two pearly whites.

CAFFE
In Italy, coffee is a whole other cup of ...well, coffee. There are no take-aways.
Here is a quick comparison:
A typical morning at a Tim Hortons-
Snarling, ass-kicking consumer, teeth barred, toonie in hand, awaiting their first of several extra large cups of coffee (think "Dawn of the Dead").

A typical morning in any Italian cafe-
Effortlessly well put together, smooth talking patron, casually leaning on bar (no matter the rush it seems), taking a few moments out of their day to sip a shot of espresso and chat with their classy bartender.

Anyway, typically I avoid caffeine, but I am thoroughly enjoying my daily indulgence while here and our current favourite are cappuccino's which immediately stamps us "Tourist" (cause nothing else does...hehe). A cappuccino here is reserved for mornings, and since we don't partake until well after noon it becomes an eyebrow raising order. A simple espresso would be far more respectable, and we have tried but it just isn't our cup of... you know.

CONCRETE JUNGLE
There are very few grassy areas here which becomes all the more noticeable when you have a little one who is well on the move and ALL you need is a little spot for him to crawl around and get a taste of freedom after being carried or strollered about town. Considering the huge number of pigeons, so far in every place we have been, the wide open concrete spaces aren't all that crawler friendly either. Even most parks are cemented over. The grassy areas we have come across tend toward unruliness, and our presence on them has felt a little naughty sitting on the wrong side of a chain link rope next to the "do not walk on grass" sign. We can't even plead ignorance since the sign is in english as well as Italian!

ATTENTION!
They love, love, love babies here! Everyone goes out of their way to help out when you have a little one. The locals are all so sweet and maternal, you cannot even find it in you to object to their reaching out and cuddling your youngin'.

Waiting in a security line to enter the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michaelangelo's statue of "David" (which, by the way, floored me far more than I expected it to), where bags and people are being checked and scanned. The guard notices our little guy, reaches out, taking him from me and starts hugging him and showing him to all his co-workers laughing and talking to L in breakneck speed Italian. He then waved us around the scanners and detectors with our daily mass of baggage, all the while staring at L, making baby noises, and saying "Ciao,Ciao! Ciao,Ciao!".
Anyway, it's really and truly going to his head. Now, when he tries to get someone's attention and they don't give it to him (which is rare, but does happen) he gets quite aggravated. Uh-oh, Italy is creating a monster! ;)

FINAL NOTE
Only blurbs tonight, no photos. Just no time after that novel. It's been nearly 10 days since we left home and we have kept incredibly busy (in the relaxed wanderer sense). That was just my excuse for no contact. I must say though going off-grid is very refreshing once in a while. The computer can become sort of a ball and chain at home (in a way that I sort of like...), so to get away from it is definitely healthy.
When last night I was ready, nay, desperate for contact and I took the tram to the center all ready for a little email, blog, and browse only to learn about the Italian law that you must check-in with id to use the computer I was more than a little miffed.
..but, home I went to cuddle my little one to sleep, eat a very big chocolatey biscuit, and sip a glass (yes just one glass) of Tuscan white wine. And all was right in my world again.

So finally here I sit at 10pm while my poor hubby packs our things and puts bub to bed (what a tolerant dude) and I get all this out of my system, give you a glimpse into things so far, and wonder what we have thought nearly every day - Why can't we travel forever??
I think we are getting too greedy for this sweet life...
xo

Last little bits (yesterdays post)

Ran out of time to post this yesterday:
We are basically packed and ready to go. It seems that one can never be totally packed until the last hour when suddenly you start running around remembering things that for some reason or other you couldn't think of - until the last hour!

It's been a busy day already. L has been up since 6:30am. A tad early for him. There has already been a decent size bump on his eyebrow from the coffee table, a small dose of arnica, and lots of cuddles. Poor guy. :(

Yesterday did not go according to plan (as they never do), and not even a tiny stitch happened. I suppose that project will need to wait until we get back.

I feel surprisingly relaxed about our trip. Usually we are fairly disorganized which leads to feeling overwhelmed and tense. There is definitely something to be said for packing ahead.

Travel is such a great time to get away from the things that sometimes tend to crowd our lives more than they should, therefore we will be leaving the laptop and cell phone behind. I will visit internet cafe's as regularly as possible, but they seem to be quite pricey in Italy (5-8 Euro per hour). In Asia it cost, generally, 25 to 30 baht per hour which is less than a dollar! It is hard not to compare prices once you have been somewhere so inexpensive. I will post here at least weekly.

Ciao!



So here we are in Milan, Italy! An extremely long day yesterday,but last night wasn,t even too bad (the keyboard is different and I can,t quite grasp it in case you haven,t noticed). Levi slept on and off through the day. He woke from a "nap" at about 1am where he was fully ready for playing! He played for about an hour and a half and then back to bed until 9am this morning. Since that is technically 3am at home he is a little out of sorts today, and sadly there seems to be a cold brewing. We,re off to find something to ward it off for him before it gets out of hand. We had some Coryzale, a homeopathic remedy, (spelled right??) but are fresh out.

Breakfast at the hostel consisted of coffee and various packaged waffles & croissants with flavoured, sugary creams in the centre. I think this is a pretty average breakfast here.

Last night we had the greatest pizza ever, and we aren,t even in Naples which is the "home" of pizza. I figured pizza was pizza, but seriously not the case! The basil was the freshest tasting basil in the world,I am sure. It is funny all the small nuances that you can,t find information about, but know you aren,t doing right. We just sensed that we were inappropriate about something at dinner- Maybe eating too much of the bread at the table, maybe sharing a pizza instead of having one each as seems to be the way, maybe we ate too quickly and didn,t linger long enough as tends to be more the custom at home(to "eat and run").There was definitely something. We,ll need to really observe locals while we,re out.

L is LOVING all the attention and total strangers keep reaching out to hold him. The woman who runs our hostel gave him a toy this morning. Everyone stops to talk to him. He,ll be speaking Italian before we know it!

We,re heading to see the "The Last Supper" right now and then boarding a train to Venice!

Something special is around the corner...

I'm not talking about this current project, which I am trying to squeak in before we leave for Italy in 2 days. I am talking about a certain someone's milestone FIRST BIRTHDAY!! We have about a week when we get back from Italy to get everything organized, so I figured I should try and get at least one project done now.







The top right of this last pic shows the flags I originally made for his birthday bunting. I sewed all the back pieces on and then realized I forgot to put my letters on first. When I satin stitched around the letters it would have shown through the back which would have annoyed me, so I decided to make another one.

All the tedious cutting and ironing is done, so tomorrow it's on with the sewing!

Rag Bag

We stopped using paper towels several years ago and have never looked back. We simply quit buying them, and got used to grabbing for a rag when we would have otherwise reached for a paper towel.
When I saw the idea for the "Rag bag" in Soulemama's inspiring book Handmade Home, it was too perfect. Instead of a pile of rags sitting in the cupboard under our sink they would be tidily contained in one convenient little spot.

I adapted her version slightly and found the project super easy. It's something I use every day.
I repurposed 2 old tea towels that have never been very efficient, added a braided hemp drawstring, and appliqued letters using a soft recycled denim material and this template.



Done!


***Much more important than my Rag Bag - My baby boy said "Mama" yesterday!!! What a feeling... :)

A Work In Progress...

I ambitiously decided (3 months ago) my first crochet project should be a blanket. It isn't a difficult task, but it is a lengthy one which can be taxing as a beginner. I figured that it would take long enough that I would have the opportunity to make MANY mistakes and feel confident enough to tackle anything once I had finally finished. I really wanted to make something that I would use regularly, and see all the time. An afghan I can cozy up with on the couch seemed like the perfect project. I originally planned to make a granny square blanket, but the colours of yarn I had chosen were begging to be stripes.



This project is a commitment for sure. It will likely still be in the works a year from now. Every now and then when the mood strikes me, or the moment finds me I pick it up and work in another couple of stitches. I love holding it away from myself a little and checking out my progress. There is nothing more satisfying than creating something useful. 75 rows to go!


(*This is the pattern I am using. I have chosen only 5 colours, with a total of 95 rows. )

{This Moment}

{this moment} Inspired by Soulemama- "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."



I just HAVE to add a word or two:
Ah, summer...

Today in History...

Well, 5 years has passed. A mere blip in the grand scheme of things, really. On this day in 2005, a very *lucky* Friday the 13th saw a 10 year relationship become a Marriage!
I love that we are non-stop, out of control dreamers. It takes a while for our silly ramblings to become a reality, but it usually does happen. It makes me so excited for the next 5 years, and the 5 after that, and so on, and so on... :)
More babies, more adventures, and many, many more laughs. There are too many reasons I said yes to him, and there are so many more I say yes to 50 more years.
Today in History...
I married my best friend xoxo

A Packing Predicament

So, our hotel had been previously booked up sending us elsewhere after two nights.
Nothing makes you more aware of how poorly you packed then when it is time to put it all together and change locations.
Getting organised and moved has been a definite lesson in packing for us as we leave for Italy in less than 2 weeks, and have brought everything but the kitchen sink to a hotel one hour from our home!

As we all know, practice makes perfect. 10 years from now I’ll likely still be stating that as my excuse for the self-inflicted chaos on our adventures!
Seeing as we love travel and would love to be able to share that with our children as much as possible, this is something we need to figure out sooner rather than later.

I am quite sure the solution is as simple as advance preparation. Like Tom Sawyer said “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”
When packing at the last minute, panic sets in and everything we otherwise would not have found necessary stirs up thoughts of “what if…?”, leaving us overburdened with baggage.

It is an admirable feat if one can master the overall art of packing for a child considering the massive variety of possible trips such as camping, backpacking, hostelling, resorts, cruises, and so on.
As it goes, as soon as we feel confidently sorted for travels with Levi, he will get another year older which means new interests and changing needs.

…And so begins the epic journey toward the perfect packing list. Face it – travel will never be the same again.



After nearly 2 years of living out of backpacks this is as good as we could do? For shame...

Chillin' like Bob Dylan

So, as my hubby tucks into a weeks worth of training for his job, my little guy and I bide our time back at the hotel.
This morning, sitting in the lobby just long enough to add a hat and coat to Levi's ensemble for battling the nip in the morning air (yes, even in May, and such a task takes longer than you may assume); I watched as many people checked in, some checked out, several mingled, and a few loitered.
Being here with little purpose, but to continue taking care of my son and carry out daily tasks (thankfully minus the housework) gets me thinking about those residents, past and present, who have made a hotel their home.
The Chelsea Hotel in NYC has been home to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Jackson Pollock & Dylan Thomas, among others.
The notion of hotel living has always been a romantic one and it's no wonder. A constant influx of new and interesting people; each with their stories to tell, or secrets to hide; setting the scene for the storyteller, the incredibly curious and the highly imaginative.
Love, hate, pleasure, passion (both romantic and criminal), camaraderie & loneliness, could there be a more ideal setting for one's mind to wander?

Happy Moms Day!!

10 months and one week ago, I became a Mom. It sounds wild saying it, but it's true! My precious baby boy came into my life in one powerful, and otherwise indescribable moment. Wow, was it ever...
I remember those seconds after when it seemed so quiet, so intense, and desperate...and then FINALLY we heard his tiny cry. I'm still not sure I can totally get a grip on that moment. It seems like it was a dream. I can barely imagine ever a time when he wasn't with us.

From a very young age, we are asked what we are going to be when we grow up, and we are encouraged to make a decision about our education after high school. I flip-flopped for 15 years about what I wanted to do with my life. Being a mother, for me, has been a realization. I understand now that this is what I was meant for. I love every minute, even the difficult ones.

As a woman, being able to give birth is incredible, but more than that - far more than that, I realize that the ability to mother is the gift of all gifts. And certainly, that is not to say that I am a perfect mother, or even a great mother; but I am in love with being a mother, and I would and will do anything for my child, and that is what it is all about.

So, thank you to my mom from the bottom of my heart. I understand your love, and your heartache (sorry), and I appreciate so much how you have given your life to us, your kids. xo

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful women I know who are, or who will soon be, a Mama!