Hi! I’m Becca, and I’m so glad you’re here! I started this blog for my family when we moved to Italy in 2011, and since then it has grown into a place where hospitality, simplicity, motherhood, and faith come together.
I love living overseas, my kids’ nap time, the University of Virginia, wooden toys, traveling with my family, Sicilian wine for 2 euro a bottle, knitting, reading with my children, blood oranges, Capitol Hill in D.C., Montessori education, birth stories, bluegrass concerts, keeping things organized (sorta), trying to improve my parenting, and checking things off lists.
In my former life, I was an ICU nurse in Boston. Right now I work part-time as a local newspaper reporter, homeschool our oldest daughter, and keep my home and family clean, dressed, fed, and happy (at least as best I can!). One day I hope to finish War and Peace, write a novel, get another degree, raise goats and chickens, work as a nurse in another culture, and hopefully – because I like a beautiful mess – have more kids.
These days I live with my husband and three babies in Coronado, a little town in San Diego, California. We moved in July 2014 from Sicily, Italy, where for three years we lived in a yellow house on the edge of a cliff in the shadow of a medieval castle.
Elliott is my one and only love, a fellow UVA grad, and a doctor… of animals. Right now he’s a veterinarian in the U.S. Army and is stationed in Coronado. For fun he goes on runs with our kids while I make dinner, works on his blog (Elliott Garber: The Uncommon Veterinarian), and he recently published his first novel, The Chimera Sequence. He’s also working on a new software platform to help other people like him who love animals, Creatures.com. We love to dream and travel together.
Lena was born in April 2011. She’s spirited and sweet, clever and cute, artful and adorable. She loves to help me bake so she can sneak tastes of dough, do craft projects while talking a mile a minute, read stacks of books with anyone who will oblige her (all our former guests know what I mean!), and go to any playground anywhere… where she terrifies me by proving she is part monkey.
Gil was born in January 2013. He has beautiful blond curly hair that I hope will always be that way. He loves to read books, eat pretty much anything, and snuggle with his sister, who is the apple of his eye. She can get him to laugh (and to cry) like no one else on earth.
Forest Everett was born in May 2016. He is brand new as I write this, and this is his birth story. We are so excited and grateful to add this handsome, darling little man to our family.
Rosie is our Australian Labradoodle, and she keeps us busy with her need for back rubs and snuggles.
We also have a Maine Coon cat named Siena. She likes to eat off my children’s plates when I’m not looking, but otherwise she’s harmless and we love her. She loves us too… I think.
I miss my little sister.
We love Jesus and live our lives – falteringly, feebly, faithfully – to glorify Him.
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I’m so glad you’ve found my blog! If you like what you see, follow me on Instagram, Feedly, Bloglovin’, or sign up for my mailing list. Hearing from you is one of my favorite things.
Grab a cup of tea and stay awhile.