Archive | Sicily

it’s the little things

November 2, 2012 at 11:47 am

In theory I like to stop and savor the little things of life that make it sweet, such as Lena’s glee when I pick her up out of her crib, Siena’s faithful shadow, having just one baby for a little while longer, or waking up beside Elliott each day (something a military wife learns to never take for granted).However, in the hustle and bustle of life lately, I’ve taken fewer photos and often forget that we live in Italy, for crying out loud. (One reader pointed that out recently… to my conviction!) This week I tried to capture some things that have made our lives sweet recently. Here are a few glimpses into life in our home:

in the phone booth in town, I love that she’s talking with her hands!

& morning light in the neighborhood

main square

& view of our town and Mt Etna, the largest volcano in Europe

running down the hill into the main piazza

& a visit to the little general store where I picked up some of my favorite tortellini for lunch

a pit stop for a drink on a walk

& stairs from the valley leading up to our house on the edge of the cliff… a long walk with a baby on your hip!

Daddy’s cowboy hat

& a mailbox in our neighborhood

dazzling morning light

& looking out over our town

our first trip to Centro Sicilia mall… which is all of 10 minutes from our house

making the switch to greener kitchen products

my little girl

where did those neighborhood kittens go?
& well, there’s one of them

bella principessa before church on Sunday
& bike on a balcony

Today I’m linking up with Hello Hue and InstaFriday.

27 :: in home sweet home, Italy, Lena, life lately, Sicily

fall color in Sicily

October 29, 2012 at 3:41 pm

Ever since I returned to Sicily last week, I’ve been feeling sad about leaving beautiful fall color behind in Virginia. We love living here, but there’s just nothing like autumn on the East Coast. I think it’s the rich color saturation of everything: leaves, clothes, sky, scarves, apples, boots, lipstick, pumpkins.

Last week my friend Becca mentioned that there is fall color on Mt. Etna, the highest volcano in Europe, which is just a 45-min drive from our house. Quick, gather a crew and let’s go hiking! With two of our closest family friends here, we drove up to the slopes of the volcano, picnics packed and children in tow.

Aren’t the kids cute? Elliott and I got to see what “hiking” will look like in a few years when Lena’s a little older and we add a babe or two to our family! These are some rockstar parents, folks.

I’m linking up with Weekend Update Blog Hop and The Weekend File.

11 :: in friends, hiking, Mt Etna, Sicily, weekend

welcoming our Maine Coon kitten!

October 22, 2012 at 10:46 am

Well, we did it. We adopted a cat! We’re probably the only veterinarian’s family who hasn’t had a whole passel of dogs, cats, and other animals since vet school.

I guess the idea of adopting a cat started this spring. I mentioned it could be fun to get a cat, and Elliott immediately began looking for Sicilian Maine Coons. We both already loved these cats after Elliott cared for a rescued Maine Coon in vet school. They are known for their beautiful long-haired coats, talkative and almost dog-like personality, gentle and friendly attitude towards children, playful and personable natures, and their unique looks.

By “unique looks” I mean that they look a bit wild, perhaps because of the manes around their necks (especially pronounced on males) and tufts of fur at the tips of their ears. See what I mean in this photo?

Perhaps needless to say, Lena loves her!

So far we’re thrilled with her personality. She spent the first five months of her life with the family that owns her parents, and this family also has multiple children as well as two huge mastiffs. So she’s not only used to people… she loves them! We had a houseful of adults and kids over last night and she was happy to interact with everyone, wandering around between little legs and curiously watching the children’s games.

She’s sitting behind my head on the couch as I write this, watching me type and purring up a storm. Already this cold winter will be warmer with her next to me as I write blog posts or knit or read.

Oh… and her name. We finally picked a name last night. It is Siena. She’s named after the beautiful Italian city of Siena and also for the burnt orange color (ie. sienna) mixed into her beautiful coat.

Welcome, Siena! We’re so excited for many years ahead with you, our beautiful kitten.

16 :: in animals, Sicily, Siena

welcoming our Maine Coon kitten!

October 22, 2012 at 9:46 am

Well, we did it. We adopted a cat! We’re probably the only veterinarian’s family who hasn’t had a whole passel of dogs, cats, and other animals since vet school.

Perhaps needless to say, Lena loves her!

Welcome, Siena! We’re so excited for many years ahead with you, our beautiful kitten.

13 :: in animals, Sicily, Siena

last granite of this Sicilian summer

September 12, 2012 at 11:48 am

Yesterday my friend Becca commented that our favorite biscotteria in town would stop selling granite (previously mentioned here and here) at the end of the week, so we ought to hie ourselves over there for one last granite date before the end of the summer.

This morning over our cereal I made the mistake of telling Lena that we were going on a walk to get granite with Miss Becca, all exciting buzzwords for my little girl. She decided she was done with breakfast right then and there. She ran to get both her shoes and mine.

Since we had awhile to kill before our granite date, Lena and I wandered through our town, enjoying the fresh morning air and taking a few photos of our favorite scenes. Enjoy!