Color Me.... Italian
Monday, May 21, 2007
My weekend was awesome, how bout yours?
Friday we joined our friends for dinner at the Valle dei Margi agriturismo. It was our first time going, and it was soooo worth it. The restaurant's orchard surroundings were serene, the food was so delicious, and the company was fun. But the food... ah, the food, I can't go on enough about the food. When we first arrived, we were offered fresh grapefruit juice and an assortment of nuts and olives, etc. We stood and enjoyed the sweet and tangy juice and chatted for a bit until the waiter came and took us to our table.
It was a very empty night, Emy says usually Saturday and Sunday are the most packed nights. But it was nice to be able to hear the music, each other's conversation, and the occasional Italian conversations going on the background. At Valle dei Margi, they have a set menu every night. You go, eat what they bring out, and pay, but I hear you never have to worry about not liking something on the menu, and I definitely believe it.
I can't be positive about the order of everything, but I believe we first tasted the vegetables and cheese appetizers. The eggplant was so tasty, the cheese a bit strong, but good, and the bruschetta was awesome. There were artichokes, too, but Tony liked them better than I did; they were soaked in some kind of vinegar maybe? I didn't care for it too much. There was also quiche, and I don't remember what else....
Then the pastas.... Two different kinds. One with sausage and fresh tomato sauce, my goodness it was so good. The other had a mushroom sauce, and was just as delicious. It made me want to keep taking just one more bite, so that I could taste it again....
The meats came out next. One was sort of beef steak that had a somewhat sweet taste; it was interestingly good, definately a new flavor for us. The other was pork with what I think was some kind of cheese inside, and that was also very tasty.
Thankfully I had paced myself perfectly and had just enough room for dessert. A small sweet biscuit cookie thing with cream on top, very sweet and yummy. But then, my favorite, a sort of mini sweet empanada with sweet cream inside, oh it was so delicious. And a bowl of fresh fruit! One type I had never seen before, and it was so good. A mix between a plum and something... or other. I don't know honestly, but it was good. Fresh fruit right from their orchards! How amazing is that!?! And to imagine that we just found out how incredibly close this agriturismo is to our house! After living here for almost a year! Oh my, had we only known earlier..... :) It was a perfect night really, and to top it off, Carlee was very good for the babysitter. How perfect!
***
Saturday was awesome for me as well. I got to go with a few moms from our MOMS club to the mall! Etnapolis is one of two malls here *I think there's 2. American style malls are a very new concept here, as I understand it. The cities' economies are still largely based on mom & pop shops, each business having it's own little specialty. So, it was fun to see so many big stores all in one place, like back home. I came home with so many bags, lol. Mostly filled with summer clothes, since for some reason, most of my accumulated wardrobe is for fall or winter. I fell in love with so many tops. The colors are so bright and alive, that just looking at them made me feel happy. So I picked up quite a few of them. :D
We ate lunch at a Mexican style restaraunt. Mexican food cooked Italian. hehe, it was actually pretty good. I got the taco plate, with three different types of tacos (which I have no idea what types they were now that I think of it). But two of them I liked, and one not so much. The hightlight of the meal was dessert. The whole reason we chose this restaraunt over the others: the mango lime icecream. Boy, do the Italians know how to make their icecream! I was in love with this flavor. And when our friend V didn't finish hers, I couldn't let it go to waste. LOL. It was THAT good!
We shopped and chatted and shopped and chatted some more, until finally we headed home around 6! I had so much fun that the day really just flew by. It was so nice to just get out with the girls.
***
Sunday was Carlee's birthday party. We got up early in the morning (well early for us on a weekend anyway,) and started the cooking. We had the deviled eggs, the potato salad, and the cake to make, and the decorations to put up. All before 2 pm. So we got to work.
Everything was going well, until the cake. I had found a new recipe for frosting online, since I didn't want to use the Wilton's recipe anymore, because of the shortening. Yuck. The first batch I made came out the right conistency for decorating, but I was going to do the outline first, so I thinned it out a little bit. Well, I ended up, not using all of it for the outline, and since I felt pressed for time, I didn't want to make another batch just to be able to do the stars. So, instead I just colored it and used it for the coloring in part also. So, there were no stars on the Dora cake, except for her hair, which I used premade icing since there was no way I was going to be able to make my white icing black. In the end, even after the cake breaking in half while I tried getting it out of the pan (before icing it), the cake came out okay. Not my best, but Carlee knew who it was, and that's what mattered. :D Plus, just knowing that there was no trans fat in the icing was nice.
The box cake however had me mad. I never thought to check the box cake for the hydrogenated oil. I mean, why would they need to put it in the box cake? I don't get it. But they do. For the whole cake - 12 grams of trans fat. How awesome is that? Needless to say, I will never make another box cake again. I will be making my own from now on.
Carlee had a blast though and loved eating all the icing off her cake. And I let her. She played with all of her friends. She opened her presents, they played with play dough, and at the end got to blow bubbles and take rides in her new wagon outside. After everying was said and done, I really felt we gave her a fun party. Which I was a bit nervous about, since it was our first real kid's party for Carlee.
I can't wait until next year, when she has more of an idea of what's going on. Even when we sang her happy birthday, she had this bewildered look on her face, like, "What the hell is going on?" lol Thanks to everyone who sent or gave her presents, she is really having fun with all of them. She made out like a bandit this year.
***
The only part that sucked this weekend was last night... While we were playing with Carlee in her new tent (set up in the dining room) I looked outside the back window, and not realizing how much hair the cats have gotten on the drapes, took in a face full of it. In that second, I knew I was in for a world of hurt... and in about 5 minutes after getting out of the tent, it hit. Last night was miserable. I immediately took my allergy medicine and my sinus medicine and hoped it would take care of it quickly. It didn't. My head felt like it was going to explode, and I was sneezing every few seconds it felt like, and Tony laughed at my two piles of tissues, one one each side of me on the couch. Gross. I don't feel as bad as last night, but I'm still not completely through this episode yet.
And now back to our normal hectic schedule. I gotta cram for my next geology test due this week, a lab (with about 7 parts to it) is due this week, Carlee's doctor's appointment is tomorrow, and Tony doesn't get a day off this week. So the upcoming week is busy for us, but this past weekend made up for it already.
It was a very empty night, Emy says usually Saturday and Sunday are the most packed nights. But it was nice to be able to hear the music, each other's conversation, and the occasional Italian conversations going on the background. At Valle dei Margi, they have a set menu every night. You go, eat what they bring out, and pay, but I hear you never have to worry about not liking something on the menu, and I definitely believe it.
I can't be positive about the order of everything, but I believe we first tasted the vegetables and cheese appetizers. The eggplant was so tasty, the cheese a bit strong, but good, and the bruschetta was awesome. There were artichokes, too, but Tony liked them better than I did; they were soaked in some kind of vinegar maybe? I didn't care for it too much. There was also quiche, and I don't remember what else....
Then the pastas.... Two different kinds. One with sausage and fresh tomato sauce, my goodness it was so good. The other had a mushroom sauce, and was just as delicious. It made me want to keep taking just one more bite, so that I could taste it again....
The meats came out next. One was sort of beef steak that had a somewhat sweet taste; it was interestingly good, definately a new flavor for us. The other was pork with what I think was some kind of cheese inside, and that was also very tasty.
Thankfully I had paced myself perfectly and had just enough room for dessert. A small sweet biscuit cookie thing with cream on top, very sweet and yummy. But then, my favorite, a sort of mini sweet empanada with sweet cream inside, oh it was so delicious. And a bowl of fresh fruit! One type I had never seen before, and it was so good. A mix between a plum and something... or other. I don't know honestly, but it was good. Fresh fruit right from their orchards! How amazing is that!?! And to imagine that we just found out how incredibly close this agriturismo is to our house! After living here for almost a year! Oh my, had we only known earlier..... :) It was a perfect night really, and to top it off, Carlee was very good for the babysitter. How perfect!
***
Saturday was awesome for me as well. I got to go with a few moms from our MOMS club to the mall! Etnapolis is one of two malls here *I think there's 2. American style malls are a very new concept here, as I understand it. The cities' economies are still largely based on mom & pop shops, each business having it's own little specialty. So, it was fun to see so many big stores all in one place, like back home. I came home with so many bags, lol. Mostly filled with summer clothes, since for some reason, most of my accumulated wardrobe is for fall or winter. I fell in love with so many tops. The colors are so bright and alive, that just looking at them made me feel happy. So I picked up quite a few of them. :D
We ate lunch at a Mexican style restaraunt. Mexican food cooked Italian. hehe, it was actually pretty good. I got the taco plate, with three different types of tacos (which I have no idea what types they were now that I think of it). But two of them I liked, and one not so much. The hightlight of the meal was dessert. The whole reason we chose this restaraunt over the others: the mango lime icecream. Boy, do the Italians know how to make their icecream! I was in love with this flavor. And when our friend V didn't finish hers, I couldn't let it go to waste. LOL. It was THAT good!
We shopped and chatted and shopped and chatted some more, until finally we headed home around 6! I had so much fun that the day really just flew by. It was so nice to just get out with the girls.
***
Sunday was Carlee's birthday party. We got up early in the morning (well early for us on a weekend anyway,) and started the cooking. We had the deviled eggs, the potato salad, and the cake to make, and the decorations to put up. All before 2 pm. So we got to work.
Everything was going well, until the cake. I had found a new recipe for frosting online, since I didn't want to use the Wilton's recipe anymore, because of the shortening. Yuck. The first batch I made came out the right conistency for decorating, but I was going to do the outline first, so I thinned it out a little bit. Well, I ended up, not using all of it for the outline, and since I felt pressed for time, I didn't want to make another batch just to be able to do the stars. So, instead I just colored it and used it for the coloring in part also. So, there were no stars on the Dora cake, except for her hair, which I used premade icing since there was no way I was going to be able to make my white icing black. In the end, even after the cake breaking in half while I tried getting it out of the pan (before icing it), the cake came out okay. Not my best, but Carlee knew who it was, and that's what mattered. :D Plus, just knowing that there was no trans fat in the icing was nice.The box cake however had me mad. I never thought to check the box cake for the hydrogenated oil. I mean, why would they need to put it in the box cake? I don't get it. But they do. For the whole cake - 12 grams of trans fat. How awesome is that? Needless to say, I will never make another box cake again. I will be making my own from now on.
Carlee had a blast though and loved eating all the icing off her cake. And I let her. She played with all of her friends. She opened her presents, they played with play dough, and at the end got to blow bubbles and take rides in her new wagon outside. After everying was said and done, I really felt we gave her a fun party. Which I was a bit nervous about, since it was our first real kid's party for Carlee.
I can't wait until next year, when she has more of an idea of what's going on. Even when we sang her happy birthday, she had this bewildered look on her face, like, "What the hell is going on?" lol Thanks to everyone who sent or gave her presents, she is really having fun with all of them. She made out like a bandit this year.
***
The only part that sucked this weekend was last night... While we were playing with Carlee in her new tent (set up in the dining room) I looked outside the back window, and not realizing how much hair the cats have gotten on the drapes, took in a face full of it. In that second, I knew I was in for a world of hurt... and in about 5 minutes after getting out of the tent, it hit. Last night was miserable. I immediately took my allergy medicine and my sinus medicine and hoped it would take care of it quickly. It didn't. My head felt like it was going to explode, and I was sneezing every few seconds it felt like, and Tony laughed at my two piles of tissues, one one each side of me on the couch. Gross. I don't feel as bad as last night, but I'm still not completely through this episode yet.
And now back to our normal hectic schedule. I gotta cram for my next geology test due this week, a lab (with about 7 parts to it) is due this week, Carlee's doctor's appointment is tomorrow, and Tony doesn't get a day off this week. So the upcoming week is busy for us, but this past weekend made up for it already.
Labels: cake decorating, carlee, food, italy, shopping
¶ 7:52 AM 2 Comments
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Ta Da!
I didn't finish it time for the shower, but the day after. Oh well. I've decided to wait to give it to my friend, but I will still show you guys because I don't think she reads my blog anyway. Here it is:
I used a pattern out of the Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hookers book. I thought the design was too cute, and I loved the colors; they remind me of icecream. It was pretty easy for me too, nothing too tough. :D
This is my next project. My first attempt at changing yarn colors in the middle of a design instead of at the ends of rows. It took me a little bit to get the hang of it, plus it made it easier that it was pretty symmetrical. It's going to be a purse. It's also another pattern out of the Happy Hooker book.
In other craftiness, I'm patiently awaiting an order of beginner sewing books from amazon and some too freakin cute reproduction of 50s fabric. I've been itching to learn to sew for a long time. My first attempt back in high school ended after only ten minutes of trying, because in that amount of time I managed to break 2 or 3 of my grandma's sewing machine needles. "How are you breaking these?" I remember her asking after running out of replacement needles.
"I'm just trying to sew this jeans purse," I said, not knowing that the sewing machine was not equipped with needles strong enough to sew through the demin, especially the seams and such. I didn't try again until I lived in Florida, and my grandma, while visiting, helped me make a little outfit for Carlee. Once I got here to Italy, I tried to make another of the same pattern, and instead of making the little bloomers I got a lopsided square of fabric somehow. :) But I'm ready to try again, this time with a pretty mom and daughter apron set.
Hopefully I'll do allright.
Labels: crafts, crochet, sewing
¶ 9:00 AM 0 Comments
Monday, May 14, 2007
there goes another hour of the day
i just found out today that they finally brought my favorite show from the states to AFN: Young and the Restless. I've been without it for almost a year! Time to get caught up.....
:) ¶ 4:12 AM 2 Comments
:) ¶ 4:12 AM 2 Comments
Saturday, May 12, 2007
sugar and spice... and everything nice
I absolutely adore little girls. I spoil my own rotten, I admit it, and my husband is no better. If it were up to me, we'd be trying for another little girl right about now, but unfortunately I cannot convince Tony. It's kind of hard, too, because so many of my friends (and a lot of family) are either pregnant or trying to get pregnant... and I want to try too DANGIT! :( Anyway, since we aren't, I've been spending money on other people's kids. lol... Tony laughed at me the other week because I went to a baby shower for a girl that I had never even met before. Now, don't worry, I didn't just look for pink balloons outside the door and show up with a gift... I was actually invited, I promise. hehe.
Anyway, at that baby shower, a girl had made the mommy-to-be a diaper cake. I had never seen or heard of one before this, so when I found out that one of my close friends was going to be having a baby shower, I decided I was going to try to make her one. Mine didn't come out as pretty as the one I saw at the shower, but I am still really pleased with it.
Yeah, that's stuff in the bag too, AND I still have my unfinished crocheted gift to give to her too. I think I'll give her the finished part, and save the other half for later. After the shower tomorrow, I'll take a picture of it and post. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
¶ 8:51 AM 0 Comments
Anyway, at that baby shower, a girl had made the mommy-to-be a diaper cake. I had never seen or heard of one before this, so when I found out that one of my close friends was going to be having a baby shower, I decided I was going to try to make her one. Mine didn't come out as pretty as the one I saw at the shower, but I am still really pleased with it.
Yeah, that's stuff in the bag too, AND I still have my unfinished crocheted gift to give to her too. I think I'll give her the finished part, and save the other half for later. After the shower tomorrow, I'll take a picture of it and post. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
¶ 8:51 AM 0 Comments
Thursday, May 10, 2007
to balance my last negative post...
This is my latest project:
I can't show the whole thing, because it's a gift. My first crocheted gift. :D I'm excited. I'm done with one part of it, and now I'm working on the second part. I'm so happy with my progress in crochet. My stitches are becoming very even, and I'm even getting the guage right for the pattern! To show you my improvement here's a picture of my current project, with one of my very first swatches. My stitches were always sooo tight I could barely get the hook through. Looking at it now, I'm amazed I didn't give up. :P
The other day ( a day I was supposed to use for studying) we ended up having to go to base (which as usual turned into a whole day thing.) On the way home, Tony wanted to stop by the plant place and bought 60 euro worth of plants for the front yard. They're really pretty, but the ants have already found them and are taking over. If they die, it will be really disappointing. Last year we tried the whole gardening thing, and planted our own flower seeds and bulbs, but nothing grew. So, this year, we opted for already grown flowers. I told Tony that if these die, that's it, we're getting rid of the little garden and just replanting grass. We're not spending that much to try again. lol. BUT if they live, then we'll go get a few more to fill in the front part.
This little guy is a trooper. We had a peach that went bad last fall. I told Tony to put the whole peach in a pot with dirt, and maybe it would grow. Well, the peach rotted, and it didn't seem like the seed started growing at all. So, Tony must of taken it out and just threw it in the garden. The other week, Tony noticed the little peach pit had sprouted! So we put it in its own little pot, and it's grown so much already. I think it's so cool.
¶ 4:07 AM 1 Comments
I can't show the whole thing, because it's a gift. My first crocheted gift. :D I'm excited. I'm done with one part of it, and now I'm working on the second part. I'm so happy with my progress in crochet. My stitches are becoming very even, and I'm even getting the guage right for the pattern! To show you my improvement here's a picture of my current project, with one of my very first swatches. My stitches were always sooo tight I could barely get the hook through. Looking at it now, I'm amazed I didn't give up. :P
The other day ( a day I was supposed to use for studying) we ended up having to go to base (which as usual turned into a whole day thing.) On the way home, Tony wanted to stop by the plant place and bought 60 euro worth of plants for the front yard. They're really pretty, but the ants have already found them and are taking over. If they die, it will be really disappointing. Last year we tried the whole gardening thing, and planted our own flower seeds and bulbs, but nothing grew. So, this year, we opted for already grown flowers. I told Tony that if these die, that's it, we're getting rid of the little garden and just replanting grass. We're not spending that much to try again. lol. BUT if they live, then we'll go get a few more to fill in the front part.
This little guy is a trooper. We had a peach that went bad last fall. I told Tony to put the whole peach in a pot with dirt, and maybe it would grow. Well, the peach rotted, and it didn't seem like the seed started growing at all. So, Tony must of taken it out and just threw it in the garden. The other week, Tony noticed the little peach pit had sprouted! So we put it in its own little pot, and it's grown so much already. I think it's so cool.
¶ 4:07 AM 1 Comments
So, that was a short self esteem high....
I was feeling good. I was done with my hardest classes and I managed to get good grades! I thought I was going to have a ton of time to do the things I wanted to do, instead of just studying all the time, and then it hit me once again. I had forgotten that this geology class was shoved into 8 weeks. So, after I took my finals, I immediately had to start studying for my first geology test, which I took yesterday, (after studying all day.)
Which, my studying went like this: "The point on a fault at which the first..."
"MOMMMMAAA!" ......
"The point on a fault..."
"WHOAAAA!!!" (child climbing on top of me)
"The point on a fault at which the first movement..."
"BALLOOOOOOON!!!" (after turning my page to the solar system page.)
"The point..."
oh, you get the point.
Six long chapters of this over a few days. Why didn't I try to study while she napped? Because that's when I needed to work on my lab, which was also due. I wasn't even sure what main points to study since the chapters cover such extensive topics. I could have studied an extra day, but I was tired of studying, not knowing if I was even studying the right things, and I took the test.
And I failed.
Nice way to start the class.
Oh well. I still have time to make it up. :) ¶ 3:09 AM 2 Comments
Which, my studying went like this: "The point on a fault at which the first..."
"MOMMMMAAA!" ......
"The point on a fault..."
"WHOAAAA!!!" (child climbing on top of me)
"The point on a fault at which the first movement..."
"BALLOOOOOOON!!!" (after turning my page to the solar system page.)
"The point..."
oh, you get the point.
Six long chapters of this over a few days. Why didn't I try to study while she napped? Because that's when I needed to work on my lab, which was also due. I wasn't even sure what main points to study since the chapters cover such extensive topics. I could have studied an extra day, but I was tired of studying, not knowing if I was even studying the right things, and I took the test.
And I failed.
Nice way to start the class.
Oh well. I still have time to make it up. :) ¶ 3:09 AM 2 Comments
Friday, May 04, 2007
WOOHOO!!!
I called the CTC testing office this morning to ask whether or not they were included in the "closing early" that the email mentioned. The guy said no. Awesome. So after a yummy lunch with some of the MOMS club moms (enchiladas, refried beans, rice, quesadillas, chips and salsa... YUM) we drove to base. The first time I tried taking the test, the proctor's passwords weren't working. We tried over and over again. Nothing worked. So, I emailed my instructor, and went to find Tony and the baby in the nex. We hung out for over an hour before I headed back over the CTC office to try again. That time it worked and the test started. I couldn't take too long on any one question because the testing office was actually going to close at 430 and it was already past 3. Finally, I clicked "submit" and crossed my fingers.... all that studying and cramming for this hard comprehensive accounting test, and all I wanted to do was pass.
I got an 85! woohoo!
I was so excited, because that should bring my overall grade up to a B (it was a C before this). So, now all I have to do is take my Microeconomics exam, and then I can completely concentrate on Geology, and possibly have some time for other stuff! :D
I got an 85! woohoo!
I was so excited, because that should bring my overall grade up to a B (it was a C before this). So, now all I have to do is take my Microeconomics exam, and then I can completely concentrate on Geology, and possibly have some time for other stuff! :D
Labels: college
¶ 11:32 AM 2 Comments
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Crammed
I just finished cramming for my accounting final which I was going to take tomorrow, but when I checked my email I found out that the office is closing early... grr... and I can't miss a lunch bunch that I really want to go to... plus I don't want to get up at six am just to get to base in time to take the test before the office closes. PLUS I can't even think straight that early. Is that enough excuses to wait? hehe. Hopefully, I will retain the information until Monday.
Labels: college
¶ 3:55 PM 0 Comments
