March Trip to Florida

 We spent a lovely birthday week in Orlando in March! Dad rented a nice house on the water and we all stayed there together celebrating Laura's 30th, Dad's 60th and Giulio's second birthdays! That's a lot of cake!!

We went to the beach.

That's Giulio calling like a seagull to the left and us playing in the waves below. I very wisely didn't put Giulio is his swimsuit for that trip thinking it would be too cold to play in the water...

 

The guys did some fishing and some kayaking. 

We ate a lot of seafood and saw a Nationals' preseason baseball game.

And for Giulio's birthday we went to Disney World!!

Oh, and did I mention that dolphins and manatees swam by our dock every day?

Space Coast Stadium

The Mottsteins are Moving!

Some of you have already heard, but we're moving this summer!! We looked for houses around Saluzzo for almost 2 years and didn't find anything that we liked at all, so we decided to change towns (which is a really big deal here in Italy) and we're moving back to Savigliano. We're very lucky to be able to take over and renovate Fabri's parents' house; the house he and his sisters grew up in; the house where we lived for 2 months after we were married; this house:

We'll be doing a little work inside. Opening up the main floor to reflect a more modern floor plan, changing the doors and a complete overhaul of the kitchen and bathrooms, well 1 kitchen and 4 bathrooms. That's right, it's a BIG house with more than one kitchen and more than 4 bathrooms. That means more places for me to dust! It also means lots of space for house guests!! My parents have already booked their travel, have you started looking?

Here are a few before pictures and I'll post more photos as the work continues.

Foyer

Fireplace in main living area

Living/Dining Room

Master Bath

Kids' Bathroom

Kitchen

I'm most excited to have a yard for the Olney pup and the kiddo to play in and for me to garden in. I'm also really, really happy to have guest rooms again. Lastly, it will be great to simply have more space so that I don't have to tiptoe in the kitchen when Giulio's asleep because the kitchen and his bedroom are connected here in Saluzzo.

Our Holly Jolly Holidays

Hanukkah in the US

Christmas Eve

Stockings hung by the mountain of toys we already own...

Christmas morning

Sledding with Daddy on the Epiphany

Pictures from Home Nov/Dec 2013

Watching football

Backyard Birds at the Nature Center

Aunt Laura's House

Girl Cousins!!!

Date Night

Making cupcakes with Gramma!

Zoo!

Autumn Kitchen

It's fall here in Saluzzo. The leaves are changing color and falling from the trees. When it's a clear day, you can see snow topped peaks on the mountains. I love fall. I love the weather and the smell and I love the food! It's autumn in my kitchen and I've been cooking with all sorts of seasonal ingredients. We were gifted a crate of apples and I like to turn a few into apple pie or sauteed apples every so often. There's nothing like warm apple slices with cinnamon and sugar!

I can't walk by a good looking squash or some strong smelling leeks without imagining what I can do once I get them into my kitchen. The other day I made a favorite recipe for mushroom soup from Smitten Kitchen. 

Those are chestnuts being roasted on an open fire below. Does it make you feel like singing or like eating? 

Fall is fair and festival season as well. On Sunday we went to a fritter festival in a small town nearby. We bought a big bag of fritters from all over the world for 11euro. I really like the salty ones even more than the sweet. Our favorites including the vegetarian curry fritters from India, the meat and veggie fritters from Senegal and all the Italian ones including the sweet chocolate & apple fritters and the savory leek, corn, and pesto fritters. Speaking of pesto, I don't think I would consider it a fall food, but Giulio really loves it and I still have basil growing on the balcony...pesto fritters anyone?

 And of course fall means pumpkins! I was able to locate a Halloween pumpkin which you don't realize how important that is until you try to carve a pumpkin meant for pies. They have thick skin because you want all that flesh for your pie. Giulio loved sticking his hands in and getting messy. Afterward I roasted the seeds which are still a choking hazard for Giulio, but Fabri and I scarfed them down while watching movies for a couple nights in a row.

We're loving the weather (even if it's overcast and a bit damp, it hasn't been cold) and we're looking forward to our upcoming visit. Oh, one other great thing about fall, Fabri & Gaetano have started brewing again after taking a break for the summer. We haven't tasted the newest bitter from Palmotta brewery (the name they've decided on combines their last names) yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be even better than the last, which was awesome!

Gamma & Pumpa Come to Visit!

Grandma reads a bedtime story

Giulio's drum solo at Wayne's

I love how Giulio knows his grandparents instantly and doesn't play shy even for a minute. When we arrived in Nice and Dad was waiting on the sidewalk to help us unload the car, Giulio jumped right into his arms! "Pumpa!" he yelled.

Giulio & Grandpa on the beach

 

Le Petit Train

We had a great time together in Nice and then in Saluzzo. It's wonderful having extra eyes to watch Giulio and extra bodies to play with him. He runs everywhere now, so you've gotta be quick!

Aperitif in Old Nice

Now we're looking forward to our visit in November! We want to see Auntie Laura & Uncle Chris' new house and Carolyn's new belly! Email me if you want the exact dates/want to make plans. I don't have a US cell phone # right now, so you can delete the one you have for me.

5th Anniversary in Tuscany

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Duomo of Pisa

Biking on the walls of Lucca

Chasing pigeons in the square in Lucca

Rental house in Lucca