The Italian Imposter

I have a Facebook page, though I don't really have the time to play the games or chat much. Mostly I'm in contact with my cousins, the mothers from my parenting group and a few people I went to high school with. However this morning I received a "friend request" from someone with my same last name. This is my married last name and though I will soon not be married anymore, I will be keeping this last name. It is a nice Italian last name and people joke that I am royalty, as it is the same last name as the Royalty in Monaco (and Grace Kelly!). My father-in-law Vito was from Bari, Italy and he married my mother-in-law, becoming my husband's stepfather and Vito gave my husband his last name.

In any case, the friend request on Facebook today is someone I've never met, not a relative on my (soon to be ex-) husband's side of the family, but just someone with the same last name who happens to be from ITALY. He wrote me a note and said that I had a nice looking family and that he has two children and lives in Napoli. I wrote back thank you, that I live in California and wished him a Happy Birthday (since I noticed it's on Friday). He immediately wrote back and asked if I've ever been to Italy. I said no, but that it's always been a dream of mine. He wrote back, "Sometimes dreams get true!"

How cute is that? I have a little Italian friend. And apparantly I have more than one because two more Italian men who are friends with my new friend added me to their list as well! I think it's funny that I am not one bit Italian, my sons are not one bit Italian, my ex is not one bit Italian, yet we all have this Italian last name. And now because of it, I have a small connection to Italy :)

Planning the big 0-5 birthday

So my son will be turning 5 two weeks from tomorrow. It's hard figuring out birthday stuff when he's right in betwen Thanksgiving and Christmas. I decided not to do a big party but I'll still make a cake and have balloons and a special lunch with the family. I'd like to serve his favorite food (soup!) so I'll make a pot of broccoli cheese and probably sandwiches. For the cake, he's already told me what he'd like to see. He's unsure about the flavor yet, but firm about the decorations on top. He has requested his two favorite things at the moment...Indiana Jones playing soccer. After brainstorming a bit, I've come up with a plan. I'll be sure to post a picture of the cake in a few weeks!

Here is my guy with his cake from last year's Finding Nemo themed party. His big brother drew a picture of Nemo for the top and we used spray coloring and sparkly edible glitter for an ocean look.

A Little White Tooth

A little white tooth had some dirt on her dress
And she cried, for 'twas ugly to see.
Along came a toothbrush with paste on his back
And he said "Do not cry, look at me"
And he brushed and he brushed with his bristles and paste
Until she was bright as could be!
And she said, "Oh, I thank you and please come again,
for I like to be pretty, you see!"

My little guy was headed to the bathroom last night for tooth brushing and my mom spontaneously sang this sweet little tooth brushing song. I'd not heard her sing it in a great many years so I made her sing it three times in a row, enjoying the memory. My mom would sing me that song to me as a child and her mother had sung it to her as a child. I'm sure my 100-year old grandmother would still remember it if I prompted her to sing it! It was so wonderful, how that little song brought back such a wave of happy thoughts and emotion. I was near tears hearing that song again, remembering sitting on my mom's lap as a child while she helped me brush my teeth.

I'm feeling nostalgic I suppose, my little guy will be turning 5 in a few weeks. We noticed that he has one slightly wiggly tooth right in the front so it won't be too long till the Tooth Fairy has her first visit to our house.

Here is a picture of him way-back-when, with his set of brand new pearly whites.

A beautiful thing

I saw it yesterday. I'd heard about it, but hadn't seen it yet. I actually wasn't sure it still existed, but there it was, in my own little city! The sign said $1.99, I can't even remember the last time the price was so low. Gas for under $2 a gallon, it's a beautiful thing!

My first job of the day

Before I go home to my job as a mommy and then to my boutique painting & sewing job, I start my day at Chinaberry, where I've worked full-time for over 11 years.

We have our first blog up and running today, check it out, the link is on the left.

A Walk in the Woods

Saturday, my parents, my brother & his son and my two boys went for a hike in our Cuyamaca mountains. It was a breezy warm day and the sky was clear, a beautiful day to be outside. We drove to our favorite state park, a place my dad camped as a boy and knows like the back of his hand. The last time I'd been there it had been a shady forest, with trees that arched over the paths, fern groves and little bubbling brooks. But 5 years ago a fire ripped through this area and completely destroyed the beautiful green forest. This was the same fire that burnt down the house of my stepson and he lost everything he had.
Even after 5 years the forest is dry and full of burnt out, leafless trees, though the manzanita and some of the brush is beginning to fill in again. It was very sad to see such a well-loved area so completely different than we remembered, eerie to see the bare branched trees stark white and black like skeletons. It would be interesting to see it 100 years from now, to see how the forest will rejuvenate.
Here are a few pictures of the area and of my boys, who thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Happy Hearts

Can't believe it, my first Valentine's listing! This is a three-piece set, so you will get the appliqued jumper dress, appliqued tee and knit leggings. See my Ebay link on the left.

Emptying my thoughts

I can't decide what to write about today. Should I mention to vote, today being the culmination of 18 months of political pummeling? Should I write about how instead of watching the polical race on television tonight we are going to the casino for dinner? (bring on the buffet!) Should I mention that my Gymboree online shopping cart won't let me remove anything? I have to completely log out and start over and can't remove anything once I put it there or have to start all over again, anyone else having this problem? Maybe I should talk about how I'm wearing a sweater for the second day in a row, that it poured rain this morning and how we finally are down in the 70s after having months of 90 degree weather? I'd love to talk about how I want to buy my boys a Wii for Christmas (I mean, Santa wants to bring the boys one...ahem!) but unless I get a bonus or sell like crazy on Ebay, I don't see how I'll be able to swing it, so that's just frustrating. And talk about frustrating, don't get me started about how my divorce paperwork is going!

Well, I guess I didn't have any problem writing once I got started, did I? :)

Friendship warms the heart

Search BOUTIQUE ANGELS CHARITY on Ebay this week to find lots of fantastic listings benefitting the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.

I was honored to pair up with the fine designers of this Park Slope collaboration.
I painted the wooden tote to match, see my Ebay link on the left.