Campania - Our view as we drove home from Naples

The beautiful countryside we have to our right as we drive back up towards Nettuno. Not all of the views are this beautiful but this definitely improves the mood as we make our way home. The interesting pine trees that are so different from the ones up North and the mountains with the setting sun upon them. Beautiful!

Weekend bliss/home leave reflections

Life, quiet, watching food network on AFN, things to do but nothing too urgent, enjoying being home. Loving cross stitching again after a long break from anything crafty. Decided that the happiness Mike gets from golf is equal to the happiness I feel while stitching or doing anything crafty. Settling back into our home life vs. the frenetic activity of home leave. It's always great to visit the States and experience/eat everything we don't have at our fingertips in Europe. We love seeing family and friends and miss them when we return to Italy (or where ever it is that we are living at the time). This was our 5th home leave and we get smarter each time in planning for and living through, even to the returning with not too much stuff bought that it doesn't fit in the luggage we already brought.  Bittersweet when leaving Kristen behind in Pennsylvania. It was really hard this time and I guess it's going to continue to be difficult every time we part. Our family is like many other career military/federal families that our family is very close knit since we are all that we have consistently to depend upon. Extended family members are in one place all their lives and we are the moving pieces that live a new adventure each place we are posted. Looking forward to Skyping soon with Kristen. More posts to come complete with pictures from our trip! Stay tuned....

Julie and Julia reprise

Watching Julie and Julia again with Kristen over lunch.  That is why I even thought of blogging but I failed the first time and moderately succeeded this time.  At least I posted more than once!

So this morning, Kristen asks me "how do you say 'thank you' in French" because it was gone from her head...  Like the title of my blog implies, many many words flew through my brain but did "merci" come to mind?  Oh no!  

Loving the first scene of Julia (Meryl Streep) trying to flip her eggs!  "You can always put it together - if you're alone in the kitchen, who's to know!"  So true!  Thank goodness!

So today, we'll go to the store to get some fresh veggies and fruit and other necessary items.  On my list to make:  strawberry shortcake, lemon cookies (to surprise Mike when he gets home from Paris) and who knows what for dinner!

The start to the weekend is fantastic starting out with this movie.  Bon appetit!

P.S.  Loving watching chick flicks with Kristen while she's home!  It's the best!

When they don't understand what you're saying...

We went to the airport on May 10th to pick up Kristen and got there early so we could have breakfast.  I wanted a cappuccino BUT Mike said caffe... I said cappuccino and then the receipt said both and I took both and drank them, because you can't ever have too much caffeine first thing in the morning!  I REALLY wanted to be awake when Kristen walked through the doors from Customs!

Awesome Tomato Soup recipe!!!

Hallie's Tomato Soup

1 - 32oz can diced tomatoes (or 16oz crushed and 16oz diced)

1 - 9oz can chicken broth (or pour from a box)

2T sugar

1 sm. chopped onion

2T butter

2 cup cream

pinch of baking soda

Melt butter and add onions and sugar and saute until soft and translucent.  Then add the rest of the ingredients (except for the cream) and simmer until it is evenly heated.  Then stir in the cream and let it warm thoroughly through.  Serve!

(Kristen and I adapted Hallie Mykrantz's recipe through making it many times and sometimes doing it without the recipe so we've forgotten the baking soda and maybe used more tomatoes or less broth and it comes out just fine.  It's a very cook friendly recipe and very forgiving!)

Mondays

Good morning Monday!  It's been a quiet morning so far.  I started the day with a shower and, even though our bathroom isn't my idea of wonderful, it did feel great!  I came downstairs and fed my "zoo" (Chris will laugh!) complete with giving Muffin her medicine and protecting Kitty's uneaten food from the marauding dogs...  A big cup of hot mint tea for me with a chocolate chip roll is my breakfast.  I forgot to mention that I came down to find Michael asleep on the couch.  He has had first Butch, then Muffin, then Muffin and Butch snuggling in with him.  I think he's lucky!  I'm getting a chance to blog, upload recent pictures and watch some morning TV (Hoda and Kathie Lee & The View... maybe).  Then we're on to getting in gear for our school day.  Two lessons again each day which will bring us to another set of tests.  I'm not sure how much I can do in the car on Wednesday since we have another trip to Naples for doctor visits and shopping (at the big American Commissary - yay!).  It's hard for me to decide just what to buy that is really needed and better to buy there with dollars vs. shopping in town here with euros.  The exchange rate makes it more expensive but some things are just better when bought locally and fresh.

The quiet was broken by neighborhood dogs barking.  Both of ours responded and woke up Michael!  I guess it's time to take them out for a run around the yard or two.  Happy week to all!!!

Morning Bliss! Cappuccino!

What could be better than Italian coffee with Torani vanilla syrup and frothed milk?  Yum!