It happens every few months. Marcus comes home and I’ve rearranged the living room, my knitting stash, or the girls’ bedroom. I get an itch for change, and change something to satisfy it.
This time it was my blog layout. What do you think? The photo up top was one I took in Tuscany.
Ahh…Tuscany.
What was I talking about again?
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a holiday in Tuscany if I hadn’t been knitting. And when I wasn’t knitting, I was reading about knitting in The Friday Night Knitting Club. In fact, I came home and haven’t knit a stitch in 36 hours…dare I say I am even a little “knitted out”?
Nah!
While in Tuscany I knit 3 socks, 1 Evangeline fingerless mitten, and I finished my shawl! Whew!
Take a look at some of the knitting I did while on holiday in Italy.
Not Exactly Nutkin, at Monteriggioni
Not Exactly Nutkin, at our Tuscan Villa during a Hailstorm!
One Completed Not Exactly Nutkin Sock
Terracotta Floor Socks
My Little Arrowhead Shawl, our balcony
Completed Little Arrowhead Shawl
Whew! What a lot of knitting. I can’t show the mittens, because they are part of a swap gift! But they are super cute (did I just say “super cute”?).
Now that I’m home I have two in a half weeks before I head to the states. In that time I’d like to finish the left side of Arwen (haven’t I said that before?) and finish up the second Nutkin sock and second mitten. I’m also planning to write up the pattern for the socks I designed, and publish them here on the blog by the end of the week.
Hopefully I’ll get some knitting time, in between cleaning, unpacking, repacking, a visit from my cousin Allison (yay!), and writing.
I’m sure I can make some.
I imagine that this is true, in theory. But I bet that the author never had to sort through almost 400 pictures of a family of four vacationing for two glorious weeks in Tuscany. More than anything, I wish I could post one picture to sum it all up, and everyone reading would look at it and say, “Ahh…I get it.”
But in reality, I bet you won’t really “get it” until you book yourself a ticket to Italy and experience it for yourself.
I could show you this one, the view of my wine glass from the window in our villa, located in a small mountainside hamlet in Chianti Country.
But that doesn’t show the family nature of the trip. I’d have to show my favorite picture of all–my girls and I playing in the fountain in Monteriggioni.
But of course, my husband is missing from that picture, so of course I’d need to show you the one of the four of us sitting at a restaurant, with Florence in the distance. We took this picture together at one of the wedding events celebrating the marriage of our close friends Meg and Alex, the reason we went to Tuscany in the first place (Congratulations, and thanks Meg and Alex!)
The pictures of us give that bit of personality to our pictures, but what about some of the beautiful shots from around Tuscany that are imprinted in our minds now, forever? How could I forget shots like this one, of Siena’s famous piazza, a few days before the bareback horse race that would take over the city?
But how can I show the city without showing the country, and the drive from our hamlet into nearby San Gusme?
If I stopped with family and city and countryscapes, you’d never see this incredible shot of the hailstorm we had one evening (that’s real hail in my husband’s palm).
I haven’t even mentioned the shots of Montepulciano (hands down our favorite part of the trip), Michaelangelo’s David, the girls swimming and eating pizza, how much wine we really drank (at least 13 bottles…one for each day we were in Tuscany), the great time we had with my sister-in-law, who was a real trooper when Kicka got to pinching, the drive up the mountain that had me close to vomiting every time, the game of Crazy Eights that went on for at least two hours, the five Disney movies that we watched religiously, and the way the sun shone on us every single day.
Sigh…perhaps a picture is worth a thousand words. But not if you are trying to help your readers see Tuscany, your family, and the reason you returned home relaxed and calm. I’m pretty impressed that I even attempted it with just 6 pictures. I suspect you will get a few more here and there over the next week. I’m not ready to be home from Italy just yet.
Ciao!
Off we go. Bright and early tomorrow morning my family and I will head to the airport, where we’ll wing our way to Italy, then drive two hours out into the Tuscan countryside to stay at the villa we’ve let for two glorious weeks.
We are praying for a suitcase that gets in under the weight limit, good weather, safe and easy travel, happy children, and relaxation.
It’s not too much to ask for, is it?
While I’m there I am going to finish knitting a shawl, hopefully knit a pair of socks, and even read a bit (The Friday Night Knitting Club, of course!). Most of it overlooking vineyards and sipping Chianti in the Tuscan countryside.
See you in two weeks!
I’m boning up on my Italian…this is about the extent of it. How did I do?
This week is going to be a jumble of preparations for our trip to Italy. The list keeps growing. I can’t believe how much there is to do in order to get a family of four ready for 12 days in Tuscany. Surprisingly, I feel fairly calm about the whole situation (thank you, acupuncture) and rather motivated to get it all done. Hopefully that feeling will last the whole week.
I’ll spare my readers my to-do list, which seems to have grown into a two page checklist now. But I did mention some personal goals in my Toning for Tuscany post, and it seems only fair to update you.
It wasn’t a complete failure (because we shouldn’t view anything as a complete failure) but it didn’t go as planned either.
I hoped to cut down on beer and soda, work on my portion control, and get back into running. I have been cutting back on beer and soda, though not cutting them out. I have switched to diet soda, and tried to avoid keeping it in the house, so I have to make a conscious effort to go out and buy it if I am craving it. The same for beer. So, minor improvements.
My portion control is a bit better. I am really working on asking myself if I am full before I fill my plate a second time. I adore greasy foods and foods heavy in carbohydrates. I know that won’t change, and that to deprive myself is disaster waiting to happen. Instead, I am working on having one bowl of Yogurt Burst Cheerios with breakfast. 2 slices of pizza for dinner, instead of 4, and mayo on one slice of the bread instead of both. I am doing a bit better, but there is still plenty of room to improve more.
Running…ahh…running. Excuses abound. Kicka was sick. Sam was sick. I was sick. It rained. I was too busy. I was too tired. There was too much to do. Ultimately, I just didn’t bloody feel like it too much. So, I didn’t do it. The thing is, I love how I feel when I am in shape from running. But even this trip couldn’t motivate me to do it. I suppose I’ll have to wait for the right motivator (I suspect it will be Kiki’s wedding…only time will tell).
So, the preparations continue. I won’t discount my experiment in toning and getting a bit healthier, because I’m doing the best I can. That’s all I can ask of myself.
Besides, I still have 6 days until I leave!
In less than a month, my family and I will arrive in beautiful, sunny (we hope) Italy for two weeks in Tuscany. Red wine, pasta, pizza (probably lots of pizza and pasta with the girls), the sun, a pool, Florence, Pisa, a wedding for close friends, and so much more. We cannot wait.
In anticipation of our jaunt to Tuscany, my husband and I have decided to tone up and work on getting back into shape. It means different things for each of us.
I have been blessed with a great metabolism, but those of you that know me know my deepest, darkest secret about food. I am a junk food junkie. I adore a double cheeseburger from McDonald’s, a pizza from just about anywhere, and a Pepsi or a beer. In addition, I’m fairly lazy. I have gone through spurts where I was really into working out or running, but they always seem to fade away.
So, for me, getting back into shape means a few things.
1) Work on my portion control. So far, I am doing alright with this. I like junk food, and know that depriving myself of it is unrealistic. So, my goal is to watch my portions. Do we need to order a large pizza or a medium? I’m full with a medium, but keep eating until overfull with a large.
2) Add exercise back into my routine. I actually feel much better when I exercise, but it’s easy to make excuses not to do it. I’m tired. The girls were naughty. It’s dark or misting outside. I am going to make time for exercise 4 times a week. So far, I’ve already been on three 20 minute runs this week!
3) Cut back on my alcohol and soda intake. Both my doctor and acupuncturist have recommended that I cut back on my caffeine anyway, so I have a double push to cut back on the Pepsi and Coke. British beer is heavier than I am used to, and I know I should cut back on that, too. I’ve taken to relaxing in the evening with my knitting, a movie, and a pint or two. I don’t need to cut alcohol and soda out completely, but I do need to cut down and add more water. I’m not doing as well with this goal as I would like. Now that I’ve shared it here, however, you all can help keep me honest.
That’s it. Those are my three goals to help get toned up and a bit healthier before I head to Tuscany…
…where I plan to drink wine, eat pizza and pasta, and sit by the pool reading and knitting.
At least I’ll look toned up when I board the plane!
