Smart Pooch

I could pen some hilarious line about Jack and his off-the-charts IQ, or tell you how he is working on his thesis about the symbiotic relationships that exist between cats and dogs living in the same household. Perhaps you would believe we just discovered his near-sightedness and made a visit to the vet for corrective lenses. What about the idea that glasses really attract the ladies?  

Well, I won't waste your time with any of that. Really we like to test Jack's tolerance for having various objects balanced on his muzzle in exchange for delicious pressed imitation bacon treats. Pretty smart looking dog though, wouldn't you agree?

Favorite Friday... Sisters and Cereal

I have realized that I am unable to post a single picture on any post. Blogging is journal-keeping to me and every picture reminds me of a different memory or experience. So rather than apologize everytime, here is my disclaimer: I am a visual person. I like photos. I will post more pics than I need to every time. That's just the kind of gal I am. The end. :)

My favorites this week:

CEREAL!! We love cereal in this house. Jon has always been a cold cereal guy. Even as newlyweds, I would offer to make Jon pancakes or waffles for breakfast, but he simply prefers cereal to anything else for his morning meal. My kids love cereal too. They already have their favorites. I don't prefer cold cereal for breakfast. (I get hungry very quickly if I only eat cereal in the morning.) I like my cereal in the evening, sometimes right before bed. Funny thing, if Jon can't sleep he always eats a bowl of cold cereal and it does the trick. My favorite, not pictured as I finished the box two days ago, is TJ Vanilla Almond Granola. BTW - that was not a box I was anxious to finish.
The bigger favorite of the day is my sisters. For some reason I am missing them terribly today.
They are two of the most intelligent, accomplished woman I know.
I feel so lucky to be their old sister, which I have to point out is really just a matter of timing. I say this because I learn more from them than I could ever teach.
L is a mom of two amazing, beautiful children. Her hubby is doing a residency in surgery after having graduated dental school. She just finished writing her first book, which is so terrific. She is a runner and a darn fast one at that. Aside from my mother, she has the most beautiful hair and I have to say I am impressed that she never cut it short after having children. L is stubborn, strong-willed, speaks her mind and is completely genuine, all things I love about her. She is raising stubborn, terribly intelligent and adorable children. I love you sis! 

J is a pastry chef in NYC and she is so good at it. She's dating this fabulous guy, L, that we adore. She is my brave, thoughtful, funny and sparkly eyed youngest sister. She is so smart, sometimes too smart I think. :) She quotes movie lines more than anyone I know. I admire her tenacity in life. She always makes me smile when we talk. I love her beautiful dimples.  I feel like we are twins separated by five years. I miss you sissy!


So today my challenge to you: If you have a sister(s) call and tell them how much you love them. I know I will. FYI... Sister Day is the first Sunday of August. Mark your calendars.

Tivoli

Today was another day I was thinking of things I loved and Tivoli came to mind. 

Tivoli is a relatively small hilltop village outside of Rome. We spent a short afternoon there at the Villa d'Este on our way to Cinque Terre. Knowing my affinity for gardens, the owner of the B&B we stayed at in Rome told us we had to stop and see for ourselves. Our focus was not on the villa, in fact we spent almost no time inside except to navigate through the house to the gardens where the real beauty was.

I know these pics cannot begin to show how beautiful and enormous it truly was, so to help you get the idea, I decided to post not one or two pics but ten. :)

The gardens were set on different levels with fountains everywhere you looked. There were hundreds of fountains.
The day we visited was gray and threatening to storm. As a result the gardens were nearly empty. Couldn't have planned it better.
There were private little gardens tucked away. Some were filled with sculpture and others primarily fountains. All of it was breathtaking!


This stretch of fountains was one of my favorites. Its called Le Cento Fontane (The Hundred Fountains). At 100 fountains in length x 3 levels, we're talking 300 fountains on this walkway alone.

If you look closely, you can see the bottom row of fountains are faces, animals and people alike.
I especially loved this fellow. 

Little bit of this, little bit of that and a whole lot of love

*For rest of February I am going to post pictures of things I love. They will almost certainly have nothing to do with the post, but I don't care. 

This pic is from Lake Como, ITALIA. We spent our 11th anniversary at a B&B on the lake. I couldn't believe the hydrangeas at this villa. A little piece of heaven huh? Truly magnificent!!

So maybe its a little early to have Valentines on the brain, but I do. Being the sporadically ambitious girl I am, I have decided to make valentines this year instead of sending the store-bought variety. In such an effort I have been perusing old magazines for ideas. 

Sidenote: As an anti-clutter gal, you might be surprised to hear that I keep old magazines. I do. Tis true. There are only a few that I really rely on for ideas and creative inspiration and I keep them organized by month not year. That way when I am looking for valentine ideas, I go to the closet and pull out the Feb. case. Viola! Everything I need is at hand. You might wonder why I don't just look things up on the internet. I do, but there is something about being able to hold something in my hand and wander the house and read in bed and read while fixing dinner and look at ideas while folding laundry and...  you get it? I read. I migrate. I read. It's what I do and familiar magazines are a guilty pleasure for me. Getting back...

So this year I am going all out. I am going to pen love-notes to Jon and bake ridiculously indulgent desserts to share, write letters and post them in beautiful handmade envelopes to my parents and siblings, create special gifts for my amazing kids that they will treasure forever and send lovely notes to dear friends far and near. I am going to get caught up in the season of all things red, white and pink.  

Happy Groundhog Day to All!

We're suffering from a raging spring fever here in Charm City!
Yes that is 2" of ice sprinkled with the needles from a discarded Christmas tree underfoot.
Can you tell we're big into bubble blowing around here?
The strategy of Jungle Tag involves a lot of waiting for the chase and staying on higher ground.

Esther trying to plant a little kiss on Et. He's having no part of it.
Could Mother Nature be more generous? Yesterday the weather here in Baltimore was 60 degrees. There was no wind. It was wonderful. We walked Jack, went to the school playground for a round of jungle-tag and wandered the neighborhood in our flip-flops.  Today is nearly as warm, currently about lovely 55 degrees. 

The cruel part about this changing of the seasons is how it teeter-totters back and forth, making you yearn for spring. You know though, there is this little part of me likes the anticipation of it all. I like the little peek-a-boos of spring and how you just know it is right around the corner, like a friend playing hide-and-seek waiting to pounce when they are discovered. You know it is going to be glorious and lovely with new scents floating in the air, new songs from the recently returned birds, and color! Glorious colors will be everywhere, hanging from tree branches and poking their heads out of newly warmed soil. You'll see color and warmth on the faces of people strolling down the street. Spring can do that you know. It can make you stroll instead of walking with a purpose. It can lift your head to the sky instead tucked down in your scarf. It can put a smile on an otherwise weary and worn face. 

I know Phil saw his shadow today, but I say phooey to that. Spring is nearly ready. She is going to burst forth. One day I will wake to see the magnolias in bloom. It will happen overnight. The air will feel different, changed, renewed. The lovely burden of winter will have passed and with it all things changed, brought to life again. I love spring. 

BTW - Can you spell Punxsutawney? It's a tough one!