How to Clear out a Room

We had a weekend in which the boys played football, watched football, and talked football . . . way too much testosterone, in my humble opinion. So when they settle on the couch to watch a little Monday night football before bed, I knew what to do.

"Tonight,I get the t.v.," I announce. "And I'm watching Dancing with the Stars."

WHOOSH!

It only takes three seconds, and I am completely and totally alone. Wearing my comfy pj's I stretch out on the couch and sigh contentedly. There's not a testosterone anything in sight.

What ever happened to Dora?

Last week our preschooler was invited to a birthday party for a girl in his class in which the theme was . . . cue drum roll, please . . . High School Musical.

HUH?!

What happened to Ariel?

or Snow White?

or Cinderella?

Or, for that matter, what ever happened to Dora?

Well, I have a problem with four-year-olds pretending they're in high school, dancing like they're in high school, and singing songs with high school themes. Our preschooler still sings Little Red Caboose, for goodness sakes.

We sent our polite regrets, and our four-year-old enjoyed a nice Saturday morning playing with his trains and pretending he was Diego on a safari rescue mission.

Memory Keepers

Today Laura posted about one of her favorite things . . . a vintage Lolly Pop box. She said she would rather have this one item from her childhood than any crystal or stemware, and I understand completely.

I believe that certain objects actually tell a story. When I walk through an antique store I am always drawn to objects that have been used: old farm equipment, or lace gloves, or a tattered quilt. These things seems to whisper their stories, and I love that. I can imagine a farmer's bowed shoulders as he hooks up this plow; a girl's excitement for her first dance as she pulls on those gloves; a young bride as she carefully unpacks that quilt from her hope chest.

I once bought a photo of a young woman wearing a dress from the 1800's, her hair piled on top of her head with a thick velvet ribbon. She had an interesting face . . . and I felt like I knew her. She is now propped in front of some books in our study, and I think of her as a distant relative.

So I totally understand Laura's attachment to a Lolly Pop box.

When I was a little girl I gave my Nonna a pink ceramic statue of a girl with outstretched arms. On the base was written "I love you this much", and when she passed away the statue came back to me. I had totally forgotten about it; in fact, I hadn't seen it in a long time, but I was so touched that Nonna had kept my little gift. Now it's one of my favorite things because it whispers to me that Nonna, by holding on to it all those years, loved me "this much".

I've got mail!

Today I received this in the mail . . . my first paycheck for writing articles!!! About a month ago I started writing for a Catholic organization that publishes monthly parish newletters across the country, and now I will get weekly assignments for which I will get paid. Getting the mail has never been so fun.

Tanti auguri!

BUON COMPLEANNO, DAMIANO!!!!

Bacioni,

Bia & Co.

A Man in the Making

Last week I took my oldest son for a check-up, and that evening he has an important announcement.

"Guess what? Today I officially weighed in at 100 pounds. Doesn't that make me a man?"

I look at my son. He has spaghetti sauce on his cheek, his hair is sticking up in the back, his arms are like toothpicks, and he is talking with his mouth full. In other words, he is 100% boy.

My heart flip-flops, and I smile.

"You're the man," I reply.

Before I Go...

I am leaving tomorrow with my sister for a repeat of our weekend getaway of last year. Before I go, I'd like to share with you this fun, easy project. See the image below? It was made from photographs. I first did this when I was scrapbooking, and the result was pretty enough to frame. Here's how:

1. Take a favorite photo and have several copies made (this was a photo taken of a fresco painted on a wall in an Italian Monastery).
2. Place one photo in the middle of a piece of heavy paper.
3. Cut the extra copies of the photo into shards...arrange them around the main photo so that the edges are straight.
4. There. Instant mosaic...and when it's framed the sheen of the photo shards does make it look like pieces of tile.

Here's another example, except that I made several copies of a different photo (rose bushes) to use for the mosaic pieces.

And now, I'm off. Last year when my sister and I came back from our weekend getaway I had complete and total laryngitis...go figure. Ciao! Ciao!