bleeding espresso...

hang on . . .

2008-01-14T16:14:00.001+01:00

I've moved!

You should be redirected to the new site bleedingespresso.com momentarily.

But if you can't wat, click here.

And if you're reading this through a feedreader, click on through and see my new digs.

See you there!

almost there

2008-01-11T11:06:00.000+01:00

I hope you're not worried that something is wrong or that my Internet service has cut out (knock on wood) or that anything else nasty has happened . . . I'm just taking some time to work on the new blog, which will be revealed on Monday.

Here's a sneak preview of the new look:

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Buon weekend!

bloggers' generosity (plus more contests)

2008-01-08T16:11:00.000+01:00

The other day I mentioned how kind the blogging community has been to me lately. Now I'm going to give you the details.

First, just before Christmas I received a care package of a crazy amount of cross stitch goodies from my friend Concetta of An Italian-Scot's Stitching Journal.

Check out my favorite, "The Dreamer," which some of you may remember is what "Sognatrice" means in Italian:

As I told Concetta, I think this would be gorgeous in a little girl's room. Now I just have to get me a little girl . . . .

Grazie mille Concetta!

Then the Italian postal service continued to bless me with actual delivery when My French Life by Vicki Archer arrived just after Christmas. I had won this book in a contest over at Robin's place My Melange.

This book is *gorgeous* and if I didn't want to head to France to visit my expat Froggie bloggie buddies, I sure do now (although truth be told, I did before anyway).

And then I got news that I also won a contest over at Valerie's 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree. I know! What did I step in, right?

Valerie was compiling a list of expat bloggers in Italy and offered up some fabulous prizes: a copy of Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pelligrino Artusi (English translation) and--get this!--"hand-crafted chocolates from the best darn cioccolateria in Le Marche." Woohoo! *So* exciting!

And then I read that Geggie of So...What Else? What Else? What Else? is having a contest giving away some Burt's Bees goodies. Well I'm on a lucky streak, so of course I had to enter--and you should too!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN BURT'S BEES GOODIES

But wouldn't you know it? I'm already a winner! In the contest post Geggie asked for a little technical help and has now offered to send me some fun stuff as a thank you. Thank *you* Geggie!

Speaking of contests, head on over to Grace's Sandier Pastures and leave a comment explaining why you need a new blog design--and you just might win one.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN A FREE BLOG DESIGN

And finally I got a big ole virtual bacio from Jenn at The Verge. She wrote some truly wonderful, heartwarming thoughts about me which mean so much coming from a blogger who I just love visiting.

So I'm passing along this:

to Concetta, Robin, Valerie, Geggie, and Grace (and back at Jenn) for their generosity and kindness not only to me but to all of us who are lucky enough to have found them.

This blogosphere just keeps on giving I tell you, and I couldn't be more grateful to be a part of it.

MotherTalk Blog Tour:Persian Girls by Nahid Rachlin

2008-01-07T11:44:00.000+01:00

Today my blog is one of the stops on MotherTalk's 15-Blog Tour of Persian Girls: A Memoir by Nahid Rachlin.

Persian Girls: A Memoir; Nahid Rachlin; ISBN-10: 1585425206; Tarcher (October 5, 2006); hardcover; 304 pp.

Publishers Weekly says:

"This lyrical and disturbing memoir by the author of four novels (Foreigner, etc.) tells the story of an Iranian girl growing up in a culture where, despite the Westernizing reforms of the Shah, women had little power or autonomy. As an infant in 1946, Rachlin was given to her mother's favorite sister, a widow who had been unable to conceive, and was lovingly raised among supportive widows who took refuge in religion from their frustrations as women in an oppressive society. But at the age of nine, Rachlin's father, whom she barely knew, met her at school without warning and brought her to Ahvaz to live with her birth family. Miserable in the new household, young Nahid was befriended by her American movie–obsessed sister Pari. Both sisters developed artistic ambitions, but only Nahid managed to escape the typical female fate, convincing her father to send her to college in the U.S. Less lucky is Pari, whose life of arranged marriage, divorce from an abusive husband and estrangement from her son ends in depression and early death. Exuding the melancholy of an outsider, this memoir gives American readers rare insight into Iranians' ambivalence toward the United States, the desire for American freedom clashing with resentment of American hegemony."

When I saw this book come up for review on MotherTalk, I immediately signed up. Particularly in the current political climate, I was hoping that this book would provide a fascinating look into a culture that is, at best, underrepresented in mainstream English language books and, at worst, criticized, discriminated against, and even hated; the fact that the author is a woman made it all the more enticing as I simply can't read enough of how my fellow women live, survive, and thrive in other cultures.

Persian Girls delivers on all accounts and has made me want to learn more not only about this intriguing woman--cappuccino is on me if you're ever in southern Italy Ms Rachlin!--but also about Iranian history and culture in general.

From Rachlin's difficult childhood with a mother that didn't seem to want her and a father that wanted only control to her struggle for independence and acceptance in America, Persian Girls places the reader in the very heart and mind of the author as she rises to each successive challenge placed before her.

From the time Rachlin was taken from the only mother she knew, I found myself cheering her on--a credit to an outstanding opening scene that transports the reader to 1950s Iran amidst a prayer rug, a Koran, rose water, a paraffin lamp, and hot summer nights spent talking about a golden ladder descending from the sky.

And yet Rachlin's writing style isn't nostalgic or wistful. She presents her life with such an objective tone sometimes that I forgot she was telling her own life story--and this is not a criticism. To the contrary, I felt like what I was reading was a true, fair account of events, and knowing that I'm able to trust the author is so very important.

At times, however, I did feel that there was just a bit held back regarding the working through of her feelings in some of her relationships, particularly the most difficult ones; the fact that some family members are still alive surely had something to do with this, but overall I don't find that this guardedness distracts from the memoir. Rachlin gives plenty of clues into her personality to provide the reader with a sense of what the author might've been feeling, and I don't think there's anything wrong with a little mystery in any book, even a memoir.

On another level, Rachlin's expat status in America really spoke to me, and I'm sure to plenty of other expats as well--the feeling of being caught between two cultures, two languages, two ways of life. On whether she regretted her choice to go to America, in a subsequent interview, Rachlin said:

I have never really regretted my choice to come to America, pursue my own goals. But I am always aware of a loss, a price to pay for the independence I have gained. I don't have easy access and closeness to people I love, because of all the distance between us.

Indeed I wouldn't mind another memoir (or even a how-to!) from Rachlin on her marriage to an American and raising her daughter in a country that is a sometimes enemy of her own. I look forward to reading Rachlin's fiction as well.

With 4 espresso cups out of 5, I wholeheartedly recommend this memoir to anyone with an interest in women's history, cultural differences, the Middle East, family relationships, love, or, you know, life.

You can read more about Rachlin at her website NahidRachlin.com and interviews with her at Her Circle Ezine and Pars Arts.

You can also join a discussion about Persian Girls at MotherTalk here.

the witch has arrived!

2008-01-06T14:13:00.000+01:00

Today marks the end of the holidays in Italy as La Befana arrived last night. You don't know La Befana? Read more about her here in my post from last year at this time.

As always, I'm sad to have to take down all the Christmas decorations; the house just feels a bit more empty, a bit more somber.

I suppose that's not such a bad thing as it's time to get down to the business of starting this new year and focus is always a good thing.

Friends, I *have* been focusing. Although it is the Italian tradition to return to work tomorrow, I've been quite busy the past few days--and perhaps that's making you feel a bit neglected here.

One of the main things I've been working on, though, is a brand new look and home for this here blog, and I think you're going to like what I've come up with.

But you'll have to wait just a bit longer. In the meantime I've had tons of positive energy from the blogosphere to keep me going, and I'll tell you all about it soon.

Tomorrow, though, I have the honor of kicking off the MotherTalk 15-Blog Tour of Persian Girls by Nahid Rachlin. You don't want to miss it--or this book.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

la musica calabrese(calabrian folk music)

2008-01-03T14:52:00.000+01:00

One of my favorite parts about living here is that you never know when you'll be caught up in an impromptu concerto. Seriously.

Now I'm sure some of you are thinking "Ah there goes another one of those stereotypes of 'la dolce vita' that simply doesn't exist in real life Italy."

Well I'm here to tell you that in small town Calabria, most males of all ages seem to play the guitar and will gladly break it out and start singing--especially the later into the evening it gets (and the more grappa that is flowing). And for those of you reading this who have visited here, chances are you can back me up on this.

In other words, we may miss out on a lot of "conveniences" down here, but at least we have la musica.

In fact the other night at New Year's Eve dinner, one of the younger boys who is just learning to play the chitarra battente (pictured at left) asked for some advice from Mimmo, our host and lead singer/guitar player of Marasà, a local band that performs traditional Calabrese music with a bit of an updated twist.

I just love how generation after generation picks up these songs and instruments with pride, keeping the tradition going, not feeling embarrassed or shy in the least as they sing along (loudly) when the guitar shows up.

For anyone who thinks that Calabrese music and Calabrese in general is dying out, here's a short clip of Mimmo encouraging yet another Calabrese boy on how to play the traditional way:

Although Italian musical heritage goes back centuries, including the famous chants of the Gregorian monks, Calabrian music has its own unique tradition and is rooted in songs about peasant life in the feudal system and all it entails--sung in Calabrese accompanied by Calabrian instruments.

It is music of the people, by the people, for the people, so to speak, and tells stories of both hope and hopelessness--common conflicting emotions for many Calabresi throughout the centuries.

Traditional Calabrian folk music has some common elements: high, strong vocals, a catchy, nearly hypnotic rhythm, and a bittersweet raw passion with any combination of tambourine, guitar, chitarra battente, accordion, zampogna (bagpipes), lira, mandolin, drums and more. The song rhythm you'll hear often is the tarantella, a traditional southern Italian folk dance that was performed by female victims of spider bites to rid themselves of the venom.

There's a great description of Calabrian music heritage here if you're interested, but I think George Gissing sums it up pretty well in his 1901 travel memoir:

Listen to a Calabrian peasant singing as he follows his oxen along the furrow,
or as he shakes the branches of his olive tree.
That wailing voice amid the ancient silence,
that long lament solacing ill-rewarded toil,
comes from the heart of Italy herself,
and wakes the memory of mankind.

~ George Gissing
By the Ionian Sea: Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy

For me, there's just nothing like that distinct Calabrese cry accompanied by the chitarra battente to take me back to when my ancestors walked these same streets, living much simpler yet much harder lives, imagining what they could offer their families if only they could get to l'America.

Goodness I wish I could go back and tell them.

You can hear more of Marasà here by clicking on "il disco" and then choosing songs. My favorites are Aquila bella, Canto ad aria, and Facci di n'ammendula and if you like bagpipes, be sure to check out A Nuziata.

If you'd like to order a Marasà CD of your very own, you know where to find me.

what's cooking wednesday: bagels

2008-01-02T17:12:00.001+01:00

I wasn't going to post a recipe today since I honestly haven't been cooking very much lately--we had Christmas dinner at P's parents and we spent New Year's Eve at a friend's house. Indeed, it's the same place we spent New Year's Eve last year, so if you'd like to see some photos from 2006, you can check them out here.

More on the recent New Year's Eve soon, but for now--bagels!

Michelle of Michellanea posted this bagel recipe a while ago for those of us in Italy dying for something, anything that we can smear some cream cheese on, and this recipe definitely delivers.

In my baking frenzy around Christmas, I finally decided to give these a go, and I will definitely be making bagels more frequently around here from now on. The recipe is easy to follow and carry out; the only time-consuming part is waiting for the dough to rise. And then waiting for them to cool off before you dig in.

The measurements are for those of us using metric, but everything is easily convertible these days online, for example at JoyofBaking.com.

Bagels
(makes 8 large bagels)

30 grams fresh yeast
2 tablespoons of oil
3 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon honey
500 grams of flour

Dissolve yeast in 250 ml of warm water and add oil. In large bowl, mix together salt, sugar, and flour. Make a well in the center and add in yeast mixture.

Mix together all ingredients, working in flour on the sides of the bowl in order to get an even mixture. Work dough into a ball.

Cover bowl with a damp towel for about 40 minutes and let dough rise in a warm place; it should double in size. Put a piece of wax paper on the baking sheet you’ll be using for the bagels.

Work the dough for about ten minutes. Divide into 8 little balls. Make a hole in the center of each ball and widen the opening until it begins to take the shape of a bagel.

Let the bagels sit on the warm towel for another 15 minutes while you heat the oven up to 200°C.

In the meantime, bring a large pan of water to a light boil (adding the 1 teaspoon of honey, which is a substitute for malt). Let each bagel boil lightly for about two minutes on each side and then remove and put them back on the damp towel.

If you are adding sesame or poppy seeds, at this point, sprinkle them on a plate and press each bagel down lightly over them.

After about five minutes, put the bagels on the wax paper-covered baking sheet and place in oven for about 20 or 25 minutes until they are golden brown (but not too brown – they will get a bit browner after they’ve cooled), flipping them after about 10 minutes to ensure even baking.

Buon appetito and thanks again to Michelle for the great recipe!

*A clever eye might notice the watermark on this photo refers to a site that doesn't exist yet, but it will. Hopefully soon my friends. Be patient please.

buon anno!

2008-01-01T11:47:00.000+01:00

Wishing everyone . . .

May 2008 be your best year yet!

And remember, don't eat chicken today
or you'll be scratching (for money) all year . . .
pork (to live high on the hog) and lentils (shaped like coins)
are the way to go!

year end meme

2007-12-30T17:16:00.000+01:00

What's the end of a year without a little reflection on what's happened, where we've been, and what we've done?

Well over at Sundry Mourning, there's a little tradition of the Year End meme, first copied from Gwen's Petty, Judgmental, Evil Thoughts back in 2004.

I filled it out last year, which you can find here, and now it's time to look back on 2007.

Feel free to play along and let me know where to find you!

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Raised puppies from birth, dyed my hair, made Christmas cookies on a wide scale, used a cookie press, slept in a bed & breakfast (Hi Cherrye!), made money from my blog, became a professional blogger, sent out Italian Christmas cards, made hummus, made bagels, acted as an interpreter, wrote 25,0o0 words in a month.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Don't make 'em; can't break 'em. I might make some this year, though, just to mix things up. We'll see.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No family or close friends, but some blog friends--and a whole lot of expats in Italy are preggers now, quite a few due any day!

4. Did anyone close to you die? My great-aunt's daughter Jeanie as I wrote about here and my mom's friend Kitty who was like a grandmother to me and who I wrote about here.

5. What countries did you visit? Just Italia.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? More writing gigs as always, and a book contract wouldn't suck either. Ooh, and a real vacation.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 20 birth of the puppies. I think that's all.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Probably the development of this blog and its amazing community. I'm also pretty proud of losing more weight and maintaining it--aah, and finding a pair of pants in Italy that fit me and that I like! Woohoo!

9. What was your biggest failure? It's not really my personal failure, but I had hoped to be in the new house by now.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Only recently with a nasty stomach virus followed up by a sinus infection. Love being sick over the holidays!

11. What was the best thing you bought? My ADSL contract with Telecom (although it *does* have its issues).

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I said my doggie Luna last year, and I'm going with her again but for different reasons. This year she accepted a new dog in the house followed by six puppies--all in stride. She's such a trooper.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Going with the Bush administration again on this one. Can't wait to have a new administration to be appalled and depressed by.

14. Where did most of your money go? Internet and phone bills (but so worth it), just like last year.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The camera from Salena--I'm *still* really, really, really excited about that.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Geez probably the theme songs from Gilmore Girls, The O.C., and Veronica Mars since they've served as my background noise most of the year.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? Hmm, I'd say happier, a few pounds lighter, and there's money in the bank--I'm richer (although "rich" is a strong word).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Yoga and fiction writing.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Anything other than fiction writing.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With P and his parents for the first half and then cradling my throbbing face for the second half. Fun times.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Have you seen the puppies?

22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost!

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't hate the players, just the game sometimes.

24. What was the best book you read? Ooh, tough one. Eat Pray Love sticks out.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Adriano Celentano although it's not so much a discovery as a more intense dedication. Love that voice.

26. What did you want and get? An expansion of my writing career.

27. What did you want and not get? To be in the new house by Christmas.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Haven't seen anything new in a long time. Favorite new-to-me film? Pirates of the Caribbean. Just when I thought I couldn't love Johnny Depp more.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31 and honestly, I don't remember what happened--a sure sign of getting old as it was only two months ago.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Same answer as last year: if someone in my family or close circle of friends from home would have visited or if I would’ve been able to go home.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Comfortable is key.

32. What kept you sane? The Internet, fellow expats, blogs, emails, phone calls, and my writing.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I've enjoyed Milo Ventimiglia despite the fact that P won't let me watch Heroes. Have to get my Milo fix via GG.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? The concept of universal health care versus how it's carried out in certain (ahem) countries.

35. Who did you miss? My family and my girlfriends from home more than ever.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Lots of online buddies, of course, but in person, one of my students who has become a friend.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. A positive attitude positively makes a positive difference.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. With the risk of getting (a lot) sappy, it's hard to put into words how much this past year of my life has been enriched by all of you who take the time to read, comment, write, and share your lives through these Internets. And so, from Natalie Merchant:

You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you
For your selflessness my admiration
For everything you've done you know I'm bound
I'm bound to thank you for it.

And how was your year?

warmest holiday wishes

2007-12-25T09:55:00.000+01:00

May your holidays be full of love,

tante belle cose,

and quiet moments to reflect on all that is good in the world.

Wishing you all the very best this holiday season--
why not start with a little Harry Connick Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas?

See you for new year's greetings!

little boy & tiger wishes

2007-12-24T09:10:00.000+01:00

I've decided to start my own Christmas Eve tradition here on the blog, and it involves my very favorite Christmas Eve poem.

I know a lot of people will be reciting 'Twas the Night Before Christmas tonight, but a few years ago I found myself enchanted by some lesser-known holiday verses that warm my heart each and every year.

For the handful of readers that were with me last year at this time, you already know about "Christmas Eve" by Bill Watterson, creator of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip.

This year I've managed to find a scan of the original page with the drawing to go with it:

Gah! I just love it!

If you can't read that, here's the text:

Christmas Eve

On window panes, the icy frost
Leaves feathered patterns, crissed & crossed,
But in our house the Christmas tree
Is decorated festively
With tiny dots of colored light
That cozy up this winter night.
Christmas songs, familiar, slow,
Play softly on the radio.
Pops and hisses from the fire
Whistle with the bells and choir.

My tiger is now fast asleep
On his back and dreaming deep.
When the fire makes him hot,
He turns to warm whatever's not.
Propped against him on the rug,
I give my friend a gentle hug.
Tomorrow's what I'm waiting for,
But I can wait a little more.

I hope you're snuggled up and warm this Christmas Eve too!

Do you have something you read every year at this time?

weekend o' cookies continues

2007-12-23T08:40:00.000+01:00

You've now seen four of the six types of cookies I made this holiday season. What? No you haven't?

Well go here to see the thumbprints (with recipe!), here to see the kolaches, and here to see the chocolate chip and ricotta cookies.

Here are the final two starting with the scene of making the butter cookies:

And here they are after baking:

And, last but certainly not least, Michigan Rocks full of dates and walnuts:

And here's a tray ready for delivery:

Well really a red plastic plate covered in blue plastic wrap, tied together with a gold bow. It's easier to see the cookies through the wrap in person by the way.

And now I ask you:

can anything else say "AUGURI!" like a plate of American cookies?

I didn't think so either.

By the way, if anyone would like recipes for these, just send me an email.

So is everyone ready for Christmas or what?

weekend o' cookies

2007-12-22T17:32:00.000+01:00

Last weekend was spent baking cookies, and this weekend is being spent delivering them to their new homes. So far all of the Italians have expressed nothing but love for the American biscottini. As if we had any doubt, right?

So as I've already shown you, I made thumbprints and kolaches.

Now here are the ricotta cookies:

and my favorite, the chocolate chips:

Does this look like anyone to you?

More cookies tomorrow! Stay tuned!

12 christmas memories: part V

2007-12-21T11:06:00.000+01:00

And now the last installment of my 12 Christmas Memories meme:

10. Best Christmas Present Ever

I know it might seem strange for me to name an afghan as my best Christmas present ever, but it was (and I know Shannon understands). I really wish I had it here with me (it's in storage in the US) so I could take a photo for you. And better yet, curl up with it.

I was around 10 years old when my mom started promising afghans, crocheted by her, for my brother and me. I'd occasionally see her working on the little squares that were to make up mine throughout the year--different shades of pink, flowers, typical girly stuff. As Christmas drew closer and her time was taken up by cookies though, she made it pretty clear that they wouldn't be done for the holidays.

But then while unwrapping gifts, I got to a big old clumsy box that I assumed was a coat. As I lifted the lid, what to my wondering eyes should appear?

My very own pink-and-white flowered afghan.

Even at that young age, I had some idea of just how much work went into every single square that made up that thing, and I just felt so special and loved that my mom would surrender sleep and other more enjoyable activities (which she surely did) to stitch and stitch and stitch just to make it all happen for Christmas.

A warm fuzzy wrapped up in a warm fuzzy, if you will.

Must get that afghan here. Love it love it love it so.

11. Falling Asleep on Pap's Presents

OK, this one isn't a memory so much as a really cute photo that unfortunately I don't have with me to scan for you.

When I was just a wee lass I suppose I became overwhelmed with the Christmas goings-on quite easily and so I stopped to rest just a moment.

Right on top of all my grandfather's presents.

I was out for a few hours, apparently, and he just had to wait to see what Santa brought him.

What a trooper, eh?

It's a really cute picture, I promise.

12. My First Christmas with P

Nothing too spectacular happened, but 2005 was our first holiday season together and that alone made it magical.

On Christmas Eve, we went out for pizza of all things, which I actually thought was a fun tradition to start--only then the restaurant wasn't open the following year. So now I'll always remember that first Christmas Eve all that much more.

It was rather romantic actually as the fireplace was going and we were the only ones in the place besides the owners and their family who joined us after a while. Then we went around visiting some friends in the village but were home by midnight; and despite growing up opening gifts on Christmas day, I just couldn't wait any longer for P to open his, so at my insistence we did gifts around 1 a.m.

He had never gotten a stocking before! Can you believe it? So I was sure to stuff it with all kinds of exciting things like shaving cream and razors.

And I wrapped every single thing individually. Hah!

Then Christmas Day we spent with P's sister and her family (they have two children) and P's parents--always wonderful to see children enjoying Christmas, isn't it?

Like I said, nothing too special for that first Christmas...other than the company of course. And that's really what it's all about for me. Those warm, cozy feelings of love that stick with you for a lifetime as my dear friend Wanderlust Scarlett so kindly reminded me by tagging me with this meme.

Honestly, I can't tell you how much writing this and taking photos around my house has helped me get into the holiday spirit. It's been so wonderful to remember all of the great holiday seasons I've been lucky to have and makes being away from home at this time of year just a little easier.

So thank you, thank you, thank you Wanderlust Scarlett and I wish the happiest of holiday seasons to you all!

12 christmas memories: part IV

2007-12-20T11:00:00.000+01:00

For Part IV of My 12 Favorite Christmas Memories as inspired by Wanderlust Scarlett's meme, I'm going to stick with the childhood theme. If you haven't yet, you should also check out Parts I, II, and III.

Now here are three more that come from my earlier years, and since we just talked about cookies, let's stay there for a moment.

7. Jeanie & Joe eating all the kolaches

Jeanie was my great-aunt's daughter and Joe was her husband. That might sound rather extended to you, but since my Aunt Babe lived about 30 seconds away from her sister (my grandmother), our families were always quite close, especially around the holidays--and my Aunt Babe remains one of my most favorite people in the world. She knows everything!

And what are kolaches? My mom's version looks something like this:

Walnut goodness wrapped in cream cheese dough and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I made these this year, but I had to improvise because I couldn't find a square ravioli cutter like she uses. In Italy! I couldn't find the ravioli cutter I needed! Harumph!

So I used a round one, which makes smaller ravioli and that made rolling these babies a lot more challenging. They're still delicious though, and that's what matters, right?

Well kolaches were probably the most sought after cookie at my grandmother's house (she also made them) during the holidays--so much so that my mom used to make a tray just for my grandfather to keep *in his bedroom*. Yes, this grandfather.

Anyway, Jeanie and Joe lived a couple hours away from us, so they came in for the holidays right as they were beginning, which left their visiting time to a minimum. And so, they'd come over, often individually, on Christmas morning, which as you can imagine, was always quite hectic as anywhere from 5 to 15 people would be eating dinner there at noon.

My grandmother always played the perfect hostess, though, despite having a million other things to do--she truly loved their visits.

But after a while she noticed that there would always be a huge dent made in the cookie tray in the area of the kolaches after Joe left--and let's be honest, it was mainly Joe who was the culprit. So my grandmother would purposely take most of the kolaches off the tray (she'd leave him a few of course), often literally as he was coming up the walkway.

"Joe's coming! Grab the kolaches!" *was* shouted.

Jeanie was mostly innocent in the Great Kolache Fiasco but she's thrown in this memory because her Christmas morning visits were always such a huge part of the holidays, and also because she recently passed away.

Jeanie was just 62 years old, and her husband Joe passed away last year after a long debilitating illness which included a heart transplant. Their children are around my age, and I think of them more often than ever.

And now with the holidays, wonderful memories of their parents have really come rushing back to me, and I hope they do for them as well.

8. I'm Mary!

OK, let's lighten things up with a fun memory from about fourth grade--when I was chosen to play Mary in the church play of the Nativity Scene.

I was never the one chosen for things like that, and to be honest, I thought one of my best friends who eventually became the angel would be Mary, but nope. I was Mary! Everyone was so proud!

I think we picked names out of a hat or something, so it really was no big feat to have won the non-speaking role. But whatever. I was Mary! I wrapped the Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes!

And I do have a photo of it somewhere, just not here. Sorry. Maybe next year.

Also, attached to this memory? I was also the one who got to put the Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning in our nativity scene at home. Woohoo! The benefits of being the youngest in the house!

9. Caroling with Friends

They don't really do the caroling thing around here (not that I've seen/heard anyway), but I do have a fond memory of caroling when I was probably about 12 years old.

A group of girlfriends, probably about 10 of us, went around one evening and sang and sang and sang--and if anyone wonders why I know the words to just about any Christmas song, this is probably why. Seriously, try me.

One blustery December night, instead of going home after school, we all went to the house that would serve as Caroling Central. We got all bundled up (it was *freezing*!), and then walked around town, avoiding slushy puddles and snow piles, stopping at random houses, especially near those that were all lit up, assuming they'd certainly appreciate the effort.

We got invited into so many homes, drank far too much hot cocoa, and even made some cash--which we spent later that night on pizza if I recall correctly. Guess we could've donated the money, but hey, we were 12. And hungry.

Ah, and of course there was a huge slumber party afterwards.

I had almost forgotten about this memory until Wanderlust Scarlett and I got "talking" via email. I'm so happy that she reminded me! I don't have contact with most of those girls anymore, but some of them are still my best friends--and you know who you are--and I'm certainly thinking of you this Christmas.

Ah, small town America in the late 1980s.

Come back tomorrow for the final installment of My 12 Favorite Christmas Memories!

what's cooking wednesday:thumbprint cookies

2007-12-19T15:45:00.000+01:00

Or, "12 Christmas Memories: Part III"

(If you haven't yet, do check out Part I and II.)

6. Cookies!

I simply couldn't do a series on my Christmas memories without cookies.

My grandmother always made cookies for the holidays, but my mom? She goes crazy. In addition to making them for the family, she's now started selling trays of homemade cookies and candy--and she's doing so well that I just may have to go to America to help her next year. Go Mom!

And so, making cookies is definitely one of my fondest Christmas memories. From the time I could walk, I was around the kitchen helping make cookies--although for a while there I didn't do much other than steal chocolate chips off the table, earning me the nickname "Cookie Monster" from my mom's friend, her baking partner for many years.

But eventually I worked my way up to working with sprinkles and candied cherries. You know, the Big Time.

My mom made it fun not only for me but also for the friends I was allowed to invite over to help decorate the cut-out cookies--there were far too many stockings and Santas and snowmen and bells and wreaths for just one or two people to decorate.

So at my mom's house, we'd have decorating slumber parties every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just the other day, in fact, one of my best friends and regular participants in the bake-a-thons left a comment here on the blog longing for the days of such innocent fun.

And I'm so with her on that.

(I'm the one without a blurred face; maybe 12-13 years old here? Not sure.)

And yes, in case you're wondering, my niece is fully prepared to keep this tradition going. Just the other day my mom said that she's getting to the age where she can have some friends over to help decorate (she already helps my mom with the cut-outs).

So next year, 9-year-olds at Nana's!

Before this year, I have never done the Christmas cookie thing by myself--why would I when my mom had it covered? But now that I've been here for a few years and have really missed those tastes of home, I decided that this year I'd make some of my mom's recipes and give out trays to Italian family, friends, and neighbors.

I highly doubt any of them have ever even seen the cookies I made, so it'll be an interesting experience for all of us.

Yesterday I finished up the last of six types that I made this year, and I've already decided that next year I'll try my hand at even more. My mom had sent me some things like chocolate chips and brown sugar, but since I decided on Operazione Biscotti at the last minute, some cookies just weren't going to happen this year for lack of the proper ingredients and tools.

But look out Christmas 2008!

I'm not going to share all the recipes with you now, or even the photos just yet, but I will let you in on what has to be one of the easiest and tastiest cookies ever for this week's What's Cooking Wednesday. In fact, this is a great one to make with kids because they get to play around in the dough as much as they want and they really can't ruin it.

"Unless their hands are dirty," adds my mom.

The words of wisdom never end I tell you.

These classics will also be my entry in Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies event. Go check out all the great cookies over there--just beware you'll probably leave hungry.

Thumbprint Cookies*

2 c flour
3/4 c confectioner's sugar
1 c butter
1 tsp vanilla

Jelly of your choice (I used apricot and strawberry)

Combine flour and sugar and then cut in butter until well distributed. Sprinkle with vanilla and mix dough with hands until smooth.

Shape into 1 inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.

Indent centers with lightly floured finger (or thumb!) and fill with jelly.

Bake in preheated 325°F (163°C) oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove to rack to cool.

Easy peasy and tasty too!

*I should note that the original recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts--I just don't like them in this, so I don't put them in. If you want to, put 1/2 of them in with the flour and sugar in the beginning, and then, after you make the dough into balls, roll them in the remaining nuts. Thanks Christina for reminding me to include this!

Buon appetito!

12 christmas memories: part II

2007-12-18T11:09:00.000+01:00

Yesterday the first installment of my 12 Christmas Memories meme revolved a lot around my grandmother. Yes, that wonderful lady was always a big part of what made Christmas so special, and here are some more family memories.

3. Christmas Lights with Pap Pap

You may remember my grandfather from this post. There I mentioned he was curmudgeonly, but if there was one thing that melted his heart in addition to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it was Christmas.

Lights in particular.

I don’t really know when it became tradition, but for as long as I can remember, every year around the big day, an hour or so after dinner to make sure everyone had their lights on but weren’t in bed yet, my Pap Pap and I would drive around the area admiring all the displays--and yes, I do mean DISPLAYS of lighted trees, reindeer, Santas, bear, snowmen, candy canes, wishing wells, you name it and someone within a 20-mile radius had it on the lawn or hanging off the house.

We never did the outside of our house quite so Griswoldesque (no complaints from me on that one!) but I always appreciated the time and effort that others put into it.

And that was something I shared with my Pap Pap, every year in fact.

4. Christmas Eve Footsteps

Remember yesterday when I talked about the Christmas Eve tradition in which everyone came to my grandparents' house after church?

Well 1998 was our first holiday season without my grandfather who had passed away that June, and it was business as usual at the house on Christmas Eve. My brother and I were seated side by side at the table, eating more than necessary I’m sure.

Suddenly, simultaneously, he and I turned our heads toward the back door to our right, expecting someone to come in. We had obviously both heard a noise outside, but didn’t say anything--I figured it was the wind, and I’m sure he did as well--and just went back to eating and talking.

A few minutes later, our heads did the same thing toward the door, and when no one came in, my brother looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Did you hear that?”

I sure did.

Nearly together we blurted out that we had heard twice, minutes apart, the unmistakable sound of someone stomping snow off of their shoes on our wooden back porch, preparing to come into the house. Something that was pretty connected to our grandfather in both our minds; he certainly never entered the house quietly in the winter.

Only that night, there was no one there.

No one that we could see anyway.

5. Dad’s Family Movie Light

Last year for Christmas, my brother and his wife got our old family movies transferred to DVD. Honestly it’s rather strange to me that my family even has these because it’s just so out of character--hard to explain why but it's in the "We're *so* not The Waltons" category. Trust me. It’s odd.

Anyway, from 1970 to 1980, our family is documented. I had never seen any of the movies before they were on DVD, and watching them for the first time was so emotional for so many reasons that I’ll probably write more about that at some point. But right now, sticking on-topic, the point is that one of my favorite Christmas memories has to do with my dad's documenting those family moments.

Every time he wanted to take video, he also had to set up a huge, blinding spotlight alongside the camera for adequate lighting. And so, my every early childhood memory of a major event involves squinting into the exaggerated beam, feeling its heat envelop me, and fighting the urge to just look away, pout, and throw a tantrum. I used to be big on those.

And, lest you doubt it, Christmases were *the* main event of our family movies.

Every year up until I was probably five or six years old, I'd put on my (new) pajamas and get ready for my close-up. We made a literal production of hanging our stockings and putting out cookies and milk for Santa --and some pretty cute video emerged if I do say so myself.

And then Christmas morning? Rubbing the sleepies out of my eyes while plodding down the stairs, one hand on the railing to balance me?

LIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

And of course filming continued throughout gift opening, catching each and every ooh and aah face (no sound you know) along the way.

And that light was *always* on.

But now looking back, the shocking brightness doesn't seem nearly so bad--the extremes always do fade with memory, don't they? In fact after watching those movies, I kind of wish that light could make a comeback just for one more Christmas.

I'd even buy new pajamas for it.

P.S. Thanks so much to all who voted for me in Write from Karen's Photo Contest: Holiday Cheer!

My photo didn't win, but a fabulous, kitty-themed photo did--check it out at My Life as Mama Jodi. Congratulations Jodi!

12 christmas memories: part I

2007-12-17T15:30:00.000+01:00

Christmas celebrators, we're in the home stretch! Are you ready?

First, could you please go here and vote for me (for this photo) in Write From Karen's Photo Contest? I'm running way behind peeps...aiuto!

You can vote here up until 8 pm Central tonight!

Now to keep you in the spirit, I'll be writing about my favorite Christmas memories all this week. I am ~~obligated~~ inspired to do this by Ms Wanderlust Scarlett, who has tagged me to write about 12 Christmas anythings--that is, I could've written about my favorite Christmas carols, presents, traditions, etc.

But I chose my 12 favorite Christmas memories, and I'm going to do it in installments because I want to write more than just a line for each one. I hope you understand.

I'm also going to use this opportunity to share some Christmas photos throughout this week-long meme. I hope you enjoy it!

By the way, yesterday Katerina of Olio di Oliva e Sogni di Vino tagged me with the same task, so do check out her meme as well.

I'm supposed to tag 12 people to do this, but I'm only specifically tagging the lovely Cheeky because I know she's dying to do this one. For the rest of you, I know it's a busy time so just feel free to participate if you like. If you do, please link to me and Wanderlust Scarlett, creatress of the meme, so we can find your list.

Here we go!

1. Decorating the Staircase

I grew up in a house that virtually exploded with red, green, and gold at Christmastime and I loved it. I loved every minute that those lights twinkled around me and enveloped me in winter warmth--and I always felt a bit deflated once they had to come down after the Epiphany. Every corner was Christmas in my house growing up--even in the bathroom.

I don't know about you, but in my experience, a normally cozy house becomes extraordinarily welcoming and warm with Christmas decorations.

Plus I just *love* sleeping by the lights of the Christmas tree.

*sigh*

I always helped my grandmother put up the decorations sometime after Thanksgiving; in case you don't know, I lived with my grandmother, so when I talk about my grandmother's house, that's my house too.

Decorating was always a big production since everything had to be brought up from the basement, every day knick knacks had to be packed away carefully, lights had to be tested.

We're talking all day, Christmas music blaring fun.

And although every year was special, I'll never forget the first time I was entrusted with the staircase railing. From the first to second floor of my childhood home, there are about 15 steps with a railing that runs up the side--and it's located right in the middle of the house in the hallway.

Other than the tree, and even more than the faux fireplace, *this* was the focal point of the Christmas-themed house.

Holly garland, small white lights, old wooden ornaments that I had painted as a young child, other old-fashioned wooden ornaments that lost more arms and legs with each passing year no matter how carefully they were wrapped, stained glass ornaments I had made as an older child, and some of the funniest looking elves I've ever seen--plastic faces, cloth bodies, knees scrunched to chest--covered the railing for a good long month.

Slight digression: the first year I was in Italy I saw a box of ornaments similar to the old-fashioned wooden ones I always used on the staircase. I couldn't believe it, but they were kind of steep in price, so I let them sit. Then they were still there the next year, just that one box of ornaments that made me think of home every time I saw it.

And I found it in the same spot the following year as well.

Well this year I finally bought them because I now understand that they were waiting for me. I'm so glad they've been patient.

Here's the snowman that to my eye is identical to the one I remember from the staircase ornaments:

I just loved decorating that staircase, and my grandmother knew it because even when I was in college and she had all the other decorations up by the time I got home for break, she left the staircase bare for me.

Rolling out that garland, wrapping lights around it, and then positioning the ornaments just so--definitely one of my fondest Christmas memories. I simply adored how that decorated staircase lit up the heart of the house with a warm glow throughout the holiday season, and I loved that I was responsible for it.

2. The Christmas Eve Routine

Around 4 pm, we'd have dinner--something to hold us over until after Mass, which was usually around 7 pm. It was always fish of some sort as we weren't allowed to have meat until after we went to Mass. Yes, those were our household rules.

But before we went off to church, there were lots of preparations for after church. This is because after early Mass, much of the extended family and friends came to my grandmother's house for a few hours. There was always ham, potato salad, pickled eggs, deviled eggs, and many trays full of cheese, olives, pickles. Ah, and also suppresata and ringed bologna.

And raisin bread. And various nuts. And fruit. And chocolates.

And the trays of homemade cookies, of course.

And I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the foods; Christmas Eve was a feast second only to Thanksgiving in our house, and a lot of people had to eat standing up because the kitchen was always spilling over with well-wishers.

For those wondering about the lack of typical Italian food, don't worry. It came the next day in the form of homemade ravioli, spaghetti, rigatoni, meatballs, and more.

In conjunction with this memory, perhaps a 2(a), is my memory of the first Christmas without my grandmother in 2001. She had passed away less than two months before, and it was so hard even being in that house without her, let alone at the holidays, which were without a doubt her favorite time of the year.

My dad absolutely wanted to keep that Christmas Eve tradition alive and so before church, I ran around getting together all the trays and plates and cups and everything that we'd need because, of course, other than my grandmother, I was the only one who knew where everything was and how everything was supposed to go.

I do miss those Christmas Eves, but I also know they don't really exist anymore without my grandparents there.

But oh what memories I'm so lucky to have.

snow in calabria!

2007-12-16T08:50:00.000+01:00

"Amò! Guarda la neve!"

"Honey! Look at the snow!"

P opened the balcony shutters this morning and found that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--we got snooooooooow!

Don't you just love how at the bottom, the land around the olive trees is all green but then by the time your eyes reach the sky, everything turns all white?

Oh that Mother Nature . . . .

So, yes, it's just a dusting, but it's actually visible from my house; usually you have have to go farther up into the mountains before you hit the white stuff.

A lot of people don't know this, but there's actually some great skiing in Calabria (they tell me; I'm not a skier) in the Sila Mountains where you'll find the Sila National Park.

And yes, I know a lot of you are having blizzard or blizzard-like conditions right now, so this may not seem exciting (by the way, I do hope you're all safe and not throwing out your back shoveling), but for someone like me who despite now living in southern Italy grew up with

snow days
and school delays
and watching flakes fall in complete silence
and flapping my arms and legs to make snow angels
and sipping hot chocolate with marshmallow
while wet gloves, hats, scarves sizzle
and dry on the radiator

even a simple dusting can make my entire winter.

I love snow!

It's still raining and cold cold cold, but no worries, because I have a lot of this in store today (much like yesterday):

But I won't be lonely. Besides the pooches and remaining pups, I'll have P around as he's been enlisted to help (official nutcracker and crusher), and also this guy and his heavenly voice:

Don't worry, I'll also make time to take Stella's cue and find a nice lap by the fire.

Buona domenica!

P.S. Don't forget to vote for me in the Photo Contest at Write from Karen's Place! You can see my official entry with photo and story here.

Be advised: From the photo contest page, you need to click on "more at twiigs.com" to go to the actual voting page. Thanks!

"grease" out, "w00t" is the word!(plus vote for me & a word to expat bloggers in italy)

2007-12-14T10:50:00.000+01:00

Various announcements this Friday, so let's get to it:

W00t!

Merriam-Webster has recently named its Word of the Year. It's "w00t" and yes, those are zeros in the middle of it. Yes Virginia, this is a word that's not even made up of letters.

W00t is defined as "expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word 'yay.'"

Hey, who knew that "yay" was a word? Anyway, you can read more about "w00t" and its origins here.

As much as I love an evolving language, are we getting a bit too lax on the criteria when words are made of numbers? I'm kidding (mostly) but what I'm really wondering is how long it is before I hear Italian children shouting this in the piazza:

"Ci vediamo dopo...w00t!"

Eh. I guess it's still better than all the English-turned-Italian technological terms that have become part of the lingo around here like clickare, downloadare . . . bloggare. Don't get me started.

Vote!

As you may know, I recently entered this photo in Write From Karen's Photo Contest 5: Holiday Cheer:

Doesn't Pap Pap just *scream* Holiday Cheer?!

You can read more about the background of this photo here in my official entry to the contest, but let me just say that for the record, Pap, who has since passed away, put these bows on himself of his own volition. And it was so very out of character that the hilarity was monumentally increased.

You still have time to enter your own photo (until 4 pm Central today) but then just an hour later at 5 pm Central today, I invite you to vote for my photo in the contest--voting lasts through the weekend until 8 pm Central on Monday, December 17, so you have a few days to get to it.

There will be a voting poll here when the precincts open.

Make your voice heard!

Grazie mille in advance!

Enter/Email!

This is a note to my fellow expat bloggers in

Italy

. If you haven't already, head over to Valerie's 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree to see about a contest she's running just for us.

And to those who aren't expat bloggers in Italy, head on over to Valerie's anyway for some great reading on her and her husband Bryan's move to Ascoli Piceno in Le Marche from New Mexico.

Valerie is trying to compile a blogroll of all of us expats who blog from

Italy

--a very worthy pursuit--and so she's asking us to send her an email at:

italybloggersAThotmailDOTcom

with the following info:

Your Name (as well as your blog moniker if you use one)
Your Blog’s Name and URL address
A one-line description of your blog’s focus
Your Location (city and region)

Send the email by December 30 and you can win "[a] brand-spanking new English translation of the quintessential Italian cookbook, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi."

Sounds great to me!

And that's all for today kids. Busy weekend ahead for many of us, I'm sure, so...

Buon weekend!

letting go

2007-12-13T07:53:00.000+01:00

And so the process of letting go of the puppies has begun.

As of Tuesday night, I was going to post "And then there were five":

Tuesday evening, a lovely young couple from the village took home this little guy:

Yes, that's my lap he's on there.

No word on a name yet, but I know he'll be happy because they are both big dog lovers--the girl actually called me to ask if she could come and get their puppy sooner than planned because she was exploding with excitement, having prepared his bed and toys already.

Then last night, I delivered one of my very favorite little ones to Rosa, an extremely caring woman who lives next door to P's house, the one we'll be moving into at some point--which means it's only a matter of time before I see Lila (pronounced LEE-la) every single day when I go out on the balcony:

Lila is extremely shy at first, but quite playful when she gets comfortable; I sent her off with a stuffed gingerbread toy because she loved carrying it around even though it was bigger than her.

I didn't want to give this puppy to a family with kids who would drive her crazy, so when Rosa stopped me and asked me if we still had puppies the other day (as a matter of fact, there was still one remaining who wasn't spoken for), I was over the moon happy to say yes--and I knew immediately which one she should have.

As I sat with Rosa last night as Lila got used to her, she told me how she raised her last dog from a puppy with a bottle--for two years. A little spoiling is never a bad thing, right?

It was funny, actually, because when I got home, P told me essentially all the same stories that Rosa had told me about her love of animals, how she adored her dog, etc. I hadn't realized before just how close to his neighbors P had been at one point. Very cute.

I'm so happy that these two have gone to wonderful homes, and I can't wait to run into them in the village.

So who will be next? This cutie perhaps?

No, letting them go isn't easy for me. Yes, tears have been shed.

And I'm afraid more are on the way with four puppies still left....

what's cooking wednesday:tortellini con prosciutto e panna

2007-12-12T15:21:00.000+01:00

First of all, Shelley has announced the winner of the Dolce Italiano Contest over at her place--go here to see if it's you. Congratulations winner!

Now. It's holiday time. You're in a rush. I'm in a rush. I'll keep this short.

For this week's What's Cooking Wednesday, you need three ingredients--prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), panna (heavy cream), and tortellini, preferably stuffed with prosciutto crudo. OK, you need salt and water too, but that's it.

Interested? (The clementines in the background are dessert!)

I've seen other versions of this recipe that add butter, cheese, and even an egg yolk, but honestly this is delicious just like this, although, as always, I do encourage you to experiment.

Feel especially free to add other ingredients to spice it up--peas or mushrooms are our favorite. You can also play with the type of pasta from fettuccine to pennette. It's all good.

Tortellini con Prosciutto e Panna

(serves 3-4)

250 g tortellini (half of the bag shown above)
150 g (between 1/4 and 1/2 lb) prosciutto cotto/cooked ham, torn up in pieces
400 ml panna/heavy cream (about a cup and a half)

Prepare tortellini in salted, boiling water.

Meanwhile, heat cream in large saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir in prosciutto and lower heat, being sure that cream isn't sticking to pan. I use a heat-resistant rubber spatula during this part. Keep the cream and prosciutto mixture warm until the tortellini are ready.

When the tortellini are cooked to your satisfaction, drain them, and combine well with cream and prosciutto.

That's it!

Buon appetito!

ghost of christmas past (revisited)

2007-12-11T07:11:00.000+01:00

The newly-crowned Princess Wanderlust Scarlett has tagged me for a most glorious Christmas meme--to write about 12 of my favorite Christmas things. I'm choosing to write about 12 of my favorite Christmas memories over the years.

I will fulfill my meme-ly duties in due time, but for now, Scarlett's tag reminded me of a general Christmas memory post that I put up last year around this time.

Since many of you weren't around then, and since I rather enjoyed rereading it when I looked back, I'm reposting it in its entirety with a touch-up to the photo--which I am submitting for Write From Karen's Photo Contest 5: Holiday Cheer.

Submit your Holiday Cheer photo by 4 p.m. CST on December 14th
for a chance to win a $25 Mastercard Gift Card!

Now let's revisit "Ghost of Christmas Past" from December 17, 2006:

I am a loyal reader of Petite Anglaise, and her December 13 post has been resonating with me for days now. Petite is separated from the father of her young child, and in this entry, she admits struggling to make Christmas special for Tadpole, as she calls her daughter.

If you've read my 100 things about me, you know that my parents were divorced when I was very young. And so, I've been in the shoes of Tadpole--having adults around me trying to make everything seem normal when, it turns out, I suppose it wasn't (whatever "normal" means anyway).

So the more I've thought about Petite and Tadpole, the more I've been thinking about my own childhood Christmases--and the more I've felt the need to write this post.

By Christmases (plural), I mean that we had two every year. If today were 20 years ago, this might have been the morning that I woke up at my Mom's house, opened gifts, and then prepared for our Christmas dinner, which usually included my father and his family.

That's because one or two weeks before the big day, we had "Mom's Christmas," a full celebration only a little early. More than the early gifts, though, the highlight for me was the unveiling of Mom's cookies--chocolate chips, Michigan rocks, ricotta, kolaches, butter pressed, pizzelles. Of course, some time in the weeks before, we had decorated the cut-outs, which involved a couple of my girlfriends and a slumber party.*

Man I'm missing home (and childhood) right about now.

Anyway, some of the reason behind having two Christmases was that my mom is a nurse and always worked Christmas day; on actual Christmas morning, she usually came over to my father's house for a little while.

But I'm sure the bigger reason was that with two full holidays, nobody missed out on a family Christmas experience. In fact, as kids, we were blessed with double the fun.

And the best part was that all of this seemed completely normal to me even though I knew the other kids at school weren't having the same deal (suckers!). Now, as an adult, I see that this was the plan. And it worked.

Don't buy it? My testimonial not enough?

Take Exhibit A, then, depicting what the two Christmas set-up made my normally curmudgeonly grandfather (may he rest in peace) do to himself one year:

See, Christmas miracles do happen.

*These are not the actual recipes my Mom uses. As you can surely understand, these are top secret and under heavy guard. I did, however, try to find some that are close to hers.

Claiming Italian Citizenship "Jure Sanguinis":How I Became Legal in Italy

2007-12-10T08:50:00.000+01:00

A while back when I asked you for questions to help me fill out a meme, Robin of My Melange asked if I’m legal here in Italy, whether I have always been, and what that process has been like for me.

Excellent question!

First let me say that I *am* legal. I have dual American/Italian citizenship in fact, and yes, I will explain.

For those who don’t know, an American citizen can stay in Italy legally for up to three months without any kind of visa or stay permit--although do check for most recent regulations if you’re planning on coming as they change often.

Your local Italian consulate or embassy is the best bet for this information. Generally, though, if you're just coming on vacation, you don't have anything to worry about. Citizens of other countries should check laws specific to them as rules differ greatly depending on home country.

I am lucky to have qualified for Italian citizenship through my family’s Italian bloodline, which is known as jure sanguinis or jus sanguinis, i.e., the law of the blood.

There are many complicated, sometimes counterintuitive rules to determine whether you qualify, which you can read more about here, but essentially, you must trace an unbroken line (no renouncement or loss of Italian citizenship) back to the last ancestor who was registered as a citizen in Italy, often the last ancestor who lived here.

For me, it was my great-grandfather, and it wasn’t an easy process for me to gather all the required documents, including marriage, birth, and death certificates for everyone in the line of Italian heritage (my great-grandfather, grandmother, father, me).

My biggest hurdle was that my great-grandfather had changed his last name without even telling anyone, so it took some digging to first find the correct last name before I could gather documents. Needless to say, my great-aunt was surprised to find out her real last name after nearly 80 years of the changed version. Ellis Island's passenger records search was an invaluable resource to me during this part of the process.

And, on the extremely bright side, because my great-grandfather had lost his alien registration card around the time of World War II, I got to see a photo of him for the first time from the government's records when I requested records to confirm that he had never become a US citizen; there was also a photocopy of the original letter requesting the new card in my great-aunt's handwriting in the file, which was pretty cool to see as well.

After that, getting everything in order wasn’t too difficult--just a lot of writing and phoning to Vital Records departments across a couple of states and communicating with one comune in Italy, which doesn't happen to be the one I live in.

One of the rules you need to watch out for in determining eligibility is the fact that women couldn't pass on Italian citizenship until January 1, 1948, which means that I couldn't go through my great-grandmother, who was born in 1898 about ten minutes from where I live. Oh no. Instead I had to go through her husband, my great-grandfather, who came from a small village in Campania, several hours north of here.

Luck was on my side, though, when my father was born just three months after the 1948 date--had he been born in 1947, I wouldn't have been eligible for Italian citizenship at all as my grandmother is the only Italian line I could follow. Indeed, my aunt, who was born five years before my dad, is *not* eligible for Italian citizenship and neither are her children.

See what I mean about complicated rules?

After much paperwork gathering, I was finally ready to apply to have my citizenship recognized in April of 2004 in Philadelphia, which I did with my dad (at the time, they told me that he had to apply too but the consulates seem to have changed that requirement), and then I came back to Italy. I had already been here for a six-month stint before that and had only gone back to America to finalize things to stay here more permanently.

So after I was back in the Bel Paese beyond three months, technically, I was illegal here, but I always figured that if I happened to get stopped by the carabinieri, I could talk my way around things without much difficulty. This did, in fact, happen, after I had been here already for two years--not that I'm encouraging anyone else to follow my footsteps! I'm just reporting events as they happened.

Note that had all of this been taking place now, though, there are provisions in place for someone like me to be here legally until the process is finished; now you can get a special stay permit while waiting for the recognition of Italian citizenship jure sanguinis (permesso di soggiorno in attesa di cittadinanza).

As far as I know, for this permit to apply, though, you must apply in Italy, but an even further upside to applying in Italy is that you will most likely cut out a lot of the wait often encountered in US consulates, which can be several years long (my father's wait was only one year and mine was just two, but many more applications have been filed since 2004). Whether you can legally work or not with this permit, though, seems to vary, so that's definitely something you want to check on.

If you are interested in coming to Italy to apply for recognition of Italian citizenship jure sanguinis, I highly suggest looking for more information on the Expats in Italy forum as several members have gone through this and are always willing to answer questions.

So my Italian citizenship was finalized in September 2006, and now I have dual American and Italian citizenship, which means I can vote in Italian and European Union elections, live, work, and travel freely in the EU, and enjoy all of the responsibilities and privileges of any Italian citizen without losing my American citizenship--including a pension from each country when I retire assuming I pay into each system (and I do) and that either of them have any money left when that time comes (boh).

If you're wondering about the United States' position on dual citizenship, read about it here. Again, if you're not American, please investigate your country's policy on dual citizenship before pursuing anything.

A lot of people ask about the negatives of dual American/Italian citizenship; the only potential downside I've found is that one *could* be denied security clearance if desiring to work for one government or the other; this would be on a case-by-case determination.

And that's how I became legal in Italy and had my Italian citizenship jure sanguinis recognized.

For me, pursuing dual American/Italian citizenship has been one of the best decisions I've ever made, and if I can help anyone along in this process, I'm more than willing. So if you have questions on your particular situation, please feel free to email me (address in sidebar).

Viva l'Italia--e l'America!

a tree grows in brooklyn--read it!

2007-12-08T20:12:00.000+01:00

Thanks to The Sisterhood of Traveling Books, I recently finished Betty Smith's classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

I can't get Francie, Neeley, and the gang out of my head, and that, my friends, is the mark of a book that's bound to be one of my all-time favorites.

This isn't a story of wild action and soap opera-like plot twists and turns; it's the simple, honest, pure portrayal of what it was like for a young girl to grow up in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn around the turn of the 20th century.

I took my time with this book and savored every one of Smith's words--not only because they are so beautifully and perfectly chosen but also because it made me feel that much closer to my immigrant ancestors who were living similar lives in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania around the same time.

And I think of Francie, and I remember the women in my family from that generation, and I am amazed and humbled to be where I am today, living the life that I have--all thanks to their hard work, determination, and good old-fashioned grit.

I could fill many posts with quotes from this book where I've dog-eared the pages, but I'll offer up my favorite and encourage you to find a copy and read it for yourself.

This part comes just after Francie finds out that World War I has begun; she wants to remember the moment forever, so she clips a lock of her hair and puts it in an envelope, seals it, and marks the front "Frances Nolan, age 15 years and 4 months. April 6, 1917."

Then she prays:

"Dear God . . . let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry . . . have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere--be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost."

Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life.

May we all be so blessed.