Spring in My Backyard

This is what spring looks like in my backyard right now.


This is my view from the kitchen table where I make my to do lists:

Green grass, blooming pear trees, & pretty water! Those dark spots along the back edge of the pond will grow into pretty green grasses. We have to burn them in late winter so that they will continue to grow & be thick & pretty. 

This is where the kids practice soccer & cartwheels. 

The grass is even greener than in these photos. It is so pretty! Soon the trees will fill in with leaves & it will be even prettier.  Mr. F was out here playing his trumpet while throwing a tennis ball to our black lab yesterday. I couldn't get to my camera to snap it.


The sunsets are heavenly. We picked a wonderful place to raise our kids. Lots of happy memories & more to come. Can you see a graduation party here in 5 years? 

My Current "Must Reads"

Looking for a good book? I have found each of these books to be highly engaging and very thought provoking. Word of warning, if you begin reading them, you may not be able to put them down!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini:

If you missed this book, The Kite Runner, also by Khaled Hosseini, is very good, as well:

This book was awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer & Annie Barrows:

*Sorry this cover is blurry~I tried 2 different images & couldn't get a clear pic)*

I am getting ready to read two new books. I love the author Malcolm Gladwell & found his books Blink & The Tipping Point to be very intriguing. I am looking forward to reading his new book, What the Dog Saw. Also, I have read several of Jodi Picoult's books & will soon be reading House Rules. I will let you know what I think of these two reads. Happy reading. If you have read any of these, let me know what you thought of the books. What reads are in your beach bag?

The Beach~Italian Style PART 3

Silly me. I went away on a trip but did not bring my laptop. That's why you haven't had a post from me lately. This is the last post on our Italy trip. Don't worry though more posts coming very soon! 

Vernazza, Italy

On our last day in Italy we decided to take a day tour of the "Cinque Terre" which is 5 villages along the coast. It is a beautiful coastal area which lies Southeast of Rapallo & Portofino. The best way to tour coastal Italy is by boat. Hubby went to the nearest marina, chatted with the local folks & chartered a boat with a captain. It was an incredible trip & so very picturesque.

Love this photo of the kids & hubby on the streets of Vernazza, Italy:

The beautiful town of Portovenere, Italy.

This is a very sweet church, the Church of St. Pietro, sitting on a hilltop in Portovenere, Italy. Love the blue boat!

On our way back from the Cinque Terre, we dropped by Portofino:

This is a yacht with a "flying device" aboard. We were taking a swim in the ocean & looked up to see this! Wowza! What do you think of this setup? Just outside Portofino & Santa Margherita:

Santa Margherita, Italy

It was an incredible day. Thanks for reminiscing with me! My next tour will be of the French Riviera~stay tuned!

The Beach~Italian Style, PART 2

The Castle in RapalloAs mentioned in my previous post , our room in Rapallo, Italy had a view of a castle. We had a large deck overlooking the town of Rapallo, the hotel's "beach", & in the distance the towns of Portofino & Santa Margherita.  It was spectacular!

The castle was built in 1521.

This is the view from our deck:

Below Mr. F was the hotel's "beach" with the yellow umbrellas. You had to access "the beach" by going through a bar & a narrow hallway; it was interesting. As you can see, there are no barriers to the ocean. Not very kid safe!

The kids really enjoyed watching the people & the action of the boardwalk, not far from our room.

There was an art exhibit inside the castle the day that we toured it! Kids inside the castle:

The hotel had a great restaurant & a view of the castle!  Behind Miss Boo, you can see the small beach. That's where the kids played ball with the other children! 

*spoiler alert: future post with a day trip to the Cinque Terre*