Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Randomness and Italy...two of my favorite things

It's Week 11 over at Linda's so come play along and link your answers here. I love a meme that lets me blog about Italy.

1. What was the last song you listened to?

Barlow Girl- Need You to Love Me…such a pretty song.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?

No…I’m not an impulse shopper.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)

Moving my sensitive 10th grade daughter out of her all American highschool filled with friends since grade one to an International School in a foreign country. Honestly my husband and I stressed about that aspect of the move more than anything else. As it happens that was one of the biggest blessings of the entire experience.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?

I love the parade…one year we were in NYC the day before Thanksgiving (you can watch the balloons inflate) and Florence Henderson was the grand marshal. We were sitting in a little cafĂ© and daughter2 said hey, there’s Mrs. Brady! Sure enough there was Florence Henderson coming in for breakfast.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie ten Boom

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention--G rating?

Facebook?

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?

I’m sorry, I can’t possibly answer this one. I love the entire meal, especially mashed potatoes because they are not a Jillian approved food so are a rarity in my house. I also love the corn pudding, stuffing, and angel pie…can you tell I’m looking forward to a carb fest?

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?

Another hard one…my favorite book of all time is Anne of Green Gables which I wrote about here. I also loved the book Crow Boy when I was a girl…a really heartwarming story with a wonderful message. I read literally thousands of books to my children so I’m not sure I can choose a single favorite. When they were toddlers some favorites were More More More, Moose in the Garden, and Are You My Mother? Some of my best memories though are reading to them in the middle years…all the Anne Books (we cried), Charlotte’s Web (we cried), Where the Red Fern Grows (we cried), A Dog Called Kitty (we cried). Basically we have a love affair with books in my house and we’re a blubbering mess of emotion…just ask my husband.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)

Italian pottery…and it’s best if I go there and fetch it myself. Here is a sampling…

fig pitcher from the town of Nove just outside of Verona

my favorite bowl and serving utensils...also from Nove

I love the color and shape of this bowl. I also have a cake plate and candlesticks that are the same design

From the Southern part of Italy near Sorrento...lots of lemons on all of the pottery there. I may have more.

This table sits in my sunroom and came from a village called Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. We stood in this little spot and it is truly one of the loveliest little towns in all of Italy...the table is wrought iron with 6 separate tiles that fit together.

That's a sampling for you...too many pictures? I think not.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?

a mixture of both

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?

Hopping on my bicycle, riding to the Duck Pond, playing basketball in our neighbors driveway, riding to the train station to collect my dad from his evening commute, family dinners, arguing with my sister about cleaning up the dinner dishes, ping pong games with my brother after he made his post dinner milkshake, homework, talking for hours on a phone whose cord stretched practically next door, a television with only 3 channels plus PBS, sharing a room with my younger sister, my mom sitting on my bed listening to my worries when I felt anxious and couldn’t sleep…I remember a pretty happy childhood.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? When you're fishing, do you feel for the fish??

Whaaaat??? Were you interviewing for a job with the CIA? My answer is no.

15 comments:

  1. Oh how I love Anne of Green Gables. I found that Corrie ten Boom quote a few months ago and it was lovely to be reminded of that today :)

    -crittyjoy

    ReplyDelete
  2. love that quote from Corrie ten Boom.

    What a wonderful collection!!! I was able to go to Italy last fall with my mom...I can't wait to go back!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ahhh... I remember three whole TV channels and having to WALK all the way across the room to change the channel! How did we ever survive?

    ReplyDelete
  4. We tease our kids about having to get up and turn channels when they can't find the remote. Love your table, it is absolutely beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love your collection of pottery!! So beautiful. And going there and buying it yourself is the best part! :)
    I´m a little late with adding my name to McLinky, but I´m up now. Thanks for your comment!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your pottery collection is absolutely breathtaking!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh we could be best friends with the pottery thing. I am slightly nutso about it. It is a blessing that I live in a house with limited cabinet space because I could seriously buy a new piece of pottery every week. But I can't.
    So I will drool and ooh and aah over your pictures.

    I packed extra lean on our honeymoon trip to Spain so that I could bring back pottery. I thought it was going to be the shortest marriage on record when Mr. CPQ saw all the stuff he was going to have to lug back.

    But here we are, almost 14 years later, and I use it almost every day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Joyce,

    I love all the Italian pottery. So beautiful especially the table! Too wonderful to use but I would have to anyway.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

    ReplyDelete
  9. Liked the answers, wow you got to see Mrs Brady. Corrie ten Boom, she and her family did so much for the Jewish People during WWII Holland. I saw the film of her life, it was so moving.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You know I've watched Anne of Green Gables so many times I can't even count yet I have never read the book. I think I'll have to remedy that.

    Love that quote and totally needed to hear that!

    ReplyDelete
  11. LOL! I don't know why everyone thinks #12 is such an odd question for an interview! It's very telling... I love it!

    Your Italian pottery is beautiful - but I especially LOVE that table! That would capture my heart for sure!

    I can perfectly understand #3 ... from both sides!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Loved your answers! Your pottery is gorgeous! Thanks for dropping by my blog today. : )

    ReplyDelete
  13. Loved this post and getting to know more about you! Your Italian pottery is beautiful. Italy was my favorite place when I visited there after graduating from high school. I hope to go back some day. That is a great quote from Corrie ten Boom. Love & blessings from NC!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love "Are You My Mother?" and Facebook who can live with out it?

    Blessings
    Robin

    ReplyDelete
  15. Popped over from Shaun G.'s post and will do so again to learn from your repatriation experiences - I'll have my own in 2011. Enjoyed the few posts I (had time to) read. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete