Simply life

BACK TO THE GARDEN STATE

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 23:46:00 +0000

We had dinner at 7:00 pm with our friends, Denise and Dennis. The plan was to sleep over their place and then hit the road at 5:00 am the morning after. So, I made sure our apartment was clean and empty.

It took me literally 3 days to pack the car. I was trying hard to mush the stuff together because I did not want to leave anything behind. The last night in Florida, I was so tired of trying to shovel everything in the truck that I decided to pull out my white flag and give up.I needed to leave a few things behind.

As you can tell, my husband, after 2 years in South Florida, decided to go back to teach in New Jersey. He missed the Garden State too much. Our journey started in June when he interviewed in Jersey. He flew in the morning, got the job and was back home by nighttime. I remember the look on his face, he was tired but pretty happy about the position. Unfortunately, weeks later we found out that we did not have the job anymore. So, he had to fly back to New Jersey again. This time he decided to stay up north for a week and go for a second job interview. I prayed and waited for a few days, hoping to receive good news about the second interview. We both felt a great relief when he got the job because now we were able to move on to the next part: the move itself!

Our trip to New Jersey was a great new adventure for us. Even our fury little baby Hooch enjoyed it. We were able to stop to North Carolina for a nice dinner at The Pit(a BBQ restaurant) in the city of Raleigh. We also made a quick stop in DC and York, Pennsylvania.

Once we made it to New York, we stayed with family for a few days while we looked for a place. After 1 week or so, we were able to move into a new place in Union County. Finding a home, by the way, was very hard since most places in Northern New Jersey are not dog friendly and we were not going to give up our fury little baby.

We slept on the floor for a week while we were waiting for our furniture to arrive. It took a lot of patience and strength and we could have not done that without the Lord. He was there with us.

Finally, we are able to go back to our routine.

New Start

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 03:06:00 +0000

We are getting ready to move. Right now, our place is full of boxes, things to sell and things to toss.

I am trying not to stress out about it but how can you not?Everybody knows that moving means new changes, new places and new friends.
This is the hardest part of moving. Leaving the people you care about behind.

This last year in Florida has been great, definitely better than the first one.
I made friends, saw new places and got to enjoy working from home.
We do love Florida for sure. My hubby and I have given a lot of thought about

moving way back to New Jersey.

When we moved to South Florida, our hope was to find a place to call home.
I am seriously ready to settle down in one place and call it home.
My ideal would be to live in a small town with few stores, a park
and the beach.

I understand that in some ways, you need to compromise on things because
you can not really have everything.

But I should have known this. I thought I had learned my lesson long time ago
when I had to give up the beauty of South Italy to move to America.
I am not gonna say that Florida is a disappointment but this is not home.We are moving in two weeks or so. And the last few weeks I have been trying to take as many pictures as possible.

I will trasure the photographs and I will look at them with a smile and sadness in my heart.I will miss our walks at the golf course, the late night talks sitting in front of the lake, and the sofa in my living room, full of dogs.

I will treasure those memories and the people I met.---------
This post is dedicated to Nicole, Julia, Alane, Randy and Dan.

Thanks for the beautiful year together.
I will miss you all.

The Parable of the Sower

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 00:59:00 +0000

I took a walk this morning with Hooch, and I saw the seed on the grass under the palm tree. Matthew 13 came to my mind.

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[a]

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Love Bond

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 May 2015 02:06:00 +0000

I woke up at 6:30, had a nice cup of tea made with love by my lovely hubby, and a chocolate muffin from Whole Foods.

After I walked the dog and my hubby left for work, I decided that it was time to clean and do some laundry. If I do laundry early in the morning, I will be free in the afternoon.
Then, I decided to rest a little and browse the internet.
I love to read bible scriptures and the news.
Of course, I will always end up reading some articles about dogs, especially since we adopted Hooch. It’s amazing how many things you learn from the internet.

I found the article 'Why we bond with our dog like our baby?’' After I read it
I thought this is absurd.

A few weeks ago, I read about this woman who loved her dog dearly.
I believe she had her dog since he was a puppy.
When she found out she was pregnant, her maternal instinct kicked in.
She was fearful that her dog would harm the baby.
When the baby was born, she said that her feelings towards her dog started to change
to the point that she did not want to have her dog around the baby.
Eventually, she made the decision to give the dog to a new family.
If it’s true that we bond with our dogs like we do with our babies, then she would have kept her dog.
Now I am sure that this lady loved her dog, but she did not bond with him the way she bonded with her child because, by nature, we are made to love our baby more.
I do not blame her for giving the dog away. She was simply being a mother.Sure we are called to love our pets. God created them for our joy, but he called us to be mothers first. He gave us the ability to carry a child for 9 months, the love and emotions, and feeling that comes with the child we are carrying. That is not comparable to anything.

God calls us to have authority of the things on this earth.
Proverbs 12:10 tells us, "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel."

We are called to love and respect out furry friends but we are called also to love and raise and protect our children. We must be careful in this role.The Bible also indicates that when an animal is a threat to people or other animals, it should be put to death (Exodus 21:28-35).I am blessed today. I have a husband that I love and adore.
I also have a cute pet dog. I love him dearly and I do treat him like a baby.
I am sure that the love I will have for my kids one day will be more than the love I show for my dog.
I hope that I will be able to manage raising my child along with my pet. It’s my desire to teach my kids to love and take care of animals, and to experience the joy of having a pet in the house. But the motherhood instinct will be strong and my kids will come first.

Baking Through Memories.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 01:10:00 +0000

I grew up eating Nutella, the Italian chocolate and hazelnut spread. It was always my favorite.
I remember my mother being a great cook but when it came to baking, it was not her thing.

So Nutella was the sweet treat that she would make for us.
A slice of bread with Nutella. The fact that she would fix it for us made it really special.
She would attempt to make 'pan di spagna' Italian sponge cake.
According to my brother, it was so yummy that he would always ask her to bake more.

She would spend hours on that cake! And when it was time to pull it out of the oven,
she had a happy face. The only thing that will make us go "oh no" was if the middle of the cake sank.
But it did not matter... Mom made it and we were happy.
Baking is not my thing either, and I truly believe it’s hereditary.
I am seriously trying to learn how to bake.
I am a big fun of the bakery, and I like healthy deserts, so today I put my Nutella away.

Instead, I decided to use blueberry jam and dark chocolate.

Today, I attempted to bake cupcake chocolate chip cookies.
I found this recipe on a English website.I was feeling frustrated at first because I had to convert recipe measurements. Fortunately, I found

a chart online that changed grams to cups.
When I finally put the cookies in the oven, however, I realized that I forgot to add the baking soda. D’oh,
too late! The cookies were already baking.

When I was working as a nanny in New Jersey, I

learned how to bake jelly jam cookies.
The kids’ grandmother would come over for the holidays from Canada. She would bake the cookies for us.
So I asked her to show me how to make them. After 2 attempts, they came out delicious!
I love to cook, but the art of baking is what I need to improve for the sake of my own children.

Today, when I was baking these yummy cupcake chocolate chip cookies, I forgot to add the baking soda and they did not rise like they were supposed to.
My mom’s cake would sink, and my cookies would not rise.
I realized today that I am a lot like her. I put my heart and passion into my cooking.
I know she did the same, and we loved her for that.
My mother 's sweet memories are associated with her baking mistakes.
How great is it to be able to smile thinking about it?!
Hopefully one day, my kids will enjoy my baking and have the same sweet warm feelings I have for my mother.

The Girl Next Door and Her Furry Foster Pets.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:36:00 +0000

Let's make it clear: I am not a dog person. I love cats.
Let say this again. I LOVE cats.
Unfortunately, my lovely husband, Jay, is allergic to cats.
The weirdest thing about this is the fact he used to have one ' Gucci ' when he was young and living with his mom.

Jay always loved to talk about Gucci and how he used to sneeze around her.
When we moved to south Florida, we agreed that maybe we needed a cat
and maybe he could deal with the allergy problems.
He did manage them back in the days, so why not now, right?

Well, one weekend we were in Deerfield Beach. We were visiting our friend, Anthony, who owns a nice black cat named Dante. Dante is a good looking cat who's sweet and friendly too. We spent 2 nights over Anthony’s house only to realize that a cat was not a good idea. Every time Jay attempted to play with Dante, his allergies would get bad. He would sneeze and his eyes got so watery. I could tell that he was feeling miserable.

So no, the cat was not an option.

I was sad because I really wanted a pet, and we were not dog people.
Besides the need to have a cat, I had to make friends as well.

One day, I was outside my small apartment for some reason.
I remember it being a hot day of July and I saw this girl outside with 2 small, cute dogs. I remember saying hi to her and the dogs. She seemed nice and always looked like she was in rush. I could tell she was a busy girl. I would only see her in the morning or on the weekend.

She was the foster parents of these two little pups. She explained to me that she was caring for these two dogs until she found a forever home for them. It was the first time I heard about fostering pets and I thought it was so interesting.

What a smart girl I thought! She works, takes care of animals, and dresses wonderfully. She looks very mature for her age, and was easy to talk to.

She said her name is Nicole and I thought “she is definitely Fancy.”
I also noticed that one of Nicole's furry foster pets was super cute.
He was small, brown, and begging for attention.
When I saw him, my heart melted.
I just liked him so much.I believe Nicole also noticed how much I liked him, so she asked me if I wanted to foster him for few weeks. It helped her out, since the 2 dogs together were giving her a hard time. I did not waste any time. I called my Hubby at work asking if we could foster this little fella ' Hooch'.

We wound up keeping Hooch after fostering him for a couple of weeks.
We realized that we were dog people after all.
We could not let him go with someone else.
My husband was the one who made the final decision to keep him, and I was happy about it.
Later, I found out that the girl next door is indeed Fancy(lol).
She invited me over to her place and I loved every single thing she owned.
We both like the same things(I steal ALL of her design ideas.)

We have a lot in common, which I guess makes me Fancy too.

Nicole with Atlas. She adopted him in January.

the holidays are gone.( Old post- January 02 2014)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 02:09:00 +0000

january 02 2014.

I love Christmas. Back in Italy I would celebrate the holidays with mom and dad.
Mom will make homemade pizza and we will eat around the table all together.
I miss those days and Especially Mom.
Around the holidays I think a lot about the old days.
When you are a child you think that every single christmas of your life is going to be just like that.
I will pictures in my mind the same routing we had .With my mom making homemade pizza and
wating for Dad to come back from work. Some holidays Dad will needed to go to work since there will be no one to cover him up for that day.
He will come back around 10: 00 o clock with a plastic bag with some goodies on it.
Salame , olive, cream cheese named Philadelphia and my favorite treat Nutella chocolate spread.
I still remember the funny look of my father' face while looking at me and my small brother going toward him excited to see what kind of goodies he had brought home.

Today I talk to my dad on skype, Our Holidays are hours apart from each other and the lady next to him is not my mother.
Sure I was naive.As a child I did not know back then that life would take different turn
But one thing I know now. I get to replay the holidays i my mind all over again what a good comfort.

Our tree is down.
Me and hubby put our first real tree down January 1
In Italy people will put the tree down only after January 6th in this day Italians will celebrate ( Lepifania) and
this last one close the holidays season.

New Year is here.

My hubby and I spent thanksgiving with our friend Anna and Christmas day with Brandy

Simply moments.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 03:02:00 +0000

Take time to enjoy the little moments and the little things in life.

The beach. I just love it.

Take time to look at the birds. They are so beautiful.

It's just a hat. I like summer hats.

Me. LOL

Who does not like to take their shoes off and let their feet get some air ?

Take time for yourself to sit down with a drink and a great book :)

A walk on the beach or to the park will make you feel better.

Enjoy some Yummy things.

Arangini siciliani. ( Italian rice balls )

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 01:35:00 +0000

We were in Italy last March for 10 days.
We had our small wedding with family and friends.
My husband Jamel loved the Italian food.
For the first time, he had a chance to taste all the goodies that Sicily had to offer.

Besides the yummy pizza and ricotta cheese pastries, he really loved the
arangini.
So once in a while, Jay will ask me to make those for him.
I admit: making them is a lot of work, but it is really worth it!

Here is my recipe.
First, you will need:

white rice
ground beef or ground veal. you could also mix them together.
1 can of peeled plum-shaped tomatoes(I only use 2 tomatoes not the whole can.)
1 can of pure tomatoes
Bread crumbs.
2 eggs
mozzarella cheese
sweet peas
Sazon goya... it will make your rice yellow.

onions or scallions,
1 carrot,
celery,
sweet peas,
olive oil,
salt and pepper

add the meat.
When its almost done,
add the 2 plum-shaped tomatoes.

Wait a few minutes then add the tomato puree.

Make sure you taste it, and
add salt and black paper if you need to.

After 1 and a half hours of cooking,
it should look like this.
Make sure it is not watery.
The tomato sauce needs to be thick,
so cook it on low heat.
If it needs more than 1 hour, it's fine.

The rice
Cook the rice for long time.
When cooking the rice, it will need to be overcooked with no water left in the pot. The rice needs to be sticky.
It will be easy to work with when you form the balls.

The rice looks yellow because after it is cooked, I added Sazon. Also, add the Parmesan cheese to the rice, it will make it tastier!

This will make your rice yellow.

You will need the bread crumbs
to roll your rice ball in.

First, you need to beat the eggs. Next, you will soak the rice ball in the eggs. Then, dip the balls into the bread crumbs. Finally, I fried them in hot vegetable oil.

The yummy result!!!

Here are the links of the preparation.

Note: the tomato sauce is a recipe my aunt gave me, so it wont be in this video.

Here, the instructions are in Italian.

Here, the instructions are in English.

women and shoes.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 02:58:00 +0000

Women love shoes.

I am not one of those women.
High heels? I can not stand them.
Do I wear them? Rarely.

I remember for my wedding day, I was looking for a comfy pair of high heels shoes.
I checked every single store in town. I even got a pair on line that I had to return
because were not good for my long, flat feet.

Most of my girlfriends love to wear high heels.
Everywhere I go, I see high heels. I used to think that there was something wrong with me.
Everybody loves shoes, but I do not. I love comfy flat ones.

I used to stress about it.
Now, I have learned to love who I am.

Women love shoes...that's a statement I hear all the time.
I am the exception.

Books I am reading.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:48:00 +0000

I am reading 2 great books right now.
Please check them out.

1.Kisses from Katie by Kate Davis
2. God has a wonderful plan for your life by Ray Comfort.

Are you a good person?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 03:19:00 +0000

I grew up in a Christian family.
My parents would take me to church every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
I used to go to church just to make my parents happy.
I learned about the bible and the beautiful story that comes with it at Sunday school.
I had a hard time making friends at church, because I was pretty shy. But I did love Sunday
school cause I got to learn about Noah and the Ark, how Moses helped slaves escape from Egypt and the story of Sarah, who got pregnant at 91 years old.

Growing up I hung out with people who did not know God at all.
I would call them 'GOOD PEOPLE'.
The truth was they were not that good. Who is really Good?

I was not Good. I was lost for a couple of years. I was not really following God or looking for him.
I thought I was doing the right things. I thought I was Good.

Now, I know the difference between following him and being without him.
I knew it was time to go back to church.
After I moved to New York, I had the desire to reach to God.
I am glad that my parents raised me inside the church,
even though I understood much later how God was important to me.
I am glad I reached a point in my life where I recognized that I am not good, and that I am wrong
and that I need him.

I decided to give my life to him and I am still working on doing this everyday.

I want to share this video with you. Open your heart and give your life to Jesus today.

It's beginning to look alot like christmas.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 23:25:00 +0000

Afternoon with my girlfriend Brandy and her kids.
we went shopping and you can see Christmas decorations everywhere.

At the pet store.... :)

Before she left to go back home, she decided to do a few jumps from my couch. How cuteee :)

Home sick. I miss Dad.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 00:24:00 +0000

Every year, around the holiday season, I feel sick...home sick.

Back when i was a teenager, i would always spend the holidays with my parents.
I love to cook. Since the holidays required us to cook yummy foods, I was always happy to celebrate in the kitchen with my mom.

My last Christmas with my family was in 2006.
Mom left us in august 2007. That year was a sad and devastating year.
I remember my mother feeding us with pizza, lasagna, lamb with potatoes and other delish Italian dishes. I have learned a lot from her cooking, but none of my dishes are as good as hers.

Christmas and New Year's were very special with my parents around. I wish I understood this earlier
than now. Some teenagers do not get it till it's too late. And sometimes I feel like I am one of those who got it too late.

I left for America in 2008 and did not go home for 4 years. The hardest thing I ever did was leave my dad behind.

My dad and I have a beautiful relationship. We call each other everyday.
We almost fight everyday and we love each other everyday.
One thing we have in common is being stubborn.
We are also both slow when it comes to understanding things.

Dad has recently learned to use Skype(well...he is still learning.)
Gosh he is driving me crazy!!! It doesn't matter how many times I explain to him how to start the video call or how to click a few icons on his desktop. (Remember: first you need to explain what a DESKTOP is...) He will ask me the same questions all over again. LOL.
Only after a few hours of explanation, we realized that we didn't even ask each other "Oh, by the way...how are you today?" LOL

I wouldn't trade our conversation for anything. I love them just the way they are.

This past weekend, i did a photo shoot for this beautiful family of four.
I was impressed at how sweet and well mannered these 2 girls were.
When I got home, I looked at the pictures and while organizing them, I came across one that made me emotional. The picture(below) captures a sweet moment between a girl and her dad.

I miss my mom a lot, but I know that she is in a better place and I can not change that.
Dad is home, he is fine and happily married. Being able to talk to him is a blessing, but its surely painful to know that I don't get to spent the holiday with him.Or simply go over a weekend for lunch or dinner time.

Today, I am blessed with my own family . My husband is a great man and we both fear the Lord.
God has been blessing us so much.
The holidays are close and I am very excited to spend it with my husband. But deep inside, I am also sad.
I understand that holidays are made to be with your parents. If your parents are still alive, please make time for them. They won't be here forever.


HERE IS THE PICTURE THAT GOT ME EMOTIONAL THE 3 YEAR OLD BABY GIRL, WITH HER DAD.

WITH DAD.
MY WEDDING DAY IN ITALY.

Smelling pumpkin pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:39:00 +0000

Pancakes are usually reserved for weekends.
Big and yummy breakfast make your weekend more relaxing and sweet.
So This morning i was thinking.... Monday can start in a sweet way too.
Waking up early and getting ready for work is not always so excited.
So lets make pumpkin pancakes . The smell of it will remind us the Holidays are coming soon.

You will need :

1 Egg
Vanilla
Brown sugar
Pumpkin
Cinnamon
Baking soda
Baking powder
Milk

Here is a video of this yummy recipe.

Have a good Monday. :)

Value of children.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 15:50:00 +0000

Forgive me, for what I am going to share here I don’t know who to give credit to. I was reading on another blog and in her attempt to direct the reader to the source the link didn’t work. But, this was too good not to share.

I grow increasingly convinced that God values children much, much more than we do.
We value a clean floor more than children. We value free time more than children. We value the good dishes more than children. We value going out to eat or watching grown-up television shows more than we value children.
All the world, including the church, tells us that children are a bother, perhaps even a mistake. If you don’t believe that, introduce a family with many babies into your church and see how long it takes for someone to say, “They know what causes that, don’t they?”
We have let the world convince us that a large family is a curse, when the Bible clearly teaches that many children are a blessing, a sign of God’s great favor.
If I had the choice right now, there would be more children in my family. And I think I might be brave enough to let God decide how many.
I remember that it seemed a little frantic around my house when the children were little. I never got “it all” done, whatever “it all” is. There was not much privacy or money or free time. There was lots of laundry and garbage and stinky stuff. The boys were going to be 2 and 4 forever. It was never going to end.
Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed my boys. But it was all colored by that worldly, selfish, hurry-up-and-grow-up attitude. And then it was over. I woke up one morning and they were almost as tall as me. The next day, or so it seemed, they didn’t even live with us. Now there is not much garbage or laundry or stinky stuff. And there is much more privacy and money and free time.
I’d trade it all in a heartbeat.
I would do laundry around the clock if it meant I could have one more day with my little boys in my home. I want the piles of blue jeans back. If my family had been larger, perhaps I would have grown in wisdom and learned to treasure the tiny victories and agonies of everyday. Perhaps not, but at least it would have lasted longer.
You think they’ll be little forever. You can’t imagine being able to handle – afford – care for another little life. But you can. And it will be over before you know it, with plenty of years left to use the good dishes.

Amen

My friend 's kids. Kids are a blessing from GOD

Note: I liked this post a lot and that's I shared it.

But there is something that i am not agree with
.

'All the world, including the church, tells us that children are a bother, perhaps even a mistake'

I know the church is teaching us how precious the kids are. And they are indeed a gift from GOD.
It's hard to believe that a church wont teach you this.
If your church is not teaching you the value of children.
the church is not doing a good job.

Pumpkin patch.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:40:00 +0000

Finally, I get to experience the pumpkin patch.
Back home, we do not celebrate Halloween or Fall.
In Sicily, it's pretty hot in the summer and our weather is mild in the Fall.
I did not get to see the changing leaves colors in Sicily.
Jersey in Fall is pretty amazing. I did share some pictures of Jersey in fall in my preview post.

So this weekend my friend Brandy told me that she wanted to bring the kids to get a nice pumpkin
to carve for Halloween.
Me and my hubby Jamel do not celebrate Halloween for religious reasons, but we do celebrate Fall.

So here I come, pumpkin patch!!! :)
As a child, I used to see pictures and movie scenes about people getting ready for this event.
I am glad that my hubby, who is not a fan of farms and pumpkins, decided to take me.

We got at the place early in the morning. Gosh it was hot out there!
I love the heat. But i must say that after 30 minutes, I was melting like an ice cream cone.
The place was packed with people and we were lucky to get a spot for our car at the parking lot(the grass).
The farm offers different food stands and rides for kids and family.
Jay and I skipped the rides and went for the food . Hot dogs, barbecue and pretzels.

We met our girlfriend Brandy and her kids at the farm and enjoyed the afternoon together.
Besides getting a nice pumpkin, we get to eat some goodies too.

Baked apple and vanilla ice cream

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 21:27:00 +0000

I saw this yummy recipe on internet. I thought I could make it.
I did change it a little.
here is what you need.

2 Red or Green apples
1 Spoon of Brown sugar.
2-3 Teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
Vanilla ice cream

Carve your apples

Add brown sugar and cinnamon

Put apples in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Once you take them out, it will look like this.

after it cools down...add the vanilla ice cream.

PS: When you carve your apple do not toss the inside
instead add brown sugar and cinnamon and heat it in a small pot. When ready, put it on top of the ice cream or inside the apple before you add your ice cream. :)

Love,Spaghetti and shrimps.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 00:05:00 +0000

We tried to avoid pasta at dinner.You should eat light food before bed time. To have a salad with chicken and fruit will be the best for dinner.

Well I could not help myself. I need it to cook something yummy. A taste for salad and chicken is not what i wanted.

So here is what you need.

Food, Love and Sun.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Saturday morning, at the farmer's market in our new town. While walking around and enjoying the good fruits of the season and some goodies, my hubby reminds me about the little market he used to go to in New York City.

Union Square has a pretty market too. If you are planning to visit the big apple, you might want to take some time to visit the market . It will have fresh food and great goodies that the big city has to offer. I was surprised about a statement hubby made today. He said he enjoyed Florida's market better since it has more sweets than the one in New York. I was thinking "oh boy!". LOL.

My hubby is a great baker and a chocolate chip cookie fan. :) There are a few things in life we can not live without . Those are food, love and of course, the sun .Enjoy your weekend.

PHOTOGRAPHY STORE.

AT COSTCO. MY BABY PLAYING WITH A ARCADE

ON OUR WAY HOME WE STOPPED AT MY FAVORITE PLACE.
PHOTOGRAPHY STORE. :)

Love is the best feeling in the world.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 23:24:00 +0000

Its amazing how my husband jay remembers every anniversary.
We met on line in September. Our first meeting in person was in October 1.
Every year on this day, he comes home with flowers.

How do you know when someone is the right one? Well at first i did not know.
Before my hubby, I met many guys, in my eyes they were the one. The truth was they were not.
It was not easy to find the one. I seriously thought that i was going to die by myself.
I did a lot of praying and searching online too.

I regret some choices i made regarding men. The all online experience was not always a good idea. If you ever think to do online dating, please be careful and wise when it comes to choosing who you go out with.

Love is not easy to find and Love is not easy to keep without God's help.
Love is possible if you put God first. Unfortunately, most Christians and non Christians do not understand that.

When I met my hubby, I was also too blind to understand who i had in front of me . I was also broke and tired. My past was still there with me and i could not see what a great future God had for me.
If it wasn't for my Lord, I don't think i could understand his plan myself.

Today i can say that i am blessed.
Jay and I got married 5 months later(February 17, 2012) in New york city.

A year later (March 23, 2013), we got married in Italy with family and friends.
It has been a blessing to have Jay on my side.
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Just Sunday our pastor was talking about this. I gotta say that Jay has been a great helper to me.
We are growing together and we DO have our moments. However, i would not trade our love with anything.
We do not have kids yet but we are planning to have a kid. I cant wait to be able to raise a family with this awesome man.

New York 17-2012. picture by Fred Scott

Italy March 23-2013 photo by Giuseppe Terrana.

Us Today.

Weekend at the farm.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 20:08:00 +0000

What a great friday at the Farm.
Me and my best friend Brandy took the kids at the Petting Farm for a horse ride and of course
to feed the chickens.

I am blessed.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 00:49:00 +0000

I am married to a wonderful man.
Jay and I met on line. After 2 weeks we decide to see each other in person.
We spent all afternoon talking and chilling at Livingston mall in New Jersey.
After 5 month of dating we got married. :)
My hubby Jay is a truly blessing in my life.

We do have some friends here in south Florida but they live 1 hour away from our place.
This weekend we drove down to Deerfield beach and spenT a wonderful day on the beach and had
a nice lunch we our dear friends.

me and my boo. :)

Lunch time with friends in Deerfield Beach.

While waiting for lunch to come. Amanda is drawing something.

Dinner time.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 17:12:00 +0000

Its Fish time.
My dad used to come back home from a long day fishing with 3 or 4 big fishes.
I used to get excited about it since i LOVE to eat fish.
Clean the fish can be a challenge.But if you enjoy cooking , it should not stop you
from do it.

After I did clean my fish ( BRONZINI )i stuffed it with fresh seasoning.

Capers. Olives. Garlic. Scallions. Salt and pepper.


Lay your fish on top of the parchment paper with a little of OLIVE OIL. ( try to avoid aluminium foil)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees check it every 30 minute.

My hubby love to take pictures of me. I love to wear his t-shirt.

White wine . A small glass of it .Its good for your heart.

Broccoli and asparagus on the side. yum.

Simply life : photography

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 17:06:00 +0000

I love photography. Here are some pictures of this week photo shooting with Nora Grey.
Kids are truly a blessing from GOD.

sweet Nora Grey.. here is last picture. :)

Alessandra. funny face. she is a good friend of mine.

Alba ... i miss you. I used to be her nanny. I get to talk to her on skype sometimes. :)

The love of my life. He is so Handsome. :)