Daybook

FOR TODAY


Outside my window... there is the appearance of sun and warmth but it is bit chilly outside. Highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s today. We are not used to it being this cold. It definitely is not your typical Florida weather.

I am thinking... about my Mom and Dad. I miss them and hope I can see them very soon.

I am thankful for... a roof over my head to keep me warm and safe.

From the kitchen... I hope to be baking very soon. I found a new baking cookbook and look forward to trying out a recipe or two.

I am wearing... sweat pants and a long sleeve tee shirt with my socks and Mary Jane slippers to keep me warm.

I am creating... nothing at the moment but hoping to get back to our scrapbook. I have a long way to go until I am caught up to the current events. I am still working on the early years.

I am going... nowhere in particular today.

I am reading... House Rules -- the same book I have been reading for the last month. I am about halfway and thinking about what to read next. I am also thinking about what books I want to read next year for our book a month goal.

I am hoping praying... for my husband to fight off this cold and be on his feet again very quickly.

I am hearing... the cat running between the bedroom and living room playing with her mouse.

Around the house... there is so much work to do be done. Not just our daily chores but there is so much work to be done to continue to transform our house into a home.

One of my favorite things... the smell of fresh baked cookies.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Thursday: Early Christmas with Mom and Dad and Grandma Rosa
Friday: Anna’s Christmas concert and dinner with my sister and family
Saturday: Social and dinner with Young Adults in Christ at Church

Trump card: Hubby is fighting off a cold and I am spending the next few days taking care of him.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

One year ago…we bought our first home.

Kris enters our home for the first time as an owner.

The master bedroom before....

...looked like an Egyptian pyramid inside.

We changed the color...

...and added new carpet.

With a new color La Fonda Tortuga and carpet...

...it was almost ready to be our master suite.

The guest bedroom was painted...

...yellow and blue for a young child.

With the new Copper Hyde color...

...it was almost ready for visitors.

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
The Simple Woman's Daybook is a brief outline for women/mothers who blog to use as a way to compose thoughts, plan the week, and keep a grateful heart. It is typically published once a week on Tuesdays.

Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it is fair and sunny and in the 80s. It does not feel like Fall or Winter but we are trying to get into the Christmas spirit by putting up the lights on the house. 

I am thinking... it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere we go…


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V8JoANTHRw

I am thankful for... quality time spent with family and friends. It is rare that we get time to visit with family and friends and when I get the chance I am so grateful for the opportunity.

From the kitchen... I am hoping to learn a new Christmas recipe or two to share with family and friends this Christmas.

I am wearing... comfy shorts and tee to help my husband put up lights all around the house and decorate the house for our first married Christmas.

I am creating... more holiday memories. I love this time of year with all the holidays in a row and getting to spend it with family and friends. This year is full of memories as we are celebrating our first married holidays.


I am going went... to the store to buy the rest of the lights and decorations for the house.

I am (still) reading... House Rules by Jodi Picoult and looking forward to the next Jodi Picoult book I will read.

I am hoping praying... that everyone have joy, peace, and love this Christmas season. May everyone always have happiness, good health, and prosperity throughout the coming year.

I am hearing... the sound of the washing machine as I continue with the daily/weekly house chores that need to be done.

Around the house... are a few Christmas decorations. We do not have much in the way of decorations but I hope to make it feel a little like Christmas around the house.

One of my favorite things... the smell of fresh baked pies, cookies, cakes, and other holiday treats.


A few plans for the rest of the week:

Friday: Visit family in St. Petersburg
Saturday: Prayer group breakfast
Continue decorating the house for Christmas


Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

We are getting ready for the holidays.

We added some lights to the front of the house

With all the lights lit up

Christmas Lights!!!

Our wreathe on the front door

Our two small trees up high so the cat does not take the ornaments.

With the tree and angel lit up

True to Florida Christmas -- Our first Christmas palm

The Nativity scene under our Christmas palm

The stocking is hung on the bookcase with care

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
The Simple Woman's Daybook is a brief outline for women/mothers who blog to use as a way to compose thoughts, plan the week, and keep a grateful heart. It is typically published once a week on Tuesdays.

Honeymoon: Roaming Rome

After I made the big move from, we spent a week in Rome for our honeymoon. We enjoyed visiting the Vatican and all the sights throughout Rome despite a small volcano eruption in Iceland that affected most of the airports in Europe during our stay. Fortunately, we did not experience any delays in our return flight home.

Here are some picture highlights from our visit to Rome.

Our hotel was only a few blocks from the Termini in central Rome. On our first day we walked around nearby places and mapped out the rest of our visit to Rome using the maps and brochures we picked up along the way.

There was a small museum beside our hotel and we stopped to walk the open grounds to take pictures.

We thought the statue needed a new head...

...but neither of our heads looked just right.

On our second day in Rome, we purchased tickets for the open double-decker tour bus to see the sights around Rome. One of the first places we decided to visit was Vatican City.

The tour also offered an audio tour...

...in various languages.

When we first arrived in Vatican City...

...we purchased postcards to mail home to our family and friends.

One of the first things we did in Vatican City was to climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. There were two ways to the top of the cupola. The first way was to take an elevator to the roof and then climb the 320 steps to the very top. The other way was to climb the steps all the way to the roof and then another 320 steps to the very top. Kris of course chose to climb all the way without the help of the elevator.

On the roof of St. Peter's Basilica

I was thankful...

...there was a fence all the way around so you could not fall from the roof.

When we were on the roof, I thought we were done. I did not want to think we had to climb higher but Kris was eager to continue climbing. The remaining 320 stairs were narrow and slanted as you got closer to the top of the cupola.

You can see the terror in my face when we made it to the very top.

Kris was able to take a picture of all of Rome from the very top.

It was a big accomplishment for both of us...

...to have made it to the very top of the cupola.

We saw various other sights from while riding on the tour bus.

Castel Sant'Angelo used as the Pope's fortress

The Colosseum

Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II)

One of the sights we took a closer look at was The Colosseum. We took a guided tour of to see all the intricate details and hear more about the history.

The view of the underground...

...from both sides of the Colosseum.

We learned so much about the Colosseum...

...and bought souvenirs for the kids.

The guided tour for the Colosseum included an optional guided tour of Palantine Hill across from the Colosseum. It was interesting to hear the story of Romulus and Remus and how each new emperor built their palace on this hill.

Another couple was kind enough to take our picture from the top of the hill.

You could see a nice view of the Colosseum from the top of the Palantine Hill.

This is my favorite picture from the honeymoon.

We took a quick walk over to the Spanish Steps from the Palantine Hill and climbed all 138 steps to the very top before heading back to our hotel.

Spanish Steps

One of my favorite sights to see was the Trevi Fountain. We had to walk far to finally make it there but what a sight it was to finally see it. We saw a couple taking their wedding pictures while we were there.

Trevi Fountain

Sharing a special moment at Trevi Fountain

We made sure to make a wish...

...in hopes to return someday.

One of the last places we visited was the Vatican Museum. A local Italian name Pablo gave us a very informative tour of the museum that led us to the very end -- the Sistine Chapel.

We found a tour guide who helped cut our long wait in line to get into the museum.

We enjoyed our one week stay in Rome and wish we had more time to take a closer look at some more of the sights. We hope to make it back again someday to see more of Rome and other parts of Italy. For now, we will always have our honeymoon as a reminder of our time spent in Rome.