Homemade Pasta

I love moments like these.

When life slows down and connections are built.

It can be challenging to slow down in a world that demands us 

to always move at high speed,

but I like to savor moments like this.

Teaching our children skills that will stay with them the rest of their lives.

I love to sit down and work and talk to our children.

We end up talking, laughing and really building "team work".

Nothing more precious.

Now, as we leave a year behind and embrace the new one,

I like to have some goals.

I know,

some people don't like "new year resolutions",

but I do.

I see goals as opportunities.

No goals, no target to hit.

Speaking of goals,

In a couple of weeks 

I will start training for my 3rd full marathon.

26.2 miles.

I have a plan, 

but it will be harder than the ones I had in the past 2 years.

And since I will be running lots of miles,

I see pasta making being definitely a weekly activity.

Win, win.

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

Pallet Project

I have been looking for some inspiration out there, 

and decided I was going to make a medal plaque for myself.
(you could also make this to just hang pictures and necklaces)

Something that fits my style and my budget.

The prices I found online were anywhere between $30 to $50.

The price for my medal and bib holder was $0.

I know, surprising.

I used 

Always a learning Experience

Running has never been a passion of mine.

Well, at least not long distance running.

I used to run the 100 meter and the relay when I was a young chicken, 
but never ever in my sane mind I would have considered running long distance. 

That is kind of funny, 

Going the extra mile

This is how I have been spending my Saturdays.

Yeah, living the good life.

Thankfully I have completed week 11 of training...which means only 7 more weeks till race day.

The 26.2miles

aka a full marathon.

This morning a friend of mine 

(knowing my 20 mile route)

posted signs like

The grieving time just began...again.

Almost exactly 1 months apart, 

both my grandmothers have relocated to 

Heaven. 

One of the great mysteries of life 

is what will happen after we die. 

Death is not the end, 

but it's just a step that we must all take.

 Death separates us from the "seen"world

 but does not end our existence. 

When a person dies,

 their spirit departs from this world 

and moves into the spirit world. 

You will be missed and 

the grieving time just began...again.

Daniela

When loved ones relocate to Heaven

***this is not one of my usual post***
My Nonna Annalucia passed this morning at 6am (our time). 

In less than 5 days she was gone.

She lived a long life (almost 99 years old).

But no matter the years,

losing a loved one is hard.

I feel like part of me has become only a memory.

As the song I was singing yesterday 

"When we arrive at eternity's shore, where death is just a memory and tears are no more"

Phil Wickham -You are beautiful

Such a comforting song for me right now,

playing almost on repeat.

"When we arrive at eternity's shore

Where death is just a memory and tears are no more.

We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring

Your bride will come together and we'll sing

God You're beautiful"

--Phil Wickham

Grieving is important.

My heart is filled with hope.

Hope that there is life after death.

What a life she has lived.

Daniela

26.2 (as in 26.2 miles)

On Christmas day I decided to sign up for my first full marathon.

I must have had a sugar overload that made my brain do strange things.

As crazy as it may sound (running the 26.2 miles and the actual training leading up to that), 

I've also committed to
raising funds as a St. Jude Hero 
to support St. Jude's lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children. 

It costs $1.8 million a day to operate St. Jude. 

Did you know that 70% of the funds come from the public? 

That means your donation, no matter what the size, will help!

Click here for my St. Jude donation page.

The money goes directly to them, 

and it's a secure page.

Please consider supporting this great cause. 

No gift is too small.

...and it is tax deductible

Thank you for your support!

Daniela

St. Jude Heroes run for a reason.

Help me reach my goal of at least $1000

click here

How your donation helps:

• Thanks to donors like you, no family ever pays St. Jude for anything, including lodging, food and travel.
• St. Jude will continue to improve treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly diseases through its groundbreaking research.
• For every child treated at St. Jude, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

While (most) everyone else is busy decorating for Christmas...

we have barely started.

And by barely, I mean b-a-r-e-l-y.

You see, when you get sick, there is really not much you feel like doing.

But do you know what's worst than being sick?

It's being sick while

Volunteer and Mentoring-make a difference in this world series

What I am going to share today is very personal.

A lot of us have done things in our lives that we might be ashamed of. 

Some are small things, and some of us have some pretty big and devastating things. 
Personal "junk" that we keep to ourselves so we don't have to deal with it. 

Mostly because we don't know how to deal with it. 
Do we? 

We are somewhat afraid that if we try it's just going to make everything worse. 
We are afraid of what others might think "if they only knew".

Truth is, no matter how big our junk is, no matter how much what we've done has impacted the way other people feel about us or how we feel about ourselves, it hasn't changed how 

How is your coffee? Make a difference in this world

I am a coffee lover.

I am Italian, how could I not.

source

But the thing about coffee, is that coffee farmers are usually way underpaid for their product (that is then sold at much, MUCH higher price).
Both the coffee and the chocolate industries, are the main "employer" of child labor (and forced labor in general).

So what can we do about supporting "fair trade" coffee?

Make a difference- Goodie Bag

I have been thinking about doing another mini series about something that is very close to my heart: making a difference in this world.

Each week (for a few weeks) I will be sharing some easy things we can all do to make a difference.

I am kicking this off with goodie bags.

Interior Design and Education

Funny how life evolves in ways you never thought possible.

I went to College and graduated with and Interior Design Art degree...then because of (mainly) my CAD knowledge, I was offered a position as Graduate Assistant and a full ride scholarship for a Master Degree. 

I decided to pursue a MSE (Master of Science of Education).

What I did not know at that time, is that one day I would be using both degrees at the same time.

source

As of tomorrow, 

Air Mail and typewriter

As I was clearing out our storage barn, 

I found few boxes of letters, 

neatly grouped by sender.

A few stacks stood out to me, 

MIA

I know some of you might have wondered where I have been.

Well, let me tell you.

This past week, on top of my usual duties, 

I have been planning a multi family yard sale to benefit a good friend of us.

Imagine the stuff that friends donated to this cause...10 tables full, big items on the lawn. 

It all had to fit in our 2 car garage...we could barely get from the garage doors to our back door.

This morning we started to pull the tables out at 5:45, and I was finally able to eat a sandwich at 2:30pm.

So blessed to call those people my friends, and so humbled by everyone generosity.

Yes, the world is still full of wonderful, selfless people.

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

Amalfi Coast and the art of making paper

Today I am going to share some picture of the beautiful Amalfi (Italy).

What most people might not know, is that Amalfi was well known back in the old world, about paper making.

First of all, let me 

Bigger but maybe not better

As we traveled around Italy, 

I was reminded how sometime I get the idea that bigger (and newer) might be better.

Fiat 500 next to a Trulli house...both pretty small

But that is not necessarily true.

I needed that reminder.

A reminder that 

Three years ago today

Three years ago, our city was flooded.

source

Our basement took quite a bit of water in, and we were left with a big mess.

The basement had to be emptied out, and

Running for Boston

As I approach to run my first half marathon in 10 days,

yesterday's news

reminded me of how life is really just a breath.

 

Whatever you and I believe, 

we are all going to leave this earth at some point in time.

All of us.

Today I joined hundred and thousand of runners,

united to remember the victims of this horrible act of violence.

Today I wore all black to honor the victims, and

Do What you Love

I can't believe it's been a year. 

March 26, 2012 I hit the publish button for the first time.

A New Day

Blogging has created new friendships and kept me on track with my (never ending) projects.

But among all this,