Sarah Elizabeth

Winter is here!

2012-02-10T11:55:00.000+01:00

After an unusually mild few months winter has arrived in Umbria. It's snowing outside and bitterly cold. We've just returned from a 2 week trip to Scotland where the temperatures for once were not that different to here in Italy.

I must apologise for my long absence. I've been totally absorbed in motherhood! Little Alba is growing so fast and I'm making the most of every second. She is an absolute joy and I just love being a mummy so much. People ask me if I miss being able just to go out when I feel like it and do the things I want. I can honestly say that I don't. This is such a short time in my little girls life and I'm enjoying the cuddles while I can!

Whilst I'm loving these quiet days with my baby I'm afraid it doesn't make for very interesting blogging. My days are filled with nappy changing, washing, cuddles and singing lullabies. It's absolute bliss for me but I'm sure not so interesting for the rest of you to read about.

So, my posts will probably continue to be a bit sporadic for now. Thank you to those of you who have continued to send me messages and comments even though I'm so bad at replying. You are all in my thoughts often I just have a very pretty little bundle who distracts me from my computer and prevents me from keeping up to date with you all. Who could resist this little cutie?

My Birth Story

2011-11-03T16:15:00.001+01:00

I can hardly believe my baby girl is already a month old! I now understand what my mum means when she said she blinked and suddenly we were all grown up. Time just goes so fast it's frightening. People told me how hard the first weeks would be with a newborn but I can honestly say that I've had an easy time so far. Of course there are some moments which are more trying than others but on the whole I'm finding motherhood to be a complete joy. I'm blessed with a very good baby who already is showing a beautifully peaceful nature. I also have a wonderful husband who allows me to rest and take care of the baby while he takes care of everything else.

I wanted to share with you all the story of little Alba's arrival in the world. I had a very easy, problem free pregnancy and it ended with a very easy, problem free birth. On Saturday 1st October I woke up in the morning with my first contractions. At first I wasn't sure if they were contractions as they weren't very painful but after a while I started timing them and they were coming regularly at around 7 minutes apart. I wasn't totally convinced that it was the real thing as I was expecting to be in a bit more pain. Nonetheless, I spent the morning making last minute preparations, finishing packing my bag, cleaning up the kitchen etc. I then sat down to watch Scotland play England in the rugby world cup which took my mind off things for a couple of hours.

Throughout the afternoon the contractions were still coming regularly but not getting any more painful. By the evening I suddenly realised that they were 3 minutes apart. I still wasn't sure that it was time to go to the hospital but my husband convinced me that we should. By the time I was ready to go the contractions were starting to get a bit stronger and quite close together. At that point I started to worry that we'd maybe left it a bit late to get to the hospital, a 40 minute drive away!

However, at around 10pm we arrived at the hospital in time and I was examined. I still half expected that they'd tell me it wasn't time and to go home again. I was surprised when they told me I was already 5cm dilated! The midwife left me to get settled into my room where I stayed for about half an hour before I felt like I was ready to push. They took me to the delivery room where I laboured for another 30 minutes or so before being examined again. I was 10cm dilated and ready to go. Another 20 minutes or so of pushing and my little girl was born at half past midnight.

I am still quite amazed at what the human body is capable of. I managed the whole labour without any kind of pain medication, not even gas and air. I didn't use any particular birthing method or breathing techniques. I let my body take over and do what it had to do. I feel extremely proud of myself!! The whole experience was quite incredible and I'm so grateful to the doctors and the midwives who helped me through it. I must admit I was worried about giving birth in an Italian hospital but my fears were unfounded. I had the natural birth I wanted and the hospital staff were really supportive.

I want to thank you all for your kind words of welcome for Alba May on my last post. It means a lot to us that there are people all over the world wishing us well. For those of you wondering about our name choice, Alba is the Gaelic name for Scotland and it is also an Italian name meaning 'dawn'. It's the perfect name for our little half Scottish half Italian girl.

For obvious reasons my posts in the next weeks might be few and far between. I apologise for this and also for not being such a regular visitor to your blogs. I'm still reading but don't always manage to comment (I'm still mastering one-handed typing!!) Thank you all once again for your kind wishes and for your support throughout my pregnancy, it means a lot x x x

Welcome Alba May

2011-10-06T14:36:00.000+02:00

On Sunday 2nd October 2011 at half past midnight our precious little girl, Alba May entered into the world. She is perfect in every way and mummy and daddy are over the moon x x x

Still waiting........

2011-09-27T15:04:00.001+02:00

.......for my little bean to make his / her entrance.

In the mean time here is a 'before' picture taken by a friend who is a great new photographer. I hope it won't be too much longer until I have an 'after' picture to share with you.

Thank you all for your well wishes x x

Crochet Baby Blanket

2011-09-21T12:15:00.000+02:00

I'm still here and no sign of baby! At least I've finally got my camera back so I can post pictures of some of the things I've been making.

The first thing I made for baby was this crochet blanket.....

.....The pattern came free with the yarn (Sirdar Snuggly DK) when I bought it in John Lewis. It was really simple to make and it's lovely and snuggly and soft. It's strange to think that in a few days there will be a little baby wrapped up inside it x x

My Seven Links

2011-09-19T17:35:00.001+02:00

I'm still here somewhat impatiently awaiting the arrival of baby. Today is my due date but I have no signs of anything happening any time soon. I've been passing the time 'nesting,' cleaning the house from top to bottom, reorganising cupboards, washing curtains etc etc. I'm running out of things to do so I was happy when Loree of Stories and Scribbles nominated me to participate in Tripbase's 'My 7 Links' project as it gives me something to do!

The goal of the My 7 Links project is "To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again." Each nominated blogger must select 7 of their previous posts which fit into the following categories:

Your most beautiful post
– Your most popular post
– Your most controversial post
– Your most helpful post
– A post whose success surprised you
– A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved
– The post that you are most proud of

It's been fun looking back over my old posts so thanks for nominating me Loree. Here are my 7 posts:

My most beautiful post

My most beautiful posts have to be my 'Wedding Wednesday' posts where I shared memories of our special day. We had a wonderful photographer who captured our day perfectly. It's hard to say which is the most beautiful but I've chosen Wedding Wednesday Chapter III - The Ceremony as it was my favourite part of our whole wedding. It still makes me teary looking back at the photos!

My most popular post

My most popular post based on the number of comments was I'm back where I announced my pregnancy. I'd been dying to share my good news for weeks but wanted to wait until after my first scan. It was lovely to receive so many heartfelt messages of congratulations.

My most controversial post

I don't think I've written anything that is even remotely controversial. Probably the only post where I came anywhere close to offending anybody was when I criticised Ikea here.

My most helpful post

Hmmm, another tough one. I don't see my blog as being 'helpful' as such although I do hope that it inspires a few people. I'd like to think that my posts about how I'm trying to live a simpler and greener life, such as Eco Baby, inspire and encourage a few of you to make changes in your lives to help protect our environment.

A post whose success surprised me

For this I've chosen my very first post, Beginnings. I was, and still am, amazed when anyone comments on my blog and when I wrote my very first post I didn't think anyone would read it never mind leave a comment.

A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

In Star Light Star Bright I posted some pictures my husband took of the stars. He is very passionate about astronomy and loves taking pictures of the sky and pointing out all the different constellations to me. He was so proud of the photos in this post and was quite disappointed when they didn't receive more comments!

The post that I am most proud of

Olive Harvest is a post I'm quite proud of. I think the pictures are good and it's a good representation of our life here in Italy. I need to do more posts about our daily life here. I'm not good at taking pictures of the things we do, either I forget my camera or if I remember it I forget to take pictures! Every day I see things around me that are so beautiful and incredible and I really must make an effort to share more of these things.

Now I have to nominate 5 more bloggers to share their 7 posts so I nominate

Bons Baisers de France

Thanks again Loree for inviting me to take part, it's helped pass an afternoon of waiting and has made me look back at all of my posts and given me some ideas of what I'd like to write about in the future.

Hopefully this will be the last time I post before the baby arrives but you never know!

My Pinterest

2011-09-06T12:38:00.000+02:00

I have lots of things I want to post about but I'm still without my camera so they'll have to wait. In the meantime I thought I'd share with you my Pinterst account. I'm already following a few of your boards but I'd love to link up with more of you and see what's inspiring you. I can waste hours looking at other people's boards but it's such a great way of storing ideas.

Here are some of my favourite Pinterest finds:

Image 1 - Image 2 - Image 3 - Image 4

Hope you're all having a good week x x

Eco Baby

2011-09-02T15:25:00.000+02:00

My preparations for baby's arrival are almost complete so I thought I'd do a post on how I'm trying to keep these preparations as simple and green as possible. When I first started to shop for baby I was overwhelmed and actually disgusted by the vast array of products on sale for newborns. It's very hard to work out what is essential and what is not. From the start I wanted to stick to the bare minimum so I very soon had a list of the things I felt I'd need and began to research the best options. Here's a list of everything we've bought.

Clothes

I spent a long time looking online at eco-clothing lines and found plenty of shops selling ethically produced clothes for babies. However they cost an absolute fortune! It would be impossible for us to clothe our baby entirely in these products without going bankrupt in the process. I understand that these clothes cost more to produce but there are obviously a lot of companies who are cashing in on selling eco products and making huge profits. We bought a few bits and pieces from small independent shops such as this one in Florence but otherwise we've gone for cheaper options from places such as John Lewis. Their clothes are good value for money and to reduce our impact we bought as few clothes as possible. We've also collected quite a good supply of second hand clothes from family members. It's not easy to find second-hand baby clothes in Italy. We searched for about an hour for a second hand baby shop we'd heard about in Florence only to find that it had closed down. In an ideal world I'd make all of the clothes for the baby but unfortunately my sewing skills aren't up to scratch (something I need to remedy). I've knitted or crocheted a few bits and pieces and my mum has given me lots of things that she's handmade. So, overall we've managed to get by only buying new a few vests and sleepsuits.

Sleeping

We're fixing up the cot that belonged to my husband when he was a baby so only needed to buy a new mattress. We've also bought a Moses basket which we'll use for the first few months. For bedding I've bought new sheets but have handmade blankets. (I'll be sharing in another post the things I've made because a friend has borrowed my camera and I have no pictures).

Travelling

The one thing I definitely didn't want to get second hand was our travel system. We plan on having more children so we wanted something that is going to last. We've gone for a good quality and practical option and hopefully we won't need to replace it. We've also bought a baby carrier which we're planning to use a lot.

Nappies

We've decided we are going to use cloth diapers and have spent hours researching all the different types. We'll start off the first couple of weeks with disposables while we try out a couple of different types of diapers before we buy complete sets. I'm really looking forward to using cloth nappies and will probably do more posts on this subject once the baby is here.

Furniture

We don't have a nursery for the baby so the only furniture we've bought is a changing unit. For this we went to the dreaded Ikea (you can see my thoughts about Ikea here). As much as I dislike the idea of Ikea it does have some practical options. We bought a great changing unit which didn't cost much and is good quality. I feel guilty about this purchase but I do love my changing unit! We've recieved other bits and pieces such as play pen, baby bath and high chair from a family member so we haven't needed to buy anything else.

Bathing

I've spent many hours obsessively researching products for keeping baby clean. There are so many products available and so much information about the harmful effects of these products. I've become completely confused by all of this information and have no idea what the best options are. Once again I've discovered that any natural products are 10 times the price of commercial brands and they are often difficult to find. Once baby is here I'm going to experiment making my own baby wash etc. I've knitted or crocheted a good supply of wash cloths and am in the process of making reusable baby wipes.

So that's it! It feels like we've bought tons of stuff which is a shock after months of buying nothing at all! However, I do feel like we've managed to stick to the things that for us are essentials and I've resisted the temptation of buying anything carelessly. Every little purchase I've made has been carefully considered taking into account our budget, the environmental impact and of course the health and well-being of our baby.

I'd be really interested to hear from other green living mums and to hear their ideas or advice on all of this.

Have a good weekend everyone x x

Homemade Bag

2011-08-22T18:59:00.000+02:00

A few months ago my mum gave me this beautiful bag she'd made for me to keep my knitting in. She also made a matching roll for keeping my crochet hooks in. What a clever mummy I have!

It's very hot here in Umbria at the moment and for the first time ever I'm longing for the end of summer. It's too hot to go out so I've been indoors most of the time sewing and knitting next to the fan!

There are only 4 weeks to go now until our baby is due. Apart from being a bit hot I'm feeling really well and I could quite happily stay pregnant forever!!

One Year

2011-08-07T09:30:00.000+02:00

One year ago today I married the kindest, smartest, most handsome man in the world.

Most people say their wedding day was the happiest day of their lives. For me, it was just the start of many many happy days married to the most wonderful man. I can't wait for all the happy filled years to come.

For Olga.....

2011-08-05T13:13:00.000+02:00

Today didn't start as a good day. I had to get up early to drive to a nearby town for my ante-natal class. I don't like driving here and avoid it unless absolutely necessary. On the way home I took the wrong road twice, got shouted at by another driver for taking too long at a junction and arrived home feeling hot tired and stressed.

Overall, it hasn't been a great week. I baked a cake yesterday which burnt, the washing machine broke down and we had to buy a new one. Matteo is away with work at the moment and will miss our first wedding anniversary this weekend so all in all I was feeling a bit down.

Then I switched on my computer and saw this beautiful post for me from Olga at Artful Nuance. Such a kind and thoughtful post which has made this into a good day and a good week. Thank you so much Olga x x

Lazy summer days.....

2011-08-04T17:53:00.000+02:00

The days here are very hot and long. I've been getting up early to make the most of the cool mornings to get things done before the sun rises high in the sky. Then it's time to close the shutters and rest in the cool shady house. When evening comes and the fireflies come out I'll go out for a walk, look at the stars and enjoy the fresher air.

During the hottest hours, when I'm hiding inside from the sun, I'm managing to get quite a few things made for the baby.

It's wonderful to have these final few weeks completely free to prepare for our little one, to relax and make the most of this special time.

Challenge of the Utmost Kind - update

2011-08-01T12:14:00.000+02:00

As you may remember since last October I have been taking part in a challenge, inspired by Dotty Angel, to buy only second-hand or hand-made goods for myself and home for one whole year. There are only 2 months left of my challenge and I'm happy to say it's been a huge success. I've become much more aware of what I buy and my attitude as a consumer has completely changed. I no longer buy whatever I feel like without a minutes thought.

I can't say that I've stuck to the challenge 100% unfortunately. I've bought a couple of items of clothing to fit my expanding belly and I've bought a couple of pregnancy books that weren't second hand. However, apart from these few items I've stuck completely to hand made or second-hand. That is apart from things for the baby! I decided early on that it would be impossible to stick completely to the challenge when it comes to shopping for the baby. There are certain things that I wanted to buy new such as car seat, crib and mattress, pram. I've bought a few new bits of clothing but only the bare minimum and I've been given a lot of things second hand. Anything I do buy new I try to stick to my green principles and consider where the item has been made and what it's been made of. I'll be doing another post on my 'eco-friendly' baby preparations some time soon.

Overall, it's proving to be an extremely rewarding experience and although the challenge officially ends in a couple of months I'm pretty sure that I'll continue on with my new spending habits.

La vie sur l'eau

2011-07-27T11:48:00.000+02:00

We're back from a wonderfully relaxing holiday in France. We spent 2 weeks with my parents and my aunt and uncle cruising on the Canal Lateral à la Loire in my aunt and uncle's beautiful boat 'Decize'.

We spent long, tranquil days watching the passing countryside, reading, eating fromage and baguettes and enjoying a slower pace of life.

I'd love to live in one of these pretty lock keeper's cottages.........

........or in a house with shutters like these.......

We explored some pretty towns and villages: Nevers, Fleury-sur-Loire, Gannay, Diou...........

The weather wasn't always perfect.............

but it was a perfect holiday all the same.

2011-07-06T11:47:00.001+02:00

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my last post. You offered me so many wise words of advice and have encouraged me to continue blogging.

The past couple of weeks I've been in Scotland visiting family and catching up with friends and now after a couple of days back in Italy we're about to set off again this time to France. We're spending a couple of weeks with my parents and my aunt and uncle on their canal boat in Burgundy.

Here's the boat.......

Really looking forward to a relaxing couple of weeks surrounded by beautiful French countryside and eating delicious French food (unfortunately no vin or fromage for me ): )

I'll be back in a couple of weeks with plenty of photos.

A bientot!

I'm back!

2011-06-15T12:36:00.000+02:00

It's been weeks and weeks since I even looked at my blog. I have no excuse other than an extreme case of laziness! I lost my motivation, my direction. I no longer knew what to write or felt like I had anything interesting to say. I even neglected the blogs which I usually enjoy reading so much. For ages I didn't even miss the blogging world. I've been wrapped up in a happy little pregnant bubble and have whiled away the past weeks daydreaming about my baby. I love just to lie down quietly and feel my baby move inside me. It's been a happy time but a very unproductive one.

Now, the summer holidays are here. My work contract is over and I'm officially a lady of leisure, at least for the next couple of months. Now that I don't have work occupying a large part of my mind I feel much freer and ready to take on new projects. I've finally found my motivation again.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about where my blog is going and the kind of blog I want to have. I feel that a lot of the time I post pretty pictures and meaningless words. I don't often write about what I'm really passionate about. I still haven't figured out exactly where I'm going but I do feel like I need to make a few changes. This post by Melissa at Miss Sew & So got me thinking about how I write. I need to become braver and write what I want to write, not what I think other people might like to read. I want to make my blog more like a journal of what I do rather than trying to create a perfect (and false) image of my life. I need to be more real.

Thank you to those of you who have been asking for me during my absence and for continuing to leave comments even though I've been so terrible at replying. You've helped me to bring my blog back to life x x

Here's the most recent picture of me and darling husband at a local vineyard (no yummy wine for me unfortunately!) At almost 6 months pregnant I still just look a little chubbier than normal most of the time but my little bump is doing well and making everyone very happy.

Handmade Cushion Cover

2011-04-06T11:57:00.000+02:00

I recently received this little parcel from my sister in Australia. She runs her own business, Wee Jennie Wren, customising children's clothes using recycled fabrics. She also makes some home accessories and other lovely pretty things. Here's a link to her Facebook page or if you're in WA you can find her at various markets around Perth.

I love the fabric of this cushion cover and am thinking it might be nice in a nursery if we're having a girl.

A crocheted gift for a special 4 year old

2011-04-04T10:54:00.000+02:00

Recently it was my beautiful little niece's 4th birthday.

She lives a long way away, down under in the land of kangaroos and koalas.

So, I decided to make her her own little koala friend and sent it all the way from Italy.

Handmaking this little gift made me feel so much closer to her even though she's so far away.

She loves her new wee friend and now I have to make another for her little brother to stop them fighting over it!

It was really easy to make following a pattern from here. I loved the way all the little pieces suddenly became a little character once I sewed them all together. I think this could become a new favourite hobby, crocheting toys, especially since soon I will have my own little one to make gifts for!

Have a lovely week everyone x x

Wedding Wednesday Chapter VI - The Evening Reception

2011-03-30T14:10:00.000+02:00

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my last post. I'm looking forward to sharing this exciting journey with you all and will no doubt be looking for all sorts of advice from all the mummy's out there.

And now, finally, here is my last wedding post........

The Evening Reception

We wanted to start the evening reception fairly early so that we had as much time as possible with all of our guests. So, as soon as the meal and speeches were over there was just time to clear everything before 100 more guests arrived. Once everyone was there we cut our fabulous cake.

Our cake was made by a family friend and neighbour who also works with the caterers at our venue. I loved our cake. I basically gave her a few ideas and described the sort of thing I was looking for and she came up with this beautiful creation. She even had her husband cut a log to use as a cake stand. It looked perfect sitting in the garden during the ceremony and garden party and afterwards we transported it to the Rugby Club for cutting.

I loved the little details such as the ribbon around the base that matched the ribbon on my niece's flower girl dress, made by my mum. Also, the little hedgehogs iced onto the base that matched the hedgehog motif on our wedding invitations.

Not only did the cake look amazing but it tasted delicious too, a wonderfully rich fruit cake. We still have the top tier of the cake which we have stored for our baby's christening cake.

After the cake cutting we had our first dance for which we chose a traditional Scottish waltz to start off the Ceilidh.

From that first dance I think I wasn't off the dance floor all night! We had a traditional Ceilidh and even the Italian guests joined in with the dancing. It was so much fun and the Italians really got into the spirit of the dancing.

Every now and again we had a break from the dancing and were entertained by various musicians. My mum sings in a folk band so they did a set as did my brother who plays the guitar and two or three other friends who are singers and musicians. It was a great way to get a breather from the dancing and for the Italians to sample some Scottish music.

The Ceilidh part of the evening ended at around 11p.m. and then the disco started. At this point I was worried nobody would dance since everyone enjoyed the ceilidh so much but the dance floor remained full for the rest of the night. My brother in law even got the crowd going by performing a rap! I think I've never danced so much in my life. Needless to say I abandoned my 3 inch heels at around 10pm and spent the rest of the night in bare feet!

Before our photographer left he took us out into the middle of the rugby pitch with a light and took some final photographs. It was another romantic moment being out there, in the quiet summer's evening, under a spotlight and looking in to the party continuing inside.

The party ended at around 1a.m. and we were the last to leave. I was sad it was over but although most people say their wedding day goes by so fast, I actually felt like we'd had a really long day and I'd had enough time to take everything in and enjoy it all.

I've really enjoyed sharing my wedding with you all and it's been lovely to go back through all of my memories. Writing these posts have helped to keep everything fresh in my mind.

Once again, I must give a big shout out to our wonderful photographer Craig of Mcbeth Photography. Also, if any of you are in Scotland and planning your wedding then check out the Best Scottish Weddings Magazine - you might spot a familiar bride in the Spring edition!

Hope you're all having a good week x x

I'm back!

2011-03-28T11:47:00.000+02:00

I've been away for a much longer time than I originally planned and I must apologise.......

I'm hoping that the following picture will excuse my long absence.............

We're expecting!! The past few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. We're obviously over the moon and so so excited. The first trimester was luckily not too bad for me. I didn't suffer from much sickness, only extreme tiredness which is why I needed a break. Also, my mind is so full of baby that I haven't been able to concentrate on anything else!

Now that I'm into the second trimester and Spring has arrived in Umbria my energy is starting to come back and I'm ready to get back into all of my different projects. I'm looking forward to catching up with you all and hearing what you've been up to the past month. Thank you also to all of my new followers - I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.

Have a great week everyone x x

Festa della Donna - International Women's Day

2011-03-08T10:21:00.000+01:00

Happy Women's Day everyone! Here in Italy it is tradition for men to gift the women of their lives a bunch of mimosa on this day. Tonight, in our village, there is a dinner prepared by the men for all of the women. This morning my wonderful man brought me breakfast in bed, but he does that every day! I'm incredibly lucky - it's Women's Day every day for me!

I'm going to be taking a break from blogging for a week, maybe two. I have other things on my mind and lots of things that need my attention.

Have a great few weeks everyone and I look forward to catching up with you all when I feel more rested.

Sarah Elizabeth x x

Friday Photo - Rooftops in Orvieto

2011-03-04T10:21:00.000+01:00

Happy weekend everyone x x

Wedding Wednesday Chapter V - The Reception

2011-03-02T11:36:00.009+01:00

After the 12noon ceremony we had a good 2 or 3 hours in the garden before it was time to leave for the reception.

We had the reception in the function suite of our local rugby club. It was an ideal location with lots of green space outside for all the kids to play. The function room is a bright and fairly neutral space so we could decorate the way we wanted.

We continued our country garden theme by arranging centre pieces of flowers from our garden in glass jars tied with tartan ribbon.

We used sweet peas, corn flowers, pansies and alchemilla and I loved that each table was different. As wedding favours we donated money to charity but we also made little origami cranes for each place.

I handmade all of the place names, table numbers and seating chart using paper made from sheep poo! (from here).

To eat we had a simple summer buffet with plenty of Scottish produce. It was delicious although I think I didn't eat very much of it! The meal was nice and relaxed and was followed by some great speeches.

The nicest part was a photo montage of Matteo and I which my sister-in-law prepared and projected after the meal. It had everyone in tears!(That's me on my 5th birthday)

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments about our wedding. It's been lovely sharing our special day with you all. There are still a few more posts to come before I get to the end of the day so I hope you're still enjoying reading them!

Scones and Rugby

2011-02-28T10:52:00.005+01:00

First of all my apologies for not posting my usual Friday photo, our Internet was down on Friday and then I didn't get a chance at the weekend to catch up.

This weekend was spent watching rugby. Coming from a town and family which is rugby mad, I've been brought up watching rugby. Here in Italy where rugby is not so popular it's difficult for me to watch games on TV. We don't have Sky TV at home and there are not many bars in Perugia who show rugby. However, at the weekend we managed to find one bar who was willing to show the 6 Nations Tournament for us. Unfortunately Scotland lost their game against Ireland and Italy lost their game against Wales. However, at least I was able to watch the games and spend a couple of sociable afternoons in a bar.

Watching the rugby at the weekend made me think back to watching games when I was a child. We'd pull the sofa closer to the TV and the whole family would gather round to watch Scotland play. At half time my mum would make up a batch of scones and a pot of tea. It always amazes me how my mum is able to make something so delicious in such a short space of time. Watching rugby in a bar in Perugia where we are the only customers is not quite the same and I definitely miss my half time scones!

Wedding Wednesday Chapter IV - Garden Party

2011-02-23T10:23:00.008+01:00

After the ceremony, we remained in the garden for a couple of hours drinking champagne, nibbling on canapes and having photographs taken. It was lovely and relaxed being at home, children were running in and out of the house, people were able to go into the kitchen and have a cup of tea and even our family dog was able to join in. Matteo and I were able to escape with the photographer for a while and we got some amazing shots taken around the farm.

Making Plarn

2011-02-21T10:42:00.005+01:00

From the 1st January this year Italy has banned shops from giving out plastic bags. Shops can now give out only paper or biodegradable bags. This is a huge step for a country who was previously Europe's biggest consumer of plastic bags. I've been using canvas shopping bags for years however, there were often occasions where I forgot to take them with me and I'd have to use a plastic bag. I think it's fantastic that now I don't have that option. Either I take my own reusable bag or I have to use a paper bag.

Despite the ban I still seem to have quite a few plastic bags around the house from packaging or from shops who are still using up their stores of plastic bags. I decided I wanted to do something with all of this plastic rather than throwing it out.

From a google search I discovered 'plarn' or plastic yarn so I decided I'd try making some. You basically cut the plastic into strips, join them together and then you can use it to knit or crochet all sorts of things from pot scrubbers to handbags.

I've started to knit a pot scrubber. It's not very easy to knit, I think I made the plarn a bit thick and it's difficult to pull the plastic through, if you pull too hard the plastic breaks. However, I'm persevering and I should have a pretty durable pot scrubber when I'm finished.

What do you do with your plastic bags?

Friday Photo - Last of the pumpkins

2011-02-18T10:18:00.004+01:00

We have one pumpkin left over from the Autumn. Any ideas what to make it into?

Happy weekend everyone x x

Wedding Wednesday Chapter III - The Ceremony

2011-02-16T13:08:00.006+01:00

I hope you are not getting bored of these wedding posts yet as there are still a few more to come!

Surprisingly I'd felt fairly calm all morning until the moment the music started for me to walk down the aisle. We'd chosen the traditional Scottish Unst Bridal March which was played on the fiddle by a family friend. As soon as the music started I felt my eyes start to fill with tears and I thought there was no way I'd make it through the ceremony. However as soon as I made eye contact with Matteo and smiled my nerves disappeared and the rest of the ceremony went by like a dream. I'll not say any more about the ceremony, just let the photos speak for themselves.......

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:46:00.005+01:00

We celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday by spending an afternoon in the centre of Perugia then going out for a meal and to the cinema. We don't usually exchange cards or gifts just spend a nice time together.

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love x x

Friday Photo - Pretty Things on Hooks

2011-02-11T09:29:00.003+01:00

One of my little obsessions is hooks with baskets and other pretty things hanging from them. These hooks were an anniversary present from my husband - he knows me so well!!

Hope you have a weekend full of prettiness! x x

Wedding Wednesday Chapter II - Details

2011-02-09T11:34:00.006+01:00

First of all, I apologise for my week long absence. I've been a bit under the weather with a bug so have been having a little break from blogging. I'm starting to feel much better now although still lacking energy.

So now, for part 2 of my wedding posts I wanted to share with you some pictures of all the details of my outfit...

The dress

My dress was a beautiful gown from Jenny Packham. I loved all of her gowns and had a hard time deciding which one I wanted.

Hair accesories

I chose a hair comb also by Jenny Packham and a veil from Richard Designs

Shoes

My shoes were from Dune and despite the pretty high heels were pretty comfortable to wear. I used heel stoppers to stop me from sinking into the grass during the ceremony.

Flowers

My bouquet and the men's buttonholes were from a local florist, Stems of Jedburgh. I wanted a natural country look using in season flowers. I pretty much left it up to the florist to decide which flowers to use and I think she did an amazing job.

So, with everything finally in place I was ready to go and get married!

(All photographs by McBeth Photography)

Wedding Wednesday Chapter I - Getting Ready

2011-02-02T08:31:00.008+01:00

After looking back through my past year of blogging I realised that I didn't really finish writing about our wedding. Some of you may have seen the feature on Rock My Wedding but I have so many photos that I'd still like to share. So, for the next few weeks every Wednesday I'll post a few wedding photos.

Our wedding was at 12 noon so it meant getting ready in the morning was a mad rush. In total there were 11 adults and 4 kids staying in my parents' house which meant we had to have a rota for the shower!

I escaped some of the chaos by going off to the hairdressers for a bit of peace and quiet!

When I returned home a couple of our lovely neighbours had arrived to make everyone bacon rolls for breakfast. I was handed a roll and a glass of champagne and sent upstairs to have my make-up done.

Beautiful bridesmaids..........

As I was getting ready I could hear guests start to arrive in the garden and soon music started to trickle up from below. Despite the chaos it was suddenly all very peaceful.

My make-up and hair done, bridesmaids dressed and only 15 minutes to go, it was time to put on my dress................

(Photography by McBeth Photography)

Plans Approved! Woohoo!

2011-01-31T09:56:00.003+01:00

We found out last week that we have been granted permission to carry out the work on our house. It's taken a while but hopefully things will get moving now.

Happy Monday everyone x x

Friday Photo

2011-01-28T10:19:00.003+01:00

Happy weekend x x

Hand-knitted jumper from mum x x

2011-01-25T11:09:00.004+01:00

One of my favourite presents I received this Christmas was a beautiful hand-knitted jumper from my mum. It's made from a Rowan pattern in their 100% pure wool Scottish Tweed yearn. It's soooo cosy! Thank you mummy!! x x

Friday Photo

2011-01-21T10:35:00.002+01:00

Another animal shot today - my parents' gorgeous little terrier, Tala keeping cosy next to the Aga.

There's snow forecasted here this weekend! I'll be keeping warm next to the fire with my knitting.

Have a cosy weekend x x

Friday Photo

2011-01-14T10:09:00.004+01:00

Our two cats enviously looking in at us from the cold as we tucked in to our Christmas dinner.

(They are named 'The Black One' and 'The Other One'! Can you guess which is which?)

Have a great weekend x x

Handmade Christmas

2011-01-12T10:42:00.006+01:00

Sticking to my Challenge of the Utmost Kind proved difficult at Christmas time. A few of my presents were handmade but I ended up making a last minute purchase of a shirt on Christmas Eve for my husband after I made a mess of the scarf I was knitting for him. It's a lovely shirt and something he needed. I feel a little bit guilty.... but not too much.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to take pictures of all of the things I made. The only thing I did photograph was this star garland which I made for my mum. The pattern for the stars is from Michelle at The Royal Sisters and I had the idea of making it into a garland from Tina at Rubies' Place. The stars are made from hemp which I bought here.

It's such a lovely feeling giving someone a handmade gift and this is a tradition I think I'll continue even when my challenge is over.

A Wonderful Year

2011-01-10T10:46:00.005+01:00

Happy New Year everyone! I'm back fully refreshed and recharged after a wonderfully fun and relaxing holiday in Scotland.

I'd like to start off the New Year by saying thank you to all of my followers who have supported me over the past year and to welcome all of my new followers. When I started my blog I never believed that so many people would actually read what I write. You continue to inspire me with such an amazing variety of blogs and I love hearing from you all.

2010 was an extremely happy year for me. Here's a little re-cap of what I got up to.........

We started off the year snowed in on the farm in Scotland

In February we managed to save some beautiful blue and white tiles from the kitchen in our house.

In March we explored some caves in Tuscany.

In April our house became officially ours after my husband's aunt signed it over to us.

In May I did some sewing for a special wee baby.

We knocked down a wall in June exposing a beautiful archway in our kitchen.

I posted about my wedding invitations in July.

In August we got married!

In September we celebrated our marriage for the second time with family and friends in Italy.

We got stuck into work on the house in October and I embarked upon a Challenge of the Utmost Kind.

In Novemeber I learned how to crochet.

We finished off the year back in snowy Scotland for another cosy family Christmas.

It's truly been an unforgettable year and now we have many more exciting plans to look forward to in 2011.

I wish you all the best for a happy and healthy year.

Lots of love

Sarah Elizabeth x x

Snowy Scotland

2010-12-24T00:56:00.007+01:00

We've made it back to snowy Scotland in time for Christmas. Everything is beautifully wintery and festive and I'm looking forward to spending a lovely cosy Christmas.

Yesterday the Rock My Wedding website featured our engagement shoot from last Christmas when we got some really beautiful shots in the snow. I can't believe a whole year has passed since then.

I want to thank everyone for being such sweet followers of my blog over the past year. Your comments and support make me smile every day. I wish you all a wonderful, magical holiday.

Sarah Elizabeth x x

4 things

2010-12-20T09:37:00.007+01:00

I was given this tag by the lovely Signe of Signe Pling. I love Signe's blog, she always posts such dreamy and beautiful pictures. At the moment she's having a lovely giveaway so I recommend you hop on over to her blog for a look around.

So, here are my 4 things:

4 Shows I watch

This is a tough one as I don't watch TV really apart from the occasional film. So, instead I'll tell you the last 4 films I watched.

1. A Single Man

2. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

3. Disney's Cinderella

4. The Reader

4 Things I'm passionate about

1. Books

2. Dancing and music (I wish I was a ballerina but for now I'm content with having a weekly dance class in our village)

3. Crafting - knitting, crocheting, sewing.......

4. Green living

4 Phrases I say a lot

1. What?! (when I don't understand what someone is saying to me in Italian)

2. Sit down and listen please! (to my little students at school - I must say this at least 100 times a day)

3. Si! (My response to most questions asked by my Italian family - a lot of the time I don't really understand and I just answer 'si')

4. Che schiffo! (This means 'how disgusting' in Italian. I use this phrase a lot but just because I like the way it sounds not because I find anything disgusting.)

4 Things I've learned from the past

1. If you want something in life you have to go out and get it for yourself.

2. Happiness is in no way related to the amount of money you have

3. Life is short - we have to appreciate it while we can but at the same time not take it too seriously.

4. I'm my own worst enemy

4 Places I'd like to go - I think it would be easier to list the places I'd not like to go! I travelled a little bit when I was younger but the past few years have been spent travelling between Scotland and Italy. There are still so many places that I'd like to go but these are the first 4 that come to mind.

1. Australia

2. Nepal

3. Finland

4. Zambia

4 Things I did yesterday

1. Ate a lot of cheese

2. Did some knitting by the fire

3. Watched A Single Man

4. Listened to BBC Radio 2 online (I've just recently made the fabulous discovery that I'm able to listen to UK radio online!)

4 Things I'm looking forward to

1. Going home to Scotland for the holidays

2. Christmas

3. Going sledging

4. Mince pies and mulled wine

4 Things I love about winter

1. Wrapping up in warm winter woolies and going out into the cold.

2. Coming back inside to a roaring fire and mug of steaming hot chocolate.

3. Christmas

4. Eating hot soups and stews

4 Things on my wish list

1. A puppy

2. A new roof on the house we are renovating

3. A piano

4. Plane tickets to Australia

(Hope you are reading this Santa Claus!)

And finally pass the tag onto 4 other bloggers

1. International Woman of Mystery

2. Leanne of From Australia to Italy

3. Loree of Stories and Scribbles

4. Mademoiselle L

Thank you Signe for tagging me.

Thank you also to International Woman of Mystery for awarding me this......

I'd like to pass on the award to the two sweetest sisters anyone could wish for - Loulou May and Wee Jennie Wren

Hope you all have a lovely Christmassy week x x

(All pictures from We Heart It)

Friday Photo - Winter Vines

2010-12-17T09:37:00.003+01:00

Have a happy weekend everyone x x

A gift from a wee bird

2010-12-15T11:22:00.006+01:00

This week I was surprised by a late birthday gift arriving from my sweet sister in Australia. I tore open the envelope to find this lovely little package tied up with a pretty ribbon.

Inside were three packets of vintage crochet thread.

My sister definately knows what I like.

The trouble is they are too pretty to use but too pretty not to use! What would you make with these?

My sister has just started a new business called Wee Jennie Wren, customising basic kids clothing using recycled fabric. She'll be doing a guest post here soon. At the moment she's busy with Christmas orders.

Thank you Wee Jennie Wren x x

A walk around Badiola

2010-12-13T10:20:00.006+01:00

On Saturday we finally had a dry day to get out for a decent walk around the village. It was a perfect crisp winter's afternoon, the light from the low winter sun bathed everything with a warm orange glow - perfect for taking pictures.

At the moment we are living with my in-laws just outside of the village of Badiola. The house we are renovating is in the centre of the village, near the church you can see in the pictures.

Have a good week everyone x x

Friday Photo

2010-12-10T11:05:00.004+01:00

This week I've been thinking about Christmas so todays photo is of some of the bits and pieces I've been using to decorate for the holidays. I love simple, natural style or homemade decorations and every year I add to my little collection.

This week I'm linking up with Rhonda's weekly 'This is on my mind' Friday Photo feature at her blog Down to Earth.

Christmas Market

2010-12-09T11:39:00.004+01:00

Yesterday was a public holiday here in Italy so we spent the day doing Christmassy things. In the morning we put up our Christmas decorations and in the afternoon we headed into Perugia to look round the Christmas market. The centre of Perugia looked beautiful all lit up.

We enjoyed a glass of mulled wine before joining the crowds in the market. There were some lovely things for sale and I got lots of inspiration but I wasn't tempted to buy anything. I didn't manage to get any pictures of the market as it was too busy and crowded to stop for long. Before going home we paid a visit to one of my favourite pasticcerias in Perugia for some hot chocolate. It's called Sandri and has been open since 1860. The interior is beautiful and they make all sorts of mouth watering pastries and chocolates. Going inside is like taking a step back in time.

Altogether it was a lovely day and I now feel much more Christmassy. What have you been doing to get into the Christmas spirit?

Friday Photo

2010-12-03T21:13:00.004+01:00

Thanks for all of your advice on my last post - I've spent this week re-organising my home so that it's much easier for me to get things done. It's made a big difference.

I still had time to sit down with a pot of tea and some biscuits and finish off some sewing I started almost a year ago!

Which picture do you prefer? As usual, fire away with your opinions and ideas for improvement. I don't know if I'm getting any better but it's certainly encouraging to read your thoughts.

It's cold, wet and stormy here in Perugia so I think I'll be having a weekend by the fireside with my knitting. Hope you have a cosy weekend.

Sarah Elizabeth x x

Can you help me please? Someone is stealing my time!

2010-11-30T10:46:00.006+01:00

At this time of year I start to get a bit edgy and nervous. Christmas is only a few weeks away and my head is buzzing with all of the projects I have to complete. Also, at school we have Christmas shows to prepare and it's very stressful getting the little angels to memorise their parts and learn the songs.

My problem is time. I never seem to find the time to get everything done. And it's crazy! I have no children, I work only in the afternoons from 3 until 7.30pm, my mother-in-law does most of the cooking. Yet my work basket looks like this..........

(7 projects on the go and 0 finishes)

My washing basket is overflowing, the house is a mess, I have Christmas cards to make and send and I still haven't finished writing my thank-you letters from our wedding 4 months ago. I haven't done any work on our house renovation for weeks, I haven't read a book or watched t.v. I don't know where on earth my time disappears to.

So, I'm asking you my blogging friends for some help. How do you manage to get things done, raise families, craft, cook look after your homes, blog? What are your secrets of time management?

Have a productive week everyone x x

PS Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes last week. I had a lovely weekend with friends and family. I've now entered the last year of my twenties - only a year to go until the big 3 0!

Friday Photo

2010-11-26T11:55:00.004+01:00

My husband is away in South Africa this week for work and has taken our camera with him so today I'm posting a photo from our wedding taken by the awesome Craig of McBeth photography. It's a picture of my place setting with a handmade origami crane and handmade name tag. I was so inspired by our photographer and hope to be able to take pictures even half as good as this one day.

It's my birthday tomorrow so I have a few fun things planned this weekend with some friends and family. I wish I was in South Africa with my hubby though! Have a great weekend everyone x x

IKEA

2010-11-24T11:05:00.005+01:00

On Sunday I faced my biggest test so far since undertaking my Challenge of the Utmost Kind - a trip to IKEA. We went with a friend who has just bought a new appartment, to help him transport his new furniture. I'm glad to say that I came out empty handed and was surprised to find that I wasn't even tempted to buy anything. In fact, the whole experience kind of annoyed me.

First of all, a trip to IKEA, in Italy (the 4th biggest consumer of IKEA products) on a Sunday afternoon, a month before Christmas is a bad idea. The place was heaving, people were fighting over spaces in the parking lot and getting tetchy in the customer services queue. After a certain amount of time I found a sofa in a quiet corner near the exit and waited until my friend was finished.

I sat there for about an hour watching all the people going out with trolleys full of stuff. I wondered what they would do with that stuff and how long it would be before they'd throw the stuff out and come back to buy more stuff.

IKEA has an image of being an environmentally conscious company, they use wood which is ethically sourced, have reduced the use of certain dangerous substances and have a growing range of recycled products for sale. However, I can't help but wonder how they are able to produce goods at such low costs and I'm sure that somebody somewhere is loosing out. In fact, they were placed on the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame by the International Labor Rights Forum.

Nonetheless, my main problem is not with IKEA itself, it's with the vast number of people who decide to throw out their existing perfectly functional furnishings to go out and buy cheap replacements from IKEA, completely re-doing their homes every few years. Do these people really think it will make them happy to go out on a Sunday afternoon and buy a new dinner set or new bedding, spending their hard-earned cash to replace something that they already have?

I'm not saying that I will never buy anything from IKEA, I think they have some really good products available (I love their wardrobes which have ways of keeping your clothes perfectly organised). However, anything I buy will be something which I think will last for a long time and that won't need to be replaced every few years.

Needless to say, it will be a while before I'll be making another trip to IKEA!

Friday Photo

2010-11-19T09:21:00.011+01:00

Thank you so much for your comments on my first Friday Photo last week. Your kind words and suggestions encourage me and help me to improve.

Once again, any thoughts or suggestions on this weeks photo are very welcome.

This weekend we have a birthday party, a trip to Rome and a visit to the cinema to see the new Harry Potter film! Have a happy weekend everyone x x

Hooked on Crochet

2010-11-15T10:43:00.004+01:00

We spent the whole weekend harvesting olives again and on Saturday night we had our first sample of the new oil from the olives we harvested last weekend. We toasted bread on the fire, added a smidge of garlic and salt and then drizzled it with olive oil. Buonissimo!

Despite being so busy the past few weeks I've still managed to fit in some crafty time. My mother-in-law has been teaching me how to crochet. At first it seemed like the most impossible thing. I tried to copy my mother-in-law's quick, neat turns of the hook but my fingers lacked any kind of coordination. However, once I decide I'm going to do something I don't give up until I succeed. So, I spent a whole evening in battle with the crochet hook and finally I got the hang of it. And now I'm hooked! Every spare minute I get my work out and do a few more rounds, I've even been dreaming of crochet!

I've spent hours looking online for patterns of things I can crochet. The only trouble is, since my mother-in-law taught me I now know how to crochet in Italian and these English patterns are all Greek to me!

Have a nice week x x

Friday Photo

2010-11-12T09:41:00.000+01:00

Since starting my blog a year ago I've been working on becoming a better photographer. I have a fairly good camera but so far have only scratched the surface of what it's able to do. So, I've decided to start a new weekly post where I can show a photo I've taken during the week. This will hopefully challenge me to take more photographs and to work on improving my technique. Any constructive criticism will be gratefully accepted!

Persimmon

Have a good weekend x x

Challenge of the Utmost Kind - monthly update

2010-11-10T23:53:00.004+01:00

I'm one month into my Challenge of the Utmost Kind inspired by Tif of Dottie Angel and I'm proud to say that in this month I haven't bought a single new thing. I satisfied my shopping urges by going to a local flea market and I've been working on my knitting so that I can hopefully soon provide myself with some of the clothes I need. I'm also learning to crochet. The next couple of months are going to be more difficult to get through with Christmas coming up. I haven't started making any of my Christmas presents yet and am a bit lacking in inspiration. If anyone has any ideas of things I can knit, sew or crochet for gifts then please let me know.

Finally, I wanted to share with you the latest video produced by The Story of Stuff Project. It has inspired me to keep going with my challenge.

Olive Harvest

2010-11-08T09:40:00.004+01:00

This weekend I spent helping my mother-in-law's aunt, Zia V, to harvest her olives. Zia V is an incredible lady and an inspiration. At 85 years old she manages her farm and does the same work as a woman half her age.

My job is mainly to arrange the huge nets under the trees to catch the olives as they fall. My husband and father-in-law use machines, a bit like vibrating rakes, to shake the olives from the tree and then I gather the olives in the nets and tip them into crates. My favourite part though is to climb up the trees to pick out any olives they've missed.

The olive harvest is one of my favourite times of the year here in Italy. This weekend was warm and sunny so it was great to be able to spend so much time out of doors especially surrounded by such beautiful countryside of rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards.

It's a sociable event. Friends and family come together to help out and enjoy gossiping as they work and then sharing a huge lunch together.

The work is extremely satisfying and the best part is that in a few weeks time we will be able to enjoy the delicious brand new olive oil. Can't wait!

Hope you all had a good weekend x x

Steps towards a 'Simpler' Life

2010-11-03T11:23:00.011+01:00

"Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things." ~ Elise Boulding

My buzz word at the moment is 'SIMPLIFY.' As well as undertaking my Challenge of an Utmost Kind I'm making a huge effort to 'simplify' my life, to become more self-sufficient and to make do with less. It's strange that the term 'simplify' is often used because I feel like the efforts of cooking from scratch, making homemade gifts, clothes, cleaning products etc. etc. makes my life far from simple! It's so much simpler just to pop to the supermarket and buy the most convenient products available. However, I'm sure that once I get into good habits and routines it will become easier and at the end of the day it's a far more satisfying way to live.

I thought I'd do a series of posts on what I'm doing to simplify or become more self-sufficient, to save money and to have less impact on the environment.

First up is cleaning. Now, I must say that I have a bit of a casual approach to housework and while I enjoy cleaning I don't believe that it's necessary or a good use of time to have a perfectly clean and spotless house all of the time. I've always used a multitude of chemical products for cleaning my home but recently it's become apparent that none of these products are necessary. My cleaning cupboard now consists of the following items:

1. Bicarbonate of soda

2. Savon de Marseille

3. White wine vinegar

4. Olive oil (made from our own olives)

5. Essential oil

6. A hand-knitted cloth

I love the tips on the uses of bicarbonate of soda on the box.....

My mum knitted me this dish cloth to put in my 'bottom drawer' before I got married!

These products meet most of my cleaning needs, are cheap and have a lower impact on the environment than chemical products.

The only cleaning products I now buy are washing detergent and washing up liquid. I experimented with making my own washing powder but wasn't convinced by the results. I need to experiment a bit with some different recipes and also find the ingredients I need to make my own washing up liquid. In the mean time I buy eco-products, a pretty expensive alternative.

This weekend I'm helping with the olive harvest so fingers crossed the weather stays as warm and sunny as it has been the past few days.

Hope you have a good weekend x x

Star light star bright..........

2010-11-02T10:19:00.004+01:00

I have been a bad blogger recently and not been posting as regularly as I'd like. Either I haven't been doing anything interesting to post about or I haven't managed to take photos of what I've been doing. So today, I'm cheating a little and posting some photos taken by my Darling Husband.

When we first met I was really attracted to my husband's love of the stars. He'd point out different stars in the sky, telling me their names and the legends behind them. It was very romantic! He loves taking pictures of the night sky and this weekend was very clear and he managed to get some pretty good shots.

In this picture, just between the trees, you can see clearly the constellation of the Corona Borealis (northern crown). The main stars form a semi-circular arc and in Greek mythology represent the crown belonging to Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete.

The cluster of stars you can see in this shot is the Pleiades or 'Seven Sisters.' In Greek mythology the seven sisters were the seven daughters of Atlas.

A view of Perugia by night from behind our house.

Have a good week x x

Thrifted chopping board

2010-10-27T11:02:00.005+02:00

At the weekend I finally got round to cleaning up the chopping board I bought a few weeks ago. It took a lot of scrubbing with hot water and vinegar and then sanding down as there were some pretty deep cuts and scratches in the wood. It was well worth the effort however, the grain in the wood has come up really nicely and it was so much more satisfying than going out and buying a brand new chopping board.

Getting Knitty

2010-10-19T10:30:00.007+02:00

The days are getting colder and the nights are drawing in, it's time to get my knitting needles out again. I like nothing more than knitting by the fire with a steaming mug of my aunt-in-laws homemade laurel tea.

I learned how to knit when I was about 8 years old and my skills haven't really progressed since then! I've only ever managed to knit things like this simple cowl..........

........or these very basic fingerless gloves.

I've never actually followed a knitting pattern, all those abbreviations scare me a bit (k2tog, psso, sk2p - what do they all mean???) However, if I'm going to succeed in my Challenge of the Utmost Kind, I decided that I need to work on improving my knitting skills so I can make myself something a bit more useful than gloves with no fingers!

So, I searched online to come up with an easy pattern I could follow. I thought I'd start with something really simple and work my way up. I came up with a dead easy pattern for slipper socks and at the weekend I completed the first one using wool which some friends gave me for my birthday almost a year ago.

It's a bit of a funny shape as I didn't have the right kind of wool or the right size of needles. However, it's cosy and comfy and I think very 'chic' in the granny way. Now, I just have to knit the other one..........

Uncovering hidden secrets

2010-10-17T18:08:00.004+02:00

We spent a strenuous morning today knocking plaster off the walls in the house. It's hard work but I loved doing something physical - I'm fed up of all the talking and planning.

We uncovered some lovely hidden features under the plaster like this old chimney breast...........

and some not so lovely features like this big crack in the wall!

Here's me in action. That dust gets everywhere in spite of the dust protection gear!

Hope you had a productive weekend.

Sarah Elizabeth x x

House Plans

2010-10-12T11:09:00.010+02:00

We finally have the final plans from the geometra for the adjustments we're making to the house and all of the documents we require are all ready for submission to the commune for approval. It's taken us over a year to get to this stage. I'm not even sure why it's taken so long. The geometra is a friend of my husband's family so it's mainly been my father-in-law who has been dealing with this side of things. We're not making any major changes to the outside of the house, basically just putting it back to the way it once was. The only big change is to slightly enlarge some of the windows.

Piano Terra (Ground floor)

We have two options for the placement of the kitchen. We can either have a big kitchen / diner in the 'taverna,' the large room where we opened up the arch I posted about here, and a small living room / den next door. Or we can use the large room as a living / dining room and have a smaller kitchen next door. The plans show the kitchen in both locations (we won't actually have two kitchens!)What do you think is best, a large kitchen or a large living room?

The downstairs bathroom will be more of a laundry room with a loo, and possibly shower if space allows, rather than a bathroom the way the geometra has shown.

the 'cantina'

Piano Primo (First floor)

The problem we have upstairs is that we only have 2 rooms we can use as bedrooms. The external staircase enters into the third room so it can't really be used as a bedroom. The geometra has shown it as another living room with a little kitchen in the corner (not quite sure why she thinks we need yet another kitchen!. However, we're planning to use this room as a study / library. We'll also put a sofa bed in there so it can turn into a guest bedroom when required.

the 'library'

This weekend is going to be spent in the house knocking the plaster off the walls. I'm getting extremely impatient now. It seems like the real work is never going to begin.

Flea Market Finds

2010-10-08T11:32:00.005+02:00

To kick start my challenge of the utmost kind, last weekend we paid a visit to nearby Pissignano to check out their monthly flea market. Held on the first Sunday of every month, it's one of the biggest second hand and antique markets in Umbria with over 200 stalls. It was a bit of a recce for us to see what type of goods are on offer. Although we're not quite at the stage of buying furniture etc. yet, I want to start collecting bits and pieces for our house when and where we can. There was a huge variety of treasures on offer from vintage motorbikes to fabric and lace. Here are some pictures of what was tempting me.........

1. Vintage suitcases

2. Old kitchen scales

3. Copper pots and pans

4. Vintage radios

And here is what I bought.......

1. A dirty old wooden chopping board in need of a good scrub

2. Some 1950s provençal fabric

I could have bought so much more though. I have to be patient however. At the moment we need bricks and mortar not kitchen scales! Nonetheless, I think this could become a monthly outing for me.

Now to decide what to do with that fabric.......

A Challenge of the Utmost Kind

2010-10-07T12:02:00.000+02:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently. Thinking about what my goals are, what I want to achieve and the type of life I want to lead. The past year I've been floating along on the excitement of wedding plans, trying to get our renovation project off the ground and building my reputation in the school where I work. I've not really spent time examining my life and where it's going.

Blogging has opened up a whole new world to me and I've come across so many women who I've come to admire and even envy. They're mothers, home-makers, crafters, gardeners, cooks. They lead healthy and thrifty lives, caring for their environment and their homes, raising healthy, happy families....they seem to do it all and I wonder to myself, why can't I be more like that? They're living the lives I'd like to lead and it's time I did something about it.

While planning our wedding I came across the blog Imagine Lovely. I was in awe of Tania Verdez's challenge of buying only second hand or home made items for a whole year, this included planning her handcrafted vintage wedding. I discovered that she was taking part in a challenge set by Tif of Dottie Angel. At the time I read about it and thought, as I often do, that's something I'd like to do....maybe one day.

Recently I've been growing more and more concerned about the impact of our consumer society on the environment. Then I came across the Story of Stuff Project. Their video about where 'stuff' comes from and where it goes scared me into really thinking about what I buy and what I do with the things I buy.

So these discoveries combined with a feeling of lethargy about my life now that the excitement of the wedding is over have led me to the decision of taking up Dottie Angel's challenge. For one whole year, starting on 10.10.10 I pledge to buy only second hand or homemade goods for myself and my home. This will include as far as is possible the things we need for our home renovation. Where it's not possible to buy second hand or homemade (second hand paint might be difficult to come by!) I'll buy the greenest product available.

Already I'm feeling overwhelmed by this challenge and at the moment I see only obstacles. My family and friends in Italy are going to think I'm crazy. There is a distinct lack of charity shops or thrift stores in this part of the world and I have no idea where on earth I'm going to do my shopping. However, I know that I have the blogging community to continue to inspire me and I'm relying on you, my blogging friends to get me through the coming year.

Let the challenge begin!

Beautiful Venice

2010-10-03T18:58:00.008+02:00

The second day of our mini-moon we spent in Venice and it was every bit as beautiful as I had imagined.

Everywhere you look there is something even more spectacular to see.

We encountered acqua alta (high water), a phenomenon which occurs in Autumn and Winter when the scirocco wind blows causing higher than normal tides. Piazza San Marco was flooded and although there were raised walkways to cross the square we decided, like hundreds of others to take our shoes off and paddle about in the water. It was such a warm sunny day after all.

We had a (very expensive) aperitivo at a cafe where the waiters were wearing bowties, white jackets and rubber waders!

It was so surreal but at the same time magical, sitting there drinking our prosecco in the middle of a giant puddle while a quartet played a waltz behind us.

Unfortunately, just after lunch the battery of our camera died so I hardly have any photos. It's probably just as well, I don't think my limited photographic skills would have done Venice justice!

L'Isola del Sole

2010-10-03T18:43:00.012+02:00

I don't know where this week has gone! It's taken me all week to get round to posting about our mini-moon in the North of Italy. We stayed in a hotel in Grado which is in the north eastern region, Fruili-Venezia Giulia, not far from the border with Slovenia. Grado, or L'Isola del Sole (Sunny Island), as it's known, is a lovely seaside town in the centre of a lagoon on the Adriatic Coast. We spent a lovely day exploring the old town, walking along the beach and eating sea food.

I love taking pictures of windows!

Lanterns inside the church

This room of the church was under water.

The most common way to get around in Grado is by bike..........

........or by boat!

an interesting quote on a blackboard outside a bar. It says,

'The worst prison is the one we create for ourselves"

I loved the bright sunny yellow of these beach huts.

After a lot of walking we definately deserved this tasty pot of mussels and a few glasses of the local wine.

Tomorrow I'll be back with pictures from Venice (the few we managed to take before our camera ran out of battery - school boy error!)

Rock My Wedding

2010-09-30T22:04:00.003+02:00

Check out our wedding on the Rock My Wedding website!

Part 1

Part 2

A mini-moon in Venice

2010-09-23T11:27:00.003+02:00

"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go." --Truman Capote

We're off this weekend on our second mini-moon to Venice! As a wedding present Matteo's aunt has given us a weekend in a hotel in Grado, a spa town which is about an hour away from Venice. I've never been to Venice before and I can't wait to explore the labyrinth of canals and streets, to see Piazza San Marco and to take a vaporetto down the Canal Grande.......

Photo from here

Italian Wedding

2010-09-13T12:19:00.004+02:00

Our wedding celebrations finished with a bang at the weekend and now life is slowly returning to normal. I feel incredibly lucky to have had two weddings and celebrations that have gone on for over a month. We're truly blessed with wonderful family and friends both in Italy and Scotland and we've been overwhelmed by the kindness shown to us by everyone. Here are just a few photos from Saturday night but there are many more which I'll be sharing over the next few weeks.

Rock My Wedding

2010-09-08T11:44:00.007+02:00

I'm now back in Italy and preparing for Part 2 of our wedding. We are having a party in the village to celebrate with all of our friends and family here who couldn't come to Scotland. It's going to be a great night with all of the village invited and lots of pasta to be eaten!

I still have a lot to share about our wedding in Scotland but I'll have to hold off for a bit as hopefully it's going to be featured on Rock My Wedding. I'm not sure when but I'll keep you posted!

*Sarah Elizabeth*

Winter is here!

My Birth Story

Welcome Alba May

Still waiting........

Crochet Baby Blanket

My Seven Links

My Pinterest

Eco Baby

Homemade Bag

One Year

For Olga.....

Lazy summer days.....

Challenge of the Utmost Kind - update

La vie sur l'eau

I'm back!

Handmade Cushion Cover

A crocheted gift for a special 4 year old

Wedding Wednesday Chapter VI - The Evening Reception

I'm back!

Festa della Donna - International Women's Day

Friday Photo - Rooftops in Orvieto

Wedding Wednesday Chapter V - The Reception

Scones and Rugby

Wedding Wednesday Chapter IV - Garden Party

Making Plarn

Friday Photo - Last of the pumpkins

Wedding Wednesday Chapter III - The Ceremony

Happy Valentine's Day

Friday Photo - Pretty Things on Hooks

Wedding Wednesday Chapter II - Details

Wedding Wednesday Chapter I - Getting Ready

Plans Approved! Woohoo!

Friday Photo

Hand-knitted jumper from mum x x

Friday Photo

Friday Photo

Handmade Christmas

A Wonderful Year

Snowy Scotland

4 things

Friday Photo - Winter Vines

A gift from a wee bird

A walk around Badiola

Friday Photo

Christmas Market

Friday Photo

Can you help me please? Someone is stealing my time!

Friday Photo

IKEA

Friday Photo

Hooked on Crochet

Friday Photo

Challenge of the Utmost Kind - monthly update

Olive Harvest

Steps towards a 'Simpler' Life

Star light star bright..........

Thrifted chopping board

Getting Knitty

Uncovering hidden secrets

House Plans

Flea Market Finds

A Challenge of the Utmost Kind

Beautiful Venice

L'Isola del Sole

Rock My Wedding

A mini-moon in Venice

Italian Wedding

Rock My Wedding

Sarah Elizabeth