All The Best
December 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year
to all the readers of The MOB Blog!
~ BE FABULOUS ~
Thanksgiving in Tuscany
December 8, 2010 By 4 Comments
Ever since Kate became engaged and began wearing her beautiful new diamond engagement ring, Paul has been hinting that perhaps it was time for me to upgrade my engagement diamond. Paul proposed to me in 1973. We were both 19 years old. He reminds me that in 1973, $450.00 was a lot of money. God bless him; he did spend a lot of money on my engagement ring because he did spend exactly $450.00.
But jewelry is not my thing, and in response I suggested we take the family on a big holiday vacation. “It will never get easier coordinating eight people’s schedules,” I said.
We have a small vineyard on our land, and Paul’s hobby is growing grapes and making wine. (Hobby? Turns out it is a full time job!) We discussed a trip to Sonoma or Napa, CA where we could enjoy the winery tours and pick up a few tips to bring back home. We realized that living in New England, it would be about the same distance to travel to Tuscany, Italy. I began planning the trip in February and this past Thanksgiving we created a week of family memories that will remain in my heart forever.
We rented Villa Domitilla in Impruneta, a small town just outside of Florence. We toured local towns and wineries, took a day trip to Florence, Rome and Siena. The flights, the weather and the accommodations ….well they were simply perfect. The landscape and architecture of the Tuscan countryside was breathtaking. We had dinner prepared for us in our villa on Thanksgiving Day, and after enjoying a delectable Italian feast by candlelight in the formal dining room, we transitioned to one of the two formal sitting rooms to watch the Patriots beat Detroit via laptop.
What an experience. Better than any sized diamond.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I will end now and let you enjoy some photos from our family Thanksgiving in Tuscany. Oh…and if you are ever considering renting a villa in Italy, have I got the lady for you! Olga, of ChiantiMania , helped us to create the perfect family holiday in Italy.
Baci e abbracci
Book Signing ~ Heart of the Country
December 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Please join me for Girls Night Out on December 8th at Heart of the Country in Old Wethersfield, Connecticut.
The fun begins at 5:00 pm. I would love to meet readers of The MOB Blog, and talk wedding to Mothers and Brides currently planning their special day, or hearing stories from weddings past. Bring and share your wedding photos with two of my fellow Connecticut authors, Jan Mann, author of Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket and Patricia Sheehy author of Dancing Under the Full Moon and other popular books on Laws of Attraction.
Of course I will be there to personalize book purchases of Not My Mother’s Wedding…a behind the scenes look by a bride and her mother at what it really takes to put on a wedding. Everything the “How To” books don’t tell you! Autographed books make the perfect holiday gift!
Jan will be serving up a treat from her Picnic Basket and you can relax and holiday shop in Heart of the Country’s fabulous boutique store.
I look forward to seeing you Wednesday night December 8th for this fun event.
Happy Thanksgiving To Readers of The MOB Blog!
November 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A BLESSED AND RELAXING THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
Holiday Quandary: 1 Couple – 2 Families
June 1, 2010 By 1 Comment
Today we turn our calendar to the month of June. So why bring up the hot spot of where the new couple will be spending their holidays? The answer – Sibling’s Weekend. This year, Sibling’s Weekend is scheduled for the end of July, and plans are well under way for the celebration.
It wasn’t long after the wedding when the upcoming holidays were brought up in conversation. I could tell Kate was feeling me out on what options would upset me least. In addition, I was troubled by the denial of her sister who felt Christmas couldn’t happen without Kate …tradition!
Hard as it was, I accepted that family traditions were about to change. I could see that gathering the family all together for holidays would become even more challenging as our other children married.
My solution? Sibling’s Weekend. Our children all live out of state, and our greatest joy is to have them all gathered together… no holiday needed. We now chose a date in the summer, make it a long weekend, and everyone comes home for family fun. Sibling’s Weekend has truly become a tradition that overshadows the holiday time. Travel is not complicated by winter storms and busy airports, there are no outside demands on family time and the best part is I am not exhausted from shopping for gifts and decorating the house. I like to have my gardens looking nice (a hobby I love) and I make sure the house is stocked with food.
Most of the activity takes place in the kitchen with the role of Chef and Sous Chef interchanging with no previous planning. The traditional New England Lobster /Clam bake is a given one night, along with the must have Pillsbury Funfetti cake. I am amazed at the culinary skills all the kids have mastered, and pick up some great easy recipes. We have a small vineyard. We celebrate the release of the new vintage with a wine tasting by the grape vines.
We use this occasion to celebrate summer birthdays and share travel videos (the award going to the funniest video.) We take the family holiday photo and simply hang out. This summer’s highlight is the introduction of Murphy, Kate and Dan’s 100 pound Greater Swiss …to Cody, Tracy’s Chihuahua puppy. I’ve got my fingers crossed!
We love our new tradition. We own it…not Hallmark. And when holiday time arrives, and plans get a little confusing, I look at our Christmas photo of Sibling’s Weekend and smile.
Marisa Baratelli