Another day, another fender bender

So yes, the title says it all. My first accident was not too long after we arrived. I and the kids parked the car and got out, soon after someone side swiped the car and drove off into the sunset. A couple of days ago while going to our Italian friends house, I was following a man who appeared to be making a lefthand turn in a small Italian car. I was wrong. He was making a right hand turn (Into a large driveway) that a US truck driving would do! I went straight, he hit me. I still love it here! I still have a lot to learn though!

l made it to our friends house. Her name is Mima and she is a young Italian that lives at home with her Sister and her Mama. The kids and I were invited to her house, which is an honor when you're invited and to not accept would be extremely rude. I really like Mima so of course I said yes. We had such a grand time. Mima's mama can't speak a lick of English but somehow were bonded instantly. I had finally arrived! I walked into this typical Italian house, with Rosemaries and statues of Jesus and Mary. I loved it, I really did. We were given gifts as soon as we walked in! Pepper received a car and track set and Ava a barbie Doll. I was given a beautiful bottle of perfume. But the gifts did not compare to seeing the kids play with Mama yelling Umpa!! I missed my mom at that moment, and can't wait to see her.

Mima's sister is studying language at a local college nearby in Naples. She know English, Spanish, and French. She's a sweet girl, I think a little more "wild" than Mima appears to be!

I met Mima soon after I arrived in Italy. We were all sick for weeks and our insurance coverage here in the Us sucks so we tried to just wait it out. Finally Pepper got his normal ear aches with an extremely high fever. I trudged over to the hospital. $500 bux and a 4 hour wait made me shutter. A nice guy whispered in my ear.."go out in town, find a pharmacy with a Dottore they can help." So I did. I met Mima who looked in Pepper's ear, gave him some tachidol (tylenol) and an antibiotic for his infection. Moving to Italy was a big adjustment on our health, they call it the Naples flu. We were sick for a couple of months and often trekked to the pharmacy to see Mima. We became friends quickly and I'm so happy about it.

Today's craft idea

The kids and I have been doing crafts when we are home. We don't always go running around, sometimes it is nice to sit at home for a while! A friend on facebook suggested a web site for Chunk Crayons. Basically you take all those crayons laying around your house. you know the ones, the broken ones lying in the corner of the bedroom, livingroom and playroom. Get all of those crayons, peel the paper off and set aside. Take a cupcake tin and spray it with Pam, preheat the oven to 275. Take the crayons and be creative with the grouping. Break them into small pieces and put the in the muffin tin. We grouped one with red, white, and blue. Did another with Pink and browns. Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes. Take out and you can take a toothpick and swirl the colors if you like. I put my tin in the freezer for about 15 minutes, take it out and pop the crayons out ready to use!

The kids before sticking crayons in oven!

Ready to stick in the Oven!

All cooked and ready to draw with

Well folks, this is it in a nutshell...for today!

So...I'm starting my blog again! My adventures in Italy.

We arrived in Italy on May 5th, what a wonderful time we're having. I really love it here. Dennis and I decided to live on the Support site in Gricignano which is about 15 minutes away from Naples. Lots of things to do for families and kids here so we're happy with our decision.

We've had a few adventures so far and are adjusting well. I have a few theories about driving in italy. Although it is notorious for their driving skills, I love it! I say that if we all drived like Italians, passing whenever and wherever no matter the oncoming cars, beeping to alert you that they are planning on not letting you through, flashing their lights to let you know that you're not going fast enough! The driving has been an adventure in itself!

Our first trip was to Capri. What a beautiful Island in Naples, with water so beautiful and blue. Our friend Brian went with us. Brian and I visited the blue Grotto which is a cave on the island. You have to take a smaller motor boat to the cave. At the cave's entrance you get into a row boat from the motor boat. In the entrance of the cave you have to lie flat down to get into it and WOW...well worth it! The water was the most beautiful blue, with a small ray of sun shining in. It was a gift from God and I knew it. The island itself had beautiful homes and gardens and quaint shops that I bought a heart necklace from. I'd love to post pictures here, but left my camera in a cab and upon flagging him down it was gone. Another italian lesson learned!

Our next grand adventure was to Bari Safari. What an amazing time we had. This is a drive through zoo. We took vegetables and fruit cut up for the animals in case we could feed them. Upon our arrival we were greeted by all kinds of deer. We saw tigers and lions and bears oh my! The kids were so excited to be able to feed camels, zebras, giraffes, and buffalo! What a great family outing.

That's it in a nutshell for today..more tomorrow!