Gia-Gina Across the Pond

My Etsy Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:08:00 +0000

I started selling my Super Bibs on Etsy.com. Check them out!

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The Super Bib

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:07:00 +0000

I have started a new venture and wanted to mention it on this blog.
See this link for Super Bibs! For a limited time I am giving a friends and family discount as well as a former blog buddy discount so check it out!

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The Sad End Of Gia-Gina In Italy/Across The Pond

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 05:29:00 +0000

I loved having this blog. I started it as a way to keep my family and friends in Seattle, Hawaii, Guam and elsewhere abreast of my comings and goings as I left Seattle for Italy in Jan of 2005. It was really a great way to keep in touch with everyone even as the blog evolved into a way for me to meet other expats all over the world. As I explored and immersed myself in the Italian culture I got a chance to share my thoughts and experiences with the blogging world. Support, goodwill and love flowed from the keystrokes of friends all over the globe. I will always be grateful to everyone who read, wrote and commented.

With two small babies to concentrate on, I really do not have time to keep up two blogs. So farewell to Gia-Gina in Italy and Gia-Gina Across the Pond. Deme and I will still eat, cook and live our lives but I think my job as a mom comes first and so if you want to continue reading about our family, come on over to our Sprog Blog.

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Sprog Number 2 Has Arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:55:00 +0000

Yes we are still remodeling and in spite of all the construction going on Lorenzo Yu decided to arrive, see the baby blog for updates. I predict a slow death for this blog after all the work on the condo has been done. Two babies in diapers will be a handful and I think one blog will be work enough.

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A Nice Mention

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:28:00 +0000

Newsflash: Remodeling still going on and Sprog #2 has not shown his face yet.

Amber tagged me for this post. Do I feel I am nice? Am I a good person? I have always thought that I am. I hate to self promote so I won't but in my heart of hearts I know I am a loving mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend. There are so many ways to express kindness I think. One can volunteer to hold babies in the NICU, cook a meal at a homeless shelter, pick up garbage in your neighborhood on Earth Day, send a card to someone you love or like, make a donation to a charity, the list goes on and on.

Over the years I have tried not to be too negative about my life in Italy as a foreigner. I opened myself up to making new friends and now I miss them all terribly. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Still I have so much to be grateful for. Thank you Amber for making me remember all these wonderful blessings in my life.

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We Have Fire!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:02:00 +0000

Yesterday our stove was installed and we officially had fire! After 15 days of making scrambled eggs, oatmeal and frozen entrees in the microwave we cooked a real dinner last night. Deme and a friend placed a small bet about what type of pasta we were going to make first: carbonara or matriciana, I wanted to make carbonara but we didn't have any pancetta.

*click on images to see them larger.

This is the original 20 year old kitchen with white oak cabinets and black appliances.

We had the old cabinets removed and waited 4 weeks for the new ones to arrive. I choose simple maple wood cabinets for a clean and modern look.

After the new cabinets were installed, we had to wait until the counter tops could be fabricated.

We used a great guy named Yuri to supply and fabricate our counter tops. With the advice of Deme's friend Roberto, we got a great deal and great service. (Usually it takes 7-10 business days but he rushed the job for us seeing that I am pregnant.) We ended up purchasing two full slabs of Uba Tuba with enough leftover to have a counter top for the wet bar too.

Here is the kitchen sink with the holes pre-drilled for the faucet, the garbage disposal, the soap dispenser and hot water dispenser.

We started using the kitchen right away and as you can tell our counters are getting pretty full. I still have to go out and get a few small kitchen appliances like a blender, toaster, coffee grinder and mixer but I'm i no hurry at all.

We love the look of the dark granite with the dark floors and light colored counter tops, maybe I have a future in interior design.

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Che Stress!

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:26:00 +0000

We have moved into a construction zone. The kitchen is half finished, one bathroom is out of order and there are still boxes everywhere. Progress is being made daily and things should be back to "normal" in 1-2 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

We are still waiting on the granite counter tops and they take a week to make. Luckily we have a microwave and refrigerator available. The stove, sink and dishwasher have to be installed after the counter tops so we think in a week the kitchen will be up and running.

Don't even ask what that tower in the corner is with all the wires sticking out from it. It's Demetrio's entertainment "project", enough said. BTW, this is our living room.

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Look What I Found

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 04:24:00 +0000

Demetrio's half brother is named Alessandro. We Googled him last night and found him here.

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Blood Oranges

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:31:00 +0000

A friend of ours who works a company that sells blood orange juice, asked me to take some photos for an ad campaign. I really could not do a good job as most of our camera and photography equipment is still in boxes. These however are a couple of the best images.

Blood oranges with lemons and limes.

Blood oranges with blackberries. We were trying to show how dark the flesh of the oranges are compared to the berries.

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Remodel Updates!

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 20:55:00 +0000

More and more work is being completed, the new closets are in, the painting is done, the floors are done. We still have to finish the kitchen but the majority of the work is complete. Once by one we will complete each of the three bathrooms as well; one bathroom a month is our goal right now. We planned to move in the weekend of the 15th and 16th but without a kitchen we have postponed moving in until the end of the month.

Old closet 1 of 4

Old closet 2 of 4

New hallway closet 1

New master closet

New carpet to MIL apartment

Old fireplace

New fireplace with slate tiles. All the wires are Deme's entertainment center project in progress.

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The Fruits of My Labor 2

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:49:00 +0000

I won't be able to garden for much longer. Deme, V and I spent about an hour yesterday harvesting and cleaning up my garden patch. Thank you Deme!

This is my third cavolo nero harvest. Most of the time I just saute the greens over low heat and add chopped onion, garlic and oil. Other times I stew the greens with a bit of tomato and we eat it as a side dish. I plan to freeze a batch for ribolitta this winter.

We picked about 15 pounds of tomatoes yesterday and after Veronica went to bed last night I went into full sugo production. The tomatoes were nice a sweet since they had not been watered for over a week. They were also nice and ripe so I did not have to add sugar to my sauce.

Onions and garlic are the only other ingredients in my sugo. Other additions are oregano and tomato paste (if needed.)

It takes me about 2 hours from start to finish to make my sugo. I start by sauteing onion, garlic in good olive oil. When the onions are soft and golden, I add the tomatoes, skin and all to the pot and let it all cook and meld together. Add your herbs and season with salt and pepper. If your tomatoes are on the watery side, leave the cover off during the last hour to concentrate the sauce. When the sauce is finished I pass the sauce through a sieve to remove all the seeds and skins (this takes just a minute or two) and I am left with a very flavorful sauce that has a million uses. Try it today!

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The Fruits of My Labor

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:16:00 +0000

My mom tells me not to garden since the bending over and the strain might hurt me. I have gotten some help from friends with the weeding but I still water my garden once a week and try to get out there once or twice a week to pick tomatoes, artichokes, lettuce and salad greens and herbs. I have started planting my fall and winter crops but with the baby arriving soon I really have to cut back.

Baby zucchini and fresh salad and sauce tomatoes. The variety called "Mamma Mia" is very similar to San Marzano. Can you believe I have been picking 10+ pounds a week? Next year I will have to plant fewer plants.

I love misticanza and so does Deme. It is a great accompaniment to meaty dishes. When the salad greens go wild and bolt, I end up picking just the hearts of the escarole, endive, frisee, radicchio, chicoria and other greens.

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Bamboo Mishap or Disaster?

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:04:00 +0000

We love the look of bamboo flooring. I like the fact it is a renewable resource and it is cheap. This summer we did our research and visited quite a few design centers and model homes. The bamboo is a really great choice for us since it is hard, strong and very durable. With the environmental sensibilities of people the live in the Northwest, we think this is a great selling point for us in the future.

Look to the gray area to the right of the flooring. When the nasty, old carpet was ripped up, it revealed that the concrete sub-floor below was cracked and not level. The floor installer will try to level out the floor with various concrete leveling products and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

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Some Before's and After's

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:47:00 +0000

The work on the condo is progressing slowly but surely. We have painted and updated all the electrical as well as begun work on the floors. Here are a few before and after photos on the ongoing remodel.

The back porch/balcony was pressure washed, we painted the entire area, I removed all the old soil from the herb box and planted new herbs for our kitchen. The old flooring (industrial outdoor carpet) was removed and we tiled the entire area. It looks great. Now we just have to set up our outdoor bistro set and BBQ.

These are the strairs to the front door, we removed the carpet and pressure washed the area.

I chose a dark tile since the building is a blah and boring mustard yellow. Deme liked my choice and we think it turned out great!

We had to change the drain cover and totally clean the area before we tiled it. We also plan to refresh the area with a new coat of paint but it is not a priority right now.

I wanted to make the entry way attractive and decorated with some tropical plants, the Hawaiian ginger smells fantastic.

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Un-Met Expectations

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 03:59:00 +0000

Everyone knows that remodeling is a pain in the butt. Nothing is ever done on time. Nothing is ever done within the set budget. None of your expectations are ever met. I have been through quite a history of remodels with the families that I've worked with when I was a nanny.

For a week I had to cook on a camping stove when the promised kitchen was not ready in time.

Once when a bathroom was not "attached" to the plumbing and a child "went", only to have the contents fall from the second story bathroom right into the middle of the first floor living room. Yuck!

One family moved three times in 5 months while their home was being remodeled.

This weekend was the pits, the new closets we're having put in were missing some brackets and they are on back order. Ugh! Plus two shelves were crooked.

The tile guy is two days behind schedule.

The painter is a week behind schedule which delays the electrician.

The flooring guys only have half of the bamboo flooring that I need at this time, the rest will come in about 1-2 weeks! Damn!

It took one cabinet guy over three weeks to come over and measure for the new cabinets.

I hate it when things are promised and not delivered. I pay on time and so I expect the work to be done on time. Is that too much to ask?

Project still pending:

Demolishing the new kitchen, new windows, new front door, new appliances....

Photos to come soon.

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Some New Things

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 03:46:00 +0000

Last week the work and upgrading started at the condo. We needed a new furnace and hot water heater. Luckily the central air conditioner was still okay. We have to get it maintained and some refrigerant added but it does not need to be replaced at this time.

We needed an earthquake strap and an expansion tank to bring the hot water heater up to code.

The furnace was from 1983 and about to crack which meant possible carbon monoxide leaking into the house. With two babies in the house that was the first thing I had replaced.

This weekend we have been busy cleaning up the condo and getting it ready to get painted. We removed all outlet covers, blinds, spackled all holes, removed old lighting, old mirrors that were screwed on and glued on to the walls (so we had to patch a lot of drywall), we painted a fence, some metal railing and tomorrow the painting begins!

*Did I mention it took almost 2 weeks for Deme and I to agree on room colors?

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Produce Find

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:38:00 +0000

No this is not a deformed peach, it is a donut peach. They are becoming more and more popular as they are cute and delicious. What I love about them is that they are storeable. Regular peaches are hard to store and transport when ripe since they bruise so easily. These little guys are much easier to bag and take home. I would love a dwarf donut peach tree for the kids. The flesh is white and tastes like a cross between a peach and a nectarine. Look for them at your local farmers market.

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My Newest Recipies

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Design School 101

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:09:00 +0000

Design has never been my forte. This remodeling project has really taken over my life. Last night I dreamt in square footage, price per gallon, tile and bamboo flooring. My dreams are interrupted by bidding wars as well as countless hours of Internet research. We hope to update the condo with contemporary bathrooms and a fully functional kitchen. By this time next year, if we are lucky we will have sold the condo and will be in our new home.

Today we went to pick up a special order, stainless steel undermount wet bar sink for our wet bar. At the showroom we saw the most fantastic bathroom sinks and vanities, see photos below. As you can imagine high style comes with very high prices. I love them all and do not have a favorite.

Demetrio's favorite.

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If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 21:43:00 +0000

The remodel of our condo officially started this week. I have been antsy to get the repairs started because we want to move in at the end of the month. After 10 years, we have decided the place needs a complete overhaul. We have to redo the kitchen cabinets, countertops, buy all new kitchen appliances, re-tile the fireplace, front entryway, tile the balcony, redo three bathrooms, replace some carpets and lay down hardwood floors. Do not ask me how much this is going to cost because I have no idea. We are getting to some of the projects right away but others just have to wait.

The first thing I wanted to do was to get the furnace and air conditioner serviced. When I called a local heating and air-conditioning company to come out to do the job, we got a bit of bad news. We needed a new furnace in the air conditioner needed some major servicing. We bit the bullet and purchased a new high-efficiency gas furnace. While THAT furnace was being installed, we were informed by one of the technicians that our water tank was old, rusty, leaking and was due to be replaced. I tell you with the remodeling job if it's not one thing it's another. I know we are going to be stretched to the limit time wise and budget wise.

We could save quite a bit of money if we didn't have to hire a painter but since I can't help with any of the painting we just have to dig deeper into our pockets. I am in charge of selecting, paint colors and small details but Demetrio has been great in helping me make those decisions. He is working on a few small projects himself; this weekend he is replacing to garage door motors. Other projects on his list are to change/replace:

1. The doorbell
2. The deadbolt (he’s interested in a fingerprint reader so if we lose our keys we can still get in the house.)
3. Some of our existing light fixtures (he used to be an electrician remember?)
4. Pressure washing the exterior entryway as well as the balcony

That is the short list, for all the other little jobs, we have hired a handyman. Wish us luck!

Trader Joe's Phad Thai

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:04:00 +0000

Today I went to Trader Joe's and wanted to try their Asian boxed lunches. They have phad thai and two other varieties. ( I cannot remember the varieties right now.) I usually do not like boxed food but could not resist. This phad thai claims to taste authentic and be ready to eat after 2 minutes in the microwave. I was game so I took one home for 1.99. The directions say to remove the noodles from the pouch and fluff with a fork then pour the sauce on top and microwave for 2 minutes.

The verdict: It was okay, the sauce was too sweet but not bad. The noodles were not soggy but not al dente and chewy like they should be. The only things missing were the bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, green onions, hot sauce, fried egg etc...
I don't think I will be buying it again.

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A New Prediction

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 03:36:00 +0000

I've been thinking about this more and more and I don't think that I can keep this blog up after the new baby is born. My life as an American ex-pat living in Italy seemed somewhat glamorous as the world has always been and will always be in love with "La Bella Vita." (I've checked my stat counter and readership has gone down.)

The truth is I love my life here but it doesn't make for very interesting blog. Who wants to read about us remodeling our condo and other such mundane things. I think my blog was much more enticing when I moaned and groaned about the differences between America and Italy and documented all the changes and new discoveries I encountered each and every day.

I will however keep the blog about our family life as our friends from around the world as well as my five sisters and extended family seem to enjoy seeing photos of Veronica reading about her goings-on.

This blog sustained me when I lived in Italy. It helped me reach out to new friends everywhere and so shutting it down will be bittersweet. I'm not sure exactly when I will stop posting but I suspect it will be within the next two to four months. I've enjoyed reading about other ex-pats in Italy in meeting their acquaintances and I thank everyone for all the support I have received over the past two and half years. Grazie Mille tutti!

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More Work Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 21:32:00 +0000

The end is near…(Our four-month stay at our temporary apartment is just about over.) Our tenants are finally moving out at the end of the month. They purchased a new condo and are finishing up some work inside. We, on the other hand have a lot to do to the place before we can move in. Our condo is over 20 years old and has never been remodeled. Demetrio’s old bachelor pad needs quite a bit of updating, (he paid a lot of attention to cars, motorcycles and clothes but not much to the condo while he was living there.) Everyone under the sun is telling us that our budget is too small. Having guests, being in charge of the remodeling, being pregnant and having Veronica are all stressing me out beyond comprehension. I am also a bit ticked off that Deme decided to take a 4 day trip to NY this week. The babysitter has been an gem, she’s been taking car of Veronica three days in the row, 4 hours at a time so I can visit tile and flooring stores and spend time with Tia.

Giordano is safely back in Rome, Tia leaves next week, I have an intense month of remodeling to do then we are back in our condo. I am looking forward to getting our things out of storage ($28/day) and having a place to hang my hat for at least 6+ months. With the new baby arriving in 2-3 months, I am ready to begin nesting.

Some really old kitchen cabinets that really have to go.

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Us in Tahoe

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:02:00 +0000

Here are a few of the best photos from our Reno/Tahoe trip. We had a great time and the kids were especially well behaved. I guess this means we won't mind having them over again next year.

Giordano and Tia shared a kayak for 30 minutes on Lake Tahoe. Giordano looked comfortable in the water but Tia is a natural. She splashed him a few times but he is a good sport and did not complain too much.

Not a great picture since it was taken with a disposable camera (I forgot mine) but we took the Heavenly Gondola up to two stations that had great views of the lake.

At the second station there was a restaurant, a bar, lots of hiking trails and a rock wall in which Giordano decided to try and tackle. He climbed to the top with no problem at all.

Here Giordano climbs some real boulders.

Here Demetrio shoots a few rifles at Frenchman's, with the Baby Bjorn on. (No Veronica is not in the Baby Bjorn, I would have killed him.)

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Back From Reno (With Observations)

noreply@blogger.com (Gia-Gina) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 05:08:00 +0000

*Beginning of Rant-Never ever again will I take another Alaska/Horizon flight. I booked three flights with them in the past 2 weeks and all three were at least an hour and a half late.-*End of Rant

Well we are all safely back from an 8-day trip to Reno. It was the first time I have been back to Nevada since Deme and I were married. It was hot, hot, hot with temps. in the high 80's and low 90's. My sister and her BF bought a house with 1.5 acres of land complete with tumbleweeds, jackrabbits, quails and lots of sand. My skin dried out, my nose bled a bit but I did enjoy the sun and dry weather. We foolishly went camping for 1 day, (I cut the trip short) but Veronica did not like sleeping in the tent and I did not like having to use the great outdoors as my toilet at 5.5 months along.

Observations about Reno:

1. There weren't very many young people to be seen around town. I am guessing all the 20 something’s were in bigger towns for school or work.

2. Some of the best "food for money" deals were to be had at casinos and yes we ate either dinner or lunch at a casino every other day. We had great sushi, all you can eat seafood, raw oysters and more.

3. Reno had some great Chinese food.

4. Reno was dry and very brown all over. My sister kept reminding me that she lives in a desert. I kept forgetting.

5. The casinos were full of retired folks on oxygen tanks. It was sad, sad and sadder.

Besides all the gambling that we saw, in the grocery stores, in the airport etc... I would say we had a nice vacation. Anna and Adam made us feel really welcome. Adam put together an extra bathroom and they both installed central air conditioner to make us feel more comfortable. After all that sun, coming back to rainy 68-degree weather was not fun.

Photos to follow very soon!

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