Among the items salvaged from my grandmother’s home post-hurricane, this antique (late 1800s, early 1900s maybe?) pressed back rocker is one of the coolest. And I only had a small hand in its restoration. Here’s a recap of its history, condition, and reupholstering. [Read the origin story of these heirloom restorations here: Heirloom Restoration] I’ve always […]
italian
Discover Valdichiana at ICCC
I may be less than 10% Italian, but I LOVE Italian culture: the food, the wine, the fashion, the cars and scooters, the people, the history, and especially visiting the country. I was invited to attend Discover Valdichiana at Houston’s Italian Cultural and Community Center hosted by Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas for an evening […]
Finding DNA: Additional Testing
These past few years have been full of science and serendipity with all the DNA testing my mother and I have participated in in search of ethnic lineage, not to mention being matched with BOTH her biological parents’ family members (she was adopted). As we navigate through our new relationships with newfound family members, I […]
Finding DNA: An Adoption and Ancestry Success Story (Part 2)
Those closest to me know that my mother was adopted. It’s no secret, never has been. Her parents (my grandparents) are incredible people who raised her (and me) in a loving and structured home. My grandmother is my hero and my grandfather(s) encouraged me to put myself through college and succeed like they did. We […]
Finding DNA: An Adoption and Ancestry Success Story (Part 1)
Those closest to me know that my mother was adopted. It’s no secret, never has been. Her parents (my grandparents) are incredible people who raised her (and me) in a loving and structured home. My grandmother is my hero and my grandfather(s) encouraged me to put myself through college and succeed like they did. We […]
Italian Wine Tastings at ICCC
Wine tastings are about as exciting to me now as the ice cream truck was to me as a child. Some of my favorite wine tasting events are held at Houston’s Italian Cultural & Community Center (ICCC) in the museum district. The ICCC promotes Italian culture and tourism, including language classes and Italian eno-gastronomic events. […]
The Judgement of Italy: a Homemade Limoncello Tasting
Continued from Homemade Limoncello: Italian Moonshine Of course we needed to taste all the limoncello we just made! We made two limoncellos with different lemon varieties and two limoncellos with herbs. Compare those four with two limoncellos from Italy and you’ve got yourself an impromptu party! Between the four of us, we tasted six limoncellos in […]
Homemade Limoncello: Italian Moonshine
I’ll take limoncello over dessert any day. Limoncello is a lemon liqueur made primarily in Southern Italy, and especially renowned from Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Italians drink limoncello as a digestivo, or after dinner drink. It’s fantastic and I tend to order it anywhere it’s available. Typically I buy limoncello at a […]
When in Rome for a Week
Rome is my favorite city in the world (out of the 17 countries that I’ve traveled). Two years ago we stayed in the heart of historic Rome for an entire week prior to a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, and I fell in LOVE with the city. Our home base for the week […]