This week, we’re in Raleigh, NC to spend Thanksgiving with Jeff’s family.  I am definitely a homebody and I enjoy my projects and work, but it’s been a busy few weeks and it’s nice to step away from that and get a break.  So, I’m going to take the week off from posting here on the blog.   I will be on social media, some, but I’m not going to live on my phone either. What I will be doing – putting together puzzles, making Rosa’s Fruit Salad (you can find the recipe HERE), baking my No Fail Apple Pie… …and I brought along some books on portraiture and sketch supplies, so I can continue to practice for when I’m back home with my paints and easel. I’ll also be teaching a free MMS Milk Paint demo at The Mercantile in Knightdale, NC on Tuesday, November 20, at 5:00 pm.  I’ll

We only had one day in Florence and it happened to be a Monday, so all of the museums were closed.  We arranged to meet with a guide and tour the city for a couple of hours on foot, but an e-mail mishap left us on our own.  Without a plan or a guide, we just walked around the city, map in hand.  I would not advise that!  We did a lot of touring on our own in Paris, but we had a plan and a loose schedule for each day, so we weren’t wandering aimlessly. But, if you’re going to be aimless, Florence is a pretty place to be aimless in! So, we strolled and I took pictures. My mom and I were both craving good, Italian pasta for lunch, which you think would be everywhere, but most of the places on our path seemed to be touristy or

While staying in Barga, Italy, this was our temporary home… It is Villa Moorings, a family owned and operated hotel that has more of a bed & breakfast vibe.  Because it’s family-owned, it feels personal.  I would pop my head in the kitchen and ask for ice for my water bottle or plates and flatware when my mom and I had a dinner of fresh food collected from the local shops on the balcony one night.  They also adjusted breakfast times for our group when we needed to leave early for our trip to Lucca or to the airport. And the breakfast spreads were a literal feast.  Parts of the table looked more like a snapshot from a dessert potluck with pies, cakes, cookies, and sweet rolls, but they also served meats, cheeses, made-to-order eggs, cereal, yogurts, fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed juice, etc.  You could be as good or a naughty as self-control