La dolce vita?

Living the good life here in Naples, Italy is a bit of a stretch these days.   Today makes 30 days of hotel living... 3 kids, 2 adults in a small suite with an even smaller kitchenette.  I'm trying to stay positive and keep my focus on the big picture, living in Italy for 3 years or 2 years and 11 months now.  Since my last post we have been making some decisions and hope they are the right ones.

Grace started school, 2nd grade and Mia and Peter will start school on Monday at an international school.  I look forward to being able to get out and about once I have free time with everyone in school.  We think we found a house and look forward to getting settled.  We got an email on Tuesday saying our express shipment arrived (60 days later) and another email yesterday saying our household goods arrived (6 weeks later).  SO once we get everything worked out with the landlords and housing, we will be able to move in and have our stuff delivered.  Getting closer to being settled!  Cory is underway for the next few weeks, that is putting things on hold for a little since I don't feel comfortable taking care of things by myself.  

We have a car and working AC now (how we survived August without it I'll never know).  We are all learning some Italian and hope to know more each day.  I love to see the Italians talking to each other especially when they get heated, their hands are all over the place.  I just smile, it's the little things that make me happy these days.  The last two days have found me crafting again.  Love being crafty... I used Studio J to scrap out trip to Ireland and just finished up some cards from the Avonlea card workshop on the go.  I'm finding that using my other side of the brain (the crafting side) is a good thing.  Now if I can just get running again, all will be right in the world.

La dolce vita... soon, I know it!  Thinking of our next trip and the fact that friends are coming to visit next month make me smile.  La dolce vita... watch out Team Martin is coming for you.

Picture from Ireland, Ha' Penny Bridge.

Benvenuti a Napoli

As the saying goes, Welcome to Naples!  Hard to believe that we have been here for 2 weeks already and are over our jet lag (we think).  In these 14 days we have managed to figure out how to live in a small 1-bedroom hotel room with a kitchenette (2 burners and a small oven).  The girls sleep on the bunk beds and Peter on the floor so he doesn't fall out of the bed.  We attended the Area Orientation (well Cory did since there wasn't child care for the kids), got our drivers license, bought a car, checked out and think we found a house in Licola, shopped at the Navy Exchange and Commissary just about every day and are starting to embrace the Italian way of life.  I keep reminding myself that 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and things will get settled sometime before we are set to move in a few years.

Our decision to live out in town has not been easy, so much goes into living on the 'economy' and with that comes more decisions.  Where to live, is it safe, does the house have an alarm system, do they have gas or electric hook-ups, where is the bus stop for Grace, what school do we try to get Mia into (she misses the cut off for Kindergarten for the school on base (DoDDS), what about Peter and his speech issues, how often will I be driving to base... just to name a few questions/issues.  I tell you, it's enough to make me want to take a nap.  All the waiting keeps me second guessing every decision we make, we arrived during the Italian holiday time and the appointments we need to make are not for a few weeks pushing back our move-in date.

So, my blog is called "Semper Crafty" so I best get to "always crafty."  Yes, living in such small quarters with 3 kids is being crafty!  I have managed to make this a bit of a home, we unpacked and are starting to get used to the idea that we will be here for maybe another month.  I've ordered a TON of new products from Close To My Heart and can't wait for them to arrive.  I will be crafting the time away while we wait and hopefully make some new friends along the way.  Once I get some items made, I will post pictures.  I love just about everything in the new idea book, if you would like to check things out, head over to my website www.sempercrafty.myctmh.com   There you will find all the latest and greatest, along with some times that are on sale.

Off to get my brain around making dinner and getting the kids to bed somewhat early.  We are going into work with Cory tomorrow so we can get some paperwork taken care of.  Lord help me, I will be driving back alone for the first time.  It will be an adventure and one I just might have to blog about later.