Cookie Time

Yesterday I made some cookies. One time my gramma's friend, Mrs. Skinner, brought some cookies to me that she made. They were very good chocolate chip cookies and I really liked them.

A couple of days ago my grandparents went to Mr. and Mrs.Skinners house. When they came back, they had chocolate chip cookie mix that Mrs. Skinner got all the ingredients together for. Then, just yesterday we made them. We had to add a few things. And they were really good. I'll probably get all the ingredients and make those cookies again. I hope she gives me the recipe for the mix. It was hard to stir for me. We had to use the blender again for stirring the butter and eggs.

These are just some of the cookies. We made a lot.

And, Mrs. Skinner, if you are going to read this--thank you for giving the ingredients for the mix for making the cookies.

This is Mr. and Mrs. Skinner

I'm going to go eat one right now. Would you like to eat one with me?

Ice Skating!!!!!!

The place I was ice skating was in Salzburg. If you remember my last post said I was going there. When I went the first time in Salzburg, I kept slipping and slipping and slipping and falling and falling and falling. My gramma said I looked like a windmill because I was waving my arms a lot. But the second time I was great--I WAS A CHAMPION. I hardly even fell at all and I wasn't slipping either. After I needed to stop, I wanted to stay and do more instead of going to the Mozart museum. I would like to go again sometime. If you know of someplace in Italy, would you please tell me because I would like to go there.

Here's a picture of me skating.



Also, I did a lot of other stuff. I took a cable car up to the top of Der Untersberg, a mountain which was really high and I was really scared in the cable car. But when I was at the top I felt safer because I knew I wouldn't fall down. And also I got to climb all the way to the top and I slid on my belly several times like a penguin. Here's a picture of me on the mountain.



I will tell you more about Salzburg on the next post. That's a promise!

Here's a picture of me and my papa.

Happy New Year

Today I am leaving for Salzburg so I won't be making any posts so if you read this you'll know what is going on.

By the way, when we go to Salzburg we're stopping by a place that has a 5000 year old man in ice. And they have snow there and I like snow.

I had a nice Christmas. I hope you guys did, too.

Sorry, I've gotta go. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I'll be back in a week by the way.

The Meaning of Christmas

The real meaning of Christmas is not to get but to give and I gave my money to people in Ethiopia and Alaska. The real real meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus--la nascita di Gesu.

The money I used was from mine and Jesus's. This was money I saved during the year from my allowance. I had €30 and I gave €15 to Ethiopia and €15 to children and their parents in Alaska.

Also before with Samaritan's Purse I gave money to help the children in Sudan. I got a certificate back from Mr. Graham.

I always worry about them. The children in Ethiopa are very very hungry. The people in Alaska need homes. They were burned down in a fire. I would like that if you would help them. Just click on Samaritan's Purse

MERRY CHRISTMAS

BUON NATALE

The new dog of Viticcio

The new dog of Viticcio's name is Pepe and she is cute like my dog Scratch. Pepe is only two months old. She is a mixed breed. Pepe means pepper so she is a little peperoncino--a hot dog. OK-who wants to eat her.

She likes me but then the other night she barked like crazy. My grandparents and Camilla's parents didn't sleep but Camilla and I slept fine. Now Pepe sleeps in the laundry room by the tractors.

By the way Pepe is Camilla's new dog but she comes running over to me because I take care of her more when she is sad and when she is cold.

Here's a picture of Pepe.

My Time at Poppi

We went to Poppi for 3 days. At Poppi I went to the Guidi Castello (castle), the hotel was across from the castello.

This is the picture of a fresco in the chapel at the castle and I took the picture.

The castle had a little diorama of a big battle. It also had dead knights and one dead horse leg on the floor. And I got a little knight figure that came with a horse. I actually have two. I liked the castle. We were able to listen to a tape to know what we were looking at. When we went into the prison, we saw one of the prisoners and there was a trap door. I am not sure why but he didn't move a smidgen.

This is me about to enter the prison door. I had fun there!

Do you like my new wheels?

I think you would like Poppi!

We met some friends at a piazza in Rufina . With these friends I bought little pop balls. When you throw them on the ground they sound like mini grenades.

One day we went to the SANTUARIO FRANCESCANO (Santuario della Verna). I learned about Saint Francis of Assisi. I learned that he was a monk and Franciscan monks have to give up everything they have. In one of the pictures I saw showed an angel giving stigmata to St. Francis of Assisi. Oh, and also, we saw a rock that looked like it was floating in mid-air. It was humongous. But it really wasn't floating.

St. Francesco had to sleep in a cave. The cave he slept in was not warm. He just slept there with hardly any clothes. It was very wet. It would be hard for him all the time. It would be hard for him to all the time be a monk. I don't want to be a monk.



This is a picture of a monk there. They only have to wear sandals and they aren't even very good.

We ate at the restaurant right on the mountain where the sanctuary was.

They also had a big nativity scene but baby Jesus was missing. I wonder who stole it.



Today we left Poppi and now we are home--home sweet home.

It's Starting to Look Like Christmas

In my house we have lots of pretty decorations. And we have a Christmas toy that is a little like a jack in the box but it is not.It is what I call a honey bear in a box.



And we have our stockings in the fire place and a cute little snowman. We have a snowman wobbly body. And we have a little dancing Santa.

We brought everything from home in San Diego.

We don't have a Christmas tree yet.

But you all know what Christmas is really about. It's about Jesus when he was born.

Picture by Me

I love Jesus.

My Recipe--It's Goooooooooooood

This is my recipe.

Farfalle pasta (butterfly shaped)
A little bit of spicy tomato sauce (arrabiata) and some regular tomato sauce
Olive oil and chopped garlic
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese mixed up with it. (I really wanted mozzarella but we didn't have any.)


The reason why we made this is because my grandma didn't know what to cook for dinner and so I came up with an idea. Aren't I bright?

It was very good.

This is me chopping the garlic. We forgot to take a picture of the pasta when it was finished.

Il Fantasma di Viticcio

Here is a video of me saying my story in Italiano. After the video you can read what it means in English. Don't be scared. It's not a real story. It's a mystery.

The Ghost of Viticcio

In 2006 I was at Viticcio in my room when the ghost arrived in my room. He was funny.

At a certain point the lights went out in my house and the window opened and a big owl entered my room and I was scared.

I turned all the lights on and then there was nothing left and the window was closed.

MYSTERY!!

Viticcio is where I live.

Borghetto's Victory

When I went to The Sagra del Tordo in Montalcino, I picked the winning Quartiere. The four quartieri are BORGHETTO, RUGA, PIANELLO e TRAVAGLIO. BORGHETTO e il Quartiere ha vinto. (BORGHETTO is the winning neighborhood.)

The competition was with archers. The archers were dressed like the real thing back in the medieval days. I liked it. We got front row seats thanks to our friends and papa.

This is a picture of the archers. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.


And this one is me with the Borghetto flag and a bow and arrow.

We also saw the real parade and the practice. The real parade was much different. It was with horses and hunting dogs.






We stayed in a palazzo that was built in 1275. It was an old nobles house.

Now watch my video