Laundry Italian style

Doing laundry is different over here. First off the washer and dryers the army supplies take forever... Washing and drying can be a five hour process, and if you live in older housing like me you can only run one, yes ONE appliance at a time.

Front load washers will also ruin anything nice or delicate, even tissue t-shirts so I hand wash those and hang them to dry.

This may sound like a flash back to the 1950's and in a way it is, but since I can't work over here I might as well be a good housewife. Excuse me, I meant home economist.

Buying a laundry rack was only 5 Euro and drys the clothes in an hour instead of 2 plus the condenser dryer takes. Saves money and time.

On a side note I like the idea of a condenser dryer. Instead of needing a vent and the fire hazard that represents, the dryer sucks the water out which you then dump, or reuse to water flowers.

Italy: The land of good ice cream & late buses, my new home.

So it’s been a month already that we have been living in Vicenza, Italy. Needless to say moving to a foreign country is way different from vacationing there. For example if you are on vacation feel free to eat Gelato every day, if you live here that's a great way to gain 10 pounds in 3 weeks.

Our first week here was definitely a challenge. Jetlagged, homesick, with no cell phone, internet, or car (we still have no car), even the dog was depressed. The biggest shocker for me was the lack of internet access. There is no free Wi-Fi, at least not like back in the states. First off there are no coffee shops, here they are called Bars, and they are independently owned and everyone goes there for breakfast (which is just coffee and pastries) Second there is an Italian concept of not paying for unnecessary services (like here you weigh and price your own produce at the store) and Wi-Fi falls under that category.

It’s not all bad. The cheese is really good, the wine is really cheap, and I can bring my dog everywhere except church. Also my nap schedule fits in nicely with the Italian riposino or siesta time. Also in that first week we learned how to catch the bus downtown, order pizza, navigate the grocery store and buy train tickets. We took the train to Venice which was amazing, overwhelming and cooler than I imagined. And we have some really great people, self-appointed "sponsors" that have helped us through the adjustment period with rides, dinner, and access to their internet.

And, things are looking up. Our household goods will be here this week (fingers crossed) and we have word that our car has also made it safely across the Atlantic and is on its way to us. Also we moved in to our new home last week. I will call it a flat within a villa. We share the property with a large Italian family, I haven't quite figured out how many of them actually live here yet but I'm working on that.

Until next time...

Function for the future

Here we are in Augusta and not wanting to live in the burbs we took a second story apartment in the Old Town neighborhood. We are here for a little under a year so making any major alterations is out of the question and, since we don't know where we are going next we need to plan for any housing possibility (i.e. a tiny European apartment)

Living in a converted Victorian is charming. But charming can quickly turn to clutter when you realize there is so little closet space. (i.e. places to hide your stuff!) So I have been on a mission to find ways to solve this problem without a trip to ikea. (the nearest one is 2 hours away)

The kitchen is my first completed project. It is big enough to eat in but also contains the the washer dryer and a serious lack of cabinets.

My priorities are:
1)Easy flow for cooking
2)Anything visable must be pretty
3)Space saving accessories

We began by purchasing bamboo accessories. With only two drawers the utensil container is a space saver and keeps everything within reach. We also mounted a paper towel holder under the cabinet and a napkin holder on the table.

After months of searching we finally found a pub table at Lofty Ideas and Mr.Hudson Templeton found us some matching chairs. The table is perfect for two people but has leaves that pull out to seat six. We really like the solid construction and art deco design, plus the fact that it can expand or shrink to fit our future homes.

Thanks to a friend that was having a yard sale a few weeks ago I picked up a bookcase to store all those things that previously lived on top of fridge, I hate having things on top of the fridge!!!

And thanks to that same yard sale I picked up three blue glass ball canning jars with lids that I use to store the dogs food and treats. Finally no more having to look at plastic bags. Plus I really love the look of these jars and they were a steal.

The finishing touches that really tie it together came in the form of a Le Cruset tea kettle that was on sale at Williams Sonoma and a yellow recycling bin we found in the seasonal section of Lowe's for only $14.

And last but not least the addition of a bit of camp in the form of salt & pepper shakers that Charlie found and mounted in a display box above the sink.

The completion of the kitchen makes this house feel like and home and that feeling of home is so important when you move as much as we do. I hope you enjoyed this post and it inspires you to find simple solutions to the big problems in your home.