Food for Thought!

Being in Italy is good enough, but a personal Italian chef on top of that?? It's unreal! We are so lucky to have Margharita who fixes lunch on days that students have class. She has the most amazingly natural talent for food, and can go weeks without fixing the same thing twice. Here are some of the insanely delicious dishes we've been enjoying!

Sometimes I wonder if my constant camera-clicking during lunch gets annoying, but can you blame me?

And finally, a little snack of tomato slices, mozzarella, and balsamic made by yours truly! (Whether or not I could ever be a Margharita is still up for debate.)

Yum!

Katy

Big Girl Store

Nothing brings out my domestic-ness quite like Busatti. If my sources are correct, there are only two stores in all of Italy, one of which is in my "home-away-from-hometown", Sansepolcro. It is full of kitchen and bedroom linens and necessities made out of the most gorgeous Italian fabrics I've ever seen. (Fabrics can also be bought by the bolt... sometimes I actually ponder the logistics of toting them home in a second suitcase... they're that beautiful.) My friends and I have discussed at great length how we want to buy an old Tuscan home and furnish it entirely with Busatti wares. (We're only partially joking...) I regretted not buying more from here last time I was in Italy, so you better believe my wish list is quite lengthy this time around!

I have to laugh because it's one of those stores I would've despised going into when I was little, but now I can't get enough! Perhaps I'm growing up after all!

Katy

Product Placement: Luggage Tags

I've decided that checking luggage on international flights is both the best and worst thing ever. Being that I LOVE summer clothes, I didn't skimp on packing. (Lightweight fabrics means you can definitely bring more, right?) I managed to stay under the weight limit, but that would still make for a miserable load to haul. On the other hand, during my flight I would catch myself thinking about all of the lovely things I brought with me and how devastated I would be if my suitcase were to get lost...

Janna's suitcase was one of the first to come out of baggage claim (when has that ever happened?), so I was thinking mine had to be next, but many many rounds of luggage later, mine was still nowhere to be seen. As I was standing on my tip-toes craning my neck anxiously scanning the conveyor belt, I thought about how great it would've been for me to get a cute luggage tag that would make my suitcase pop from what seemed like hundreds of others.

I really love how you can choose the font, pattern, and colors of the tag! 

Contact info- very important!

You can order yours here and hopefully be spared the worry! Oh, and my luggage did come out eventually! (I wouldn't be telling the story here if it hadn't... I'd still be freaking out...)

Katy

By the way, I'm in Italy...

I know, I know- no big deal.

I kid, of course- it’s a huge deal! In 2010, I studied abroad in a beautiful little town in Tuscany called Sansepolcro, and I have gotten the amazing opportunity to go back and assist with the summer programs that Meredith College runs over there! I arrived here with one of my best friends this past Thursday with minimal drama (though some might argue that almost missing their international flight due to bad weather more than minimal…), and have been re-acclimating myself to my second home!

I can’t wait to share more about travel, food, shopping, and the GORGEOUS palazzo that we live in, but, for now, here are some pictures from around town! 

 Katy

P.S. I made this!

Everybody has different ways in which they like to treat themselves for a job well-done. Aside from the obvious rewards - sweets, retail therapy - one of my particular favorites is allowing myself time to squeeze in a little DIY time!

In my first post, I shared this picture.

Well here is what I did!

Ta da! I know I'll get great use out of it during the hot summer months!

Katy

Product Placement: Tervis Tumblers!

One thing I love about college classes versus high school classes is that all of my professors allow me to bring drinks. Of course, I’m sure this would be very different if I was working in the lab classrooms… luckily the Mass Communication/Business department doesn't mind!

I got a monogrammed Tervis as a graduation gift, and it has been my confidant during many a class and study session. (Not to mention, it’s enabled me to get as much Dr. Pepper out of the dining hall as possible… whether that should be considered a good thing or not is up for debate…) It may seem silly to make such a fuss over a cup, but it’s probably been one of the most useful things I’ve gotten!

Order yours HERE! 

1. 12 oz cup

2. 24 oz cup

3. Water bottle (I've got my eye on this one!)

4. 15 oz mug

5.16 oz cup

Katy