My Other Palette

When I was a teen I had a "Vision Board" hanging in my room. When I married, we had a dream/goal notebook. You know! Where you collect pictures of things you want to accomplish or acquire (car, home, job, boat, travel). I woke up this morning thinking of all the things I'd like to accomplish. Not running marathons or becoming an artist (oops! done that one) or developing a cure for disease, but simply those things that get lodged in my mind while perusing home and garden, cooking and travel magazines, websites and blogs. Inspiration which leads to playing in the dirt, tweaking my living space, trying new recipes and planning a trip! I do not have the physical endurance to accomplish all I dream, however, I can occasionally hire someone to do the grunt work! Perhaps, these vision will allow some level of healing to my physical body. Dream it! Visualize it! Make it happen!Visiting Italy is on my bucket list!  
 

Eat Pray Love and Under the Tuscan Sun are two of my favorite books/movies! I'm not sure when I first felt a longing to visit Italy, but I do know these  movies ignited a deep desire!  Tuscany is the geographical centre and cultural heart of Italy.  I loved the movie.....the countryside Bramasole Villa renovations, the scenery, the gardens, the food, the "family" Frances (Diane Lane) realized she had formed from a group of eclectic friends, despite language barriers.  The same goes for Liz (Julia Roberts) in Eat, Pray, Love.  She developed "family" dining at the Italian table!  The closest I've come to Italy is our local Italian restaurants and visiting the Bellagio in Vegas! Wow! Had gelato! OMG! I can only imagine what it would taste like in Italy!


I love, love, love the simplicity of Italian food! I am a drizzler .... olive oil that is! On everything! I love sipping a glass of wine while cooking dinner. Tuscan cooking is wholesome and hearty and made from local fresh ingredients according to the seasons. Pasta is not a traditional dish, though it would be used along with wild game. Soup is a Tuscan staple, particularly rich bean soups laced with the excellent local olive oil (nearly all the wine estates also make their own extra virgin olive oil), crostini (little toasts) with liver and anchovy paste and fresh tomatoes are also popular.     http://www.winetours.co.uk/destinations/view/53/tuscany

Speaking of Vision Boards!  Have you visited the Pinterest  site?!!  OMG!  It's like a page-ripping magazine-aholic on crack!!!!