Archive | April, 2012

man’s best friend

30 Apr

so when i first told the husband that i wanted to start a blog, he laughed at me. now that he’s starting to see what it’s about, he’s warming up to it.  he decided that he wanted to be a guest writer on my blog today to talk about a topic that is very close to his heart. our dogs. so please show him some love and remember that english is his second language, so please excuse the grammar (not that mine is ever perfect, he he). i edited it slightly, but i wanted to keep it as authentic as possible.  so without further adieu, i give you giuseppe!

THERE’S PROOF YOUR POOCH CAN KEEP YOU TRIM AND HEALTY.

Man’s best friend may provide more than just faithful companionship. The human/animal bond aspects of owning a dog show to have a positive impact on quality of life. I found that owning and walking a dog impact the amount of walking I do and also that dog walking keeps me more active overall. Walking is the most accessible form of physical activity available to people,  so please stop creating excuses of how busy and tired you may be. Stop saying no to yourself. Dogs never say no. We all know dogs don’t work or have a long never-ending list of bills to pay, but… and I say but ……like little kids they are always up for anything.

After reading an article from Michigan State University on dog and their owners,  this is what I learned:

2/3 of dog owners take their dogs for regular walks.  Nearly half (46%) of dog walkers exercise an average of 30 minutes a day, five days a week, while only one-third (38%) of Americans without a dog meet those standards. Now so you all know, especially those of you who are skeptic, Michigan State University is one of the top research universities in the world. Other studies showed people who walked their dogs, generally walked about an hour longer per week than people who owned dogs but did not walk them. Many dog owners often forget that the best solution to a healthy life style is being active with your dogs. So, if the weather allows it and you can find a street, sidewalk or even better a large patch of grass, all that is left to do, is taking the first step, literally.  There’s  a strong link between owning and walking a dog, and achieving higher levels of physical activity.

Now let me ask you this. Which is best?  Walking with your spouse or your dog? Experts at the University of Missouri compared human and dog walking companion and found that dog walkers show much greater fitness improvements. In my honest opinion dogs are always the best walking companion for many reason. Here is the list.

1.   First of all they never say: “I told you so” and that’s a good start

2.   Dogs are a source of inspiration for runners of every level.

3.   Dogs don’t bring their cell-phone, as you know they can’t text, tweet or friends request you while exercising

4.   They never say no,which means, you can always count on them

5.   They listen and listen, so you if talk a lot, they are the best listeners with no interruptions.

6.   They don’t talk trash behind your back. Proof? Ask them how you really look.

7.   Once properly trained they keep your pace and they run as your own shadow.

8.   They will never make a comment on your daily performance. It doesn’t matter if you run 7 minutes per mile or if it takes you 15 minutes per mile, as long as you run with them. (by the way 15 min per mile is very slow)

9.   A well-exercised dog/person is not only a happy dog/person, but also a healthy one.

10. Dogs love doing things with us, and since their “job”  is to make us feel guilty if we get lazy, it gives them purpose to their lives.

 I know this article may look like a critique or challenge to many people as they look inside themselves and feel guilt, just like my wife, even though you all must know that she is a great doggy-mom, and if all dog owners were as good as she is, the number of foreclosed dog-shelter would be higher than the number of home foreclosed homes in the US.

So you, what do you say?

ooey gooey goodness

28 Apr

so as you probably know by now, i really enjoy baking, so when my brother’s girlfriend nikki asked for some help to make some sweets for her sisters bake sale, i volunteered without hesitation. i decided to make the most deliciously moist and gooey chocolate chip cookies ever!  i have to thank monica, who i work with, for giving me this recipe and for sharing a few tweaks she has made, that only make these cookies even more ridiculously scrumptious. this recipe is super easy, and you can always freeze the dough for later use.  so here’s the tweaks: add an extra 1/2 box of pudding. this makes the cookies so super soft, and use a full teaspoon of coarse sea salt. to balance out the sweetness. hope you enjoy these cookies as much as i do. happy baking!!

click here for the recipe

did you know?…..

25 Apr
  • he’s clean, she’s organized 
  • he can run 5 miles even if he hasn’t worked out in month’s
  • she has a secret love affair with j.crew and anthropologie
  • he’s the oldest sibling and she’s the youngest
  • she hates coffee, but loves coffee ice cream
  • he can’t get out of bed without an espresso
  • her favorite color is yellow, his is blue (inter milan colors)
  • he has to sleep with a shirt on
  • she can’t sleep with socks on
  • he speaks 3 languages 
  • she drives a prius

view from the top

24 Apr

here’s some funny and fancy feet from the conte house.

 it would be an under statement to say  that we just “like” shoes.

giuseppe has a collection of classic nikes that fill an entire closet.

with that said, they’ll be more feet to come!!!….

wish list

23 Apr
wish list

nonna’s crusty bread

22 Apr

so my older sister teresa is married with two kids, gianna who’s 9 and gino who’s 8. now i don’t yet know how crazy life can be with two children, but judging from my sister’s family, it can get pretty hectic.  if they’re not at school, they’re racing, if they’re not racing, they’re at soccer, if they’re not a soccer, they’re at religious ed. so needless to say, there’s not much time for anything else. so when the list gets too full, she calls in for reinforcements, me! and that’s what brings us to this weekend. my nephew gino is having his first communion in a couple of weeks, so to finish his religious ed classes, one of his assignments was to bake a loaf of bread to share with the church, and with not even an extra minute in their schedule to do so, i was deemed baker for the day. this actually turned out to be a fun little baking night, and the bread came out  delicious.  so good in fact that giuseppe is boycotting store-bought bread and has requested that i bake fresh bread everyday now, not to mention how good the house smelled. i would definitely recommend  trying this recipe. it’s super easy and only requires 4 ingredients.  happy baking!!

click here for the recipe!

don't mind the dirty oven door

best day ever

20 Apr

so last october 8th was the best day of my life to date. after a year of planning my dream wedding, everything came together for that one special day.  even giuseppe, who was resistant during the whole planning process, admitted that it was well worth it and that he’s never had more fun in his whole life.  i feel really lucky that i get to spend the rest of my life with this man. he truly makes my life complete. so i wanted to share a little clip of our wedding video to show how amazing it all really was. enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/neoncitymedia/gina-gius…

spring pretties

19 Apr
spring pretties

did you know?….

18 Apr

rome, oct. 2011

just some fun facts to learn a little about us

  • we were friends before lovers and never thought we’d end up together
  • she can quote a funny movie after seeing it once
  • he was born in florence, italy
  • she is a gemini. only the greatest zodiac sign ever
  • he is a passionate oil painter, and a damn good one at that
  • she loves to bake, and he loves to cook. makes for a good meal
  • soccer is a religion to him
  • she does ballet in the kitchen when no one is home (shhh)
  • he does photography as a hobby
  • she likes vanilla, he likes chocolate
  • he owns more shoes than her
  • she is ridiculously good at impersonations, especially those with accents
  • he can’t ever stay mad at her for long, cuz she can always make him crack a smile

a not so sunny day, made bright…

16 Apr

saturday afternoon was a bit over cast with a little nip in the air, but that didn’t stop us from having some backyard fun! i brought some life back to the yard after hitting up the nursery. i planted some fresh herbs like, basil, mint, sage, thyme, and parsley, as well as a few succulents for the patio and house. giuseppe kept the bubbs busy playing fetch and soccer.  we can’t wait for some consistent spring weather so we can have more fun days in the sun.