through the lens

10 May

one of my favorite bloggers naomi davis always posts her most recent pictures from her iphone, and i just love it!

so she has inspired me to do the same

enjoy!

just a look through the eyes of my iphone…..

me and my siblings are all the exact same height….. weird, no?

sunday overdose

9 May

this weekend was my cousin walters birthday, so like most sundays where we end up at my parents for lunch, that’s exactly how this day started…. except with an overdose of sugar!  the guys spent the morning on the couch watching soccer and us girls stayed outside enjoying the beautiful weather and admiring my mothers blooming garden.  then after a typical feast of food, we ended this meal with two amazing desserts, one, a candy birthday cake made by my brother mimmo and his girlfriend nikki, (both not too shabby in the kitchen) and the other a pineapple cheese cake that my mom surprised us with after i had mentioned  the night before that it had been years since we had it.  it was definitely a treat for all of us!  we spent the rest of the afternoon in a sugar comma, just long enough to regain some energy for an evening out, to continue the birthday celebration. so around 9:00, a few of us met for some appetizers (don’t ask how we even had room to eat more) at my family restaurant, then went to a club on the strip ( can’t remember the last time i was in a club, and when we got there, i realized why it had been so long…. not my scene these days) regardless, i was with good people, which meant a good time. happy birthday wally!!!

here’s some pictures of the day!

that’s my mom working on her vegetable/herb garden

that’s my pops and adorable nephew

there’s the cake bakers, my brother mimmo and his girlfriend nikki

here’s the rest of the  photo’s from the evening….

a good cause

8 May

so friday night was our big charity event supporting HelpingHands, which was held at the salon i work at.  it was such a success. we had more than 200 people come out to support this great cause. we offered tons of salon services like, blowouts, waxing, facials, manicures, airbrush tanning, and makeup applications. we had a lounge set up outside with a bar, dj and food provided by my families restaurant, ferraro’s. not to mention the fashion show we had with clothing provided by saks. it really ended up being a great evening. so here’s a couple pics i wanted to share!

happy friday!!!!!

4 May

couldn’t be happier that it’s friday!

we’ve got a busy weekend ahead of us,

a charity event, a birthday brunch, a little home renovation and dinner at the house with friends.

so stay tuned for some fun posts!

happy weekend!

rome, italy october 2011

day at the park…..

2 May
day at the park.....

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