Smoothing Out my Feathers

     A miracle has occurred. My youngest is now in kindergarten. He likes it. He actually loves it. I don't have to coax him to go each morning. He gets ready without resistance, rides to school clutching his backpack, and walks into the school building holding his older sister's hand without turning back to look at me, whine, cry, stomp, fuss or beg me to save him from another school day.
    I am in awe. For five years, any attempt at leaving him with babysitters or sending him to preschool has been a massive challenge. It has involved lots of pushback on his part, and lots of bribing with candies and other dreadful treats on mine.
   Now he is walking right in. And the school is all in Italian, which he barely understands. I just can't believe it. An incredible twist.
   And so I sit. After returning to our little cottage, I sit in my armchair at the window. I open my Bible. As the sunlight and fresh, Italian breeze pour in and refresh my senses, the Word of God refreshes my soul.
   I cannot imagine how long it will take to smooth out my feathers. I have not had a few hours of quiet on a daily basis for 20 years. How contorted I must be on the inside. How unused to silence, to interior calm. Or to clean floors. Or dinners prepared in advance. Or time for scholarship, teaching, ministry and writing.
   I consecrate each moment to God and abandon my will to His. I give Him back the gifts He gives to me, and offer them for His glory and kingdom.

After School Anecdotes

After school, Annie ranted about how horribly the kids in her class behave. "We were in music class and nuns were trying to teach us the most baby-ish, awful songs. The students were going wild. A girl stuck her tongue out at the nun; a boy stood on his chair and acted like was going to lasso her. This is how they are treating nuns!!!" she cried with incredulity.

A few minutes later, Jacob piled in the car and launched into an account of why he failed the Latin test. "I know the subjunctive in Latin. But I don't know the subjunctive in Italian! I studied the Latin so hard last night. But I forgot to study all the equivalent words in Italian!"

Mary recounted how she was explaining to her new friend, Ludovica, how much she misses peanut butter. Ludovica asked what it was, and then upon hearing Mary's description of it, said that sounded "absolutely gross." Mary persisted and moved ahead with descriptions of fried chicken, ranch dressing, and Bluebell ice cream. Apparently, she got misty-eyed. Then another girl suggested that Mary run for class president.

Culture shock all around! The shock is greatly alleviated by huge, hot meals, fresh air, and the kindness of all the people we are around--both schools, as well as the family on whose property we live. All of them are treating us so hospitably, and for that we are so grateful.

All Six Kids In Italian School

As I sit here in a quiet house, I marvel that all six kids are in Italian-speaking schools. They all began on different days, and today is the first day that they are all in. The first few days for Sebastian and the older kids were definitely a challenge. At one point after school, Sebastian was screaming and crying, totally exhausted. I put him down for a nap and he cried himself to sleep. The older kids joked, "We feel the same way--we're just crying on the inside!"
    That said, they handled it GREAT. The first day for the older kids was an orientation. Swarms of new classmates buzzed around them and introduced themselves. Having heard they are American, the teachers and students assume they knew no Italian. So each one of the kids surprised them by how much Italian they did know. But when it came to following lectures on the following day, it did not go so well. Good thing they can read up on the material on their own time at home with the help of Google Translate. And good thing they are advanced students, since this school is a little easier than their schools last year (my homeschool included).
   I predict that they will do well. The are dedicated and determined to succeed. We are thanking God for this incredible experience!
   

Zucchini Flowers

Having moved to Italy for several years, the first adjustment we have made is to food. Eating is such a prominent part of life here, and we have already adjusted to a breakfast of strong Italian coffee and not-very-sweet cake, big, hot lunches at 1:30pm, followed by a small dinner at 8pm. Eating rules of the land include: no snacking; no eating while walking, driving, or moving about in public; eating local recipes in the sacrosanct way they make them in that region; no cappuccinos--only espresso shots--after noon.

When I go out to dinner and order something spectacular, I can't resist the urge to try and make it at home. The first and most inspiring case of this so far is zucchini flowers stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese, rolled in prosciutto, and then pan fried. They are a bit like jalepeno poppers, so I affectionately refer to them as Zucchini Flower Poppers. I hope you will try this yourself, as the combination of the ingredients is just incredible. Go to a farmers’ market and see if they have zucchini with the flowers for sale. If not, you could substitute the flowers zucchini flowers with another thin, subtle leaf, such as butter or Boston lettuce. Zucchini flowers are served liberally here, over ravioli in a cream sauce or deep fried--always delicioso. This is perfect for a date night at home served as an appetizer. 

  

8 Zucchini flowers or leaves of light lettuce

Fresh ricotta cheese (either made from cow milk or, my preference, goat milk)

8 pieces of fresh prosciutto

Olive oil

Instructions:

Wash and dry zucchini flowers. 

Stuff with ricotta (I use the thinnest handle of a spoon I can find). 

Wrap with a piece of prosciutto.  

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. 

Place the poppers on the skillet.

Let cook for 4 minutes, and then turn them over for another 4 minutes. 

Serve 4 on each plate. 

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Eighteen years old. Living it up in Italy for 12 months. Then off to college in the U.S. Let's make it count!

Sundays in Frascati

    I have to laugh. The main church in Frascati is in the central town square. The church, St. Peter's,  has a gorgeous Baroque facade, and inside it is classical Brunelleschi style--pillars, pediments, arches, columns--with a gorgeous marble bas-relief behind the altar of Jesus giving Peter the keys to the kingdom.
    When you step outside, the piazza is equipped with two lingerie shops, 2 gelaterie, five bars and a cafe. What more could you need in Italy??

Sitting on Pins and Needles

    Watching Jacob's try-outs for the Frascati soccer team was one of the most nerve-racking few hours of my life as a mother. This is a boy who had a slow start to soccer and has been at the bottom of whatever team he was on most of his life. A few years ago, he put his mind to it and became determined to excel at soccer. He barely made the developmental team for Varsity last year, and with the help of his friend Joe, wound up, by a real fluke, on a club team. That was a big break.
    But moving to Italy, he dreamed of playing but did not know whether he would make the cut, literally.
    Over the summer he has practiced on his own for hours at a time and conditioned like he was preparing for the Olympics. Then, he met some locals from two towns over, Rocca di Papa. They gave him an informal tryout and he made the team. So, he considered not trying out for the even harder Frascati team. But we encouraged him to give it a go.
   Yesterday was the big day. Sebastian and I brought Jake to the stadium and sat on the cement bleachers. These 18-year-old Italian boys are tall and conditioned, the real deal. The Frascati team is a feeder team for the professional team, AS Roma. Some of them are already playing pro, and these are the guys that are not going pro. But still, this is high-level soccer. Seeing Jacob on the field with them made me woozy. Just the sight of the players on the field was so strange. These guys have their own way--the look, the gear, the style--its sooooo Italian.
   And then there's Jacob.
   Well, he got out there and held his own. He defended with all his might and had some good juggling, headers and blocks. But I really could not tell how it was going. Was he going to be at the bottom of the team? Get any playing time? Be accepted by the players? Or not make the team at all? My heart was bleeding and Sebastian and I said many Hail Mary's sitting on those hard seats, squinting in the sun.
    Two hours later, they scrimmaged. They divided into three teams. One was eliminated. Jake's team was still in. Then, Jake's team tied the other team. The coach said, "Its a tie. Go home." The boys said, "PK blowout!" They would do a round of penalty kicks, and the one with the most goals wins. MY HEART IS POUNDING and I hope Jake doesn't have to shoot.
    The other team gets 5 out of 6 goals. Jake's team has 5 goals, and has one more to go. Basically, it's tied, with a tie-breaker shot.
    And guess who has to kick the tie-breaker: Jacob.
    I invoke John Paul II and Mary Mother of God and close my eyes.
    Then I peek. Does he look confident? Timid? I remember the hours and hours that Jacob practiced his PK shot after school at Cistercian. He would go out there by himself and kick over and over and over. He had learned a trick move from a varsity player. Jacob had spent hours and hours trying to master that shot. I know he can do it, but how is this goal keeper? Would Jake's nerves spook him? Could he do it here? Now?
    He approached the ball, did his unorthodox move around the ball. He kicked it hard into the corner of the net. It went past the keeper. He made the goal.
    The boys cheered, and I watched the guy next to him high-five him.
    He told me later that the guys were shouting "Bravo Jacob!" and the coach was very happy. One of the guys walking to the locker rooms said in Italian, "Weird form, but good."
    I am in awe. That was the most surprising several hours of my last 18 years. Thank You, JPII and Mary Mother of God! I love you!