Oh June. You’re a month that knocks me off my feet. The end-of-year parties, going-away parties, birthday parties, school parties, bbq parties, recitals, plays, events and just about anything else you can think of have been keeping our days (and most evenings) BUSY.
Not to mention the World Cup which is all everyone is talking about over here in Italy. Usually we’re a family that knows absolutely nothing about football (soccer). We don’t understand the game, wouldn’t recognise a player if he walked past us nor really ever cared about who was winning or losing. But somehow that has all changed and my Belgian husband and kids have become crazed. You should have heard them screaming when Belgium made the winning shot (goal?) in last night’s game. Hilarious.
Here are a few images to add to my Gratefully Grateful series…
Test shot for our upcoming photo booth at a local pyjama run in support of kids with cancer. A few years ago we folded those paper cranes (actually 1000 in total) for a little friend of ours who was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He’s doing really well at the moment and we couldn’t be happier. (holy top knot!)
If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a similar photo to the one above. I bought these golden raspberries at a local farm and have fallen head over heels for this fruit. Sweeter than the traditional red ones but with a with a slightly different taste. Can’t wait to make an Italian Crostata with Golden Raspberry Jam in the coming days.
Happy to have this little guy back after 4 days away from home. He had a blast in the mountains with his class but was overwhelmed with joy at the Welcome Home banner that his sisters made for his return.
Last week our new couches arrived and with it 5 huge cardboard boxes. My kids got out the paints and spent hours playing with and decorating those boxes. Love that. Who says tweens are miserable and always bored? Mine definitely aren’t.
Have a great week!
Gratefully Grateful
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Jillian In Italy 
Test shot for upcoming photo booth works 100% or maybe it is that smile???
Beautiful picture!
Thanks Gio. xo
Nico looks like quite the explorer! And those raspberries are just gorgeous.
We didn’t care about football either, but the (Dutch) orange fever is so infectious. Now we watch all the NL matches since we actually have a chance of winning this year!
Looks good for the Dutch team to come out on top! I’m sure it will be a very big ORANGE party up there in A’dam! My Belgian family will be crushed though…
If belgium gets in final we should make a big party together: Big screen, jupiler, frites e fricadelles!
We already have the Red devils hats at home!
Sounds perfect! Too bad we live so far apart. But seriously, let’s try and meet up sometime this summer…you’re always welcome here at the lake!
We’ve been planning to show up at your place for a while in fact! but weeks are so busy… I seriously will let you know soon!
Those golden raspberries look so lovely! Hhhmmm, I wonder if they’re available here in London too. I like these photos; thanks for sharing! 🙂
You really should look for them….they’re worth it!
It’s contagious how happy and wonderful this looks, Jill! Gorgeous backdrop, even prettier smile, a joyful explorer, and yummy raspberries. Oh and the football, I’m just glad that I’m not in Holland with orange desserts and those strange hamsters everywhere. And as long as the players don’t bite each other. What a bizarre story, I didn’t see it but some player bit other players a few times. Crazy (and disgusting!) 😉
Hamsters? What hamsters?! And I saw that biting story too. How barbaric is that?