She Works Hard for the Money...B&B'ing Part I

So hard for the money.
Da...dadaaaa...
So, you better treat her right!!!

This anthem plays in my head every day as I am working so hard for the money at Il Cedro Bed and Breakfast. And, I love it. Everyone needs an anthem, right??

Last summer as we were revving up our own project, Katie told us the ins and outs of B&B'ing in Rome, and I have to say it was nice to get the "heads up."

Now, six months later, we see what Katie meant!

I've had a few emails asking for some Il Cedro updates. So today, in part one of a three-part series on running a bed and breakfast, I present to you (drum roll pleeeeease...)

"She Works Hard for the Money." (You know you want to sing along...)

A B&B owner's job is never done. Really. Our 12-hour days start around 6:30 AM and, although we do stop for lunch (dad's orders) there is always something to do. Peppe and I have devised a little system, however, that works well for us.

I, dear blog readers, am no morning person. I * hate * mornings. Well, not if you consider 9:00 AM the morning, but "6:30 mornings" and I do not get along. So, my sweetie, my love, my knight-in-shining armor does the pre-dawn shift. He wakes up at 6:30 AM and goes to the bakery to buy freshly made cornetti for our guests. He serves them coffee, prepares cappuccini, gives advice or directions, and visits with them throughout the morning.

I join him around 8:00.

Sometimes 8:30.

We complete the breakfast rush and immediately begin cleaning.

I start with the breakfast mess and Pep heads directly to the bedrooms. He opens the windows to change the air, because, you know - they'll die if we don't, and he begins making beds.

For the next couple of hours we clean rooms, bathrooms, and common areas. We replace linens. We sweep. Someone opens the door and the infamous Catanzaresi wind blows through. We sweep again. Ditto. Ditto. We straighten the garden area and clean outside.

Then, the washing begins.

We wash bath towels, hand towels, bidet towels, kitchen towels...and sheets. Sometimes we even throw in a tablecloth! Those of you familiar with Italian dyers know the precision to which they work. For those of you don't, an average-size load of towels takes 180 minutes to fully dry!

One hundred and eighty...

So, our towels, sheets, and whatnots are often put on the line to dry at leisure.

We collect them when they are dry, fold the towels, and iron the sheets and pillowcases.

Yes, yes...I realize ironing the sheets sounds a little, oh what would you say, finicky? But, they look sooo much nicer on the beds, and everyone knows - first impressions are everything!

We go back through the rooms to close windows, replace rugs, refill candy bowls, and lock the doors.

Throughout all of this we are making reservations, replying to emails, and assisting tourists with travel information. We are also handling phone calls...or, well, Pep is. On some days, we go to the store to replenish our breakfast or cleaning supplies.

One of us usually stays in the B&B until around 7:00 PM.

After that we head home (upstairs) and bake a ciambella for the next morning's breakfast.

We haven't had a day off for more than two weeks.

The last three nights we have fallen asleep by 8:30!

That is embarrassing.

Embarrassing, but true.

B&B'ing is hard work, but, it's not all bad.

Stay tuned for B&B'ing Part II to discover the other side, and see why we do it.

So Long, Joe

In keeping with one of my quarter-year resolutions, I have adopted a few new healthy habits. In fact, I have a "100 Tips for a Better Body Book" and I'm slooooowly adding a few of the suggestions into my daily routine. (Let's not discuss the fact that I've had this book at least two years and am about half-way through!)

One of the first tips recommends substituting your morning coffee with a cup of hot water mixed with juice from half a lemon. (Sounds terrible, doesn't it??) Since I live in the middle of a lemon garden I thought I'd give it a try. I've done this for almost one week now, and ya know...whatever. I feel no better-no worse-no less tired-no less awake, and it doesn't taste as disastrous as it sounds!

But, and I am admitting this only to you, my friends, I cheated. I did. Instead of substituting the hot lemon water for my morning coffee, I added the lemon water to my morning beverage buffet.

Oh, come on! What would you do?

Hot Lemon Water

Espresso Italiano

Cappuccino from Il Cedro

I never claimed to have will power!

However, on the positive side, there is now evidence proving your morning joe is good for you! Don't believe me? Read about it here, or here, or even here!

So, what about you? Are you a one-cup-a-day drinker, a day-long sipper, or a hot lemon water kind of morning person?

Let's compare notes!

On Days Like These...

these bitter cold, sub-60 degree days, I wish I was anywhere else.

Well, not actually anywhere.

I wouldn't want to be in Paris where it is 43 frosty degrees today. Or, in Vancouver where they are chilling out to a whopping 31. And, I sure as hell don't wanna be in Detroit - where they registered a bone-freezing 19 degrees!

I was thinking somewhere along these lines.

Majestic Miami

Serene San Pedro

Or, (in just a few more months) Carina Catanzaro Lido

Want to join me?

Do It Already!

Ahhh...la vita italiana.

Laid back.

Stress free.

Full of nothing but wholesome pasta and strong vino.

Right?

Yea. Right.

Don't get me wrong. We have some good pasta down here in the south - and our wine ain't too shabby, either, but sometimes you just wanna get going! You want to buy personal products in the middle of the day. You want to have more than one restaurant option for your lunchtime meal. You want to finish building your new house before your kids inherit it.

That's where I am today.

Thirty months ago - yes, 3-0, Peppe began meeting with an architect to design a new house. A good two years later, we had a final design, and more importantly you know, permission to build. Last summer, in an unprecedented move, contractors agreed to work in the month of August, and we broke ground.

Peppe spent the last month comparing bids for the next lavori, and had just about made a decision. Contractor #1, who will remain nameless due to the unfavorables mentioned below, has worked with us on several occasions. He completed most of the work on Il Cedro, and does a pretty good job on most projects. My problem with this guy, aside from his overall nasty demeanor and unpleasant personality, is that he is...well, less than honest in most instances. He helps himself to leftover material, paint, and other supplies that were purchased by the customer, and more than once large items - such as a hot water heater - walked away. When questioned about this, he replied..."I didn't know you'd need it."

Mah!

Why would Peppe even considering hiring a contractor like this? Well, because, in his own words, "At least we know he is dishonest...someone else might be just as bad. And, we wouldn't know it!"

How is that for Italian logic?

Well, luckily for us Contractor #2 came along, agreed to the same price as "The Bad Guy" and could start three months earlier...aka - today!

This is what we have so far...

Accenti Italiani

I just *love* Italians...

You know I do.

One, on most occasions, more than the rest.

But, one thing I do not discriminate on is my love of their cute little accents...in inglese, of course.

My personal favorite?

"Cherrye"

It is no surprise Italians encounter difficulties with my name - Americans have had problems my entire life. In the states, I get "Sherry" or, sometimes "Cheryl" and, sometimes...just sometimes..."Carrie." "Her name can't be CHERRY," they must be thinking, so they add and subtract letters at will.

But, here in Italy it is a whole 'nurther story.

My name, especially in the mouth of my favorite Italian photographer's son, is prezioso!

It sounds like - stay with me here, now - Chaw'ewey.

Yes, like a mix between a chihuahua and a berry.

Couldn't you just eat that up?

It is also amusing when I am corrected on English-language words they have adapted to make their own.

Like...shopping,

or, computer,

or...and, this is a good one, you guys - Hillary Clinton!

On more than one occasion, I have tried to make myself understood by altering my own accent when speaking English. "I need a spray for my sore throat," becomes "Ho bisogno una spray per il mal di gola.

Well, "spray," in my accento Southeast Texas, comes out "spraaay."

It don't cut it!

So, I continue my struggle to learn, not only Italian and Calabrese, but to re-learn words I have uttered the last 30 years...

And, I have to admit, "shopping" is one word I'm not planning to lose.

Nineteen Days into

the New Year and I am still dreaming up resolutions.

Not off to a good start, am I? I am convinced if I could only get "caught up" with my life, I could stay on top of things. Yea, right! Can't fool you guys, can I?

New Year's Resolutions...

What are they good for anyway? Aside from showcasing the fact you can't set a goal and stick to it, they also directly point out a person's self-perceived flaws.

- Lose weight
- Exercise more
- Spend more time with family

Ouch!

The last couple of years I have opted against setting New Year's Resolutions, and have instead set QYRs, or Quarter-Year Resolutions.

Intrigued?

You see, to me, the very idea of having twelve looooong months to accomplish a goal, appeals to the procrastinator inside. We like that concept. But, come November or December (if I even remember what resolutions were set that previous January) things remain undone. Accomplishments, un-accomplished!

So, I set a list of goals I would like to reach for a given year, then work that list into four smaller, more manageable groups that build upon each other.

I'm working around a QYR list for 2008 that looks something like this.

January-March
- I will work out at least three times a week.
- I will evaluate what I did last year, what went well, what needs improvement, and set further QYRs accordingly.
- I will work towards becoming a more dedicated freelance writer, and better equip myself for success.

April-June
- I will wrap up all minor projects I have "open" from 2007 and Quarter 1.
- I will get back on the children's book I wrote and edit, edit, edit...rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.
- I will continue to help dear old dad work on his manuscript.
- I will focus on healthy food options, and try to eat veggies a little more often.

July-September
- I will re-evaluate the first two quarters of 2008.
- I will explore publishing options for children's book and dad's novel.
- I will continue with the healthy lifestyle resolutions that have, hopefully by this point, become habits.

October-December
- I will continue with the evaluation and revision of goals, as needed.
- I will continue exploring those publishing options (cause ya'll know nothing happens THAT quickly in the publishing world.)

So, what do you think?

Mind you, I have NEVER made it into the summer months with my quarter-year resolutions, but I have made it past February...and, that is saying something.

Right?

So, can you guess what my high priority resolution is this year - the resolution that goes above all others, and sits at numero uno on the list?

Come on, make a guess!

Come on...

That's right!

My number one resolution for 2008 is to

Make it to June with my QYRs...

Think I can do it?

I Now Present to You

the new Mr. and Mrs...

Isn't that fun to say?? I mean, uh, write??

It is!

It is!

And, on this, our two month anniversary, it only seems fitting.

Well, as you know good-ole-dad was able to attend the wedding, and other than a few centerpiece mishaps, a Maid of Honor shoe issue, and Peppe totally hating the tie I selected, everything was perfect! And, even those things worked out.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.


My beautiful cousin, and one of our five bridesmaids, Angelique, helping not-soooo-much-anymore Baby Cole get dressed before the wedding. My sister is just behind them chochi'ing her hair.









Giuseppe, Peppe's cousin and our best man, going over my Italian vows with me one last time. Onorarti... I got it, I got it...only, I didn't!








My childhood friend and Texas hair stylist, Gena, helping adjust my veil just before we run off to the limo. I don't look nervous at all, do I?







The boys, just as I am about to walk, sola...down the aisle. Peppe and Giuseppe wait, along with Cole, our friend Jason, my cousin Scott, and another friend, Adrian. Aren't they bellissimi?








Peppe, no doubt fearful of his mafiosa wife, saying a prayer - or else, taking a nap - during the ceremony.













Did I mention our priest resigned one month before the wedding?!? Luckily, Father Stephen McCrate, who studied seminary in Rome, stepped in, saved the day, and performed our ceremony in both English and Italian. Here, he has just told Peppe he can give his new wife, un bacio di Chiesa. See how intent Cole is on ensuring we follow Father Stephen's instructions?

Father Stephen wasn't so specific this time...

Realizing it is a little hard to see in this picture, Peppe proudly models both his new wife, and the new tie he picked up a only hours before the ceremony.

Just after the cake cutting, my 96-year-young bisnonno asked the bride for a dance. He made it through all of The Archies, Sugar, Sugar and half-way through the next song before shaking his groove thing off the dance floor.

And, what fun that was! We laughed and danced all night, as many of the guests enjoyed healthy servings of assorted beer and wine, and hand-poured peach bellinis. After much discussion, Peppe and I decided the following components were, in our opinions, the evening "highlights".

- We asked our cake designer to create individual-sized wedding cakes for each adult guest. Each individual cake mirrored a layer in the cake we cut and served to the children. The individual cakes were vanilla, but ummm, who says vanilla is boring and the larger cake had layers of Tiramisu, deep chocolate, and Italian Cream. We had cake coming out of our ears!

- As a surprise, but not secret, gift my parents rented an old-fashioned photo booth. It was a big hit with guests young and old - not to mention hotel staff members who just couldn't stay out. After the event, the photo booth owners sent us a CD of all the pictures they took that night.

- Our friends. I mean, we knew they were good...but we had no idea. Friends flew in, not only from Italy, but from across America, as our hometown friends opened their homes, volunteered to be city tour guides, storage space centers, and chefs. They devised a make-shift floral center when we needed help, dropped what they were doing to finalize decorations, ran errands, made coffee, brought lunch. Man, they were good!

They are good.

And, Peppe and I are two very lucky people to have them in our lives.

Ahhh, yes...

Very lucky indeed!

Some People Say

no matter where you go, your troubles find you.

I believe it.

From mid-September through the end of 2007, I had limited Internet access. Ya'll know that! That is why I had over 630 Inbox messages to scour through, no new MBV posts, and no promising freelance writing gigs to dig up.

Only one week after returning to Italy, I was thrust back into those cold, dark days and experiencing Internet-withdrawal all over again. Who knew switching from Libero to Al-ee-chay would take 7-10 days??

Who knew?

Who SHOULD have known?? :-)

Well, that is where I was last week...where were you?

"All Because Two People

fell in love..."

This is one of the newest "wedding expressions" out on the market, and, while I must admit it does remind me somewhat of a sappy old Brad Paisley cawntrey song...it is nice to hear, especially when planning one's wedding.

I also liked

"And, They Lived Happily Ever After!"

But, ultimately fell for

"Fall in Love..."

Get it?

A "Fall" Wedding??

"FALL in love"?!?

Anyway.

Luckily for me, all of those decisions can be left for some new bride, planning her, I mean, uh, "their" day, because, my friends...our day has come and gone.

Was it all I hoped it would be?

Absolutely!

Did everything go off without a hitch?

Absolutely not!

But, it is a wedding, and my personal opinion, based on time spent in the industry, my anal-retentive tendencies, and a few thorough heart-to-hearts with other brides is this: Couples who say their weddings went off without a hitch, just don't know any better!

And, more power to 'em, I say!

Planning a wedding is HARD WORK. Planning a wedding on a set budget - even harder. Planning a wedding - on a set budget - 6,000 miles away...well, you get the picture.

Our drama, unfortunately, was not limited to lost invitations. Twelve days before "The Big Day" my mother and I returned home from an evening of mother-of-the-bride shoe shopping, and grandmother-of-the-bride dress hunting to find my father, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease several years ago, sprawled on the floor, covered with blood.

Luckily he was conscious, and once he was up and clean, he felt better and insisted a trip to the hospital was unnecessary.

He awoke the following morning tired and sore.

That afternoon, he took a cat nap in his oversized, off-white leather chair. Then, he wouldn't wake up.

My mother and I tried repeatedly to awaken him, but he wouldn't regain awareness. After a brief consultation with area first responders, he was life flighted the 30 miles to the nearest hospital. He stopped breathing once, and then awoke to, what he called, "one hell of a helicopter ride."

He spent the next two days in the Intensive Care Unit before being transferred to a hospital room. After one week, he was admitted into a physical therapy rehabilitation hospital where he stayed for 25 days.

For those of you who haven't done the math - that directly coincided with wedding events.

The doctors, nurses, and other staff members of both hospitals were amazingly gracious and assured my father from the onset that he would not miss this wedding. While, unfortunately, he was not able to make the trip down the aisle, he did make the trip across town for the pre-wedding rehearsal and BBQ, the ceremony, and the wedding reception.

And, THAT, my friends, was perfect!

So Much Has Happened

since I left Italy more than three months ago, that I am having a hard time narrowing down an appropriate point of interest on which to write.

Not so much due to inactivity on my part, but more so, perhaps from the lack of daily writing...which most writers know, increases skill and focuses a writer's brain on important, relevant facts.

For example, I hardly think, dear blog readers, you would be interested to know that during my Southeast Texas sabbatical, I became somewhat of addict. Drug of choice?? Dancing with the Stars...followed with a CSI:Miami chaser. Embarrassing, I know...but I was told admitting your problem was the first step to recover... We will see.

Or, I wonder, will you be interested to discover that the very day I arrived in Beaumont, my cousin's nine-month old daughter went into the hospital? After spending most of the fall season in and out of various hospitals throughout our region, and after tossing around such scary words as Childhood Leukaemia and Autoimmune Deficiency, we were relieved to have a final diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Relieved, you might think?!? Trust me, it is ALL relative.

Undeniably one of the most memorable occurrences, and in fact, the reason I made the trip home, was to finalize preparations and become Mrs. Giuseppe Mannella. Thinking back on that day brings a smile to my face, as I pray it always will, but the string of events that occurred in the twelve days preceding this joyous occasion, will no doubt be as seared in my mind as the wedding itself.

But, that is a long story...and, so it will be told in the next post.

Until then, my friends...

Quando la Vita e Pazza

that is when you need an outlet! And, let me tell you, folks, chatting with you on My Bella Vita is the outlet I have missed the most. The last few months have been a whirlwind, and like most of you I am still trying to recover from the holiday season rush. I returned to Italy just in time for my sweetie's birthday on the 30th (he won't let me share the number here with you), a little New Year's Eve festa with some friends, and a packed house at Il Cedro!

I also returned to 636 inbox messages. Yes! 6-3-6! Insane! For all of you who emailed me or posted messages on the blog...GRAZIE...and, I will write you back soon! With an inbox of 600+ messages, you can see I haven't neglected My Bella Vita purposefully, but rather my absence was due to my little hole in the woods in Southeast Texas where high speed internet is either 1) inaccessible, or 2) so expensive so as to remain...inaccessible!

I look forward to peeking in on your blog sites and catching up with your latest news. I have thought of you all often, and I hope to see you back here 'real soon.'