Recently, I was contacted by Homeworthy a site I was familiar with from INSTAGRAM.They found me through ADVANCED STYLE instagram.Just the spark I needed!It really brighten my day!
They contacted me by email and then we spoke on the phone the next day!
She wanted to come almost IMMEDIATELY and I was hoping for end of APRIL or MAY when the garden would be in BLOOM!Let’s just say I had less than a month to pick up my piles and boxes and get the house in some kind of order!
I accomplished a lot with the help of the trusty ITALIAN who got on a ladder and sprayed the CHANDELIERS so they had a bit of SPARKLE.
I do not move as FAST as I use too nor can.I found if I made a LIST of what needed to be accomplished room by room; I could work better toward my final GOAL.Great satisfaction comes from crossing OFF the ROOMS on THE LIST; I discovered.I may need to do that in the future just for monthly cleaning!
It rained the day the video-photographer arrived so outside was not an option.
I knew who HOMEWORTHY was as I had seen them on Instagram.But did not know you can go to YOU TUBE to see the entire video of the houses they enter!They use Instagram to ADVERTISE who and where they have been and just give you a small SNIPPET to entice you to head to their YOU TUBE SITE!
I had seen a few old Manor homes in England on Instagrams REELS where”extraordinary people and the beautiful places they call home.”live.I started following them on instagram about three months before I received the email.Once contacted I went back to see what I was in for and was happy to see STUDIO APARTMENTS and normal homes were also featured.It felt a little less INTIMIDATING!
The woman who started HOMEWORTHY is a three time EMMY AWARD winning producer formerly with ABC NEWS and GOOD MORNING AMERICA.Her name is ALISON KENWORTHY.
The lovely woman on the phone CHLOE went on about the layers and wanted to hear my stories which you all know pretty well, but I will give my background here just in case you do not recall.I was born here in the states. Grew up close to SAN FRANCISCO worked for a woman who had the sole distribution in the United States and Canada for THE GUCCI ACCESSORY COLLECTION.A wholesale handbag company in the middle of the PRODUCE SECTION of OAKLAND,CALIFORNIA and met THE ITALIAN!Who had come from the GUCCI factory in ITALY!
They announced his arrival in a company meeting one day and my question was how tall is he and is GAY!I swear he showed up in a light blue suit which to this day he denies.Anyway, he was cute and charming and the ENGLISH was so so………….the accent was adorable.
He was full of smiles and loads of ENERGY.He asked me out multiple times, but I was always BUSY!Haircut, had to grocery shop after work, friend coming over; it was always something, but he kept on asking and I kept on feeling TERRIBLE that this poor guy knew no one outside the office and I was ALWAYS busy!So, about the seventh time; YES!The 7th time he asked me I said, “Yes, but my Mother is visiting from Southern California!”He said, “Bring your MOTHER TO DINNER!”
WE arrived and he had made our dinner.Courses mind you like a restaurant and charmed his way into telling us all about his family with a photo album too.I was a bit nervous as he only had TWO BEAN BAG CHAIRS to sit on at the coffee table for dinner.My Mother had a bad back and I had never seen her sit on the floor before!
I was barely in reverse leaving his apartment after dinner when my Mother put her hand on my knee and said,”Elizabeth, he is CUTE and CHARMING and HE CAN COOK!What’s wrong with him?My reply was he is too short!Mom says, “Give up the high heels” and so I did.I actually LISTEN TO MY MOTHER and the rest is history!
MARRIED 40 YEARS this July 5,2026!!!
WE dated for a year got engaged and went to ITALY to be married.That was not as easy to do in the 1980’s as it is NOW!The Italian’s family had a GOOD FRIEND in ROME who paved the way……..he was a Priest for THE VATICAN and the official LATIN TRANSLATOR for them.He then married us in FLORENCE at SAN MINIATO al MONTE.A basilica on the hill overlooking FLORENCE.We signed the guest book after Prince Charles and Diana who had been there earlier that summer of 1986!It was all pretty much a FAIRYTALE for this AMERICAN as you can imagine.
We honeymooned on a sailboat around the Mediterranean Sea.Then ended up at the beach site his family was staying at and surprised them!We celebrated my 26 th birthday with them.
Let us backtrack a moment. He worked in an office full of young ladies who had either graduated college or the FASHION INSTITUTE. He knows no one in the BAY AREA and lives next door to the owner of our company in an old turn of the century home made by GREEN & GREEN architects in the basement apartment.His landlady was the BEST!She recently showed up at our door with her husband in MASKS!They have a great sense of humor and always come with GOODIES!Not scary masks I should say………..really good FUN PEOPLE!
There was no better LANDLADY than JILL.
Waiting for the video man to show up with Betty who had on HER PEARLS for the day!I was a bit MORE WRINKLED than I thought, but in all that was going on ;
I didnot have the energy or the time to fix it!I chose my BRYN WALKER pieces as this color is one of my FAVORITES and their clothes suit me and my LIFESTYLE.The shoes are BIRDIES as you know already from CHRISTMAS time and the necklace I made years ago thanks to my blogging buddy TAMERA BEARDSLEY.She gave a tutorial on her blog how to make these fun pieces from vintage pins and fur clips!SInce, my home is mostly VINTAGE I thought this would add a bit of ZING or HURLUBERLU!
HURLUBERLU is a NEW WORD to me meaning an episode of wild or eccentric behavior!
My buddy at PERIODPORTRAITS is always teaching me something NEW!
No hurluberluing happened as I was too nervous on the day of the shoot!
BUT IT IS A WORD I WILL KEEP IN MY VOCABULARY and I thought YOU TOO would ENJOY it!
My CAVE where I write the BLOG you are reading right now!
With an old theatrical TUTU tossed over my chair.
I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A BALLERINA…………STILL DO.
Chloe, from HOMEWORTHY will let me know when MY EPISODE will AIR and I will announce it here on the blog.Or try to have the video here, but may have to direct you to YOU TUBE to watch it!As I said I was nervous as Chloe was in NEW YORK in a gorgeous light blue TOILE ROOM talking to me from around the VIDEO PHOTOGRAPHERS NECK!David had a cord around his neck with a phone attached so Chloe could see me and our HOME!I couldn’t see HER. I only heard her questions and directions.
I had to have her REPEAT a couple of times the questions and I was allowed to say CUT at any time!
I said it ONCE!
She had a lot of patience and was a DELIGHT to work with.
I broke down in tears when I started talking about my days in Italy and friends there…………..
After all the years; I have been gone you would think I would get over them!
I am still holding on to those memories as if it were yesterday.
As sad as that time was in my LIFE(we moved to Italy because of a death in the family) it remains the most poignant.
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TIGRE telling us he is ready for his CLOSE UP for Homeworthy!
He is turning out to be the most WONDERFUL CAT.So, independent and funny walks the street with us zipping by like a mad man!Mornings he lies on my chest and pumps those paws at a very fast rate. Feels like a massage!Then goes PLOP on my chest and purrs’s.
Well, that is enough from me today!Hope I did not talk too much. More than normal I know.More words than photos which is rare for me!
It has been quite the month in regards to ME AND MY HEALTH.I think I told you on February 11,I went to do the heart stress test.It was about the same as November 2024.So, not good news.Also after having been with this TEAM OF DOCTORS in SANTA CLARA I am not where they want me to be after one year.That was a bit upsetting to say it nicely.My cardiologist wanted to talk HEART TRANSPLANT.I said ,”NO”.Lets keep increasing the meds as that was slow going because my body takes on every side affect there is!My idea is let’s go FULL FORCE and I will just deal with the side effects!
One of those side effects,I think was a COUGH; which I have had for over a year!There is no fluid in my lungs nor my body; meaning NO swelling of the ankles or abdomen with water retention.The doctors had no idea why I had this cough which made me vomit about every three days mucus only not food.The cough was the worst in the morning when I got up and at night after dinner watching television.I also would cough talking on the phone quite a bit if I was doing most of the talking.
Something made me look up one of the four heart medicines I am on.A known side effect was a cough!
I have been on that med now for about one year same as the frequency of the cough!GO FIGURE!
Today, is day THREE barely if any cough in the morning or night!I have been on the NEW MEDS for eight days.I hope it was the cause and I can get on with LIVING A BIT MORE!
I have been pretty much house bound do to the fact; I just do not feel well over all and its hard to pinpoint is it the Congestive Heart Failure or the NON-TUBERCULOSIS MAC lungs or is it the medicine I am on or is it the fact I am getting on in years?
It’s been a bit TOO MUCH for me lately.
OH and my ATLAS I should report has HELD FOR TEN MONTHS TIME, NO EYE EPISODES!Then recently I rolled over on my side to get back to sleep and UN-DID THAT ATLAS!
It went OUT of alignment and caused ONE BIG EYE EPISODE for over FIVE MINUTES.
AT least I know now what causes it to GO OUT OF ALIGNMENT!
No more side sleeping for me EVER.
I have NOT missed those EYE EPISODES!
My granddaughter and YOUR little contessa back in the day.
See any similarities?
Eyebrows,nose,lips and chin are very similar.
Plus, we both are featuring BOWS in our hair!
A 60 YEAR DIFFERENCE!
As of last night my BIG, BEAUTIFULTheodore, has left us for CAT HEAVEN.
He was a JOY and the most AFFECTIONATE CAT I ever did own.
His big body just gave out, but he was purring up to the last minute!
He will be a BIG VOID in MY LIFE for sure!
TAKE CARE EVERYONE,
XXX
LA CONTESSA
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