Book Club Friday & A BIG Birthday

This little guy is FORTY YEARS OLD today!

This 'little guy' is my sweet Hubby. 

Happy Birthday Babe!

 x x x Love you x x x

(pic taken last year Aug 2011)

Yay, it's Friday, hubby has taken the day off for his birthday today, so we're all doing what we love to do, just relaxing at home and enjoying the comforts of home - it's where we like to be. I went out earlier and picked up an Indian Takeaway for lunch. We were going to go out but Jason and Kristen said they'd rather stay in (surprise) so I drove an hours round trip to go pick up Indian food! After we ate Jason blew out candles on his birthday cake Key Lime Pie! We're gonna watch a concert on tv tonight, but Jason doesn't know who yet - it's a surprise! Tomorrow we'll celebrate his special day with our friends next door and my inlaws. I'll have lots of pictures to share tomorrow. Haven't taken many yet today.

 Before I sign off for the weekend I wanted to join Heather for Book Club Friday. I love that I'm ahead with my reading for my book club (no book this month, and Heaven is for Real is September's pick which I've already finished) so I get to read whatever I like for the next couple of months. Last week I read  . . . 

 As her only child leaves to study abroad and her husband admits his love for a younger woman, Annie Colwater feels invisible. Having devoted herself to being the best wife and mother she could be for the last 20 years, Annie no longer knows who she is. She heads home to her father and to Mystic, Washington--where she grew up, where the dreams she barely remembers first blossomed, and where her first love, Nick Delacroix, still lives.

I picked up this book from the library because someone else on BCF had reviewed it. It is the first Kristin Hannah book I've actually read. I liked it, it was a nice easy read and I'm sure I'll read more of her books. The characters in this book were easy to get to know, the story line rather sad, about a twenty year marriage that is falling apart and a woman who has 'lost herself', but it all turns out well in the end (most romance stories do). I've heard Firefly Lane and Winter Garden also by Kristin Hannah are good reads too. I'll be looking for them soon at the library. This week I decided to pick up Harry Potter!!!!!!!!!!  I have only ever read the first book and keep wanting to read the rest. I've started on book 2 but I did this about 6 months ago too and put it down again. I'm starting from the beginning again but not sure I will stick with it? I have a good Jodi Picoult book on my nightstand too that I want to start - decisions, decisions!  

Wine - The Birdman!

Hi guys, I thought I'd make my wine post on Thursday, so I can still join in with Heather on Fridays for Book Club Friday :-) Last weekend I picked up this cute bottle of Pinot Grigio called The Birdman. I want to try a new wine every week if I can, but I don't want to read the back of the label to make my choice (I want to try the wine and see if I can pinpoint any of the tastes it mentions), so for now, I'm going by label!  Yup, if I like the label, I'm buying it.

So, this label caught my eye last week. The birds on it looked kinda cute, especially around the top of the bottle, each one was different and had a different expression on their face!

 

 Well, once again I forgot to NOT read the back of the label before I tasted it, and I didn't make notes about it! Not much of a wine reviewer am I?!! 

sings with a harmonious blend of floral peach and pear aromas and finishes with a long, fruity warble!

I love how some wines are described - 'fruity warble', LOL :-)  This was a really nice Grigio, smooth and almost creamy (i.e. not sharp or citrusy), but still very refreshing. I wish I could taste the peaches and pears, but I usually can't (wonder if that has anything to do with my often stuffy sinus nose!).  I definitely would buy this one again, but there are so many more out there I want to try, so it may be a while before I do. 

I found this on Amazon today, I've added it to my Wish List ;-)

 So, how do you pick a bottle of wine? Does the label influence you at all, or do you reach for something you know you like?

Looking Forward!

It's 104 degrees outside, and I'm knitting Winter Cowls!!!!!! I must be crazy! To be honest though, there isn't anything I could knit that I would wear during the summers here in TX. It's always way too hot for knitwear, no matter how thin/cool the yarn is. So, I'm content to knit 'winter woolies'.  Instead of "wishing the summer away", I like to think of myself as just "looking forward" to the next season ;-) Fall has to be my favorite season of the year, and here in TX we tend to have to wait quite a while for it. Even in September the temps can still be pretty high. I looked back at my posts from last year and by mid September I was still complaining about the heat! So it's nice to sit here and knit with thick yarn, and think about the cooler days I know will come soon enough.

I love how this chunky grey cowl turned out. It's just a simple roll neck design, but I think the addition of the silk flower really makes it special. The flower can be removed and worn as a brooch or a hair barrette

For this cowl I knit the flower too. Colors differ on each monitor so I'm not sure how you're seeing this. It's not a light cream but more a golden wheat color. The flower is a burnt orange. They look great together for Fall

The cowl stretches to go just over your shoulders too, or you can pull it over your ears when it's really cold out! However it's worn, I think it looks stunning.

I knit these pretty beaded wrist warmers months ago, and have just never gotten around to listing them in my Etsy store. The hard part is trying to get great pictures! They look great with a denim jacket, or even just with a sweater!

Now I just need to get them listed. If you're 'looking forward' like me, and you'd like something custom knit, just let me know. I'd be more than happy to discuss the details with you.

Inspiration!

Last week the lovely Susan over at Hometown Girl asked for volunteers to help her with a new venture she is starting. She posted on her blog . . . .

I've decided to start doing some design work on-line. My vision is to offer design services for table settings be it parties or a wedding, along with favors and party decor ideas. The other will be for interior design ideas.

My plan is to provide my clients with an Inspiration Board and a source list so they can secure the items needed to create the desired look. Maybe even a DIY project if they are inclined. I would love to do this for a few readers for free so I can work out the process and get a feel for how it will work.

I emailed Susan and said I would love to help. She sent me a questionnaire and I picked my dining room as the 'project'. I'm rather bored with how it looks right now and I thought having someone else's thoughts and ideas would be a great help. Here's the pictures I sent Susan.

 

I explained that I was hoping to change the curtains, move the buffet back to the cream colored wall and would like help with accessories and table setting. Wanna see the Inspiration Board that Susan created for me?

 Isn't it awesome? :-)  I absolutely LOVE IT! You can click on the board above to go to Susan's blog and see what she had to say about 'my space', and what she would do with it. She also lists all the items and where I can buy them. I also have the option to replace them with similar items to keep things within my budget. I'm already looking around the web for some alternatives, and I found this wonderful Burlap Table Runner from Thimbleana on Etsy(it's being shipped to me as we speak!)

I love the chandelier and the bench. Not sure hubs would agree to the bench, but I'm thinking the chandelier is a definite ;-) I'll also be pricing other chair covers and curtains perhaps from Target or Bed Bath and Beyond?  I'll keep you posted as and when I purchase items to 'pull the room together'. Susan also did a Coastal Inspired Bedroom for another blogger, you can CLICK HERE to see it.

Thank you again Susan, I can't tell you how much I love the ideas you've given me and for allowing me to help you in the process. I hope your new venture gets off to a great start.

Wine!

Hi all, wow, this past week just flew by again. I didn't even get a chance to post yesterday for Book Club Friday! I was about to do it today but then I decided to post about 'WINE'! Cocktail night has been a bit hit and miss lately, Cheryl and I have usually just shared a glass of wine on a Friday night, and to be honest, that's what our Friday Night's were all about - wine and cheese tastings ;-)  

Cocktails are fun too but I like the idea of getting back to trying a new wine each week, and I thought I would share my 'findings' with you all on here. Not that I'm a connoisseur of wine by any means. In fact I'm no connoisseur at all, but I love trying them. Just this past year I discovered I rather like red wine too so that has opened up a whole new experience for me. I thought I might try to have a post once a week of a new wine I've tried. . . . I'm trying to come up with a name for the 'feature' but as of right now I'm stumped!

For now, let me tell you about two wines we've tried lately. And because I'm not a connoisseur and often can't tell what they taste like, I'm going to share with you the description on the labels :-) So, last week Cheryl was trying a new wine called The Naked Grape (well, new for us), a Pinot Grigio from California.

Light bodied and crisp, with aromas of pear, lemon and honey!

Honestly I can't even remember if that's what I tasted in this wine, I just remember it was nice! I think if I'm to do a post on wines from now on, I'll make notes of what I thought of the drink as and when I taste it. 

Next up is Toasted Head!

 Funny story, I was in the grocery store with Kristen the other week and looking to buy a bottle of wine for Friday night, so I ask her to look at the labels and pick one for me that she liked :-)  She picked this one with a fire-breathing bear! The following are notes from the Toasted Head website (because again, I didn't make any notes about it AND I didn't get a picture of the back of the bottle - because I wasn't thinking about doing these posts at the time).

The nose offers ripe pineapple and peach aromas with toasted graham cracker. The bright straw color prepares the palate for the rich tropical fruit and luscious stone fruit with a viscous mouth feel accented by toasted coconut, vanilla and butterscotch. The creamy finish lingers with hints of buttered toast and lemon zest. This wine will pair well with creamy Italian pasta dishes, roasted chicken or fish, and fresh summer corn.

Pineapple, peach and toasted graham cracker! Wow! I wish I could remember tasting all of that, lol :-)  Toasted coconut, vanilla and butterscotch, I'm sure I didn't get a taste of any of that either! Chardonnays aren't really my favorite kind of wine, I usually find them too dry, but am wanting to like them better - so I keep on trying them. This one was actually rather nice.

Well, that's it for this weeks 'recommendations'. I really liked both of these wines, so if you see them in your local store, give em a try.  And if you've tried something yummy lately, or can recommend a great wine, do let me know.

Hmmm? Any ideas what I can call my weekly 'wine post'?

Just me. . .

saying hi . . . . wondering what ya'll are up to?

Yesterday marked the '1 month before school starts' date! We go back to school here on August 22nd. I really don't want to wish the next 4 weeks away, I just want to wish the heat away. Is anyone NOT having SUPER HOT days? It's hard to imagine that anywhere in the US is having anything but 100 degree days, although I know many of you do actually have it cooler than that. And I saw on the news that Chicago had terrible floods this past week. It's crazy that some of us are in such a drought and others are being flooded out of their homes! 

We are gearing up for a yard sale this weekend! We've only ever done one once before, back when we lived in MD and we were getting ready to move to TX. Usually we just load stuff up we don't need and take it to Goodwill, but last weekend we went through our spare/storage room and cleared a lot of stuff out.  There was so much stuff  we decided it was worth the effort to do a yard sale. We told our neighbors too, but some of them are busy. Cheryl isn't though, so she'll be putting some stuff out too :-)  Hopefully it will be a successful day for us all. 

To pass the time (when I'm not sorting stuff out  for the yard sale) I've been browsing shops on line and adding goodies to my Amazon Wish List - I'm already dreaming of Christmas!. Did you know you can add a button to your tool bar from Amazon 'Add to Wish List' and no matter what online store you look in, you can simply click that button when you see something you like, and it will automatically go to your Amazon Wish List. I love it. Here's a few things I added this week . . . 

I saw this bag in Dillards a few weeks ago when I went out shopping with Cheryl, I just LOVE it. So when I got back home I added it to my wish list ;-)

 I can't save the picture any bigger than that, so for a closer look click on the purse, or go to Dillards HERE

 Now, if I'm to have a new purse (wishfully thinking for Birthday or Christmas)  I think this purse organizer would also be great. . . .

 I found this one on Etsy at Divide and Conquer

I want this book!  :-)

I like collecting Willow Tree figurines and would love the nativity this Christmas.

 Now what's the point of a purse organizer if you're not gonna 'wish' for more purses - just sayin!!!

Believe it or not, I actually have this Coach purse (below) in my closet, but I hardly use it! Jason bought this  for me years ago when we still lived in England. It's really nice, but just a tad 'plain', and a little small, can't get much in it at all - certainly not a big purse organizer!!

A Chi would be nice!

Have you ever tried on a pair of Uggs! Oh My, these can go to the top of my list!!!

What's on your WISH LIST?

Summer Knitting!

When I think of Summer Knitting I usually conjure up pictures a bit like this one . . . .

or even this one (oh to be knitting in Tuscany!)

I'd like to be thinking of skeins of soft cotton yarn, the kind that would keep you cool, of pretty little tanks that can be knit while you're lounging at the beach . . . 

but in reality, my summer knitting looks more like this . . . .

and this . . .

 

 and even this - yes, that's a hat and scarf set for my bottles of wine ;-) 

(they make a hostess gift look really cute)

 That's because right now my summer knitting consists of Christmas gifts for family and friends, AND some new things to put in my Etsy store come the Fall!  But whichever way I look at it, it's still Knitting, and it's still what I love to do :-)