Ah, spring, thank goodness you are here! Time for fresh linens, flowers, green grass and the feel of sunshine bringing us back to life after the dreariness of winter. As the season changes we have an opportunity to refresh ourselves, our homes, our yards and even our wine cabinets.  This is the perfect time […]

Do you dread Valentine’s Day? For those who would sooner undergo a root canal than face a day filled with obligatory coupling and ostracization of single people, the first two weeks of February can be a slow march accompanied by the da-DUM da-DUM Jaws soundtrack. But let’s not get too depressed! There are ways to […]

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is getting Christmas cards from friends and family!  I love the photo cards, the letters, even the “I’m still alive” card from crazy Aunt Ruth. Okay, okay, I don’t actually have an Aunt Ruth, but I did used to get a card from my grandpa before […]

It’s the holiday season.  Are you ready? Here come the Christmas lights, carols, peppermint mochas, bustling crowds, department store Santas, and a slew of holiday parties, including the one you host. Between Halloween and New Year’s Eve, we typically host at least three large parties, if not four, and that’s if we don’t throw our […]

Confession:  I used to truly dislike Thanksgiving. Honestly, I didn’t really get it.  I knew we were supposed to be honoring all the reasons we had to be thankful, but it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that we were celebrating an exchange between Pilgrims and Native Americans, when we […]

One of my favorite fall activities is decorating my front porch! I typically decorate just before Halloween and keep the display through Thanksgiving. I’ve noticed that a lot of my neighbors put out one or two jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween and call it good for the rest of the season.  Eventually the pumpkins rot or get […]

Sometimes it’s the small things that send us astray. One day you are totally crushing it, then just a few days, weeks, or even months later you find yourself completely off course. I’ve been there too. Recently I became seriously aware of how much my Certified Specialist of Wine progress had slowed.  The last couple […]

Sometimes a glass of wine just doesn’t cut it. What I mean is that adulting can be darn difficult.  There are always going to be stressful times thanks to that little thing called “responsibility.”  Any one of a million things can set it off: paying bills, job loss, parenting, weight watching, the list goes on […]

In January 2014 I became abruptly unemployed and found myself in need of a new overall life direction. I had started blogging a few months prior, mainly as a way to keep friends and family updated on my hobbies: wine, food, and DIY projects.  I was a good, consistent blogger.  I saw measureable gains in […]