30 for 30, Days 19, 20, and 21: Long Weekend

Hello, internetally-active people! Did you have a nice three-day weekend? Did you sleep in, or get your chores done, or do your other preferred method of celebrating?

I did.

Which means that I got to go wine tasting!

Here's the loot I picked up:


All of the bottles are from local wineries except for the last one on the right, which I bought at a local liquor store because it had a really cute label, was all French, and was only $8.59. Did I mention the label was cute? Oh, I did...

On to the 30 for 30 then!

Here's a quick recap of my last three days* outfits.

Saturday's Outfit In Theory.


All of these items are items from my 30 for 30 draw.

Saturday's Outfit In Practice.


I would later regret my lack of tights added to this outfit. Stephen would also regret it, because he had to listen to me complain about being cold all day. Everything else worked, though.

Sunday's Outfit In Theory.


The white sweater, the black skirt and the boots are part of my 30 for 30, while the necklace was my grandma's. I added tights to remedy yesterday's life-altering mistake.

Sunday's Outfit In Practice.


Warmer than the day before, and great for wine tasting.

Monday's Outfit In Theory.


The skinny jeans and the boots are part of my 30 for 30 swag, while the jewelry and belt are added items. The orange cardigan is also part of my 30 for 30, but I wanted to give it its own sentence so that it can know how much I love it for sticking with me all these years. It is the oldest item in my 30 for 30. We have a long history together....

OK, I better stop before I get emotional over a cardigan. That would be uncomfortable for everyone.

Monday's Outfit In Practice.


Perfect for a busy day.

Now, on to the present day! See you on the flippity-flop.

...

Ooo, now everyone is uncomfortable. Sorry folks.


*Today's outfit will be posted tomorrow because it isn't yet loaded on the computer and I'm lamezy. That's "lame" and "lazy" portmanteau'd.

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Turkey in the Wine

So it's been a while since I've taken to sitting down and writing about what's up in my little world. Can I blame it on a subdued state since Turkey Day? The continued job hunting and researching? Write it off to too much baking?

...

...

Um, I'm going to stop writing excuses now, because you might not find it in your wonderful hearts to forgive me for A) neglecting the stupendous connection between us that is this blog, and B) being annoying.

My Thanksgiving was good. How was yours? Did you eat more than necessary, as is now expected of you until New Year's? I did! And what did I do after that?

Why, I went wine tasting, of course! Nothing quite tops off the Thanksgiving weekend like drinking the equivalent of five glasses of wine whilst being chauffeured around an unfamiliar city.

Want proof? OK! Here's our loot.


And here's some pictures from our wine tasting trip to Paso Robles, which was a birthday surprise for Stephen's cousin, Nick.











Since you are such sweet blog readers, I'll share a little sweet treat with you: a picture of the raspberry-marbled cheesecakes I made for Thanksgiving.



Happy eating!

Social Drinking

I'm about to make a big, fat assumption about all of you.

You like to drink. You like to drink with friends. You like to drink with friends during the week.

To me, this is absolutely normal behavior. It is normal behavior I participate in. I participated in it yesterday.

I don't do this too regularly, but enough.

Recently, however, I've come across a couple articles that remind me that it isn't common, normal behavior among a lot of people.

I am in the camp that disagrees with complete Prohibition. I don't think it makes any sense in our culture, and it would be a problem in the practice of my faith. However, I see where specific people should limit their own consumption.

I'm not trying to give a long drawn out lecture on this topic. I just thought it was interesting to run into these few articles within the last couple days.

Your thoughts?

A Celebration of Fresno Wine-o's

I like wine. This is no secret. So, when my dad asked me to go to “A Celebration of Wine” yesterday, I was more than on board. (Thanks, Melinda, for the free tickets!)

“A Celebration of Wine” is a casual, fun, wine-tasting event to benefit the CSU, Fresno Viticulture and Enology Department. Over 90 wineries across the state help to create the good time. There were definitely a lot of local wineries there, too, and the fundraiser had tons of regular folk across the Valley looking to support local business.*

It also had the usual Fresno Wine-o’s.

Oh, you’ve never heard of the Fresno Wine-o’s? They really are everywhere. Let me help you identify them (which is a group to which I often belong).

Fresno Wine-o’s…

Basically worship wine: Wine bars are made into shrines in our very homes. Tuscan décor litters every available corner of the house. Even the bathroom has pictures of grapes.
Love anything Italian: We eat it up. If you say that it is an Italian fermentation process, the grapes are imported from Italy, or that your half-Italian grandmother kicks every barrel before harvest, your wine will sell like hotcakes. I don’t know if it’s envy or longing for heritage.
Claim knowledge like we are vintners: From all of the wine we have consumed over the years, we know we should have retained some bit of information about grape selection, harvest, or blending. So, when you talk about all that stuff, we affirm you whole-heartedly. After all, we drink a lot of wine, and would hate to look uneducated (or irresponsible).
Usually don’t know what they are drinking: This is, of course, unless you are one of the super-qualified professionals at one of the many winery booths we visited. Fresno Wine-o’s are happy to know they are drinking a smooth red. Once you get into spices, fruit undertones, or harsh tannens, we kind of glaze over and nod politely (and we claim this state is from having one too many).
Cook with wine: and sometimes they even add it to their food! (Can’t take credit for that one; that’s a Julia Child paraphrase).

Anyway, I anticipate that summer will be filled with lots of rose wines and cool evenings with friends and the new hubby. And, hey, if you become a Fresno Wine-o, too, over the course of the summer, all the better. It’s more fun on this side.

Not a wine person? Here is your summer drink reward for sticking through the article: Grilled Pineapple Mojito


*Including Silkwood Wines, which wins best serving size (thanks, Molly!)