What Every Wine Lover MUST Have

I'm a klutz. No denying it. I walk into walls all the time. I do find that I am better after an adult beverage than I am before, maybe because I tend to be more careful. Anyway, since I am a klutz, and I have a dog and 2 small children who like to remain right under foot while I'm cooking dinner each night (which is when winethirty begins) I use stemless glasses while in the kitchen and around the kids. I'll use the stemware after they go to bed or when entertaining.

I've only had the stemless for 2 years and had a lot of spills before them (and some after as well). I tried all the old tricks; white wine, oxyclean, vinegar, and all sorts of carpet cleaners, nothing would get the stain fully out. Then I found this

Wine Away is an innovative, non-toxic formula for getting rid of wine stains in carpet and fabrics. I've even had success in getting out stains that the other stuff couldn't remove. It is safe to use around pets and children and is the best working product I have come across. Whether it's on clothes, the carpet or the couch, Wine Away is the first thing I grab when a spill occurs. If used at onset it really takes nothing more than spraying, allowing it to work itself into fibers, then blotting. It's a wonderful thing.

Visiting Family in North Carolina

We're having a wonderful time in NC. The kids stayed up late (11:30) playing with their cousins and both slept until 8:30 this morning...and so did I. I can not remember the last time I slept so late. My brother, in anticipation of our visit, mad a trip to Trader Joe's and bought a case of different wines and so far the selections have been wonderful. We had a cookout last night of BBQ chicken, a potato casserole, salad, strawberries, and carrots. The food was great, having uninterrupted adult conversations about everything from diet pills that work to what are the new hottest wines to try, all while sipping fabulous wine, was very enjoyable. Today we are headed to the pool to spend some time relaxing, and then tonight we'll have more great food, wine and chatting while the 5 kids amuse each other. I'll try to get in a review of one of the wine selections.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

My Favorite Wine Accessory

A few years back my neighbor was at and Arts and Crafts show and spotted a unique gift for wine lovers. She purchased a variety of four wine coasters and delivered one to each of us Girls that play once a month at GNI (girls night in). We each got a different design and it was one of the coolest gifts I have ever received. In attempting to share it with you, I realized that my coveted coaster is missing (probably a nice cozy bed for an action figure somewhere in the house) but with the power of google, I found a website for you to get your own (because I know you'll want to).

The days of wine charms are gone, (although I have a ton of those too) as these gifts, if purchased in a variety of patterns, can be used to distinguish who's glass is who's as well as serve as a coaster that your glass will not fall off of... What?... Am I the only one that has happened to? Anyway, if you go to diningintheround.com, you can find beautiful linens for your table, as well as these. They get the "plug" since I'm using their photos in place of my own absent coaster.

How's that for a coaster? These would be perfect for the wine lover in your life for any special occasion...or just because.

Today's Wine at Five: Black Swan Merlot (what a pretty label)

Talking It Through

Tomorrow is the day. I get to go for the re-take of my Mammogram. I really should not have mentioned what a wonderful time I had, as they have invited me back for more tests. Yay. So as I sit here wine free (because the mood I'm in would surely lend itself to a nasty hangover), I'm becoming more and more convinced that what I really need is a vacation.

With Kissimmee giving away 3 weekend vacations (for 2) and 2 two-week vacations (for 4), I'm having a hard time deciding which I would prefer to win. Hubster and I could take a weekend trip plus an extra day for driving and spend some nice overdue time together. On the other hand, two weeks in a hotel with all the amenities and a pool for the kids and Shamu close by would be ideal as well. I don't think I've ever in my life been on a vacation that lasted 2 weeks. No cleaning, no laundry, no complaints of boredom, no cooking.

I spend a lot if time with the kids, in my current position, so having another adult to spend the time with as well as to share the kid duties would be a vacation all on it's own. We've talked about taking the kids to Sea World and if it doesn't happen this summer, I hope it will be in October, providing I can talk Hubster into taking the trip to Izea Fest.

With so many things to do in Kissimmee it's hard to pick. I am not one to over book vacations, nor do I need to have an activity scheduled for every day. I honestly think the kids would be happy lounging by the pool each day with an excursion to Sea World one day and a couple night time trips out for ice cream and a round of miniature golf. The important thing would be time spent together without the hustle and bustle of our every day lives.

I guess I do have a preference of which vacation I would like to win. Amazing how talking it through makes the choice clear.

It would also be a great opportunity to check out some wines that I have wanted to try and can't find here.

Wine Corks, Not Just for Preserving Wine

I'm in transition.

Several people get sent to this blog for the wine reviews and recipes through google and yahoo. I also have some readers who come back and comment that they think this is a wine blog, and want more wine stuff. As you know by my reviews, I am anything but a great wine Reviewer, you can find those here and here. What I am is a Mom who enjoys a glass or 3 of wine at the end of the day. I enjoy talking about wine and sharing. I do it in Mom-next-door terms like yummy, spicy and fruity verses talking about tannins and "old world dirt" flavors. If you want to know what the uneducated (in wine) people think, explained in terms you can understand, I'm your gal.

That being said, and with no firm promises to offer you. I will transition this blog to reflect more of my love for wine and all the things you can do with those empty bottles, corks, foils and labels. A little more wine, a little less of the kids. If you need to get an update on my parenting, you can now go here.

To kick this off, I went in search of the ultimate project for your wine paraphernalia and I do believe I found it. I can not properly give credit as the individual is only known as John D. over at Strat's Place. This guy did an amazing job. Read what he had to say:

John writes .. We started saving corks over 20 years ago and finally started covering one whole wall in our bar with them on New Years' Day this year. It took me two months to complete, working about 10 to 12 hours each weekend on it. As the years went on, we had a lot of people start saving corks for us, plus we went to a lot of wine tastings where we collected corks from all the wineries represented. I want it to be clearly known that we didn't drink all of these ourselves!!--Hahaha!
I used corks cut in half as the border all the way around and champagne corks on their ends around the central mirror. All the other corks are whole---give or take some trimming to make things line up. I am sending you a picture of my cork supply before I started, and also a couple of the completed wall.

Now, take a look at this...

How flippin' cool is that? I may have to redo my kitchen. I really love this look.

Okay. You've officially been warned that Wine at Five? is going to get crafty. I've found some other uses for corks I'm going to try and share. I just need a project for the foils. Anyone have any ideas?

Nero d' Avola ~a Review

I mentioned a week or so ago about a fabulous wine I had for Girl's Night In. It was extremely enjoyable and I wanted to share. It was, however, GNI (where us Mommy's of the cul de sac get together for adult food, drinks and conversation and sometimes over indulge on all accounts, due to the fact that we walk home)so I thought I would get a new bottle (good excuse) and tell you all about it.

Ruggero di Tasso's Nero d' Avola

I love this wine. I was not familiar with the variety so I did some research.

Nero d' Avola has for a long time been the indigenous grape of Sicily. Mostly used in blends, to add a rich color and flavor to reds, the grape has come into its own in the past few decades and wines have been created with 100% of the varietal creating a wine dark in color and rich in flavor.

What I remembered most about the flavor was it's spiciness. Now as I sit enjoying another glass, I taste plum and oak as well. This is a very bold tasting wine and went extremely well with our fondue dinner the other night.

I must also mention that the first glass I had was from a bottle that had been opened 2 weeks prior and it was as good as the new bottle, maybe even better. I would also be amiss if I didn't mention that this particular bottle was purchased at Trader Joe's for $4.99. So you have no reason not to try it...unless you are unfortunate, and don't have a TJ's near you.

Early Morning Resistance

Oh me Oh my. It's not a pleasant morning. Boog was too excited about his field trip to sleep and was up at 6. Now he is in rare form. Doesn't understand why he needs to brush his teeth and hair to go to the park. He is trying to negotiate and hoping that he can get down to brushing just once a day. Silly boy. How do you get them to understand the importance of teeth? Andy why does something that takes 3 minutes seem like such a chore to a 5 year old? Whats going to happen when his morning routine includes deodorant, acne treatment , any maintenance of braces (which I'm pretty sure he'll have)? What are those mornings going to be like? What about shaving? Nevermind. He's growing too fast as it is. The thought of my baby shaving is just not possible. I'll go be happy it's just the teeth and hair he's complaining about.
Have a great day!

Time by the Water, My Weekend Plan

I love the water. Ocean, lakes, pool, I don't care. My body literally craves water when the weather gets nice. We have one of the Intex inflatable pools and I think this will be the weekend to get it ready for play. Since it isn't that big, but still big enough for the whole family to cool off, we can set it up and fill it and within a day the water is the perfect temperature. I'd be living at the beach right now if I thought Puddin Pop would realize the water is too cold to get into.

A perfect day is one spent in the yard with the kids, floating in our pool floats lounges , beverage in hand, while the kids splash and explore around us. Doesn't that sound like fun. Finish off the day with burgers on the grill and an outside picnic and all is good,

All this Appreciating is Making Me Busy

As the school year winds to an end, I am finding myself very busy with all the appreciation ceremonies for Teachers, PTA Volunteers, Class Mom's and Principal Appreciation Day, which for some reason is in a totally different week from the Teacher Appreciation Week. Last week was the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. It was in the school cafeteria and I opted not to go. The theme was country (or cowboy) I can't really remember, but I lack any sort of equestrian apparel so I decided to stay home. My neighbor wasn't going to go either, but she is a substitute at the school and so she was there on that day and they MADE her go, poor thing. I did receive a nice appreciation certificate in Boog's backpack the following day, name spelled wrong and all. I feel the appreciation!

Tomorrow is the only field trip of the year. I don't blame the teacher's for not wanting to take a bunch of 5 year olds out in public. I usually try to get my errands done during the day to avoid taking mine out. I'm going to go and help the 4 Teachers and their Aides and 100 Kindergartners have a good time at the park. Wish me luck?

I Hate When He's Right

Boogie gave me a nice envelope of pictures and crafts that he made at school for Mother's day. Included was a fill-in-the-blank "All About Mom" form that the teacher helped him fill out. She asked the questions and then wrote in the answers.

Now, I am thrilled that he believes that I am pretty as a flower, and love that he wouldn't trade me for an action figure. The problem I have is the age question. I hate it that he's right. I hate it even more that he is only right because darling Hubster decided on my last birthday to divulge the truth. See, I had already told Boog last year that I was 25. He knew that it was a "big" birthday, so when he asked point blank, I lied. He was pretty sure, since he can count, that on my last birthday (February) that I was turning 26, but for some reason Hubster decided he deserved the truth. So there it is, for the world to see. 26 would have gone nicely with my 60 pound frame... that I achieve from eating all those salads.

With all these projects that the kids do at home and school, I was thinking of getting them each their own custom rubber stamps . That way they can just stamp their name on projects so we will know who's is who's when we pull them out of boxes 20 years from now. This one is definitely sticking around for the future when he would rather have an action figure instead of mom.

My Collection

I was perusing Facebook earlier and saw that one of my friends had posted their collection of wine corks to their page. I laughed. The corks were in a glass vase and the vase was about 1/6th full. I laughed because this friend is a blogging buddy. We have never met in real life and have only chatted through our blogs and other social networks. We seem to have a lot in common and this pic only proved that more. I immediately got my collection from the window above my kitchen sink. I would love to say that it is displayed on a coffee table in my living room, but I have a 5 and 3 year old so glass vases of any sort left in the middle of a room would just be foolish for all parties involved. Here's my collection



I had to Windex the vases before taking the picture. Sad but true. I also like to collect the foils (pretty aren't they?) Before you sign me up for drug rehab, which would actually just be wine rehab, I have to say that that is a years worth of corks and I send them to my Step Mom who makes hot pads and wall art out of them. In fact, last year she had a group of people over for the weekend that they had met at a wine tasting. When she told me she was looking for a unique gift idea, I told her to make a hot pad for each couple and leave room for one more cork. Each couple then got to pick their favorite wine of the weekend (lots of wine was consumed) and got that cork to add to their hot pad. How cool is that?

Thank You Wine Whore for the great post idea. I will enjoy reading about every cork you add.

My Worst Fear

When Boogie was first born Hubster made me aware that , from all the movies he'd watched, that it was inevitable that at one time or another, I would forget one of the kids. That is ridiculous. While I wasn't sure at the time, I was pretty sure that I would never leave the house or anywhere else without my kid (even now that there are two).

Imagine my surprise today when I read about the Family emigrating from the Philippines who left a 23 month old in a Canadian airport. he father thought that the child was with the mother and grandparents and the mother thought he was with his father. Since their seats were scattered throughout the plane, no on noticed. He also happened to be a lap rider so the airlines didn't realize that anyone was missing from the flight. It wasn't until the plane had taken off that security noticed the (almost) 2 year old and started investigating. The parents were informed by the airline that their child was back at the Vancouver airport.

Really? As a mother I'm pretty sure it would have been my lap that my child rode on. I would have at least checked to see that he was okay during flight (apparently the four adults had seats scattered around the plane).

The father traveled 1400 miles back to retrieve the child who was attended to by Tagalog-speaking agent during the ordeal. Poor little guy.

I'm a Computer Challenged Goober

Not really. I just don't care about some stuff. I LOVE to look around the Internet, chat with friends, check out what other people are talking about, research different topics of interest, and occasionally I can be caught playing some online games. I received a laptop last Christmas because I constantly complained to Hubster that everything he did on the computer slowed it down and caused all sorts of other problems. I wasn't positive that it was him, but I was pretty sure the "adult" sites that were popping up were not from anything I did. Now the poor thing (the desktop) can not even access the internet, and we can't figure out why. My laptop is fine.

Anyway, I've seen all the hype for Windows Vista, and that's what I'm running, but I've never read my manual or even really checked out the features on my system. It just doesn't matter. Hubster was dying to check out the features when I first got my laptop, but part of our agreement was that he was not allowed to touch it. It was hard for him at first, because he is really into "features", but he has learned not to even ask anymore (more than a year later).

Today I decided to check out what all the hype was about, and actually look into the customizable features. I haven't as much as changed the display or the desktop theme since I got it. I always did this with new pictures of the kids each week on the "old" computer. Imagine my surprize when I clicked on "optimize visual display" and a voice started telling me about all my options. So, I'm off to play and get to know my laptop a little better. It's the least I can do to solidify our friendship.

Mother's Day Perspective

How was your Mother's Day?
I had one friend tell me around 3:30pm yesterday that her Husband was watching TV and had just realized it was Mom's Day...nice. My day was pretty much like every other day, except I got a gift and a card. I was feeling a little less than special, and then I put it into perspective.

I have 2 beautiful children.
I have a husband who loves his kids.
I have a home to live in.
We have enough food to feed the four of us, a dog and a bunch of fish.
We have clean clothes in the appropriate sizes and for the current season.
We have shoes and jackets to keep us warm.
We have cars to drive to the places we need to go.

I am a mom and am taking care of my kids. That's all I ever wanted. I don't need the gifts and cards, maybe just a day with other Moms to celebrate US!

Thursday Ramble 5/7

Okay. I was wrong. It will happen again, I'm sure. Adam did NOT go home last night, but I'm still not sure he's going to make it to the finals. I think it may be Kris and Danny. We'll have to wait and see.

We had our Girls Night In last night and had some wonderful wine and fondue. I'm going to do a review of the wine soon, I just need to grab another bottle from Trader Joes. I might even be giving one away, but don't hold me to that. It depends on what kind of shipping deal I can get.
I remembered to take my camera with me last night so I could capture some pics of the food and our good time, but when it came time to actually take some pictures I realized that BOTH of my
memory sticks were full. I usually delete as I go so there weren't any pictures I could bare to be without. Maybe you'll get to see the fun next month, maybe not. Summer months are Girls Night by the Pool so we may NOT want to be displaying those, maybe just some food and beverage shots.

Why is no one interested in receiving a free book? I posted a contest for Andy Andrews The Noticer and not a single entry? Look down a couple posts and enter to win, otherwise I'm just going to give it my MIL.

American Idol 5/5

I haven't been posting about this regularly but thought I would take the time to put my 2 cents in now. I think Adam is going to go home tonight. I think he is super talented but he changes too much, for me. He was actually the person I voted least likely to use a stylist, not that there was actually a vote, I just thought he came across, in the beginning as someone who knew who he was. He song choices are fabulous, he can sing anything, but who is he? One week he's a rocker dude in need of several eye creams to remove all that makeup and the next day he's looking like Kurt Russell. I just don't get him. The other three have stayed pretty true to themselves in song choices and appearance and I think this will get Kris, Danny and Allison to the top 3 spots.

Disagree? Tell me what you think.

The Noticer ~ Review AND Giveaway

I finished reading The Noticer and feel I may become a better person because of it. The book is cleverly written and Andrews encourages everyone, no matter what situation you find yourself in, to notice the things you DO have and be grateful. Put everything into perspective and only good things will come your way. Of course the opposite is true. Spend all your time thinking of what you DON'T have and you will end up in a vicious cycle with an increasing list of DON'Ts.

The characters are real. Jones is reminiscent of a biblical character. Not being religious myself, I recognized the image and yet felt comfortable following his journey and was amazed at all he accomplished by just talking to people. He made them see that their lives could be worse and through a new perspective, always made their lives better.

I think this book is a GREAT read and therefore would like to give a copy away.

The rules:

Go to TheNoticerProject.com and tell me here who you would like to "notice."

You can get extra entries by...

(1 entry per task)

Following me on Twitter (leave an additional comment with your twitter id)

Subscribe to Wine at Five? (leave a comment when you do)

Blog about this contest (and comment with post entry link)

Tweet about The Noticer (leave link in yet another comment)

It's pretty simple.

Contest will end May 10th and a winner will be picked using Random.org on May 11th.

Raising Money for Breast Cancer without asking for a Single Donation

Along with my participation in Relay for Life, I am collecting money for the Breast Cancer Network of Strength, and I won't even ask you for a dime. BumbleBee Foods has created
BeeWell Miles to help support Breast Cancer and make a difference.

Starting on April 1st, BeeWell Miles is encouraging participants to log in, and keep track of miles walked each day. They have created a site with coaches and nutritionist to help us get more active and eat healthier all while supporting a great cause. The nutritionists will evaluate your daily meals and offer alternatives to create healthier choices while still indulging your cravings.

Boog and I want to start jogging/walking for some needed exercise (for me) and for some special bonding time just mommy and son. We have already signed up with BeeWell and will be tracking our progress...as soon as we make it out the door. BeeWell is donating 15 cents for every mile walked by it's participants (up to $200,000) to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.

It's not too late to get in on the fun, with almost 47,000 miles logged and over $7000 raised so far, this is an easy way to help others and yourself. The program runs through October 31st and with all the benefits of the site, you should, at the least, check it out.

I'm a Goldfish

Seriously.

I've started reading The Noticer by Andy Andrews and have come to the realization that I am a goldfish. I won't go into much more detail than that...right now, but will have a full review within the next couple days of this "life changing" book. I'm about a third of the way through and depending on time, should finish within the next day or two. So far I have been enlightened and look forward to gaining more perspective on my life and the people in it.

If you are looking for a good book and would like to gain some perspective on your own life...this is the book. Just released last week, this will make the best sellers list in no time. I'll be back soon with more details

Is it Time?

With the economy the way that it is, I often find myself contemplating getting back into the workforce. There are 2 things holding me back.

1. I can NOT return to the restaurant business where I spent 17 years, my whole professional career. It is not conducive to family life (though many do it). The hours suck, and I refuse to miss all the kids extra curricular activities.

2. I don't want to. Not really a good excuse, but after paying for daycare and after school care for the kids, what would I really be bringing home after a mid-life career change?

LIGHTSHIP RESEARCH offers individuals a head start on the competition when looking for a career change or a better position. With their reverse headhunter strategies, they get you resume' out to companies you didn't even know were hiring. Rather than sitting at your computer all day scouring sites that offer job listings, you can let them be your JOB HUNTERS and match you with the appropriate people within your field.

Here's what one of their clients had to say...


I spent a month uploading my resume to job boards, filling out on-line job applications and sending resumes and cover letters to recruiters and I did not receive one call for an interview. None of them even have phone numbers. I have a house, two kids in college, three cars and I was burning, even being frugal, $15,000 a month. I felt like I was helpless and free falling. I lost my job as the President of a medium size consumer products company, when the parent sold my division to an Indian conglomerate. The strategist that I worked with Lightship Research http://www.lightshipresearch.com had me in direct discussions with the owners and principals of private equity firms within two weeks. It took 56 days until I was gainfully employed and 68 days until I received my first paycheck. I truly believe that if I hadn’t hired these guys I would still be looking for a job. In fact, I may hire them to be a research resource for my new firm. Thanks!J. Holt, CT


I like the idea of letting someone else do that work for me, and if they know about jobs that aren't even advertised, think of the possibilities. I used to receive calls from headhunters all the time doing recruiting for other restaurants, it would be nice to think of someone calling businesses on my behalf to land me the perfect interview.

April Top Droppers

I know there's a bit of a dispute on a couple of new features that entrecard has to offer and I'm trying to stay out of that. I love the traffic it brings me, the ease of exposing my sites to new people and the friends I have made within the community. It's therefor time to recognize my top droppers for April. I have a soft spot for anyone who visits and especially those who comment, but just stopping by is cool too. So Thank You to all my friends and to those who just think my site loads quicker than others. I'll look forward to seeing you again...and again...and again!


Silver Sachet
Traders' Hub
Wii Mommies
First Time
Our Journey to Forever
Jean sQuared
Because Someone Cares
Gas Saver
Hot in Singapore
Travel on the Tide ~

Cookbook Winner

As promised we just drew the name of our winner and it's...






Jennifer

We actually had 2 Jennifer's enter and this would be the Jennifer of mattandjen. I'll send off an e-mail to you shortly to get your mailing info.

Congrats