Wine is Wonderful

W and I have been on vaca - just in case you've wondered where I am. While on our vaca, we took a brief trip to Sonoma to taste some wonderful wine.

We were delighted and really enjoyed several of the places we tasted at. Our favorite, by far, was a wonderful winery called Gundlach Bundschu. If you're wondering how to say this name, check out this awesome t-shirt they sell which uses icons for pronunciation.

Other than their great clothing selection, we really enjoyed the:

2010 Gewürztraminer

2008 Mountain Cuvee

2009 Tempranillo

2009 Zinfandel

The grounds at GB were beautiful and we really enjoyed biking through there on our wine touring that day. If you're ever in the area, I would definitely recommend it.

Gorgeous grounds!

Our bikes!

Grape vines as we rode out

So true!

Hopefully I'll blog again soon when the vaca is over.

Hope your fall days have been full of turning leaves, pumpkins, and frosty mornings!

Tomato Soup and No More Home Grown Pumpkins...

I've noticed I seem to start every post with some sentence about how long it's been since I've last posted. That's probably indicative of a bad habit. From now on, I'm going to try hard to post on a regular basis. My dear friend Allie over at her blog is a great example of how great  a blog is when someone actually blogs more than once a month. With Allie as my shining example, I am going to try to do better. Also, if you need great ideas about running or healthy eating, Allie's blog is the place to go. She is awesome!

Since we last met, I have done many things. The first very important thing was watching my awesome hubby solo. WM did such a fantastic job. It was amazing to get to be part of something so amazing!

WM in the T-6 Texan II for his solo!

Since the solo, pilot training has only gotten more exciting. WM has been doing lots of fun acrobatics in the T-6. The smile he comes home with after all of his exciting air stunts is worth all the not seeing each other and long hours. Then, after doing lots of fun flying, WM had his mid phase check ride. This was the first big check ride and a little never racking for our household. Thankfully, WM did fantastic! Post check ride was his area solo which put a smile on WM's face that lasted all weekend.

During all these exciting happenings, I took a 10 day vaca to visit an Aunt in Cali. It was a fun trip, but after so many days away from WM and Mack I was ready to return home. WM seemed to do okay while I was gone, but Mack was another story. Mack dug up our entire pumpkin patch in a fit of rage. He was in big trouble for a few days. I thought about posting a picture, but the dead pumpkins make me too sad. Since I returned, Mack's naughtiness has disappeared and life is back to normal.

To finish off this post, I am going to post an all time favorite recipe from an all time favorite cooking site
It is for Stewed Tomato Soup with Butter Croutons. I change this recipe up a little bit and use canned diced tomatoes. It is pretty much impossible to get red, not pink tomatoes at our local grocery store. I use 3 cans of the diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic and two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes and follow the cooking instructions. It is delicious every time and we love it!

Also, from here out, I am going to begin photographing my food. It starts tonight with my recipe for Cheddar Chicken that is going to become Cheddar Turkey Filets with Mashed cauliflower/potatoes. Yum!

The Joy of an Overhaul

I've noticed lately that the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer always seem to be a time when people decide to change their lives and do things differently. I've decided to follow the trend and see what I can do.

Number #1 - I've overhauled my blog. I changed my design and added a gadget (I feel so fancy and technical)

Number #2 - I've started working out again. For some reason, I totally slacked off and stopped working out for about three weeks. Whoops. So, I'm back at it hard. I started running and it's a way better work out than anything else I'd been doing. Plus, I got a snazzy new work out shirt from under armour. Who doesn't love new clothes?

Number #3 - I'm overhauling my recipes. Instead of cluttering my house with magazines I have been clipping, sorting and turning them into one big cook book.

Number #4 - I'm getting creative. WM and I have decided to plan a unique and fun Xmas vacation. Right now we have three original options. We'll see which one wins.

Number #5 - I am working on not being nervous about haircuts and allowing my newer stylist to do whatever she would like to my hair this coming week (We'll see if I stick to this one)

Number #6 - I have actually planted more plants in the front of my house so everything looks much more tidy and friendly.

Well, I need to to get ready for the rest of my day, so I'll leave you to think about what things you would like to overhaul, tweak, or change in your life this summer. I'm enjoying mine so far!!