Tag: wine

Life As I Know It

Door County in March

megstermeter

Last weekend was my mom’s birthday! As a kid, I always got such a kick out of the fact that her birthday was March 7 and mine was September 7, exactly six months apart, “but different years!” I used to joke. Obvi. Here is my favorite embarrassing photo I’ve posted of her…

Some years we don’t get to celebrate birthdays together, but some years we do! Three years back for a certain special milestone birthday, we made our way to Charleston. We both loved that trip, but due to my mom’s genes, leading to a bad hip, she couldn’t get around as much as she wanted to. Since then, she’s had her hip replaced, I’ve moved to a new state and gotten married, and this was the first trip we’ve had where we could relax, shop, drink wine, and just hang out! The chaos of the last few years seems to have subsided for now.

Me and mama!
Frozen over.
Cute little coffee and lunch spot.
First stop: wine tasting.
First stop: wine tasting.
Next stop: Cheese tasting.
Next stop: Cheese tasting.
Next stop: Cheese tasting.
A serious Wisconsin Fish Fry
A serious Wisconsin Fish Fry
Birthday girl with treat!
Birthday treat!
#selfie
Pretty darn cold and frozen
High Point Inn
High Point Inn
High Point Inn
I found a puzzle…
For being loyal to High Point Inn!
Fish Creek, WI
Ephraim, WI
Ephraim, WI
Happy birthday!
Snacky Dinner
Enjoying the Door County Wine
Columbus Adventures, Creative Crafting

The 614 Studio

megstermeter

Yes, I know, we’ve all done a million of these “wine and paint” classes. But still, I do really, truly enjoy these now and then. So when The Ohio State Alumni Association recently sponsored this class at the brand-new-better-than-whole-foods Giant Eagle Market District, I was totally in. The 614 Studio is a traveling version of these wine and paint studios, which is sort of cool since you can book them to host a party anywhere. And I really liked all the girls working with them!

Me and Tareya, rocking both the painting, and the wine-ing.
Me and Tareya, rocking both the painting, and the wine-ing.

What were we painting? Well, the Shoe, obviously. What else? And yes, the outline was sketched out ahead of time. VERY smart, if you ask me.

Sketched ahead
Cool space
In progress

And here is the almost finished version of mine…I think it turned out pretty okay!

Not too shabby.
Not too shabby.
Health, Mmm...Food...

Binge-y-ness

megstermeter

If it were a real word, I would define binge-y-ness as: the tendency to go overboard after saying you will just “have a little.”

It pretty much sums up my life. I don’t have an addictive personality. I am not a perfectionist. I am not any of those other things we try to label ourselves with. But I do have a quality of binge-y-ness. 

Case in point: Television. Oh, TV! How I love you so. If I don’t turn on the TV – on a Saturday morning, let’s say – I’m totally fine. I will workout, make breakfast, clean, and be a totally productive, functioning member of society. But once I turn it on, I’m HOOKED. I become useless. Let’s not even TALK about bingeing TV shows. Um, House of Cards, anyone? Game of Thrones? Gossip Girl? I have no shame. And suddenly, I just spent 5 hours watching poor Lonely Boy navigate adolescence.

Netflix

Everything I do is sort of this way. I can hole up in a room with craft supplies and NEVER COME OUT. I can sit down at the piano and have two hours pass by. I realize these are pretty good binge-y-nesses, but still. It’s basically the opposite of ADHD.

And same goes for food. And wine. Oh wine. I can go days without drinking any at all, and really, that’s easy for me to do (because I am not an alcoholic, mom). But as soon as I have a glass…well, then it’s pretty much a bottle. And as soon as I make a batch of cookies or we order a pizza, well…you can guess the rest.

I can’t decide if I’m a moderator or an abstainer. I think it depends on the particular item. I do better abstaining from potato chips (just don’t start and you’re fine), for example, but moderating desserts (having them once in a while). Are you a moderator or abstainer? Are you binge-y? Has anything worked particularly well for you? Share your journey!

Daily Notes, Mmm...Food...

Wine and Cheese {and Sangria}

megstermeter

Yes, another wine and cheese party!

A new addition: an experimental Sangria which I would say turned out quite tasty. Be warned, this is not a very sweet sangria (unless you start with a sweet red wine) but I would say it was QUITE delicious. And next time, I will definitely double it.

Champagne Sangria

1 bottle dry red wine
2 lemons
2 limes
2 oranges
1 cup strawberries
2 small cans diced pineapple (and juice)
1/2 cup brandy
1 bottle of champagne

Slice the fruit, and soak it all in the wine and brandy for a few hours (or overnight). When ready to serve, add the bottle of champagne. Voila! Easy peasy, and super delicious. If you like your sangria very sweet, I would suggest either starting with a sweet wine, and/or making a simple syrup (sugar and water) to add. You can also add fruit juice or triple sec to sweeten it up. Enjoy!

Of course, everyone’s favorite usual suspect:

Happy fooding!

Daily Notes, Mmm...Food...

Arrington Vineyards

megstermeter

Most people in the Nashville area know about Arrington Vineyards, owned by the one and only Kix Brooks. Well, it also happens to be one of the few things that mom has not done yet here in Nashville.

So it seemed perfectly logically that mom, boyfriend, and I would venture to the rolling hills later on the same day as my half marathon.

With a picnic from Bread & Co., and some wine from Arrington, we enjoyed just relaxing in the perfect early-summer weather. The most perfect end to a big day.