Dec 1, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015




We had a good Thanksgiving.

Since the two older girls have (thankfully) graduated from college
and have (even more thankfully) taken jobs that require them to sometimes work on the holidays,
we've had to adjust our holiday celebrations around their work schedules.  

We have learned to celebrate our time together, no matter when that may be.  

We did not think we were going to my dad's for Thanksgiving, but did. 
It was decided on the Sunday before. 
We (my little family) are trying to establish our own holiday celebrations, make new routines, work around work schedules and would love to rotate holidays around.
This is our fifth holiday season since my mom passed away and I just feel like it is time to change things up a bit to accommodate everyone's different lives now.
But guys, family dynamics are hard to deal with.
I just leave it with that.





Barrett was so excited to be in the kitchen baking again!
Living in a dorm on a college campus is really interfering with her hobby.
She was home all day Wednesday and did nothing but bake and cook.






We took this tray of miniature desserts to my dad's house.







Friday, Brooke drove home from DC. She (flight attendant) worked/flew Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and was on call on Thursday so was not able to be here on Thanksgiving Day. Her boyfriend, Mr. E, came with her. 

Brittany's fiancé, Mr. B,  was also staying with us.
He is from Raleigh, but is temporally working in Nashville until February.
Friday night we stayed in and grilled hamburgers and watched TV.







Saturday was the big rivalry football game here in North Carolina, University of North Carolina versus North Carolina State. 





Everyone in our family (boyfriends included) went to one of these schools except for me.
We had pans to tailgate and go to the game. 
Barrett's friend Kat came with us too.



















Sunday, we celebrated Thanksgiving again since Brooke wasn't able to be with us on Thursday. 
This is the second year that we used one of Bobby Flay's roasted turkey recipes and it was delicious once again.





After dinner I forced everyone outside to take pictures.
Our camellia is outdoing itself this year and I couldn't help taking a picture of it on its own.
























Is there ever a photo shoot at our house where there isn't bickering or where someone doesn't demonstrate what the other one is doing wrong? 
NOPE!











Brittany and Mr. B haven't taken engagemnt pictures yet, so I thought I would give him a little taste of all of the torturous things he is going to have to do.
Things like this are really out of his comfort zone.
We found all of the pictures very very funny. 
I'll share later when I start my Wedding Wednesdays after Christmas. 









 I'll leave you with this:




 Bubbles was feeling very very thankful and thought he had hit the Thanksgiving feast jackpot,
until Barrett took her fish back to school with her on Sunday!

Maybe next year Mr. Bubbles!
 





Nov 16, 2015

Fours Days in Napa



Art and I just got back from Napa last night. 
Today has been a day of playing catch up and laundry. 


     Art had a conference in San Diego last week and flew out on Sunday (Nov. 8). He has been in an organization for many years and we have made some really good friends through all of the traveling, dinners and meetings. One of the friends we have made has a home in Yountville, California in the Napa area.  We, along with three other couples were invited to spend four days there with them after the conference in San Diego. 

Nobody had to twist my arm! 

     I flew to San Francisco and met Art and another couple there in the airport and we drove to the house in Yountville.  I have been two other times before, but each time was in the spring when everything was just starting to bloom. It was beautiful then, but I have to say that fall is giving springtime a run for its money. The leaves are changing on the trees and grapevines, the roses are still in full bloom and so are the other flowers. BEAUTIFUL!
























The first night there, we went to eat at Farmstead, but because of the jet lag we called it a night after that.





     Thursday and Friday we spent sightseeing, eating and visiting wineries. Napa is definitely not the place to go if you are on a strict diet and are trying to be "good".  I am paying for it now!

On Friday we went to Bistro Jeanty for lunch. 





(fried smelt appetizer)


(my lunch - tomato soup with puff pastry)


We stopped one of my favorite places, Oakville Grocery.




Wine tasting at Raymond Vineyards.
This place was very different than any other winery I have ever been to. It was very risqué and really not my cup of tea wine! 







(See that mannequin in the background - I am not sure what that is about and what it has to do with wine tasting, but she was one of many mannequins in the wine tasting room. Creepy.)





We went to Revana Family Vineyard. 
It is worth noting that the winery is owned by a cardiologist!
So cheers to good health!




(olive trees around the grapevines)










That night we went to Redd Wood for dinner.
Our friend knows the owner there and had a special tasting menu set up for us. 
Delicious - but we were all misreable after the first course.  







 Have you ever tried fried lemons? They were in the calamari and were soooo good!

























 Friday morning we went to Castillo di Amorosa.
After walking the grounds and visiting the animals, we had a tour of the castle. 























Lot's of interesting things to see...






Of course after the touring there was a little wine tasting involved.  





     If you follow me on Instgram you may have seen Gweniverie one of the winery cats. There is a second cat named Sir Lancelot, a yellow tabby, but he was a little shy.  Gweniverie is 100% living a very large life.  She roams the castle and sits on the tables in the wine tasting room. 







 We stopped by Gott's for lunch.
(Gott's was on Dinners Drive-ins and Dives so you know it's good! 











We ended our winery tours with a visit to Del Dotto Vineyards  and had a tour with the owner. 










Saturday morning the six of us that were visiting got up and headed to San Francisco.
We spent the afternoon wandering around and visiting the piers. 




(Alcatraz)


(sea lions)





We went out to eat one more time, 
and went to bed early and because we had to be up and out of the hotel by 5 AM
Sunday morning. 


Today, when I was walking around in my sweats at noon, I got hungry and started looking for a menu. 

Back to reality.