Wine of the Night

CDR's little brother gifted us with this HUGE bottle of Moscato the other day. I think it was a Thank You for giving him our old truck.( Remember this? -link)We've had it forever and don't need it anymore. For the last couple years the Drama Teen Not a Teen Anymore has been driving it. But, her big brother just got himself stationed in England and left his Mustang behind for her to use for the next two years so the truck would just be sitting here....BIL has been driving our old Mercedes with NO heat, bald tires, and no working windows...the truck will be MUCH better! LOL

Better Late Than Never-Wedding!

 I realize I never did get around to sharing about our daughters wedding this past summer. I kept meaning to come and post about it , share pics and all, but just never did. The more time went by the more it seemed I 'missed' the window to be able to share. But you know it's never too late, so better late than never!!

The Wedding was this past July in New Jersey. Her fiance spent his childhood in Merchantville and his family all still lives there, so it seemed the best place to have the Wedding. They were married in the Church he grew up in and that his parents still attend. The Church was absolutely beautiful and the service just as much so. The reception was at the Pennsauken Country Club and it was one of the best receptions we've ever been to. The food was too DIE for, and most of our guests were quite impressed! Our daughter did a very good job of  keeping costs down and we did a lot ourselves. She made her own dress and it turned out beautiful.



 She also did the flowers herself and we even made the centerpieces for the table at the reception ourselves. It wasn't easy planning a wedding across country when neither of us live there. She was planning from Oklahoma and we were planning from Wisconsin! Rachel came up in May for her Wedding Shower( which I posted about) .Then Rachel and I headed to New Jersey early to get things finalized. We stayed with her fiance Joe's family. It was really fun getting to know them better and they were such a great help with all the wedding planning. Most of Brad's family came later. We rented a bunch of cabins at a Campground nearby, plus we brought our 5th Wheel. It was a whirlwind vacation as we tried to get in as many sights as possible during our stay. A day was spent in Philly. Another in NYC. And yet another at the Jersey Shore! And of course fitting in a Rehearsal Dinner and and Wedding and Recpetion!

 Presenting her Bouquet to Mary.

   

I'll share a few more pictures of the Wedding and of course a bunch from the Reception in another Post soon!

Special Delivery

Last Spring I signed up for the New Beauty-Test Tube. They send out a "Tube" filled with various beauty products featured in their magazine.I've really been enjoying it!

From their Website:

Program Details

TestTube is an exclusive, one-of-a-kind sampling program enabling members the opportunity to try a variety of the best beauty products before investing in them, and then share their feedback about the products. Every three months, for just $29.95 (plus shipping and handling), subscribers receive a TestTube filled with deluxe and full-size samples of coveted, high-performance luxury products and the latest issue of NewBeauty magazine. TestTube subscribers also receive videoemails, demonstrating how to achieve optimal results with the products. With 25,000 subscribers, TestTube has built an unprecedented community of beautyenthusiasts and informed women who sample and share their product favorites.

 The newest Tube arrived on my doorstep today and I'm quite happy with it.

 Here are all the products that came in my box this quarter.

 Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Forever Flushed Full Size

Vichy Liftactiv Serum & Liftactiv Eyes Trial

Simple Facial WipesTrial

Stila Face the day Multi-Use Moisturizing Gel Cream Trial

dr. brandt Pores No More Cleanser Full Size

mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in Midnight Full Size

Dr. Denese New York Glow Younger Self Tanning Glove Trial

Phyto Paris botanical hair relaxing balm Trial

 I think this is my favorite thing so far. I bought a Tarte Blush at Sephora last spring and LOVED it. Wore it all spring and summer and even into the fall. So I'm excited to have this new one!

 Can't wait to start using my new Beauty Products!

My Latest Obsession!

I was never a Wine drinker before. I really didn't even LIKE wine. But ever since I moved to Wisconsin and started hanging out with my SIL I've come to really enjoy the Local Wines we have here. And my husband has jumped on the Bandwagon as well. We've toured quite a few Wineries and have even decided to start a Vineyard of our own! It will probably be a few years before we'll have anything decent but we might even try to make a few bottles next year.

Anyway, many evenings will find me enjoying a nice glass from some local winery and often my husband will join me. Get my SIL in on the action and we've been known to go thru a few bottles!!

Usually I pick up a couple bottles of Local Wine from the Grocery that we've already tried and know we like. But this week I decided to branch out and try something different. I picked up this White Wine from Spurgeon Vineyards in Highland Wisconsin. I wasn't sure I liked it when I first tried it, but after a few more sips it grew on me and I was like whoa!! This is good! We'll have to make a trip to Highland to check out this Winery.

Brad and I have really been enjoying touring wineries, especially now that he's trying to start one himself. It's kindof fun though. I certainly have been enjoying the 'tasting' part! LOL We make an effort wherever we go to find local wineries to tour and I buy a Wine Glass from each Winery we tour. It's a fun hobby!

Description from the back of the bottle:The Loreley is a legendary maiden who sits atop the cliffs of the Rhine River in Germany. She is a siren whose sweet singing would lure sailors to their death onto the rocks below. This wine was named for The Loreley because it's so reminscent of Rhine wines. It is semi-sweet with a very nice balance. It's fruitiness is exquisite.

Keeping it Real... Frozen Tundra Style

Winter has finally decided to arrive here in Wisconsin! Temps have fallen into the single digits and beyond. It's 1 degree here with a Wind Chill Factor of -18! YIKES!! Not much else to do but hibernate in the warmth of the heater, which I've finally caved in and turned on! We've been using the pellet stove but it just can't heat this whole house with these kinds of temps, so the furnace it is!! Today's outfit is ALL about warmth and just being plain  lazy!!LOL

Just a quick photo of the day. Wanted to catch the snow before it disappears. It's dusk and everything has a blue tinge. It's so pretty.

Another New Year!

Wow, can't believe it's another New Year already. And again I've fallen off the face of the Earth. Will I ever post regularly again??? Who knows. It's a New Year so anything is possible. I start this year off with a lot of HOPE. I'm pretty excited about 2013. Not sure why but things seem to be really coming together for me and I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I have a lot of new goals that I'd like to work on this year. I don't have them all formulated yet, nothing concrete but they are floating around in my head. Mostly a lot of the usual. Get more organized, save more money, lose weight, do more,  BE more..etc. etc. But I also want to 'relax' more and just enjoy life. Not let it pass me by, yet not feel that I can't just BE in the moment. I'd like to start blogging more regularly again. We'll see how that goes! LOL