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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wino Wednesday - 2010 Tranco Monastrell Cabernet Sauvignon



We came across this wine at Costco - yes we go to Costco a lot and usually most of my wines are from Costco, their selection is great!  Anyway, we saw the 90 points written on the bottle and figured I'd give it a try.  

Here are the winemakers notes:   "The 2010 Tranco is an intriguing blend of 75% Monastrell and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon aged three months in French and American oak as well as larger demi-muids. It offers elegant black raspberry and blueberry fruit notes along with hints of cassis, damp earth and barrique. This medium to full-bodied, ripe 2010 is a sensational bargain."



I really enjoyed the wine as a first sipped it, I just wished that it had as good as a finish as it does when it's first sipped.

In all, I thought the wine was decent and a good try.  I think this would be good for beginner red wine drinkers as it's smooth and is more of a weak finish.


Have a great Wednesday!!



Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Perusing Poses

We have our family pictures scheduled for the end of next month.  I'm sooo excited!  It's so much fun to take pictures and see how your family changes year by year.  I of course have been on Pinterest looking for some poses to recreate for the shoot.  Here are some that I like:




via



What do you think?  Do you all go on Pinterest to look for poses before a photo session?







Monday, October 28, 2013

Weekend Recap

This weekend was pretty relaxing but fun.  Friday we spent the afternoon shopping and running errands.  We spent the evening after the kids went to bed watching TV and hanging out.

On Saturday we had a baby shower.  The kids had so much fun playing with balloons, running around with their friends and eating TONS of sugar!

Kids with their grandmas

I think Ewas pretty tired of taking pictures and Jonah wanted to "peace out" apparently



Yesterday we hung around the house and then in the late afternoon we took the kids to the park.  They had a great time as usual and made a couple of new neighborhood friends.  I love to see them make new friends, kids are so friendly and innocent it's so nice to see them interact and have no cares.


She drove her brother to the park

J taking the truck for a spin


My mom came over after the park and watched the kids and JZ and I went to Rustic Inn for their famous crabs -- they were so good and it was nice to have a date night.




What were you up to this weekend?
Friday, October 25, 2013

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!  It's my favorite day to post because I get to link up with my favorite ladies... Here are my Five on Friday:



one:  iPhone 5s -- Hubby ordered my phone this week and I'm so excited!  Of course, I ordered the gold and it's on back order, but I'm excited to get it!  I love the fact that the iPhones are coming in a few colors. I think I'm going to love the gold, it looks so girly, classy and pretty!  I'm also excited about having a bigger screen.



two:  Cooler weather -- I must say I was so excited yesterday, it finally felt a little fallish.  It was in the 70's in the evening and there was a nice breeze.  We were able to open the windows and enjoy the fresh air. I'm so happy to welcome the cooler months!


three: PSL Latte -  Yes friends I finally tried the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and it did not disappoint.  I can't believe I hadn't tried this sooner.  I always chickened out and got the Caramel Macchiato but I'm happy I stuck to my guns and tried it -- it was delish, I now understand the hype!  I can't wait for the Creme Brulee lattes to come out, those are my fave!!



four: I am in love with this entryway.  I think the pattern is great and although there isn't much decoration - it feels like such a welcoming space, so pretty!


five:  Good friends - we had our really good friends over last night for dinner.  It was a very relaxed informal night, but to me those are the best.  The kids play, the adults drink some wine/beer and hang out and enjoy each other's company.  It was a great close to our day, informal nights with friends are the best!




Have a good weekend!!!


xo,
Amanda





Thursday, October 24, 2013

Owl Love "whooo cute!"

Corny title huh?  Anyway, ever since I decorated my daughter's room with owls, I have developed a love for them.  I don't have them all over my home, but have a few of them here and there.  I think they're so cute and they display a little bit of whimsy.  Here are a few owl things I'm digging as of now:

owl love

Sur La Table drinkware / Jonathan Adler salt and pepper shaker, $77 / Owl home decor, $10 / Pier 1 Imports owl home decor / Owl home decor / Les Néréides owl bangle / Kate Spade tech accessory / Tech accessory


Anyone else love owls or have an animal that they're drawn to for decorating or accessorizing?


Have a great Thursday... one more day until Friday :)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Home Sweet Home!

We are finally back home!! We got the new air conditioner put in yesterday, I'm so happy to be here and not sweating to death :)

The house is messy since it's been our dumping grounds the past few days so today I'm focusing on cleaning up, organizing and doing laundry.  I need to get everything back in order so that I can breathe a sigh of relief and get back into the swing of things.

One thing I organized this morning was my purse - it was terrible, like the worst it's ever been.  I have been putting everything in it and once things went in they never came out.



See how disgusting it was?!  I can't believe I even just showed that picture haha.  I'm famous for putting kids things, my things, and hoarding receipts.



I took everything out and organized.  Then I put it all neatly into a different purse that's smaller to see if it helps me from putting junk into my purse and help it stay more organized.



Do you use a smaller or bigger purse?  How do you keep your purse organized?


I'm off now to cross a few more things off of my list while the baby naps.



Have a great day and see you tomorrow!
Monday, October 21, 2013

Broken Air

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Our air decided to break this weekend and while in most states it wouldn't be an issue if your air breaks mid-October, here in Florida it's a problem. 


Our air gets fixed tomorrow (thank goodness) in the meantime, I'll be MIA until Wednesday. I can't wait to get back to the comfort of our home :) 

Have a great couple of days!


Xo
Amanda

Friday, October 18, 2013

Five on Friday!

TGIF!  I hope everyone had a fantastic week!  I'm linking up with my usual ladies for this week's edition of Five on Friday.

one: Leopard print - I never was really a fan of leopard print until now.  I think it's so pretty and perfect for Fall.

 


two:  I saw this Kate Spade purse yesterday and it was on sale and I loved it!  It took all I had not to buy it. I have SO many purses and I really don't need this one - it was just so beautiful and I can't get it out of my mind!


three:  I found this quote and I loved it.  It hard sometimes to get caught up in the craziness of life and wish that the kids were older or that certain things in our lives would change.  But it's important to stop and enjoy every moment.



four:   I find myself still watching this Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon  Hashtag video for a good laugh. Please tell me you have seen it - it's too funny!


five:  I found this Etsy shop and I'm loving all of the bracelets.  These are my favorite, they are so dainty and pretty!





I hope you all have a great weekend!  Can't wait to see what your Five on Friday's are :)

Take care!
Amanda


Thursday, October 17, 2013

My Favorite Pinterest Pins

I like I'm sure all of you ladies like to pop in and out of Pinterest daily and get ideas, inspiration, laughs, ect. I thought I'd compile a list of some of my favorite pins:


For my home:
I've often thought about doing a built-in banquet for my dining room.  I love the mixture of textures and colors and I think it adds such a warm, casual and yet elegant feel.


These are called "crap baskets" basically all of the crap that ends up downstairs is put in the baskets depending on who it belongs to and the child/person has to bring it up and put it away at the end of the day. What a great way to get the kids (and hubbys) to lend a helping hand.  Sometimes I wonder who makes more of a mess the kids or the husband! ;)


I'd be a happy girl waking up in this bedroom every day, the colors are so bright and cheery - who could wake up on the wrong side of the bed?!

My Wannabe Style:

It's hard as a stay-at-home mom to look stylish (at least it is for me) but these are the pins that inspire me or that I can envision Kid-Free Amanda wearing:




Makeup:

I get so many ideas on how to do my makeup from Pinterest.  I like to get  natural look ideas and also find looks that "pop" more



Nails:

I love how simple and elegant this black French Manicure is

I need to do this when I go for my next manicure - love it!



Quotes and Funnies:

This cracks me up every time because it's so true!  As soon as I get on the phone the kids go crazy - it's embarrassing sometimes!

Nice words to live by


Recipes:

How delicious does this Fried Caprese salad look?  I need to make this!

This Indonesian Pork Tenderloin was my favorite Pinterest recipe I've made the flavors are incredible!


Kitchen Inspiration:
We're planning on a kitchen remodel sometime in the  future here a a couple that I love:



Don't you love Pinterest?  It's amazing the amount of ideas and things you can find on there!  To see more of my pins follow me on Pinterest!



Have a great Thursday everyone!























Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wino Wednesday - Manos Negras Cabernet

Happy (Wino) Wednesday!


While at the store I came across this bottle of wine called Manos Negras by Vino Del Sol.  I was leery of the wine because it was a screw top and typically I'm disappointed by screw tops, but the wine was on sale and sounded good so I decided to give it a try and I'm happy I did - this wine is incredible!

The first thing I noticed was the gorgeous deep color that the wine had when I poured it, such a deep red - which tells me it's going to be a nice bold wine.







Wine makers notes: 4+ Stars ('11), Restaurant Wine; 92 points ('09), Wilfred Wong.
Ripe red fruits, licorice, pencil lead, and a hint of mint. Complex with good grip in the mouth and a long finish.

This wine would pair great with romano cheese, blue cheese, colby cheese, semi sweet chocolate, fruit with chocolate, and tomato sauce

I paired this wine with our dinner which was St. Louis style bbq ribs, corn on the cob, and my favorite kale salad, and it paired really well in my opinion.

Hope you enjoy it!