New Wine Review: 2009 Purple Moon Merlot

Last night we had the opportunity to open a Merlot we picked up at Trader Joe's awhile back. It was the 2009 Purple Moon Merlot and of course since it was from Trader Joe's - it was a great deal, probably $7 or 8.

I would give this wine a 7 out of 10. Usually I am not a huge fan of Merlot, but this one was great! Upon smelling the wine, I was a bit nervous because it seemed to be pretty heady. To me, Merlot usually has a bit of a BURN when you drink it and reads bitterly. This Merlot is not like that at all upon taste. It has a very exotic flavor and has a warm cherry taste. I would definitely purchase it again. Jeff was not a huge fan, however he LOVES super sweet wines and is more of a white lover. I don't mind though - I will be able to finish this bottle on my own!

We had this with our Sunday dinner of Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed Potato Timbales & Brussel Sprouts with Red Onion and Bacon.

Holidays Here We Come!

The Holidays are VERY important to me. I was raised by a Christmas Junky and am now raising a Junior Christmas Junky. I am literally overwhelmed currently by thoughts of what to do, where to go, what to make and what to buy. And it's not a bad overwhelmed, I would much rather think about what color ribbon is going on my tree than foam mattresses or bedside mats. I JUST LOVE everything about this time of year!

I wanted to share a little information about the Salvation Army, who we proudly ring bells for EVERY YEAR. This year, if you would like to ring along - OR lighten your wallet, we will be at Bay Park Square from 5-7pm on Friday 11/26. Near the children's play area. Every year Cooper gets older, the bell ringing becomes more of an adventure! To me, this is such a simple and fun way to help give back to the community and a great way to introduce the kids to community service at a very young age. Cooper was 13 months old the first time he rang bells! So if you haven't ever considered being a bell ringer - read below and sign-up if you can!

-Donating one hour of bell ringing = enough donations for a family to get a bus pass voucher or to pay 2 adult book fees for a Financial Literacy Class

-Donating two hours of bell ringing = 20 meals for the noon feeding program or 14 children getting after school program access, or 4 bags of groceries.

www.ringbells.org

A fabulous and perfect soup to freeze

Yesterday I threw this soup together and then packed it up and put it in the freezer where we will happily enjoy it a few months from now. Of course we sampled a little prior to packing it up - AND IT WAS AWESOME....who do we have to thank for this? My home-arts idol herself, MARTHA STEWART.

Here is the recipe - I would RUSH out to the farmer's market this weekend and make it for yourself:


Creamy Squash Soup - Serves 12 as part of a buffet
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 small garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 stems fresh rosemary
4 fresh sage leaves
2 pounds buttercup, butternut, Hubbard, or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed
2 cups water, plus more if needed

Melt butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Place rosemary and sage on a small square of cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen string. Stir in the herb sachet, squash, potatoes, stock, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Discard herb sachet. Let cool slightly.
Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Adjust to desired consistency with stock or water. (Soup can be made up to 2 days ahead; warm over low heat.) Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crostini.

Read more at Marthastewart.com

Butterfly Time

It's funny that at my age(25 as you all know) I feel like this past 6 months has been one of the biggest times of personal growth for me. I have learned so much about myself and come out on the other side of what has been quite a struggle. What have I learned?

-Beyonce said it best, "Me, Myself & I" - I count on myself and expect the most from myself - other people for the most part will disappoint you if you let them.

-Only God will judge me and if you feel like you should, maybe you should consider spending more time praying

-I will do what I want when I want to how I want to and will never feel guilty about the decisions I make for my family

-Friends who have been with you in the trenches are the friends who really matter.

-There is always room for improvement

-Being a mom is the best gift I have ever been given, I will not take it for granted for one second

-Volunteering is almost unfair - I think I get more out of it every time than the people I am "helping"

So as I emerge on the other side of a rough few months, I am ready to blog more, ready to chat more and ready to kick some major tail!

Before I pass "The Treasure of a Friend" by: John G. Maxwell on...



I want to make sure I document the portions that were so valuable to me:



"But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Hebrews 13:16



"In prosperity our friends know us. In adversity we know our friends." -Unknown



"In friendship we find nothing false or insincere; everything is straightforward, and springs from the heart. " - Cicero



"No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence." - George Eliot

The Fast

Lately I have taken a break from my MANY bad technology habits, just to see what would happen. I have forced myself to only check my email once a day, I rarely hop onto facebook and I have almost completely discontinued internet shopping. This is what I have found out:

-nobody notices if it takes more than a day to respond to their email
-I don't really miss Facebook at all
-there is exponentially more money in my checkbook and less junk in my house
-my reading time has increased
-Cooper & Chief seem to be much more content/less needy
-my anxiety about many things is subsiding

So, you can bet you won't find me on facebook anytime soon!

Friendship - what does it mean to you?

I have spent many hours contemplating friendships lately - probably too many. I have come to the following conclusions that I hope and pray will lead me in the right direction in the future when it comes to allowing people into my life.

#1) You can only count on yourself in EVERY situation, even when you think you can count on others.

#2)It is not worth it to let yourself be judged by people who don't matter and have no loyalty to you at the end of the day.

#3)The people who give you nothing but support and positivity are the ONLY people worth spending your precious time and efforts on.

In light of the recent events that have taken place in my life I have been searching for a lot of inspiration when it comes to friendship type relationships. This has led me to my very own bookshelf which happens to be chock full of quotes and stories that talk about GENUINE friendships. I am hoping these will help me audit out the bad and bring in more of the good relationships that are worth pursuing.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"A genuine friend encourages and challenges us to live out our best thoughts, honor our purest motives, and achieve our most significant dreams." -Dan Reiland

"Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away." -George Eliot

And so much more to come as I make my way through the bookshelves - here is to genuine friends you can count on!

Is it really that hard to help those in need?

This past Saturday, Jeff, Cooper & I volunteered with the UW-Green Bay Alumni Association for the annual food drive. Pretty easy volunteer work, hand out flyers, promote the Festival Food for Neighbors campaign and collect non-perishable items for the local pantries. They have convenient $5 and $10 bags that you can take right to the checkout and they ring it up with your groceries.

My opinion is this, when there are community resources that help those in need(like food pantries), things like the crime rate and other problems which make the quality of life in your metro area don't continue to become bigger problems. I know, pretty simple, pretty unfounded, but worthy of being stated.

This is what I can't believe about Saturday - we got so many dirty looks from people when we told them about the food-drive. And some were FLAT OUT RUDE! Perhaps I am naive, but since when is giving back to the community in ANY way a bad thing. To me, many times service does things for oneself and community that are valuable both personally and to those you are serving. It's an obvious choice to help when, where and however you can. And if more people did give back, our community would be a better place. Both "think globally and act locally" and "be the change you want to see in the world" come to mind for me.

What a week!

Things are seriously mayhem over here at the H-Haus. Jeff is on the road for work leaving mommy with a toddler who is out of control and a puppy who is bound and determined to make me lose my freaking mind. However I have managed to get rid of the thing that was causing me so much stress and pressure lately it was making me physically ill. So even though in the short term things are busy and stressful, in the long term they will be smooth sailing.

This year I am striving so very hard to focus on what really matters and get the things out of my life that are not conducive to being positive and productive. I have been shown again and again that life is too short and there is no reason to not enjoy and be thankful for every second.

Here are some of the latest inspirational calendar pages:

"My Life can expand and grow and be as big and glorious as I want it to be."

Oh yeah - sounds like a plan as I prepare to partner with some local homeless and young mother shelters to give back as much as I can.

"I am blessed and prospered at every turn." Lately, I have truly felt this way.

We're sending prayers to the families of Chad, Eddie M., Eddie K., Summyr, and Aoife, please know that not a day goes by that we are not praying for your families and health.

From neighbors to some REAL inspiration

So yesterday's fab little gem on my daily calendar was something about being in harmony with all your neighbors - which to me is a bunch of crap, we have had nothing but trouble with the peeps in the duplex, the people right next door are raising 2 future Lindsay Lohans and well the only decent neighbors are across the street and NEVER around! So the year of positive living has come to a screaming halt...although I have decided that next time and from time to time this year when I bake something I will knock on doors in the neighborhood until I find a taker. See - I am not completely hopeless.

ANYWAY - today's quote is, "Live is bringing me everything I need and more." Thanks for the memo life, I would like a Suburban! Yes- I will always be this sarcastic, but I AM making a really effort to live a better life this year. And truly, this phrase is exceptionally profound when reflected upon.

that's all I have for now, after this I will be posting a list of the wines I am RESOLVING to try this year!

"Today is one joyous experience after another"

And who can complain about that - some Saturday highlights:

-Cooper cracking himself & us up with his new very sneaky trick of hiding behind the couch cushions

-Mommy & Cooper reading the paper and watching a bit of Thomas the Train this morning while eating french toast stix with peanut butter & syrup

-Mommy getting to enjoy some time with the Wii and as I attempted YET AGAIN to master online skating, jumping so high and swinging my arms SOOO furiously that my numchuk flew out of the holster and almost hit me in the face. PS)Still can't time those F-N jumps accurately

-Celebrating Cooper's buddy, Payton's 3rd birthday - kids had a blast, adults had a blast, Payton was so excited about everything PRINCESS!

Today's quote really helped me stay aware of all the little moments that make the daily grind special(and hilarious).

"Positive change is in the air. I bless and prosper everyone in my life, and everyone in my life blesses and prospers me."

Here I go AGAIN with the blogging. I promise to stick to it this time for my loyal readers and for my new readers - keep me on track. So much to say and no one to listen, I need to get my voice out there for my own personal sanity, can you tell this is again one of my resolutions?

The quote above is from my new motivational page a day calendar - I am looking forward to very much and hope that this text holds true and that I continue to be blessed. Many things have happened lately to friends and co-workers of ours and I am NOTHING but thankful to have a healthy child, spouse, and extended family for the most part. Please visit these links, send a prayer or positive thoughts to these folks and don't forget to be grateful for those blessings that are yours. If there is one thing I have had to learn again and again this year, it is that life is too short and enjoying each moment is CRUCIAL.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aoifemarinan

Aoife is the daughter of one of my friends from Mothers & More, she is currently suffering from Leukemia.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chadbordwell

Chad is a co-worker of mine from Direct Supply who very recently lost his battle with brain cancer.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/eddiek

Eddie is the son of our great friends, Brad(Cooper's Godfather) & Jen, he is battling Morquio syndrome.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/eddiemcallister

Ed is an old co-worker from my days at UW-Green Bay's Union, he is battling cancer for the 2nd time in recent years.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/summyrzuern

Summyr is the wife of my mentor from Direct Supply, Mike. She is battling leukemia for the second time and will soon be getting a bone marrow transplant.

I can not believe there is THIS many people we know personally going through this much RIGHT NOW and just had to use some sort of forum to get their stories out there. So a blog seems obvious.