The Wine Makers Wife

Happy Birthday baby

Today is Remy's birthday!! My little guy is 2 years old! I can hardly believe it.

Likes: Meela, haivng his ears rubbed, putting his head out the car window, protecting the neighborhood from evil. Pet-Peeves: squirels, the doorbell,  bath time, trips to the vet, having to stay home alone when mom & dad go out for dinner. Favorite Toy: Platty the platypus or Octa the octopus Favorite Food: liver jerky, hot dogs Favorite place to nap: under the covers at the foot of the bed Best Tricks: Dashboard surfing in the wine makers car Motto: the world is my toliet!

snow daze / dala horse

The phone tree was activated early Monday morning. On top of the world, where the "my" winery is, was covered in snow. I was asked to report to the Accounting office at the base of the mountain. Boy was I ever excited! A snow day! There weren't enough computers for all of us to use, and the office is right down the street from Whole Foods and a couple awesome sushi joints. I was envisioning a half day of work and then treating myself to sushi, then heading to my in laws house to snuggle up with remy and read a book all afternoon. By 8:30am the road up the mountain was cleared and my snow day plans melted right along with it. My co-worker and I headed up the mountain to open the gates of the winery. Half way up, my mood changed, as the mountain side was dusted in white powder, truly a magnificent sight. CW and I parked our cars and decided to play in the snow for 20 minutes before we got down to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wine Maker had a snow day too. Here he is playing with Morgan, a little sledding and snowball throwing. Up at our house, it snowed just as much! Thank goodness the chickens have a new coop!

 
 
 
Where has this year gone too? Honestly? I'm uninspireed today so here are some links.

 

Washi tape for your holiday wrapping 

Staying with my Mother in law, who is of Swedish ancestry, this week has really gotten me into the Dala Horse. Here are two iron on patches that would be placed on a crisp white tea towel for a folksy holiday gift. Below is a festive print to hang in the house. 
  

  

it's beginnng to look a lot like christmas, or new coop for the chick chicks

Oh my Lord. Half a month went by without my blogging. Blogitis? Something like that, mostly just my life being boring and structured. Thanksgiving happened, and we spent the holiday with The Wine Makers parents. Then we drove back up to our house and cut down a tree from a local Christmas tree farm. Very reasonable prices, and it felt good to support local farmers. The farm we went to had llamas, friendly, affectionate goats, and a massive persimmon tree. (Which was so beautiful it made me almost wish we had one, except that persimmons are really an odd fruit and no one really likes being gifted 10 pounds of them. Which is what you end up doing because you have too many to know what to do with them and now you've pushed your problem off onto someone else. It's a vicious cycle.)

So we spent our four day weekend decorating the house, putting up lights and building a new chicken coop. Oh yes... the ladies have some new digs. The whole living under the deck stairs thing was just not working out for them. Not enough shelter for the winter. The were huddling up in a pile resembling a totem pole, just to keep out of the rain and wind.

The Rem is inspecting the house before the ladies are put to bed for the evening. We have a dowel inside  for roosting and a vent at the peak of the coop. The roof lifts up on either side for easy access, and the apple tree will provide a bit of shade during the summer. No door yet, so a mesh screen is doing the job until we can build a little sliding door.

Updates~
I did not stay on my juice diet for 25 days. It was difficult to lug my juicer with me at all the places I stay in a month, (house, in law's, grandpa's) though I stuck with it for 10 days. I felt lighter, woke up with loads of energy and did not feel hungry. If you are interested in more information please read Natalia Rose's latest book- Detox 4 Women.

The job I currently have is on call. And while I thought it would be easy to take on a second job this holiday season at Crate & Barrel, the holidays are a busy time of year at the winery. I find myself working more then I had originally thought.

Remy passed his physical and behavioral exam, for the Furry Friends therapy dog organization, with flying colors. I rushed my application and $40 check off to them after the promise of being enrolled in the late November orientation class. Two weeks passed and I received a hone call informing us that we would be admitted into the late January class and more details would follow. *sigh* Really??

Instead, I will be sorting cans of food at a Food Bank one night a week for December. At least Second Harvest will let me do something good for someone else.


My husband is completely amazing. He cooks dinner every night when I am home (tacos, rack of lamb, sushi), this weekend he cleaned the garage out, took a load of junk to the dump, built a chicken coop, fixed my bike tires, put christmas lights up on the house, and the put the christmas tree in the stand in the living room. Then put two different kinds of lights on it. Wheew! We are definitely playing house. Fixing things up, organizing, painting, cooking... it's all so domestic. And though it doesn't sound terribly exciting or romantic, we are so happy. I wasn't able to afford to travel this year, as is my usual goal- "so many countries, so little time". And I took a lower paying job for a chance to learn more about the wine industry. What I am trying to say is, this year we made a lot of choices and strapped a budget to our lives so that we can build for the future. It feels really good to be working toward a common goal together, despite a lifestyle void of instant gratification.

 

happy is always in style

Well, here we are! Ozzie and I are leaving the house for a bit of holiday shopping. Don't you love my black painted door and how I've color coordinated my outfit to match my Mother's dog? All right, so this is a photo from Cole Haan's Holiday campaign, but this could be my reality...possibly...or never in a million years. Hmmpf. Their catch phrase is "happy is always in style" and their colors are ruby red and bright aqua. *sigh* I do love a well thought out holiday marketing plan. And while I'm Christmas fantasy land, without further ado: The Wine Maker's Wife Gift Guide for 2010

a kindle. all the cool kids have one. I think the idea of having 1,500 books available to me at a time is fabulous, plus the average down load price is 9.99 for new releases! But the real selling point is that you can change the font size, like, increase it as much as you want. I'm getting old. $259

vinturi. so last year, I'm aware, but makes all the difference if you can't bother to decant the entire bottle of wine.  (or if you tend to brake your wine makers decanters, often, and he won't buy them anymore.) You can do it a glass at a time. This is an aerator, wine needs to breathe people. $30.40

voluspa. if you are the sort of person who appreciates candles, and a stylish one at that- then this is for you. Gorgeous scents that are not too sweet or over powering, very sophisticated. beautiful tins and three wicks to throw the scent throughout the entire room. $18.50

bellamela. if you know someone with a macbook oriPhone check out these handmade covers, totally chic. $19.99

 

to be continued...

 

un-birthday

Today is my half birthday, in six months I will be thirty years old. More about that in a moment. Rem sent me a text message and photo this morning. He's in Angels Camp with his dad this week, and goes to work with the wine maker everyday. Here he is in the back seat of the winery truck with his "happy camper" t-shirt on. "Hi Momma! Going to work with dad today! Have a nice day! Love, Rem" the message said.

One of the reasons I was worried about blogging again was the lack of content. Life is under construction at the moment, as my friend Mary and I have determined recently. And the length of construction has yet to be determined. I've been super focused on all the things I don't have right now, and it would be a far better use of time and energy to focus on what I do have and what I want to bring into my life. I'm trying to get my hands on an Eckhardt Tolle book...

And so... I'm posting the lyrics to Nina Simone's "Ain't Got No" song.. because it's just sort of how I feel today.

Ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes
Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
Ain't got no skirts, ain't got no sweater
Ain't got no perfume, ain't got no beer
Ain't got no man

Ain't got no mother, ain't got no culture
Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling
Ain't got no sisters, i've got one brother
Ain't got no love, ain't got no name
Ain't got no ticket, ain't got no token
Ain't got no God

What about God?
Why am I alive anyway?
Yeah, what about God?
Nobody can take away

I got my hair, I got my head
I got my brains, I got my ears
I got my eyes, I got my nose
I got my mouth, I got my smile
I got my tongue, I got my chin
I got my neck, I got my boobs

I got my heart, I got my soul
I got my back, I got my sex
I got my arms, I got my hands
I got my fingers, Got my legs
I got my feet, I got my toes
I got my liver, Got my blood

I've got life , I've got my freedom
I've got the life

And I'm gonna keep it
I've got the life
And nobody's gonna take it away
I've got the life

 

tea

With the weather turning to dark evenings and brisk winds I find that I am moving yearning for all things cozy. Words like gingerbread and scarves entice me to fall deeper into the season. After work yesterday I drove to the library and borrowed a sack of cozy mysteries, their main characters have to own tea shops or have a faithfully terrier companion. While reading Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs I got the urge to have high tea. In the past I spend a great deal of time in down town eugene Oregon, haunting two wonderful tea shops. The sort that are tucked into the downtown area, have a neighborhood vibe to them and invite you to hang out all afternoon should you be caught in the rain. Searching for the shop on-line I'm getting the impression that the shop closed... However Savoure, a former tea shop turned on line retailer... also seems out of commission, as savoure.com goes nowhere!

Well... this is sort of cramping my post... the recession must be hitting Eugene terribly hard.

If you have a cozy tea shop in your neighborhood please comment, as I'd love to know more about it. No matter where you live!

I'm thinking of planning a tea lunch excursion to either of the two shops below. Both are in San Francisco. Might make for a lovely day trip into the city with my mother and aunty.

LoveJoy's

Crown & Crumpet

juice feast 1.0

I've been introduced to Bella Foster's water colors and can't get enough of them. They have nothing to do with this post, what-so-ever.

For three weeks now I have had the flu, and Sunday I landed at urgent care with a sinus infection. I'm clammy, cranky, and only mildly interested in the world around me. Where's my bed? Blah.

Today is November 3rd and day 3 of my juice fast. So far so good. I've been juicing basic things, like lemons, swiss chard, apples and carrots. A little celery for hydration and beets for sweetness. It's important to get dark leafy green in there, and have that be at least 60% of your juice. The nutrients and chlorophyll are imperative to have as they help alkalize your body. Alkalizing foods help minimize your chances of cancer cell growth in the body, as the cells tend to produce faster in bodies with more acid in their systems. 

My Brevelle Juice fountain makes about 32 ounces at a time, which I split into two servings. So I use my juicer twice a day, for four servings of green juice.  Am I hungry? Yes and no. As I'm super sick, I'm not feeling very hungry. But on the flip side, once I heal, and my energy has increased I'm sure I'll be more so. I can either make more juice, and cut it with water, or ignore the hunger pangs. Hunger fades after a little while anyway.  Juice feasting is really up to you and your goals. Mine is to revitalize my body with nutrients and to slim down before a planned pregnancy. So if I feel the need to have more juice I'll make mine a little heavier on the greens than the pineapple and mango juice.

 I've not been drinking wine, but I have been allowing myself caffine in the form of tea and coffee.

pans in the fire

 

is that the expression i mean? You know when you have a few things you are waiting on to see if they come to fruition?

Remy has decided he'd like to try being a therapy dog. he's got a pleasant temperament, and mild energy level. the local organization we are applying to is Furry Friends based in san jose, ca. the process entails filling out our background information and having a vet review remy to be sure he is deemed a safe and friendly dog by a professional. we do not need to go through the american kennel club test called canine good citizen, which savess us a bit of time and money. in november we attend an orientation class which covers a typical volunteer day, introduces you to your team captain and co-volunteers. we will also touch base on etiquette for visiting with patients.

 

we are volunteering because we can. remy can handle it, and it will make me feel great for giving back to the community. i've selected to volunteer once a week for an hour, as it's about all the patience rem can muster for good behavior with out needing to run around and "woo woo": his howl to initiate play. i have elderly grandparents who i adore and make an effort to see each week, and when they have had surgery and are recovering the hospitals ship them off to local convalescent homes. these places are usually incredibly dire and lacking in privacy... i just feel so forlorn there, i cna't imagine what it would be to stay a fortnight or worse, longer. so if we can spread some joy then we will!

i think i have a fetish for stanford shopping center during the holidays. i loathe parking at malls during the holidays, detest wading through crowds, detest dealing with the high end pretentious clientele the center attracts, and yet i usually work as a seasonal hire each year on top of my full time job. yay me.  first it was Kate spade which started out great and then i had a melt down on the 26th of december when a customer snapped his fingers at me. though i do work in hospitality at my winery, the head of hospitality- i can be a bitchy little thing. god help me. anyway, then i worked at my winery part time, and that was a little better. this year i'm interviewing at crate & barrel. my aunt kate works there... and i could use the extra cash now that we are making house payments and stating starting our business. this moola would be spending money, pure and simple. i'm pretty much on call here at the winery, but i could work nights and one weekend day. i never see my husband anyway, so little would change there. we shall see!

i just adore the romanticism of the holidays, chilly evenings, a fun days work, being on the inside of a beloved company, gorgeous decorations and poinsettias...

___________________

p.s. for tomoko: thanks for my scarf!! I adore it, got loads of compliments on it today! I listened to Super fly on the way up to work and really like the main vocalists voice, she has quite a range. Capsule is AWESOME, my new favorite CD. I read somewhere that they were considered a poor man's pizacatto five- that's crap. they are so much better and forward thinking in their arrangements. thank you!

juice feast 0.1

Wow, three posts in one day.

For a year now I have been dabbling in vegetarianism, raw foods, organic foods, and juicing. I discovered a woman on You Tube who I found to be extremely motivating, passionate and informative about eating a raw food diet. Please check out Therese at RawDownUnder. While vegetarianism isn't for me, nor is a strict raw food diet, I have felt the benefits of juicing raw fruits and vegetables. Being able to introduce vitamins and essential nutrients into the body with little energy to digest it helps the organs rest- well, let me back track. 

Angels Stokesis a raw foodist with a very in depth website. Her personal journeyand transformation is truly remarkable. "By consuming only liquids, which are absorbed directly into our system, we give the body a huge energy break from digesting foods. It can then use that saved energy to clean out old matter, especially from the small intestine. The average person holds 5-10lbs of toxic old matter in their intestines, and Feasting is an ideal way to release it, giving the body a phenomenal chance to rejuvenate and restore. Far from being a time of 'deprivation', this extraordinary healing programme is an experience of abundance and massive nutritional intake...we lose weight, skin becomes radiantly healthy, illnesses are healed, scar tissue rejuvenates, and we detox our whole system on a massive scale."

Juice Feasting is great for anyone feeling that their bodies can use a full reboot of the system, cleanse, rebuild and re-set for a new level of wellness on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual (if you are a spiritual person) level.

I have challenged myself to a 25 day juice feast, starting November 1st, and begin easing back into a more healthful lifestyle (and solid foods) on Thanksgiving. I suffer from mild anxiety and depression from a chemical imbalance, migraines, dry skin, lack of energy, and eczema on my scalp. Imagine if some of those symptoms could be alleviated by a healthier lifestyle... If you'd like to learn more about juicing please check out the links above. I'll be updating on my progress in the days to come.  

a typical day

setting up the kithen for a luncheon, we have VIPs today. too chilly, on top of the mountain, to sit on the deck this afternoon.

 

 

kathy is making forbidden rice with an orange reduction, fresh green onions, cherry tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.

 

 

 

another present from japanese visitors, i'm such a lucky girl! i love the boxes!

 

 

woo, gourmet snack pack with candy stars!! 

  

 

the barn tasting bar

 

 

left over humbolt fog from a tasting appointment this morning. we had swiss guests.

 

 

tasting room, sorry we're closed today

 

 

co-worker used to be a rock star. really. i have no idea what the case is doing here, i think it's empty.

 

time to clean up