Wine Tasting

Sarah says:  Jon and I went to our first ever wine tasting last weekend.  I loved it!  Members of Geneva Presbyterian Church get together every year and do this.  Here are some pics of the wines we tasted:

Moscato D'anti - fairly sweet, and as we all know, I don't do sweet.  However, I seemed to enjoy this Moscato more than any other Moscato I've ever encountered, so yay for that!

Crane Lake White Zinfandel - Can you ever go wrong with a White Zin?  Nope.  It's a sure thing, a safe bet, a delicious wine.  I enjoyed it, as did many others!

Michigan Red - It saddens me to say this because I usually like everything Michigan, but I didn't like this.  I left my mouth dry and wishing for a glass of water.  I think I ended up swapping glasses with Jon so he could finish it.

Green Apple Riesling - My first apple wine!  LOVE IT!  I'm beginning to think I enjoy all Riesling, but I especially loved that this gave me the opportunity to taste something completely different.  So good!  I think I would declare this my favorite of the night.

Lake Harvest Riesling - another Riesling, another success!

Casillero del Diablo - I didn't get a chance to taste this one, but Jon did, and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it!  I'm not sure about the name though, isn't Diablo a violent video game?  Hmmm... you gotta watch our for those Presbyterian wine drinkers

CMS - this was the winner of the night, because it was the first bottle finished.  It was finished so fast that I didn't even get a taste!  I was told it was awesome, and that is motivation to go purchase a bottle myself.  Maybe another time.













This night wasn't really about the wine though.  Obviously, based on my brief descriptions above, I didn't really take notes about each one.  This night was about getting out of the house with my husband in typical "date night" fashion.  We're parents of 2 kids, a 4 and a 5 year old (Gasp! Can you believe Mary turns 4 tomorrow!?!  More on that another time.)  We don't get a lot of time away.  Like many new parents, back when Liam was born, we let him and our new world of parenting control our lives and our schedules.  When Mary was born, it only got worse.  It's only been over the past 18 months or so that I've really come to understand the necessity of the date night.  I used to dread them, I was so nervous about leaving my kiddos, it almost never happened.  Then, I was too worried about them to really enjoy the night.  I'd write pages of instructions, I'd call and check in, we'd come home early.  But then... I got burnt out.  Parenting is a 168 hour a week job.  I work 40 hours per week and my "regular" job, and I'm exhausted by it.  They give me several weeks off a year simply because they know we all need it to rest and recharge.  It's something you earn and deserve.  We need to apply the same rule to parenting - stop feeling guilty for wanting to get away!  As parents, we put in our time, and we deserve... and need a break sometimes.

I've come to enjoy our date nights (I still write pages of instructions though), and (thanks to a few awesome relatives) a few date weekends!  My kids are my priority, my pride and joy, my blood, my reason for trying, my everything; but my husband, he's my best friend, my supporter, my confidant, my love.  I was making so much time for the kids, that I ran out of time for my husband. 

Date nights are the best, I look forward to them now.  It allows us to communicate on a adult level - sure we see each other at home, but we are usually so busy caring for the kids, cooking meals, helping with homework, cleaning toys, dishes, laundry, that our conversations are usually about things like poop and swim lessons.  It allows us to rest - there isn't anything wrong with going to the movies - sometimes just sitting still for two hours is exactly what we need.  It allows us to interact with people we rarely get to see - friends are important too!  It allows us to show our kids that we are together - they pretty much know that they mean the world to me, and they use that to their advantage as much as possible, but these nights are about us, not them, and they know it!  It allows us to see how good we have it - sorry guys, but sometimes getting out of our bubble and seeing what everyone else has, makes us realize we wouldn't change a thing.  Often at the end of a date night, I find myself saying that I just want to go home.

So, date nights and wine are both important - they both provide relaxation.  I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Friday evening, than with these two very important things, and to top it off, we got to spend time with our church family!  Bonus!

Overall rating:  Thumbs WWAAYY UP

I'd also like to give a big Thank You to anyone that has taken on the responsibility of watching the kiddos so Jon and I could go on our date nights!  We truly appreciate you!!  Mom & Dad (both sets!), Anne, Henry, Shayna, Tara, Gerrit, Terry, Tina, Beth, Marilyn, Chelsea.

Miller Lite

Sarah says:  Yum, one of my favorite beers is Miller Lite.  It's simple, basic, and totally satisfying after a busy weekend.  I realize it's kind of cheating to mention beer on my wine blog, but if there is anything I've learned lately, it's that people cheat.  It's in our nature to want to be the best at things, and if there is a method to achieve more, to be better, to find an easy way around, we'll do it.  Just look at the number of athletes recently being discovered as having used drugs to enhance their performance, cheaters.  Has anyone played Jon recently on Words with Friends?  Yup, he's cheating.  Work, even in the most professional settings, you're constantly hearing of people lying on resumes and well, cheating, to make themselves look like the best candidate.

Want to know what I've learned you cannot cheat at?  Gluten free cooking.  This is freaking hard.  Here's what I've made so far...the infamous muffins that I mentioned here, 7 loaves of bread (6 of which ended up in the garbage), pizza (which was sort of cheating since I purchased the crust, and just added the toppings), spaghetti & mac-n-cheese (which is really just a matter of buying the right noodles), chicken nuggets (which was actually fairly tasty, but Liam still prefers frozen, which Jon managed to find some this weekend, thank god!!), pancakes (which Liam ate, but didn't ask for 2nds the way he usually does with pancakes), stew (which is the same as normal stew, except I used a different flour to thicken it up a bit).  I've also been making more stuff that is naturally gluten free, chicken salad, tacos (as long as you use corn tortillas), pot roast, bean soup.  I discovered we LOVE tacos because they are simple.  Rice chex cereal is the easiest breakfast, and the mini flavored rice cakes are the easiest snacks.  Here are some pics of my gluten free adventures.

The bread has been by far my biggest challenge.  I've made several loafs that turned out tiny, and tasted like 5 cups of flour and starch condensed into 4 inches of bread.  Yuck.  I had one explode on me.  And my closest attempt, but it stuck to the pan when I tried getting it out, so it sort of broke in half and fell apart.  It actually tasted pretty good, but I couldn't use it for sandwiches like I want.  Luckily for me, I just discovered this bakery that is 100% gluten free!  Rumi's Passion in Plymouth, my new favorite place.  They sell bread, cakes, hot dog buns, cookies, brownies, pastas, pizza, cinnamon rolls, everything is gluten free.  I bought some cupcakes and hot dog buns this weekend, all received rave reviews by Liam.  I have determined that I'm giving up on my bread making career.  Even if I get it to work out, I'm spending at least $4 - $5 on ingredients per loaf of bread.  Depending on the location, and what is on sale that week, I can get a ready made (actually tasty) loaf for about $4.75.  I'm not saving enough, if anything, to make it worth it anymore.  Plus the amount of time it takes is more time than I have to spare.  I will continue to seek out other gluten free recipes, but bread is no longer one of them!

For anyone interested, I did learn a few things along the way.  The bread cooks best if the milk and eggs are at room temp vs. being cold.  Gluten free dough is the stickiest, hardest stuff to manage ever, be prepared with lots of water.  Gorgonzola bean flour is your friend.

Guess I'm just a cheater, I'm taking the easy way out, but who can blame me, it's human nature!

The Furst Riesling

Description on the bottle:  The Furst... lies at the toothills of the best Alsacian Grand Crus (Schlossberg, Furstentum).  Proud to have been raised on Alsacian tradition, Dan Steffan, the artist of the label, has dedicated her life to art.  Intrigued by the "forgotten", the drawing suggest tenderness and humor through a certain despondency.  Spread the happiness and enjoy this wine with family and friends.

Sarah says:  This wine is from France!  I suddenly feel like I'm not dressed fancy enough.  Even in my jammies, this wine is delicious!  We drank this bottle over two nights, and for some reason I liked it more the first night.  Not sure if I was just more in the mood the first night, or if sitting overnight changed it's flavor.  Either way, I liked it both nights.  I'm pleased to have shared the happiness with Jon.

jon says: I liked it more the second night. although it might be because my first sip was just after a mouthful of pasta heavily coated with crushed red pepper. i think it was sweet and fruit, but not too sweet. a very nice wine.

Overall rating: Thumbs most of the way up.... since we're different on if it was better the first night or second night.

Sarah says:  I received this bottle of wine from my friends Allison and Dave, who just got engaged!!  Congrats guys!  I can't wait to share in the happiness of your wedding day.  Of course, hearing all about the proposal and the wedding plans got me reflecting on my own wedding.  Jon and I were young... I had only graduated from college 9 months earlier.  As a result, our budget was pretty low.  Most people know, Jon LOVES movies, and although we knew each other much earlier, our relationship didn't take off until we worked together at the local movie theater in high school.  We started dating in college, and saw many many movies over the course of our early years, mostly because it was free because Jon still worked there.  It only seemed logical that we get married in a movie theater.  Getting married in the theater was inexpensive, sentimental, and AWESOME.  We made a movie to play before the ceremony, we served popcorn (and had it thrown at us as we walked out), our cake looked like movie reels, we served candy bars, and gave out movie passes as favors.  If I could do it again, now that I have a bigger budget, and more people that would judge me, I'd get married in a movie theater again.  Although, maybe this time, I'll do it in a theater in France, and also serve wine!

jon says: i also thought our wedding was awesome! but if we could do it again i might add a cool movie car, like the batmobile, general lee, the DeLorean, or ecto 1! 

Sarah says: ... and better wine!!

Tomasello Cranberry Wine

Description on the bottle:  Made from 100% Cranberries this premium Tamasello Cranberry Wine is a perfect balance of light sweetness and tart refreshing cranberry flavor. The color is an intense cranberry red and the wine has an enticing aroma. it is perfect with turkey or as an after dinner wine cheesecake or in a Tomasello Cranberry Cosmopolitan. Winner of numerous medals, including the Taster's Guild Gold Medal.

jon says: i hate cranberries! i don't hate this but i don't love it either. it is more sweet then i prefer and after every taste i feel my stomach crying out for an antacid. i have had worse.

Sarah says:  I think Jon was a little hard on this wine.  It's not my favorite, but I like it.  It tastes a lot like cranberry juice, which I enjoy drinking a glass here and there.  Drinking multiple glasses in one sitting... might not go so well.  It's sweet and fruity, would be good with dessert.  I'm still being semi-healthy, so there is no dessert for me to enjoy with it.  The color is also a shocking red color, which again, reminds me of juice. 

Update on the previous blog:  It's been three days, so far so good.  I've come home to dinner cooking (except today, I made soup in the crockpot, yum!), laundry done, and chores completed.  Jon has taken Mary grocery shopping, swimming, signed her up for some classes at the library, and has managed to keep her from tearing our house apart.  I've slept well 3 night in a row with him next to me.  I'd say all that equals a success.  Although, tonight, the kids have been asleep for 90 min and we've spent that entire time apart.  I'm ok with that!

Landshut Sweet Red

Description on the bottle:  This exquisite, well-balanced red wine has a fruity bouquet with flavors of plum and rasberry.  Perfect accompanient to desserts, spicy dishes or simply enjoy on its own.  Serve slightly chilled.

Sarah says:  This is embarassing.  I'm pretty sure someone gave me this bottle, probably over the holidays, but I've been sitting here racking my brain and I can't remember who.  I like to give credit where credit is due, and I just can't do it tonight.  I apoligize over and over again, I'm sorry.  Things got so crazy over the past month or so that I just cannot remember.  Whoever you are, thank you for this bottle!  It's delicious.  I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about a sweet red wine, I've determined over the past months that I prefer semi-dry wines, sweet just isn't my thing.  But there is something about this wine that is delicious, I'm really enjoying drinking it!  I think I can really taste the plum, it's unique and yummy.  I would definately drink this again.

jon says: the title alone gave me hope that this would be a wine that we both could enjoy, and it was. this wine is sweet but not so sweet that you will instantly go into a sugar coma. it has a very pleasent taste and isn't overpowering. i hope that when we get around finishing off this bottle it will taste as good as it did the first time.

Sarah says:  Hopefully we'll get around to finishing it in the next couple of days!

Overall rating:  Thumbs up!

Sarah says:  The past month has been a little crazy, between the holidays and my mental meltdown... wait, what?  Yup, I said it... mental meltdown.  I've mentioned here and here that Jon and I work opposite schedules.  And while that well worked for us at one point, I've been fairly miserable with it for the past several years.  Back before the move out of the house, I was looking forward to new jobs happening, and schedules changing.  But, as that has yet to happen, I've been getting more and more discouraged about ever having the "normal" family life that I so want for our kids.  So, I broke down.  I'll spare you those details, lets just say there were tears, screaming, and long sleepless nights spent talking.  So, we've made a change.  Tonight marks the first night in a new life for us, Jon is home tonight, and it's not just that he happens to be off work .... we've decided that Jon will become a stay at home husband.  Mary will be spending her days at home with Jon, instead of going to daycare.  Jon will do the grocery shopping and cleaning during the days.  I'll work.  We'll have family dinner time every single night.  We'll spend evenings together, every single night.  We'll spend weekends together, every single weekend.  We'll spend mornings together, every single morning.  Our time will be spent doing fun family things, instead of catching up on chores and sleep.

I'm thrilled about this.  Time has always been our biggest challenge, and we are finally going to have it!  I can't wait for the kids to understand what it means to be a family, instead of always being with one parent or the other, but very rarely both.  After 7 years of marriage, I'll get to go to bed with my husband everynight instead of alone.  I'm also terrified, we are so used to spending the majority of our time apart, what if we can't actually handle seeing each other all the time?  What if we get on each others nerves?  I'm used to sleeping alone, so I sleep best that way... what if I can't get used to sleeping with Jon?  What if Mary suffers from the lack of social interaction?  What if we can't balance our budget on one income?  What if Jon hates staying at home?  We have such different parenting styles, which has never mattered much, it was always one way or the other depening who was on duty, what if we cannot mix our two styles together?  I'm nervous, there are alot of unknowns. 

It's something new, and new things are always scary.  But, the good news is, we've still got each other.  We're both putting a lot of hope, effort, and love into this working.  We want this to work.  We're both giving it all we've got.  And that, is better than this amazing bottle of wine.

jon says: "new things are always scary" wow you sound like an old person trying to use a cell phone for the first time. new isn't always bad. failure to act, to try, to live is sad. i want to do and be the best i can for my wife and my kids. if it doesn't work it will not be because we didn't try.

"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have. "  Louis E. Boone

Water Part III

Sarah says:  I'm drinking my favorite kind of drink tonight.  Water.  Straight from the tap, in a cup, filled to the top with ice.  The only thing that would make it better would be if I had a straw - I'm like a 5 year old, I love drinking out of a straw.  With it being the new year, I'm trying (along with thousands others) to be healthy.  Don't worry, I'm realistic about this, I know my healthy kick will fade in a few weeks and I'll be back to the wine!

Since I'm on my healthy kick, I keep telling myself I need to get off my lazy butt and go running.  Here's the thing, I dislike running in the cold... and I live in Michigan... where it's freaking freezing!  Yeah... that's totally just an excuse.  I have access to a treadmill at the fitness center in our apartment complex, which I last used about a month ago.  Yup, that's called LAZY.  So, last night I told myself over and over that I was going to get up and run - then I didn't.  I even got a Garmin for Christmas (my in-laws rock my world!), and I'm dying to try it out, yet I snoozed over and over and over this morning.

Wouldn't you know it - my daily devotional today talked about running!  It never ceases to amaze me how God does that.  Here's the verse for the day:  "...and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."  Hebrews 12:1  The focus of the reading for the day was on endurance, pacing yourself, staying focused when you start to slow down.  Obviously it's not literally about running, it's about life... but what did I take from it?  I really need to get off my butt and go running!  It doesn't matter how long or how fast I go... I just need to do it.  I know it, my family knows it, even God knows it.  

I've talked about how important running is to me here, everyone in my household knows that when I'm cranky, it usually means I need to get out and clear my mind on a run, and yet, it's so easy to fall out of the habit.  Well, thanks to my annual healthy new year month, and ya know... God subtle reminder, I'm definitely going for a run tomorrow!  Actually, this year, in additional to my usual 5K's to keep me going, I'm going to do one of those mud runs that are all the rage now-a-days.  That's my healthy goal for 2013.

What are you doing to do this year to be healthy?