Mellow Yellow

Mellow Yellow

If you follow me over on instagram you may have noticed a consistent color on my feed for the month of June! I’ll wait for you to go check it out! Did you notice it?

That’s right Yellow!

What are your thoughts about the color yellow?

Personally I love it! It’s not my favorite color but one i’ve recently fallen in love with!

I chose yellow for the month of June because I though it was the perfect color for the month, vibrant bright and bold!

Did you know there is a whole branch of psychology dedicated to color:

Color psychology is the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior. A popular theory on color psychology is that a person’s mood can be influenced by the color, light and the surrounding colors (Colorpsychcology.org)

According to color psychologists, Yellow, the brightest color of the spectrum is commonly used in images depicting fresh ideas, creative projects, or new business initiative.

Some things color psychologists have also found about the color yellow:

• Associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.

• Produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates
  muscle energy.

• Bright, pure yellow is an attention-getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color.

• Yellow indicates honor and loyalty.

• The Yellow color is one of the most commonly used colors on the superheroes. The yellow colors are long wavelength color. In psychology, the color yellow is considered as a color of positive thinking and confidence which is to be represented by the superhero.

Some negatives:

• In some parts of history the meaning of yellow was connected with cowardice ( Colorpsychcology.org)

• When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect ( may trigger warning or caution)

• It has been researched and in some cases shown that babies cry more in yellow rooms.

Theres def a clash in opinions about the color yellow. What are your thought? Love It or leave it?

Lets discuss it!

Search for the great Seltzer

Search for the great Seltzer

Who here loves a good hard seltzer?

I know I do!

Which is why I am continuously on the hunt for the best seltzer out there!

I do enjoy the Truly’s and the White claws out there, but I also want to expand my seltzer experience!

Which is why I rounded up a few of my favorite seltzers that I have been recently loving!

My Top 5 Seltzers

1. Brew dog: Clean and press: I recently picked this up from Total wine and I was instantly hooked!

   What I like about this brand is it’s derived form single Malt vodka so I don’t get that weird artificially taste with it and the flavors are delicious!

   Favorite Flavor: Slammed white peach and mango or Pulped Blood orange and pomegranate

2. Vizzy! I actually tried this brand for the first time last year! Something I like about thus brand is that the seltzer includes Vitamin C which I feel like gives me a pass to drink more LOL. They actually just came out with a new lemonade flavor that I am super interested to try!

   Favorite Flavor: Pineapple Mango

3. Bon and VIV: My friend introduced me to these and I love them! Some of the seltzers have an artificial taste or a weird aftertaste, this brand does not! Bon and VIV is really fresh and the flavors are very natural!

   Favorite Flavor: Raspberry Dragonfruit

4. Aldi brand: Vista Bay: They also just came out with a hard lemonade flavor. I love picking these up when I’m at Aldi’s. I feel like it is not super over powering and a super easy seltzer to drink. I also like using these as mixers if I am making a cocktail. The price point Is definite a plus Its less than $10 for a pack!

   Favorite flavor: Pink Grapefruit

5. This is a bonus since it’s not technically a seltzer! JuneShine hard Kombucha. I usually am not a fan of Kombucha but this is so delicious! I love the flavors from this brand! Def recommended if you are a kombucha drinker!

   Favorite flavor: Midnight Painkiller: ( pineapple, coconut, orange, activated charcoal and nutmeg)

   With Summer approaching I know I will be sitting on my patio sipping seltzers all summer long!

   What are some of your favorite seltzers? Hard or not?

Delaplane Cellars

Delaplane Cellars

Twas a great day to visit a winery, and so we did!

My visit to Delaplane Cellars did not disappoint! From the atmosphere to the wine to the customer service, everything was *Chef’s kiss*

I will definite be back! ( well I kind of have to I joined the wine club!)

This is the first ever wine club that I joined! Well I’m a member of Winc wine club but this is my first wine club that is affiliated with a winery.

Fun Fact: I should not be allowed to make large purchases after a tasting and bottle of wine but alas one can never have too much wine!

But I am excited to be apart of this wine club, which includes complementary tastings each time you visit the tasting room, exclusive member perks for new releases and special events, and 3 bottle seasonal releases 4 times a year.

We started with the wine tasting which included 4 wines, two white and two red. My favorite was the Petit Manseng.

We also ended up getting a bottle of the Petit Manseng before heading out.

They had mulled wine available for purchase! Which also if you know me, you know I love my mulled wine!

We brought our own food, picnic style, which is recommended, but they do have cheese and meat plates available for purchase. So up to you! I like wine pairings with my tastings so you will always find me with the snacks!

Lets Talk Safety!

Social distanced seating.: They are only offering outdoor seating currently. I felt incredibly spaced out and distanced. There were 5 tables total in the section that we were in ( the upper deck). Our table also had its only little gas fire pit which was faboulos!

**You didn’t have to make reservations but it is highly encouraged. If you are a group pf 6 or more you are required to make a Reservation.

Facemasks are being enforced throughout the facility, def be ready to wear it when not at your table and if you are interacting with your server.

We also got our own little bottle of hand sanitizer at the table which was a cute touch!

Overall! I had a fabulous experience at Delaplane Cellars and can’t wait to go back!!

"Hello Lover"

Hello Lover

Just in time for Valentine’s day……

A Valentine’s/ Galantines Cocktail!

This cocktail is perfect for valentines day with the girls or with your lover! It’s a simple 4 ingredient cocktail. It can be made as a mock-tail just remove Chambord and vodka and share with the little ones The raspberry Chambord gives the detail a beautiful purple pinkish color!

I’ve been loving Martinelli’s Sparkling blush and have used it in a bunch of cocktails recently. Iv’e picked it up from Target or total wine. Im sure they have it at the grocery stores too!

Recipe Notes:

**Since the Sparkling blush and rose lemonade are carbonated do not shake in shaker, def stir!

** This can be made without vodka which originally I planned, but it was a bit too sweet for me, so I added the vodka to cut some of the sugar

** I used cranberries as a garnish because that’s what I had, but I think raspberries would be perfect, especially since Chambord is a black raspberry Liqueur

Plan it like its hott

My picks for my favorite planners

I’m a planner whore, love a nice planner, the bigger the better!

I literally ask for one every Christmas and am fake surprised when i get one lol

This year my fabulous sister got me the simplified planner that I’ve been wanting for for ever. 

Figured it was a good time to talk planners seeing as this dumpster fire of a year is coming to an end.

If you are in the market for a new planner or interested I rounded up my favorite planners/ apps to help me stay organized. I hope they can help anyone looking to organize their lives.

Happy planner- Love this planner and have used it for years. I love decorating mine with Washi tape and other stickers for all the personalization

Simplified planner- I have researched this planner for some time, I love how simple and minimalistic it is. I have just started entering my dates into it but I am loving it so far 

At a glance- great basic planner if you are looking for something sort of plan. This is a solid work planner. I’m thinking of getting one of these to balance my work appointments and clients.

Planoly- not a planner but helps me plan my insta posts and blogs. If you have a business page or a blog this is a great resource to plan out your week or month.

Do you all have any go to planners? I’d love to know as i’m always on the go!

You can never have too many planners!!

Top Wine picks for Thanksgiving! ( under $15)

Hey Folks!

I rounded up my top 6 Wines for Thanksgiving this year! I had a chance to try a few at a tasting at total wine and the other’s I just love! I never like to bank the break especially this year so all my picks are under $15.

I have linked all the wines below as well as my recommendations for pairings! Hope you all have a safe and relaxing thanksgiving :)

1. DEBEAUNE Beaujolais Nouveau

   • This is a new wine to me but I instantly feel in love.

   • This wine is filled with berry notes, it is slightly sweet and very flavorful.

   • My pairing pick for any smoked meats, roasted veggies, earthy mushroom dishes and starches

2. BOUGRIER 'V' VOUVRAY- Chenin Blanc

   • Slightly sweet and acidic wine pairs well with cheeses and fruits

   • My pick for the Charcuterie Board pairing

3. MUIRWOOD CHARDONNAY ARROYO SECO, 2018

   • White white is a Turkey’s best friend ( Like diamonds)

   • My Pairing for the main bird/ Entree

4. Belletti Prosecco

   ( Can’t Link this one directly to Aldi, so I linked Instacart but its $8.99 in stores)

   • Extra dry, crisp and refreshing, floral hints. The creaminess of the wine would pair with desserts ( sugar cookies, vanilla cakes) or have a glass as your dessert.

   • My pick for dessert pairing

5. SUNSHINE BAY Sauvignon Blanc

   (Can’t Link this one directly to Aldi, so I linked Instacart but its $6.99 in stores)

   • Another Pick: for the main course, would pair well with any poultry dish, a robust green salad, or seafood

6. HXM INSPIRATIONS Reisling

   • Riesling from Germany, marked by citrus aromas, a mix of sweetness and acidity balance this wine.

   • My Pairing pick for your spicy pairings, savory and robust bold flavors.

Counseling while grieving

Counseling while grieving

I have been wanting to write a post for some time regarding imposter syndrome, but my follow through on actually writing posts has been less than bueno. But personal win for me here in actually getting this written!

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

How many of y’all have dealt with this/ are dealing with this?

First: What is imposter syndrome?

“Imposter syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud” (APA, 2018)

I have been feeling it like crazyyyyy these past few months, thinking how is it that I am supposed to help people and guide people into their healing when I myself am driving the struggle bus? It feels like I am kinda like a fake at times and its something I sometimes struggle with doing the work I do. As a resident in counseling and a case manager I spend 8-10 hours of my day helping other people. It has definitely been tough for sure to shake these feelings when i’m dealing with so many of my own mental health struggles of grief and loss, not to mention all the anxiety surrounding the pandemic.

How do we Deal with it:

REMEMBER:

Heres the thing: You don’t have to just be one thing….

You can have both joy and sadness in your body/ they can exist simultaneously

You can be both confident and have insecurities: It’s not one or the other.

There are both strength and weaknesses inside of us: Its normal!

You can help others while dealing with your own battles:

You do not have to be an expert and you sure as hell don’t have to be perfect or have your shit together to be a support for others.

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

What is important though is making sure you have a balance of not only helping others but taking care of yourself. “You can’t pour from an empty glass.” That is why self care and boundaries are important tools in making sure we are taking care of ourselves as (helpers) as much as we can.

Imposter syndrome is not specific to the counseling or helping professions and can show up in lots of areas of our lives.

It is important to look at and acknowledge these feeling when they come up?

Its important to recognize your expertise and know what you have to offer has worth!

Protein Peanut butter cups

Protein Peanut butter cups

I was wanting a quick snack/ and an excuse to use this protein powder I got so I amended a few recipes I saw for Peanut Butter cups and played with some of the proportions

Check out My Protein Powder Peanut butter cups below!

In my next 30 years

My Next 30 years

As I reach the milestone age of 30 it has me thinking about all the the things that I was able to accomplish in 30 years as well as all the things I still want to do! I created a bucket list of sorts of all I want to do in my next 30 years:

30 Goals for My next 30 years

1. Learn how to swim

2. Learn American sign language

3. Prioritize mental health: Take more mental health days

4. Walk more

5. Worry Less

6. Give more

7. Take Less

8. Spend less

9. Save more

10. Get another Degree

11. Become a licensed Therapist

12. Own my own Private Practice

13. Buy a home

14. Travel

15. Stop apologizing so much (S.O to Hayley :)

16. Say no more , to things I don’t want to do

17. Stop putting things off

18. Volunteer more

19. Prioritize sleep

20. Learn to Play golf

21. Start Playing the violin again

22. Play in an Orchestra

23. Go to Africa

24. Start Scholarship Fund for Ma

25. Drive across Country

26. Run a Marathon

27. Retire

28. Go Scuba diving

29. Pay off my Car

30. Live a life worth living

National Suicide Prevention Week

National Suicide Prevention Week

Did you know that September is national Suicide Prevention Month. During September, the week of September 6th-11th is National Suicide Prevention Week.

Why it is important?

Suicide Prevention week and month is a nationwide initiative to shine a light on the importance of suicide prevention and awareness. During this month lots of organizations use this as a time to raise awareness and get people in need connected to services to assist if they are in need of treatment of the i as well as provide tools and resources to those affected by suicide.

Did you know that suicide is 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10-34 and 4th leading cause of death for people ages 35-54 (Nami.org)

10 percent of young adults say they experiences suicidal thoughts in the past year. ( Nami.org, form the CDC National Center for injury Prevention and control.

What can you do to help?

• Have conversations about mental health. Help to reduce the stigma by having the conversation with friends and family. Let them know that they have a space to discuss issues and concerns they are having and provide a space for those potentially in need.

• Become knowledgeable on the signs and inform yourself on ways that you can support people dealing with suicidal thoughts and self harm behaviors.

  -Nami ( National Alliance on Mental health) is a great resource for becoming more knowledgable about this topic as well as other mental health issues or concerns.

• Support an organization that does work for suicide prevention and awareness. There are tons of organizations doing great things. This month I am donating to Jason’s foundation which I have linked here. I’ve linked some resources below, check them out to learn more and see how you can help!

  -Donating money is not the only way to help there are tons of other ways to get involved!

Extra resources:

Suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Nami.org

Jasonfoundation.com

Crisis Textline Text Jason 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor

www.crisistextline.com

#betheonetoask Hashtag on Instagram

A kind word and listening ear can be the difference, be the difference, be the one to ask.

2 ways to use peach Schnapps

I was recently gifted a bottle of schnapps and decided to try my hand at a couple of recipes. Since we are on the border of the end of summer and all things fall, I decided to create two cocktails, one for each season!

For summer i chose a light and refreshing peach sangria. I used a peach wine i picked up from Aldi for $3.49! This is a seasonal item and i’ve seen it go quickly so it may not be the easily accessible. You can use another peach wine if you can find it though like this Stella Rosa Peach from total wine linked here. I also added moscato, but you could use another white wine if you’d like it less sweet.

For Fall I chose an apple cider mimosa with peach schnapps. I love making a seasonal mimosa and this one with apple cider and peach is sooo yummy. I used Prosecco, but a Cava or any sparking wine works. Check out both recipes below for the deets!

Let me know which cocktail you’d try? Are you team Still summer or team bring on the fall?

Card memory books

I have always saved all of my greetings card and they have always just kind of taken up their space in a box in my closet. When going through and figuring out all the things that we were going to keep in my moms room we found tons of card, pictures, and memorabilia. Like me my mom kept everything. She kept every single card she received. I wanted to find a way to save the cards in a creative and cool way not just hanging in a box that id most likely forget about. So I turned to the holy grail of all things crafty and creative, Pintrest. I found a-lot of cool ideas one of my favorites and super simple being making them into a book

What you need:

Old greeting cards and/or other memorabilia

Binder rings: I got mine from amazon linked here

Card stock, scrapbook paper, construction paper etc.

Other decorating tools if you please, stickers, markers, ETC

Hole puncher ( dollar store) work smarter not harder

All ya do is:

1. Hole punch the cards, you can do 2 holes or three, dealers choice. I did one book with three and others with 2 whole

2: Organize them in any fashion you want, by size or color. I separated mine by occasion, birthdays, holidays etc.

3:Attach the binder clips and viola, a simple easy way to keep your old greeting cards

***Another cool idea that these rings could be used for might be to save old recipes from the family or that you that you just enjoy.

I also used my clips to hold my measuring cups. Life hack!

National Wine and cheese day

Did you know today is national Wine and cheese day? I didn’t either until I got a message form total wine telling me and also helping me figuring out some pairings. Check out three wines I paired with three cheeses. I chose lighter ( white wines) because its been so hot and i have not been about that red wine life in this heatwave!

Chardonnay and Cheddar

Chardonnay pairs well with cheddar cheese because of the dryness of it. It's not too light to get lost in the flavor of the cheese but not too full to overpower the cheddar. Oak aged chardonnay helps to compliment some of the flavors of the cheese but (unoaked) is what i selected because iI generally find it less overpowering.

I got this recommendation at total wine, i’m not a huge chardonnay drinker so i needed a bit of help. paired with some cheddar from trader Joes.

** Wine: here

Rosé and Feta

Rosé pairs really well with the tangy flavors of feta because of it’s crisp and sometimes tart flavor.

I saw a recommendation to prepare the feta with olive oil and herbs and serve with fresh, warm bread. I did not do neither but it still paired really well.

This was another TW ( total wine) rec, The Olema rose and yall it was such a winner.

Side note: if your familiar with the wine rating points system it got 91 points and is a $16.99 bottle which is such a good price.

**Wine here

Sauvignon Blanc and Goat cheese

Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with the tangy flavors of goat cheese, especially when mixed with garlic and herbs because of the tart crisp and grassy flavors of the wine. I loved this paring i also added some grapes and glazed pecans for a touch of sweetness as well!

Wine: here

What is your favorite wine and cheese parings? I’d love to know!

Memorializing MA

Hey friends,

So its definitely been a while since i’ve published a blog. In case you missed it my mother passed away at the end of April due to COVID related complications. To say the least, my life has been completely turned upside down, my and my sister moved, I took time off work, continued to deal with the pandemic and am starting to piece my life back together.

While figuring things out and sorting through all the details of my life, something that I wanted to do almost immediately was to figure out a way to have a piece of my mom with me always. Fortunately we were able to keep so much of her things that had sentimental value and have a lot of those things in our new apartment.

But we also wanted to have/ dedicate and memorialize her in other ways. One thing me and my sister did was order memorial jewelry, for her, myself, brother and my niece.

These pieces would also be appropriate for lots of other occasions as well, I saw a lot of people order them as mother’s day gifts, birthday presents, as well as remembrance pieces in case you're in the market for anything. Generally all the pieces we ordered came out beautiful and at like 1/3rd of the cost from the funeral home.

The funeral home we used ( the package we got) did include a fingerprint necklace which was beautiful. It’s sterling silver and retailed originally like $275 which is like what?? Its already so expensive with all the costs associated with a funerals it just wasn’t feasible to order any additional jewelry direct from the funeral home.

So we ended up looking into Etsy to have some personalized jewelry made that wouldn’t completely break the bank

I have linked below the items we purchased. Other than some shipping delays, which make sense given the climate of things, we were super pleased with how everything came out.

Fingerprint necklace from Etsy store:

CaitlynMinimalist

$31.50

Rose gold

Was able to get an inscription on both sides and uploaded a picture of fingerprint. Super simple to do

This place has great reviews and really amazing looking products. However the shipping delays and some communication issues initially were off putting. I will say at the end the shop owner was better with communication and able to meet our needs

Linked here

Charm bracelet from Etsy shop

HopeisHipJewelry

$32.21

Was able to upload a picture, not able to choose inscription on the charm.

Was a bit disappointed because the picture showed the bracelet as rose gold when I was purchasing it, however after I checked out I noticed that they only do silver jewelry and I am not much of a silver person. But it was super easy to order and shipped very fast.

Shop linked here

Engraved bracelet from Etsy shop

JewelryBlues

What I liked about this piece was the ability to get mom’s handwriting on a piece.( I apologize for the clarity of the photos)

This was the most expensive piece, I got engraving on both sides and opted for a longer length. I will say I thought it would be a bit longer, I find it difficult to put on by myself. But I do think its super dainty and a beautiful piece overall. Also it was made and shipped rather quickly.

Linked her

We also ended up (my sister, brother and I) getting different tattoos to memorialize ma which has meant a lot to us.

Check out my ink below.

I got her handwriting on my wrist. My ma had a signature where she signed the most adorable smiley face. I got her signature off of a card she wrote for me and had them transfer it into a tattoo.

The same artist did a more in-depth piece and I love it so much. He incorporated the carnations into the tattoo which is moms favorite flowers. The word’s read “ I will carry you with me until we meet again”

Self Care Series: Self Care at home

Taking care of yourself is extremely important especially right now. Stressful situations are around us and its easy to become engulfed in the panic and not take care of ourselves properly. Im not always amazing at it, but i’m hoping to take this opportunity and extra time that I have to be aware and intentional about self care. Here are ways that I will be engaging in self care and mental wellness hopefully it helps someone else too :)

Reading:

Reading is a perfect way to focus the mind escape some of our racing thoughts. I’m still soooo terrible at reading but ill have the time and I have no excuse so I’m hoping to check off a few books off my reading list I like reading a bunch of different types books at the same time for example: a self hep book, right now its “ you are a badass”, a professional development book, “The making of a therapist” and a book for leisure “ Is there still Sex in the City”

Currently on my to read/ reread list:

A simplified life by Emily Ley

The making of a therapist by Luis Cozolino

Is there still Sex in the City by Candace Bushnell

Code name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

You are a badass by Jen Sincero

Tequila Mockingbird by Tim Federle

Moving your body:

Moving our bodies and staying active has scientific evidence to improve out mood. Working out produces the feel good chemical in bodies and is beneficial not only for our physical health but also out mental health and well being. Being someone who is not super pumped about being going to the gym regularly anyway I have been wanting to get more into home workouts. There are beyond tons of talented fitness resources, trainers, bloggers, etc who have great resources to get you grooving and moving. Pinterest is also a good place to find free workouts that you can tailor to whatever you want to work on.

A few of my favorites are

5 minute morning yoga

One song workouts

10 minute workout abs

300 (like the movie) abs

Telehealth with a therapist:

Continue taking care of your mental health, whether that means continuing to take medications ( see if you can have medications delivered), practicing self care and ways to reduce stress and anxiety ie. self care techniques and coping skills. Reach out to your current therapist and see if that is an option for you to meet with them via Telehealth, FaceTime, phone call. Most practices have a system where it is secure and compliant with Hippaa privacy standards for you to be able to talk with your therapist from your home.

Please take care of your self during this time. It is important for everyone to take care of themselves physically but also mentally. It is important to recharge, because we can’t fill from an empty glass. Those in any helping positions, first responders, emergency personnel, in the medical field, working in nursing homes and shelters and anyone who has to be out in the community working are under added stress and pressures. Thank you for your service and selflessness during these times!

Why I am Setting New Years Resolutions

Before the New Year I saw a meme going around and some other posts saying phrases like “don’t wait until the New Year or a specific date or day to start your goals and to go ahead and do it now” While I do agree with that go get em attitude. I also kind of disagreed with it.

“Dont let others make you feel like your approach is wrong just because its not their approach”

Why does society try to fit people into a category. Life is definitely not black and white. Its great if you can get started right away and I commend people who can decide on a goal and just go and get started. On the other hand. some people need that concrete date or start to get motivated and get going. I am people.. people is me. I need first and foremost my planner, I need to set a start date to begin and I start planning out my course of action. I use the start of a new month, a new week and the First of the year as that starting date for setting some of those goals. Call it cliche but I’m a New Years resolution setter. And I am here to tell you don't let others stop you from setting your New Years resolutions! But also don’t let people tell you, you need to set New year’s Resolutions! Do you all 2020! If you wanna go after something, kick it in the butt, if you don’t want to set any resolutions this year then don’t! I’m also here to give you some tips to check off those resolutions and achieve them this year!

Tips for Success:

Write them down:

Put your goals into writing. Post them in a place you’ll see them daily, it could be in a planner, in a journal, a post it note on your laptop or at your desk at work or school. This can act as a daily reminder of your goals. Seeing your goals written down can act as a powerful visual tool to use to motivate you!

Track them and chart them

Figure out a schedule to check in with your self on your goals. Whether is once a week, once a month or once a season check in on how you're doing with your goals. This is a good time to see if you need to tweak your goals or add to them!Make benchmarks and set dates to when you want to achieve your goals.

Tell others:

Telling others helps hold you accountable for your goals. For no spend November I told my coworker I was working on not spending money on food. Every time I wanted to get a coffee or eat out for lunch my coworker would say nope, your not spending money this month and helped keep me accountable for this goal I set.

Create more/ add to them:

Tweak goals, add to them, or create new ones as needed. Just because you set a goal in the beginning of January does not mean that will be the same exact goal in December. If your Goal was to work out 5 days a week but in February you find it to be unrealistic, tweak your goals to reflect your schedule and what you can realistically commit to.

I am still figuring out some of the resolutions I want to hit this year, but i am claiming them all for myself and for you as well! My wish is that your worst day of 2020 be better than your best day of 2019! Happy 2020!

“My wish is that your worst day of 2020 be better than your best day of 2019! ”

Winc ;)

It has been a while and this post is long overdue!! I’ve had some technical difficulties combined with a lack of motivation. Both of those combined was the perfect recipe for not producing any blog posts since July! In an attempt to get back on the horse I figured it was as good a time as ever for a new blog post! I wanted to do a quick review of the WINC wine subscription I received in November via a good friend.

No surprise here I love wine! But just in case you are new in town, you’re up to speed now.

Funny story about how I received this free month subscription: My teammates (from my volleyball team) devised an intricate plan to surprise me at my apartment. They got my address by texting our group chat asking if any one wanted 3 bottles of wine. Historically I am not a great texter however once someone mentioned wine, naturally I responded immediately with my address. They ended up coordinating it with me to make sure I was home when the bottles would be “delivered”. the day it was supposed to be delivered my teammate called me saying the delivery was on the way, I rushed home to be there to sign ( fun fact, for this wine subscription, an adult 21 or over has to be available to sign for the package) when I arrived home I found my two teammates with a box wine instead waiting at my front door and we ended up having a nice little gals night around my birthday.

After the fact, my teammates informed me she was actually in a wine club called WINC and could actually send me 3 bottles of wine. I could continue the subscription monthly, skip a month or cancel after depending on if I liked it or not

When my friend sent me the link it prompted me to take a one minute quiz to figure out which wines I would like best. Although I already have a pretty good idea of the styles I like, I liked the idea of having them tailor the wines in the box to my taste preferences instead of just having me choose.

You receive 4 bottles of wine each month, I ended up doing the selection with 3 as part of the promotion I received. They also give you the choice to select if you want, 2 red and 2 white, all white, all red or whatever combination you would like which I love, especially if your someone who changes from red to wine with the seasons.

I also love that they give you the option to pause a month if you find yourself overstocked (I don’t have that issue) or you just want to skip a month.

The Wines:

2018 Cape Route Chenin Blanc: Described as Refreshing, Tropical, Fun. It did not disappoint. Probably my favorite from the box, it was clean and crisp and faired amazing with the appetizers we had that were served on thanksgiving. It would pair well with light pasta dishes, chicken or turkey, and hard cheeses. Tasting notes of apple, lemon, pear, pineapple

The 2018 Passarola White blend described as Refreshing, Bright, Portuguese. I enjoyed this wine as well and generally I am a red wine gal. I had never had a white blend, but I drink red blends all the time so I figured id give it a try. It was delicious. This wine I paired with my thankgiving meal which consisted of the usual suspects, turkey, stuffing, Mac and cheese, etc. It was light and flavorful enough that it did not over power the main event. This is an easy drinking wine you could pair with almost anything that would really compliment any meal.

** I did not try the third bottle as I’m saving it for a rainy day, but some quick specs on it are as followed:

2017 Rosa Obscura Red Blend, described as Quaffable, Juicy, Silky. Tasting notes are described as Tasting notes of cocoa, cranberry, jasmine. Im thinking i will fair this with a rich dessert some day this winter. Or maybe with a rich saucy pasta dish!

The box came with a super cute and informative wine guide that talked about the different styles, some wine vocabulary and just amazing information that can help even the most seasoned wine drinker. It included great tips that could be used for hosting as well. It would make a great Christmas gift for the wine lover in your life, because who wouldn’t want wine , delivered to them, every month!

Potomac Point Winery

Potomac point Winery is located about an hour’s drive from the Washington D.C in Stafford VA. Its a beautiful venue with amazing views. It has a very old world feel with Mediterranean and Old World Tuscan Vibes. If your in the Washington DC/ Northern Virginia Area it is definitely worth the trip!

It’s dog friendly and has tons of room for outdoor events including picnic areas near the vineyards. They do live music every Friday and different events on the weekend. The day I went they were doing a Rose and Reggae event for members in the wine club which is such a fun idea!

There is a variety of tastings that you can try. We decided to do the $12 premier tasting. The tasting typically consists of 8-11 wines which for $12 is the bomb.com which included a complimentary glass “as supplies last”. We went on a Saturday evening so by the time we finished our tasting there were no more glasses with the tastings. One complaint or downside for me (this is totally the alcoholic in me talking, but really) was the tasting size. I have been to a lot of wineries and am fairly knowledgeable about correct portion sizes for tastings, order of how to try the wines, cleaning glasses in between certain styles etc. The particular tasting we received was one the smallest pours I have ever seen. Some wineries use stoppers that measure out the exact ounce pour for each wine. They used stoppers for some bottles at this winery, however they also free hand poured some varieties and the tasting size was barely enough for me personally to even get an idea of what the wine tasted like. Looking around the venue other wine experts provided larger pours so perhaps it was just our particular wine export. I say this not to be cheap, because obviously a tasting is just that, a tasting, but to provide feedback. Providing guests with enough of the wine to actually accurately taste the wine and form an opinion is important. Ok rant over!

One thing I did enjoy about this venue was the dining option they had on the premises. I got the Chicken Pesto flatbread (not pictured because I ate it so fast). They have a variety of chachuterrie platters and other entrees that are perfect after a tasting. They also offer wine flights which is another cool option if your not looking for a full tasting but to try 3 different kinds of wines.

One of my goals for the year/ summer was to visit some new wineries that I haven’t visited before. That being said I am glad that I visited Potomac Point Winery, overall I enjoyed the day at the Winery and will def return!

Mom's Mimosas

For Mother’s day this year I tried to keep it simple and not go too overboard with spending a bunch on food and drinks. We decided to go to our favorite dinner that has a great menu that's vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian friendly. Silver dinner, if your in the DC VA MD area I highly recommend it!

For dessert I wanted to keep it light and vegan friendly. So I decided on Sorbet! But what a celebration without a little bubbly. So I found this quick recipe on Pintrest for Sorbet Mimosas.

Legit two steps:

1. Grab some Sorbet, put about 1,2,3 or 7 Scoops in a champagne flute ( I used Talenti Dairy free Sorbetto)

2. Top with Sparking Rose. ( I picked up My bottle from Trader Joes for $6)

3. Bam! ( Emeril Lagasse Voice) The Recipe I followed stated you could garnish with something cute like rosemary or something fancy. I did not although I am usually all about the garnish!

Overall this was a super quick, super easy and  Super delicious treat!

Fleetwood Winery

I had the opportunity to go to fleetwood winery last week. It is a hidden quaint winery in Leesburg Virginia. About 45 minutes to an hour from D.C it’s a nice place to grab a quick 🍷. 

I used to never drink red and only drink white wine. Now I’ve converted into a red wine drinker that it’s not really about white unless it’s a sparkling white

I love wineries though. It feels like It’s like a mini vacation, the beautiful landscapes, the wine and hanging out with friends .

Fleetwood is a fairly new winery and have their grapes shipped from other local wineries on the area and as well as some out of Willamette in Oregon. The sampler included 3 red and 3 white so it was a nice taste of all their wines for $14 I always go with a sampler instead of ordering a glass of wine so I can try a bunch of varietals at a winery!

I was bummed that they didn’t have a sparkling option but again being a newer winery it wasn’t something they had produced yet. 

Overall it was nice midweek, midday winery not too far from home! I’d def recommend it if you are in the Leesburg Area. My goal is to go to a winery in each new place I’m visiting and even trying new wineries near me. I’m heading to Ohio and Pittsburgh next month and going to check out a winery or two. Let’ me know if you have any recommendations for the area!