Whine Country

I just got back from a beautiful five days in the Napa Valley. Lucky me...well, not completely.

I know, what could I possibly have to whine about...?

It's hard to admit I'm such a weenie but it's true...I'm a horrible traveler. I get sea sick when I travel - even on an air plane. I know, it makes no sense. But, it's true. I even have to take motion sickness pills not to lose my lunch - literally.

So, when we got into Sacramento I was feeling groggy and disoriented. It's because I'm a bit of a purist. I don't (even though we were going to the Napa Valley) drink alcohol very often. I don't even take Ibuprofen. So, drugs - even over the counter drugs - hit me hard.

Anyway, my hubby had a meeting. So, he dropped me off at the local Barnes and Nobel. Unfortunately for me, I had trouble staying awake. I was nodding in the little nook where I was sitting. I tried to read - which I love - but my head was bobbing and weaving like a prize fighter. The clerks must have thought I was a homeless person who came in off the street to get warm or take a nap. I know that's the way it looked. But I couldn't help it. And I barely remember anything about that day or night. The next day we moved into San Francisco.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from my first few days.

I hope you like the journey.

Here we are coming over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco

Here's the view from the bridge of the city


Here are the streets of San Francisco


We had to go eat at Fisherman's Wharf and it was wonderful.



Then we moved on to Calistoga. I'll have more tales of the trip tomorrow. I hope you'll join me on my journey.

Thursday Turkey Tip

I fixed a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, like most Americans. And, we'll probably have another turkey for Christmas dinner. So, I was thinking you might be fixing another turkey soon too. And, I have a trick I use to make an amazing glaze and it's super simple so I thought I'd share it with you.

I pour about a cup of Dr. Pepper over the bird when it's getting close to being done. The sugar crisps right up on the top of the bird and it adds a tender tastiness to the meal and even the gravy.

I forgot to take a picture of the dinner - I was too busy seeing that the family got fed to think about photo opportunities this time. But the bird was a beauty. You'll just have to believe me.

If you try this tip, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think.

Word of Wednesday

Word: Wanweird

I know it sounds like a made-up word. But it isn't. It really has a meaning. Do you know what it is?

If you do, and even if you don't, place your guess in the comments section.

No prizes but you'll win bragging rights :)

So, play along.

Then scroll down and see if you were "write" or wrong. ;)




Scroll down further.



Further...



Further........


Wanweird means misfortune or ill or unhappy fate.

Jovan's Dress

Jovan made this dress from scratch. She even used an old bed sheet as the lining. She explained it to me by saying, "sheets are meant to be up against your skin for 8 hours a day. They're soft and always easy to wash."

It all makes sense to me now. I'm going to be looking at sheets in a totally different way from now on.

And, how sustainable...? I thought this was a fantastic idea I wanted to share.

Plus, she goes to Scrap to get fabric and patterns.

Here are a few more projects she's been working on.


Plus, it never hurts to have a puppy in the picture ;)

And, it's super sustainable to make your own clothes - especially if you can figure out a way to use old sheets.

Breaking Dawn - Movie Review Monday

It was a holiday weekend - so one of our family traditions held out - we went to see a movie: Breaking Dawn.

I'd read the book(s) and that helped understand some of the scenes. Such as
Rosalie wanting to help with the baby - I don't think that was developed fully in the movie. In the book, she resented the fact that Bella would willingly give up her life and the chance to become a mother (things Rosalie never wanted to miss) to become a blood thirsty monster.

Breaking Dawn had some good moments. BUT, and that's a big but, it was super slow. I felt they drew out the wedding scene and the honeymoon waaaaaaay too long. It could have been done in a couple of minutes and then they could have moved on to some action. There was only one scene with some real action in it.

Things I really didn't like:

1) The sloooooooooooooooooooooowness of the movie

2) The vampires being out in the daylight!!! No disintegrating, no sparkling, no nothing. Explain that one to me. They could have gotten married at night. It would have made so much more sense. Vampires can't go out in the sunlight - even in the earlier books: Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, the Cullen's didn't venture out into the daylight in front of humans. So I have no idea how they just skipped right over that fact...or fiction.

I don't usually like stories that play havoc with lore - and vampire lore is pretty well settled. But, I overlooked some "havoc" in the books; however, that doesn't explain how Edward and the Cullens managed to have a daylight wedding with no one noticing the sparkling or anything out of the ordinary at all.

3) How thin Edward and Bella were from the very beginning of this film. It looked like they had lost 20 pounds each since the last movie (maybe more). I thought they looked unhealthy even before Bella was starving from the pregnancy.

Things I liked:

1) Jacob. I think he looked much more like the character in the book in this film than the others. He worked hard to "become" Jacob and I think he did a great job.

2) Seeing the softer side of Edward. He didn't have a continually pained look on his face.

3) Bella looked beautiful at the wedding.

Overall: I wouldn't recommend the movie UNLESS you've already seen the other movies and if you'd read the books. I do think the second half of Breaking Dawn will be better and you should see the first half of the story if you want to see the second half.

But, at least on this one part of the story, I prefer a little more action in my movies.

Turkey Trot 2011

It was only a 4 mile run but. . . it was uphill a lot of the way and I mean straight uphill through Washington Park. It's a tough run but it was also a lot of fun.

What better way to burn off that pie and turkey than starting out your Thanksgiving morning with a challenging run? That's what my hubby and I did. We met my sister at the Zoo and took off together for the run. And, it wasn't even raining!!!

A wonderful way to start a day...plus I didn't feel guilty eating that second slice of pie :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hope y'all will have a fantastic day filled with family, friends, and good food ;)