Nature Table #1 (a taste of Massachusetts in the winter)

Luna and I went out for our first nature walk this morning. Dawn, over at May All Seasons Be Sweet to Thee, came up with the lovely idea of sharing worlds through our nature walks. Being that we’re covered in snow here in Massachusetts, I thought I’d have to get creative to find beauty. But I found that when I was looking for it, I didn’t have to look very far. So, here is a little piece of charming New England, from my home to yours.



xoxo,

Blair

Red or White?

The Boston Wine Expo is this weekend. Wineries and vineyards from all over the world will be in the city, pouring tastes of their delicious selections. To my surprise and delight, it is the largest wine tasting in the country, which is a bit strange, as Boston isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind when I think of wine. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to make it this year, but it did get me thinking about how much I love a good glass of wine…..

I am, by no means, a wine connoisseur. In fact, to call my expertise amateur may be a little generous. But it is interesting to note the evolution of my tastes over the years. My first love was a very cheap date- Berringer’s White Zin. Sickly sweet, but quite easy for me to drink. The perfect wine to get me hooked, and hooked I was. I pretty quickly and uneventfully moved on to white varieties; chardonnays, pinot grigios, sauvignon blancs. I played it safe there for a while until I started waitressing at a local steakhouse where I learned that, as a general rule, ‘fish equals white, red meat equals red’. Since I do not have my mother’s vegetarian gene, I decided to move to reds. After discovering the heady tastes of pinot noir and chianti, I was committed to the dark stuff.

In 2007, we took a trip to France, which is where we discovered rosé. We met a charming Parisian couple at a little restaurant in Paris. Matt had been petting their dog throughout dinner (dogs are welcome guests at dinner!), so we struck up a conversation and the next thing we knew, we were sharing a bottle of wine. They did the ordering and to our surprise, they ordered a carafe of house rosé. I was slightly baffled since my only experience with pink wine was Berringer’s, which is what I’d assumed this was. But when I put the glass to my lips, I discovered that I’d been missing out on the most perfect blend! It was sweet and crisp like a white, but seemed to have the fuller body of a red.

We did the monogamous rosé thing for a while (while perusing on different occasions, we were told that French and Spanish rosés are the best), then discovered other wines that we liked just as much (prosecco, the Italian cousin of champagne, and one step better, brut rosé, the deliciousness of rosé with the sparkle of champagne).

I no longer feel the need to tie myself down to one type of wine at a time (‘Oh, I’m a red girl’) and I don’t always want to follow the wine-food pairing guidelines. At this point, it comes down to what I feel like the moment I make my wine purchase. And to be honest, I’m not sure that I can tell the difference between Vueve Cliquot’s Rosé Champagne and Barefoot Sparkling Rosé (both just simply divine), but I know what bottles I like and what bottles I don’t and that’s just fine for me:). I’d love to hear your wine stories, ideas, tastes, evolutions, recommendations, so please feel free to share. Who knows, maybe you can lead me to a new love:).

Cheers!

Election

It's a big and very important day in Massachusetts, for our nation, for that matter. For those of you who are not aware, today is the day that we elect the Senate replacement seat for Edward Kennedy. I'm so fortunate to have this opportunity to cast my vote and I'm wearing my button with pride. I just hope we get good results…..

(image source unknown)

Happy 101!

I was given the opportunity to think of and share a list of 10 things that make me happy. This was actually a fun exercise because for the past few days, I’ve been focusing on things that make me happy, smelling the roses of sorts:). There are so many things that bring me joy, in one way or another, but I’ve captured just a few of them below (small and large :))…..

1. My Husband/ Marriage: I fell in love with him for many reasons, but one of my most favorite things about Matt is that he makes me laugh. Every single day he does or says something silly and he has me laughing even after he’s left the room. He also thinks I’m funny (even during those times when no one else does). Being married to him is the best thing in my life. I don’t usually even think about it because it’s just so natural. Right before we got married I told him that I love being with him because it’s just like being by myself. Had I actually thought about it before I said it, I might have said it more eloquently, but he knew exactly what I meant. I don’t feel like I’m compromising on anything, I just feel that I’m doing what I want to do, with him by my side.

2. Luna: This dog was made for our family. We got her from a local shelter. When we got there, we were faced with about 30 black lab/mix puppies. At first glance, they all looked the same. When I went over to her crate (which she shared with a little white & black polka-dotted male puppy who bit her ears), she pawed at me, as though she was hand-picking me. She uses her mittened-hands all the time as a way of communicating with us and it is just as endearing as it was that first day.

3. Family & Friends: I’m so very fortunate to have such an amazing family. I’ve always been so close to both my mom & dad, though my relationship with each of them has evolved throughout the years. They’re a huge part of my life and I’ve learned so much from them, along with my two lovely brothers and their families. I have a few very close friends who’ve also known me throughout the various stages of my life and we’ve remained close. My life has been shaped by each of these people and it is in part, because of them, that I am who I am.

4. Photographs: I love taking them, documenting my life and the lives of others and being able to replay captured moments, with just the click of a mouse (thanks to fabulous modern-day technology, although there really is nothing like an old photograph with worn edges, showing years of love).

5. Art: All forms of it; music, writing, drawings, paintings, theater, decorating, fashion, movies, poetry. I find comfort and satisfaction in being lost in a painting, a good book or hearing a song that perfectly matches my mood.

6. Good Food/ Wine: Matt and I have recently deemed ourselves as foodies. Whether we’re cooking in (mmmm…. Filet with gorgonzola cheese sauce?) or going out to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants (going out to dinner on vacation to experience local cuisine also makes my heart skip a few beats:)), eating is such a pleasure. Pairing food with a good wine…..well, that’s the icing on the cake.

7. Plush Slippers & Throws: Though I’m a New England girl (I can brave winters with the best of ‘em;)), I get cold so easily. Even in the summer, you’ll find me curled up on the couch in the evening, under a lovely soft blanket, slippers not far from feet.

8. Gardens/ Harvesting: Having fresh flowers & produce, bringing nature inside, makes me feel calm, at ease. I love the smell of fresh flowers (they seem to smell even better when they’re freshly cut from my garden:)) and I love the taste of the veggies (again, veggies from my garden seem to taste so amazing to me; maybe it’s because I know the time & love that went into growing them).

9. Traveling/ Exploring/ Learning: My life feels more enriched the more I travel. It’s so enjoyable to experience other cultures, forms & styles of life, to see the beauty of places other than home.

10. Coming Home: But then again, it is so good to come home, whether it be after a vacation, a work trip or just an errand run. There really is no place like home:).

Thanks to Dawn from May All Seasons Be Sweet To Thee and Rachel from Mozart’s Girl for sending me the ‘happy award’, forcing me to relax and focus on the little glories of the world. As a recipient of this award, I’m to pass it on to bloggers that make me happy :). Each of the following blogs provide me with a little slice of happiness with each read, so here they are, in no particular order:

1. Amber @ Sunshine Flavored Kisses
2. Dawn @ May All Seasons Be Sweet to Thee
3. Kat @ Kat’s Cradle
4. Heather @ A Day in the Country
5. Koralee @ Bluebird Notes
6. Rachel @ Mozart’s Girl
7. Morwenna @ Bluebells and Butterflies
8. Tracey @ French Larkspur
9. Katie @ Katie Slater Photography
10. Courtney @ Scattering Lupines**

** I seem to not be able to hyperlink the blogs..... if anyone knows how, please feel free to send me a note so that I can direct you to these adorable blogs! I guess I'm still working out the kinks. Thanks:)

Le Pommier Sauvage

A few months ago I found myself drawn to the paintings of F. Fournier, while perusing etsy.com. To my delight, the pictured painting (The Wild Apple Tree) was wrapped under the Christmas tree from my Secret Santa. It’s just as beautiful in person as it is on the website. I hope to someday purchase more of his charming pieces, but in the meantime, I get to enjoy this lovely painting whenever I choose:). To see more of his work, go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/Fournierpainter.

I’ve been fascinated with the birds that flitter around our yard, so I decided to leave some seed out for them this winter. The first few days I was saddened to find that the birds wanted nothing to do with the feast. Then one day when I was at work, Matt called to tell me that the birds had taken over the yard. Sure enough, when I got home I was delighted to find that our bird feeder was covered with birds of all sizes. Word ended up spreading fast. Unfortunately, the base of the feeder is now hanging by a thread (we’ll have to fix that), but it doesn’t seem to be keeping the birds from snacking. They just huddle together on the snow-covered ground and munch away. Now we get to enjoy our morning coffee while looking out our picture window at the lovely little creatures (as our lovely little indoor monster stares longingly out the window, pawing for us to let her out. Guess you can’t please ‘em all :)).

Happy New Year

I hope that 2010 is filled with health & happiness to those who read this. Happy New Year to you, dear reader.