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Building my Dream House on Pinterest

January 9, 2012 in Living by traveleatlove | 15 comments

I’ll just apologize now for my growing obsession with Pinterest. Unless, of course, you share the obsession, then you know what I mean, and I want to follow you.

I am generally a list person; I have lists for everything, recipes, groceries, workouts, work tasks, home tasks, etc. For these, Notepad is my simple best friend. But for visual organization, Pinterest is my new best friend. It’s a great place to organize not just my own favorite recipes, photos, and trips, but also to pull from other people’s creativity and experiences.

I am a terrible clothes shopper. I have no sense of what should go together, so I buy random pieces, and I feel like I never have anything to wear. Not that I am going on a shopping spree anytime soon, but my Pinterest Style board actually helps me pull together things I love so that when I do go shopping, I at least have some sort of idea.

Likewise, I don’t have a house being built right now, but Pinterest allows me to dream a little dream when it comes to designing that someday house. For every bad neighbor we have, add a couple of acres on to my future land. Update: our little neighbor boys smoke 24 hours a day; and even though they’re doing so inside their apartment, our kitchen now reeks like an ashtray. So glad we worked hard to buy this place!

Indulge me for a few minutes as I get away from our frustrating reality. . .

My dream house:

A farmhouse, preferably somewhere beautiful and not very cold
At least one fireplace
Lots of land with part of it entirely fenced in for my someday adopted dogs
A gigantic soaking tub
A steam shower
Hardwood floors that are heated
Solar panels or a windmill
A huge kitchen with 8 burners, a big island and built in wine fridge
A wine room
Dining space in the kitchen for a small group and a huge, rustic wood table in the dining room for parties
A giant garden and fruit trees

This will be my view.

Source: Uploaded by user via Meghan on Pinterest

And this table will do.

Source: modernhepburn.tumblr.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Source: hgtv.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Source: dreamywhites.blogspot.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Our house will have to have enough land around it so that my giant soaking tub can have windows overlooking the beautiful landscape. It definitely won’t have as much white in the kitchen or bedroom; I am very spill-prone and pet friendly. I just like the other touches in these rooms. My farmhouse is comfy, well lit, warm, and functional, allowing us to do lots of cooking, relaxing, and entertaining.

What’s your dream house like?

Technorati Tags: California, decorating, dream house, lifestyle, Pinterest

Tags: California, decorating, dream house, lifestyle, Pinterest

Mumm Napa

May 4, 2011 in Travel, wine by traveleatlove | 9 comments

Ahhh Napa. Even though it has only been a couple of months since our last visit, it feels like it’s been a year. Sipping on some Mumm Napa sparkling wine at the Morton’s bubbly tasting a couple of weeks ago brought me back to one of my favorite places in Napa Valley.

Today is a gray, dreary day that is also, for me, filled with sneezing and itchy eyes from allergies, a sore throat, aches, and a fever from a miserable spring cold, feeling a complete lack of energy and more than a little frustration. It seems like every time I start to get in shape and feel healthy again, I am once again in bed with some sort of illness wanting to eat tortilla chips and watch TV. Reminiscing about a perfect day of tasting wine seemed like the perfect pick-me-up.

A gray, rainy day in wine country is still a good day, especially in the glass-enclosed patio at Mumm Napa, with no plans and no place to be but there.

Mumm is a winery that we visit again and again because of its beauty but also because of its tasting options You can choose to taste various still or sparkling wines, or you can order a flute or two of bubbly to sip and savor as you relax.

If anything makes me smile more than bubbly, it’s pink bubbly. Mumm’s Brut Rosé is pretty to look at and even lovelier to drink. Strawberry flavors abound, and tiny bubbles delight the palate making this wine perfect for any occasion from picnics for two to Mother’s Day brunch.

You really can’t go wrong with your choice of wines at Mumm.

The tasting room staff at Mumm is fantastic, and our server not only gave me a complimentary tasting of DVX Brut Rosé to compare with my Brut Rosé , but he also gave me a cute little wine charm.

To me, Mumm is everything a vacation should be.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot or memories that you like to reminisce about on when you are feeling a little gloomy?

P.S. I never heard from my Kerrygold giveaway winner, so I chose another:

Congrats Evan! Please email me with your contact details so I can get you your Kerrygold butter and cheese!

Technorati Tags: California, Mumm Napa, Napa Valley, sparkling wine, Travel, wine

Tags: California, Mumm Napa, Napa Valley, sparkling wine, Travel, wine

Rodney Strong + TasteLive!

April 13, 2011 in wine by traveleatlove | 11 comments

Last night, we had some friends over to participate in another TasteLive! wine tasting with wine bloggers from all over the US. I knew the last TasteLive! event would be hard to top; we actually tasted in the home of the TasteLive! folks in California, and it was a lot of fun.

The theme for last night’s tasting was “A Bright Idea” with Rodney Strong Vineyards. In addition to the follow four bottles of wine, I also received an energy-saving light bulb in the mail, the goal behind the tasting to talk about the wines but also the winery’s Green Light Pledge to switch out incandescent bulbs for more energy-saving bulbs. We happened to need a new light bulb for our hallway, so it worked out well!

The tasting lineup was spectacular. I love Rodney Strong wines and visiting their winery, and last night just made me want to return!

2009 Charlotte’s Home Estate Sauvignon Blanc

We started off with the Sauvignon Blanc, and everyone went back for a second pour. This is a perfect summer wine, light, crisp, with some mineral notes and citrus flavors. It retails at $13.50 which, I think, is a steal for such a beautiful wine.

2009 Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay

I am not always a Chardonnay fan, but there is definitely something about the Chalk Hill Chard that I love. While Chardonnay can be too buttery and oaky, this had some very nice vanilla flavors.

2008 Reserve Pinot Noir

I tend to not gravitate toward Pinot Noir, but this really packed a flavorful, well structured punch. It had multiple layers of flavors, from the raspberry and cherry fruit side to the slight white pepper on the finish.

2007 Symmetry

Stunning. The 2007 Symmetry Red Meritage, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot, has so much going on. It is velvety and smooth, luscious, with dark fruit and chocolate flavors. This is a special occasion wine, at $55 retail, and if you ever have the chance to taste it, go for it!

I loved tasting Rodney Strong wines and chatting with some people from the winery. Below are a couple of photos from the tour we took on our last visit.

And speaking of Sonoma County, I am excited to announce another giveaway, this one related to the Wine Road. One of the great Wine Road events I have had the ability to attend was the Food and Wine Affair. This event has its own cookbook, Tasting Along the Wine Road, which is a comprehensive collection of food and wine pairings, and since there were two of us, we got two books. Since I love it so much, I thought I would give away a copy to one of you. It’s a really beautiful book with some info on wine and the Sonoma County AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas) where wine is grown.

To enter, simply leave a comment and let me know your favorite food and wine pairing, your favorite place to enjoy a glass of wine, or any other wine-related tidbit I should know about you. Dislike or can’t drink wine? Tell me! The recipes are still great, so you should still enter!

And the winner of the chocolate giveaway is. . . Gina! Gina please email with me your address so I can get you your chocolate! Thanks for entering, everyone. And stay tuned for another giveaway later in the week, this one to a Boston store.

Technorati Tags: California, chardonnay, Meritage, Pinot Noir, Rodney Strong, sauvignon blanc, Sonoma, TasteLive, wine, wine tasting