Me Likey

I discovered a delicious new ice cream. Dreyers Cherry Chocolate Chip. I normally steer away from the fruit flavored ice cream but this caught my eye and I knew Jason would love it. So I tried it tonight and it's mmm mmm good!

Pinky

I have pink eye....yuck!

Calistoga Morning....

So after our fantastic train trip we went to our hotel, the Embassy Suites in Napa. This was one of the most hospitable hotel I have ever stayed in. Every detail was taken care of. We had a terrific room with a bottle of wine. The desk clerk arranged reservations for us and they offered 2 hours of free full bar drinks and a free full breakfast in the morning! This is a definite return stay place!

After our free omelets and bagels we wound our way to Calistoga, which is about 30 miles north of Napa. I had been to Lincoln Avenue Spa before so I knew we had to go again! We were treated to a "mud wrap" and an hour long massage. Felt so great!

Our last stop before we headed home was The Calisotga Inn for lunch. Delicious! I had the Calistoga Club and Jason had the Pulled Pork. I also accompanied mine with a refreshing Calistoga Cooler. Very Shabby Chic and a relaxing atmosphere for any meal!

My "Calistoga Cooler"
My Calistoga Club Sandwich. It had grilled chicken, bacon, tomatoes, mayo and lettuce. It was supposed to also have guacamole, but I'm not a fan so it was left off, even though when the waiter brought it he said "Calistoga Club....extra guac, witty!"
Pulled Pork-described as "spicy...but delicious".
Shabby Chic Goodness

Napa Wine Train

So my husband and I were able to get away for an overnight trip to Napa this Valentine's Day. Our first stop was the world famous Napa Wine Train. It was such a beautiful day and the train experience was fantastic! We sat in the vista dome car, so we were elevated and could see all the vineyards and wineries. It was a 2 hour round trip. And you are served a gourmet lunch along the way, with lovely Napa wines of course!



We both opted for the "Crayfish Cakes" as our first course. They were delicious! There was some very tasty sauce and an accompanying hart of palm which worked really well with it!


I ordered the Sterling Savignon Blanc to enjoy with my lunch and it went perfectly with all my courses! We bought a bottle for later.


Next up we both had the seafood bisque, which we both really loved! It had the perfect flavor and consistency. Another hit!

For our main courses Jason had the Pork Chop and I had the Salmon. Mine was fantastic! There was another delicious sauce on top and thinly sliced cucumber, red onions and some kind of fresh green on top. Under was some kale or spinach. the orzo was also very tasty! Jason enjoyed his as well, but was not to detailed in his "food experience".



So if you ever have a chance take a ride on the wine train! It is rated as one of the top 20 rail experiences in the world. We met people from Arkansas, so people come from all over to enjoy this unique time. You can't beat the food, the scenery and of course the wine!

Emma Jones

We have a neat game called Art Memo. It's a memory game with famous paintings as the artwork. We were playing this morning for the first time in several months. I asked Jacob if he remembered the name of this painting? He had remembered the time before and I was seeing if her could recall from so long ago. Obviously not. His response was "Emma Jones?". Close, but no cigar kid!

35 and still kickin'

This was the week of Dr.'s appointments! Tuesday I had an appointment with my family practice Dr. for some stomach problems I've been having. Turns out I have a hiatal hernia. It was most likely brought on by the fact that I had huge twins, 7 1/2 lbs each. It basically rearranged my inside and pushed and pulled them this way and that. In short, since they were born I have not felt "well". Lot's of heartburn, an irregular heartbeat, short of breath, lot's of coughing, just a feeling of "somethings not right".

So I got some pills which are supposed to keep your stomach acid in your stomach, and not refluxing back in your esophagus. If this works the hernia should be able to heal itself. When the acid is up there it gets worse and inflamed. If it does not work I will have to have a GI go send a scope down my throat to see what is going on. I HOPE THE MEDS WORK!!! So in 4-6 weeks if I'm still felling yucky I'm supposed to go back. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

On the good side I also went to the optometrist. It had been about 10 years since I had been, and I had been noticing that by the end of the day the clock is hard to read, words are blurry, etc.... Anyway, got my exam and I have perfect vision. And my "cornea's look perfect", wooohooo. In the eye department I rock! He gave me a very light prescription so I might go pick out some cute little glasses for the end of the day if I'm doing projects or driving. But he told me "you're not old yet!" That made me feel good!

West Coast Choppers

Here they are, My little biker gang! The boys have been having a lot of fun on their new bikes. Nick is especially amazing on his. He is only 3 but I think he will be off training wheels by the summer, probably the same time as Jacob who is 2 years older! He will ride up every driveway we pass to pick up extra speed, and then he zooms off with the rest of us screaming to slow down! He's fearless. The other 2 are not. Luke in fact is my Mr. Chicken. Scared of the mosquitos, falling off his bike and scrapping his knees up, saying things like "my legs are tired." every 10 seconds. He's coordinated, but a big baby. Oh well, got to be yourself kid!

Little Einsteins....

So every so often your kids say something that just blows you out of the water. Today while in the car wash Luke (3yo) said "What???....that couldn't possibly be soap!" And then a few days ago on our way to "bymnastics" (which is their cute way of saying gymnastics), Luke also said "look mom, an octagon". Hmmm.... smart cookie!

What's Up Doc?

So I saw Looney Tunes for sale on Amazon and realized that my kids have never even seen Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, so I bought it. Anyway...long story short, Jacob is in heaven! Like a whole new world of backhanded compliments and dirty tricks has been revealed. He thinks this is the funniest thing ever, and I have to agree. If you can look through all the beating each other up, constant knocks on the head or death inducing stunts, it's pretty darn hillarious stuff!

I'm being transported back to my youth and seeing it through adult eyes. I never even thought the "roomate chipmunks" may be a gay couple....fast forward 25 years...oh yeah, their totally a gay couple. "Thank you...oh no...Thank you!" I mean this is clever clever stuff.

I have to look back now with total amazement at what they created. Ground breaking animation, super talented voice actors, clever story lines and beyond funny jokes! Wow, the things we take for granted when we are kids. It's good to revisit when you have new perspecitve to appreciate the subtleties that are hidden to childrens minds. Sufferin' sucatash.....rekindleing an old friendship is so great! I love you Looney Tunes!

Think Tank

Wow...our house is abuzz with thoughts galore. My husband and I are spinning in circles we are so inundated with ideas and trying to harness and organize them is driving us crazy!!

He has an amazing idea for a new service. but it's very HUSH HUSH. You know the routine...."I could tell, but then"...ahh you know the rest. He's so excited and I don't blame him. This could be big, big I tell ya!!

As for me.... Well I'm back from CHA with BIG ideas for my site. I have sketched out a new design for my home page, enlisted help from some very talented designers, and am ordering fresh new products from new vendors for my. So excited, but my head is spinning!

MUST FOCUS!

I will leave you with a sneak peak of one of the new products on the way

BASIC GREY STELLA RUBY