Category Archives: wine

right now all week, this week

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This week’s Focus 52 prompt was right now:

Keep your camera close this week and take a moment (or two or three!) to capture what you’re doing ‘right now’, right at that exact moment. And umm … keep it clean, will ya? heh. I think this could be an exercise where the technique of ‘just a glimpse’ would work quite well…Absolutely anything and/or everything you catch yourself doing this week could become your photo for week twenty two.
You could take this one step further too, if you’re so inclined. Pick a time of day, and take a photo of what you’re doing every single day this week at that same exact time.

Ever the over-achiever, little brown-noser I chose to go the one step further. My camera is always handy because I am the mamarazzi here under the Big Top. I decided to pick the five o’clock hour…okay, the five to somewhere around the six o’clock hour because there is always something going on in the early evening around here. Yes, the kids were absolutely thrilled that I was working on this project with camera in hand. Some were so thrilled they told me to NOT take their picture. Tempted…I was so tempted. But I respected their wishes…this time.

So here you are, right now under the Big Top this week.

Monday: National Burger Day this year just happened to fall on Memorial Day. You know, that day where everyone barbecues and celebrates Summer’s return after honoring those who gave all. Well, I had to work Monday night and my darling husband and daughter were laying wood floors all day so no barbecue for us. An In n Out double-double cheeseburger will do just fine thank you very much. It is also the perfect after 5 mile run meal…because I logged five miles before work that night.

Tuesday: It’s that time of year again! The end of year dance recital is almost upon us and Jodie and Hazel are so ready for this. It’s a good thing Hollie and I got our tickets when we did because they sold out in ONE DAY! Yes, dance mom crazy did rise up. So if Abby can’t get the afternoon off from work I wonder just how much that ticket would be worth?

Wednesday: The Avengers 3D, popcorn, licorice and Coca-Cola slushees with one of my favorite boys. Life is good. And The Mighty Thor is hot and remains my favorite Avenger! Daniel tells me that The Black Widow looks like me. It’s the 3D glasses I’m sure.

Thursday: My Zoë and Josh are moving even farther away from the Big Top. I’m beyond sad even if it is a great and exciting adventure for them. But standing behind our promise to support these clowns in all that they do I’m sending the boys to Monterey with a big ol’ U-Haul so that they might pack up all their worldly goods and move them all down to LA. Daniel is ready to lend a hand.

Friday: It has been a long, hot day. Finally, the cooling Delta breezes are kicking in. The boys are in LA, the girls are at the mall and swim parties and I am here on the back patio with just this delicious glass of Sangria. Right here, right now, this week, life is good!

let’s pretend…

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…that I have not completely FAILED in prepping myself for this Sunday’s death march mud run that I will be doing with my son in law. Yes, I can handle the running distance…bitch please…it’s the mud and the upper body strength needed obstacles not to mention it is going to be 80 degrees HOT when we start our race at 12:30 PM. I’m. Going. To. Die. I hope Ben will kindly drag my body to the finish line…for my loving circus clowns who surely will miss me when I am gone.

Let’s pretend that I have not STILL have not finished that staircase railing paint project…Y’all know I will probably finally finish it around August which would be a year after I started.

Let’s pretend that the NRP mega-code simulation test that I did today was not the hot, sweaty mess that it was because I am so nervous in testing scenarios like that (yes even if I have been doing this for over 22 years…don’t judge) and let’s pretend that I was not given the scariest delivery from hell scenario because I’m a NICU nurse and I can handle it. I know my mega-code partner, who at first was happily announcing that this was her last NRP renewal ever because she is retiring next year certainly wishes it had never happened. Don’t worry. We saved the baby mannequin patient. Oh, and we both passed.

Let’s pretend that the usual war of the worlds that is between Hazel and Daniel when he comes home from school to discover that I am babysitting his nieces never happened. I know Daniel and Hazel wish that it never happened…or at least the time-outs they received never happened.

Let’s just pretend all the annoying shit that has been bothering us all today has never happened…

But Jenny, the Bloggess‘ new book, available on sale today and on my Kindle WAITING for me to read it now…THAT we should all be so happy, so very happy that it happened. Seriously. I’m so GLAD this has happened and I have the book and wine and I will be reading it tonight while drinking a glass of wine.

Go.

Buy.

This.

Book.

domestically awesome

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Have to say, without bragging, that I like to think I am a pretty good mom…no, not an AMAZING mom…but I am definitely a better mom than say my own Mommy Dearest. Oh I have faults. So many. Just ask my kids. Still I think I have managed to shake off most of the bad from my mom’s nurturing…or lack thereof. I like to imagine that the next generation will be even better. I’m certain they will be watching my daughter Holly raising her own children.

Still I can’t help feel guilty sometimes…like when I lose my temper…or when I struggle with my own demons…or when I watch my daughter try to sew her ribbons onto her own pointe shoes…or when I realize that I rarely have ever taken any of my children grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping?

Yes, grocery shopping.

I selfishly guarded that as my “me” time. No, really. I certainly never had me time in the bathroom or anywhere else…not when I have been juggling, raising, caring and feeding these clowns all these years. But give me an hour once a week at Safeway…HEAVEN!!! Providing for my family and giving me some quality me-time to get lost in my own thoughts…what is not to love? But at the expense of my kids not learning the art of bargain grocery shopping, meal planning, label reading…whatever! I learned on my own, they could too. Apparently they have…some of them. I guess the mommy guilt is unnecessary as it is part of the whole growing up and becoming a grown-up.

But this weekend…this weekend was pretty awesome…pretty fun. Together Holly (a very busy mom) and myself (another busy mom – duh) planned some make ahead and freeze meals for the next 2-3 weeks…thanks to Pinterest…and recipes from here and here…and went shopping.

Yeah…together at a grocery store…without any kids…HEAVEN!!!

Yeah, we talked about the fact I rarely, if ever brought my kids grocery shopping. Guess I’m not so bad after all. At least she gets it. That’s a win for sure.

Spending around what we spend for a weekly grocery shopping trip, complete with a little couponing, we got a lot. I could say she got her savings skills from her mama but I’d be lying. Together we saved quite a bit.

We piled it all on the kitchen table…

and kitchen counter and got to work chopping and doing a little cooking and putting everything into freezer bags.

Of course there was wine. Some of the recipes called for it.

Two to three hours of prep work and we had this

and this

Two freezers full of enough meals to feed everyone under the Big Top and the Jacques Love Shack for the next 3 weeks or so…

AWESOME!!!

Of course we celebrated our domestic awesomeness the best way possible.

What can I say? We were hungry.

Seriously, a golden day with one of my clowns…priceless.

where I learn what wine pairs best with tweets

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I am pretty excited to be a part of a new concept by a local television station called Myne or “MY NEighborhood”. News10 has launched local “My Neighborhood” websites for and by the community. The sites provide a free platform for local residents, business owners, organizations, law enforcement officials, etc. to post upcoming events, news, photos and video they want the community to know about – all in one place! A contributor, anyone interested can sign up for free and begin posting content on their own. For business owners, it’s way to get some free publicity for your company.

The Communities: Midtown • East Sacramento • West Sacramento • Natomas • South Sacramento • Land Park & Pocket  • Elk Grove • Fair Oaks & Carmichael • El Dorado Hills & Cameron Park • Rancho Cordova & Gold River • Citrus Heights • Roseville • Granite Bay • Folsom • Rocklin & Loomis • Arden • Auburn • Davis • Lodi • Vacaville • Manteca • Tracy • North Stockton • East & South Stockton • West Stockton (Brookside & Lincoln Village) • Central Stockton (UOP) • Downtown Modesto • West Modesto • Central Modesto •Oakdale • Turlock •Ripon

I have been honored and excited to have Adventures In Juggling featured regularly as one of the voices for the Manteca page.

In addition to stories generated by the news team, My Neighborhood is signing up a team of writers, bloggers, PR professionals and local neighborhood organizations to post news reports, community bulletins, event announcements, restaurant openings, photos and videos directly on these websites. If you live or conduct business in any of the 32 communities listed about and have a passion for news or events, email News10 at Writer@news10.net or call 916-321-3417 or 916-919-1712.

:::ahem:::

Local friends who happen to be bloggers and business owners…I’m looking at you right now. This is a great way to get your name, your business, your opinion, your community event out there and, perhaps, featured on the six- o’clock news. I don’t know about you but if I am to ever end up on the evening news I would want it to be for something like this rather than my usual head banging episodes while juggling the lives of these clowns of mine.

Meanwhile, I did enjoy the evening networking with the good people from News10, local wineries and Laura McIntosh (she is gorgeous, tiny, energetic and had me so hungry as she talked about food…good food…good, locally grown food). Yes, just as it was reported, I did enjoy the wine.

Photo by Lorena Beightler/www.SacCycleChic.com

And what wine pairs best with tweets?…every wine poured at the Lodi Wine & Visitors Center.

Day #20

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Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Can I just say that I agree with Grace. She is so smart, so articulate and she pretty much answered this question exactly how I would want to answer it.

And now, after a day of steam cleaning carpets, upholstery and drapes here under the Big Top for the gathering of extended family and Thanksgiving Dinner that I won’t get to enjoy because I am working through the holiday, I am going to enjoy a glass of this Malbec that I have here.

Cheers!

Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.
P.J. O’Rourke

30 Days of Truth