Wine Time! New Year Sparklers

It seems like most people see sparkling wine and Champagne as special occasion choices.  Cousin Trudie is divorcing that hairy guy with the bad teeth... You just made the last payment on the VW bus...  Your bangs finally grew out and it has been almost a week since someone mistook you for Bjork.

Newfangleddad and I drink sparkling wine often, once a month or so.  That isn't to say we don't splurge for special occasions, however, there are plenty of affordable sparkling wines available for everyday consumption.

At the suggestion of Rave Wines we picked up Gruet Brut.  It was quite crisp and the bubbles were a delight.  I can honestly say I believe it is my first ever wine from New Mexico.  It was a teeny-tiny bit more than I would ordinarily pay for an "everyday" sparkling wine, however it was clean and had a nice finish.  I found it to be worth the price tag.

Name - Gruet Brut

Purchased - Rave Wines

Actual Cost - 17.00 + tax

Price Range - 13.75 to 17.99

On a whim I picked up a random bottle of Mumm Napa Cuvee M.  It.  Makes.  Me.  Happy.  It is slightly sweet and definitely tastes of fruit, there is a hint of bread as well.  Have it with something spicy for a delicious, sweet, treat.  It was rated at 87 points by Wine Enthusiast and is definitely worth the price, especially if you can score it on sale.

Name - Mumm Napa Cuvee M

Purchased - Jewel-Osco

Actual Cost - 16.99 + tax

Price Range - 16.99 to 20.00

Whether you're celebrating posting bail, or you're having a quiet New Year's Eve at home over a game of Scrabble have a glass of something... sparkling.

The Left Mitt

It seems like there is always a left mitt. 

It gets left because you're busy.  It gets left when you're in a hurry.  It gets left in the wrong place.  It gets left for something newer or "better".

Today I finished my left mitt.  An actual left mitt... the right had been done for nearly two weeks.  I knit a pair of Sherwood Mitts by Ashley Knowlton (along with the Easy Lace Scarf) for Newfangleddad's mom as a Christmas gift.

Each mitt only took a day to knit.  If they were any quicker to work up they would knit themselves.  And yet, that second mitt sat.  And sat.  And sat.  It is easy in knitting (much like life) to set something aside when the shine has worn off, when mistakes have been made or when it isn't as perfect as we might have envisioned in our mind.  I don't like having a mitt left.  Knitting (and life) can be messy, contain imperfections and reflect the sometimes daunting amounts of personal work invested.  It can also be beautiful, intricate and (again) reflect the sometimes danting amounts of personal work invested.

I don't plan to leave any mitts - left or right.

Wine Time! Chime Pinot Noir

I bring pinot noir into the household quite frequently as a domestic compromise.  Newfangleddad likes white wine and while I am fond of very strong, heavy red wines (cab, merlot) he is not.  Hence the pinot noir, hanging out over at the lightest end of the red wine spectrum.  We both really enjoyed the Chime.  For him it had enough of the fruit presence and for me it had enough earthy spiciness.

Chime Pinot Noir 2009 is an Editor's Choice with 91 points in the July 2011 issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Name - Chime Pinot Noir Sonoma County 2009

Purchased - Rave Wines

Actual Cost - 14.00 + tax

Price Range - 9.95 to 17.99 (this varied greatly)

 

Then we ruined it.  For dinner we had black bean dip which is really just a whole lot of black beans, a whole lot of salsa and a whole lot of cheese.  Gah!  The Chime and the black bean dip did not like each other.  We will (will, will, will!) be buying this again, and I look forward to trying it with a pork dish or perhaps some Indian food.

Last night Newfangleddad was having some personal time looking at thousand year-old artwork and listening to Johnny Cash.  So, I finished the bottle after the kidlets were asleep while watching “Yule Log 2011” on cable.  I love that fake fire.  I loved the wine even more. 

Manic Mommy Moment

Last week we went to see Santa Claus.  Getting two small people ready to brave the cold, ride the "el" and spend a day on-the-go is a big chore.  In the very early stages of this preparation I went insane.  I realized that Jelly Bean is bald.  A bald baby.  A bald baby in a holiday photo.

She needed a hat.

Immediately.

So, much to Newfangleddad's consternation I began to knit.  A hat.  The hat has eyelets and a ribbon.  We didn't have ribbon but that didn't stop me...  I used gift wrap curling ribbon.  I am a terrible mother.

It was too small.

I stretched it.

This was definitely a single use hat.  I squeezed it over her giant 'noggin for the photo.

Here's the deal.  My DLP is the baby whisperer in our house.  He is the king of the kids.  Sure, I contribute.  I go to work every day to pay the mortgage and the car payment and the groceries... but sometimes the need to contribute to the children overwhelms me.  Hence the hat hysteria.

I decided that Jelly Bean deserves a hat.  A real hat.  A hat made for her, not made to soothe a manic mommy moment.

This hat is a real hat.  This hat is a hoot.  Literally.

Materials:
Berrocco Vintage Chunky in Oats and Dried Plum
Size US 10.5 needles
Two buttons
Darning needle

Crafty Alien Vortex?

So, let me give you a little background on the building in which I live:

• We are semi-urbanites who like living in the city, but moved just far enough west that we could afford to own parking.
• The primary form of summer entertainment at our building is burning things in our side yard fire pit while drinking wine.
• The primary form of winter entertainment at our building is staying indoors.
• We all own dogs.  No seriously, all of us.
• We are the sort who receive the Crate & Barrel catalog, shop at Ikea, and there is an almost daily delivery from Amazon.com.

Sunday I braved the basement to do some laundry where I ran into a neighbor refinishing a table.  While tossing my load of darks into the dryer, another neighbor poked her head into the laundry room to ask if anyone had a glue gun.  She is making a holiday wreath.  I have just cast on and knit the first 16 rows of my February Lady Sweater.

My assessment?  Clearly our building has been trapped in some alien craftastic vortex.  This is so obviously how Martha Stewart created her kingdom, uppity building by uppity building.  She has formed an alliance with some uber-powerful race of paint brush wielding aliens.  Scary.

I am going to need someone to stop me if I macrame a plant holder.  Please?

Wine Time! 2009 Protocolo

Yummy.  A kick ass red for the price.

Name - Dominio de Eguren 2009 Protocolo Tempranillo (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla)

Purchased - Whole Foods
Actual Cost - 7.99 + tax
Price Range - 6.49 (on sale) to 9.00

The hubris in my giant melon assures me that you're hanging on my every review and you trust my viticultural judgement implicitly.  However, if you prefer a more authoritative source... This wine made Wine Enthusiast Top 100 2011 and is a best buy with 89 points.

Newfangleddad and I enjoyed it with a really awful veggie soup I crafted from the deep, dark, depths of the refrigerator crisper drawer.  The wine was nice enough that we almost didn't notice how awful the veggie soup really was.  Almost.

Happy Hands at Homemade for the Holidays

Christmas is coming, had you heard?  I thought you might have failed to notice the holiday WalMart commercials incessantly screaming Jingle Bells.  Let me point out the obvious for you: You're supposed to go out and buy a bunch of shiny, brightly-colored, plastic "Made in China" crap that you can't afford and the recipient doesn't need.

I am not a grinch.

Well I am, but...

We are taking a staunchly non-consumer approach to this holiday.  We will be focused on activities we can do together as a family:

• Visiting Santa at Macy's (bring on the screaming toddler!)
• Christkindlmarket
• Baking cookies (this is all Newfangleddad, I don't bake)
• Community holiday events
• Homemade gifts

Let me clarify the homemade gifts because everyone lives in fear of the "happy hands at home" gift.  You open it.  You see it.  You vomit just a little in your mouth.  You aren't completely sure what it is.  Everyone is looking at you.  You smile uneasily and exclaim appreciation.  Later, you quietly bury it in the backyard... just to be safe.

That is NOT what we are doing.  Our gift recipients will be receiving matted, framed works of art by the Gummy Bear.  They are awesome.  Not to mention, grandparents are contractually obligated to love such gifts.

I am also knitting for Grandma Kathy.  She will be getting the Easy Lace Scarf designed by Marci Blank from the book Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders and a pair of Sherwood Mitts designed by Ashley Knowlton.  Both are knit in Classic Elite Skye Tweed.
She lives in Ohio, so I will never know if they end up buried in the backyard... just to be safe.

Wine Time! Presto Prosecco Brut

I've never met an alcohol I didn't like.  Okay, that isn't entirely true.  I'm not really on speaking terms with Southern Comfort due to a rough introduction on my 21st birthday.  That lapse in judgement aside I generally enjoy an adult beverage.

This recurring segment (Wine Time!) will be a few notes on the wine, beer and cocktails that grace my glassware.  don't expect haughty reviews; Newfangleddad and I are living on the cheap these days as we are supporting two smallish humans and one giant dog.  Life is expensive, but that doesn't mean that I want to forego my enjoyments.  So, be expecting wine and beer that is affordable (generally $15 or less) and readily available.

I'm taking the easy way out this week, as the combination of sleep deprivation and corporate America have squashed my get-up-and-go.

Name - Presto Prosecco Brut

Purchased - Whole Foods

Actual Cost - 9.99 + tax

Price Range - 8.99 (on sale) to 12.99

Sparkly and crisp.  The price makes it enjoyable anytime - no occasion required.  We were pretending it was summer with a light dinner of mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwiches on ciabatta baguette.  This would be a great summer wine for an evening on the porch, or perfect for mimosas at brunch...  I wouldn't wax poetic about it, but it tickled my nose, was $10 bucks and I could pick it up at the grocery store on the way home.  Win, win, win.