Warm Weather Wine Review

It's been some time since I've reviewed a wine on Marchlela....although I've had no problems "reviewing" them at home. Lol!
Now that the weather is beginning to get warm and sunny, I'm in the mood for a lighter, chilled, refreshing wine. One wine that comes to mind, and also one of my sister's favorites, is Ballet of Angels.

Ballet of Angels is a local wine, from a local vineyard.....Sharpe Hill in Pomfret, Connecticut.

Look how gorgeous the vineyard grounds are!!!! Breathtaking!! And I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago.

Our First Tasting...

2 1/2 hours later......Our Last tasting.....Note how lopsided we are at this point! Lol! It was a good time!

Not only is this wine one of the Best Selling wines in New England, it has some interesting history. The vineyard owners where always fond of this unusual painting of a young boy holding a bluebird. When given permission by the New York Historial Association to use this painting on their labels, they found out that it had been painted by a Connecticut artist, John Brewster, Jr. Who had once lived only a few miles from their vineyard. They felt it was meant to be....and so was the name! Heaven sent!

So... in review:

Ballet of Angels

a bright, crisp, semi-dry white wine

refreshing fruit flavors of peach, pear, and grapefruit

Reminiscent of a Reisling

pairs well with Cajun and Oriental Style dishes

Price Point: approx. $12.99 (small bottle)

Enjoy at your next summer picnic, cookout or BBQ!!!!

Kirsten

Tickled Pink

Last Saturday was a day dedicated to my precious Ella.

The theme I chose for her Christening celebration was rustic garden style with the color pink incorporated everywhere.

This handmade banner was so easy to make. All you need is pretty scrapbook paper and letters printed off the computer.

Frame invitations for easy decoration. Personalized napkins can be ordered from Carlson Crafts.

Glass jugs that contain pink lemonade add a nice touch. Mason jar jug from Christmas Tree Shop and Efferve bottles from Marshalls.

This three tiered platter became our mini raw bar. This Pottery Barn one was one of my Mother's Day gifts from Chris (love it!)

Simple cards were used for food labels. A "food must" on a summer party list is definitely various salads. For Ella's party we decided on macaroni, potato, coleslaw, chopped, arugula and fruit salad- and they were all the first things to be eaten.

Cupcakes for the kids is always a good, clean idea.

Pink angel sugar cookies were easy to prepare ahead of time. I used an old family sugar cookie recipe and just added pink food coloring (5 drops for light pink, 20 drops for a brighter shade). I wrapped the baked and cooled cookies in saran wrap and sealed them in a Tupperware. I then froze them all for about two weeks and defrosted them the day before the party. Easy peezie!

Pom Pom balls (in the background) were made before hand too. Easy how-to here.

Having toys and games for the younger guests keep them occupied while adults can mingle and relax for a bit. Our PlayDoh table was a hit.

Ella is so blessed to have such caring and loving godparents. Both of their gifts to her were the most unique, beautiful things I have ever seen.

Her Godmother, Holly (my sister), gave her this precious pearl bracelet, with a cross attached. You can order one here. This bracelet will be a treasure of Ella's until she can pass it onto her daughter.

Bill, her Godfather (whose wife, Sarah, always finds some the best gifts) gave Ella two incredible gifts. The first is a single pearl that will hopefully be the first of many that Ella will collect over the years. Once there's enough, we'll be able to make a string of pearls for her wedding day.

And the second gift was a canvas picture of Ella. This was Ella's first real photograph, that is one of my favorites. You can create your own and order them here.

 It was a day Chris and I will never forget; we are so fortunate to have such amazing people in our lives to help us celebrate our little girl.
We love you Elle!

Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gifts: Years 1-5

"The passing of another year together marks a deepening of the couple's commitment, an accumulation of time irreplaceable. To help in celebrating these occasions are special gifts, one assigned to each anniversary and each with its own material and symbolic value. In the United States, the wedding anniversary symbols begin simply, with paper and flowers, and gradually increase in substance and value. The order of gifts reflects the investment that the couple gives of themselves to each other. In Germany, by comparison, couples use a list of symbols that represent the progressive strengthening of the marriage relationship."
Source: Gretchen Scoble and Ann Field, The Meaning of Wedding Anniversaries, page 7.

With the passing of mine and my husband's 9th wedding anniversary this past Wednesday, June 1st, it had me thinking of what to get him for a gift. I like the idea of marking each year with a traditional anniversary gift, as I imagined my great grandparents did and their parents before them. Through the years, modern elements have been incorporated into the yearly gift giving, so to please those you don't care to be so "traditional".

For the very 1st Wedding Anniversary, the traditional gift is Paper. Some suggestions would be...

a special note or letter on anything made of paper.....a matchbook from the restaurant or bar where you went on your first date or a ticket to a sporting event you both love or a movie or broadway show. Another romantic suggestion, would be to write a "message in a bottle" to your husband or wife, and let it go in your favorite body of water together. The more modern gift for the 1st wedding anniversary is a Clock. Which could mean a personal wrist watch or decorative clock for your home.

For the 2nd Wedding Anniversary, the traditional gift is Cotton. Some suggestions would be...

Oh how I'd love this cozy hammock to snuggle up in with my hubby.....or matching monogrammed bathrobes like the fancy hotel you stayed in once before....
The more modern suggestion for the 2nd wedding anniversary, is China. A suggestion would be to add a piece to your wedding china that you may not have received yet or that is new to the collection.

For the 3rd Wedding Anniversary, the traditional gift is Leather. Some suggestions would be...

A classic leather belt would be a gift my husband would love.....but isn't this leather bound journal pretty special too?  A more modern gift for the 3rd wedding anniversary, would be Crystal/Glass. I suggest big beautiful wine glasses....or a unique piece of seaglass jewelry.

For the 4th Wedding Anniversary, the traditional gift is Fruit or Flowers. Some suggestions would be...

a beautiful bouquet of flowers reminisent of your wedding bouquet.....like this one is of mine.....is very thoughtful. Or....a plant that has flowering fruits....like this strawberry bush.

A more modern gift for the 4th wedding annivesary would be given in the form of Linen or Silk. Perhaps a piece of Linen clothing (which I would love)....or actual linens, like new towels or bedsheets. Silk lingerie is a must for the hopeless romantics out there too!

For the 5th Wedding Anniversary, the traditional gift is Wood. Some suggestions would be....

A wood gallery of frames with family photos placed in them is a nice idea.....or a piece of wood furniture, homemade or bought. Or you could simply plant a tree together in your yard or a local park or school.....
The modern gift idea for the 5th wedding anniversary is silverware. This could include silver place settings, silver jewelry.....or this idea that would bring the traditional "wood" of a tree and the silver together....

Stay tuned next year for the traditional gifts for Wedding Anniversaries 6-10. It'll be my big 1-0 Wedding Anniversary, so it'll mark the occassion. Wishing you many many years of wedded bliss!!!

                        Kirsten

A Walk Downtown

The nice weather is finally here and that means daily strolls into the village. When searching to buy a house, one of me and Chris' "must haves" was a house that was walking distance to downtown Niantic. We love being able to walk to the annual holiday light parade in the snow, and down to the beach and ice cream shop in the summer.

Today was the perfect day for a morning walk for a cup o' jo, with some fabulous blog friends, Sarah and Kirsten and, between us three, four of our kids (the rest were in school missing out). We couldn't help but notice the beautiful buildings and scenery that pave our way to downtown.

(And found some inspiration for our own homes)

I love seeing various styles and sizes of picket fences...kinda a theme around here...

We choose to try the new Sol Cafe downtown today and we were blown away with our visit...

The decorations were just as amazing as the food...

 Love the apron...

 All homemade treats...

The hardworking and friendly owner, Tabitha, made our whole experience pleasurable. She informed us that almost all of her recipes are her own and she strives to use mostly organic and natural products. What more could we ask for?!

 Little details, like these glass handles, make a huge difference...

Our picks today? Kirsten opted for an iced capAlatte with almond syrup and the haRveSTeR wrap. Sarah stuck with a cup of coffee and the haRveSTeR wrap also.

Christopher and I split a homemade blueberry scone, while I drank an iced chaI tea and Chris sipped on a "fIzzIe"- all natural strawberry syrup combined with good ol' club soda.

The service was excellent; the food and drinks were delicious and the company was just wonderful. We even bumped into our friend Rachel (owner of our fav little store, Grace).

 We sat under a yellow umbrella at a pretty tiled table and loved every second of it...

And afterwards, we enjoyed our walk home, admiring front porches....

 and brightly painted front doors...

Can't wait for next Wednesday!



Ashley