Wine Spotlight!

Have you heard of the most amazing

winery in Washington?

Icicle Ridge Winery is located about 5 minutes outside of Leavenworth, Washington.

The winery is owned and run by the most creative, loving, and generous family!

The people at IRW love and truly enjoy meeting new people, they appreciate the land God has given them, they take their time creating excellent wine and delight in sharing their inviting home with you to savor each sip!

"Founder Louie Wagoner and winemaker Don Wood produce hand-crafted, award winning wines that will delight you. The incredible ambiance of the 5,000 square foot log home, where the wine tasting takes place, is sure to amaze you. But most of all, the feeling of being part of their family will bring you back again and again!"~IRW

As the Summer season wraps up and Fall begins, the winery takes on a whole new feel, look, and experience you must see to believe. The vines, surrounding orchards, and established trees display Fall's bright and cheery glory to greet you, and make this wine tasting experience different than any other!

Icicle Ridge Winery takes advantage of Falls beauty by creating unique, fun, and completely unforgettable wine tasting events. If you have time to find yourself in the Leavenworth area during the next four months, come experience Fall in a whole new way with my friends at IRW!

Saturday October 2nd

Crush Me, Squeeze Me, Make Me Wine

Join us for wine tasting, winery tours, live music, crush chili, and of course the excitement of stomping grapes with your bare feet! 12-5pm

$10.00 per person

Saturday December 4th

Holiday House Concert Experience

Come and enjoy the smooth sultry voice of Victoria Wimer Contreras, paired with four local artisan desserts, and Icicle Ridge's finest wines.

Just in time for the holidays The Gathering Room will be filled with gifts for the home and cellar along with 25% off your purchase of 6 or more bottles this evening only!
$50 per person includes concert, dessert and wine
6:30pm Social Time, 7:00pm Concert

After visiting their amazing tasting room, touring the grounds, and chatting with the winemaker, I am sure you will consider joining their world class wine club! Here is just one of their unforgettable events for wine club members only!

Lunch in Vines - Wine Club Only
A true wine country experience! Pick-up your wine shipment and dine in the vines overlooking our gorgeous river valley. Please meet in IRW Cellar at 11:00am

$40 per person

I hope you drop by and visit Icicle Ridge Winery, I guarantee that you will enjoy each taste!
Photos: All Rights Reserved for Icicle Ridge Winery

Love in small packages!

I have always had a love for sweet, little, black, of any nation, babies!

I love their eyes, their curly hair, their sweet rounded bellies, their chubby little hands, and the innocence they exude in every moment!

There was a time when I was a sophomore in college, that I became very sick. The doctors ran every test known to man, and slowly began eliminating theories and problems. At one point there was talk about having to do a whole hysterectomy. This idea made me sad and heartbroken, knowing that at 21 I could loose the opportunity to ever bare my own children. My then very new boyfriend, later to become my darling husband, reassured me that although this news was sad that we would handle this together and that adoption would be another way of creating a family. This love in sickness and health, his steady grasp on reality, and willingness to stick by even a possibly damaged me was the seal on an already great relationship. I had never loved another before and knew I would never love another after...this was the dude for me!

I am so thankful he did stick by me! I didn't end up having the procedure, but the fact that G-man loved me no matter what, and was willing to create a family unconventionally was such an amazing gift to me during a really horrible time in my life. And although we were able to conceive our own children, the seed of adoption, loving another's child like it was my own, and giving love and hope to a child has never left my heart. Maybe someday we will extend our family, today we are loving and enjoying each moment with the two boys God has already given us!

This being said, I always am wishing I could help any child who is in need! In need of love, care, nutrition, clothes, shelter, etc. My heartstrings pull every time I hear of or see a need. I wish I could adopt them all, feed them all, cloth them all, and wrap my arms around each one with unconditional love. However, I am just one, and the need is SO great! I am always looking for a way that our family can make a difference, today I found just one small avenue. Tarah at Between You and Me posted an amazing blog today. It won't solve all the problems for these sweet children, but it will make a difference in their quality of life. I am excited to help, and wanted to share that excitement and this need with you.

So, Check out this post! I hope you will decide to help too. If you would like to pass along this information to your friends and family, create a link or share Tarah's post on your blog. By joining together we can make a positive impact on these children's lives!

Tarah's link one more time!

Here

Photo: Three Angels's Children Relief-Haiti

http://www.threeangelsrelief.org

Juggling...

As women it always amazes me how many balls we attempt to keep up in the air. If you are a mom, then those balls double, triple, quadruple...depending on how many extra bodies you are keeping track of!

Today I am feeling overwhelmed by how many balls I am trying to keep in the air. I love being a wife and mom and consider that to be my most important job. However I am also trying to run two businesses successfully, keep my house clean and organized, my fridge full and tummies fed, laundry washed, folded, and put away, van cleaned, family who like to hear from me more than once a week, church, family time, pre-school volunteer responsibilities, friends who are beginning to think I fell off the earth, and oh yeah...my blog.


I love each different roll in my life, I just wish I was doing them all efficiently, with grace and style, and treating each like it was my only job in the world! So today I am making a plan! I am going to step back and really look at my responsibilities! I want to break my week down with each responsibility and assign each a day. That may sound too structured and lacking in spontaneity, but I know for myself, that I will enjoy my life WAY more if my days have purpose and structure! For example if I get my bathrooms and floors cleaned on Saturday or Sunday, then I don't need to think about that later in my week. Check! Or if I spend and hour each day either working on my Sensaria or wreath business then I can enjoy playtime with my boys knowing I accomplished work earlier! Check! Or if I choose to do one or two loads of laundry a day rather than letting it build-up I may not end up with a literal mountain of laundry each week! Check!


I like this idea of simplifying my life with a plan and a list, I feel the weight of my responsibilities becoming lighter already! My friend Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia is doing a series on organizing and de-cluttering your home. She has some great tips and systems for keeping her big, busy family running smoothly. I would recommend visiting her blog and reading up on the last six days of tips! I am off to make my list and calendar, and my junk drawer is calling too!


Have a great Wednesday, and I hope you take a moment to simplify and decide what is really important to you!



Image: Unknown

Soaking in Style

As the weather changes, I begin to think about long, hot, quiet, bubble baths!

I love baths, with lots of candles, a magazine or book I haven't had time to read yet, lots of bubbles, and quiet time for just me! Add some soft music and a fun drink and you have one version of Heaven!

While my tub is ordinary, I would love to soak in any one of these lovelies! Take a look at these unusual shower curtains...aren't they cool!

Doesn't this look like it is straight out of Pride and Prejudice?


A little more primitive, but it still looks very relaxing!

I hope you enjoy some quiet time this weekend!

Photos: Interior Dec. Home, One Kings Lane, Sinks Faucets and More, and Country Living

Fall is Best!

I LOVE FALL!

So I thought I would share the "why" with you!!! Let me count the reasons...

One of the many candles that burn in my house this time of the year, also LOVE Macintosh apple!

1. The smells of fall; crisp air, rain, spice, fresh fruit from the trees, turkey in the oven, apple pie...etc!

Johan and his Daddy picking pear from one of our favorite orchards!

2. The colors...the brightest and best reds, yellows, oranges, browns, and greens! Love them so much I used them as my June wedding colors.

3. So many birthdays...I was born in October, and we all know that was a blessing, hehe! Other birthdays...my sister, my nephew, and two brother in-laws.

4. I met my husband in the Fall!

5. Back to school; new school supplies, new friends, and the prospects of another year of possible excellence!

6. Sunflowers

7. Walks in the crisp fall air/crunchy leaves underfoot

Every year I pick up the first few fall leaves I find! My boys now are part of this tradition, we have quite the collection!

8. A Drive, a walk, a climb to enjoy the fall leaves, some of the better viewing is high up in the mountains!

9. Fall cooking with a lovely glass of wine, the recipes of Fall are some of my favorites!

10. Another excuse to use, display, wear, and flaunt the color RED!

11. The feeling of a soft, warm scarf wrapped around my neck.

12. Fresh pressed apple cider.

13. The hunt for the perfect pumpkin

Erik on his second pumpkin hunt!

14. Warm apple fritters and a hot latte after the pumpkin is found

Sometimes it is a dirty job!

15. When weather is cold enough to start having fires again!

16. Decorating my house with all things Fall!

The wreath on my front door this year!

17. Corn on the cob with lemon herb butter

18. My sweater collection

19. Our family picture that we take every fall!

20. The quiet, cozy, and calm of all the Fall evenings!

A little fall sparkle

To name a few....

I hope you enjoy this Fall as much as I know I will!

Photos: Seattle Times/NWSource, Moon Blog, All Rights Reserved-A Lasting Frist Impression

P is for Prehistoric Creatures!

Yes, Prehistoric Creatures In My Freezer!

Just another day in the life of a mom with two boys!

You never know what you will find in your freezer! Always open the door with caution!

I am reminded this morning that everyday is new, fresh, and can begin without the worries and stress of the days before it! Kinda like that first morning cup of fresh coffee, uncomplicated, warm, and comforting!

Today I choose Joy! I choose to focus this morning on the blessing and things in my life that bring JOY! I choose a new beginning today!

I hope you have a great, fresh, and new Wednesday!

Photos: Dinos and Joy List-A Lasting First Impression, Cup of Coffee-Source Unknown

Happy Facial Monday...on Tuesday!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Life seems to be flying for me right now! Summer is transforming into Fall so rapidly, schedules are changing, one last Summer trip is planned, and there is still soooo much to do before school starts!

That said, I still want to find the time to take care of me. I stand behind the premise that I am a happier Mommy when I take a few minutes to pamper myself, and this doesn't require a lot of money spent or time away from our home. I love the spa, but am so very thankful that I can bring the spa home too!

So, in addition to my Monday facial, I am going to take care of my feet too! Summer is wrapping up, and my flip-flop feet need my attention. Today, extra TLC for my feet will include:

• First a long soak in a warm tub of water with an orange/vanilla aroma-therapy oil and a chick flick!
• Then each square inch of my feet will be scrubbed with a peppermint and tea tree scrub to break down the callouses and clean out the pores, as well as relax and sooth the muscles!
• A creamy and soothing peppermint mask is applied and allowed to soak in...this product leaves my feet feeling soft, smooth, and so relaxed! Oh I can't wait!
• Each foot is then massaged with a peppermint and tea tree hydrating lotion, a very important step for happy feet!

The end result: my feet are clean, soft and invigorated, hydrated, a little bit tingly, and ready to be polished in a fun Fall color!

I can't think of a better way to enjoy a rainy Fall Seattle day!

The best view of all...Fall under its canopy of gold!

photos: Flip-flop-snake charmer, Fall leaves- Scandinavian Escape