I've come to really enjoy sparkling wines and champagne in the past two years. I'm so glad that I have an excuse this weekend to have a glass or two. Gotta toast to the end of 2011 and hope for a much more prosperous 2012. Side note: Please drink responsibly. There's a Tipsy Tow available if you overdo it. Calling for a cab or walking home, if possible, are good options, too.
This year, we're straying from Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label NV ($36-$50). It's been our standard champagne for special occasions. I still enjoy this champagne very much for its creamy, apple and citrus taste. But today I had the chance to sample a couple new ones at Total Wine. We came away with two new sparklers to celebrate. One is reasonable ($15); the other moderate ($35).
Santi Nello Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco ($15-$16). Light and crisp, with citrus notes. Decent for the price.
Champagne De Margerie Grand Cru Brut ($35-$40). Notes of berry, as it's made primarily with pinot noir.
Sharing some of my favorite sparkling drinks and some that were mentioned recently by experts. Mine:
Sofia Blanc de Blancs ($15-$20). A coworker introduced me to this one, and I love it especially for the price. It is indeed fruity and refreshing, as noted in the product promotion. Hints of apple and pear. And it's in a pretty pink cellophane wrap.
Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut NV($30-$45). I tried it just because the gift set looked pretty at Costco. I found it crisp and refreshing. I recall apple and citrus notes.
LaMarca Prosecco DOC ($12-$16). Also crisp, and a bit sweet, but not too sweet. Notes of apple and grapefruit, with lemony finish.
Some expert suggestions, which I've not tried:
From Mark Tarbell's column on holiday gifts in The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com: GH Mumm "Cordon Rouge" NV, Reims, Champagne, France ($30-$38). 88 point.
From Mark Tarbell's column on holiday drinks in The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com: Mionetto Prosecco D.O.C. Brut, Treviso, Italy ($11-$13): 87 points.
From The Today Show segment on picking holiday wines: Flor Prosecco, Italy ($15).
BTW, prices noted are ones I've seen in stores or online.
Cheers!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Resolution time! Or not...
Every year, I find myself thinking of the same resolution: Eat healthy, exercise more, reduce stress. And every year I see no real change.
I started telling myself, "Just say NO to resolutions." Year after year, I'd feel terrible about dropping the ball on so many worthy life changes. So, why not set an ideal? If I didn't do it all, it's just an ideal. My "ideal" for the last few years has been to live better. That's easy to say and do at least part of the time. I did live better in January, April and June. What excuse do I have for the other times? Laziness, too much work stress, too much kid stress??? How would I do right by ME?
After reading business book "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" (Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan), I figured I needed to set up realistic quarterly goals for my life (it is MY business). So here goes my first quarter plan (still need to figure out the rest of the year) to live better with less stress:
-Sort through kids clothes and toys at least quarterly, but ideally after any purchase. Donate or dump items no longer needed. This will help me help them keep their rooms cleaner, reducing my need to yell at them to clean their rooms.
-Keep a better inventory of holiday decorations. Sticking a note in the bin is of no help when you come across a sale and later learn you have duplicates. Keep list on computer for easy access. Also, toss out broken or burnt out items yearly to prevent wasting time. Remove those items from your inventory.
-Don't buy anything unless it's a need, even if the sale is amazing. Wants must be evaluated for overall value. Remember, too much stuff creates clutter. Clutter creates messes, and messes create stress.
-Value experience over things. Things clutter our home; photos of our experiences only clutter our computer.
-Stop getting take out and reduce dining out. We can eat healthier if we don't chow down on high fat, high sodium foods.
-Plan out meals. Cook in advance and freeze if necessary. This will prevent the urge to get takeout or to eat cereal for dinner.
-Plan exercise around socializing. Take evening walks with husband or kids. Put these walks on your schedule. Plan to attend yoga or kick boxing with friends to keep you from making an excuse not to go.
Maybe I'll add a few more items. And maybe I should start now...
Cheers!
I started telling myself, "Just say NO to resolutions." Year after year, I'd feel terrible about dropping the ball on so many worthy life changes. So, why not set an ideal? If I didn't do it all, it's just an ideal. My "ideal" for the last few years has been to live better. That's easy to say and do at least part of the time. I did live better in January, April and June. What excuse do I have for the other times? Laziness, too much work stress, too much kid stress??? How would I do right by ME?
After reading business book "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" (Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan), I figured I needed to set up realistic quarterly goals for my life (it is MY business). So here goes my first quarter plan (still need to figure out the rest of the year) to live better with less stress:
-Sort through kids clothes and toys at least quarterly, but ideally after any purchase. Donate or dump items no longer needed. This will help me help them keep their rooms cleaner, reducing my need to yell at them to clean their rooms.
-Keep a better inventory of holiday decorations. Sticking a note in the bin is of no help when you come across a sale and later learn you have duplicates. Keep list on computer for easy access. Also, toss out broken or burnt out items yearly to prevent wasting time. Remove those items from your inventory.
-Don't buy anything unless it's a need, even if the sale is amazing. Wants must be evaluated for overall value. Remember, too much stuff creates clutter. Clutter creates messes, and messes create stress.
-Value experience over things. Things clutter our home; photos of our experiences only clutter our computer.
-Stop getting take out and reduce dining out. We can eat healthier if we don't chow down on high fat, high sodium foods.
-Plan out meals. Cook in advance and freeze if necessary. This will prevent the urge to get takeout or to eat cereal for dinner.
-Plan exercise around socializing. Take evening walks with husband or kids. Put these walks on your schedule. Plan to attend yoga or kick boxing with friends to keep you from making an excuse not to go.
Maybe I'll add a few more items. And maybe I should start now...
Cheers!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Gingerbread House event, Dec. 10
Got this event notice from Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine in my email today. I'm sharing it because I took my daughter to this event at the Roy's in Chandler back a few years back, and she had a ton of fun chatting up the other kids and decorating her gingerbread house.
I know the cost ($25 per child) can be a bit much for families on a tight budget. It is a splurge, but I justified it by thinking my house isn't getting messy and I'd pay about $10 for a kit anyway that doesn't have as many candies. Plus lunch is provided. Too bad they don't sell those discounted Roy's gift cards at Costco anymore. Well, I haven't seen them in a year. :(
I'll call in the morning to see if you must buy lunch or if you can just watch.
Keiki Gingerbread Event
12 p.m., Saturday, December 10, 2011
7151 West Ray Road, Chandler
Lunch will be served first, followed by decorating
Cost: $25 per Keiki, includes lunch and gingerbread supplies; $25 per adult, includes 3-course lunch meal. Prices exclude tax and gratuity.
FYI: if you donate a new, unwrapped toy, you'll receive $5 off* your child's meal.
Reservations: (480) 705-7697.
*One $5 discount per Keiki. All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18.
For more holiday kid fun, check out azcentral.com's Things to Do section.
I'll call in the morning to see if you must buy lunch or if you can just watch.
Keiki Gingerbread Event
12 p.m., Saturday, December 10, 2011
7151 West Ray Road, Chandler
Lunch will be served first, followed by decorating
Cost: $25 per Keiki, includes lunch and gingerbread supplies; $25 per adult, includes 3-course lunch meal. Prices exclude tax and gratuity.
FYI: if you donate a new, unwrapped toy, you'll receive $5 off* your child's meal.
Reservations: (480) 705-7697.
*One $5 discount per Keiki. All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18.
For more holiday kid fun, check out azcentral.com's Things to Do section.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...
I love watching Christmas movies, musicals and concerts. While some are better than others, they lift my spirit and get me into a holiday mood. Maybe it's because these stories unfolding on stage and screen remind me of my childhood -- hot cocoa and snowmen in the Midwest; celebrating snow flurries in the Southwest.
We try to catch some kind of holiday show every year. This year, I was given a chance to review Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," which run through Dec. 11 at ASU Gammage in Tempe. As it started, I thought that I made a mistake bringing my kids. It would be too old fashioned, and too slow. Maybe too much singing and, oh no, tap dancing. They are 11 and 14 and everything we suggest is just so not cool.
But they surprised me. They liked it, even the tap dancing. They also told me in the car that they'd recommend it to friends. What? Guess my kids like to go back to a time when life was simpler and a good tap dance number made people happy. Side note: I did overhear a middle-age couple complain that they were falling asleep during the first half. It wasn't that bad. But it is a slow-moving musical rom-com set in the 50's with a lot of dancing.
The stage show begins on Christmas Eve 1944. Two Army buddies, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, are singing "Happy Holidays" to cheer up the troops serving in World War II. They are hams heading home and their General is retiring. Fast forward 10 years and they are on the Ed Sullivan show, reprising "Happy Holidays" mashed with "Let Yourself Go" with a company of dancers dressed in soft pastels popular in 50's. The guys are hot performers gearing up to take their singing and dancing to sunny Florida. But before they leave for Miami, they check out a sister singing duo, Betty and Judy Haynes. It's love at first sight for flirty Judy and Phil, the lady's man. And it's awkward for Betty and Bob. The guys ask the girls to join their show, but they are on their way to a gig in Vermont. Phil has to stay with Judy, so he tricks Bob into going to Vermont with the girls. Happens, it's not snowing up there, which scares away the tourists wanting a white Christmas. After the guys learn the Inn is owned by their General, they devise a plan to put on a big show attracting a bunch of their company. There are some mixed messages, broken hearts and eventually a happy ending.
It's light and funny at times, with several jokes aimed at adults. My kids especially liked Ezekiel, the barn handyman who gave some comic relief by moving slowly and saying little, and when the guys sang "Sisters," fanning their feathers and one acted like a peacock, during a rehearsal that the girls purposely missed. My daughter sang along to White Christmas and loved watching the faux snow fall on the audience in the front rows.
"White Christmas" was splendid if you like taking a trip down yesteryear. Oh, and if you are a fan of TV show Nip/Tuck, like I am, you'll get to see Ruth Williamson take on the roll of singing and dancing inn manager Martha Watson. Loved her! Williamson played Mrs. Grubman, a plastic surgery loving wealthy socialite fond of Christian (Julian McMahon), on Nip/Tuck. Your tween may remember that she was also on an episode of Hannah Montana.
"White Christmas" is recommended for ages 5 and up, according to ASU Gammage's web site. Some things to know if you take little ones:
-There is some flirty talk, but it's not raunchy.
-Phil's ditzy, flirty friends dress sexy and hang on him, and in a sing/dance scene when the guys say they may be dress too sexy for a family show, they tell they they can be Christmas bells, then flip up their costumes, "for the kids."
-Martha jokes with the General that they are like a married couple, arguing all the time and no sex.
-The show is about 2 1/2 hours long, and there is a short intermission perfect for a bathroom break.
Great discussions topics for the ride home:
-There's a song called "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep." Share some of your blessings.
-Betty got mad at Bob because she thought he was going to do a mean thing to a friend. She thought that because she didn't have the full story. Have you had something similar happen to you. How did it make you feel and how did you deal with it?
-Have you ever tricked someone into doing something, as Phil did to Bob by taking him to Vermont? How did it turn out? Any lessons learned?
-Since the play is set post World War II, you can talk about American life and entertainment post war. Maybe bring up some historical references in the play. U.S. President Eisenhower, the Ed Sullivan Show and Italian dictator/fascist Benito Mussolini (his name is used in a not so nice reference to another) are mentioned and can be great starting points.
-Why not talk about tap dancing?
The list goes on and on... Tickets are still available for the remaining shows, as of early Wednesday morning. Prices start at $23.50.
Cheers!
We try to catch some kind of holiday show every year. This year, I was given a chance to review Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," which run through Dec. 11 at ASU Gammage in Tempe. As it started, I thought that I made a mistake bringing my kids. It would be too old fashioned, and too slow. Maybe too much singing and, oh no, tap dancing. They are 11 and 14 and everything we suggest is just so not cool.
But they surprised me. They liked it, even the tap dancing. They also told me in the car that they'd recommend it to friends. What? Guess my kids like to go back to a time when life was simpler and a good tap dance number made people happy. Side note: I did overhear a middle-age couple complain that they were falling asleep during the first half. It wasn't that bad. But it is a slow-moving musical rom-com set in the 50's with a lot of dancing.
The stage show begins on Christmas Eve 1944. Two Army buddies, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, are singing "Happy Holidays" to cheer up the troops serving in World War II. They are hams heading home and their General is retiring. Fast forward 10 years and they are on the Ed Sullivan show, reprising "Happy Holidays" mashed with "Let Yourself Go" with a company of dancers dressed in soft pastels popular in 50's. The guys are hot performers gearing up to take their singing and dancing to sunny Florida. But before they leave for Miami, they check out a sister singing duo, Betty and Judy Haynes. It's love at first sight for flirty Judy and Phil, the lady's man. And it's awkward for Betty and Bob. The guys ask the girls to join their show, but they are on their way to a gig in Vermont. Phil has to stay with Judy, so he tricks Bob into going to Vermont with the girls. Happens, it's not snowing up there, which scares away the tourists wanting a white Christmas. After the guys learn the Inn is owned by their General, they devise a plan to put on a big show attracting a bunch of their company. There are some mixed messages, broken hearts and eventually a happy ending.
It's light and funny at times, with several jokes aimed at adults. My kids especially liked Ezekiel, the barn handyman who gave some comic relief by moving slowly and saying little, and when the guys sang "Sisters," fanning their feathers and one acted like a peacock, during a rehearsal that the girls purposely missed. My daughter sang along to White Christmas and loved watching the faux snow fall on the audience in the front rows.
"White Christmas" was splendid if you like taking a trip down yesteryear. Oh, and if you are a fan of TV show Nip/Tuck, like I am, you'll get to see Ruth Williamson take on the roll of singing and dancing inn manager Martha Watson. Loved her! Williamson played Mrs. Grubman, a plastic surgery loving wealthy socialite fond of Christian (Julian McMahon), on Nip/Tuck. Your tween may remember that she was also on an episode of Hannah Montana.
"White Christmas" is recommended for ages 5 and up, according to ASU Gammage's web site. Some things to know if you take little ones:
-There is some flirty talk, but it's not raunchy.
-Phil's ditzy, flirty friends dress sexy and hang on him, and in a sing/dance scene when the guys say they may be dress too sexy for a family show, they tell they they can be Christmas bells, then flip up their costumes, "for the kids."
-Martha jokes with the General that they are like a married couple, arguing all the time and no sex.
-The show is about 2 1/2 hours long, and there is a short intermission perfect for a bathroom break.
Great discussions topics for the ride home:
-There's a song called "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep." Share some of your blessings.
-Betty got mad at Bob because she thought he was going to do a mean thing to a friend. She thought that because she didn't have the full story. Have you had something similar happen to you. How did it make you feel and how did you deal with it?
-Have you ever tricked someone into doing something, as Phil did to Bob by taking him to Vermont? How did it turn out? Any lessons learned?
-Since the play is set post World War II, you can talk about American life and entertainment post war. Maybe bring up some historical references in the play. U.S. President Eisenhower, the Ed Sullivan Show and Italian dictator/fascist Benito Mussolini (his name is used in a not so nice reference to another) are mentioned and can be great starting points.
-Why not talk about tap dancing?
The list goes on and on... Tickets are still available for the remaining shows, as of early Wednesday morning. Prices start at $23.50.
Cheers!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Loss of beautiful soul leads to charity helping kids in need
Four years ago, a family friend lost her teenage daughter in a tragic accident. It was raining, and rural Missouri roads can flood quickly.
I remember praying that Carol's daughter would make it to her destination. Brooke was just 16. I cried knowing another mother's heart just shattered.
I held my kids tight that night. I don't know how I would handle such tragedy. Carol decided to honor Brooke's giving spirit. There were a couple of scholarships donated, but Carol and her older daughter, Lyndsey, wanted to help more people. That's how Soles from a Beautiful Soul, which collects shoes to help children in need, came to be. I wish it much success.
I'm so impressed by Carol's strength and generosity that I'm sharing her story. Please click on this link to read a recent article about the charity in Brooke's honor.
I remember praying that Carol's daughter would make it to her destination. Brooke was just 16. I cried knowing another mother's heart just shattered.
I held my kids tight that night. I don't know how I would handle such tragedy. Carol decided to honor Brooke's giving spirit. There were a couple of scholarships donated, but Carol and her older daughter, Lyndsey, wanted to help more people. That's how Soles from a Beautiful Soul, which collects shoes to help children in need, came to be. I wish it much success.
I'm so impressed by Carol's strength and generosity that I'm sharing her story. Please click on this link to read a recent article about the charity in Brooke's honor.
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