Wine and Cupcakes

Wine Review:

Who doesn't love cupcakes? And wine?

My favorite wine is Cupcake Vinyard's Moscato. The first time I had it was at my friend Amy's wedding. It tastes like grape juice and goes down just as easy. Sweet, but not too sweet. Just perfect.

Since I love the Moscato so much, I have been tasting the other flavors from Cupcake Vinyards.

The Red Velvet is a nice Merlot. I highly recommend.

If you like Chardonnay, you may like the Chardonnay from Cupcake Vinyards. I don't like Chardonnay, so I'm a no for this one.

Tonight, I tried the Angel Food Cake. Save your money; it is crap. It is supposed to be a sweet wine but it tastes like vinegar. I found it to be utterly disgusting and won't buy it again.

That's it so far.

As a side note: I have to say that the Fremont Party Store is absolutely amazing. They will order me any booze I want and it's in within just a couple of days. That means I have pretty much any wine access I need! ...a must in a small town

With that said, which one should I try next?

Misery...Round 2

Most of you would agree that the most terrifying experience is surely being robbed at gunpoint. I have been robbed at gunpoint. Trust me - that is NOT the most terrifying experience.

You know what is?

Yes, that's right. A bat.
Not just a simple bat in the forest. Oh no, a bat IN YOUR HOUSE.

Many of you know that last August I got a bat in my house. Dad came over and killed it.

That seems lack luster. "Dad came over and killed it". Seriously? Pardon my pun, but I went bat-shit crazy when that thing was in my house!!!

For six months after, I carried a tennis racket under my arm and searched every room I walked into.

Slowly but surely I became more and more comfortable with being in the house -- and I thought I was in the clear this year when fair week came and went (fair week is when they open the barns and all the bats fly out and find new homes)

I.Was.Wrong.

On Sunday, August 26th, (I need to remember the exact date for next year), I asked Mom to come to my house. I had some water damage in my guest room closet and it was raining. Mom and I removed everything from the closet and checked for damage. Later, we realized that by doing this, we probably disturbed the bat.

So...2 hours later I'm sitting on my couch watching tv and Niko is sleeping at my feet. All of a sudden, Niko jumps up and flies into the kitchen like a bat out of hell (pun intended).

At that moment, realization hit me. "Oh. Crap"

I turned my head...oh yeah...a bat was flying at my FACE!!!

The only thing I could do to quickly protect me was put a blanket over my head and scream - and scream.

Quickly, I heard Niko chase the bat into the dining room, which gave me the opportunity to hustle it outside. I ran out on my deck and watched the action through my sliding door. As I stood there shaking, trying to call Mom and Dad, I watched the bat fly circles around my house, and my beautiful alarm dog chase after it.

...finally the bat landed on my cabinet and Niko came to find me...

The bat was still hanging out on my cabinet when Dad arrived, so it was an easy target for him. Luckily, my friend Kirsti had come to visit that weekend. We played tennis while she was here, so my tennis rackets were still right next to the slider. Dad had quick access to a killing tool -- apparently tennis rackets are actually the most commonly used bat killing device.

It was terrifying watching Dad hit the bat and having it swoop around him. Gross. Just gross.

Long story short -- Facebook friends freaked me out that a colony was living in my walls, so I lived with Mom and Dad for a solid week after that. I slept SO well in their safe house (they haven't had a bat in the 27 years they have lived in that house)

Now, I'm back in the batcave, scared out of my mind. I have all the lights on in the house (trying to push them outside, not in). I'm constantly looking over my shoulder and I'm carrying around a tennis racket...or two. Work won't be done at the house for another month...and so I'm living in fear. Last night I slept with a tennis racket in my hand and my hoodie tied with the hood on.

I.AM.IN.MISERY ... AGAIN.


Sort of on the bright side: A family friend did come over and seal up some holes in the roof. He is coming back in a little over a month to fix the drywall, fix any remaining roofing issues, fix my exhaust fan, block my attic fan and make sure I have appropriate screens behind all my exterior vents.

Prayers are welcomed, for sure!

Thank God for Pinterest

Recently, I was painting some furniture in my dining room. I had put down drop cloths to prevent any paint from getting on my beautiful hardwood floors. Obviously, I was surprised when I pulled up the drop cloth and found this:

This picture is after a lot of time was spent trying to chip away at it with my fingernail.

I got to a point where my nail was no longer productive. Clearly, I was upset. I have absolutely zero interest in trying to refinish the area - knowing I could never match the rest.

In a fit of desperation, I went to Pinterest.

...well, ok, I was on Pinterest and thought I would search for a cure...but I digress

I found a remedy using "Clean and Clear" pads. Seriously?

So, tonight I was at Walgreens and decided to go for it...

And...sure enough, the little suckers worked! Like a DREAM!!!

Here is what the floor looks like now:

So friends, take note...but still use a THICK drop cloth

Goodbye Tumor: Hello Scarface

As many of you know, Niko has had a tumor under her eyelid for about a year and a half now. I noticed it shortly before we moved to Fremont.

If you look closely in this picture, you can see it above her left eye. Most of it was contained underneath her eyelid (It looked like a pimple) but as it grew, you could see it from the outside.

Since it could scratch her cornea if it grew to large, I needed to get it removed.

On Friday, July 20th, I brought her to the vet at 8:30am. Then, I went to work.

I'm not saying I was a disaster that day at work...well...maybe I was. I was in tears the whole time I was there and it took every bone in my body not to call every hour on the hour. There is no secret that Niko is my whole world -- and quite frankly I was having nightmarish thoughts that somehow she would lose her eyesight.

Quick Timeline:
10:30am: They started surgery
11:30am: They told me she was out of surgery and getting oxygen
11:30-1:30: I later found out she barked non-stop (My baby hates cages)
1:30pm: I called to see how she was. She wasn't supposed to be released until 3pm, but I think the barking annoyed all the vet techs. They told me to come pick her up
By 2pm: I was at the vet and she was RUNNING for the door. Miss Niko wanted to GO HOME!

For the rest of the day, she basically slept. However, I was a crying mess because THIS is what I saw:

It was a lot to take in. All around her eye is shaved, she had liquid everywhere, her eye was all red, and the bottom lid was really droopy. I was worried.

So, I cried...and I spoiled her like crazy. The first day was all cuddles and naps -- but at one point she moved away from me so I couldn't pet her -- either she was mad at me, or I was smothering her. Probably smothering her. :)

My sister, Sarah hopes that Niko's hair grows in grey so that Sarah can nickname her "Scarface" -- thanks Sarah!

So...let the healing process begin.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

As you can see, the droopy eyelid has improved.

What you can't see in the Day 4 pic is that she actually was bleeding yesterday. She rubbed her face in the grass and on either side of her eye, she started bleeding. They were only dots and it wasn't next to the stitches, but it was a bit scary. I'm sure it was because the grass is near dead due to the heat and lack of rain -- and she has sensitive skin where it was shaved.

I can't get a Day 5 pic -- I've been trying all morning. She is SO over her picture being taken.

Stay tuned -- her stitches are set to be removed on the 31st. I can only imagine how that is going to go because it takes 3-4 people to hold her down just to trim her nails.

Book Review: Oh Yes, I'm Going There

50 Shades of Grey. Gasp.

Yes, I read it. I read the whole series. What book lover HASN'T read it?!

Erotic? Yes
Cheesy? At Times
Love story? Truth
Scary? Believe it or not, yes

I have a few things to say about the book:

While the critics cannot stand the writing, I quite enjoyed it. Besides the sex scenes, it had just enough description to put me in the scene without dragging out every detail. I am a straight forward reader. I want to feel like I'm in the room witnessing everything, but I can't stand when a writer goes on and on with analogies and comparisons. "Her expression was as....as....on a summer morning with...bla bla bla". For goodness sakes, let the story progress! This is why I loved the series. I felt connected to what was happening, but it was fast paced.

You DO get committed to almost all of the characters. While Ana can be a bit whiny, you want to see her win...with Christian. You care about her dad and her friends. I have to say that one of my favorite characters was Christan's Mom, Grace.

Now, this book is not for the faint of heart. I almost stopped reading in the middle of the first book, for 2 reasons.
1: seriously, I'm not into the whole spanking thing.
2: calling a vagina "my sex" is so over the top cheesy.

...I continued on and I'm glad I did. I like the suspense throughout book 2 and 3, the action scenes in book 3, and the final wrap up.

My final thoughts: don't let the kiddie's read it, don't compare your husband/boyfriend to Christian (you will be depressed), and just read the book for which all books are intended -- for entertainment

Goodwill Crap I Bought...

Who doesn't love Goodwill?

Hardcover books are $1, paperbacks are 60 cents and you can find the most amazing pieces of hilarious crap to refinish as beautiful home decor?!?!?!

Here's what I got on my most recent trip to Goodwill:

(Niko wanted to be part of the fun)

I'm really proud of this planter that I got for $3:

Afterall, my dining room is red.

These wagon wheels are pretty sweet. I may leave them rustic, or spray paint them either red or black...or maybe do a vintage white. They will stay this way until I decide the perfect place for them -- this great find goes to my Mom.

Yes, friends...I got books:

These books are my favorite from this trip:

So, since I really don't have a witty story from my Goodwill trip, I thought I'd do a poll.

What should I do with the angels?

• Spray paint red for my dining room?
• Spray paint black for my living room...eh, don't know how I feel about spray painting them black
• Keeping them as is?
• Spray painting green for my office, blue for my bathroom, or a pale green for my guest room?
• Am I crazy about spray paint?

Another First

So...I recently bought one of these:

And...of course we had our first snow. So, last weekend I used my brand-new snow blower for the very first time. Needless to say, it was pretty comical.

Yes...perhaps my lines were more of a zig zag...

So what if I forgot where the start button was for a hot second?...

Sure, it did take me a bit to adjust the proper height of the spray so I didn't smash out my neighbor's window...

But...that's not why I'm writing this...

...the reason I am writing this post is that I want to know -- Who makes the chick snow blower?

Seriously, I am under 5'2" with child-like hands. Holding those damn levers down for 30 minutes while I blow the snow around is quite ridiculous. I swear I had finger cramps for 2 days! I was NOT informed you have to be a lumberjack to appropriately control a snow blower...

Another first for me...and another lesson learned...

...and crap...it has snowed again...

Resolutions

2011 has come and gone and it's time to create goals for 2012. Here are the top 10 things I plan to accomplish in 2012:

10. BLOG MORE. I've done such a crappy job blogging in 2011

9. Be that person that always has a clean house -- one can dream, right?

8. Convince more of my girlfriends to come spend a night/weekend in the exciting city of Fremont

7. Lose some lbs

6. Reorganize the house - and buy new storage items -- ahhh pretty white storage

5. Get my lawn under control -- it is seriously a jungle...and learn not to hate it so much

4. Paint that nasty trim in my kitchen and bath

3. Paint my kitchen cabinets...yikes

2. Get my files in order -- they are out of control

...and the number 1 thing I plan to accomplish this year is...

1. Give back to my parents. The amount of good deeds they did for me in 2011 is quite ridiculous and I am indebted to them forever -- helping me move, driving in a crazy snow storm and helping me clean my old apartment, fixing tons of odds and ends in the house, adding ALL those shelves (in cupboards, cabinets, closets and cubbies), installing washer, dryer and dishwasher, cutting my bed in 2 and re-attaching to get up the stairs, hanging 20 sets of mini-blinds, fixing the hanging situation in my closets, helping with the tree situation - and the pipe situation, helping me mow the lawn for the first time EVER and teaching me how to handle/take care of the lawn mower, giving me/hooking up the AC window unit, watching my dog a MILLION times, hanging out at my house while cable and AC installation guys were there, driving my butt around a LOT, letting me hang out at their house and eat all their food, giving Niko a second home, KILLING THE BAT, driving 7 hours for my ikea bookcase and then putting it together and leveling it, installing the medicine cabinet, going chainsaw crazy in my back yard....and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I have the best parents EVER and I'll never be able to come close to repaying them for what they do for me -- but in 2012 I will give back as much as I can.

Here's to a successful 2012!