Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur

Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur
Store: VA ABC (Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control)
Price:$3.10/airplane miniature (which I had) or $20.95/750 ml
"Aged Virgin Island Rum, Fresh Dutch Cream, Black Tea

from India, Premium Spirits from Holland and a Distinctive

Blend of Spices from Asia give Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur

the Rich, Creamy Smoothness that you should expect from

a Premium Liqueur. " ~www.voyantchai.com

OMG, this stuff is great!!! I bought a miniature of this last year at the ABC store. (I love pursuing the miniatures-it's a great way to try something new, or experience a little something high end without spending lots of money on it.) This is very similar to an Irish Cream or a Coffee Liqueur in texture, but it tastes just like a Chai Tea Latte (or iced latte, as I am enjoying it on the rocks). And it has a pretty low alcohol content for any sort of liquor (25 proof).

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Oh Cheeseburger, how I love thee, especially when I happen to be there during happy hour. A dear friend of mine and I met up there this afternoon for drinks and catching up. We've both had a lot going on in the past month, and needed a chance to get caught up. And for $3.50 for margaritas and mojitos and $2.00 for beers, we were definitely able to enjoy ourselves. I started off with a pomegranate mojito, which was OK. It was a little bland-not enough mojito and not enough pomegranate flavor. I then enjoyed a classic margarita on the rocks. I would imagine that a restaurant in the style of Jimmy Buffett woud do a nice margarita...and they did. It was a great time-good booze, but even better conversation and company.

Cooper Vineyards Noche

Wine: Cooper Vineyards Noche Virginia Sweet Table Wine
Store: Gift, but I've seen it at Total Wine
Price: $16.00

OK, so I have no bottle information, no information on the website to quote for this wine. A friend was at a local wine festival and tasted this wine there. He thought I'd love it, so he brought it home to me. It's very much a port-type wine, and it is said to have a chocolate taste. I definitely agree with that. I'm not much into heavy, dessert wines, though. It smells like chocolate, and the taste is definitely there. There also seems to be some raspberry undertones to the wine. Not my favorite, though. It's good for what it is, but I probably wouldn't buy it for myself. Make sure to enjoy it with some dessert, though. I'm enjoying it with some peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses. Not the classiest dessert ever, but I'm happy. Ooooh, I bet it would be really good with some cheesecake. Hmmmmmm....

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Yellow + Blue Torrontes

Wine: Yellow + Blue Torrontes
Price: $13.00
Store: The Virginia Wine Experience

"Light yellow with hints of green. Expansive and fresh aroma of peach, cantaloupe, and pineapple, with a hint of lime. Fresh and lively, with medium weight, nice acidity, and a long fruit and mineral laden finish. Complements smoked meats, mild to medium strong cheeses as well as spicy foods." ~www.ybwines.com

Last weekend, we were in the downtown area of this quaint little Virginia town. The staff at this store is great-and I love the way it's set up. So this litte bottle, I mean box, of wine intrigued us. We asked one of the clerks how the local wine snobs had responded to this wine. He said that as a wine snob himself, but when something is good and works, don't question it. That was enough for the hubs and I to try it. Apparently the packaging is very environmentally friendly, and the grapes are all organic. Best of all, this container is a full liter, not just 750 ml like most bottles of wine.

It's a pretty nice wine. I feel that the website's description is fairly accurate. There is a light, fruity taste to this. I feel the pineapple is probably the most prevalent fruit taste. The wine is acidic, but not to the point that it is difficult to drink. We enjoyed it tonight with some pork, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. It was great. This is a white wine you could enjoy year round-light enough for spring and summer, but heavy enough to enjoy during the fall or winter.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

More dreams...

Last night (in my dream), I was working with the ballet company I danced with. We had a master class, but the teacher was late. I called her, and she walked in. The class was very non-traditional. We followed it by a performance where everything went wrong.

Then, I was on a pier. I had two costume pieces with me, and for some reason, I threw them into the water. When I returned, they were there, but sunken so far I could not reach. A very kind gentleman with a red beard swam down to get them for me, and returned with two other costume pieces I didn't know I was missing. There was also a restaurant with outdoor dining on the pier, and I ran into my parents, who called me crazy for putting the costumes in the water in the first place.

Then I was at what was presumed to be my grandmother's house. I was an adult, but I was dressed like a child. I went to sleep, and I remember there was a ghost in my room. He kept pulling my hair, but I was too afraid to look at him. I got up early in the morning and went to the kitchen. There was a chef in there who was very friendly to me, and as my distant cousins (apparently, we were all staying at my grandmother's) came in, they opened bottles of wine. Wine for everyone at 6AM! My sister then came in and passed me something under from under her dress to under mine. It was her baby boy, who they had stolen from the hospital. (He rally is in the hospital right now.) She then let me show him off to people who would come see him one at a time.

Strange Dreams

Apparently, my brain has been working over time while I'm sleeping. Over the past week, I've had some of the strangest, most random dreams. I remember them vividly when I first wake up, but now I'm struggling to remember details.

Dream #1: Mom, a work friend, a college friend, and I all end up going to a party about an hour (and a bridge) away from where I live. I have some sort of a chair with wheels (although not a wheel chair), and Mom decides I can just wheel myself on back home. When I get home, it's a combination of the house I grew up in and a friend from high school's home. All the furniture is covered up and I'm informed that the floors have just been redone.

Dream #2: I'm getting married (again) to the same guy...but he falls asleep while doing a reading for the wedding.

Dream #3: I kicked the dog out of the bedroom in the middle of the night. I do this from time, so I thought I had actually done it. I was very confused when both of them were still in the bedroom this morning.

Dream#4: Something about going on a field trip with a bunch of kids to see a show, and then wandering backstage to find a different ballet going on with only half costumes. There was also something about going to restaurants and shopping. The dream is very fuzzy for now...maybe I'll remember more as the day goes on.

Apparently, the hubs has some weird dreams last night, too. He had a dream that I went to a particular gynecologist because his mother recommend her.

Our brains need to calm down.

Sea Dogs Bluepaw

Beer: Sea Dogs Bluepaw Wild Blueberry Wheat Beer
Store: Total Wine
Price: $8.99/six pack (I think)

"Our unique contribution to the fruit ale category features the nutty quench of wheat ale combined with the delightful aromatics and subtle fruit flavor contributed by Maine wild blueberries."~www.seadogbrewing.com

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm not much of a beer drinker. I tend to like lighter beers, and for that reason, I'm more likely to drink beer during the summer. This beer, however, is fabulous. Very light and crisp with a blueberry after taste. It's a great beer for those who don't like the "bite" some beers have at the end, but not so fruity to turn off those who think fruit beers are "girly."

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Diaper Cake

For my sister's baby shower about a month ago, I made a lovely little diaper cake. It was extremely popular, so here's a little tutorial on how I made it.

I started out with a whole slew of goodies. Some people made their cakes with just diapers, but I liked adding in other small goodies, too. When I first started out, I played around with the idea of including some of these clothes in there, too. As it turned out, I just wrapped them seperately.

So what supplies did I use?
1. Package of 40 size 1 Swaddlers Diapers
2. Package of 36 size 2 Diapers
3. Johnson's Baby Beginner Gift Pack (includes Baby Wash, Shampoo, Diaper Rash Cream, Lotion, and Safety Swabs)
4. Johnson's Take Along Pack (includes travel sized baby wash, shampoo, lotion, power, and desitin)
5. Set of 2 bottle brushes
6. Set of 2 Pacifers
7. Set of 3 bottles
8. Oragel
9. A rubber ducker that the bottom indicates the temperature of bath water.
10. Rabbit Teething Toy
11. Two plastic teething rings (hard to see in the pic)

Other supplies you will need:
1. Rubber Bands
2. Ribbon 1 1/2 to 2 inch works best
3. Platter of some sorts

So....Step 1: Roll the diaper from the closed end to the open end. Wrap together in rubber band.


2. Step 2: Assemble the diapers in circular fashion, making them of different sizes. I believe I had something like 10 diapers in the top tier, about 25 on the second layer, and about 40 on the bottom layer. Also, as I was using two different sizes, I put the larger sizes in black elastic and put them towards the center of the tier.

3. Step 3: (Sorry no, pics!) Insert the other goodies on the outskirts of the tiers.

4. Step 4: Use the 1 1/2 to 2 inch ribbon to wrap around the outside of the tier, binding it together. I used straight pins to keep the ribbon in place. Some of the bottles wanted to slide out from under the ribbon, so I used some tape to secure it under the ribbon.

5. Step 5: Stack the tiers on the platter, from biggest to smallest.

6. Step 6: I used curling ribbon to secure the rubber ducky on top of the cake and attach the pacifiers and teething rings to the ribbon.

Calina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine: Calina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $11.00
Store: The Virginia Wine Experience

"The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, rich and expansive. It is laced with flavors ranging from plums, cassis and cherry to earth, cedar and anise. It is open and generous on the palate with enough tannin and acidity to keep it balanced and delicious." ~ www.calina.com

Now, I know this is an expensive wine for me, but it's a damn fine wine, and I loooooooooove the store I purchased it from. If I'm going to shell out a little more for a product, it needs to be good and I have to feel OK spending money on it. So for an analysis of the wine itself...it has a very faint cherry scent to it. The taste is very mild, yet flavorful. There are some hints of smokiness. We enjoyed this as we ate a rather spicy mexican dish, and it really provide a nice base against the spiciness. I would highly recommned this wine.

Recommendation: 5 out of 5 stars

Vacation???

We had our "vacation" this weekend. I use this term very liberally because we only went up to the in laws house about 2 hours away from where we live. This is literally the only time we have had to get away at all this summer. It's pathetic.

At any rate, we visited a couple of stores they have up here that we are not so fortunate to have at home. The first was the illustrious grocery store Wegman's. If we had one were we live, we would never shop anywhere else. Great value, great variety, great quality. We found a couple of wines cheaper there than we have found elsewhere.

We also took a jaunt down to Aldi's, a small bargain grocery store run by the same folks that run Trader Joe's. We happened upon a cheap bottle of chardonnay for $2.99. Why not give it a try?

And finally, we wandered downtown to a small store called The Virginia Wine Experience. I loooooove this store. They have a great variety of wines, and the staff is always very knowledgeable. I love buying Virginia wines, and I especially love buying from local stores.


In other news, I haven't been blogging much as my sister just had a baby. There were some major complications. The new mommy is fine, but the baby had to undergo surgery at 2 days old. He'll end up having 2 more by the time he is five, but he'll be fine and go on to lead a normal life.

Dreaming of Ikea.

Literally. The hubster and I both love Ikea. Unfortunately, the closest one is 3 hours away, so our visits are relatively infrequent. We're planning a visit to his parents in a few weeks, who happen to only live about 45 minutes from Ikea, and the hubster mentions whether or not we want to make a little trip up there. I woke up this morning with a shopping cart full of Ikea goodies. Seriously, who does that? Who goes shopping in their sleep? And who knows the catalog well enough to pick up real things there?




1) A new desk and shelving unit for the hubster. His NASCAR room is in need of some serious organization, and I think this would be practical and display his collectibles nicely.

2) I love this mirror for the guest bedroom.

3) We both would love to make our living room, or "parlor" as the hubster likes to call it, into more of a library.

4) I have no practical use for this, but I have an obsession recently with formal black furniture. I don't know why, I just love it.

There were some other things-we seriously maxed out all of our credits cards. It's a good thing it was only a dream.