Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka

After my mother in law shared called and told the hubs that she and my sister in law tried this great vodka that I would love, I decided to give it a try. The hubs bought a 1.5 liter bottle of Seagram's Sweet Tea Vodka (for significantly less), but I decided to try a miniature of the Firefly for comparison. I am pleased to say there is no great difference between the two.  Both are quite satisfying, although you must drink them ice cold. I have diluted it with lemonade, tea, and straight up, and all three have been enjoyable. My least favorite was the lemonade, but I'm not a huge fan of lemon and tea in general. This, however, is not a substitute for a Long Island Iced Tea. This is much more of a sweet tea flavor. If you're looking for Long Island, mix it yourself. I can definitely see myself enjoying this more and more as the weather gets warmer.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

NYC Packing List

I'm headed out to NYC next weekend with a group of dancers. Our purpose is to see one of our alumni dancing with her professional company as well as take some classes. Being the organizer I am, I use a packing list. It really does help me figure out what I need to take with me, and considering that I need dance clothes, semi-formal performance clothes, and normal clothes, I really need to plan ahead.

Dance Clothes:
Black Tights
Black Capris
Black Jazz Pants
Black Danile Leotard
Purple Knot Leotard
Ballet Shoes
Jazz Shoes

Performance Clothes:
Black Knot Dress
Hose (2)
Black Heels
Cream Sweater
Black Skirt
Black and white belt

Sightseeing clothes:
Jeans
Sneakers
Socks (3 pairs)
Blue Sweater with fake shirt
Grey Cowl Neck Sweater
NYCDA Jacket 
3/4 length purple shirt

4 pairs underwear
2 Bras (Black and Tan)
Polka Dot PJs

Travel Clothes:
Woodside Hoodie
Jazz Pants
Slipper Socks
Tshirt

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Listerine
Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Contact Lens Case
Contact Lens Solution
Deodorant
Zyrtec
Advil
Dramamine
Excedrin
Brush
Hair pins
Curlers

Ipod
Book
Magazine

Bolded items will go in carry on, rest will go under the bus.

J.W. Morris Gewurztraminer

Wine: J.W. Morris Gewurztraminer
Store: Trader Joe's
Price :$3.99

"Gewurztraminer is an exciting and easy drinking wine, more so than most any other white wine type.You will recognize it's heady and aromatic scent. Gewurztraminer is an enjoyable wine to drink as an apertif or with dinner." ~back of the bottle.

In honor of Spring's arrival, I pulled this wine out of the fridge this evening. It's very light, and is just sweet enough to enjoy with dessert, but not be over bearing. It's a bit floral, and overall a nice wine.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purple Moon Shiraz

Wine: Purple Moon Shiraz
Price: $4.99
Store: Trader Joe's

I must admit I have a thing for the Purple Moon wines, and in general, I'm a big fan of Shiraz. This one in particular is quite velvety in the mouth. Sometimes I don't want to swallow as the texture feels so nice. It's a pleasant tasting wine, with subtle hints of berries. It's not, however, the most flavorful or full bodied red wine I've ever experienced. Enjoyable, but not exciting.


Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Gaetano D'Aquino Pinot Grigio

Wine: Gaetano D'Aquino Pinot Grigio
Price:$4.99
Store: Trader Joe's

"This wine is ideal outside of a meal. It is delicious with hors d' oeuvres and fish dishes, particullarly lobster and crabmeat. Also an excellent companion for soups and white meats. Serve chilled at a temperature of 8°-10° C."~www.daquino.com

I was surprised when I looked back on this blog and realized I had not reviewed this wine. We've had it several times. This is a nice dry, slightly acidic wine. There are citrus hints that permeate through the flavor, leaving a slight after taste. It's rather light in color-almost clear-which is also indicative of the flavor. This wine would go particularly well with fish or lighter chicken dishes.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Baby Clothing Bouquet

Yet another craft I am attempting for the upcoming baby shower. I'm not the craftiest person I know, but I certainly enjoy making stuff. I can't help it. And I

Supplies:

• Baby Clothing (I used 1 sleeper, 1 hat, 3 pairs of socks, 6 onesies, 8 wash clothes)
  
• Dowel Rods
• Floral Tape
• Styrofoam blocks
• Basket, vase, or other such container
• Tissue Paper
  

1. Roll each of the items of apparel. The onesies did best when you tucked in the sleeves and and rolled from the bottom up. Fan out the material some to make it look more like a rose.
   
2. Use the rubber band to hold the "rose."
3. Insert a dowel rod in the center.
   
4. Use floral tape to wrap from the rubber band down to the dowel. This works well as it leaves no residue.
5. Arrange the Styrofoam in the vase or basket that you are using.
   
6. Insert the dowel into the Styrofoam and arrange.
7. Using green tissue paper, arrange at the bottom of the basket/vase to cover the Styrofoam.
8. I hot glued ribbon the to basket to dress it up a bit.
   
9. Use as a centerpiece for baby shower.

***For the record, the sleeper is the really big "flower" in the middle. I'm still not pleased with it, and attempting to make it prettier.***

Wine Cork Wreath

Finally, a crafting post that has something to do with wine!!!! After many, many years of collecting wine corks, I have finally (re)completed my wine cork wreath. I worked on it last year, had it completed, but my method of laying down the corks did not work so well. The next thing I knew I had wine corks falling all over my floor. So about two weeks ago, I took around the remnants of wreath apart and started brand new.

So here's what I did:
Supplies:

• Wine Corks-lots of them
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wreath Form-I've found I'm a big fan of the wooden flat forms. They work great for great for gluing.

1. Take two corks, angle them inward in a herringbone pattern. Continue all around the wreath form. I find that it is best to put the glue on the bottom of the cork, then sneak some glue into where it touches other corks.
2. Repeat the same herringbone pattern going the opposite direction of the wreath. Be sure to angle the corks to cover any empty spots from the initial ring.

That's it. Seriously-it was that easy. And no worries, I plan on making some trivets out of the next batch of wine corks I save up. Shouldn't take me nearly as long.

Menage a Tois Red

Wine: Menage a Tois Red
Price: $8.99
Store: Total Wine, although readily available in my most grocery stores.

"Even if red wine is not your speed, give our Ménage à Trois Red a try. This wine exposes the fresh, ripe, jam-like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. Three saucy grapes make up the blend. Zinfandel adds a juicy character, Merlot mellows and Cabernet adds backbone. Forward, spicy and soft, this delicious dalliance makes the perfect trio."~http://www.folieadeux.com/


I was quite surprised when I went back and purused this blog to find that I have not reviewed this wine before. This is quite possibly my favorite red wine, and I am embarassed to admit I first purchased it based on the saucy name. It is a nice, full bodied wine without being overbearing, and is very smooth to drink. And I have never had issues with getting a head ache with this particular red wine. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Diaper Wreath

So I'm gearing up to host another baby shower for a close friend. I guess I've hit that phase in my life where everyone's popping out babies. This time, I decided to forgo the diaper cake and make a diaper wreath instead. I thought it would be nice on the door and I thought it might be cheaper (it really wasn't much cheaper). Most diaper wreaths that I found involved wrapping the diaper around the wreath form, but that didn't seem sanitary to me, and I really wanted something that the mom-to-be could use. I decided to an alternate route of rolling the the diapers similar to a diaper cake. So here's how I made it:

Supplies:

• Pack of Diapers (I used one pack (42 diapers) of Pampers size 2. I had 9 Diapers left over.)
• Ribbon (I used 2 rolls of 1 1/2" wide ribbon; 9 feet per roll)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Rubber Bands
• Wreath Form (I used an 18 inch flat wooden form.)
• Various Gifts (I used a nail trimming pack, a brush and comb combo, and Johnson and Johnson's travel pack)

So how did I do it:

1. Roll the diapers. Take the crotch of the diaper and roll it towards the waistband.
2. Wrap the middle of the diaper with a rubber band.
   
3. Using your wide ribbon to wrap around the diaper. Put a dab of hot glue on one end of the ribbon to attach the ends together.
   
4. Repeat 1-3 over and over and over again.
   
5. Put some glue on ribbon where it meets. (Be generous.) Attach diaper to the wreath. Make sure to angle some of your diapers to follow the gradual curve of the wreath.
   
6. Once all your diapers are attached to the wreath, use the thin ribbon to attach the gifts to the wreath. Tie the ribbon to the gift, then putting the ribbon between the diapers, tie the gift to the wreath.
   
7. Using the hot glue gun, attach the back of the knot to the back of the wreath form in order to support the gift.
   
8. Viola! You have a lovely Door Hanger for your baby shower that could also be hung on the door at the hospital or on the nursery door at home.

Price Breakdown:
Package of Diapers: $8.99
Travel Package of Baby Toiletries: $2.49
Baby Brush and Comb Set: $1.99
Baby Nail Clippers and Scissors: $1.99
Wide Ribbon (2 Rolls): $4.98
Thin Ribbon: $0.49
Wreath Form: Already had at home, but priced at $3.99

Total: $20.93

Tres Pinos Tierra Blanca White

Wine: Tres Pinos Tierra Blanca White
Store: Trader Joe's
Price: $4.99

"Tierra Blanca White is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, and Chardonnay. these grapes are grown in San Luis Obispo Country along California's beautiful Central Coast. This wine is bright and crisp with lovely aromas of citrus and wildflowers."

I had seen this wine at Trader Joe's, and was quite excited to try it. First of all the label, is quite pretty with the three trees and bright colors. But it's also a quite yummy wine. It's surprising sweet, with a hint of acidity. I'll have to try it again later in the year when I can smell better...I'm not picking up on much of a scent right now, but that could also be due to my congestion. Overall, a delightful wine and I'm disappointed I spilled a glass on the ottoman this evening.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars