Perfect Timing

Well, we are hanging in this weekend staying dry during this blizzard! Those of you getting hit by Blizzard Nemo, stay safe! And warm.

This week J & I lost out on a house we put an offer on. Ya, it almost happened. I was pretty bummed about it. Our offer was verbally accepted but before the sellers signed our offer, another offer came in, which meant another round of best and final offers, and before we knew it, the house was no longer ours. Yes, that can happen, so be prepared!

As I was sitting here scanning a few new blogs that have caught my attention recently, I came across some pretty great reminders. Reminders I needed right now. Reminders that even though we may not have gotten the house we wanted, there will be another. And we should be very thankful for the home we already have.  (Tucker is pretty upset though, I did promise him a king size dog bed in our next home...)

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As much as I'd love to say I'm taking the weekend off and won't be watching HGTV or reading a home decor magazine, let's be serious, it's going to happen. Even if we weren't looking, these things would happen! I may have even stopped on my way home yesterday to stock up on some new magazines while I'm stuck inside this weekend during the blizzard....magazines, catalogs, and coffee are my ideal weekend morning routine. 

Wine & Chocolate Tasting

Last Saturday, I was invited to a wine and chocolate tasting party. Seriously? Two of my most favoritest things! There was no way I was missing that!

Everyone was asked to bring a bottle of wine as well as a chocolate that paired well with it. You could go the straightforward route and bring chocolate candy, or you could get fancy and make a chocolate dessert. I went the straightforward route....

Of the 6 girls, we worked it out perfectly and had 3 whites to try and 3 reds. Prosecco, Moscato, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Zinfandel. Yum!

Our directions were as follows:

It was awesome. Everyone did a great job picking out the perfect chocolate for their wine. I brought the sparkling wine and decided to go with fruity chocolates. Lindt Intense Orange bar and Ghiradelli Raspberry squares. It worked out perfectly! I favored the orange. But, either way...follow the steps above and you will be quite satisfied with your pairing!

 The six pairings were as follows:

• Prosecco with fruit flavored dark chocolate
• Mosacto with Lindt white chocolate
• Chardonnay with Ghiradelli french vanilla chocolate
• Merlot with a milk chocolate mousse
• Cabernet Sauvignon with Trader Joe's dark chocolate truffle and caramel with black sea salt
• Red Zinfindal with a dark chocolate tart

I would never have expected this, but the pairing I was most surprised by and loved was the Moscato and white chocolate. I don't normally drink sweeter white wines but omg, add the white chocolate in and this was quite the dessert! 

Another thing I noticed was with the Merlot, the chocolate mousse seemed to smooth out the wine. Because you taste the wine alone first, you can really taste the difference once you add in the chocolate. It certainly enhances the flavor of the wine!

The two homemade desserts were incredible. I couldn't stop. 

Cait was kind enough to provide us with some great eats in addition to chocolate. An amazing cheese plate? Count me in.

Swirl, sniff, sip! Oh, and then eat chocolate and sip again!

Well, I failed in my blogging duties during the wine event because I totally forgot my camera! So I hope you don't mind these iphone photos. And I didn't snag a group picture...wah! But we had a great time. And I would highly recommend giving this a try.

Thanks for hosting such a fabulous event Cait!

My First StitchFix

Well, my first StitchFix came!

Inside I found a neatly stacked pile of clothes and one pair of earrings. Although the clothes fit just about perfectly, I didn't love anything enough to pull the trigger. The striped dress fit like a glove, I couldn't believe it! But, the pattern was just too busy for me. I knew it wouldn't get worn. And the white silk top with black edging? Absolutely loved it! Problem is, I already own one exactly like it.

 The earrings I received were really nice. But, again, they just weren't "me." I wear studs most often so I couldn't justify purchasing the drop earrings. I did love that every piece of clothing came with outfit options. It was a great way to see how the pieces could be worn!

 These last two tops were so fun. I loved the Emerald peplum silk top. I just wished it fit a little better. I came very close to buying it, very close. But I'm trying to be better about only buying clothes that fit exceptionally well and that I know will get their wear. That's why the chevron sweater was out too. The stripes were blue, very close to the color of jeans. I know I'm not the only one who has trouble wearing blue tops with jeans when the colorings are very close. Or am I? If it was a little longer to wear with leggings I would have been sold. 

So we were out of luck this time around. But I am still looking forward to my next shipment. When you checkout on the StitchFix website they ask you to leave comments so I made sure to tell them what I absolutely loved about the items they sent me and the reasons I didn't keep them. I loved that they asked about the size, style, price, and fit/cut. All to help better serve you in the next shipment!

I will certainly let you know how the next one goes.

And if you're interested in joining, here's an invite!