Wordless Wednesday #352 - Date night sunset watching

Wordless Wednesday #335 - Wine Wednesday?

10 Things that make me Happy

I was tagged on Instagram by Moipone Islam at ferocioushaven

Here is mine:

10 Things that make me happy!

(Not necessarily in this order)

1. Happy is a choice! I choose Happy!

2. My Eldest. When she’s happy, I am happy! It is so-so-so GREAT that everything is working out this year for her. She is finishing up with her studies, she got a REAL job, she is madly in love and she’s got a car!

3. My Youngest. She makes us happy every day! (Sometimes crazy, but mostly happy!) Just being her! So glad that she is in our lives!

4.  My Husband!  He’s our rock and showing us each day what a good husband, father and provider he is! He is the best chef as well!!

5.  The extended family that cares about us

6. Friends that care

7.  Our dogs (Hubby won’t agree on this one! ;-) )

      8.  Coffee/Red wine (equally happy!)

      9. Books/reading.

      10. Blogging

What makes you happy?

A wine scanner app that will up smart you from a wine pleb to a wine connoisseur

Vivino

I hope!

I don't know why I did not learn about the existence of Vivino earlier, because it is a real treat to use!

I love red wine (that's no secret), and here I can compile and compare all my wines that I love and do not enjoy!  The app is for all wines, but I have been focusing on the red.

It is as easy as scanning the front of a wine bottle to get all the information of that wine. The year, the vintage and the price. It also shows ratings by other wine lovers, which gives a good indication of what is worth buying.

The Rustenberg wine was a present, and I was not aware of how much it was worth before I scanned it. This made me realise that it gives me the chance to say thanks again, and how much I appreciate it! I think there is nothing worse than giving wine as a present, and the recipients do not appreciate the real worth of it! (The wine plebs (commoners) that we are...!)

A friend recently said she stood in front of the wine shelves in the shop and she could not decide what was good or not! This app is perfect when you don't know if the wine is worth the price and if the vintage year was a good year.

I have also scanned a wine bottle that was much cheaper than stated in the app, and it made me buy the wine immediately!

You will find me between the red wine shelves, scanning.

Or else on the app as Karen Toit.

Vivino is downloadable on iTunes
                                         Google Play
                                         Windows Phone



Disclaimer: I was not given any wine to write this review!
                  I love it!

What I want for my birthday...

Wine quote from 12 Signs Wine

Preferably RED!


Happy Wine O'Clock time!

(For more Wine quotes, I have been pinning some on a Red Wine Pinterest Board.)

Wordless Wednesday #69 - More uses for the potty

As seen last night while catching the last of our summer rays...

Jinxed weekend

Mieka at Tiny Tumbles this morning

I should not have scheduled Friday’s post, loaded with all the positive gratefulness for the weekend ahead. Because I jinxed it!


The day started late. Not unusual for us. We normally manage to get us out of the door at a manageable hour. As soon as I got in the car, I noticed that I forgot to comb my hair. Luckily I had that quick check in the mirror...

I had cereal in a bowl on my front seat in the car. As I started to drive, I realised it was a big mistake. Cereal and milk were spilling. I tried to eat some on the way to the day care, but Mieka spotted it. At day care I had to give her a few spoonfuls before she was satisfied.

My car’s petrol indicator came on during the drive and I had to stop for petrol. That translates into a definite late! The petrol attendant also told me that three of my car’s wheels were at a higher level than it should be... Worrisome! We trust those guys too easily. I have been trying to remember where I had filled my car the previous time, because it was not at the usual place. I will not go there again!

I missed out on my morning coffee with colleagues because I was late. I also noticed that my scheduled post at 7 am did not go up. Thanks Blogger! I had to post it manually, something which I try to avoid at the office.

The rest of the day was not that bad... A meeting was cancelled, and on a Friday it’s a bonus!

We had to go to our nearby Mall last night because I had to buy a stork party present. Not my favourite activity! I love buying and giving the clothes, but stork parties is not my thing! (Only for my best best friends. Maybe!)

Today was the stork party. It took up our whole Saturday, because it is a whole hour and half drive away. Luckily there was no funny stuff, and for once I was glad that I had to attend to the toddler the whole time. She got a whole lot of attention from me! Dries found Barista (coffee) Pinotage red wine at the nearby shop, and that helped a LOT!

Now there is a wonderful lazy Sunday to look forward to. Dries is planning a nice meal, and we can chill for the day!

Invitation to prepare your own meal at the End-of-Year function

Last night I felt like The Outsider. We were invited to Dries’ end-of-year function to “test our culinary skills.” Dries forwarded the invite to me only yesterday, although he had it for a week already. He knows I would have been bitching about it for a week if I had known earlier. To prepare food is not my favourite activity. It is my least favourite activity of all! (There, I have said it! Sound of sirens! Waiting for the bombs to drop…).

To prepare my own food at an end-of-year function feels like absolute hell to me!
I want to be wined and dined and to feel I am in for a treat!
But there I was with all the happy people (happy to be invited to make your own food?) around me, and thinking that I am definitely from another planet to be the only one swearing on the inside. Apparently also on the outside, because Dries told me later to stop swearing.
Luckily there was red wine! The ultimate lifesaver! After three wines it went really well, and I was opening the phyllo pastry packet for the apple strudel and pecan nut phyllo pie with gusto. I don’t know if it was the red wine, or if the chef saw my clumsiness with regards to food, but he helped me with stacking the phyllo layers, and folding it. Amazing, between me and Dries we made the brinjal starter and the apple and pecan nut strudel desert!

I must congratulate Angela Day Kitchen at Lifestyle. Even me, an absolute stick-in-the-mud enjoyed it, and the food was all-round excellent! Luckily Dries also works for very very nice people, and with their partners we had a lovely time!

BUT I still don’t like making my own food at an end-of-year-function!!