Weeding Day at the Garden

Last weekend, we had our first 'weeding party' at the big garden. Fortunately, it wasn't too hot and we got a relatively early start. It's so exciting to see the seedlings sprout and the plants start to grow!

Our Girls Garden 2012

I'm so excited about gardening this year. A few friends and I are doing a community garden on a friend's property. The garden is huge! I know this because we tilled it last weekend. Working the tiller was a bit like wrestling a beast especially when trying to turn it around at the end of a row. But, we got it done and felt like a million bucks afterward, albeit, a filthy, sweaty million bucks. 

After tilling, we planted seeds for corn, summer squash, soybeans, cucumbers, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, green beans, peas, and pumpkins. The peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos go in this weekend. I can't wait to see the seedlings sprout!

Viva Las Vegas aka Lauren is 25 (!)

Last week my Mom, Sis, and I flew to Las Vegas to meet up with Lauren to celebrate her 25th birthday. She was going to Vegas for the annual Viva Las Vegas rockabilly festival.

We all met up at the airport and made our way to the Luxor hotel. Have you stayed there? It's weird inside. They don't have elevators instead you ride up on inclinators and believe me, you can tell you are traveling up and sideways.

First, we went to Mandalay Bay to visit the Shark Reef Aquarium. I love aquariums and have been to many around the country. This one was pretty good. I saw this guy and it made me hungry for sushi. My sister thinks I'm evil. It's okay though, I know he would taste delicious.

We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. The weather was perfect although the water in the pool was freezing!

On Wednesday, (happy birthday Lauren!) we visited the Neon Sign Boneyard. This is a non-profit that seeks to preserve Las Vegas's unique art form. I really enjoyed the tour and think anyone who has visited Las Vegas for a long time would get a kick out of seeing those old signs that they probably remember.

And to top off a great trip, my Sister cleaned up on the slots and blackjack table! I think she's still home in bed rolling around in all the money she won. Here's a shot taken right after my Mom pulled a $400 spin on a dollar slot machine. Good times!

Wine Social Dinner Club

Last month a group of us attended the Meditrina wine social. We had a great time and inspired by the fun event, we decided to host our own monthly wine socials. My friend, Liz, hosted the first one at her home last Sunday.

I'll post the menu and pictures and try to get links to the recipes to include in the posts. We divided into teams and each team was responsible for a course and wine pairing.

Appetizer (Whitney & Cooper)

Mushroom, Onion, & Gruyère Pull-Apart w/ Pinot Noir

Salad (Susan & Melissa)

Arugula, Butternut squash & Hazelnuts & Fume Blanc

Main Course (Liz & Diane)

Vegetable Hash with Short Ribs w/ a Spanish red

(Somehow I missed taking a shot of the ribs. Sorry!

Dessert (Jackie & Susie)

Chocolate Fondue & Tawny Port

Finally, here's a little video of Cooper demonstrating how to use a wine key.

Mangia!

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I CANNOT wait for this movie to come out next week! As you may know, I've read the books and seen the Swedish films based on the books. I was very skeptical when I read that an American remake was in the works but I have to tell you, the trailer looks amazing!

The books and movies aren't for the faint of heart though but if you are looking for something intense with interesting characters, you should give it some thought.

The Lady is a Tramp

Tony Bennett still sounds amazing and Lady Gaga is terrific. I'm looking forward to listening to this Duets albums while drinking a glass of wine. But let's be honest, I'm typically pretty excited about doing anything and drinking wine.

Hike: Calf Creek Falls

I spent the last few days in Torrey, Utah. The weather was spectacular with clear, sunny skies and warm temperatures. On Monday and Tuesday I hiked to Calf Creek Falls with some friends who had all done the hike before but it was my first time. It's about three miles of mostly flat trail to the falls (six miles round trip).

The road from Torrey through Boulder, Utah was lined with gorgeous aspen trees with near electric yellow leaves.

The hike and the falls were gorgeous and next time I will pack a picnic lunch to eat next to the falls. A few brave souls swam in the freezing cold water but I only waded around in ankle deep water.

Instead, we treated ourselves to fabulous dinners at Cafe Diablo. The sweet potato and black bean empanadas were scrumptious!