Copyright C. Matthews 2008

Photo of the Bluffs at Lake Keuka, New York State Finger Lakes Wine Trail
© 2008 C. Matthews

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Visions of Ski Lodges Dance In My Head

Happy New Year everybody!

Hopefully all my readers had a safe, enjoyable holiday.

I was supposed to babysit the grandkids last night, but my daughter and charming-son-in-law’s plans changed, so the Hubster and I went out to our favorite Italian restaurant for an “early bird” dinner.  Geesh, what’s become of us?

When we were younger, we used to go to New York City for New Years and party all night long; then the kids came along and we’d go out to our friends for a nice dinner and party and come home about 2 am.

Now, as Baby Boomer’s, it’s early-bird dinners, we stay home and the hubs turned in around 9 pm on New Years. Last night I blogged and tweeted and partied online doing the hashtag #lamenewyearseve.

I embibed a bit with sipped some Ice Wine on New Years eve.  There’s still some left from Christmas, and since it’s sort of officially still New Year’s Day, I’m finishing it I finished it.

You may ask what’s Ice Wine?  No, this isn’t a paid post, or anything of that sort.  I didn’t know what it was either until I went to Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York to visit my brother one year.  We toured some wineries that had wine tastings, since it’s wine trail country up there.

Here’s the official Wikipedia definition of ice wine:

Ice wine (or icewine, as one word, or in German, Eiswein) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet wine.

When my brother visited for Thanksgiving, he brought a house gift of Ice Wine from Hunt Country Vineyards for my daughter.

I would describe it as smooth and sweet – almost like a brandy. To me, it leaves a definite coating when you drink it, unlike a regular wine. It’s meant to be an appertif, or after-dinner wine. I serve it in my Waterford Crystal wine glasses. Perhaps it could also be served in cordial glasses.

I’ve tweeted about ice wine, and Renee Ross from Cutie Bootie Cakes asked what it was.  Speaking of Renee – she was my Secret Santa Pal this year when I participated in the T.J.Maxx and Marshall’s Secret Santa exchange.  More on that in another post!

Now, in my mind I’m sitting by a roaring fire or wood stove looking out the window at the snow-covered ground in New England here.  I don’t ski anymore, but would be content to curl up in a ski lodge that has Wifi or read a good book, and sip a nice vintage ice wine!

I’m going to look into ordering from a Wine of the Month club and online, as it’s a long trip back to the Finger Lakes Region of New York.

I’ve found others locally at are equally as good – one has sweet flavors of pineapple and citrus while another has peach and honey flavors in it.

Have you tried Ice Wine?  What’s your favorite! If not, you might look into it for the holidays! It’ll make a great Christmas present!

Happy Holidays!

© 2010 Moomettes Magnificents

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Through the Looking Glass

I come from a long-lived family.  Regular readers know that I often write about  my Grandmom, who lived to be 101.

I’ve written how I have a Sixth Sense, and have an eery ability to know when something’s going to happen.  I’ve also  written several posts about my Grandmom that you just might want to read to see just where I’m coming from.

That’s what this week is all about.

Today I attended the funeral of basically what I consider my last living relative (besides my brother.)  My favorite aunt, who was also my Godmother, passed away at 95.

I’m a Baby Boomer, but I still want my mommy.

So it is with some trepidation that I am strolling down memory lane this week, looking at the photo albums to continue to give you a glimpse into  “who I am.”

Post Woodstock, I came of age as an adult in the 1970s.

We spent quite a bit of time down the shore, as my future mother-in-law always liked to rent cottages for the whole family to go to.  What was a bummer was that Connecticut lowered the drinking age to 18 from 21 in 1972, the year I turned 20.

Back then there really wasn’t too much to do – we’d go to the movies on Friday and Saturday nights – there weren’t any such things as clubs to go to.  It was pretty boring for  date-night.

I married in 1974 to the guy who was in my homeroom all through high school and took me to the Senior Prom

Don’t you just love the hats that I picked out for the girls?

Actually, the dresses were halter style, and not all that bad.  The gal to my immediate left is my IRL best  friend, (Hi if you’re reading this, I miss you!) and the only one I keep in touch with.

We were kid-free for 9 years after we got married.

Within 2 weeks of being a newlywed, we bought a boat and traveled all over Long Island Sound, as well as to places such as Newport, RI; Block Island; Montauk NY;  Sag Harbor, NY; through the Intercoastal Waterway to Fire Island National Seashore – even after the kids came along

We ended up owning 3 boats over the course of our years

Moving on, we bought our first house, and I off to work I go as a Paralegal for the next 30 years …

and we all know the story about how I’m trying to retire from that dreaded cubicle job.  I’m going to end up like Dooce and be fired for writing about it if I don’t end up retiring.

All our friends and relatives were getting married in the 1970s.

There were at least 6-10 couples from high school who got married to each other.  For years I served on the High School Reunion Committee.  We’re basically the only couple left that’s still on our first marriage.

I know I often refer to myself as the “first wife” and “second wife.“

The ‘me’ of today, is not the ‘me’ who I was back then.

How about you? Are you still who you used to be?

To Be Continued….

Further Reading:

Woodstock: Talking About My Generation

Life In Dysfunction Junction: Guest Post by The Cat

If I Could Turn Back Time: Part 4 – The Kids Arrive

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Fashion Week In New York City

Recently I was going through my closet, deciding it was time for some new updates.  You must have heard the saying that if you “haven’t worn it in a year” that it’s time to get rid of it?  Sometimes I go with that maxim, and sometimes it’s a good idea to hang onto things, because you’ll never know when it’ll become fashionable again.  I really wish I had held on to some of my clothing from the 1970s.

I don’t live too far from New York City, and always enjoy going down to visit.  One of my favorite things to do is to window shop and look at all the cool outfits that the fashion designers are featuring – whether it’s Uptown or down in SoHo.

The Fall 2009 Collections Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is in New York City from Sep. 10 – 17.  It is one of four major fashion weeks in the fashion industry and is widely recognized as the world’s premier fashion event. Being at the event is a big deal. Admission is by invitation only, to the fashion industry, fashion press, assorted celebrities, and internet based Fashion press.

Now there’s an opportunity to get some ideas for updating my wardrobe!  Well, I could always volunteer to help out!  Even though I’m pretty frugal and I might not be able to afford the high-couture lines, there’s some pretty trendy consignment stores around here where I can put “The-Look” together at a fraction of the price!

My niece recently graduated with a Masters from Pratt Institute, and I could have stayed at her place, but she’s moved on to Boston.  So it looks like if I’m going down, I’d have to be scoping out some New York vacation rentals.

This would make a great mother-daughter weekend or trip with the “Girlfriends” or my fellow Baby Boomers.

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Sunglasses and Whoopie Pies

I have the hardest time hanging on to my sunglasses. I used to have a clip-on pair that was magnetized that came with my prescription glasses. When I changed prescriptions, the sunglasses no longer fit on my new pair.

When I was up in Penn Yan, New York in the Finger Lakes Wine Region, I bought several clip-on pairs at the Windmill that were reasonably priced. The Windmill Farm and Craft Market is really cool. There are over 100 vendors of farm produce and handcrafted items produced by local artisans. The region has a high population of Amish, and I was able to also find not only some beautiful crafts, but also baked goods! I tasted my first Whoopie Pie there!

Wordless Wednesday Moments

When I was up in Vermont visiting charming son-in-law’s parents, I opened my email one day and found out through Bargain Briana about a digital camera special going on at Walgreens. Well, I was outside of Montpelier and no Walgreens was to be found. Through emails and phone calls, I was able to have my daughter get one for me back home in Connecticut. The special was only going on for one day, I think. After rebate, the camera came to about $10.

I really enjoy taking scenery photographs, so now I keep the digital camera in my car for when I happen upon a photo shoot that I think might be worthy of being featured in a Wordless Wednesday moment.

Contest Rules

I’ve been running quite a few Giveaways and Contests over on my Review blog and WAHM blog lately.

What I don’t understand is what’s so hard about following contest rules? They’re pretty simple usually – just visit the sponsor’s site and leave a comment about what you like about the site and why you’d like to win the prize. If the rules aren’t followed, the entry doesn’t count.

I’ve been finding comments such as “I’d love to win this prize.” End of Comment. Sorry, but you’re automatically disqualified if you leave a comment like that. Learn to read and follow instructions.

I always allow for extra entries too.

Hope you all enjoyed the long Memorial Day Weekend! Check out my photos from our daytrip to Boston for a wedding on the harbor and then our daytrip to the Connecticut Shoreline!

For more Random Tuesday Thoughts, visit The Un-Mom!

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Highland Park, Rochester, New York is known as the Lilac Capitol of the World, and hosts an annual Lilac Festival.

I flew up to visit my brother in May and we had a delightful time looking at all the magnificent varieties of lilac plants in bloom, as well as enjoying the craft fair and food vendors. I never knew what a funnel cake was before, and it was delicious!

© 2009 C. Matthews

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

On a recent visit in May to the New York Finger Lakes and Wine Trail region, this remote farm scene captures the image of the wind not only drying the fresh laundry, but chasing the cares of the day away to when life was not lived in the fast lane, nor a New York Minute.

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Wouldn’t you like to know more about the history of this gated retreat?

© 2009 C.Matthews

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

Now that summer’s officially here, along with the hot, humid weather that I absolutely love (really), Darling Daughter and I were talking about the memorable family vacation we took to
Disney World in August many years ago.

The kiddos were about 7 and 11, and we had saved for a year to take that trip and stay at the Polynesian. My granddaughter, ‘Lil Moomette, will turn 2 in October, and Darling Daughter is already making noises that she would like to make the trip again, only this time with both sets of grandparents in tow!

I think we’d have a blast, and hope that my Baby Boomer body will be able to keep up the pace like I did so long ago!

This time around, I’m going to let my daughter do the planning, and suggest she contact Trusted Tours & Attractions for reservations. There’s plenty of things to do in Orlando that we didn’t get to do the first time around. Charming Son-In-Law has been there with his family too, so we’ll have to put our collaborative heads together and check out the online travel guides.

Since we’re all from New England, we can get a jump start by flying out of New York, and maybe even leave a day ahead and take in some New York City tours!

Trusted Tours and Attractions offers discounted tickets to the best sightseeing tours in 23 cities across America.

Planning your next vacation? Looking for ideas on what to do? Sign up for the Trusted Travels newsletter and enter to win a handheld GPS Offer ends June 30th, 2008.

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas

I’m so excited – I have a new boutique product line that’s been designed especially for my Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes!

Just in time for Holiday gifting ~ I now carry spectacularly designed, handcrafted bracelets that can be personalized with your favorite New England destination!

Did you, your Mom, or someone special to you vacation, meet, fall in love, get married, or honeymoon in New England? Perhaps you need a unique Bridal Shower gift for someone who’s planning a destination wedding. These will make excellent Annivesary presents too! Choose a personalized Name Bracelet to remember special places and destinations close to your own or someone else’s heart!

Each bracelet is cleverly handcrafted with durable beading wire, a Silver clasp, clear Swarovski Crystals, beads or pearls, Sterling Silver daisy & ball pacers, and alphabet beads. Each beauty features a dangle on the clasp!!

You an request any name ~ it doesn’t have to be limited to New England!

Examples of places or states: Killington, Stowe Mt, Stratton Mt, Smugglers, Okemo Mt, Sugarbush, Mount Snow, Pico Mt, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Provincetown, Newport, Kennebunkport, Bar Harbor, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York!

So stunning!!

I think I might be having a contest coming up!

Lake Keuka Bluffs: New York Finger Lakes Wine Trail is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. Spring on the Wine Trail Farm, Keuka Lake NY
2. Keuka Finger Lakes Monastery Retreat, Photo Journal
3. Unique Christmas Decorations in New York | New York Christmas Trees | A Pinterest Christmas