My Sunday Photo: Happy Birthday Mom

This is a monumental year for my mom, she turned the big 7-0 ten days ago.  70 years young she is!  Doesn't she look great for her age?  Mom is not one for taking pictures and social media...that's a faux pas.  When I spoke with her that Thursday evening, she had already heard that I had photos of her on Facebook.  I wished her a happy birthday and she then asked, “Do you have my pictures on Facebook?"  I was like, "I sure do.  I love showing off my mom!"   All she could do was chuckle.  She is in the era where you "do not trust the internet", but she knows that my generation and those younger are social media junkies so she just shakes her head.  I was not able to see my mom until last Sunday and she was not feeling well enough to take pictures so I am sharing with you some of my favorites from other events.  Sorry for the grainy pics from cropping, but my mom is still beautiful!

Cropped this one at my grandmother's 86 year celebration...2 years ago.

She and my dad dancing at my cousin's wedding!

Cropped from my cousin's wedding.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.  Anything interesting happening with you?

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True Vine Gifts Wine Jelly Giveaway

Disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post written on behalf of True Vine Gifts as part of their Kickstarter campaign.  All opinions are my own.  I'm hosting a giveaway so keep reading and be sure to enter to win.  Be sure to click the following link to see how you can help with this project... http://kck.st/25JHD4k

If you've been following me for awhile, then you would know how much of a wine lover I am.  Red wine, white wine, sparkling wine you name it.  If the word wine is on the bottle then I'm trying it. I could have wine with pizza, wine with popcorn, wine with just about anything.

Recently, I was approached with a tasty opportunity that I could not refuse.  My friend and fellow blogger, Sasha, asked if I would like to try some of her delicious, wine jellies and I was instantly intrigued.  I had seen her post pictures about them on her Instagram account and have read about them on her blog. I kept thinking to myself, I've got to try some of her creations.  So imagine how excited I was when she offered me the chance to do so.

Sasha's offer couldn't have come at a better time.  I was  on Spring Break and was hosting a get together with some close friends.  Her wine jelly would be a great addition to my menu for the evening.  I began to think of how I would serve the jelly and caught up on some of her recipes on the blog.

True Vine Gifts wine jellies come in six year long flavors.  I decided to go with the Cabernet and the Sangria flavored ones because these are two of my favorite types of wine.  I served it with crackers, bread and various cheeses.  No matter the combination, it was always delicious.

I must say that my guest and I loved every bit of both jellies and look forward to trying others, but this is where the issue lies.  Currently, Sasha is not able to sell outside of the state of Alabama.  So, I won't be able to purchase any of her delectable jellies until she is able to get her commercial kitchen up and running.  If you are interested in learning how you can help her achieve this, click this link and find out how you can become a backer so you too can enjoy some wine jelly in your own home.

In the meantime, would you like to taste it for yourself?  True Vine Gifts is offering my readers a chance to win a jar of your very own in the deliciously, yummy, Moscato flavor.  Just enter the giveaway below.  Giveaway is open to all readers in the United States.

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Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new entrant will be chosen.  Entries will be verified.  Good luck!

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Wino Wednesday: Chateau De Fabregues Costieres de Nimes 2015

April is here and spring is in full effect.  Birds are chirping and flowers are in bloom.  Beautiful hints of spring all around us.  Its Wino Wednesday time and if you remember my post from last month, I was asked to a virtual wine tasting by my good friend Michelle.

Well we couldn't go back solo without allowing me to make a suggestion.  So, yes...it's another virtual wine tasting and this month we are sampling a taste of spring.

With warmer days in our mist, I felt the need to cool things off a bit with the refreshing and fruity taste of a Rose'.  My choice for this month was Chateau De Fabregues ~ Costieres de Nimes.  A long name with long lasting flavor.  The first thing you may notice is the luscious, pink color peeking out of its beautiful glass bottle.  It was spring break and I was so excited to be with my girls that I forgot to take a decent picture of the bottle before serving it. So these will have to suffice.

  Its long, lean neck and full body is so cute and flirty that it even held a "tiara" on its head.  Did you notice the cute glass stopper?

Chateau De Fabregues is the perfect blend of Grenache and Syrah.  It is full-bodied and full of fruit flavor, but very light and refreshing.  It pairs well with seafood, poultry, salads and other light dishes.  I served it with salami, prosciutto, various cheeses, veggies and fruit, pasta salad and a little bit of other great wine night goodies.  It practically goes with anything.

At about $13 a bottle, Chateau De Fabregues Costieres de Nimes aims to please allowing you to drink pink this spring and all year long!  Don't forget to stop by Michelle's to see her thoughts.  

Do you have any suggestions of a great rose'?  What other wines would you recommend?  

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Related posts:  Wino Wednesday Josh Cellars

                          Wino Wednesday Biltmore Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
                                   

                          Wino Wednesday Joy Cellars 2013 Malvasia

Currently April

Currently...

Making: Plans for the wine party I'm hosting.  Well at least that's what I was doing when I began this post.  Party was held and we all enjoyed!  Cheers!  :) 

Wishlisting:  on Pinterest. Just a few of the things that I'm loving right now.  I need to get back to pinning.  

Cleaning: Out my junk room or my catch all room or my...well you get the picture.

Posting:  this currently post, duh!!  No seriously, posting a whole lot of pics on Instagram in March.  Wow!  March was a very busy and exciting month for me.  Did you see my pics from Charleston Fashion Week? 

Tasting: Some new wine...Funk Zone Rose'.  This was the perfect wine to welcome in spring.  Its from Santa Barbara County, California and it is a very full-bodied, fruity wine that everyone would enjoy.  I also attended a wine tasting at one of my favorite local hangouts, Accent On Wine.  Such a lovely, quaint spot to unwind.  Over spring break, some friends and I checked out a new spot, SIP, and enjoyed their bottomless mimosas! 

So what are you currently up to?  
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My Sunday Photo: Happy Birthday Daddy

Today is a big day!  It is my father's 72 birthday!  72 years that he has blessed the world with his presence and what a GREAT presence indeed!  For those who know my dad know how AWESOME of a person he is.  He is daddy to me and honorary dad to many in the community.  Thank you daddy for the being the man that you are.  Someone to truly be honored!  Love you!

I had a great time celebrating my dad's birthday today and look forward to sharing many more years with him and the rest of the family.  I am a daddy's girl all the way.  

So how did you spend your Sunday?

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Thank You Notes: April Fool's Day Edition

It's April 1st so you know what that means, It's April Fool's Day!  Well there's no fooling around here.  I have too much to do to be up for any foolishness today.  I started my day off by preparing for it last night.  I have a lot planned this weekend and did not want to get behind.

Woke up this morning and paid all my bills. Then went to the post office to mail off the prize pack from my giveaway to you know who...Mrs. A.O.K herself!  Sorry, totally forgot to take a picture at the post office...oh well, prize should be arriving on Monday so check that mailbox!  :)

Then, I went to Belk to finish shopping for my dad's birthday gift and then home to prepare for a wedding I'm attending this afternoon.  Well, enough rambling let me get into what I'm thankful for at the moment.

Thank you God for allowing me to have such a peaceful sense of mind  and to just be so happy and blessed.  Each day, this week, I woke up  feeling great and this morning I just couldn't stop smiling.  I had a cheerful disposition and just felt GOOD! (smiling now as I'm typing this)

Thank you friends and family for a great spring break.  I was pretty busy this week.  I don't think I stayed still once, but loved every minute of it.  Here are a few things I did this week.

*Hosted a Girls' Night  *Attended a wine tasting at one of our favorite spots...Accent on Wine  *Spent time with my son, DeAndre.  You know the one that's 3 hours away that you haven't seen in the last few family pics.  Yes, I was able to drive up to Winthrop and spend some time with him!  *Spent time with family  *Attended a friend's wedding

And that was just Monday through Friday.  More to come about this weekend in another post.  ;)

Another sucessful #girlsnight. This was my share before everyone else brought in their dish. Loved hanging out and catching up with everyone. Good food, good friends and laughter all night long. #SpringBreak is going well. #wineandcheese #charcuterie #veggies #fruit #winejelly #wine #vino #baguette #crackers #cheesegalore #flowers #upcycledvases #dietcoke #ITSMINEsweepstakes #itsmymasterpiece #itsmine #ownit

A photo posted by sunshineandelephants (@sunshine.and.elephants) on Mar 29, 2016 at 4:58am PDT

Thank you Mother Nature for allowing us to celebrate the union of two beautiful friends and to not get blown away as we had been so afraid of all day.

Thank you  Sweetie for always being there for me.  I know you're getting older, but you have been so faithful to me and I will be faithful to you till the end.  I know I've put close to 500 miles on this baby this week.  Sweetie has been a part of our family for over 16 years.  She's still hanging in there and I love her!  :)

So what are you thankful for this week?  I would love for you to share below.

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