Welcome my fellow winos and foodies and everything in between. My name is Kim and I am so excited you are here! Click over to my about page to get a look as to what my blog is about and what to expect. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!
2018…. wow what can I say…. sooo many things, sooo many feelings. I will keep this short and sweet though.
As I get older the years are just flying by. I used to think I would never hit a certain age and that it would take forever to get there. That is not the case after all…lol. Did anyone else feel that way as a kid/teenager? We were so quick to grow up and sometimes I wish I could just go back to that time because it was definitely more care free.
This year was definitely more stressful for me. There were so many changes that happened and I think years of stress caught up to me because I now suffer from stressed induced vertigo. It has subsided a little and some days I can go with out being dizzy. It unfortunately took till August before leaving for Texas for me to find this out. They wanted to put me on anti-anxiety medication but suggested I start with yoga and meditation. Now that’s my kind of prescription. This diagnoses has taught me to slow down for sure. I definitely am more of a “1 day at a time” sort of girl now. I do worry and stress about the future and even tomorrow sometimes but that is ultimately out of my control. Which is also hard for me to let go of control when it comes to that.
On a happier note. I traveled a lot. I even made it to Oregon twice! That never happens and it makes me so happy that I was able to do that. Bend is my happy place. Oregon in general is but Bend is just a slice of heaven in my eyes. I have a whole blog post coming on my love for Bend Oregon.
I did a lot of simple and fun things the first couple of months into the New Year. I tried new restaurants, visited a salt cave, and enjoyed a bloody mary festival. My husband and I took a 2 1/2 week trip to Europe in March. We went to London, Paris, Rome, Alberobello and Berlin. It was an epic trip. We saw so many things, ate so much food, and embraced different cultures, especially when we were in Alberobello.
After our Europe trip I celebrated my 26th birthday and then headed to Seattle for a weekend getaway and to see some friends. Shortly after that I was at my friends bachelorette party in the Finger Lakes and then I was in Oregon celebrating my friends bachelorette party and visiting my family in Bend. My niece was born while I was in Oregon. When I got home from Oregon I started preparing myself for the move to Texas. We were 2 months out and I was preparing myself for a big change. Before we left I went and saw Beyonce and Jay-z live with my friends. I also made the decision to get re baptized. This was very important to me. One of my good friends got married as well. My husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. And no… no babies. Just sooo many happy moments I had this year.
Moving out NY for the first time was super scary for me. I was excited but so nervous at the same time. I had never lived away from western NY. We were going to a town no one really knew. Middle of nowhere Texas…haha…west Texas. I was looking forward to the time I would spend with family I hadn’t been able to spend much with while growing up.
I made a quick surprise trip to Bend Oregon in November to surprise my cousin. It went over super well!
Texas has been quite the adjustment. Its been beneficial in some cases and stressful in others. It has definitely showed me that I am ready to find a place to settle down, just to be in one place and start putting roots down. I am very over the unknown feeling. I hope and pray my husband can figure that out in the new year. Whether we end up in NY or my dream can come true and we can live in Bend. We will see! There are so many things I am ready to do and start doing for myself career wise.
My word for 2018 was calm. I didn’t have concrete resolutions. At least any I can remember. I decided my word for 2019 is enjoyment. I want to enjoy every thing life has to offer, everything god is putting in front of me, enjoy this journey through life and where the next year takes me and my husband. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Years eve!
Cheers! And Happy New Year!
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This will be short and sweet. I just wanted to have a more heart to heart post with it being the holiday season.
I am sorry I have been gone. I explained on instagram that I have not felt particularly motivated and creative. After my dog got sick my main focus was getting her healthy. And now a month later I feel very confident that shes ok and is on the road to healing. I feel motivated again because I decided to make a YouTube channel and separate my monthly favorite posts and subscription box posts. I am going to be doing those on my YouTube channel as well as some vlogs of trips I take here and there. Thank you for understanding and supporting me through this process. I don’t feel so bogged down anymore with all the posts I want to make. It will switch it up for me and keep it interesting.
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It’s the end of another year and the eve before Christmas. I was reflecting a lot this holiday season because this year I am in Texas for the holidays. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving that was actually enjoyable and carefree. I actually wish more of my holidays back home were like that.
I really am “grapeful” for my family this year. I miss my family back home and I am thankful for the good memories we had. I am thankful for spending the holidays in Texas with family I don’t normally get to see or spend time with. I am thankful for my husband. I am “grapeful” for my dog being ok and healthy. I am thankful for my job, my apartment, my job, the sunshine, the warm weather and not having to deal with mounds of snow this winter. The list could go on and on.
Do you take the time each day to write down what you are “grapeful” for? I love using the 5 minute journal app now and that’s what I do every day now. I really encourage anyone to do it. I think it is so helpful for your mental health. What are you “grapeful” for? Is there anything in particular that you are “grapeful” for?
Cheers! and Merry Christmas!
Kim
My YouTube Channel: NamastayGrapeful
Happy November everyone! And welcome to this months StitchFix. I can’t promise this fully but I definitely want to step up my game with my photos when it comes to my StitchFix boxes. I am going to try to actually make a few outfits out of what I get in the box or use previous pieces with new pieces. Its time to step up my blogging game. But for November I am sticking with my standard screen shot of the items I kept.
I kept everything in my box this month and per the usual I am pretty pumped about every piece. The first piece is denim jacket by Liverpool. I love this brand. When I tried on this coat it felt really good and its heavier so its perfect for Texas weather right now and to pair with the jumpsuit that was sent in this box.
The next item is a hoodie. Well a hooded pullover lol. I am so excited to wear this Monday morning to work. It fits good, looks good, has a great texture/feeling to it. It is a great hoodie. It will be well warn.
The next item is one of my favorite brand of jeans Liverpool. They are dark washed jean and I love them because they will be perfect for my surprise weekend getaway for my husband to San Antonio next month. I want to dress these up with a top I got from FabFitFun’s style box that they just released.
The next item is a necklace by Nakamol. I love it. It is so pretty and will go so well with the jumpsuit as well. Its a longer necklace and this is actually only the second time I have received jewelry from StitchFix because I am picky and I normally wear the same pieces over and over. But I really like this necklace.
The last item is the jumpsuit by Skies are Blue. Another brand I love. I love this jumpsuit. It is comfy and fits really well. I am going to wear it to the fancy dinner for my husbands birthday next month. It is a gorgeous jumpsuit.
Thanks for stopping by for this quick read! Cheers!
https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/kimberlyschwarting?som=c&sod=w
I was super honored when someone from The Wine Hook reached out and offered me a wine hook to review. umm ABSOLUTELY! I actually had my eyes on this company for a few months and I was about to order one once we got moved to Texas and out of the blue someone contacted me and I was so excited. The wine hook was invented by 3 brothers from Green Bay Wisconsin. Go Packers!! At least I hope they are Green Bay fans…
After one wine hook got lost in the mail the second one arrived and I was so excited! I started attaching it to random stuff in my apartment just to test it out. I know its supposed to be used for camp chairs or out door patio furniture but I really wanted to put it to the test. I was even thinking I could use it on my counter top while I cook and just have it chilling there and my glass of wine be out of the way.
This is definitely a great item for any wino. It actually would be really good as a stocking stuffer if you needed an idea. The company makes other products as well like a dock to hold your drinks and phone, and a satchel to hold your bottle of wine on your camp chair.
I am proud to be an advocate for the wine hook. Its a genius idea! How many times have you been at a family gathering, camping, bonfire or your kids soccer game with your chair and you had no where to set your wine glass? Yes, I did use your kids soccer game as an example because if I have kids that will be me. It is the perfect item to add to your camping list or add to your bag for a family reunion. It would fit on a picnic table for sure. I am all for supporting small businesses and I hope this turns out really well for these 3 brothers. Way to go guys!
Link is below go grab yours now!
Bibliography:
“The Beverage Dock.” The Wine Hook, http://www.thewinehook.com/collections/all.
Bloopers from the photography session with my husband thanks to our pup Brooke….
If you take the drive to Mount Rainier you will pass the road to this gem of a place. We saw it on our drive out to Mount Rainier and I looked it up on yelp and saw the 4 stars and I told my husband we are stopping on our way back.
When we pulled up we saw the small building where the wine tasting is and the nurseries where you can buy your plants. It was so cute. There is an epic view of Mount Rainier from their property.
My husband and I shared a tasting and ill cut to the chase… we shipped 6 bottles home we liked it so much. I tried everything from dry to sweet. The one I really enjoyed was the Glacial Blend they make. Its blue wine!! I couldn’t believe that I found blue wine. I am not a Chardonnay fan but I tried their dry Chardonnay and I really didn’t mind it. It was one of the better Chardonnay’s that I have had. It had peach notes to it. Their fruit wines like the strawberry and marionberry tasted like a handful of that fruit. They were really good. I couldn’t get over the range of wines they had. Everything I tasted was great. The Riesling, Merlot and red blend. I think I tried more than that but I lost track because the owners wife was so kind and was sharing so much good information with us. She sat with us and explained each wine and we just had nice conversation. The server that was coming with the wines was actually from the Norfolk area in NY so it was even nice to talk to her about the vineyards out that way where she grew up.
At this point the owner himself had stopped and introduced himself. I can’t get over how kind, personable, and wonderful these owners were. They are husband and wife. The husband learned how to make wine in Germany when he was in the military and stationed over their. How cool is that? I would love to learn to make wine from Germans or Italians. He told us a story about how when he first created the Glacial Blend and was testing out how to make it blue. Well he used actual food dye at first and some girls stopped by and drank it and they went out with blue mouths and weren’t too happy about it haha. I wouldn’t be either but it makes for a good story!
The owner was kind enough to give me one of his boxes with the Styrofoam in it that could hold 12 bottles. As well as a wine opener since mine got confiscated at TSA because I was forgetful and didn’t realize I never took my wine opener out of my purse… I am sure TSA thought I was crazy. I bought 6 from Rainier view and then 3 more at a winery on Bainbridge Island in Seattle. So it worked out perfectly.
If you are ever in the Seattle area you need to go to this place. It is homey and beautiful. I felt so welcomed by this couple and just had a great time while we were there. They have live music and events during the week. Its a great spot to stop at.
Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!
I love this bar so much I had to leave a review. It’s located in Downtown Buffalo NY. It is such a unique place. I love the vibe there. They have so many cocktails to pick from. This is going to be quick for what I have to say about this place because I can’t come up with anything else besides this is one of the best bars in Buffalo in my eyes. The first time I went there I ordered a bramble. If you like gin and you like black raspberries, this is a great cocktail for you. I never took a picture of it. I can’t figure out why. But this was awhile ago. I tried look for it on my Instagram and regular photo album on my phone but no such luck. That cocktail was delicious. I keep going back and when I do make my way back to Buffalo that will be one of my first stops back. The 2nd time I went I had a Bellini. It was a little too sweet for my liking but that is a Bellini after all. I still found it really good. The last time I was at Angelica’s tea room I had a mojito because it was national mojito day and then I had there cocktail called Eastern Promises. At this visit they changed there menu around from doing your basic cocktails to putting there own creative twists on cocktails. They described Eastern Promises on the menu as “Gin. Cool melon and citrus, brisk and refreshing, like a skinny dip in the Baltic. Now I have not skinny dipped in the Baltic before but if this cocktail is anything like skinny dipping in the Baltic then it has to be fabulous. If you live in the Buffalo area and you haven’t made your way to Angelica’s you need to add that to your list of spots to visit.
Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!
Bibliography:
Queenseyes. “Angelica Tea Room Comes to Life!” Buffalo Rising, 25 Apr. 2017, http://www.buffalorising.com/2017/04/angelica-tea-room-comes-to-life/.
I have been thinking a lot about this post because there are so many options I feel for Halloween. I am not sure if you are expecting this post to take a crafty route to this and pick out some wine or wine/cocktail recipes that have creepy names or creepy vibes to them but I am going to take a more simple approach to this for my fellow wine lovers that want to have some simple fun. I like to keep things simple and minimal ingredients to buy.
If you are staying in and watching scary movies with a friend or friends and or even your significant other. I highly recommend the 19 crimes wine. This wine has such a fun twist to it. They have an app that you hold in front of the label and the criminal on the label tells you there story through the app. It is so freaky to see the wine label move through the app but it is by far the coolest thing. I wish they would come out with another line. Download the app and give it a whirl with your friends and family! I think it is brilliant that someone came up with this. If you have ever wanted to try this wine and the app this is a great opportunity.
For the people that are handing out candy to kids for a few hours and you need something to help you get by you definitely need to make a pot of red wine hot chocolate.
Here is a simple recipe that I have used Red wine hot chocolate
If you were invited to a party or to a friends house to hang out and you want to bring a bottle of wine I would definitely go with the 19 crimes. 19 Crimes has a red blend, and I feel like you can’t go wrong with a red blend when it comes to dry wine drinkers. It wont be too heavy like a cab. Unless you know your host is a sweet wine drinker then stick with what you know about this person or go with a Riesling. I will never recommend anyone to gift moscato to a friend that likes sweet wine. To me, that’s the cheap way out. Unless they are a die hard moscato fan, I would go the Riesling route or! you can try and find a sweet red. White Zinfandel is a decent option. A local winery in NY called Bully Hill makes some sweet red wine. I know my sweet wine lovers love Red Cat but again I think its so cheap unless they are die hard fans of it. Do not be afraid to just stick with what you know about your host. I know I have said that twice but I have my set wines I know my friends/family like that I just get for them unless its something new that I tried and I know they would like it. Don’t over think it.
Also, don’t be afraid if you like sweet wine to use a dry red in the hot chocolate because the recipe has 2 tablespoons of sugar in it which was plenty sweet enough for me but you can always add more sugar.
Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!
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