NamastayGrapeful

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!

\Rainier View Winery

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!

Angelica’s Tea Room

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!

Mentions:

19 Crimes Wine

I am so excited it is fall! It has been fall for a few weeks now and I have been putting together a list of things I like during the fall time. Candles, clothing, matte lip gloss, face toner and more. I have a wide arrangement of things to keep you cozy, healthy and stylish this fall.

I am definitely not your typical girl with scary movies and TV channels that have Halloween movie marathons. Yes I love a decaf pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I just hate scary movies lol. When I live in NY I love to go apple picking at a orchard near Syracuse called Beak and Skiff. They make awesome hard cider, apple wine and liquor. They also make some great apple fritters. It is by far my favorite place to stop at during the fall season. I wish I was more into pumpkin carving. I have been begging my husband to do it with me for the 5 years we have been together. I want to go to an actual pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin out. I have actually only carved I think 2 pumpkins in my life. It wasn’t a thing for me growing up. But I would like to make it a thing. Fall is definitely my favorite season.

I will start out with candles. I bought one from Sephora that is pumpkin/chai scented candle. It is so strong but in a good way. It fills your home with the delicious smell that it is. I am not your typical bath and body works fiend during the fall time. Or honestly really anytime. I think the candles from DW homes are better and I liked the selections for scents. Bath and body works smells too fake to me or way too sweet for some of there scents.

My esthetician back home in Buffalo used this pumpkin toner after one of my microderm appointment and I was like oh my gosh I need this for fall because it smells so good. I really like it after I bought it. It tingles so it makes me feel like its doing something to my skin. I find my skin softer after using it for a few weeks. This may be a toner I will use all the time. Pumpkin smells year round!

I was on Sephora hunting around for some fall scented masks. So pumpkin, apple, chai maybe. Who knows what they make nowadays when it comes to fall scented beauty products. I ended up finding sheet masks and a pumpkin enzyme mask. The sheet masks are just down right fun and smell good. Definitely leaves a nice glow on your skin. I really like the pumpkin enzyme mask because its a quick mask and my face smells like a pumpkin pie. Its a good exfoliating mask.

I subscribe to Grove Collaborative for my cleaning supplies. I think its awesome. I prefer online shopping over in store big time. I will do it but it is not my favorite. Grove Collaborative carries Mrs Meyers products and they released fall scents. They smell so good. The scents are apple cider, pumpkin and mum. I smelled all of them when I got them and I was super impressed by the smell of them. I started using the mum scent right away. I love Mrs Meyers products for cleaning.

I have a favorite matte liquid lipstick that I like using through fall and even into winter. It is by bare minerals and is in the shade Bo$$. My husband compliments me every time I wear it. Its one of my favorites. I don’t find it super drying like some matte lipsticks. I love this shade. I want to get more into wearing lipstick/lip glosses. I have so many from bare minerals. Bare minerals is one of my favorite makeup brands to use.

It is boots season!! I love all boots haha. Ankle, tall, over the knee, and cow girl boots. I just bought a new pair at a western store here in Texas called Cavenders. You can order from this store online which is super cool. That was the first time I stepped foot into a Cavenders and didn’t buy cow girl boots. I bought a pair of booties because I thought they were so cute. They could go with jeans or even a dress. I like the pattern on the heel of them. It gives them an added flare.

Fall is normally when I switch over to red wines. I couldn’t start as soon as I like here in Texas because of the heat. I don’t like to drink reds when its super hot out. But it has cooled off a little bit here and its the perfect time for red wine. I love Pinot Noirs. That is normally my go to or a Malbec. When it is super cold I go for something a little more intense in taste like a Cab. Here are 2 of my favorites. I visited Ponzi when I was in Oregon in June and they are known for their Pinot Noirs. The other wine is a cab from Naked Winery. If you follow me on instagram it is one of my favorite wineries. Definitely look for Ponzi in your local liquor store. You can order Naked wine off of their site.

I have talked about this company a lot. They are definitely up and coming and being talked about from a lot of influencers. Four Sigmatic is an awesome company. There products taste so good and they make you feel good. And are just down right good for you. Don’t be scared of mushrooms or it tasting like mushrooms. You really have no clue its made with mushrooms. Four Sigmatic is expanding in so many ways and I am so excited to see what else they come up with. There hot chocolate is delicious and so is there chai latte mix. These 2 are perfect for fall.

The last item is cuticle oil. I have been using this pumpkin cuticle oil for my nails. It smells so good. When I was on NCLA’s website I saw they make a ginger bread scent as well so I am really curious how that one is too. If you haven’t used cuticle oil before I recommend it. It makes your nails look good and your cuticles look nice and aren’t so dried and cracked.

Thanks for stopping by and giving this a read. I hope you enjoyed it! Cheers!

I linked a few clothing items I love below as well with everything else.

Here are some of my current favorite shopping boutiques or sites that I am loving for fall clothing.

Libby’s Boutique

Nordstrom Rack

Nordstrom

Pink Lily

Here are some of my favorite fall recipes:

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Apple Crisp

Spiced Apple Bread

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Turkey Meatball Soup

Crock Pot Roast and Veggies

Carrot Cake Muffins

Roasted Butternut Squash

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Chicken Piccata Spaghetti Squash Boats

Sheet Pan Sausage and Root Vegetables

Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing

Napa Valley Chicken

Sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad

Pumpkin Muffins

Pot Pie – I use pioneer womens thyme pie crust Thyme Pie Crust and then this skillet recipe to cook in a cast iron pan Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons

My Pinterest: Pinterest Boards

Products mentioned:

Pumpkin Chai Candle

DW Homes

Pumpkin Toner

Pumpkin Sheet Masks

Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

Mrs Meyer’s Fall Scents

Matte Liquid Lipstick

Cavender Booties

Crossbody fringe bag

Wubby Fleece Pullover

Sweatpants

Four Sigmatic Hot Cacao

Four Sigmatic Chai

Ponzi Vineyards

Naked Winery

Cuticle oil

Fall is here! I can tell the weather in changing in Texas because it is getting cooler. I am so ready for some cooler weather to wear jeans, boots, booties, sweaters and plaid button ups. I am headed out of town in less than 2 weeks and its going to be much colder there so I am going to need some items for this trip.

I am definitely packing the items I got in this box for my trip. They were all great pieces for fall. I actually can wear them in Texas too because surprisingly it is cold and we are currently getting a cold front. The locals keep saying we may see snow!! I was hoping to not see any snow and get a break from it. But this cold weather is making me feel right at home.

I received 3 shirts, a pair of jeans and a poncho. I loved every single item!

The first item was by Lulu and it is the montgomery plaid poncho. I really liked this poncho when I tried it on because it was lighter than ones I have. It goes great with 2 of the tops I received too which is cool. I actually could put an outfit together with 3 of the pieces.

The next item is the pair of jeans I got. They are by Blank NYC. They are a gracen distressed frayed hem skinny jean. I was not sure honestly when I pulled them out but once I tried them on I fell in love with them. They fit great. They are comfortable and stylish. I love the edgy look with the ripped knees.

The first shirt I received was by one of my favorite brands Stitch Fix carries and that is Papermoon. Its a jaynie Black detail knit top. Its maroon and crazy soft! I love the back of the shirt because its casual but has a cool added effect to it with the fun cut out back. This shirt, the black jeans and the poncho look super cute together.

The next shirt was another try on and fell in love with sort of thing because I was hesitant as well. But it is another great top that is comfortable and stylish. Its made from another favorite brand that Stitch Fix carries and that’s Kut from the Kloth. Its a benter mixed material top.

The last top in my box was by Honey Punch and its a tanty criss cross neckline pullover. I thought the criss cross was going to be annoying because its connected to the back of the shirt instead of the front but it actually is not. It fits really well and is comfortable.

I lovveeee Stitch Fix! I am obsessed as you can tell since I get the box monthly. My dream would be able to go to there head quarters and just see the back end. I hope one day I have that opportunity.

Feel free to use the link below if you want to try it out! You’ll get $25 off your first box.

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/kimberlyschwarting?som=c&sod=w

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!!!

This is well over due but I am finally getting around to our trip to Seattle. I love traveling and I love doing it with my husband because we have a really good time together. Traveling is definitely an important part of our relationship right now.

I just love the pacific northwest. It is probably one of my favorite areas. I immediately was thinking how similar Seattle is to Portland. Seattle does have its own quirks that sets it apart from Portland. Like the huge shipyard and the space needle. I would go back to Seattle in a heart beat just like I would go to Portland in a heart beat. I always say the people in the PNW are my people. I feel like I fit in so well there. If I could I would move to Oregon specifically Bend today.

We went to Seattle for a 30th birthday party actually. One of my husbands college friends lives in Seattle and we took the opportunity to have a quick trip and I am so glad we did. We flew in late at night on April 25th. The next day we had a gorgeous 75 degree day and it was sunny and beautiful. Which is very unlike Seattle at that time of the year. We made the trip out to Mt. Rainier. I am glad we did because the rest of our trip was over cast and we couldn’t even see the Olympic mountains from Bainbridge Island. The drive was so nice. It took about 2 hours to get there and 2 hours back. We really wanted to make it to to Reflection Pond to get some awesome pictures. Go google it now and be amazed! It is beautiful. But there was still a lot of snow so we could only make it to where the lodge is where people go to snowshoe and ski.

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We pulled over at a few spots that you are able to to get some pictures and take in the natural beauty of Mount Rainier. I have only ever seen Mount Rainier from an airplane so seeing it in person I was awe struck. I love nature, mountain’s and exploring them and the history about them. When we got to the top, well as far as we could go there was so much snow still and they actually didn’t have the rest of the road opened. So we couldn’t make it to reflections pond. Mount Rainier is an active volcano. It is at rest right now. Hopefully it doesn’t erupt any time soon…. On our way back down the mountain we were looking for a souvenir shop of some sort or gift shop. I grab an ornament anywhere we visit to add to our Christmas tree each year. So our Christmas tree is filled with the spots we have traveled too. It is pretty cool to reminisce when you hang the ornaments on the tree. We also saw this huge tree trunk that had all these dates of world events and how old the tree was. It was really cool! We stopped at On our way back to our hotel we stopped at a winery we drove by and I still can’t believe how amazing it was. I want to make a whole separate post about it because thats how good it was and I was super impressed by the winery and the owners. I tried blue wine for the first time! 😳. I have seen blue wine on instagram before and facebook but I have never stumbled across some to actually have.

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We actually went out for Indian food that night after our long day because that was what sounded good. It was actually really good Indian food I enjoyed it! The 2nd day we ventured to the city finally. Gosh it is a beautiful city. I fell in love with Seattle and I would visit again in a heartbeat. We did Pike’s Place Market first and that was so cool. I was admiring all the flower arrangements the florists were making. They were seriously super stunning. Pike’s Place is something like no other. I love the vibe and all the shopping you could do. It was a short walk to some great food, and breweries from there as well as the aquarium.

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Pikes Place was mobbed even for a Friday. We first went and walked through Pikes Place and I bought some local lavender products from a vendor. It was so cool to walk around there and look at everything. The flowers were absolutely stunning and we were able to see the iconic fish throwing. I was able to stop at the first ever Starbucks. That was a cool experience because the menu is very old school and it even seemed how they made coffee and the drinks was old school as well. After we walked around for a bit and enjoyed our matcha’s from Starbucks we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We sat outside and shortly after us someone sat down with a Corgi and he was adorable. lunch was delicious. We then ventured to the aquarium. I eagerly kept hoping I would see an Orca come into the bay but no such luck. We went to a brewery after our shopping day because we were waiting to meet friends for dinner. My husband was super excited to see a Genny sign and he was wearing his Genny shirt. We hit up 2 different breweries and then a restaurant. The first brewery was Old Stove. I had a sour beer. It was a cool little spot. You can see right out to the water. We really liked there beer. The second brewery we stopped at was Cloudburst. This cool little spot was basically a run down garage. It’s not very glamorous but the edgy vibe it had was cool. Its dog friendly too. There was a huge dog that kept putting its front paws up on the bar. We went to dinner at Steelhead Diner. I liked this place because you could go cheap or go super expensive. I had a delicious salad and a glass of rosé. We had such a great dinner with friends.

The restaurant/breweries we went to in Seattle that day were:

El Borracho

Old Stove

Cloudburst Brewing

Steelhead Diner

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On our third day we were headed to Bainbridge island for my husbands friends 30th birthday party. We stopped at a recommended pizzeria from my pizza loving friend Megan. Oh my gosh this place was amazing! It’s called Rocco’s . This pizza was huge. We took most of it with us because the pie was so massive and the slices were huge. We were able to meet the owner and he waited on us. He even put together a gin cocktail for me because they didn’t have a gin cocktail on the menu. It was delicious. It was cucumber based and that’s one of my favorite ways to have gin. After we had lunch on a rainy day in Seattle we headed to the Ferry to take to Bainbridge island. That was such a cool experience. We were staying the night in Bainbridge for my husbands friends birthday party. Before we got to their house we went to A distillery and a wine tasting. We did a tasting at Bainbridge Organic distillers. It was really cool (Bainbridge Organic Distillers.) At the time they didn’t charge for the tasting because they are so new. They are a small batch distiller. I enjoyed the tasting we had. In the same plaza there was a brewery and winery. We went to the winery for a tasting and brought home a couple of bottles. The name of the winery is Fletcher Bay Winery . I love the location of both places and both places had great staff. Everyone was nice and helpful. I definitely recommend both places. When we go back I want to go to the brewery. That night we hung out at my husbands friends house and had a nice evening meeting new people, drinking good wine or beer and just hanging out.

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On our last day in Seattle we stayed in Bainbridge to explore. We walked down to the bay and looked at the cute shops. We also stopped at a bakery and I never got a picture of my doughnut I had. It was fabulous! We then headed to a cool brewery called Slippery Pig Brewery for some awesome bloody marys. After we walked along the bay we walked back to get in the car and head to a farm and cidery called Finnriver . This was such a cool spot. Family friendly for sure! They had corn hole outside and a place to for kids to just run. They also had a food. The arrangement of ciders was phenomenal. I had the pear cider. I tried someone else’s of the habanero that they had. That was even really good. I just love the pacific north west. I belong on the west coast. I hope I can move there one day. Oregon is the dream. It was a quick trip but absolutely fantastic. I had a blast. I wanted to stay longer. The only thing I didn’t get to do was a whale watch to see an Orca. That is my dream! Next time for sure! Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

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Hey Everyone!

Nashelle Trunk Box is a quarterly jewelry subscription box. I discovered Nashelle on my trip to Oregon 3 years ago. My Aunt in Bend Oregon told me about it. I had to stop in and check it out because we both have similar tastes in jewelry. I love the store it is so cute and just very clean looking. I don’t mean like the how clean the store is and that there is no dirt or dust. I just mean the look of it and how everything is set up. I am headed to Bend in a couple of weeks for a quick surprise trip for my cousin and if I can I will stop in and get some pics of the store. Its a great place! There jewelry is not cheap but it is worth it because every piece of jewelry bought they donate a plate of food to someone local or national that is in need. How cool is that? I love helping people and this is the perfect way for me to help because I get a great piece of jewelry and I am also helping someone who is in need.

Each box that you receive quarterly is $150. That doesn’t include shipping/tax. Normally there is 5 pieces of jewelry that you will get and they throw in some extra stuff. Last year I got a beanie and a shirt. Its a nice perk! And if you wanted you can always re-gift the jewelry you don’t like or if you think of a friend or family member when you see the piece of jewelry. Not every box is the same for each season, they have boxes that are gold only, silver only and then a mix of both. I do a mix of both but I got all silver in this box. The box is small. It could fit in your mail box probably.

Some of the jewelry I am keeping and some I am going to gift to a friend that likes it because it wasn’t quite my style. There were 3 pairs of earrings in this box, a bracelet, ring, an anklet, and 2 necklaces. I like the ring that came in the box. I also like the earrings with the blue stone and the ones that are almost like a hoop. The wrap bracelet was cool. I have been loving wrap bracelets. The necklace with the small clear stones on it, I have been wearing as a staple now. The anklet, necklace and earring matching set I was not totally in to. It is a little too much for my style. But they’re nice!

I love this box. I have gotten lot of great jewelry from this box. I like that it only comes 4 times a year too. This wasn’t totally a favorite box but I helped out a lot of people since there were 8 pieces of jewelry in the box. The next set of pictures breaks down the box and the cost of each piece.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!