Obsession #2 - Iowa Wine

This coming weekend , I am going to my favorite Iowa winery, Summerset Winery , to be part of their Fall Harvest. I will pick grapes, drink wine, and get to spend time with an old wine drinkin' buddy ( and I'm pretty sure a new friend too).
I have friends that still prefer California wines to Iowa wines, and that's OK. But I feel very passionate about Iowa wines. The Iowa wine industry has come a long way in the last decade.
A little history of the wine industry in Iowa... The first commercial vineyard in the state was planted in 1857.
In the early 1900's , Iowa ranked sixth in the nation in grape production. In the 1930-40's with the beginning of Prohibition and the onset of disease issues , the grape industry in Iowa fizzled and the main focus of agriculture shifted to corn and soybeans.
In the  late 90's with interest in wine growing , Iowa farm land once again was planted to grapevines . Today, there are 87 wineries and almost 1500 acres of land are planted to grapes.


    The rolling hills and fertile Iowa farm land  along with the advances in grape varieties have really boosted the wine industry.
I am very lucky to have another awesome Iowa winery just a few miles from me . The Engelbrecht Family Winery  and Farm House Bed and Breakfast in located in Fredricksburg , Ia. Until recently it was also a working dairy farm ( another thing near and dear to me ). I have visited them often since they opened the winery and started planting their grapes in 2004. Their wine has come a long way since then and they have several wines I really enjoy.
To this day though , my very favorite wine continues to be the very first Iowa wine I ever purchased, Summerset Winery's Caba Moch. It's actually is a lot of people's favorite. Sales of Caba Moch make up 40% of Summerset's sales ! It's DELISH ! And this weekend I get to be part of their magic ! Just picture Lucy and Ethel stomping those grapes! That will be me and Rhonda ( although , she gets to be Lucy cause she has the red hair !) More pictures and an update to follow ... I promise !
Let the good times roll......

The Cupcake Queen and her Sprinkle Princess

This weekend we celebrated my Granddaughter Addie's 2nd birthday. She won't actually be 2 until the 29th, but Addie has so many people that love her and wouldn't miss her birthday for the world that her smart Mommy decided to divide it into two parties. And OUR side of the family was this past weekend.
In my family , I am THE CUPCAKE QUEEN ( in other families , I might not be as impressive , but in mine , I am the BEST ). So when Addie was asked what she wanted for her birthday party and she said " CUPCAKES AND BALLOONS ! " It was up to me to deliver on the cupcake part.
Now I have to back track a little to last years party. It was a "ladybug" theme ( Addie's Mommy was very into themes back then ). And I have to say the theme went a little over the top, plus we had both sides of the family together ( TOO many people) . I made close to 100 ladybug cupcakes ! Her Mommy made her ladybug cake ( I think , I don't remember clearly , visions of ladybug cupcakes dancing in my head)

Isn't she ADORABLE ?
Anyway, when I found out this year that she just wanted , " CUPCAKES AND BALLOONS" ( she actually yelled that every time you mentioned her birthday) , I was a pretty happy Grandma. I decided to take her to a nearby store that sells bulk food and has an awesome selection of sprinkles and let her pick out the sprinkles for her CUPCAKES. The first ones she picked out were Breast Cancer sprinkles ( white sprinkles with little pink ribbon sprinkles) , OK , we can get those. Then she picked out red, white and blue stars . Hmmm... well , how about some multi colored flower sprinkles instead ....YEP....phew....
On Friday it was time to bake our cupcakes. Addie was a big helper.

She put the cupcake liners in the pans.

Of course, she licked the whisk ! She gets her sweet tooth from her Papa.



Now we don't just make REGULAR cupcakes in our family . No... we have FILLED cupcakes. And what they are filled with depends on the occasion. For Addie's 2nd birthday , it was white cupcakes with cheesecake filling and chocolate cupcakes with fudge filling . Sounds impressive huh ? ( well, I am the Cupcake Queen , duh ! ) It's not really. It's just cupcakes from a mix ( I'm a Queen , not a Saint ) and the filling is either pudding, or pie filling or pastry filling ,depending on what flavor is needed. Now I'm going to let you in on my secret.

The cake decorator from Pampered Chef. I LOVE THIS GADGET ! I would not be the cupcake Queen without it ( I have actually gone through 2 of these, really ! ), just fill the container , stick it in the center of the cupcake and pull the trigger. WALLAH ! Filled cupcakes ! It also comes with many different attachments  for frosting. I tend to use the "star" tip the most.

On Saturday Addie's Daddy brought her back to decorate all the cupcakes. I also made her her own little cake . Of course when I took the cover off to show her her cake , she stuck her finger in the icing !

She put some of both the sprinkles she picked out on her cake plus some black and white cow sprinkles leftover from her Daddy's birthday ( my son , the dairy farmer).

Her masterpiece !

Funny ... I didn't get any pictures of her cupcakes! Oh well... I started out volunteering to make the cupcakes for her party and ended up making a priceless memory with my Granddaughter ! It doesn't get much better than that !

My Chair Obsession

I LOVE chairs ! Small Chairs , shabby chairs, comfy chairs, overstuffed .....well you get the picture. I spent this rainy day working on projects for the store. It was a great day to do it and I got SO much accomplished. There is nothing I love more than giving new life to a discarded chair ( ok , well , there are a few things I love more , but... well again , you get the picture).

Aren't these AWESOME ! I call them modern country /cottage !

These babies are going to the store tomorrow. Here's another one I created today for the store.

Isn't she pretty . I think it's called a harp back chair ( I think ) . Anyway, the paint color is called Cinnamon, which I thought would be a rusty brown which was perfect because I wanted to make her a "fall" chair. However it turned out to be more of a pumpkin orange, still fine for fall , but I didn't really have any fall fabric that looked right. This fabric I used  is actually a piece from a vintage tablecloth which I had been wanting to use for quite awhile. I love working with vintage fabric , it  just seems to be a sturdier fabric , anyway , I was very happy with the way she turned out .

I have collected small Mexican chairs for several years now. I got my first one because it was red and cute. I LOVE red and I will find a place for most any little red thing I find. I rarely pay more than a couple dollars for my Mexican chairs and usually find them in junk shops and second hand stores. I have several red ones , some natural wood ones and Emily ( my baby girl , ok , she's almost 22, but still MY BABY ) found me an awesome white one at a Goodwill .

Just part of my collection.....

You can't really tell but this picture , but the picture in the center is actually a PICTURE OF CHAIRS ! I got it for three dollars at a thrift store , I couldn't go home with out it. It had an ugly green frame , but that was easy enough to change !

I found this little gem in one of my favorite second hand shops and KNEW it had to go home with me. I had no idea where I would put it , but it was too sweet to leave behind. Emily was like , " Mom , do you really need that?" and I was like , "Nope, but I want it !"

It's just like my Mexican chairs only child size !

I stuck it in a corner of the bathroom ( cause it fit really well there) and there it languished with out much thought from me ....UNTIL... Miss Addie  ( My Darling Granddaughter) started potty training . Now she scoots it up to the sink to wash her hands. I just knew I needed it in my house !

And last but by no means least , is my  version of shabby chic.

Gorgeous , right ! Well maybe not to everyone, but I. LOVE. HER! Again , I wish I was a better photographer :( She has kinda chartreuse embossed flowers ( which were originally more olive but have faded to chartreuse) with a little fuchsia thrown in . I found her in a junk shop and fell in love from across the room ! I gravitated right to her . Price tag - $10. I knew I had to have her, but Ryan ( Emily's guy) was with me and he never pays the asking price for ANYTHING  ( I think it would physically hurt him to pay the asking price), he offered the guy $5 and this shabby little lady was mine ! Hubby about had a fit ,but he has gotten used to her  ! Yah !

SO ... there is a small sampling of my chair obsession.

What is your decorating obsession ?

Antlers and acorns....it's a start.

Well... I did it. I just had to . I could not hold back any longer. It was 37 degrees when I went to work this morning and a whopping 57 when I came home . Therefore , I could NOT stop myself. I HAD to get some of my fall decorations out ! Just a few.  I felt I exercised a little self -control . If I hadn't there would probably be a Halloween tree up ( don't think I wasn't tempted).

But no, I started small , some bittersweet , faux pumpkins , acorns and gourds. And one print , just one. My beautiful witch on canvas is still in the Halloween closet ( I'm not kidding, I really have a closet dedicated to all that is Halloween ).    
I LOVE antlers . Can you tell? Hubby has been a hunter since before I met him and that's a REALLY long time. But most of these antlers are sheds, meaning in the spring when the deer shed there antlers , they fall off and regrow new ones. Hope that doesn't gross anyone out. It's the natural way of things. I find them fascinating. Each antler tells the story of the animal that shed it. Some are from young bucks, some bare the scars of battle with other bucks and some have laid so long before they were found that they became a source of calcium and vitamins for other forest creatures like squirrels. Some husbands bring their wives roses, mine knows I am much happier with a new antler! We even  have a shed antler from an elk, it covers the entire top of my china cabinet. We did not find that in the woods or even in a field, we found it in a home decor/consignment store , really , funny huh?
I love to decorate with my antlers. In the spring I use bird's nest and moss. In the fall, it's acorns and bittersweet. In the winter , pine cones and evergreen. 
Other elements I use in fall decorating are of course , pumpkins, gourds, acorns and bittersweet. Natural elements. I use a lot of nature in my home. Partly because we are country people and partly because Hubby is a real outdoors man. I feel strongly that your home should reflect the like and interests of all those living there.
I have to stop and say here that although the elements of this arrangement represent nature ,they are not natural, they are faux ( a much cooler word for fake, don't you think). Normally I HATE faux ! One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is people that put FAKE ( I had to use that word ) flowers or plants in their outdoor planters. I mean , really, if you can't take care of the real thing , don't use anything ! PLEASE ! I hope that doesn't offend anyone , but I feel very strongly about this ! I do use the real thing, but mostly in my outdoor decorating. You only have to have a fresh pumpkin or gourd go bad and leak it's guts all over one of your favorite baskets or antiques to never do that again ! I would LOVE to use fresh bittersweet , but it is very hard to come by and it's not nearly as pliable .   

Here is a close up of my first fall arrangement of the year ! YAH!  I wish I was a better photographer, cause it really is pretty awesome.It's not much, but it's a start.

Bring on the Fall!

          

Wine Bottle Trees

I thought this might be a good post to show off my wine bottle trees and the garden that surrounds one of them. I am quite a fan of wine , maybe I mentioned that before , anyway ... I once saw a picture in a garden catalog of a wine bottle tree, it was kind of like a Shepard's hook with posts to place empty wine bottles on . I really wanted one , but being the cheapo I am , I couldn't see paying $40 plus shipping and handling . I drew a picture for a friend of ours. He  is a very good and creative welder  ( I am very lucky to have talented friends) , now would be the time to mention , he is also a bit over the top. He takes any idea and 100 times it ! In this case , lucky for me .

Mine turned out to look more like a weeping willow than a Shepard's hook and holds about  50 wine bottles ! It's about 7 feet tall and I'm 5 foot , so assistance was needed to place the top bottles.  I know you are wondering , is it full ?... The answer is yes . Next question , did you drink all of that wine ?... Answer again , yes.... but I did have help ! Cause really ... what's a bottle of wine without someone to share it with ? Well... it's still good of course, just not as fun ..... oops , got a little off track there.....

This garden is prettiest right now ( like all flower gardens ) mainly because there is a beautiful Sweet Autumn Clematis growing up the wine tree and it is surrounded by purple mums . Great combo , right !?

Here's a little close up . Pretty , huh ? I love , love , love it ! I have had people actually pull in my driveway to take pictures of it. Now would probably be a good time to give credit to and thank Aaron for going EXTREME on my design !

I also have a wine bottle tree at the Summer Home ( surprised ?) This one is much smaller . We made it out of an old stump . Handy Hubby cut re bar at about 8 - 10 inches , we drilled holes into the stump ( well , he drilled , but I told him where to drill ), and pounded the re bar in . Simple design . I have seen a similar wine tree made from a porch post , pretty cool.

And yes, I did drink all that wine , but not in one summer and not by myself :)

Cheers !

My Summer Home

My " Summer Home" is not a Cape Cod on Martha's Vineyard , or a condo on Hilton Head or even a cabin on Lake Millie Lacs , it's a park trailer on the Turkey River in Cleremont , Ia.

It's nothing fancy , but over the last 10 years it has saved my sanity more than once. It's the place hubby and I hang out most every weekend from mid April through mid October. We have made some of  our closest friends here and it's like having a whole other neighborhood , just for the summer.We have cocktails on Friday night, potlucks on holiday weekends, and a HUGE beanbag  tournament ( at which I am terrible and I am sure whoever is lucky to enough to be my partner just cringes ) on Labor Day.

It's my little slice of Heaven. Here is the view my my deck .
Beautiful , huh? It's my favorite place in the world to curl up with a book or hang out with my family .
Now just because it IS a camper , I don't really consider our weekends "camping". We have all the comforts of our "real" home. Comfy furnishings, cable and even wi-fi ! Is it  any wonder I love it here ?

This is our " great room ". And trust me , on a rainy weekend , it is a GREAT room to have.
One of the most important things about making a home to me is having family around. Our trailer on the Turkey is one of those places family wants to visit again and again. Our kids bring their friends , our nieces from all over the country try to fit in time at the trailer when they are home.
 Our trailer on the Turkey has everything that makes a home for me, family , friends, plants and stuff , just on a smaller scale .

Thanks for going on a little tour of my Summer Home, our little piece of paradise way out there in the woods ( not really , it's on the RIVER ) . But it is fun and there is always something going on here in the "Trailerhood".

My Moon Garden

My flower beds have never looked better than they do right now. Typical of course , because in Iowa our first frost usually comes around the first week in October. That gives me about another month to enjoy the beauty of my flower gardens.
I talked in an earlier post about my laziness when it comes to my vegetable garden. I tend to give my flower garden a little more TLC. Thanks God I don't need my vegetables to feed my family! I have friends and farmers market for that.
I label my gardens ( kinda like my homes ). I have a hosta garden , a wine bottle tree garden ( bet you're wondering about that one , huh? ), a perennial garden and a moon garden.
Today I'm going to take you on a tour of my moon garden. Never heard of a moon garden you say... a moon garden consists of white blooming flowers , silver foliage plants, plants that bloom at night or plants that release their fragrance at night.
I fell in love with the concept of a moon garden years ago when a read a beautifully illustrated article in Herb Companion Magazine and I knew I had to have one.
One of the first things to consider , even before plant selection , is the location of your garden. If you don't place it near somewhere you spend time in the evening, you will never enjoy it to the fullest. I planted my first moon garden when we lived in the " big blue house" . I planted it next to our deck. It faced the south and got plenty of sun during the day. My moon garden now is on the north side of the house and mostly shade , but that is where my deck is supposed to be ( but that's another story) . So you see now why it is important to plan location before plants.
One of my FAV plants for a moon garden is Datura or Angel's trumpet. It is beautiful ! It's very slow to get started ( at least for me ), has velvety leaves and huge beautiful trumpet shaped flowers that open at night.

They do come in other colors , pink and yellow , but I prefer the white.
Other must haves for moon garden are any variety of Artemesia.  I have Silver mound in mine, simply because it's one of my favorite perennials. I also have Lambs ear, Varigated Dogwood , white Peony , Russian Sage , Allysum, Ribbon Grass and LOTS of white Impatiens ( mostly shade remember).
There is something magical about sitting on your patio or deck ( or in my case grass, because for some reason my deck is still NOT built ! ) and seeing the flowers and foliage glow in the dark , fill the night with their fragrance , listening to the frogs and crickets ( of course , it's all the more enjoyable with a glass of wine ).

This was my moon garden a few weeks ago. It is looking very lush right now. The Ribbon Grass is taking over , so it will probably have to find a home elsewhere ( I can never just pull something out , it has to be relocated). Next year I will make room for a Datura or two ( they get quite large) and I have a trellis which I am painting midnight blue and I am  hoping a moonflower vine will cooperate and cover . And isn't my Man in the Moon painting FABULOUS ? A birthday gift from my friend KP. I am so lucky to have talented friends!
How do you create a little magic in your garden ?

Till next time ....