2013: The Year of Wine

So I think we are fast forwarding through the holiday recap.  I mean, they’re done.  Gifts were given and received, food was made and (hopefully) enjoyed and fun was had by all.

(Here we are at church on Christmas Eve.  Sit up straight girlfriend! See — trying to be in more pictures equals total fail.  But I’m posting it so maybe not a total fail.)

At the end of the day Christmas had me a little worn out.   It’s definitely first world problems — we have three houses to go to and three sets of presents to distribute and open, three meals to eat . . . there are way worse things in the world to have to contend with.  But the thought of spending the holidays poolside on a cruise ship or nestled into a ski lodge with just the husband always pops up in my mind as we hustle and bustle back and forth down the highway from one house to another.

Here’s where Shenanigan crashed after Christmas.

So in an effort to relax and unwind a little more and not let the stresses get at me so much, I declared 2013 the Year of Wine.  My family was happy to comply and we were stocked up and ready to go . . . .with no real place to keep all this great fermented grape juice. I also paid a first-time visit to St. Louis Cellars for a few more . . . just in case we ran out.

They happened to be having a bubbly tasting that day (it was December 31st) so had got a bottle of Luxe for our New Year’s Eve AND 8th Wedding Anniversary celebration.

I did navy blue nails for NYE. Blue’s my color for sure.

And yes those are our party favors from 8 years ago.  The loudest party horns known to man (and frightening to animals).  But back to the matter at hand.  Storing all this great wine.

When I started rearranging things all over the house, I had a plan for where I wanted to hang the Ikea Lack floating wall shelves.  Well I “shelved” that plan and focused on this wall instead:

(The wall with art that was an anniversary gift!) Along came a handy template for hanging purposes:

And now the Year of Wine can begin.

The wine rack was a wedding gift from friends and has been hiding in the basement waiting for a good spot to live in our tiny house.

My plan is to sip a little vino and relax in the evenings.  I guess husband will be drinking the whisky because I haven’t acquired those taste buds yet.  If you have a minute, hop over to “From the Right Bank” and read Ally’s post about living La Belle Vie and enjoying everyday moments.  It’s important to slow down and appreciate what is happening around us.  That’s what I’ll be doing when I sip my wine. Savoring my surroundings and my time with family and friends.  What will you be doing in 2013?  Whatever it is, be sure to sip, savor and enjoy!  Cheers – CT