Pinterest: I Have an Addiction

The first step is admitting you have a problem... I have an addiction to Pinterest. And I don't feel bad about it. For those of you who are not familiar with Pinterest, it is an amazing website that allows you to make virtual pin boards of all of the beautiful, interesting, inspiring or tasty things you find on the internet and  to see all the things other members have found- organized by category, of course. This translates into crack for anyone who is remotely interested in art, design, fashion, crafts, weddings or cooking. Simply add the "Pin It" button to your toolbar and click it whenever you find something you love or want to...

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Summerside Vineyards' Harvest Party

I'm back! I wont bore you with excuses of my absence- I just hope you'll keep reading! Forgive me, pretty please. This past weekend we celebrated my lovely mother's birthday: (She'll kill me if she sees this!) It just so happened that Summerside Vineyards' 10th annual harvest party fell on the same weekend offering the perfect opportunity to celebrate with family and enjoy some of my mother's favorite things: wine, jazz, and the outdoors. Summerside is about an hour northeast of Tulsa on Historic Route 66 and, with over two dozen types of wine, mead and juice it was quite the popular place to be, even early on a Saturday. We were greeted...

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VeeV Acai Spirit: 3 Delicious Cocktails

Here is a spirit with an exotic appeal- Veev Acai spirit made with antioxidant-rich acai berries straight from the Brazilian rainforest. Blended with acerola cherry and prickly pear, the nutrients in this liqueur are 100% natural. And it tastes great! Though it's not for sale in the Green Country yet, I was able to try a sample. I opened the bottle and bravely took a whiff, expecting an unpleasant burning sensation- but to my surprise it didn't smell like alcohol at all. It had a fragrant, tropical aroma with out being sweet and tasted unlike anything I have experienced before. You can use VeeV just like you'd use vodka- on the rocks,...

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Avocado Tree: Day 57

I have foliage! Well, it's at least going to be foliage. After two months of faithful watering, this little bugger has done as promised. And only a couple weeks off schedule. See that little green bit poking out the top? Some day that will be a big, strong fruit-bearing tree. At least in my dreams. If I get one full leaf out of it I will count this as a success! And check out this pig tail it's growing! It gets longer and longer ever day. I may have to get a bigger bowl. Here are the links to my other posts with more details into growing your own avocado tree: (Trying to) Grow an Avocado Tree Avocado Tree: Day ...

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What I'm Reading: A Thousand Days in Tuscany

At times, I wish I could be transported somewhere far away. Somewhere where the simplest observances of daily life become noticeable and interesting again. Typically, this requires visiting a culture different from my own- that's where travel literature comes in to play. With in moments of opening the pages you can be picking grapes in the hills of Tuscany or climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena De Blasi, my latest travel lit find, is one that not only satisfies my desire for travel but also my love of food. In the novel, De Blasi chronicles the seasons of her life with her Italian husband after...

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Travel Lust Fulfilled: Palo Verde Boat Tour, Costa Rica

Seeing animals in the wild, whether it's a bunny in the backyard or a monkey in the jungle, is one of my favorite things. That's why the Palo Verde boat tour on the Tempisque River in Guanacasta, Costa Rica was my favorite part of the trip (see the rest of it here). All the girls put on their big, floppy sun hats and we climb into the covered (thankfully) boat. Less ten feet from the dock, we come to a stop and our vision is directed to the branches of a large tree. There, lying lazily, is a group of howler monkeys. Our tour guide informs us they wont move for much but be careful not to make them mad- you might end up needing a shower! Howler...

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Livesay Orchards: Delicious, Seasonal Produce

,After last weekend's Porter Peach Festival, we were itching to bring home some delicious Porter peaches of our own. Though the bushels of peaches sold at the festival auction were tempting, we decided to follow a hunch and the trail of cars that followed the road-side signs to Livesay Orchards. And I'm so glad we did. We arrived at the largest peach orchard in the state to a crowd of people clamoring to grab a peck of Porter peaches to call their own. There were racks and tables full of beautiful, fragrant peaches, each labeled a different variety. I had no idea there were so many! We asked an employee to help us decide which...

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Porter Peach Festival

The peach has a short window in which to find that perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy specimen. So it's no wonder that the Porter Peach Festival in Porter, Oklahoma was crawling with visitors even with temperatures soaring into the 100s.  For the past few years I have been itching to go to the festival, held the second weekend in July a short drive from Tulsa, and this past weekend I got to try all the peach goodies I could find. We arrived on Main Street, Porter shortly after the parade had finished to find a charming street lined up and down with amusement rides, artists, vendors, and lots and lots of food, including all of your fair favorites....

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Dining Out: Bamboo Thai Bistro

After working up an appetite whiffing golf balls at LaFortune park, D and I decided to try the Thai restaurant on the corner- Bamboo Thai Bistro. With its plain facade and strip mall local I learned not to judge a book by its cover. Things are not always as they seem! Though its name professes it to be a bistro, I was shocked to find that it actually looked like a bistro inside. The interior was freshly decorated and the modern, crisp white china added to the sophisticated look. Most importantly- the food was affordable and fantastic. We had just found a diamond in the rough! I had a hankering for Thai food last week when...

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Travel Lust Fulfilled: Costa Rica

I've kept you in the lurch for a while on my Costa Rican vacation. Let me tell you- it was wonderful! At the end of a lot of vacations, you're ready to come home and resume normal life- not this one. I don't think I've worn a watch since I've been back! We traveled to the Guanacasta region on Pacific coast for a wedding and stayed at the beautiful, all inclusive Villa Cascada. The accommodations were fabulous- great food, awesome pool and they were very helpful in planning excursions. I highly recommend it for your destination wedding or family get-together. A short walk from the villa was a beautiful, black sand beach with a...

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