I love a good Halloween weekend!  On Saturday, we had PINE (Pumpkins+Wine) and on Sunday (see separate post), we dressed up in our costumes and took a few photos.   On Saturday, we went to Bates Nuts Farm to hunt for pumpkins.   The weather was so beautiful, and it felt good to be out in the country.    After we found our pumpkins, we headed to Hilltop Winery for a wine tasting and charcuterie board.  I love how they serve the tastings in these elegant stands.  The little cards on the top share the name of the wine along with its characteristics, which is a fun way to learn more about wine.  The tray below has about 100 grams of fruits and vegetables (from the grapes and pickles) and about 80 grams of protein from the cheese, meats, and almonds.  The bread, dried fruits, and jam don't contribute to the totals in either category.    Our favorite wines were the Cab 2018 (surprised?) and the Tempranillo Rose, which was a beautiful grapefruit color, the closest to a "pumpkin wine

After sharing a few examples of extreme ways of eating, I've been thinking about some of the more simplified ways of eating that I've tried in the past. I think somewhere between the "simplicity" of the No S Diet and the "sensibility" of the 800 Gram Challenge, you probably have a lifestyle that would work for many people.   The No S Diet: "As simple as possible but not  simpler" What is it: The No S Diet is a "simple program of moderation."  It can be summed up in 14 words: No Sweets, No Seconds, No Snacks, except (sometimes) on days that start with S.   What's the science: There's really not any science; this is more of a habit-based way to moderate your eating.  Who created it?  Librarian by trade and computer programmer by accident, Reinhard Engels.   Why did I stop doing it:  I'm not sure.  I love the simplicity as I re-read about it! I'm sure I was lured away by the promise of low-carb/keto diets and then just foun

Last weekend, we wrapped up the trio of birthday celebrations for me!  We started off the evening at a great wine bar in Coronado called "Wine A Bit," where we enjoyed appetizers and Cabernet.  William even tried a glass that was $35!  They have a nice little area where you can sit outside, and on Saturdays, they have live music.  We enjoyed the local singers who were in our age range and performing hits from the 70's and 80's.  No dance floor, unfortunately!  After, we walked over to the Lamb's Player Theater for the performance.  The theater holds 350 people, and the performance was outstanding...90 minutes of non-stop action with 39 roles played by just 5 people.  I highly recommend this experience and am hopeful we can attend Legends of the 60's in early 2023.  (It was a little dark in the theater and that's why this selfie is blurry!)   I was happy that the weather was cold enough to wear this wine-colored sweater dress with the cutout on the top sect

I posted earlier this fall about our idea to be Aurora Teagarden and Nick Miller for Halloween.  We've watched a lot of the AT movies to decide on our outfits, and we finally decided to be Aurora and Nick from Heist and Seek .  It's one of the movies where they are dressed up (the other one is Reunited and It Feels So Deadly .) In going down the AT rabbit hole, I found the designer of her dresses in both of these movies, a company called Dress the Population.  And, I also found the exact dress on Amazon , but I decided that $200 was too much for a Halloween costume.  But if you want to replicate her costume exactly, you can!   For $40, I found a sleeveless sequined blue dress with a v-neck.  You'll see it in our Halloween post.  I may look for a strawberry blonde wig or I might just do a temporary pink-ish hair color.  I'll wear my hair pulled back on one side and a dangly earring like she's wearing above, plus a super pink lip color.   Fun fact: Nick's dress sh

Flutterhabit recently dropped their #5 lash in the Weightless Collection, so of course, I bought them, even though I knew they'd probably be too long for me!  When I opened the package, my first thought was "Halloween Costume!" but since I'm working from home and not on Zoom today, I decided to apply them anyway. I doubt I'll ever wear the #5 lash unless I take a piece or two and mix and match them with shorter lashes.   Even though I only used 4 out of 5 sections, it's still "too much lash" for my small eyes.   So, I am also going to pass on the #6 lash, which I believe is even longer and bolder than this set.   They are too much for my hooded eyes; they are so long that they touch my under eyebrow area.   They are so long that they smack my glasses, which is super uncomfortable.   The #4 lash is still in production with a launch date scheduled for the first of the year.  I'll probably try that one out and am hoping it will be a cats-eye style o

After an ankle x-ray (just sprained; no fractures) and getting both my flu shot and bivalent vaccine last Friday, I wasn't sure that I'd be up for another weekend birthday adventure. I planned Saturday as an at home read-a-thon, where I enjoyed finishing one book, reading one book from beginning to end, and starting another book. Yes, this was a glorious Saturday.   On Sunday, I felt pretty good, well-rested and ready to get out of the house.  So, I put on my "beautiful shoes" (what I'm now calling my Sketchers walking shoes to make myself feel better about the lack of style and heel) and we took an Uber up to La Jolla Cove, where they had a street blocked off for local artists and winemakers to share their creations.   It was really cool to walk along the art "gallery" and see how different people have interpreted our beautiful ocean scenery, from very detailed realistic art to photographs taken during different times of the day and even abstract splash

Yesterday, we celebrated my 56th birthday with a trip to Hungry Hawk Winery, which we first learned about during our wine adventure at the Del Mar fair in June 2022.  If you haven't been, I strongly encourage you to check it out.  It's only about a thirty minute drive (depending on traffic) from our house in La Mesa.  You must be 21+, pets are not allowed, and you need to make a reservation.  The location is Escondido.   On my birthday, we got the gift of perfect weather, and I was also excited because I finally found William a "wine-tasting" shirt to wear on our winery adventures.  I've been looking since June, and we found one at the La Mesa Octoberfest on Friday night!  The shirt is from a company in nearby Laguna Hills called High Seas Trading Company , and I am glad to report that they have an assortment of other wine themed shirts for men, so I have plenty of gift ideas for William in the future!  We tasted 8 wines at Hungry Hawk, and we really enjoyed all

On our walk the other night, William and I were discussing the idea of what makes a sustainable diet over an extreme diet (as I discussed in a recent post.)  Here are my thoughts on what you should consider when selecting a way of eating that you can live with for the rest of your life.  I believe that your answers to these questions can provide you with important direction on whatever way of eating feels right to you for the long term.   6 Keys for a Sustainable Diet  1. Do you enjoy the allowed foods?  Meat-based Carnivore: do you love steak?  Low-Carb/Keto: do you love eating variety of meat, dairy and green veggies?  800 Gram Challenge: do you love eating fruits and vegetables?  Vegetarian Diet: does it make you happy to skip the meat?  Your Favorite Diet here: look at the allowed foods; are you excited about what you will get to eat? And, is there anything missing from the diet that you just know could be your downfall in the future? 2.   Does the diet make you feel good?   Stable