{weekend notes}

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Fall back is more like wake up and can’t fall back asleep, right?  Hope you all enjoyed that extra hour yesterday.  I was up bright and early and it felt so weird.  Time change takes some getting used to.  And it’s going to be dark by the time I get home from work tonight.  That’s always my least favorite part.  This rain, though.  I’m loving it.  We slept with the slider open last night listening to the rain.  It came down all night.  Streets are flooded in the older parts of town this morning on my way to the gym.

Lets chat about the weekend!

We had a pretty low-key chill weekend.  Just what we needed after the last few busy weekends.  Halloween on Saturday was so very nice.  No rushing.  We made all our stops and had plenty of time to get ready for trick-or-treating.

Anthropologie Golden Monogram Mug

I spent a good part of the morning, I mean day, doing this above.  Bailey and I vegged-out till we got tired of vegging.  Caught up on the DVR and enjoyed a little bailey’s in my coffee….yumm..  One time, about a year ago, I was driving to work on a Monday thinking damn this coffee tastes extra good today.  Yeah, I guess I kinda forgot it was Monday and accidentally gave my morning coffee a couple of splashes of Bailey’s.  I didn’t even realize it when I did it.  Guess it’s kinda routine for the weekends.  Anyway, I felt like such a rebel.

Pottery Barn Kids Pumpkin Chairbacker

I totally buy presents for every holiday.  I’m that Mom.  And I probably will forever too.  Bailey ate that king size bag of M&M’s before 8am.  I only know, because I found the bag when I went to make coffee.  That sneaky little turd.

Trick-Or -Treating at GG’s is always our first and favorite stop.  She hands out $$ to all her great-grands.  They think it’s so cool.  I even pulled out my Witch costume.  I rock it every year and sing:

“I’m a witch, I’m a witch, with a tall hat on my head.  I jump on my broom and I fly through the night, while the children are in bed.”

I made a good witch 🙂

I stole this shot without them even realizing.  Or saying “cheeeesssseeee”  It’s the best snap I got of the whole day.  #Halloween2015 #bubblegummachine #legoman #darthvador

Trick-Or-Treat street was off the chain.  TONS of kids.  TONS of peeps.  TONS of candy.

We finished off our night trick-or-treating with all these cute kids.  I love this bunch.  We’ve all been friends for years….and I love that now our kids have been friends for years also.  We cruised the neighborhood for candy.  They scored!!   I guess I should say, We scored.

anyone else guilty of the above?  Mom, what happened to all the chocolate?  I never saw it??

Sunday morning began the same as Saturday morning.  Slow, relaxing starts.  I got some meal + lunch prep done.  Sundried tomatoes, mason jar salads, hard-boiled eggs, bbqed chicken, salads, dressings + marinades.  I always feel ready to conquer the week after a meal prep session.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkle of each salt, pepper and Italian seasoning

Slice cherry tomatoes in half.  Lay face up on foil lined cookie sheet.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours.  Rotating pan after 1 hour.

I stick them in a mason jar and fill half way with olive oil.  They keep nicely in the fridge for a week.  That is, if you can keep your hands off them.  Good luck!!

The afternoon was spent at a local winery, Berryessa Gap.  The winery is literally nestled in the gap between the hills, east of Lake Berryessa.   The winery began over thirty years ago, selling rootstock.  Which is still sold to wineries all over California.   Berryessa Gap is a small winery, but their wines are top-notch.  Every wine they bottle is an Estate wine (grown on-site) I found that to be pretty interesting.  We tasted the wine and took a behind the scenes tour of the winery and production.

My favorites were the chardonnay (it’s a given)

2014 Chardonnay – “This white wine exudes a great balance of fruit, subtle French Oak and acid that gives way to buttery undertones and rich aromas. Alluring flavors of vanilla, toasted apple pie, crème brulee and zesty hints of citrus complete the palate. A velvety feel in the mouth accentuates the creamy finish indicitive of this noble varietal that is complimented by nuances of baking spices like cinnamon and cardamom.”  Their description makes my mouth water – sounds amazeballs!

We even convinced them to open a bottle of the Barbera they are releasing next week.  WOW – it was perfection.  This Barbera flaunts a bright tangy flavor. My favorite red out of the five reds we tasted.   I’m sure it’s going to sell out in no time at all.

My Mom treated us to this amazing spread on the patio.

The winery and brewery next-door are open noon – 6pm Friday through Sunday.  Live music and food trucks too.  Fun spot to hang on a weekend.

Traditional pit stop at Turtle Rock for their delicious greasy egg rolls and a cold beer.  Trust me, the egg rolls are to die for.  We even stuck a $1 bill on the wall “dave’s annual 60th”  lol…inside joke of the day.  All the money on the walls gets donated to different charities once they run out of room.  So cool.  I love the feel of a good ol dive bar.

Well that’s how we spent our weekend.  Low key and relaxing, everything I had hoped for.  Hope you all got to enjoy your weekend too.

Cheers to strong coffee to get you through the day.  I’m on day 1 of my cleanse, which means no coffee and no wine:(  I keep reminding myself – it’s just two days, I can do anything for two days, right?

Come back tomorrow!!!

xoxo stacyb