Whining for Wine.

There are these days – I have them sometimes - they’re not BAD days really… just tedious, trying, tiring days. These are the kind of days when I sit in my office and around 4:08 p.m., I start thinking about how nice sipping a little glass of wine would be.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking this; but I do, after all, have an office with a window. And as I watch the sun dip and the sky start to darken… those pesky wine thoughts creep into my head. They plague my productivity in the last hour of my work day, when I should be scurrying around to wrap up all my tasks and responsibilities… instead, I’m sitting here, staring at the almost-sunset, thinking about which wine I will sip tonight.

Which wine best complements Life cereal? Which bouquet will really ready my palate for my Healthy Choice lobster ravioli frozen dinner? No no no… stick to the resolutions. So chicken and zucchini stir-fry… what wine do I want with THAT? Actually, I’m not that picky. Nearly any wine will do. But I do have some favorites…

1.       Messina Hof – Beau: Tribute to Beauty. This a red Beaujolais-style (you can’t call any wine not made in the Beaujolais province of France a “Beaujolais” wine. Pretentious much?) blend of sweet red wines. Messina Hof’s blend combines Gamay Noir and Muscat Canelli, which makes it a semi-sweet among sweet reds, so if you don’t really like red wine that is too sweet or too dry, this might be the perfect compromise. My FAVORITE characteristic? It’s a red wine served cold. Yum. Retails for about $11, so… I drink this one a lot. It’s definitely my #1 choice.

2.       Santa Margherita – Pinot Grigio. So, I’ve been a fan of pinot grigio since I first tried it. Little did I know, it is reviled by wine snobs as a boring, uninteresting, plain wine. Oopsie. But I like what I like. And I like pinot grigio. It’s made from the pinot gris grape, which is a MUTATED pinot noir grape… so again, it would seem like this little wine doesn’t have a lot to be proud of until you taste it. It’s dry, but it has a light, crispy, some say “apple” taste. It goes with anything, doesn’t stain my teeth and is pretty delicious. Hate me, snobs, I’m sticking up for my pinot grigio. (Also, did you know that white wines and red wines are all made from the same grape? Red wines have the skins left in their juice while they ferment, and white wines have the skins removed.) Santa Margherita invented the process for pinot grigios and is my affordable favorite at around $20 a bottle.

3.       Tunnel of Elms – Merlot. This wine holds more nostalgic value for me than anything. When I moved to Houston, my stepdad drove me and all my things to my new apartment. He and I threw it all into my loft in an afternoon, and decided to cab it downtown for a nice dinner and a glass of wine to celebrate my new job and big move. One glass turned into a bottle of Tunnel of Elms Merlot. We reminisced, he gave me advice for making it on my own and 3 hours later… I was ready to conquer Houston. I was wrong, but I do still love that wine. This particular merlot is blended with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and it has a full fruity flavor of berries and cherries. I was shocked to find this wine retails for $10… the restaurant turned a pretty large profit on our bottle.

To be honest, though, I really know nothing about wine. And neither do a lot of people who pretend they do. I will say, though, that I once had the pleasure of drinking wine with a sommelier who has tasted some of the best wines in the world… and his advice to me was to never spend more than $30 on a bottle of wine. Beyond that and you’re paying for a label. It was very encouraging, since… I like wine, but I like having gasoline in my vehicle and lights on in my house too.

But I don’t start having those thoughts until about 5:05 p.m.

Cheers! Sante! Salud!

xoxo

JAM

8 Great Goals in 2011

Happy New Year!

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I’m a little late, but I’ve been doing a lot of living in the last few days. Expect many more posts to catch up in the next week.

What I really want to do right now, though, is get my New Year’s goals on the books. I’m a big believer in setting some ambitious resolutions for myself every year, and I write them down and tell people. Because that’s how I stay accountable. If it sounds like I have little willpower… that might be true. Fine.

Here is what I’m working on in the next 12 months:

1. Cook more/better. Living alone has turned me into a cereal/PBJ/frozen dinner person. I want to cook better and fresher dinners for myself more often this year. Plus, my parents say that’s the way to a man’s heart. Whatever, but I guess it’s worth a shot.

2. Get involved in an athletic activity. Last year I was really into going to the gym, but I’ve gotten bored with it. This year, I’m interested in trying yoga or kickboxing or lifting weights with a trainer or something. I just need a little change in my workouts. Something more interactive. And fun!

3. Be a better friend and listener. I have the extreme fortune of having people in my life who genuinely ask me how I’m doing and get the opportunity to talk about what’s going on with me. It is amazing. I’m going to return the favor to my friends and family this year. More phone calls out of the blue to friends to find out how they’re doing. Less talking, more listening.

4. Strengthen my finances and investments. I’ve learned a lot this year about investing and personal finance. This year I’d like to put some of that to use in my own life. Securing some good things for me down the road. Working hard to earn a raise this year. Paying off my credit card balance, paying off my car and paying off my student loan are all within reach in the next 12 months! FREEDOM!

5. Learn to sew and play piano. I got a sewing machine from my mom last year. It’s been in the box ever since. I got a keyboard as well… it’s in the corner of my room and only gets played when I need to bust out some Heart and Soul. Being creative is really rewarding to me, and maybe I can finally join the family band. Singing is never going to work out for me.

6. Challenge a fear. For some reason, I’ve been thinking about skydiving lately. I’m scared to do it, but I really want to face down a fear this year. I think I’m craving that feeling of accomplishing and winning something… So this year, I want to jump out of a plane or go deep sea diving. I’m scared of what’s in the deep ocean. I get a rush just thinking about doing either of those things!

7. Explore. I like traveling, seeing new places and people. And I’d like to continue to prioritize exploring more of other places. It keeps me appreciative of where I live and the people I love, and at the same time respectful of how diverse and interesting other people and places are. I also want to explore some new music. I need a new band/musician who I can’t get enough of. Any suggestions?

8. Focus. I sometimes feel like I’m being dragged through my days instead of plowing through them. I’d like to be more proactive in my life and less reactive. I need to take more time on a daily basis to stop and think. Call it meditation, prayer, thinking, centering, whatever. I just want to pause for a moment and focus on a consistent basis.

That should keep me pretty busy. Good luck with YOUR resolutions. I hope you have a wonderful new year!

xoxo
JAM

A Christmas Gift that REALLY Gives

I don’t know about you, but I always struggle with wanting to give gifts to my loved ones that capture how much I care about them. I want the gifts I give to be meaningful, special, significant - and not something they’ll want to return or put at the back of their closet, or worse REGIFT. And I want to do all that without focusing on the actual gift as the reason for celebrating Christmas. For a couple of years now, I’ve felt this sadness about the way so many of us – including me - lose sight of the reason for Christmas… until today.

As I was perusing my usual blogs and friends’ updates, I came across a coworker who had purchased a goat for a hungry family in a developing country. What? A goat? For strangers? I had to know more. And now, I’m in LOVE with this concept.

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Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/) is a global nonprofit organization that has taken a proactive stance to ending world hunger and poverty. Instead of filling the cups of hungry people, their mission is to provide families and communities with livestock and crop education and resources so that they can feed themselves. And the most amazing part of the project? Those who receive help from Heifer have to agree to give an offspring of their animal or seeds from their produce to someone else in need – they have to pass it on.

Heifer has deeply impacted communities across the globe: Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia and North America. The stories of families who have taken some honeybees or a flock of chickens and not only improved their own diet and nutrition, but have given bees or chicks to their neighbors and sold honey or eggs to supplement their income are amazing. I read a particularly moving story about a family that struggled to make 10 cents a day to feed themselves. One flock of chickens changed everything, and now they make $2 a day… which still sounds tragic, but that’s enough to eat healthy, nutritious meals and provide for a much more comfortable life in Uganda!

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Not to be cynical, but I DID get concerned about the wellbeing of these animals; what if the goat dies because it isn’t properly cared for? What if they kill it to eat it? Heifer thought about that too. They have a veterinary staff that educates people and monitors the ongoing health of the livestock. Heifer is founded on 12 cornerstones, one of which is responsible and humane animal treatment. Other cornerstones are passing on the gift, sustainability and self-reliance, sharing and caring, nutrition and income, and family focus.

{I also love that they support gender equality and require that women and wives be involved in the decisions and management of the production.}

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After spending a little time reading through the site and looking at the gift catalog, it just seemed to click in my head and heart. The whole reason I love giving gifts – and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE giving gifts – is because it feels so good to show people that I care about them and want to do something special for them. THIS is something I can do in my family’s honor that is REALLY significant. My usual little gifts and trinkets are fun for a while (or never at all, like the time I got my stepdad NASCAR tickets that he forgot he had and didn’t go. boohoo), but giving a cow for milk or beans to start a coffee crop would be a gift that truly matters. That’s what my family deserves – gifts that change the world. That’s how much I love them.

I encourage you to rebel against the consumer Christmas this year. Consider doing something really magical by adding a community in Guatemala (or Uganda, or the Gulf Coast, or Kosovo) to your Christmas list. Make a gift in honor of someone you love to share their legacy with strangers.

My Grandpa isn’t here anymore, but he was a wonderful man, and I’d like to share his love and compassion with others. So Merry Christmas to a family across the globe who will be receiving a flock of chicks from my family this year in honor of Dennis McCann.

Grandpa with some of his grandkids (and Grandma)... Lovely man.

No matter what you do, do it with love and good tidings.

XOXO

JAM

Christmas Wish #2

I don't like cold weather, so I don't get really excited about shopping for winter clothes. This time of year, I'm obsessed with nesting and making my HOME cozy. Here are some of my favorite little house treasures... all from Anthropologie.

This owl cookie jar is TOO adorable. I try not to keep too many cookies around the house, but I would start a special stash just for this little guy.

Pretty little paint palate egg caddy. I eat eggs every morning. Eggs, oatmeal, and coffee. That's my EVERY DAY breakfast, and I love it. I would love my eggs even more if I got to uncover this lovely little paint palette.

Ever ran around your house like a crazy person looking for your keys because you were ALREADY running late because your hair wasn't cooperating, and now you're REALLY late because you can't find your *bleeping* keys?!?! This wise friend would help you (and me) with that. Hung by the door... keeping a watchful eye on the keys.

I'm a sucker for a dreamy bed. I have a dreamy bed. But even dreamy beds need an update every now and then, and mine is due for a change. Not only is this a gorgeous bed, but it's named my favorite girl name: Laela. It's providential. I need this.

**Important note: dreaming of Christmas wishes is fun, but the best gifts aren't THINGS. The people in my life are my ultimates wishes... but if they come bearing some of these gifts, even better :) (just kiddingggg).

XOXO

jam

Christmas Wish #1

What is pretty, gold, personalized, and oh-so-classic?

A signet ring!

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I love these rings so much. Bold yet feminine. Unique. Timeless. And an heirloom piece - which is really special to me. My family doesn't really have any "heirlooms" and this would be a great piece of jewelry to pass down one day.

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I've been a good girl this year. I deserve this ring. Totally gorgeous. I'm drooling.

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Santa, don't forget about me :)

xoxo

jam

Bzz, Bzz.... Read Little Bee

You may or may not be surprised (probably not) to learn that I am a huge dork. A really huge book-devouring dork. I used to keep a flashlight under my pillow to read in the dark after my parents made me turn my lights out. I used to save my allowance and blow it ALL at the book fair. I was once grounded from reading for 2 days and I CRIED and blamed my mom for ruining my life.

Yeah. Really dorky.

My dorkiness for books has stayed with me as an adult too. I still love to read. I keep a book in my car in case I have to wait in line too long at the ATM. While I have gotten braver about going to eat at restaurants alone, I always bring a book with me… which makes me even more lame than people who just go to eat alone. And yes, I have been miserable at work before because I stayed up way too late reading a book that I just couldn’t put down. I really need to grow up.

Sometimes I go to bookstores and just… wander around. I pick up something that looks interesting and read the first few pages. If I get into it, I’ll commit…

The last book I took a chance on was Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The liner notes really got me; the author says he doesn’t want to tell you what the book is about for fear of giving too much away but that it is a story of 2 women’s lives that intersect in an unexpected series of events. Got me. Hook, line, and sinker.

I’m torn between telling you more about the book and honoring the author’s wishes to keep it a secret until it unfolds to you in the story, but there are a few qualities about this book that I think are relevant in case you’re considering reading it. And I think you SHOULD consider reading it, because it's really quite good.

First, it’s a quick read. Really quick. What kept me engaged was the fact that the narrative is told from the viewpoints of the two women in alternating chapters. That alone kept the story moving and the prose active. Reading about the same event from two perspectives is always interesting, but when one viewpoint is a 16-year old Nigerian girl and one is a 30-something British magazine editor with a husband and son, the juxtaposition (SAT word!) is very entertaining. Strangely, the author (a male) does a fantastic job of creating the voice of these two extremely different women. I’m fascinated by how he would be able to construct the characters with as much honesty and genuineness… but he does it. And what I really love about the book is that it makes a political statement about the absolutely real issues of asylum and refugee policies without being a political novel. I finished the book wondering what I could do to learn more about the real-world implications of the story… and that’s what you really want in a story, right? To be affected in some kind of real way?

Which reminds me of another book… The Wind in the Willows. It was not about refugees (though maybe fugitives) or women, but about little animals and their experiences trying to corral their friend Mr. Toad and going through human emotions… I didn’t get any political call-to-action from that book, but it did affect me in a very meaningful way. I was devastated when I finished that book. For no reason other than I was sad that the story was over and I would never have more to read or know any more about the Mole and Mr. Toad and Ratty and Mr. Badger.

So like I said, I’m a huge dork.

XOXO

jam

What I love about you...

There are some people who you love because you were born into a family that includes them, and you have no natural choice but to be connected by blood and family ties. However, I am blessed to have some family members who I love for reasons that aren’t hereditary; I love them just for being themselves.

Tammy, my Dad, Chad and I with Baby Conor in June 2008

My stepmom Tammy came into my life when I was in junior high, which has to be a tough time to get to know a teenaged girl. Hormones. Attitude. Defensiveness. What a nightmare. But Tammy isn’t like any stepmother described in fairy tales or “stepmonster” anecdotes. She dispelled all those stepmother fears I had and became an incredibly important person in my life from the very beginning of our relationship. Which I thought our relationship wouldn’t go well after I was busted playing with her makeup while Nair-ing my legs in her bathroom when she and my dad were just dating… but she’s a forgiving person. And even better, she later taught me how to properly Nair.

Tammy and I picking up Dad from the airport...

The first thing I fell in love with about Tammy is her selflessness. She is honestly the least selfish human I’ve ever met. She loves openly and quickly, shares everything she has, cares deeply for her loved ones and works tirelessly to make sure everyone around her is happy, healthy and having fun. She is selfless to a fault… one time she got a gift card for Christmas and bought OTHER PEOPLE stuff with it. She’s just that type of person. Hence, I’ve resorted to getting her monogrammed items so she is forced to use them for herself…

My family under the Century Tree during my A&M graduation.

Another thing I love about Tammy is her friendship. She is a true and loyal friend. When Tammy is your friend, you know that you can trust her with your most unguarded thoughts, secrets and stories and she will laugh with you, cry with you or help you come up with a plan for revenge. Whichever response is most appropriate. And she treats all her friends that way. I’ve never heard her talk bad about anyone, certainly never a friend… that’s just not how she works.

But what I love most about Tammy is the void she filled in our family. I love how much Tammy loves my dad; I used to worry about him being lonely or not having someone to take care of him. Now I know that he is going to be okay. I love how Tammy loved Tiffany and I before she ever met us and became our immediate friend and confidante. And I love how Tammy has grown our family by bringing Chad and Conor into the world. Tammy completes our family and was meant to be a part of all of our lives. I love that she was brave enough to take on the challenge of marrying a man with 2 girls, a career that demands his service and sacrifice and a “clean-freakiness” that is a little unbearable at times. God bless her bravery!

I love these two crazy kids.

I just can’t imagine my life without her. And that is what a true family is… the circle of people who you need to survive. She is as much my family as any person who shares my DNA, and these are just a few of the many reasons I love her so much. Her New Years’ Eve pina coladas are also up there on the list.

Best friends on the beach!

XOXO

jam