Friday, July 31, 2015

Tales of the Traveling Tote - Places I've Been -

Welcome to Part 2 of the "Tales of the Traveling Tote".
Debbie from Mountain Breaths chose the theme "Places I Have Been" for this edition.  If you would like to read about how this series began, read about it HERE, and HERE is the first post.

Information regarding a special giveaway is at the end of this post!

And if you want to travel along with us, you can buy a tote HERE!



Since our last post in June, these are the places Miss Kenzie and I have been:

ROCHESTER, NY
The end of June we traveled to Rochester for a busy day: We had a baby shower brunch, and a birthday celebration for Carter, my grandson, who turned 6…so Miss Kenzie held some paper goods, homemade canned pickles, beets and relish, and plasticware:


In between both events my sister in law and I stopped off at "The Shops at West Ridge" and Parkleigh's new MacKenzie-Childs store.  It was a grey and gloomy day, so a perfect day to buy "Miss Kenzie and Taylor" a matching umbrella:


LAKE ONTARIO
The 4th of July brought us to Lake Ontario for happy hour:


I am not one to ever forget a bottle to share….


…plastic wine glasses, dishes, napkins, silverware and snacks in a M-C tin:


Fourth of July dinner was at Rudy's in Oswego on Lake Ontario:


It was a hazy day and the water was quite calm!  A fun day by Lake Ontario!


ONEIDA LAKE
July
One of the main roads in our town leads to Oneida Lake, a large lake in central NY….


…where there are beaches, parks, camping grounds, a golf course, and boating…..


There is a gazebo and floating dock and park benches...


…and one of our favorite restaurants!


Here is Miss Kenzie's first shadow pic!!


NEW YORK CITY
July 11 and 12
Mid July Mom and I spent a weekend in New York City.  This is something that she has been wanting to do since she moved up here from Florida a year ago! 

We took the bus to Manhattan and stayed in Times Square.


We toured the city by bus and then walked to Tiffany's, Rockefeller Center, and of course, MacKenzie-Childs (I spy Christabel!):


Lucky me!!


We also had "happy hour" at The Baccarat Hotel - my favorite decor colors- check out the floor


Miss Kenzie was, once again, shoved in the overhead compartment:


MACKENZIE-CHILDS BARN SALE
July 19

The yearly Barn Sale in Aurora, NY is only and hour away from my home and is always an exciting event!  I added a few little pieces to match my Traveling Tote.  The bracelet has been on my wish list and they were out of stock in the Manhattan store last week - Lucky me, I got it here on sale!  The wristlet was an impulsive purchase!!


And here is my favorite MC sales man, all the way from the NYC store, just here to work at the Barn Sale!


If you are in the Manhattan store, ask for Justin!!


DELAWARE, OHIO
July 23-28
My daughter, Sara lives in Ohio and we traveled out there to see her...


…and to spend time with our grandson, Carter….


…who kept us quite busy for 5 days!


I just love the center of town - I always feel like I have walked back into time.  There was an antique car show taking place and all the antique stores and gift shops were open!


On the way home we drove over the Rainbow Bridge, into Canada, to have dinner overlooking Niagara Falls:


The tote was too heavy to carry around this busy tourist area, so I carried my new wristlet and left Miss Kenzie in the car!



We had dinner and drinks overlooking the Falls, stopped at the Duty Free Shop for some wine and liquor, and then drove home!



My tote, purse, wristlet and I have been quite busy this summer - and August will bring us to Cape Cod for 2 weeks as well as to Atlantic City on the Jersey Shore!  

Thanks for traveling along with me!

Ohhh, How I would love one in every color!!


Join us on Sept 15, Oct 30 and Dec 15 for our future posts of the Tales of the Traveling Tote!

If you have a Mackenzie-Childs tote or bag and would like to join in on the fun, contact me, the more the merrier!  

Visit my other Tote friends:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 
Sarah with Miss CC @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Samantha with Christabel @ Samantha Stone
and our non-blogger friends:
 Colleen with Miss MacKenzie Joy
Tami with Miss MC la Mer


TRAVELING TOTE GIVEAWAY
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths  is having a giveaway - Make sure you visit her to see the details:

The Voyage of Life, painted by Thomas Cole in 1842, is a series of paintings that represent an allegory of the four stages of human life: childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. The paintings follow a voyager who travels in a boat on a river through the mid-19th-century American wilderness. In each painting, accompanied by a guardian angel, the voyager rides the boat on the River of Life. The landscape, corresponding to the seasons of the year, plays a major role in telling the story. In each picture, the boat's direction of travel is reversed from the previous picture. In childhood, the infant glides from a dark cave into a rich, green landscape. As a youth, the boy takes control of the boat and aims for a shining castle in the sky. In manhood, the adult relies on prayer and religious faith to sustain him through rough waters and a threatening landscape. Finally, the man becomes old and the angel guides him to heaven across the waters of eternity.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Traveling Vineyard Wine Tasting Party

How to have a wine tasting party:

Invite the Traveling Vineyard into your home and invite some fun friends!

Buy some cute napkins...


…and have plenty...


Have lots of cute dishes...


…and some plain crackers to cleanse the palate:


Choose some pairings.  Hot and spicy nuts for Calamity Sue white wine:


Andouille sausage to go along with Boombox wine:


Salsa and Chips to pair with Giovina wine:


Some Colby cheese to pair with Spruzi:


Chocolate treats to go with Fissata:


A few cute signs….


…scattered around...


…attached to champagne corks with alligator clips:


…so festive!


Some cucumber water for the non-drinkers:


Back-up wine for the after party:


Lots of friends:


A few swag gifts:


The winners:




And what should you do with the corks?  Make a wreath...


…or a bulletin board:


I also made a great dessert.  Peanut butter cups...


…topped with marshmallows and baked for 10 minutes….


and unfortunately, no photo to show how delicious this turned out!  Served with graham crackers and Nilla wafers - YUM!


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