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Looking through my phone’s camera roll, it appears I have been eating, drinking, and being pretty merry (and eating and drinking some more). It’s time for a roundup of all of the greats of late that somehow haven’t made it into the blog!

lunch at Abe & Louie's

I learned all about the natural beauty of Germany and German tourism over an incredible steak salad lunch at Abe & Louie’s. This was the second Germany Tourism event I attended, and just like the first one on travel to Bavaria, it made me want to plan a trip to Germany soon!

 

Cidergeist

Cidergeist launched in Boston! I was in Puerto Rico for the launch, but they sent me samples, and I loved the Semi Dry Hard Cider.

Dorset Hall Dorchester

Dorset Hall

Dorset Hall shepherd's pie

We went to a new local Dorchester spot, Dorset Hall on their opening night and fell in love.  Their cocktails, raw bar, pork chop, and shepherd’s pie are all awesome, the space is huge and beautiful, and the staff is great. They nailed it so much on that first night we have been back three times since. It’s a nice addition to our Dorchester restaurant lineup!

New England Boat Show We went to the New England Boat Show and bought a boat. Oops.

It wasn’t spur of the moment though. We went two days in a row did hours of research before we decided on a brand new Stingray. I can.not.wait to get back on the water. The new boat is completely different than the old one. It’s a bowrider, which means the front is open and perfect for sunning and jumping into the sea. Not having a cabin means it is shallower in the water, easier to beach on islands out in Boston Harbor for lazy days, and yet it still has a bathroom (my requirement).

 

Two Shepherds wine club

Spring wine clubs starting arriving. We love Two Shepherds Wine, and now that Massachusetts laws have changed, getting our favorite wine is so much easier!

Hotel Northampton

I started working with two new clients, Hotel Northampton in Hampshire County Massachusetts and gardenUP, a turnkey solution for design, delivery, and installation of gardens.

gardenUP

gardenUP exhibited at the Boston Flower and Garden Show. Between the media preview of the show and visiting the gardenUP booth, I went to this beautiful event twice!

Boston Flower and Garden Show

gardening

It inspired me to get planning for my own garden, which is one of my favorite activities to do all year. I can’t wait to see things growing!

Tango Arlington I made a visit up to Arlington for a friend and business dinner at Tango, steak tips, seasoned veggies,  and Malbec, which was basically all I was craving. It was so simple and flavorful and perfect.

North Plank Tavern

We visited family in NJ for Easter and made another stop at the amazing gem of a restaurant, North Plank Tavern, which we found at Christmas. I had the Applejack Manhattan, made with Laird Applejack, which was once made in this historic building! Sitting at the bar is always my favorite, since we like to chat. At this place, every time we visit we learn a little more about the tavern, which has such an interesting history. And we confirmed it also has a few ghosts.

 

Michel Schlumberger wine prime rib dinner

My family put together some amazing meals including our Saturday dinner of a 13 pound prime rib and vegetable sides, paired with a bottle of incredible Le Sage Merlot from one of our visits to Michel Schlumberger in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County. I miss Sonoma something fierce these days.

sparkling wine by the ocean

And finally, we have enjoyed some outdoor bubbly (in glasses we picked up at Shanga in Tanzania). This was from a Sunday night at the yacht club where it was just the two of us around watching the sun sort of set on a cloudy evening. Perfection.

What bits of this and that have you been enjoying?

Tags: boating, Boston, business, clients, cocktails, flowers, Food, gardening, Travel, wine

Summer is my favorite time of year. I don’t love or even like the other seasons nearly as much; I find early sunsets deplorable, and chilly weather makes my bones hurt. I am happiest when I can have bare legs and bare feet (or open toed shoes for work) and can sleep without blankets. I love being hot, I love beating sun, and most of all I love boats, beaches, fresh produce, and long days. This summer wasn’t the best, as far as heat went, but we still managed to have some pretty great times.

Some favorite moments included our anniversary dinner at Hamersley’s, our Red Fire Farm CSA and all the tomatoes, a concert at Westport Rivers, James Taylor at Tanglewood,  swimming at the Jersey shore, and my family’s visit, especially whale watching from Boston.

boating in Boston

We visited Venezia on a friend’s boat and spent a ton of time at our friends’ new pool, sipping cocktails and swimming, It was the life.

pool time

We also made some time for Chatham, one of my favorite places on Cape Cod. It was a chilly August day, but we still enjoyed the views from Chatham Bars Inn and celebrated their 10th anniversary with commemorative cocktails.

Chatham Bars Inn

CBI 100

We also spent some time on one of my favorite Cape Cod Beaches, Craigville Beach, where I spent childhood vacations and look forward to making more memories. How gorgeous is this?!

Craigville Beach

And then there was our Sonoma trip, where we fell in love with a house on a mountain overlooking vineyards. We tend to not leave New England during summer and to save trips outside for after the season ends. But there is really nothing like the Dry Creek Valley in the height of summer, with big purple grapes hanging from the vines and an exquisite dry heat that my body loves. I have about 10 blog posts about Sonoma left, and for that I apologize. But we helped with harvest and went to some fun events, met really nice people, and most of all relaxed and unlpugged. It’s hard to say goodbye to my favorite, season, but being the optimist I am, I know fall will also bring adventures, delicious food and wine, and great friends and family. And despite how much I love long, warm days, you really can’t beat all that.

 

What were your favorite summer moments?

Tags: Cape Cod, Chatham, gardening, home, Massachusetts, New England, Sonoma, summer, sunshine, Travel

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and it is definitely a time to treat mom, grandma, or another special woman in your life. Our new home’s yard has been teeming with all sorts of flowers and plants since it started to get warmer, and every time something new pops up in the garden, I call or text my mom to see what it is. She and my nana, who is with me in spirit, taught me so much about gardening growing up, yet I still have SO much to learn. Still, I marvel at the colorful life popping up all over, and it makes me feel closer all the time to two women who I love more than anything.

When Uncommon Goods reached out to me to see if I was interested in sampling one of their products in the lead up to Mother’s Day, it was hard to decide what to choose. From wining and dining to gardening, they have so many incredible, unique, and quality items. Since I am currently obsessed with readying our garden for Summer, I chose a beautiful blown glass Solar Light Garden Stake.

solar glass globe

The light is so beautiful. both by ay and by night. It appears to be a delicate, blown glass globe but in actuality is very sturdy and is standing up to the elements. By day, the sun glimmers off of the fun colors, and by night, it’s a little fairy lantern lighting the side of our garden bed. Assembly was super easy; it came in just a few pieces that popped together.

Items like this globe and the may other gift ideas that Uncommon Goods has to offer are perfect for a Mother’s Day gift or for a housewarming, shower, or other occasion. To check out the full line of beautiful gift ideas available at Uncommon Goods, please visit their website.

Uncommon Goods isn’t just for Mother’s Day; they have plenty of gifts for other occasoins:

http://www.uncommongoods.com/gifts/by-recipient/gifts-for-women

http://www.uncommongoods.com/for-her/gifts-for-her/gifts-for-mom

Uncommon Goods is a company that’s easy to love. I seriously covet much of their website, and their representative was a delight to work with. Here’s a bit more about Uncommon Goods.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, UncommonGoods is a privately-owned retailer that endeavors to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people. We run all our operations out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal, including our warehouse where the lowest-paid seasonal worker starts at 50% above the minimum wage. We make it our mission to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; in fact, half of what we sell is made by hand. Most of the products we carry are created right here in the USA, and about one-third of our entire collection incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials. At the core of our company is a great respect for the integrity of the creative individual and the belief that it is our responsibility to use our business to impact the world in a positive way.

Highlights:

• B Corp: B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. We are proud to be a founding B Corp since the B seal means that we meet a rigorous standard on a wide range of issues, including wage levels, environmental impact, and giving back to our community.

• Studio Tours: An exclusive look inside the workspaces and minds of our uncommon artists and designers. Find the faces and inspiration behind some of our customer’s favorite products. You can even take a step inside our own creative studio!

• Design Challenges: Get your work out there and join our community by participating in our product design and art challenges.

• How to Make It Events: Our panel series connects local artists and designers and empowers creative professionals to improve and develop their businesses. Past topics have included Scaling up your creative business, Implementing green practices in your designs, and Collaborating, networking, and the influence of your social network.

• Voting Tool: Get a first look at our newest arrivals and help our buyers decide which products will become the next UncommonGoods!

• Uncommon Knowledge: Is your DNA unique? Where does the growler get its strange name? Did Washington chop down a cherry tree? Find the answers plus dozens of other surprising stories and curious facts on our blog!

• Better to Give: As an independently-owned business, we have the freedom to support causes we believe in and to impact

the world in a positive way. With every purchase you make, we’re proud to donate $1 to the non-profit of your choice. Since we started the Better to Give program 12 years ago, we’ve donated over $700,000 to charities around the world!

Our Non-profits:

• RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN carries out programs to prevent sexual violence,  help survivors, and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

• American Forests protects and restores forests worldwide, helping to preserve the health of our planet for the benefit

of its inhabitants.

• Women for Women International provides women survivors of war with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-su ciency.

• City Harvest strives to end hunger in communities throughout New York City through food rescue, distribution, and education.

 

I received this product from Uncommon Goods for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Tags: gardening, gardens, gifts, home and garden, lifestyle, Mother's Day, product review

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