August Favorites

This month went by so fast. I have to say, I'm glad that it's over and we're moving into September and the Fall. I officially hate tourists. They freaking clog everything:  the roads, stores and shops, restaurants, and the beaches. Go home! And stay there. It's also been really hot in August in Florida. We had heat advisories for several days. If you have heat advisories in the summer, in Florida, you know it's hellishly hot. Anyway, I'm going to highlight some of the things that I have enjoyed in August.

Books and TV

My favorite book that I read this month was Landline by Rainbow Rowell. This book is about Georgie and her husband Neal. Georgie has a job writing and creating TV shows. She and her long-time writing partner finally get a break with an opportunity to present four episodes of their "baby" to a producer. The only problem is that while they have been nurturing the idea for this show for years, they still need to write the scripts for those four episodes. It's Christmas and Georgie decides she can't pass up this opportunity and opts to stay behind in California and work while Neal and her daughters fly to Omaha to spend the holiday with family.
This separation makes Georgie fear for her marriage which had already been in trouble for some time. To help stave off this fear and loneliness, Georgie spends some time at her mother's house. Here, she tries and tries to connect with Neal via cell phone but her calls either keep getting sent to voicemail or her daughters and/or mother-in-law keeps answering. Out of desperation, Georgie plugs in an old yellow telephone and tries reaching her husband landline to landline. It turns out that this phone is connection to the past and she reaches Neal back during the time before their engagement.

It's through these conversations with the past that Georgie has revelations about herself, Neal, and their marriage. Is true love enough to hold a marriage together?

My favorite TV show that I watched this month would have to be Outlander on Starz. This is an adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's series of books. At the time of this writing, I have only watched the first three episodes. I am really loving this series so far. Director Rob Moore has done a fantastic job of translating book to screen. Considering that these books take place in both the 18th and 20th centuries, I think that it's a testament to his skill how fantastic this show is. He pays great attention to detail down to ensuring that the herbs Claire, our female protagonist, uses for 18th century medicine are correct, both in use and as they are seen on screen. I've only noticed a few deviations in the show from the book, but I wanted to love this show so much, that I'm willing to give Moore a little leeway. So yeah, my opinion is biased, lol.

I've been a huge fan of the Outlander series for years. I don't think I've ever read a book with science fictional elements in it that are as well-written as they are in Gabaldon's books. By that, I mean that she incorporates time travel into her novels so that it's not silly or fantastical, but explained in such a way that the reader is able to believe that touching these standing stones would send them hurtling through the past.

Back to the show, I love the costumes, the sets, the language, basically everything about it. I have, at this point, no complaints. I'm thrilled that it's already been renewed for a second season.

Health and Beauty

I've made quite a few beauty purchases this month, but picking only one, Tarte's Lights, Camera, Splashes 4-in-1 Waterproof Mascara is the standout. I've tried several new waterproof mascaras this summer to try and combat makeup meltage from the heat, humidity, beach, and sweating. This mascara is fantastic. I love the classic bristle brush that grabs my lashes and coats them evenly, without clumping. It leaves my lashes softer than other waterproof mascaras do. I have to say, I'm not a fan of crunchy lashes. The staying power is phenomenal. It stays put until I go after it with an eye makeup remover. It retails for $20.00 at Ulta and is worth every penny. What's more, the packaging is totally cute.

The Internets

I discovered a new Booktuber this month that is so adorable. Her name is Jean and her channel is Jean Bookishthoughts. Jean is Scottish ya'll. I could listen to her read a recipe for hours and be happy. Fortunately, her booktube channel is more interesting than that. Jean really knows her books. No offense to booktubers out there, but the ones that seem to be more into performing than reviewing/talking about books are annoying. At least to me. I'm sure some people find them vastly entertaining. Jean is knowledgeable about books and her reviews are entertaining without being over-the-top silly. Plus, she's Scottish. I love the way she says "baby", lol.

My favorite Facebook page of the month is Coffee and a Good Book. It's rare to find a group of strangers online who are civil, respectful, fun, share the same interests, and actually interact positively. This group is all those things. Maybe it's because the moderators are so strict, but I have yet to see any bickering, judging, or drama in this group. I've gotten tons of book recommendations though. Great Facebook group.

Food and Drink

My favorite food that I can't seem to get enough of this month is Ben & Jerry's Half Baked. It has both cookie dough and brownie chunks in chocolate and vanilla ice cream. I may like this flavor even better than Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch, my favorite until I tried Half Baked.

The Mister and I have been frequenting a local wine bar called VINE Wine Bar & Shop. It's a laid back wine bar with a really nice selection of wines, small plates, and wine merchandise. We really like it. We've been going so much this month that they know us by name now, lol. ::cough:: Anyway, I discovered a great bottle of wine there called Thorny Rose and it's a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a very unassuming wine. I love how it's fruit forward with cherries, blackberries, and strawberries coming through. It's an inexpensive wine too but I have no idea where you can pick it up. I've never seen it in a store and I absolutely love the label, so there's a good chance I'd remember. Ordering online is my only suggestion.We've also tried their red blend. It was okay and probably my favorite red blend, but I'm not a huge fan of blends. They have several other varieties that I'd love to try out some time.

No Plant vs Weed This Week

Plantweed has been decimated by snails and I'm pissed. No picture this week. I can't bear it. I decided to bring him inside which means that now I have to worry he won't get enough sun because I hardly get any sun inside my house. I have him in the kitchen window cubby thing and that means I had to evict the cat. I also have to worry that he won't get enough water because I always forget to water my plants. I'm beginning to think that I'm just not meant to grow anything other than cacti and succulents. It's depressing.

In other news...

Is anyone watching HBO's new show, Girls? I'm too old by about 13 years to be watching this show but I really like it. It's quirky and very Sex in the City-esque despite what the show's creator says. Instead of women in their 30s and 40s, it's girls in their 20s. I love Hannah. She has such a dry sense of humor and she also epitomizes what is wrong with today's teens and 20-somethings...that belief that they're entitled to everything instead of having to actually work for what they want. Anyway, I hope people are watching so that HBO brings it back for a second season.

And this time last year, the Mister and I were on our anniversary vaca in Paso Robles. ::sigh:: I could use another vacation. We don't have any big plans for our anniversary this year. We're going to do something that involves drinking our bottle of Merlot that Rotta Winery gifted us last year and that we were saving to drink this year. Pretty excited about that. It was an award winning vintage.

Finding My Inner Wino

I enjoy the occasional glass of wine. I’m not a wine aficionado by any means. Not even close. I’m more like an accidental wine clown. I like what I like and labels mean very little to me. I don’t have the palette or nose to ever become a connoisseur. I really like watching the Podcast Wine Library TV because Gary makes wine fun and accessible to the average person. I’ve learned a little too.

The last time the Mister and I went to Olive Garden for dinner the waitress asked if we’d like to try the wine she was offering. We did and it was way too dry for my tastes. She asked if I preferred red or white and I told her white and she brought us a Riesling which I have always wanted to try. I really liked it. It was a Chateau Ste. Michelle wine. We went out the next day to hunt up a bottle for ourselves. Turns out that was easier said than done because Chateau Ste. Michelle has several Rieslings and I didn’t know which one we had been served. We ended up at our favorite wine store and I asked the very knowledgeable sales person for a recommendation. She found us a bottle of Cold Creek reserve which is a Chateau Ste. Michelle label. We haven’t tried it yet because I feel like we should save it for a special occasion. Then again, we hardly celebrate anything so when would that ever happen. This whole thing led to me perusing Gary’s recommendations for Rieslings and I ended up ordering three bottles from his website and they arrived yesterday. Check it out:

Left to right:  1) The Cold Creek bottle I got from our wine store 2)Herman Wiemer Semi Dry Riesling 3) Icardi Barbera D'asti Tabarin 4)Lis Neris Pinot Grigio

I got the Riesling for obvious reasons. The Barbera I got because the Mister likes Chianti and Gary said that he prefers Barbera wine to Chianti so I thought it’d be fun to try it out. I got the Pinot Grigio because it’s my favorite of all wines.

I’ve also decided to start saving my empty bottles and corks. Why? Because I saw this shot on Weeds where Nancy was getting ready to take a bath. Surrounding her tub were wine bottles and I really liked how it looked. Now, I just need a tub where I could do that, lol. Here’s some of my empties:

 

The Riesling on the left was pretty good. Not as good as the Chateau Ste. Michelle but tasty. The Merlot was from Thanksgiving. We had Merlot with our turkey on the recommendation of Emeril Lagasse. I was a bit skeptical but surprisingly, it went well with dinner. The Pinot Grigio was recommended by our wine store person. He told us not to be afraid of a twist cap instead of a cork, lol. It was a good wine. The Chianti we bought with the the other two Rieslings from our wine store. It was a full bodied wine and was a good compliment to our ribeyes but not a favorite of mine. Like I said, I prefer white wines.

The Mister said I’m becoming a wino, lol. Considering that these four bottles of wine make up 9 months worth of wine consumption, I’m not worried. Although, I have bought six bottles in the last week, heheh. Oh well. I’ll take my chances.