Life of a Modern Housewife: I'm Back!!

I'm Back!!! Hi friends, it's been a month since I've posted...I know what have I been doing?! Well, I was on vacation for pretty much the entire month of December and into the New Year. I got back last week, and I just couldn't get myself back into the blogging mood (for my personal blog that is). I'm still trying to get my house into order, since being back from vacation, and back to a routine. But it's not looking like I'll be getting back into my normal routine just yet, since I'll be in Texas this week.

I can't wait to share with you more on my trip to Napa/San Fran and our annual skiing trip. But before I even begin to do that I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year! I know we are half way into January, but better late than never!! I really am excited about this new year. I think there will be a lot changes for me this year, personally. I unfortunately can't share any of that with you just yet, but be patient with me. I'm doing some major soul searching and regrouping. Oh and it's nothing crazy off the wall scary, and for those of you that know me, there isn't a baby on the way (or plans to have one just yet...sorry Mom!).

Anyhoo, who watched the Golden Globes?! It was absolutely fabulous...Tina Fey & Amy Poehler were absolutely fantastic and a breath of fresh air. They were exactly what the Golden Globes needed, to break away from the stuffy boring usual. And I absolutely loved Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell...hilarious!

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Did anyone see Taylor Swift's reaction to Adele's win? So tacky, can we say grow up and just be happy to be nominated?! Adele deserved to win!! And Taylor you can't win them all, maybe you need to learn how to gracefully accept your loss (even though you didn't technically lose).

Who was your favorite win? I think my favorite win would have to be between, Jessica Chastain, Claire Danes, & Anne Hathaway. And I think my best dressed female was Kate Hudson, obsessed with her dress!! My worst dressed female might have been J. Lo.

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Okay, back to normal posting; I usually do a Motivational Monday, but I thought today I'd break away from that and share with you more of Sonoma and Napa.

On our true first full day in Wine Country, we stayed in Sonoma, and visited Ledson Wine, BR Cohn, and an evening tasting at Envolve. Just so you know, when visiting Wine Country, you doing great visiting 3 wineries a day (it takes a bit of time to taste & then you have to find somewhere to eat). So for this first day excursion, I thought I'd share with you the first two wineries we visited because I have so many photos...I didn't want to overwhelm you.

Ledson kick started our day, and we selected the connoiseur's choice for our wine tasting. All in all, we probably tasted about 15 wines at our first tasting. We were only supposed to taste 9, but since we went during slow season and not many people were there, we got a little special treatment. Also, our guy was absolutely amazing...so friendly and THE BEST wine tasting guy during the whole trip. I wish I could remember his name. We bought half a case of wine from there...the wine was great! And the winery was designed as a house before it could officially be zoned as a winery. The house was built with I believe it was 2 million bricks...but don't quote me on it.

The hubs and me in front of Ledson

A shot of the grape vines.

Oh and enjoy some of the interior shots I took. You know the interior designer in me couldn't resist. Here's a shot of the ceiling inside the porte-cochere....gorgeous molding and ceiling detail.

The front door in it's Christmas splendor

Upon entering the home, this grand staircase is what greets you as you walk in. All that paneling...so many details.

A closeup shot of the baluster and balustrade.

There were several different wood floor inlay borders throughout the home.

One of the bars. I absolutely loved this one. The Gothic arches with mirror inlay and paneling on the face of the bar and surround. Also, you can't see it in this shot, but the countertop inside the bar is copper--the outside (what you see here) is wood.

Ceiling in the room where we tasted wine....Lit stained glass and paneling in the coffered ceiling. I'd go for another light fixture but I can't be too picky.

Our wine expert rolling the glasses instead of having us twirl our glasses to let the wine breath.

Now onto BR Cohn. The owner of BR Cohn is the manager of the Doobie Bros, which is pretty cool. And they have decor inside with Doobie Bros memorabilia. Also, BR Cohn makes olive oil, which you also get to try at the winery. This winery had a completely different feel from Ledson, a more quaint simple vibe, which I loved. Even though it was raining, the outdoor area they have is spectacular. Every year they host a music festival at the winery, which the Doobie Bros do play.

I just really liked their gingerbread house...so I thought I'd share this shot. Very Tim Burton.

And here is the Doobie Bros memorabilia. The hubs really liked this because he's a guitar player and appreciates all things music.

Angela picked up one of the many olives on the ground. BR Cohn picks the olives when they are green to make the olive oil. I tried to get her to eat it, but she wouldn't...