Using pretty glasses turn a plain table into something festive. For a casual meal with friends, I didn’t decorate the dining room table. I just dressed it up with a wine glass, a fancy water glass (middle) and the Waterford crystal ready for the dessert course.

I like simple pleasures.

At a recent party at Palmaz, we were talking about the Napa Valley Mustard Festival kick-off party (in photo) and someone asked, “so where are the best parties?”

My favorite has always been casual private al fresco dinners with 6-12 people at someone’s Napa, Marin or Sonoma home.  We all bring food or wine to share. Sometimes they have a theme, like bring a Rosé. Other times the hosts provide sumptuous food & we open lots of wine.  Surprisingly, wine is not the topic of conversation usually, of course there is some industry gossip, but mainly it’s an opportunity to escape from our careers & talk about everything else that’s important in life.

I learned a long time ago that it’s not where you go, but who you travel with; the same goes for parties, it’s the people that make it fun.

I took this photo with my old Canon Powershot at the Napa Valley Mustard Festival Kick Off party.  I didn’t photoshop it because the graininess adds to the illusion that this is a painting.  Instead, as my title suggests, it’s a live model within a theatrical painted set.

I was touched by this modern woman modelling (in a body suit).  With so many women being shy about their body (myself included), it’s lovely to see a strong curvy gal showcased in modern art.  Kudos to the model, the artist responsible and the producers of the Festival.

I bought this fun dress at Wildcat in downtown Napa.  It’s a small shop with vintage-style new and used clothing for women and men. The jewelry is from Accent’s, a fabulous boutique in downtown Novato (& Petaluma).  Hubby bought me this Aquamarine necklace & matching earrings for Christmas.  Here’s  some fun “facts” about the stone.

Traditionally seen as the birthstone for March, Aquamarine stone gets it’s color from iron ferrous and has been known since ancient times as a stone of hope, happiness, good health, fidelity, eternal youth and lasting love.

Aquamarine stone cleanses and aligns the chakras and the etheric and mental bodies. It helps you to reduce fear and communicate with those around you in a loving and compassionate way, all the while it is flushing out your lymph system.

Aquamarine stone attracts friends and friendly people to you. People you can trust and that show compassion for you. It is often used to calm disrupted situations with it’s ability to bring harmony.

Aquamarine crystal help facilitate communication and is especially good to help couples work out their problems in a friendly and peaceful manner. (Source)

Visiting the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St. Helena) makes me happy.  I love the old stone building and knowing that there are aspiring chefs on the 3rd floor while I dine in the restaurant.  I like the service, the decor, the reasonable wine mark ups and the artsy, interesting food.

When it was announced that the 17th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival’s kick off party was going to be held at CIA, I immediately bought tickets.  I’ll be posting lots of pictures this week. Bobby and I had a fantastic time, but my absolute favorite part?  Eating in the chef’s kitchen.

Napa’s famous restaurants (Bouchon, Brix, etc) served small bites in the wine tasting room, but we headed straight for the kitchen.  Guests picked up a plate and went through a double-sided buffet flanked by chefs standing next to their stoves offering osso buco, polenta, mustard greens, Italian wedding soup, breaded shrimp with fruit dipping sauce, blood red orange salad, cioppino and more.  We sat family style at a long table in the middle of the kitchen.  For me, it was a once in a lifetime experience.  There are plenty of parties where I can walk around balancing a plate of small bites while drinking wine, but the opportunity to eat in the CIA kitchen…priceless!

When I  lived in San Francisco years ago, French restaurants were popular with the guys I dated.  I found the food to be strange and fattening.  One place only had souffles on the menu, one was ubër-elegant with an overload of  waiters fluttering about, and another was way too romantic for a first date.  Frankly, I preferred Italian food at the time…I lived in North Beach & loved all the neighborhood restaurants. (I still know more about Italian wine than French.)

When I moved to Marin and starting cooking (for the first time in my life), I put a laptop in my kitchen to find recipes and inspiration. One of my favorite sites is Kim’s Easy French Food all the elegance…none of the fuss. I learn little tidbits about the French way of eating & discover new recipes. Her monthly emails remind me to check it out, which I appreciate!

PS: The picture is Kim’s logo. And..she just told me that she lived in North Beach at one time too! Such a small world…

This holiday season has been topsy-turvy. Our Thanksgiving vacation was cut short by a call from the Sheriff notifying us that our house was burglarized.  Time usually spent decorating the house & making travel plans went to meetings with law enforcement stopping by daily to collect more evidence.  Then there was time spent viewing found items, discussions with the D.A. and buying new security systems.  We had no time to think about Christmas until December 20th.

I keep thinking about Little House on the Prairie, when people were working to survive and truly didn’t have extra time.  On Christmas Eve, the kids would wait anxiously for Pa to tell them it was time to go pick out a tree.  Pa would chop down a beauty, it was only 4′ tall because the cabin was small, but it seemed huge to the kids. They decorated with simple homemade ornaments and cranberry strings, laughed together and then went off to bed, thinking about whether it would snow on Christmas Day more than about presents.

We made our annual family trek to McGovern’s Christmas Tree farm on the 20th.  Even the visit was different this year.  I’ve always chosen a flocked tree because it’s a beautiful background to display decorations. Mr. McGovern is getting on in years, so he decided not to flock any trees.  Bobby thought I’d be disappointed but no, for whatever reason this year, I love the idea of a green tree.

With other stuff already scheduled, we have a tentative date to decorate the tree on the 23rd.  As my Mom says, change is good. And, a great opportunity to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

I have a friend from New York City who started a tradition of “soup” nights at his flat. Everyone was so busy, had so many plans, places to go, people to see, (you get the picture) that traditional dinner parties sported revolving doors.  All Arthur wanted was to have people sit down and enjoy meaningful conversation & each other’s company.  Soup nights at Arthur’s are one of my fondest memories.  We would sit down around 8pm and we would leave after 3am–time disappeared as we easily shared short stories from our lives.

When I sit down for Thanksgiving this year with my parents & my husband, we’ll enjoy the food & wine, but it will be a backdrop for storytelling.  A short story has lots of details that allow the listener to “see” the experience.  It’s a lost art in some circles.  Storytelling creates an atmosphere of discovery, brings laughter, and infuses our imagination.  Just watch a young child being read a story.

I’m looking forward to encouraging story telling & laughter.  An added bonus is that those pesky differences of opinion that pop up regarding current events, politics, etc., don’t come up; because we have more important things to talk about.

*This is a page from a scrapbook I made for my Dad. (Photos from their China trip.) There’s always plenty of stories to tell!

Slowing down at the holidays seems like an oxymoron, but actually, I think it’s more congruent with the holiday spirit than all the rushing around we do in the modern age.

Have you noticed that the characters in the best old holiday movies seem to move in slow motion?  They have all the time in the world — to bake, sing carols around the piano, take the family out to chop down the Christmas tree, make gifts for charity, etc.

The only way I can make this my reality it to decide it is my reality. Of course, I have a new book to promote, a busy business to run, and a family to care for, so how do I slow down?  Here’s some tips:

• Take time off from work whenever possible.  This is the slow season for many people so take advantage of it.  Look at your sick, vacation and personal days and use them.  Choose not to let it stress you out.  Take a few half days if that’s easiest.  It will feel really good to leave work at lunch and take the afternoon off!
• Do the things that make you happy.  Learn to smile graciously and say, sorry, can’t do it (when you don’t want to do something).
• Cancel if necessary.  If you have a conflict, you have a conflict.  Be nice, but learn to take care of your needs first. (Don’t waste time feeling guilty!)
• Tell people you’ll get back to them after the New Year if you have no time/interest in spending holiday time doing whatever they want you to do.
• Decide exactly how you want to spend your time and stay true to yourself.

If you are looking for me this holiday season,  I’ll be in my kitchen baking, decorating the house, going out for drinks, lunch & dinner with friends, making gifts and shopping, cuddling with Hubby with movies and popcorn, and going to holiday parties. Cheers!

These crushers are ubiquitous in wine regions.  I wish I had one for my yard.  This is a beautiful display in front of one of my favorite Pinot Noir producers in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma.