That time I stomped Grapes

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Jamie

So lets be honest here.  I live in Sonoma County, adjacent to beautiful Napa Valley, and of course, surrounded by beautiful vineyards and wineries all around town.  When I moved up here exactly a year ago today I knew what I was getting myself into and I fast put “stomping grapes” onto my bucket list.

Stomping-Grapes

Of course, I had to fully wait a full year before that Bucket List item became reality.  This past weekend I attended the annual Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival in the Sonoma Square, and with that, I partook in a Grape Stomping Competition.  Yes folks, my first time stomping grapes happened to be a competition alongside my future Mother in Law.

When we first got up to the stage area, there were 6 buckets aligned together.  Each two person team was assigned a bucket.  We got bucket #6.  One person would be the person in the bucket stomping.  The other person would be the swabber, the person pushing the juice through the screen to fill the bucket up.

Then the Announcer counted down from three and away we went.

grape-stompingI stomped those grapes down, and throughout the 3 minute competition I kept doing my best to push the juice forward to help the swabber out.  After the 3 limit mark we were told to cap the sprout and get out of the buckets.  Then they announced the top 3 winners.

Lo and Behold, with our first attempt at Grape Stomping, we got first out of our heat.  We would be stomping in the finale.  We watched the next few rounds to scout out our competition, and soon the finalist round was up.  This time they had us draw our buckets.  We got #3 (pictured above!)

grapesFor the finalist round they made the competition 4 minutes long, and let me tell you, that extra minute made me that much more tired afterwards.  Away we went and tried our best.  At the end of the day we went home taking 4th place.  We each won a bottle of wine along with 250 Dollars to donate to a local charity (which I think is pretty awesome!)

Each round we got about 5 lbs worth of juice out of the grapes, and grape stomping is a lot harder than it looks!

Have you ever done it?


Categories: Wine | Tags: , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Collect and Cook at Lucky Supermarkets #LuckyMakeMemories

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Jamie

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central for Save Mart Supermarkets. I received Thomas Cookware items to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Thomas-Cookware

I always thought it’d be REALLY awesome if we got rewards the more we stocked up on our groceries, and now we can at Lucky and SaveMarts.  Now through January 20th, 2015, every time we shop for groceries, we can get 1 stamp for EVERY 10 dollars we spend. Collect and Cook as you shop. These stamps go in a little booklet that can be found at Lucky and SaveMart stores where the stamps easily stick on:

lucky-savemarts

Think of all that holiday shopping up ahead!  Trust me, those stamps will be earned.  However, the question is? What exactly will you be earning?

How are your pots and pans doing in the kitchen?  Have you had them since you got married, or when you first moved into your home, and are looking for an upgrade?  Look no further.  At Luckys and SaveMarts, while you shop for groceries, you get the stamps, and you can save up for those pots and pans you are desperately looking for.  Be sure when shopping in the stores to find a display like this where you can find your booklets and also see what the cookware looks like.  I had to play around with them a bit, and am saving up for the Stir Fry Pan myself.

The pots and pans? Thomas Cookware.  I got to try them out at home while I cooked up my favorite batch of lasagna, and I was REALLY impressed with the cookware. And I could instantly tell how high quality they were. See for yourselves below:

Thomas-Cookware

Some of the Pots and Pans you can earn:

Thomas Nonstick Fry Pan 8″ FREE with 70 Bonus Stamps (orig: 39.99)

Thomas Nonstick Fry Pan 10′ FREE with 100 Bonus Stamps (orig: 69.99)

Thomas Nonstick Grill Pan 11″ FREE with 120 Bonus Stamps (orig: 89.99)

Thomas Sauce Pan with Glass Lid 1.5 QT FREE with 80 Bonus Stamps (orig. 49.99)

Thomas Sauce Pan with Glass Lid 2.8 QT FREE with 100 Bonus Stamps (orig. 69.99)

Thomas Casserole Pan with Glass Lid 2.8 QT FREE with 100 Bonus Stamps (orig. 69.99)

Thomas Stock Pot with Glass Lid 8 QT $5.99 with 120 Bonus Stamps (orig. 109.99)

Thomas Nonstick Saute Pan with Glass Lid 3 QT $4.99 with 120 Bonus Stamps (orig. 99.99)

Thomas Nonstick Stir Fry Pan with Glass Lid 4 QT $4.99 with 120 Bonus Stamps (orig. 99.99)

And interested in a fun lasagna recipe that is so easy to make?

lasagnaIngredients:

2 Bags 16 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 16 oz Container Cottage Cheese

1 Package Lasagna Noodles

1 16oz Container Ricotta Cheese

2 Ibs. Italian Sausage

2 Jars Spaghetti Sauce (You Pick!)

Directions:

Fry up your Italian Sausage, set aside.  Pour 1 jar of spaghetti sauce in your lasagna pan.  Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.  Mix together Ricotta and Cottage Cheese and spread over the noodles.  Top with Italian Sausage and Mozzarella Cheese.  Add another layer of lasagna noodles followed by the second jar of spaghetti sauce then top off with more Italian Sausage and Mozzarella Cheese.

Bake at 350 Degrees for 60 minutes.  Let cool down for 20 minutes then serve and enjoy.  It’s always my go to fall recipe.

For more information about Lucky SuperMarkets and the Collect and Cook Program be sure to visit their:

Website

Facebook

Twitter


Categories: Campaigns, Cooking | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Protect Yourself from a Security Breach! Here’s How

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Jamie

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of LifeLock.  All Opinions are my own.

This past year has been quite the year from some of our favorite retailers such as the Holiday security breach at Target  to the recent security breach that occurred at the Home Depot.  It’s pretty scary when these happen.

As a person that often shops at both of these retailers, I know how important it is to keeping your identity safe.  But the question is, do you actually know what things to keep an eye out for? I know last December, I got more skeptical about utilizing my debit card, and soon began carrying more cash on me including walking into the Gas Station to pay for my gas. BUT, things still happen.  Luckily, LifeLock has come out with a few tips to help us with what to do during a security breach:

 

  • Monitor your transactions: Keep an eye on the activity on your credit and debit card accounts, looking for any charges that don’t seem to be yours. We SHOULD be doing this on a daily basis, and know exactly what purchases we’ve been making.  For me, a little over a year ago, I caught a purchase at a Walmart for 150 dollars.  The key? The Walmart was located in Arizona, no where near California.

 

  • Report suspicious transactions immediately: If you see a card transaction—even a small one—that doesn’t look right, contact the card issuer immediately. The phone number is on the back of your card. They will look into it for you, and more than anything send out a new card to protect your account.

 

  • Order a new debit card: If you believe your debit card number was compromised, don’t wait for fraudulent charges to start appearing on your statement. Request a new card from your bank. This way, you reduce the chances of a criminal depleting your bank account, and you avoid potential challenges in recovering your funds. Credit cards offer more protection and less risk because funds are not directly withdrawn from your bank account as they are with a debit card. Be Proactive! You just never know.

 

  • Follow the story: Whenever a security breach happens, be sure to keep a close eye on the investigation.  The recent Home Depot breach, an investigation is still under way, however, more information can be found here.

 

  • Consider using an identity protection service: LifeLock provides identity protection products and services you can count on. In fact, with LifeLock Advantage™ and LifeLock Ultimate Plus™, we can help you detect fraudulent activity with alerts for cash withdrawals, balance transfers and large purchases within our extensive network.

I’ve been utilizing LifeLock for the past 2 months now, and let me tell you, it makes me secure knowing they are watching, and if any changes happen, I am notified RIGHT away.  Having that extra protection helps me feel secure financially and when a security breach does happen, I also know I will be protected.

Be sure to visit the LifeLock Site for more information, and to purchase the service.  It will make a difference in your life. For you, my lucky readers, LifeLock is offering 10% with code: breachwatch
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