A few more things to be thankful for...

I need to get a move on with my list.  Here are a few more things I am thankful for...(20/100)

1. Having Sunday and Mondays off from work.  I love the weekend day but I also love being able to get stuff done when everyone else is at work.
2. Flannel bed sheets- um hello it is going to be 19 degrees tonight.
3. Glitter- No I am not reaching here nor am I referring to that horrible movie by Mariah Carey.  I  am referring to nice sparkly timny shards ofmetal.  Glitter is great, the world is a better more beautiful place because of glitter!
4. Facebook!- Though some would beg to differ I think it is a great way to stay in touch in the fast moving world, market our business, and to procrastinate (which is what I am doing now by making this list)
5. LED Christmas lights.  Any way to save money and still be fun and fancy free sounds great to me!

Get Geared up for the Trail

Even though it is totally lame to wear a shirt of the band your going to see in concert, it is not a faux-pa to wear a wine shirt on the Shawangunk Wine Trail.  The shirts are fun, silly, and great for photo opps.  Give one as a gift this holiday season- I dare you.

http://www.cafepress.com/gunkswine

The Nutcracker!

I am huge fan of the Nutcracker production.  My mom would take me every year to go see this when I was a child.  I may need to drag someone with me this year because it is going to be performed by the New Paltz Ballet company at UPAC in Kingston! (December 11 & December 12)

Check out the link below for all details on dates, cost, times, etc.

http://www.upac.org/event_info.php?id=409&venue=bardavon

Wreath Fineries- Shawangunk Wine Trail- Last Weekend Coming up

Well, it appears I dropped the ball on this one.  The Wreath Fineries event started on Saturday, November 20 and is hosting its last weekend this coming weekend.  I have participated in this event several times and loved it!  

If you are not sure what it is I can explain.  The Wreath Fineries event is all about winery hopping basically.  You pay a fee in advance and let them know what winery you are starting at.  When you arrive at the winery you will receive a wine glass for tastings, a grape wreath and your first holiday ornament for the wreath.  As you travel along to a new winery you collect an ornament from them and add them to your wreath.  It is a great way to experience a whole bunch of wineries in the area, support local businesses, buy holiday gifts (not just wine), and have fun with your friends and family. 

I would recommend it to all wine drinkers and non wine drinkers (because you will need a sober driver).  Please check out the links below for pricing and "rules" they enforce on the trail.  Very large groups are frowned upon at certain wineries because they have a small tasting area. 

We had a negative experience at Applewood Winery once, very rude ladies there, but otherwise the rest of the wineries are really cool.

Happy Holidays, Cheers!

http://www.shawangunkwinetrail.com/Wreath.htm

http://wreathfineries6.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

O Tannenbaum...

So, I got to experience cutting down my own Christmas tree today.  What a thrill it was!  I didn't actually do the sawing but the whole experience was pretty cool!  We traveled out to Bell's Christmas Tree Farm in Accord, NY.  Just a few miles in from 209.  The drive in alone was a build up.  The closer we got to Bell's the more and more cars we drove past with bundled Christmas trees tied to the roof of their car. Then we saw their main sign and the property.  

It was so perfect.  Just a little background on me, I do have a fascination with farms.  I am not sure where it comes from but I love them.  They had the big red barn, young cows not caged in wandering around the grounds, and fields and fields of a wide variety of Christmas Trees.  They had their little hut/house for wreaths and other holiday wares.  The BBQ house on wheels was there from our town- Kerhonkson!.  It was great to see the two local business supporting each other. However, I was too occupied with the experience of getting the tree.  We pulled right up, nice and close.  I always have to park close, I think it is the Long Islander in me.  As soon as we got out of the car I was captivated by the smell of all the trees.   inhaled one giant breath and was so ready and excited.  I said to Matt how nice the trees smelled and he responded back with yes the trees smell, or something like that.  Just as he said that an annoying young teenage couple walked past and heard him and made a sarcastic comment to each other about us.  I could clearly hear them so I of course couldn't resist and vocally emphasized what they were saying so they could hear me.  The young man didn't notice but the girl did and got in her car quick.  I know, I wasn't spreading holiday cheer but they were ruining my moment.  Matt refers to those moments as my Long Island Breakouts.  Anyway, I quickly forgot about them as we walked right up to where all the hustle and bustle was taking place. I wasn't going to let them ruin my fun. 

Kids were drinking hot cocoa, couples picking up their saws, all the employees were busy doing something.  They were either shaking trees (which I didn't know was done), wrapping trees in the cool machine, or handing out sleighs.  We were greeted right away and directed as to what to do.  Matt and I of course missed the large sign as to how much cut your own trees cost and went right for the saws, got our sleigh, and were on our way.

Walking in a field of "Christmas Trees" is pretty cool.  There were so may varieties, shapes, and sizes.  Just as we got into the thick of it it started to snow.  It made the whole thing even more special.  There was another family wandering around that didnt' seem to be having as much fun as us.  they were giving each other the death stare, harsh tone, and ended up walking on seperate sides of the field eventually.  Thankfully Matt and I didn't have that kind of experience.  Searchig for a tree is interesting.  I can say now that I am at home how much smaller the trees seem when you are out in the field compared to how much space they really fill in your home.  Matt found a great tree and we settled on it.  He did all the sawing and the dragging of the tree too but it was a team effort overall, sure ha ha! 

The tree cost $43.  It was a bit high in cost but we really wanted to support a local farm and they were very nice and accommodating so whatevs.  They charge you $1 if you want to shake them to shake your tree- they put it in a machine and it shakes off a bunch or excess branches, grass, etc. and another $1 for bundling it.  We opted out of the shaking but had it bundled. 

I had read that you get a free hot cocoa at Bell's but as were were leaving we didn't see a sign and I am that person that hates asking people for things so we just put the tree on the car, tied it up and were on our merry way. 

The only thing I would recommend to Bells's is maybe to have a Santa at the farm or a sleigh for some cute photo ops, otherwise the whole thing was great.  The farm was a nice thing to do during this fantastic holiday season.

If you are a fake tree person, I understand.  I grew up with a fake tree and didn't have a real tree until 5 years ago.  But if you ever get the inspiration or motivation to get a real tree go to tree farm it is really worth it.