Liberty Creek Wines

I decided to try Liberty Creek wine because the register at the grocery store spit out a couple $2 off coupons.  Coupons for wine are a novelty so I went in search of it.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the bottle - 1.5 liters, which is called a Magnum.  It is double the size of a standard wine bottle.

The second thing I noticed was the shelf price - $6.99.  Wait, what?  This was not in the section that contained the Franzia and Arbor Mist.  With my coupon, that comes down to $4.99 per bottle.  Now I HAD to buy it.

I chose a Pinot Grigio and a Merlot.  Both tasted nice.  Nice is really the most descriptive word I can use. It is a straight up, no frills table wine.

Both smell pleasant straight out of the bottle.  There is no whiff of alcohol fumes.  Both have mild flavors that are pleasant.  As described by the maker, they have a light finish.

The problem is, both lack anything resembling body.  There is nothing that makes you slow down to sip, savor and think while drinking it.  You could easily chug down a tumbler full of this wine before realizing what you had done, which is not a good idea with the 12% alcohol per volume.

Although there is no Wow-factor, it is nice and I don't have any reason to say it should be avoided.  I'd call it a tall step up from wine cooler, but not something you'd bring as a hostess gift to a formal dinner party.  I can picture it working well for informal settings like summertime parties outdoors or as a stepping stone for a newbie wine drinker.

http://www.libertycreekwine.com

The Express Line

Mark and I made a quick stop at the grocery store as the last in our string of things to do before heading home.  We picked up our six items and went to the open "Express Checkout - 15 Items or Less" line.

There was a woman there, just starting to checkout.  She was well dressed with 'done' hair; older but not elderly.  She had a few things and seemed like it would be quick.  Some of it was fresh produce which required a moment to weigh and type in the code.  The cashier finished and the woman pulled out a coupon.  It wouldn't scan so the cashier typed in the number and the problem was solved.

The new total came up and the woman reached into her purse to pull out a checkbook.  She put that down and dove back in, looking for a pen.  Once she found the pen she carefully filled out the check as if she was a scribe recording a holy document.

At this point, Mark and I looked at each other and tried not to laugh.  It seems like every time we pick what should be the fast route, something happens to slow it down.

The woman finished her check and put away the book and pen.  The cashier waited until the woman looked up again and asked to see ID.  "You need ID?!" she gasped, as if she had never heard of such a thing.  Back into the purse she went until she came up with the ID.

The cashier wrote down some info, then entered it into the register.  S-l-o-w-l-y.  Beep.....beep.........beep beep............beep......  We couldn't help it anymore and cracked up loudly.  The transaction was finally finished but since no one was helping bag the cashier had to do that as well.

The woman went on her way as Mark and I stepped forward.  At this point, there were three other people waiting in line behind us.

Our six items were scanned very quickly and the total popped up on the screen.  Then I handed the cashier three coupons....

Reusing School Papers

A ton of paperwork comes home from school with my kids.  Newsletters, community fliers, activity sheets, lunch menus, etc.  Most of the time one side is blank.  I keep the papers on our 'schedule wall' for as long as the information is relevant.  After it isn't needed, and if it is in good shape, we find new uses for it.

The white paper usually gets stacked by the printer so the blank side can be used for printing non-important things.

Sometimes it is drawn on.  Or turned into a paper airplane.  Or a hat.  Or a sword.  Whatever.

Cutting standard-sized paper into quarters and securing the stack with a binder clip makes the perfect size notepad to put by the phone.  It can lay flat or be hung up by the clip.

I've also made thinner stacks stapled together on the long side for the kids to create their own comic books.  How many pages per book depends on the ability of your stapler.

You can also make multicolored paper chains, blank side facing out.  I suggest using a paper cutter rather than scissors to make the strips.  Forming the chain can keep a kid busy for ages.

Intradermal Flu Shot

I was flipping though an older issue of Good Housekeeping and saw a blurb about "ouchless flu shots" and how the newer Fluzone Intradermal shot uses a very short, thin needle to put the vaccine in your skin instead of into the muscle.   I felt compelled to share an opinion.

This winter, I had the intradermal type shot.  I didn't choose it over the traditional kind, it was just what was available after places ran out of the other.

I don't think regular shots hurt overly much.  The intradermal kind burned like a bee sting.  It itched like crazy for a couple of hours, and remained a raised welt for a week.  It is 3 months later and I still have a very faint bruise-like discoloration at the injection site.

There was no muscle soreness like sometimes happens with a traditional shot, but I'd rather have dealt with that.

Not a fan of Fluzone Intradermal.

Pantry creation - Lunch 8/14

I'm trying to use up food we already have to avoid waste and to have enough empty space to clean the pantry, refrigerator and freezer.

I didn't keep track of the amounts for the most part.  Made in one 3 quart pot on the stove:

Egg noodles, cooked & drained.
A 12.5 oz can of chunk chicken breast meat in water.  Drained into a dish for the cat.
Butter
Garlic powder
Salt
Parmesan cheese, grated

Also heated up plain frozen green beans to cancel out all that delicious butter and sodium.

It was a hit with the kids; they were in for seconds.