Lovely

My Mom and little nephew came to visit me the week before Thanksgiving. As always, the visit was just about perfect.


Great Food.



Okay, really great food.

And really great adventures with my favorite little guy.
The semester is quickly winding down, and my To-Do List has been growing at a rapid rate. Having my family visit was the perfect little break I needed before getting caught in the whirlwind of December.

Glass House Winery

Glass House is another favorite winery of mine. It's one of those places that I just can't get enough of. It's one of the newer wineries in the area, but what makes it stand out is the beautiful glass house within the winery with its beautiful tropical plants. I mean, really, what's better than drinking a glass of perfectly chilled white wine beneath banana and cinnamon plants?

The winery has a lot going for it other than the glass house, and some pretty delicious wine. One of the owners is a chocolate chef, and each tasting comes with a bit of her homemade chocolate. They are so good, that when my guy and I went there back in August the box of 4 chocolates we purchased didn't even make it to our house. We ate them in the car on the way home. With flavors like salted caramel and early grey tea, saving them for later was more of a challenge than we could stand.

The other selling point? They sell chocolate wine. Not that gross Yoohoo looking stuff, but this beautiful garnet red wine that the chocolate making owner created. Anytime I take someone to Glass House, they are always hesitant to try this one, but after one sip they're converted. It's this beautiful rich red wine with just the tiniest hint of chocolate aftertaste. It is divine.

My Mom is coming to visit me this week, and this is one of the wineries that I can't wait to take her to.

Flu-2, Jill-0

I have had the flu of all flues for the past two weeks. Whatever this Fall bug seems to be, it's hit me hard and hasn't left yet. I haven't had much energy to do much other than zone out on the couch and sleep.

This weekend was the first weekend I was feeling well enough to be upright for long periods of time. Luckily for me this coincided with The Virginia Film Festival and First Fridays.

My wonderful little town had a whole host of events going on including open studios and galleries offering wine, snacks and performance art.

The weather was crisp enough to allow for a trip to the Farmers' Market which was still chock full of veggies.

The weekend ended with a trip to Pippin Hill Winery to sample some of their new sparkling Rose and to listen to music. It was a nice way to welcome myself back to the land of good health.