28 February, 2012  |   2 Comments

Conn Creek’s Premier Napa Valley Party

Paul’s a master party thrower.
He knows what the people want, he delivers.
At this year’s Premier Party, there was an old Hollywood band, perfect lamb chops and a really tasty barrel lot for the sampling.

Premier Party at Conn Creek

My friends came in from all over the country for a little professional/personal collaboration.
(I got really, really sick the next day.)

Premier Party at Conn Creek

Now THAT was a foxy old Hollywood band, with the sexytime lead singers.

Premier Party at Conn Creek

A red carpet between the tanks?
Yes, I’ll walk down that red carpet, with a little better posture.
And a little more swagger.

Premier Party at Conn Creek

Wine between the wine between the vines.

Premier Party at Conn Creek

Gorgeous party, Paul.
You know how to make us feel special

Premier Party at Conn Creek

14 February, 2012  |   1 Comment

St. Valentine’s Day

Celebrate Valentine's Day

We had a good breakfast. Pancakes, strawberry smoothies, whipped cream, eggs and heart shaped bacon.

Valentine's Breakfast

Tiny presents were exchanged and everyone kissed.

Sweethearts

The pinkeyed toddler and the sugargiggy toddler had a day filled with love.
And their parents did too.

Working on that smile

Hope your Valentine’s Day was filled with love. Actively taking the time to LOVE some people is good for all of us.

27 January, 2012  |   1 Comment

The 2011 Bocce Awards

Last night's bocce awards

Every year, our bocce team gathers at the local pizza place to eat, drink and reminisce about the previous season. This year was no different.

Every year, I make an award for each member of our team. For a few years, it was framed certificates, then medallions to hang about the neck.

This year, we went for a more musical attribution.

Each Joanie Loves Bocce teammate received an award and a matching song. I burned the songs on a mix cd. Eleven songs, eleven cds, one for each of member of my favorite bocce team in the whole world.

I put the individual cd covers together on my ferry ride. I may have confused the other commuters with my arts and crafts but I had a lot of fun in the meantime.

Each award mapped nicely to these Mexican loteria cards that I picked up at a local grocery store. (Napa Valley visitor pro tip! For a cheap wine country lunch, stop for tasty tacos at the La Azteca grocery store.)

Lasts night we distributed the awards over pizza and wine with lots of love.
We can’t wait for next year.

I think we’ll make it to playoffs, don’t you?

11 January, 2012  |   Comment

La Condesa and the Muppets

Last Saturday, our friends organized a group trip to see the Muppets at our beloved Cameo Cinema.

First, however, there was brunch.
(There is always brunch.)

La Condesa Muppet Brunch

La Condesa is the latest hangout from a gaggle of hang out spaces in our little town. Locations for other times of the day include Farmstead and Bar Terra.

La Condesa Muppet Brunch

The good La Condesa folks put together our very own brunch menu, and timed it so everyone would have time to get to the movie theater. Better yet, they planned it so everyone who participated just paid a flat fee. Mmm. Brunchease.

La Condesa Muppet Brunch

There was thumb wrestling, children wrestling and lots of unbelievable tacos.

La Condesa Muppet Brunch

Even better?
After the movie, all the merriment was wrapped up by one.
So Sunday was ours.

Brunch it.

19 December, 2011  |   Comment

Ben turns 30.

Happy Birthday BenWe attended a party this weekend thrown by one of the most stylish people I know. A designer and creative style maven, Elyse is director of marketing at a super-posh winery. She knows events, she knows food and gosh darn, she knows lovely.

Happy Birthday Ben

See she and her boyfriend have had a rough few months. Not like that, they’re fine, it’s that they’ve had some trials this year, trials they’ve faced together. The scariest ones. The toughest ones.

So when the man you love turns thirty,
and you’re Elyse,
you blow it out.

Happy Birthday Ben

What made this party run so smoothly was the judicious use of party rentals. From the chairs to the tables to the linens to the glassware (gorgeous!) there’s no way Elyse could have made dinner for 18(!) work by depending on her own resources.

Actually, don’t let me speak for Elyse, there’s no way I could have made it work depending on my own resources.

The menu started with butternut squash soup served with mushrooms.

Happy Birthday Ben

On to the main osso buco. I mean, just look at it.

Happy Birthday Ben

Polenta and marrow and gremolata oh my!

Crowd favorites were roast brussel sprouts and perfectly steamed broccolini.

To play along, make your way to the Napa Valley and eat at our favorite local’s restaurant Cook St. Helena. There you’ll  order their brussels sprouts and they make you swoon.

Happy Birthday BenNaturally she wrapped the whole elegant deal up with a hot diggity chocolate torte.

Elyse, I have no idea how you did it.
But you can color me impressed.

Happy Birthday Ben

I think you can color the kitty impressed too.