Sinister: A Scary Good Example of Plot
Are you like me? Do you show off how much you love scary movies like you’re so badass brave? But then when it comes time to watch them, you’re the one who’s like “Guys, let’s keep the light on. Somebody might need to get up and use the restroom, and I don’t want anyone to stub a toe!”
I admit I do this a lot. And then I spend the next week sleeping with the TV on and maybe a lamp (or two) to convince my overactive imagination the characters in the movie won’t suddenly show up in my bedroom. he he.
Last night I begged my boyfriend to watch the movie Sinister. The movie stars Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Training Day) as a true crime writer who moves his family into the crime scene home of his current work. Finding a box of 8mm home movies, he uncovers a series a murders that may be too close to home – literally.
This. Movie. Freaked. Me. Out.
But – the plot was amazing!
Early in the film we learn what our protagonist’s normal world is like. The Oswalts are moving into their new home when the Sheriff pulls up to the house. Ellison (Hawke) walks out to meet him, as his wife berates him to act nice. With just a few lines of dialogue we learn that Ellison’s previous books have caused quite a stir, and most people are reluctant to help the family. A fact that is even more difficult for their children, who have been getting picked on at school for their father’s subject matter.
Ellison’s wife: “Just promise me we didn’t move in two houses down from a crime scene.”
Ellison: “I promise.”
They moved in to the EXACT house where the crime took place.
Right from the get go, the viewer knows the family is stressed out and uncomfortable with the move. We know Ellison lied to his wife and kids about the history of their new home. And we know the police are not going to help them. They are on their own.
The next day at breakfast the Oswalts establish their house rules. Dad’s office must be kept locked at all times. They don’t want their young children wandering in where he could have photos of the deceased laying out. We now know that the kids cannot get in that room.
What Ellison finds next is the box of home movies that’s been left in the attic. As he watches each film, he witnesses the murder of the families in each video. And in every instance, one of the children is missing. As he rewatches them, he sees a gory looking man in the reflections or background of the film.
We meet our villain.
As the movie unfolds, Ellison gets closer and closer to piecing together what links these gruesome murders. But our villain and the missing children get closer to Ellison as well.
Every night, Ellison is waking up to the sound of the projector running in his office. The office that remains locked. He hears noises in the attic and footsteps around the house, but he never can find what’s there.
Are you creeped out yet?
At this point I was cowering behind my boyfriend’s body and periodically checking behind me.
Our rising action occurs as the paranormal activity heightens. Ellison’s son is having night terrors. They find him screaming from inside a cardboard box, and later outside in the bushes. Ellison’s daughter is painting pictures of one of the missing children. And Ellison thinks he saw the bad guy in his yard.
Every good main character needs a wise friend. A teacher, a best friend, a voice of reason. Frodo had Sam. Sherlock had Watson. Sandy had Frenchie. 
For Ellison, he connects with Jonas, a professor of the occult, who helps him discover the meaning of the symbol that appears in every video. What he learns will only add to his fears.
I don’t want to create spoilers for anyone who wants to watch the movie, but I’m telling you this was a great film for illustrating conflict and high risk in the plot!
And I loved the premise. What could be a better set up than a true crime author moving into a crime scene and thinking it would not affect his family. Of course it will! You’re living, eating, breathing, sleeping in your body of work. There is no escape. And as Ellison dives further into his research, the world around him becomes too real and much too close for comfort.
There is a great little twist in the end as well, but you’ll have to see it to believe it!
Are you putting this movie on your must see list? Do you need to borrow my night light? You can have it sometime next week when I’m sleeping again.
Local Vampire Attack Causes News Headlines
If you thought small towns were boring…
On Tuesday, May 13th, a vampire attacked a group of musicians in my town.
True story.
A man by the name of Scott Mehtala, 23, claimed he was a vampire when being arrested for assault and battery charges against guitarist, Nik Slimp.
Slimp’s band, American Fangs, had been playing in the local La Crosse Center, which Mehtala described as filled with “normals.” A “normal” is anyone who is not a vampire. In case you needed clarification.
After the show, Mehtala picked up a barricade and hurled it through the band’s tour bus window. When confronted by the guitarist, Mehtala punched him in the face. Slimp is reported to have a chipped tooth and required stitches. No confirmation has been made whether he was turned into a vampire or not. But if so, I suspect the chipped tooth is going to make dinner a messy one.
Police picked up Mehtala, who was high on heroin truthfully, and suffering from vampire attacks that were imaginary. Claiming the headlining band, Hollywood Undead, was actually a group of vampires forcing him to act out destructive behaviors like rip off a side mirror of a random vehicle.
flickr image courtesy Mrs Inman
The vampires made me do it…
New paranormal trend unearthed as Mehtala reportedly kept whispering to the police “Where are your tattoos?” No previous information about the fad of vampire inking is yet known.
Fortunately for Mehtala, if a vampire attack was to ensue, he confessed to police that his “super human hearing” would save him. He would be back in tip top shape in no time.
All he needed was a nap.
For the full article in the La Crosse Tribune click here.
What do you think? Is La Crosse, Wisconsin the new Mystic Falls? Should I start stocking up on garlic and wood stakes?
And where ARE your tattoos?
How Does Tarot Work? And Can it Make Me Happy?
It’s Mystic Monday today for the Guinea Pig Diaries and I’m pleased to welcome paranormal writer and Tarot reader, Kirsten Weiss sharing how and why Tarot can make you happier! Thank you, Catie Rhodes, for introducing us! Kirsten did a reading for me last week, and it was very reassuring. Take it away, Kirsten!
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Several years ago, I was at a low point in my life and I went for a tarot reading at a fortune teller’s café. It was just for fun. I’ve been reading tarot cards unprofessionally for over fifteen years now, so I can read for myself. But I wanted to hear what someone who didn’t know me had to say.
The reader told me I’d go on a trip in mid-May and I’d meet someone. Maybe it was because I was watching for it, but I did go on a trip in mid-May. And yes, I did meet someone special.
So does tarot work as a self-fulfilling prophecy? A sort of psychic placebo effect? Or is it something else?
The Hanged Man Card from the 15th Century Visconti Sforza tarot deck. In Renaissance Italy, traitors were hanged upside down so it’s also known as the Traitor.
There are lots of theories about the origins of tarot, but the earliest known tarot decks were born in Renaissance Italy, and used in the game Tarocchi. What makes a tarot deck special is its fifth suit – called the trumps or Major Arcana. These are the cards most of us are familiar with from movies – the Lovers, Death, the Hanged Man. Tarot expert Robert Place speculates these trump cards were modeled on the Italian “triumph” morality parades of that time period.
The other four suits, called the Minor Arcana, are close to what you’d see in a deck of “normal” cards, though the court cards are a bit different. Tarot decks have four court cards per suit: King, Queen, Page or Princess, and Knight.
So how does it work?
Jung wrote about tarot: “[The images] are sort of archetypal ideas, of a differentiated nature, which mingle with the ordinary constituents of the flow of the unconscious, and therefore it is applicable for an intuitive method that has the purpose of understanding the flow of life, possibly even predicting future events, at all events lending itself to the reading of the conditions of the present moment.” So perhaps tarot allows us to tap into our subconscious understanding of what’s happening, to invoke synchronicity into our lives, and predict things at a deeper level?
Some readers treat tarot as a complex Roschach test, asking questions that lead the client to interpret their own cards. This can open up your hidden assumptions and beliefs, and force you to think outside your usual patterns. But is it future telling?
The Hermit from the 15th Century Viscontin Sforza tarot deck.
We tend to live in the same patterns over and over. Frankly, it’s not hard to guess someone’s future when we so often repeat the past. What if, however, we could use tarot to understand our patterns, and to break them?
And then there are some people (not me) who use the cards as a conduit for their own psychic connection. I even heard of one psychic who reads the cards face down. She intuits their meaning without having to look at them.
No matter how it works, in the hands of a good reader, a tarot reading can give a person clarity, direction, and hope, as that tarot reader did for me so long ago. It takes us outside of our regular thought processes, forces us to look at our lives through a new lens – the lens of a deck of 78 cards.
Frankly, I don’t care if tarot is “magic” or not. There’s something soothing about shuffling the cards, laying them out, puzzling out what they’re “saying.” And they’re simply beautiful.
About the Author:
Kirsten Weiss runs the Tarot Card of the Day for the @ParaYourNormal twitter feed and is the author of the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mysteries: the urban fantasy, The Metaphysical Detective, The Alchemical Detective, and The Shamanic Detective. Book four in the series, The Infernal Detective, will be available May 21st on Amazon.
Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.
Kirsten, thank you so much for sharing your personal connection to Tarot with all of us. I had no idea how open the cards were for interpretation and like you said, how they can be an insightful tool, like journaling or blogging is for others; it can show us how we’ve grown and what’s possible. You’re right, that is beautiful!
See more of Kirsten on Twitter and catch her newest book trailer for The Infernal Detective!
Twentysomethings: The Defining Decade?
*This post was originally published through the Life List Club Blog on April 27, 2012. Thought it was time for another discussion.
I was driving home one night listening to my guilty pleasure, Wisconsin Public Radio, and the topic for the evening really stunned me. The radio host, Joy Cardin, was speaking with Dr. Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist who specializes in adult development especially twentysomethings.
Dr. Jay is the author of The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now. Dr. Jay works as an assistant clinical professor at the University of Virginia and keeps a private practice as well. Interacting with so many college students and recent graduates, she noticed the hits and misses my generation was making time and time again.
When asked why she wrote the book, Dr. Jay said she’s trying to make an impact on the 50 million twentysomethings who are looking for guidance in their lives while still being treated like an adult.
So why are the twenties so defining?
- 80% of life’s most defining moments take place before the age of 35.
- 70% of lifetime wage growth happens in the first 10 years of a career.
- More than half of us are married or living with our longterm partners.
- Our fertility rates peak in our twenties.
- And our brains do their last growth spurt in our twenties.
If you had the same reaction I did, you’re probably thinking, “Sweet God, it’s all over! I may as well start digging my grave, drop down in it, along with my unfinished book, my birth control pills, and any other unfulfilled dreams while we’re funeralizing!”
*****
Fear not! Dr. Jay says Never Give Up.
She does emphasize that my generation is in the midst of some crucial crossroads and the decisions we make now CAN AND DO impact the rest of our lives.
She talks about “identity capital” which she defines as the collateral you build up so when you go in for an interview the person looks at your resume and says “Oh that’s interesting, tell me more about that!” We know we’re in an economic crisis right now. The job market is not ideal. The Veteran Generation is staying employed longer in need of more stability, and yet year after year more college graduates are flooding the market. We’ve got all four generations competing and cohabiting the workforce. Ages 20 – 70+.
Many of us twentysomethings opted for an alternative route. I’m sure all of you know someone who decided to take time off, travel the world, date around, etc. Dr. Jay’s concern with some of these routes is that for those individuals they’re having a harder time trying to get back on track whether it’s the job field or family planning. Employers start to look at your resume and think “hmm, you really haven’t done too much” and the person that stands out is the twentysomething who jumped right in and planned their career path just like an adult, setting goals or achieving higher degrees, whatever it might be.
In regards to family planning, she wants twentysomethings to be aware of fertility information. Women’s fertility peaks at 28. What she tends to hear from the twentysomethings she counsels, is so many of them spend time in cohabitation with a partner or spouse for 4-5 years before they realize that maybe that relationship should have only lasted a year.
Now, I will totally say that family planning is a personal choice! And Dr. Jay agreed. What she wants is for us to have the facts about fertility so we are thoughtful in planning who our partners are as well as when we want to start having children because the health risks are increased the later into the 30′s you are.
That being said, I may have ran in from the car, found Joe, and screamed something like, “We have to start having babies now, my fertility is peaking!!! What are we doing with our lives??!”
So then he said, “You’re not allowed to listen to the radio anymore…”
Our generation is at its peak for adaptation. If there is something you are unhappy about in life, or you’re wanting to make changes, then do it! We have the capability to transform and rise to the occasion.
When I graduated from college, I started having anxiety attacks. I panicked about “what I wanted to do with the rest of my life!” I fell in suit and took the first full time job that came my way. I worked all the time, and was too exhausted to pursue my writing or hang out with friends. You know what, I got really sad and really bored real fast! It’s been an ongoing process to change. While I’ve done well for myself career-wise, I quickly learned that what makes me happy is writing and travel, and if I was going to get that back in my life that meant change!
So, three years ago I started blogging! And I met amazing writers and readers online! Through them, I got involved with some writing contests and critique groups. I also saved up my money and used my vacation time to attend writing conferences and travel around the world.
There is hope! And it’s never too late! All of us can define the decade we’re living in!
So what are you waiting for?! What’s on your life list?
What do you think about Dr. Jay’s theory and your 20′s being the Defining Decade? Are you currently in your 20′s? Would you do anything differently if you could go back? What advice do you have for a new adult in their 20′s, or for parents raising a 20-somthing?
The DFWcon Stalkathon
Hey y’all! I’ve spent my weekend in Texas and picked up a twang courtesy Julie Glover, my DFW Writers Conference roommate. I suppose that’s better than the “Canadian vernacular” that Tiffany White thinks I have. 
When stalking agents, editors, and keynote speakers at a conference, it’s good to remember a few tips.
1. Be stealthy.
Sneaking in and out of circles, cocktail parties, and classes requires stealth. The best masterminds always used gloves. Or so Jenny Hansen and Gloria Richard tell me.
Enter Handerpants.
Handerpants are gloves that look like underwear. These will keep you fashionably comfortable, because it’s important to breath…down there. I’m talking about Texas, y’all! Get your mind outta the gutters!
Best part (or not so best part – depending on your fancy) is one size fits all!
Like Oh My God, check out these awesome Handerpants!
2. Bring a bouncer.
Crowds can be overwhelming for writers. And if you find yourself swarmed by people, and you have to go to the bathroom really really bad, it’s good to have a bouncer or bodyguard to scare people out of your way. Julie and I found ourselves a grrrreat one!
(photo courtesy Donna Newton)
3. Feelin’ Lonely? Trust in the Strength of a Good Man!
Let’s face it, we women are completely in over our heads when it comes to writing. What would we talk to an agent about??? How to get make up stains out of your blouse? What color pearls go best with what appliance? Book writing is too dern hard! At the end of the day, we just want our man to sit down at the dinner table.
Meet Nigel “Schnookums” Blackwell
Look! See how the women flock to his side!
Nigel is having a “Paris Love Match” with Tameri Etherton and Jenny Hansen! Scandalous!
4. Break the ice with a good old fashioned joke.
Everyone loves to laugh.
No, really they do. Who have you ever heard say, “You know what?” asked Mildred, “I think laughter is abominable!”
If you have heard that, you should probably not bring Mildred to the writers conference. Or your birthday party. Or the movies. Or anywhere there are people.
We know how to do it! Rachel Funk Heller‘s sides are still hurting from Jenny’s and my comic genius!
5. Travel in packs – that’s how nature’s best predators do it!
I once read in 3rd grade that a lion can leap a 3.5 meter fence with a whole cow in its jaws! Imagine what a whole herd could do!
Tameri Etherton can film an entire movie with nothing but a marble, a seesaw, and a Dixie cup.
Debra Kristi fights crime on the streets of California while baking cookies for her kids’ school fundraiser.
My superpower is laser vision that detects any and all bugs in the room within the first 5 minutes of entering.
Diana Beebe has the most beautiful singing voice, and all who hear it instantly adopt a shelter dog.
Melinda VanLone is secretly a fairy queen, running her magic mafia in the basement of an abandoned pizzeria.
and Nicole Grabner is the fashion stylist for both Lady Gaga and Grumpy Cat, neither of which look good in leggings.
That’s all for today folks! Tune in Friday for more DFWcon Stalkathon!
What are your best tips for conference attending? What do you do if you DON’T have handerpants in your purse?
I Might Need An Intervention: When Brand Loyalty Becomes a Problem
Hey Friends! I’m beyond thrilled to welcome my special guilty pleasures guest today for her debut on the Happiness Project! Please give a warm welcome to Renee Schuls-Jacobson and her guilty obsession with HAIR!
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Since the 8th grade, I have had a love-hate relationship with my hair. I love being able to hop out of the shower and just towel off and go, but I never feel I really look polished enough when it counts.
Over the years, I have stretched and pulled, given myself deep conditioning treatments and slept in bandanas: each curl pressed flat and curing overnight in V-05 in an attempt to give myself straight, swingy hair: the kind of hair I always saw girls toss across their shoulders and catch in one hand before they laid down on their towels in their bikinis. I wanted Farah Fawcett’s hair. Or the hair from the “Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific” commercials.
Instead, I got long, curly hair that morphed into a frizzy pyramid if combed or touched. The rules were clear. Never touch my hair once it dried.
Seriously, sometimes it looks like this!
I’ve posted pictures of myself on my blog.
Usually, I am wearing a hat.
But occasionally I have shared other photos. Confession: these pix were usually taken immediately after I saw Michael, my hair guy. Because Michael knows how to make my hair behave. But I can only afford to look like a glamour-girl once every nine weeks.
The rest of the time, I’m on my own.
Many years ago I fell in love with a hair care product. You know the good ones? The ones that are on the top shelf? Or at eye-level? Yeah. Well, now drop your eyes about two shelves down.
Now go lower.
My senior year in high school, I discovered paradise in an aerosol can. In 1985, a magical white foam gave my hair manageability. After just two {maybe three} dollops, my hair was perfect. And by perfect, I mean it did not move. Sometimes my hair was crunchy. I didn’t care. It never frizzed again.
A few months back, I noticed my mousse had been out of stock for a while.
Eventually, I got jittery and decided to inquire.
“I don’t think we’re getting that brand anymore,” replied a heavy-set woman at the front desk, her hair knitted into tight braids.
Hurrying home, I parked myself in front of the computer, prepared to conduct my own Internet search.
By then, I was getting low on my stuff.
I found my junk mousse at drugstore.com marked with a red asterisk.
I scrolled down to figure out what that bit of red meant.
Ohmyholyno.
I didn’t think it could happen again. They did this to me in the 1970s with “Pink Lilac in Love” fingernail polish. It was the best color in the whole world. Don’t even try to Google it. It won’t come up. It isn’t even on Wikipedia. But I remember when my favorite color disappeared. You know what happened? I stopped wearing nail polish.
Years later, Gabriel Cosmetics discontinued their ZuZu Luxe lipstick in Uber. You guys, I bought the last 10 tubes; that’s how much I loved that stuff. I rationed carefully so as to make sure I had one tube left to use for my son’s bar mitzvah back in June of 2012. I have long since finished that tube and continue to search for the right lip color. I haven’t found it. Not yet.
But we are talking about hair now. How could they discontinue my mousse? I actually made an appeal to the makers of Condition 3-in-1 Maximum Hold Mousse. I begged them. Please, I’ve been using it for 30 years.
Please, don’t screw with my mousse.
I was instructed to purchase as many cans as I could afford.
I ordered 20 cans. And then I ordered 20 more. When my friend came up to visit from Florida, she brought me another 10 cans. Can you imagine? She checked a bag filled with mousse for me, you guys. Because she has a curly-haired daughter, and she understood my plight. She knows I have tried eleventy-three skillion other brands and that nothing else works.
So it’s official: this former clutter consultant is now a hoarder.
About 47 more to go. Is that wrong?
I plan to hold onto my remaining bottles of mousse for as long as possible because I have yet to find an alternative.
And here’s the worst thing. I kill about two cans of this stuff a month. That’s 24 cans a year. I’ve got two years’ worth of product stashed here.
Unless the chemicals inside break down, which I’m told, they might.
It’s looking grim, people.
Eventually, the jig is going to be up.
And then where will I be?
Why do manufacturers do this to us? Make us fall in love with their products and then discontinue them?
What items have you loved and lost? And seriously, if any of you curly-girlies out there have suggestions about what to do about my impending frizz, please let me know.
• • •
Catch more of Renee on these Social Media Sites! She’s one of my favorite writers to stalk follow! I heart you, Renee! Thanks for being a part of the Happiness Project!
@rasjacobson – on Twitter
Blog: http://rasjacobson.com
Beer, Wine and Cheese Festival – Part 4: The Festival
Welcome back to the fourth and final installment of our Beer, Wine and Cheese Festival! As promised, I said I’d take you on a tour of a real, live festival! That’s just ahead, but if you’re still in the mood for tasting, please visit!
We’ve a fine selection of beers here.
Twelve of the tastiest wines here.
And six different cheeses you’ll want to add to your shopping cart here.
You can also prep for your next party by picking out your favorite wine accessories or learning How to Host a Tasting!
Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine, and Cheese Festival
This past weekend I attended the Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine, and Cheese Festival in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Being the second day so far this year where temperatures climbed to a nice 70°, the festival was packed! Held on the historic Oktoberfest grounds, the festival hosted a Wine Trail tent, three different beer tents, and a smattering of greasy and grilled cheeses to fill your gut!
Yes, that’s a picture of me wearing a pretzel necklace. It was made by my festival attending friend, Cat, and it’s an accessory I highly suggest you don should you attend a festival like this. The festival lasts for 3 hours and if you’re planning on walking out of there on your own two feet, you’re gonna need some food at some point!
There was live bluegrass music, a food and shopping tent, and good times had by all! Now in its 11th year, the number of attending breweries has increased from 11 to 70 different vendors! Many of them local to Wisconsin, however some were national brands such as California’s Barefoot Wines and Louisiana’s Abita Brewing Company. The food and shopping tent had t-shirts and beer gloves aplenty, but what we hit up were the jalapeno cheddar brats and some fresh Wisconsin fried cheese curds! Mmmm
Jess’s Video Making Debut!
Ok, this part requires a little introduction. First off, I’ve never made a video before, and it was REALLY really loud at the fest grounds, so hopefully you can here what little info I share. But mostly you should know that because I’d been drinking for almost an hour when we started taping these clips, that my “reporting” skills are practically nonexistent. But hey, welcome to the festival!
Riveting live action reporting, isn’t it folks? Well, I’ve got good news and bad news: the good news is there’s a closing statement video in which I give directions around the festival that slightly resemble the ones Scarecrow gave Dorothy in Oz. And then the bad news is I couldn’t get my actual interview with some festival attendees to upload here, so if you’d like to see the interview, please bounce over to Facebook where I’ll share the video on my page! The gentlemen offered their favorite drink choices and how best to enjoy the festival as a new attendee.
Thanks guys!
How was your weekend? Did you wear a pretzel necklace? Would you like to? They’re delicious!
Can’t wait to hear how you all spent your weekends! See you in the comments section.
How to Host a Wine Tasting
Hey folks! I’ve been doing a lot of tastings at my place lately, so this guilty pleasure post is all about how to host a tasting! Whether it’s sampling new beers, wines or cheeses, hosting a tasting can be a really fun party idea you can do at home!
This post will focus on a wine tasting, but you can adapt it to really any food or drink you’d like to sample. Let’s get started!
How to Host a Great Tasting!
1. Try New Things! You may be holding yourself back by thinking you have to know about everything you serve at a tasting, but you DON’T! It’s part of the fun of trying new things – and everyone can do it together! So if there’s a brand or a flavor you’ve been meaning to try, this is the perfect time to get one…or more!
2. Keep Your Snacks Simple If you’re spending money on nice bottles of wine, you don’t need to go over-budget on snacks too. You can make a few snacks seem much larger by adding in more condiments. Thus, you have more ways to mix and match your munchies! If I’m serving wine, whether it’s just Joe and I or a bunch of guests, we have cheese and crackers and usually a few different spreads. Various jams and jellies, mustards, or other spreads can added in to the crackers and/or cheese for new flavors. We also put out a dish of nuts and dried fruit, like craisins, which act as palette cleansers.
3. Create Fun Choices Allow guests fun options like choosing their glass or wine charm. If you don’t have different ones, you could still make up some fun with creative name tags or printing a tasting sheet where guests create their own rating system! “I give this wine three classy cork tops!” If you’re looking for more wine accessory ideas, you can check out my earlier post here.
4. Do Some Research. Want to sound like the blokes you hear in wineries? Select your wine choices and look up their labels online! I learned a lot about the wine-making process and how to classify the notes and aromas in wine by reading consumer reviews! These fun facts can add to the experience for yourself and guests!
5. Dry to Sweet, White to Red When selecting your wine choices for the night, you’ll want to line up your wines in the best order for tasting. Generally, that is white wines before red and dry to more sweet, both of which will give the palette time to adjust to each new flavor. I like having at least one blush or rose wine to bridge the gap between white and red. You can line up your bottles based on the tidbits you learned online, or from the bottle label too!
6. Teach Your Guests Something About Tasting Besides little wine facts you pick up, you can also teach your guests how to taste like the pros! A true tasting allows the guest to really open their senses to the wine. There is more to wine than just swishing it around the front and back of your mouth. This video gives some quick tips on how to see, smell and taste your wine!
Bon appetit! Enjoy your wine tasting party! Virtual glasses all around!
What are your favorite party planning and hosting tips? Share your favorite party experiences in the comments below, both as a guest and a host! I’d love to hear your ideas!
Beer, Wine and Cheese Festival, Part 3 – The Cheese
It’s the third installment of our Beer, Wine and Cheese Festival as this month’s Guinea Pig Diaries series! If you’re just tuning in, fear not, there’s still plenty to go around! You can learn about beer by going here, and/or about wine by going here!
Today’s post is about a subject which I’m quite fond of: cheese.
Growing up in Wisconsin, this tasty dairy treat comes in all shapes, sizes, consistencies and colors. I wish I could’ve sampled them all and shared with you, but my digestive track would sooo be on strike if I did that. When sampling cheese, moderation is key, but there’s really no better partner for a good beer or wine than a nice, flavorful cheese, is there?
This post won’t even begin to cover all the yummy cheeses out there, but here are 6 kinds my friends and I tried and all agreed, we’d gobble them up again!
Six Tasty Cheeses You’ll Want to Try for Yourself
1. Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs
Creamy and spreadable, this cheese goes amazingly with crackers and I recommend it with Pita Bites Black Olive and Feta crackers. YUM! I was first introduced to this cheese through a Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms appetizer at my Oscar Party, and they were delectable too. Some herb cheeses can be overwhelming in their salty spices and overpower the cheese itself, but this one was downright addicting! I couldn’t stop eating it! It’s light, not too salty, but definitely savory and you’ll want to let it melt across your taste buds!
2. Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil
The second of our soft cheeses we sampled, this brand favorite is the one I buy when I’m looking for a guilty pleasure treat. Organized into perfectly portioned wedges, I dare you to eat just one! This was my first time trying the sun-dried tomato and basil mozzarella and I must say I’m particular to the plain old Swiss one, but this was tasty too. The key flavor is definitely the sun-dried tomato. You won’t really need a flavored cracker with this one, it’s pretty strong on its own, and I think best with pretzels.
3. Crystal Farms Havarti
Not sure how wide-spread the Crystal Farms brand is across the country, but it’s pretty common around here. If you’re a fan of simple, light, medium-soft cheeses that go well with anything, this could be the one for you. The process for making havarti cheese involves washed cheese curd, so the flavor is typically on the subtle side. I think this would be a good cheese to add into your favorite mac and cheese recipe as it’s a comforting flavor. And it complements both sweet and salty sides. We tasted it with wasabi sauce, bavarian mustard and bumbleberry jam!
4. Kerrygold Blarney Castle Gouda
Another brand I seek out to indulge in guaranteed goodness! I highly recommend the Dubliner cheese from this company, but we tried their gouda this time. Joe was a big fan of this one. Smooth and mild, gouda cheese is similar to a havarti in that it’s also made from washed curds, but then it’s placed in a brine solution to age and the amount of time a gouda cheese has aged is what gives it its flavor. This gouda was creamy, despite its solid form, and delicious. It has a slightly sour aftertaste and went best with cracked pepper crackers or a roast beef sandwich. The adventure seekers could throw on some wasabi with it!
5. Market Square Raclette
Raclette cheese is a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese that is most commonly used for melting, but I don’t know if I could wait that long! This crumbly cheese was the standout during our wine tasting and I would say is similar in consistency and taste to a parmesan or romano cheese. It has a little bit of a nutty flavor and was amazing beyond words with jam! To find this particular brand of raclette, you’d need to visit Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin – a popular tourist city with theme parks, shopping and places to eat galore! Market Square features various Wisconsin gift items, but the owners also make their own cheese and offer tastings. Should you find yourself driving through Wisconsin, I encourage you to stop at any number of “Cheese Chalets” and pick up some real Wisconsin cheese!
6. Sartori Bellavitano w/ Merlot
Saving the best for last (in my opinion), if you can find Bellavitano at your grocery store, GET IT! I am quite possibly in love with this cheese, at least my admiration falls deep. Made in Wisconsin, this family-owned and operated brand combines the savory cheddar you love with the boldness of a parmesan and then soaks it in the wine and berry notes you’d find in a merlot. I think the taste of this cheese is a slice of what Heaven would taste like. Again, if you can find it, buy it! Cause I’m not much for sharing when it comes to this cheese.
Those are some of my favorite cheeses, how about yours? Have you tried any of these before? What is the first one you’ll go looking for?
And inquiring minds want to know, if you were a kind of cheese, what kind would you be and what is your best food pairing?
Happy Tasting!
Guilty Pleasures: Wine Accessories
It’s been a fun month this April despite the dreary weather we’ve had in the Midwest. Hosting numerous beer, wine and cheese tastings I feel downright indulgent! And it got me thinking about collections. Collections are guilty pleasures aren’t they? I’m betting I’m not the only one with a growing wine accessory collection.
I’ll Show You Mine, If you Show Me Yours…
Wine Charms -
I think one of the first items I received in my wine collection was a set of wine charms, and since then we’ve accumulated a few more! Wine charms are a fun and unique way of decorating one’s glass so throughout the night, as bottles go, you’ll remember which glass is your glass! Charms can be fun little rings around the stems of glasses, or even stickers meant to easily peel off when the night’s over! Here are a few of our charm sets – lovely gifts courtesy my honey’s mom! Thanks, Sharon!
Wine Stoppers -
If you’re not planning on finishing the bottle off that night, you may want a few wine stoppers on hand. We have some decorative ones, but we also have 2 that act both as a pouring spout and a stopper, which is nice I think for white wines especially. The photo below also shows off our wine aerator. Best used for red wines, an aerator does several things: First and foremost, it allows air back into the wine to show off its aroma and flavor a little faster than just leaving the bottle top open to vent. But it can also come with a strainer and catch any sediment in the bottle so it’s not going in the glass. We really only pull ours out when we’re trying to be fancy.
Wine Bottle Holders -
Ever plan on bringing a bottle of wine to a friend’s house, but feel like you have nothing to safely store the bottle in during travel? I love this little wine sock for that reason! It’s cute and practical when you’re taking your wine on the road! *And I mean that in the most safest of contests, you should always, ALWAYS buckle your wine bottle up when driving.* 
Wine Picnic Ware -
Those that have hung around The Happiness Project for awhile know I like my wine on the go. I’ll just say wine hiking is not for the faint of the heart, and do so at your own risk. Since then, another great gift from my honey’s mom was this portable wine cooler! It comes complete with compass and whistle! You’ll have to ask my Joe how they work because since the last time, he’s in charge now…
Wine in a Box -
Another wine travel aid is wine that comes ready to go – in a box! A fabulous road trip companion, it stores easily in the back seat or trunk, boxed wine does not have to taste like it was aged in a box! Joe and I are particular fans of the Bota Box collection and during hard economic times, this really is the way to go if you’re hosting a party.
Wine (in a box) For the Movies! -
Again, followers of this blog will recognize a little hobby of mine, which is sneaking wine into the movies! Who can afford the monstrous prices of soda these days? I’d rather sneak this little guy in my purse. There are several brands which are good, but being a nerdo for a play on words, I’m a fan of Bandit wine when I play Drinko McSneakery. This wine is best enjoyed with girlfriends, free plastic water cups from the concession stand (hint: do fill with water so as not to look conspicuous and to stay hydrated at the cinema!), and a movie along the lines of Twilight, Breaking Dawn Part 2. Trust me, it will make the movie better!
Those are just a few of my favorite wine accessories! What are some of yours? Do you have a favorite wine charm or stopper? Would you drink wine in a box? It’s getting cool now!
Almost as cool as this…
Why yes, that is a picture of me attending Jurassic Park 3D while wearing a Dinosaur hat. Jealous?!
Until next time, happy weekend everyone!
