Barcelona Meets Mendoza: Wine Dinner

Last week (Wednesday 3/13) I had the pleasure of attending Barcelona Wine Bar’s latest wine dinner at their West Hartford location – La Vendimia de Mendoza. Funny enough, it fell on the same day that the new pope – from Argentina – was chosen! Fancy that.

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The moment I arrived I knew it’d be a wino’s dream evening. The menu listed SIX different wines that we’d be sampling. Keep in mind the event came with food too, and only cost $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity)!

ALL THE WINE.

ALL THE WINE.

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Marvelous Podcasting!

Thanks to all who entered my giveaway for two tickets to see Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) this Thursday 3/28 (7:30PM) at The Bushnell! If you didn’t win and still want to go, tickets are still available and start at $34.75. Congrats to Robin! I will be contacting you about receiving your prize.

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OK guys, I’ve been MIA. I know. But I have two MARVELOUS excuses. First: birthday (which was this past Friday 3/22). Second: vacation (which started on my birthday and shall extend until this coming Saturday). I went to North Carolina for a wedding and am now at our condo in Florida, typing this at lightening speed so I can get the heck outside and…do HW. Hey, at least I’ll be outside!

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Barefoot Contessa at the Bushnell: Giveaway!

I’m gearing up to leave for vacation this Friday (a week off work, what a perfect birthday present!) so work has been CRAZY. School too. Therefore I’m keeping it light again on the blog today and just popping in to do a giveaway!

Living just outside of Hartford gives me easy access to The Bushnell Center for Performing Arts, where fantastic musicals, plays, panels, and more are held year-round. The Bushnell seriously offers something for everyone! I’ve seen Wicked there twice, and took my Nana Connie to see The Addams Family Musical in 2011. You may recall that I attended the CT Forum’s Vision & Brilliance panel in December as well. I’ve sat on the floor and in the balcony, and I’m serious – every seat is a good seat. After all, the theater was designed so that every single patron could sit back and enjoy the arts, and that involves actually being able to SEE them!

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A (Green) Giant Surprise!


The brand Green Giant probably brings to mind frozen and canned veggies – at least, that’s what it does for me. That jolly green guy definitely had a presence in my household’s freezer and pantry while I was growing up.

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But I never associated Green Giant with snacks…until now. The brand now offers two types of veggie chips:

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Fashion Friday: Westport Buys

As promised today’s Fashion Friday is going to be about my finds in Westport when Kaitlin of For Love of Carrots took me there during my most recent 203 visit! We visited the outdoor shopping area in the town’s center and it was an adorable place with some incredible sales! Perfect for a cheapo like me.

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$10 scarf, $20 purse, $10 shoes.

Sometimes I have no success at the Urban Outfitters sale section and sometimes I come out loaded with ten new tops. This trip produced a happy medium! The scarf is such a pretty spring color. I’m loving my new purse (I needed a change) and I’ve already rocked the shoes this week!

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XTrain With Cathe Friedrich

Thanks for your feedback on yesterday’s review post for my February Ellie outfit! Remember you can get 20% off your first order by clicking here.

Firstly, Cathe is the new Kathy. Seriously, I just LOVE the spelling of that name. I had to get that out; I love when classic names are spelled uniquely (for example I know a Karan and a Carin…sorry to all Karens, but they win).

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I’m a self-proclaimed gym rat, but I’m also armed with an arsenal of home workout DVDs that come in handy for those situations when I can’t get there because I don’t have time or am buried under over a foot of snow. Unfortunately since I live in Connecticut, that latter situation presented itself to me this past Friday when the five-or-so inches of snow we expected turned into a blizzard that kept me off the roads. Pro: no work! Con: can’t get to the gym! Enter the Cathe Friedrich XTrain Workout Series. As usual I’m going to be a Wordy Wendy in this review, but you can scroll to the bottom of this post if you’re in a rush and just need the bottom line version!

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Meeting Ellie and She3

This past weekend while visiting Kaitlin of For Love of Carrots, I gave my first ever Ellie outfit (click to get 20% off your first order) from their February collection a test-run during a barre class at She3 Wellness & Fitness Boutique in Fairfield, CT. To say Ellie (formerly pvBody) is a controversial company in the blog world right now would be an understatement. However, my experience has been mostly positive with both pvBody AND Ellie, so this review will reflect that, just as my pvBody review did.

Got those TOMS on SALE at Urban Outfitters in Boston! Yes, it’s possible to find them on sale!

I’m also excited to share my experience with the She3 barre class called the She3 Fit Method. I’ve done a couple barre classes at Physique57 and was excited to do barre again for the first time in awhile. Kaitlin was completely new to barre and we both appreciated a chance to try a new workout that while not necessarily our “typical” intense HIIT or heavy lifting, would still put us out of our comfort zones and test our strength!

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From Left to Write March Book Club: Raising Cubby

Thanks to fellow CT blogger and bookworm Carrie of Poet in the Pantry, I recently joined the From Left to Write online book club and got accepted just in time to sign up to partake in reading March’s book, Raising Cubby: A Father & Son’s Adventures with Asperger’s, Trains, Tractors, & High-Explosives by John Elder Robison.

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For Love of Fairfield

I’ve already showed Kaitlin (of For Love of Carrots) my turf, and the time came this past weekend for her to show me hers – Fairfield County! I visited her from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon and she showed me a great time. Then again, I knew she would since our tastes are so similar! Prime example number one – we both wore black tops, black shoes, jeans, and statement necklaces to dinner.

Saturday Night

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I borrowed the necklace from Kaitlin, the queen of statement necklaces!

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Special Fashion Friday Guest Appearance!

Thanks for your words of encouragement and advice on yesterday’s revised gastro-goals post! I think Michelle of Purely Twins put it best when she said it’s all trial and error, but your advice is ammo I can use for that experimenting so keep it coming!

I’m not going to say the s word. I’m not. All I’m going to say is I’m currently trapped in my house because it’s just Mom and me at home (not counting the sleeping brother) so we have a guy coming to plow our driveway and we have no clue when he’ll arrive. Hopefully soon so I can get to work because I have a crapload to do there. OK no more winter talk.

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Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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