We have this great wine and spirits store in Boston called Brix Wine Shop. This place is amazing! They have a ton of great wines, that are all hand picked and tasted by the owners themselves. When you walk into a Brix Wine Shop you feel at home. The customer service is superb, the store is immaculate and the wines are neatly placed from wall to wall. If you haven’t had a chance to stop in at the Financial District store or at the South End store, definitely go to one of their tastings that they have weekly. At the Financial District location tonight they are having Mystic Brewery come in for a tasting! My husband and my girlfriends love the tastings, you get to taste a wide variety and then you know what you like and what you don’t like. We have really expanded our wine fridge over the past month! And we couldn’t be more pleased by our purchases. One of my most favorite wines I have bought is the Travaglini Gattinara. I am not the best at describing the wine I drink, but this one is definitely a full bodied wine with a smooth finish. You will taste the flavors of red raspberries and cherries with a slight hint of vanilla. It goes great with a nice steak or a pesto pasta dish! I actually love to drink it with anything!!!  This summer when we head to Nantucket we will definitely by heading to the Brix Wine Shop Nantucket as well, I hear that they have some great summer choices for the beach and barbecuing. What is your favorite wine and spirits shop in Boston? I would love to hear your feedback! Enjoy the day!

I’m back! And what a week it was in New York city. Lots of shopping, eating, and walking around the city. My husband even completed the New York half marathon. We had a really great trip to my favorite city. I have lots of fun things to share with you this week from my trip. The first day we got to New York my hunt began to find the crop top. Everywhere you look from stores to magazines is the crop top with a skirt or pants. I wasn’t sure about this look for me. I mean, I am in my thirties…am I to old for this look? So after running all over Bergdorf’s I decided the heck with it. I’m going to try this fad out! And I really do love it. You don’t have to expose all of your tummy. Believe me, I didn’t! What do you think? This is an Alice & Olivia top with a Tibi skirt. Below you will find another alternative that is much more affordable. Click on pic to get it!

Right now I am on the train heading to NYC for the weekend! I have very bad internet service but I wanted to share a great boutique, Anne Fontaine, that I stopped into yesterday. I am absolutely in love with this seasons looks from Anne Fontaine. Tons of whites, pastels, lace and beautiful flower belts and shoes. I picked up a lovely black lace top to bring with me to NYC. I will have to take some pics to share. Take a look at some of the items on my wish list below. I really have my eyes on the trench with the lace arms and flower belt. Gorgeous!!!! Enjoy the day! 

Chia seeds seem to be the new healthy fad out there now. I was at Whole Foods yesterday and I have walked by these Chia seeds for weeks and finally gave in and bought a bag of these babies! I am going to try to whip up some Chia pudding tonight before I head off to NYC. I hope its as yummy as it looks below. Do any of you have any Chia seed recipes I should try? Send them my way!

Cinnamon-Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Serves 2

1 cup non-dairy milk, any kind you like (I like plain, unsweetened almond milk)

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1-2 packets stevia (more or less to taste)*

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 small pinch sea salt

Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl; refrigerate until it reaches your desired thickness, stirring occasionally.  (I usually chill mine about 2 hours, but overnight is fine.)

*Instead of stevia, you can use any sweetener you like in this recipe, such as maple syrup, honey, etc.  Here is a guideline on how sweet 1 packet of stevia is:  the amount of stevia in 1 packet measures 1/2 teaspoon, which is about as sweet as 2 to 3 teaspoons of regular sugar.

L.A Burdick

As you already know, I have quite the sweet tooth! Hence why I have brought on the help of the fitbit and Nike+ to make sure I am getting my steps in daily! I was on Newbury street yesterday, and I came across the cutest place to get coffee, tea, hot cocoa and homemade chocolates. I was in chocolate heaven! It’s called L.A Burdick and you can’t miss it. Lots of small tables inside to have your afternoon tea or coffee. It reminds me a little like Paris! Next time you are out and about on Newbury street stop in! And, I also wanted to share the chocolate mice we bought. They even have little tails!

Thanks again to everyone who came out last night to support Nick and Team MR8! We are very grateful! It’s hard to raise money, but we did a great job and had a lot of fun. Thank you to all those who donated items to the raffle and the silent auction as well. We even had a very yummy cake from Guilty Bakery donated to enjoy as well.

I am absolutely exhausted from the weekend and getting the fundraiser together. I need a day to lounge around and I think I am making that day today! Here are some pics of all the weekend fun I didn’t get a chance to post. Our weekend started at Sam’s on the waterfront. If you haven’t been, its  a great spot in the summer to watch the boats and sit outside while enjoying a mojito or two. They have a great cocktail list, a vast list of different types of beers and great food. This is my go to spot all year round. After Sam’s we headed over to Strega on the waterfront to enjoy a yummy Italian meal. Thank goodness for Emily-she got there and saved us a table! That place is hopping at all times. Make sure you get a reservation! I posted some pics from our meal (stuffed pork chop and   Cod over gnocchi…yummy! Don’t worry my night didn’t stop there. We have wild little friend who wanted to keep the night going…I think I am becoming a Nana, I pushed myself to continue on our journey for the evening to another hot spot Row 34. Now, if you want to get some delicious fish and  craft brews this is a great place to try. What is your favorite dinner or drinks spot in Boston. I would love to try it out! Enjoy the day! It’s beautiful outside!