Big Table Farm

Big Table Farm

Big Table Farm

My Man gave me a surprise last night. Six bottles of Big Table Farm wine. My Man and I were introduced to the wine when we went out to dinner a few weeks ago at Empire State South. Big Table Farm is run by a husband and wife team, Brian Marcy and Clare Carver, (I think they are married) and they look like such cool people. I really want to hang out with them on their farm. I love the farm, their chickens (of course), pigs, cows, etc. My Man ended up e-mailing and then talking to Tiffany and ordered one of each of their wines. In fact, one was no longer available on the website and they found one for us! Thanks Tiffany! She checked out My Hotel Yorba blog and also has a cat that squeaks like Simon!

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Clare Carver draws and paints all the labels for the wine bottles. I love her paintings of her chickens! How cool would it be for her to paint portraits of The Girls?!?

Big Table Farm

Big Table Farm

Our Labels

The labels on our wines are made by hand using a letterpress and thick printmaking paper and then hand cut. You will notice the labels are much thicker and have a wonderful texture due to the printing process used. We then hand apply each lable. These Labels are also more fragile than most so each bottle is then carefully wrapped in tissue. While very labor-intensive, this makes for an elegant package that not only befits its contents but also produces less waste than traditional label printing. The art is drawn by Clare and are inspired by our life here at Big Table Farm often featuring a food product or animal from the farm. You can count on the label art being as unique as each vintage of wine.—From Big Table Farm website.

Big Table Farm

Big Table Farm

What My Man ordered:
2011 Cattrall Vineyard Pinot Noir 750ml
2011 Wirtz Vineyard Pinot Noir 750 ml
2011 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir 750ml
2011 Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir 750ml
2011 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 750ml
2010 Big Table Farm Syrah 750ml
We love our Pinot Noir! I can’t wait to open our first bottle. Check out the video that tells you all about Big Table Farm and its history. Watching it will make you want a glass of wine, some delicious food and a chicken or two!

Shout Out!!

Melissa & Eric D. & The D. Family- Thank you so much for the Love With Food subscription! That was so kind of you guys! I am so looking forward to the first shipment and will post all about it.

Product Review Time!!!

Good Day Reader’s!

I recently posted about the website Printstagram and how I was interested in checking our their products. I decided to take the plunge and ordered two items.

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First, I ordered a frame with nine of my Instagram photos. We you go in the site, you have to give them permission to access to your pictures. One issue I had, was that I was not able to place the photo’s in the order I wanted them. I would have liked the My Hotel Yorba Star in the middle. I guess if I had to pick a different one to go in the middle, it would have been The Boy looking like Chef, Richard Blais. I also would have changed the placement of The Kids. The other thing I noticed is that they cut a bit of the borders lining the photographs on the edges off. I know, not a big deal but I but I picked the framing for each picture for a reason and would have like it to show through. But over all I was very happy with my picture and it is now hanging in our master bathroom. I will probably order from them again, maybe just two or four pictures.

Note Cards

Note Cards

My other purchase was 36 notes cards for $25.00. What a deal! I am very happy with this purchase. You are able to go and pick the picture you want to use and how many you would like of it. So, some pictures I ordered four cards of, some two and some three.  It doesn’t matter as long as you ended up with 36 total. The cards are a cute size, perfect for a little not to say Hi!, and the envelopes are self sealing. No licking! I will defiantly order more cards in the future and am even thinking about Christmas Gifts! Custom note cards for only $25.00! What a bargain.

Love!

Love!

*I got nothing from anyone, anywhere for writing this review. All thoughts are mine and mine alone.

Sara Attali Design

One of the many things I wasn’t looking forward about chemo was losing my hair and having to wear scarves. I don’t have anything against scarves, I just can’t tie one! I have gone to many YouTube sites trying to learn. They are like put the scarf on your head and in 5 seconds flat, they have tied the thing and I am still trying to get the damn thing on my head!

Due to this, thought about who wore scarves and head coverings a lot. I know that some Jewish women wear head coverings all the time, I googled “modern Jewish head coverings”. I learned that they are called Tichels. Then I googled “modern, funky tichels” and came across Sara Attali Design Etsy page and my life as a bald woman has never been the same since. I really like her tichels. They are so pretty. They are works of art. I have bought five so far, so you could say I am addicted to them. DSC_0003 DSC_0004 DSC_0006 DSC_0007 DSC_0008

Here is a little about Sara from her Etsy page.

Art and design was always something that I was involved in.
In my childhood home the walls were covered with painting and drawings made by my mom, my aunt and my own.
As a child, I not only played with dolls but also designed clothes for them…
As a mother of four girls, I always enjoyed designing and sewing clothes for them.
Three of my daughters got married and during the wedding preparations we needed to pay attention to the costumes of religious women (brides, mother in laws and other relatives) with designed Head covers that are both beautiful, fashionable and made with high-quality materials.
First I started with my daughters, and by and by the request for more, by my daughters and their friends, began to flow. Demand grew, and so we decided to do it in a more professional way.
After a period in which I designed and sold clothing for women, I decided to focus on designing and manufacturing Head-Covers in a unique design and in a variety of sizes, colors and styles, while maintaining the best quality of fabrics and materials.
The collection in renewing constantly and adapting a variety of styles, that every woman can find the Head-cover to match her.
The Head-covers are a great fashion item that allows women to match them to their outfits and feel their best.
The Head-covers are homemade in my home in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City and no doubt it has been giving me a spiritual and creative inspiration.

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Doesn’t she sound like a great mom? The thing I love best about the tichels, is how easy they are to tie! Unfolded they look like an apron. In fact, she says you can use them as aprons (like I would ever get food near mine, as if!). I love how layered they look. She also sells clips for the tichels and some skirts that I have my eye on. Since I wear a prosthetic leg, I like longer skirts and her’s are very nice and fashionable.

These tichels have made a major negative about chemo so much easier for me. You really have no idea. The thought of losing my hair, which I had spent two years growing out, was a pretty big deal to me. But thanks to my tichels, I am not that sad about it. I mean, it will grow back. And can’t wait till it does! Look at her website and look how cool they look with the models who have hair! Can’t wait!

New scarf from Sara Attali Design

New scarf from Sara Attali Design

Head Covering by Sara Attali Desgin on Etsy

Head Covering by Sara Attali Desgin on Etsy

Head Covering by Sara Attali Desgin on Etsy

Head Covering by Sara Attali Desgin on Etsy

Paying for the tichels is done via Pay Pal and the shipping is fast. I have ordered two times now and I think I got each order in about a week. Shipping costs are pretty cheap but you do have to be home when the mail man delivers the package to sign for it since it is coming from Israel.

Who are these for?

Chemo patients definitely. Women growing their hair out and are in “that fugly stage”. Women with a bad hair day. Women who don’t want to get hat head. Women who don’t want to shower one day but still go out. Women who for religious reasons need to cover their hair.

Who are these for?

They are for women, period. Go get yourself one! And tell Sara I sent you!

Matt’s Chemo Bags

Hey Reader’s! It’s Product Review Time!

My friend Calanit gave me a Matt’s Chemo Bag after I got home from the hospital. Who is Matt and what is in his bag you ask? Well, first of all, Matt is a kick ass son, that is who he is. Check out his website, Matt’s Chemo Bags, to read how he started his company after his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. As for his bags….They rock!

Matt's Chemo Bag!

Matt’s Chemo Bag!

I know pink is breast cancer’s color but cancer is cancer and all kinds suck! Everything in the bag works for anyone with cancer or who is having to spend time in the hospital for that matter.

Full of Goodies!

Full of Goodies!

I love the socks! At night I put lotion on my foot (yes, foot) and then slip on a sock. The bag came with two pairs. Also in the bag is chap stick, lotion, playing cards, two note books, a cute scarf, moist wipes, nail filer, cute little pocket tissue holders and more!

Boob Pillow

Boob Pillow

I call this my boob pillow. The area where my port is, is right above my right boob and that sucker was sore. The pillow helps when it when in came time to sleep. This will definitely be in my hospital bag next week.

So Soft!

So Soft!

This blanket came in handy a few times last week when I spent the night on the couch due to my problems falling asleep. Another item that will be in my hospital bag.

I would totally recommend getting anyone you know who is dealing with cancer or spending time in the hospital a Matt’s Chemo bag. What a wonderful gift to put a smile on your family or friends face!

If you have any product review suggestions, please let me know! Leave a comment or contact me at myhotelyorba@gmail.com. 

 

Product Review

Review of Reed’s Peanut Butter Ginger Candy

Reed's Peanut Butter Ginger     Chews

Reed’s Peanut Butter Ginger Chews

When I heard I was going to have most likely have to undergo chemo, I did some reading and read what most people do. That I will get super bad nausea and that ginger is great at easing it. So, when one of my nieces suggested I buy some ginger candy while we were at Trader Joe’s. I thought what the heck! I eat ginger when I eat sushi and have cooked with it many times. Well, I had to throw out that piece of ginger candy before I had even had half of it.

UCK! BLAWK! ICKY ICKY!

So gross and it burned people! It burned!! Thing is, My Nieces and The Boy couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Guess I was too old for it.

Fast forward 2 weeks. I now have a ton of ginger items. I have ginger pills, which I take and that may or may not be helping. See, I am also taking medication for the nausea so who knows what it doing what. I also have some sugared ginger candy that I like. I like the sugar and I like how the ginger fire (much milder than the TJ’s) stays with me for a while. But I can eat a piece or two of it a day. The Boy loves that stuff too. I also have some ginger tea and ginger cookies which are yummy but I can’t be eating cookies all day.

Then one day this week I got a care package from my gal Jaime G. In it was a cool T-Shirt from her band The Mudbugs, some lavender oil and two boxes of ginger candy. More ginger! One of them was the regular kind of candy and the other was Reed’s Peanut Butter Ginger Candy.

First reaction= GROSS! Why would you screw with peanut butter like that?!? Now I love me some peanut butter and have been on a peanut butter kick for a while now. I just could not see why you would ever, ever want mix the two. I called The Boy in and asked him if he wanted to try a piece with me. I told him it was candy and since he is an 8-year-old, he said Ok!

OMG! It was really good! Chewy but not two much. At first you taste the peanut butter flavor and as you continue to chew the ginger “fire” starts coming through. It is not over powerful and though the ginger “fire” stays with you, it is only for a few minutes and won’t ruin your palate for any other foods or drinks you may want. Only bummer is that there is only like 9 pieces in a box and well I had to share with My Man too. Total buzz kill.

If you know anyone who likes ginger candy or is going through chemo, send them some. It’s Yummy! And I like that the box looks like a deck of playing cards! Thanks again Jaime!!