Fruit and Friendship

Posted on August 29th, 2009 by Jean

Thursday the timing was right to check out the Henderson Nevada Farmers’ Market. My only previous experience with a Farmers’ Market was back in the early nineties, attending a bountiful one in picturesque Walnut Creek, California.

Walnut Creek Farmer’s Market

Wanting to avoid Henderson’s forecasted high of 106 degrees, I arrived fairly early around 10:30 a.m. Google Maps worked perfectly, and although the Events Plaza has a parking garage across the street, I chose street parking.

At first glance, the sprawling concrete patio sparsely dotted with tents, didn’t impress.

Since pickings looked slim, I left my portable cooler and fabric tote in my car, grabbed my purse, and made my way to the tents. Oh no! Not infomercial items!! I didn’t want a self-casting fishing pole, lotions, potions, hot sauce or shaved ice. I wanted fresh fruit grown locally! Only two vendors offered such. The first had melons and tomatoes. The second had pluots, plums, grapes, and strawberries. The helpful sales lady bagged my fruits, but when I asked her to follow me to the vegetable portion of her display, she didn’t budge. Fine. The fruit came to a whopping total of $12.00.

On the plus side, the fruit was tasty, and I helped local farmers. Right? Off I went to my next destination, Trader Joe’s.


Oh gosh, talk about your fresh fruit! Sorry, Farmers’ Market. Next time I’m heading straight to Trader Joe’s!
I grabbed a package of pomegranate seeds, two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, and two varieties of cheese. Tom and I sampled the cheeses last night. The New Zealand Grass Fed Cheddar was fantastic! Mild, salty, flavorful and pungent. I highly recommend!

Noon was fast approaching, and I was fortunate enough to have a lunch date.


Ring! Ring!

Hello?

Hi Jean, it’s Anje! Guess what? The twins are napping, so I’ll be solo.

Yes, I was having lunch with none other than Wonder Writer from MySpace. Anje is my hero for several reasons; she’s a loving wife, mother of four, writer of exceptional blogs, a successful business woman, a positive influence, and a private person. She is a beautiful soul with an instant smile and infectious laugh. Do you know what really cinched it for me? Cocktails and dessert! Those little pleasures that don’t always accompany a meal were easily embraced by the two of us.


• What’s your opinion of Farmers’ Markets?
• Is Trader Joe’s da bomb?
• Are you free for lunch?

Vampire Lestat Wine

Posted on April 9th, 2009 by Jean

In 1995, author Anne Rice joined forces with Babcock Winery of Lompoc, California to produce a wine worthy of the name Lestat, Rice’s lead vampire. Rice’s husband, Stan, a noted artist and poet, designed the wine labels for Cuvee Lestat Syrah and Chardonnay.

The following year, Babcock Winery and the Rices combined their talents again to produce these red and white wines, as well as a bordeaux, all bearing the Lestat name. Reports vary, estimating between 150 and 200 cases of Syrah were produced, selling for $30-$35 per bottle.

1996 was the last year the Lestat wines were produced.

It was always in the back of my mind, as a huge Anne Rice fan, to obtain a bottle of her wine. In 1995, I was traveling around on a fixed income with little internet access. In 1996, the same was true. The two years Anne’s wine was easily attainable through her website and relatively affordable, I was unable to make the purchase.

Fast forward 14 years. I’m at the McDonalds’ drive-through, and then BK’s, picking up Happy Meals for my daughters. Natalie’s toy prize was a pair of Pink Panther sunglasses, while a Hello Kitty digital watch greeted Pearl at the bottom of her bag. A few minutes later, I’m handed my non-emotional meal at Taco Bell. One of my daughters asked, What’s your prize? What is my prize? The wheels were turning. What would be a prize suitable for an adult?

When we arrived home, I plopped myself in front of the computer, dipping nachos with one hand, surfing with the other. Most prizes are themed around the release of movies.

Movies
Adult movies
Horror movies
Animation…. bingo!

Coraline Nike Dunks. If they were handed to us with our Happy Meal, I doubt they would be selling for $3,432.56 on ebay. Less than 1,000 were produced. Movie goers searched for clues following the credits of Coraline for a chance to win a pair of these unique sneakers.

Moving on.

Girl Flicks… bingo!

Confessions of a Shopaholic make-up palette. More attainable than the Nikes, yet the lipstick may not fare too well pressed against my warm taco… and I mean that in the most non-sexual way. Created by Too Faced Cosmetics, retails for $29.50.

Vampire movies… click! Lightbulb moment! Lestat wine!

Googling led me to two sellers. One had posted an entry at the Amazon.com Vampire Romance Discussion Forum. Who knew that even existed? The seller, MJ, had two bottles, and was open to establishing a price. The other seller has 5 bottles, one of each Lestat wine produced, and was (still is) asking $7,550 firm for the collection. Needless to say, I began communicating with MJ.

22 emails and 7 weeks of negotiations…. free
1995 Cuvee Lestat Syrah plus shipping…. $125.00
Fulfilling a dream…. priceless


Should I drink it?

Thanks for reading!

Christmas Shopping

Posted on December 6th, 2008 by Jean

Good morning! Yesterday I drove to Vegas to get my hair done and to Christmas shop.
New doo. Sorry for the serious bed-head.

At the House of Blues, I found the coolest gifts for my best friend, Joy, and her husband Cimber. They don’t read my blog, so it’s safe to post a couple pics here without ruining the surprise.

Blues Brothers bowling shirt and Day of the Dead cross.

I think Cimber wears bowling shirts 24/7, and Joy is really into skulls and crosses.
At Nordstrom, I stopped by the Lancome counter to pick up some makeup remover. While there, I asked if they had any rollerball lipgloss. Reminds me of my youth. Do you remember those flavored rollerball lipglosses? Well, they’re back… but all sold out. They did have the regular old wand lipgloss, and the colors are fantastic, so I bought one.

Lancome’s Color Fever Gloss in Aflame

I was also low on mascara, so I asked about that. The lady said, Sit down. I want to put some on you. So I sat down. Do you know what she produced? The vibrating mascara! She pushed the button, and began massaging my lashes. It felt oddly good, until she poked me in the eye! I kid you not! You all warned me it was an accident waiting to happen, and it sure as hell was! Ok, so after cleaning up the tears and smudges, I had to admit, my lashes looked MUCH longer! So, I actually bought the mascara. It does have a dual purpose. It’s a mascara, and a vibrator that leaves your pubes looking luxurious. Har har har!

When the lady poked me in the eye and apologized, I said, It’s ok. Why do we say it’s ok when it really isn’t? If she had warned me beforehand, I’m going to gouge your eye out with this vibrating applicator. Are you alright with that? I’d certainly have said, No. Are you out of your mind?

Let me get some more coffee in me. Have an awesome Saturday!

 

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