Cakebread Wine Dinner at Jack Binion’s (Horseshoe Casino)

Many years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Cakebread Cellars in California and loved the vineyard and the wine. So I was crazy excited to learn that Jack Binions (where my wonderful brother is the manager) was holding a wine dinner with this vineyard.

It was a five star event for sure and Erik expertly paired the food with the wine. I was a very proud sister watching him in his element being the “Boss”. The food and wine were spectacular. We started out with a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc paired with Diver Scallops/Tagliatelle/Pink Peppercorns/Garlic Chips – excellent!

Followed with a 2009 Chardonnay paired with Foie Gras and Amarillo Ravioli/Vanilla and Lime (even my mom who dislikes Foie Gras enjoyed this dish)

Next up was a 2007 Pinot Noir paired with Grilled Salmon Paillard/Little Octopus/Blueberries (the Blueberries were an excellent addition!)


Fourth course we enjoyed a 2007 Merlot paired with Braised Short Ribs Bourguignon (I am not a rib fan but this was very tasty)

And my favorite - dessert - was the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon enjoyed with Blackberry Clafouti which was delicious.

The meal was superb! The wines quite delicious! The service outstanding!! Excellent job lil brother and the staff of Jack Binion’s and Cakebread. A very delightful evening.

And much to our delight Randy Montana was playing next door at the Whiskey Roadhouse.



*Lighting was not ideal for picture taking. I need practice! Or less wine...

Lincoln Half Marathon 2011

Yesterday was the Lincoln Half Marathon. I felt highly unprepared for this race. I had skipped several long runs and have been battling sinuses or something the last month so just not feeling tip top. So I was NERVOUS and expecting my slowest half marathon to date. However the crowd support and general excitement of the Lincoln Half is hard to beat – ready or not it gets you motivated.

I started off with the 2:05 pacers as figured I would stick with that till tired and then just run whatever pace I could without dying. I managed to stay with the group until about mile 7 (resulting in a 58:55 10k which is good for me) and then slowed down some. Looking back I probably could have pushed myself harder but overall happy with my finish time.

I ended up with a 2:09:11 finish (9:52 average mile). Nothing to write home about but nothing to be disappointed over either (I have averaged anything from 2:04-2:15 for half marathons to date). Hoping I can push a lil more (and be less sick) at The Gambler Half in a few weeks and get a 2:05 finish.

*sadly took very few photos. Not a single photo of our whole group! And no photos of my lil brother who also raced!

Happy Easter

Hope you are celebrating with your loved ones. I feel blessed to enjoy Easter with part of my family at our cabin. Here is a lil Easter cheer in the form of cupcakes we baked for a Fundraiser in Niobrara.

Peep S ‘mores

Since it’s almost Easter I figure one more Peep post is acceptable. Sitting in a Tree is an amazing blog filled with very girly festive parties and ideas. An Easter post suggested Peep S ‘mores .

I love Peeps and love S ‘mores (I think I am starting to realize why I had x # of cavities at the last dentist visit. ) The S ‘more idea originally came from Kate Spade Tumbler, I am a Kate Spade fan so guessing I will be smitten with this new site!

New Kicks

Summer is almost here. Which means county fairs, rodeos, Stir Concerts (outdoor amphitheater), and all kinds of fun. Often times this fun entails cowboy boots and dresses.

Therefore I want/need a new pair of boots. A fancy schmancy funky pair that looks cute with dresses. The Fort in Lincoln has the best selection around , thinking my reward for finishing the Lincoln Half Marathon will be boots. I have I narrowed down to these two right now.


Thoughts? If I was made of money I would purchase a pair of these without a second thought.



But unless I can find a nice coupon for Frye boots I don’t foresee either pair in my future. Any other suggestions?

Easter Peep Wreath

I saw this wreath on a blog full of crafty ideas – Say Yes to Hoboken – and thought it was super fun and cute.

Maybe a lil tacky but fun. I decided to give it a try. I bought enough supplies to make three wreaths.



And set to work on the first one. It took longer than expected but overall I think pretty darn fun!


There is also a tutorial here. What do you think? Fun and funky or tacky??

It’s a bit of a Monsoon out Today

Instead of letting it make me gloomy I will try to think happy thoughts.

Like how green this rain will make my grass.

How pretty it will be when all the flowers are blooming

Happy thoughts of summer sunshine and a pretty yard. Aeisha is hoping for a bit of sunshine as well.

Salvation Army Love

I have been in desperate need of a coffee table for my living room. But haven’t been able to find anything I love. On a recent Goodwill scouting adventure I stumbled upon these two matching side tables.


Now horrid but not awesome. However the size was right and figured putting the two together would make a cool coffee table.

Bonus that you can move each table closer to the couch when needed for drinks or snacks. I sanded the tables down fairly good (until my arms got sore – ha!) and coated on flat black paint.


After a solid day or two of drying I took a lil sandpaper to the tables and roughed them up a bit for character.


And added a layer of varnish so they would be protected.

Overall I am pretty happy with the results. With more time/patience/skill they could have been even better but for a mere $60 ($25 per table and about $10 in paint/supplies) I have a custom coffee table.

*Sorry about the dark photos my living room never seems to get much sunshine!

Take Me Down to the Little White Church…

Niobrara has the cutest old little church right in the middle of town.

It obviously needs work but just so much character and charm.

Funny thing is my mom and I have always talked about how fun it would be to own it, maybe move it to our land and use as a guest house or something.

Turns out it’s now for sale!!!!