Bless Your Neighbor: Bubbly Beverages Make Everyone Feel Loved and Celebrated!

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." ~Plautus

The Congratulatory Sparkling Wine

Glasses were raised and sweet words were spoken last night as three of my blogging buddies celebrated the first anniversary of a wonderful blog called The Hidden List. Make sure you check out Kelley Copeland's blog~ it is chock full of all things exceptional~ I can't get enough! Kelley cheered me on to start Bless Your Neighbor, and as hard as it is to get started blogging, it is even harder to keep going~ Congratulations, Kelley!

Dana Pugh of The Tattered Style, and Kelley Battaglia of The Healthy, Happy Eater joined us as we consumed pretty cupcakes, luscious chocolate truffles, and cheese, swimming in raspberry sauce~ excellent pairings for our sparkling wine.

I used to think that champagne was reserved for the rich and famous, or the bride and groom. But my friend, Laura Hemberger, helped me see the importance of marking life's accomplishments with long stemmed glasses and bubbling beverages~ Nothing makes you feel more loved, celebrated and oh, so fancy!

Several years ago, I invested in some inexpensive champagne glasses from Garden Ridge ($1.50 per stem, but you can also get them on line), and we have been celebrating ever since! Why don't you swing by the house and borrow mine for your next celebration?

Laura also has a love for all things "French," including champagne. But a good French champagne can be expensive.

Dana's Chalk Board Pantry Door said,
"Welcome!" to the bloggers.

For every day toasting, Laura recommends:

Gruet, a sparkling wine for about $14.00 per bottle
Cristalino, a sparkling wine for about $11.00 per bottle

Note: REAL French Champagne will cost you $30. or more~ some occasions are worth it, however, and you can find information about them here.

Important: Always offer a festive non-alcoholic option for your under-aged friends and adults who don't drink so everyone feels "bubbly!" Something like:

Sparkling Cider or sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice.

Dana's fun Hint: Make sure to keep the cork from your bottle of bubbly, use a marker to write the occasion and date on it, throw it in a jar and begin a collection. Over time, you will end up with a "Cork Diary" that helps you remember all the events that deserved a toast!