When I was younger, I made it a rule never to take a strong drink before lunch. It is now my rule never to do so before breakfast.
Winston Churchill

A week from today the state's new wine, beer, and liquor tax goes into affect! Don't forget to stock up on your alcohol purchases.


Put our End of Summer Tasting on your calendar-- August 29.

What I will be drinking this weekend...

Welcome to a regular segment I like to call "what I will be drinking this weekend"... Tonight it's:

Most Wanted Vodka

Most Wanted Vodka is brewed in Kansas (who knew vodka could come from Kansas!?!?!?!), by High Plains Distillery.

The owner writes on his website that "My family has been in the alcohol business for six generations but this is the first time it has been legal. Of course in the hills of western North Carolina and Eastern Kentucky that was the tradition and a way of life..." How crazy is that? And I thought my family business had the market cornered on fun.

This is a modestly priced vodka with an immodest, almost unladylike, taste! It has become my (and my mother's) GO TO vodka.


And in case you were wondering, yes, we do carry olives.

I'm starting to feel like we're in Utah...

The Illinois state government just passed the most unprecedented alcohol tax increase in state history. The tax rate for beer is going up 21 percent while the rate of tax for wine and liquor is increasing even more!

UFS is giving our customers a chance to stock up on your favorite brands before the tax increases goes into affect September 1.

If you want to prepare for the holiday season and all that family togetherness that will surely require some sort of libation, NOW IS THE TIME.

If you have a bar mitzvah, baptism, family reunion, birthday party or wedding in your future NOW IS THE TIME.

Heck, even if maybe just started seeing someone and they seem like they could be the one... NOW IS THE TIME.

Better safe than sorry... Vodka doesn't go bad (does it?).

all hot and bothered, orrrrr My Favorite Thing This Week:

Okay... I know it's weird but I was SO excited about this special buy we have on my brand of DEODORANT! which is Degree btw.

I'm STOCKING UP! Join me.

get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's

We are running a really great special right now on mattresses-- four different mattresses- our Basic set starts at $99 each piece and the Gibson pillowtop is $149/piece. We also have two Sealy Posturepedics on speical-- the Cloud 9 Ultra Plush and Europillow Top. My mother is considering getting the Cloud 9 Ultra Plush for my brother Gerard's old bedroom... About a year ago he got married and he hasn't visited since. Perhaps a nice, new mattress will encourage visitors?

My favorite thing this week...

... are these Barnwick Candles.


The wick is all natural organic and crackles when it burns (like a fire... a good fire-- one that would be in a fireplace or that you'd roast marshmallows on, not like a grease fire). It also has very little soot.

I bring them for Hostess Gifts because they pack nicely, have a ton of different flavors (I brought Mulberry to my boyfriend's parents' house last weekend and Cinnamon to the Fourth of July party I went to), and are 7.99 (a steal, I promise you).

Tasting Recap

Friday's Greek Wine Tasting was a lot of fun and pretty tasty.

I like wine and drink it semi-regularly, but I am by no means an expert. The above lady in pink seemed to know what she was doing, so I just kept tasting what she did. This plan served me well!

Uncle Pierre kept distracting me from the tasting at hand, but heck-- he is the boss:


Keep in mind our Greek Wine Specials are going on through July 25th!