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In the heart of the Sierra Foothills, acclaimed for interesting and historical places to visit, Miraflores is dedicated to helping write a new chapter in its history as a world-renowned viticulture area. Located in Placerville, California, surrounded by pine trees, wildlife, and rolling hills, the winery sits atop a sloping hill overlooking its beautifully manicured vineyards. The 254-acre old farmstead estate has an excellent terroir for its 38 planted acres and holds future sites for more vineyards.

According to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association (APA), the holidays are a source of "multiple stressors." Sixty-nine percent of respondents cited "lack of time" as a major stressor, 69% cited "lack of money" and 51% blamed extra stress on "the pressure to give or get gifts."

Stress is bad for our health, our attitude, our happiness and our overall well-being. The APA study also asked respondents how these stressors manifest themselves in their lives. Fifty-nine percent said they experienced sadness, 56% said they were having trouble sleeping and 55% said they had a lack of energy.

Here come the holidays. Do you find yourself getting frazzled on the hunt for a parking space or that new must-have doll? Are you and your soul mate at each other throats over where, when and with whom to celebrate the yuletide? Do the usual shenanigans of your ex feel so much more cutting when family time must be split?

It’s not your fault: Blame Amy!

That’s right, take a breath, relax, and understand that you can put the blame squarely on Amy this year. Tell your spouse that she is to blame when your shrills remove the paint from the ceiling. You can also forgive that person who just pushed past you in a panic, it wasn’t them at the mental wheel, it was Amy.

Raising caring kids is a difficult job in today’s busy world. It can be even more challenging for women who work outside of the home and have extremely demanding lives. Cristina Ferrare, TV co-star with Mark Steines of Hallmark’s Emmy-nominated "Home and Family," makes this look effortless.

At the early age of 16, Cristina Ferrare, mother, wife and chef, started a career in modeling with the Ford modeling agency in New York. Her career as a super model spanned over 25 years. She sat on the Board of Directors for "The Women’s Conference," which was headed by California’s former First Lady Maria Shriver. Her fifth and most recent cookbook, A Big Bowl of Love was released on Mother’s Day 2011 and has been widely accepted and has received raving reviews.

Most of us love this time of year because we can't wait to give and receive gifts. The holidays present a wonderful opportunity for us to affirm our love to the ones we care about. Yet many agree that the holidays are about a whole lot more than brightly patterned packages tied up with string.

We speak about the spirit or attitude of giving as we attempt to examine the motivations behind our gifts. Are we just giving to get? Is our gift-expectation an accurate reflection of whether we’ve been naughty or nice in our relationship? Whatever the case, the holidays are a great opportunity for us to reflect on what we can make better in our love lives.