Spring in Waukesha

Spring has officially sprung in Waukesha and even though the Mega Weekend has passed, there are so many great things to look forward to in the coming weeks and months in Waukesha.

 

I'm very excited for the Farmer's Market. Although I wasn't able to attend it this weekend, I drove by on my way out of town and saw that it was hopping with people. It looked like there were a lot more booths and booths closer to Barstow than before. The area where the Salvation Army/Antique store resided that is now a grassy area had booths which is new for this year.

I will be out of town next weekend too, but hope to attend the following weekend.

High Roller Fun Rentals is now open later in the evenings at Frame Park. Rent a fun bike or boat and enjoy some time at the Fox River. I plan to do this with my guy and his girls this summer. Not sure which one we will do, I'll leave that up to the girls, but it's going to be a blast.

I also look forward to returning to both Crush Wine Bar and Two Brothers Wines. Crush is having some tastings that interest me in the near future and I hope to help bottle some with with the brothers. I had such a great time at both places. Check out my experience on the VisitWaukesha.org blog.

I also need to introduce my guy to the rooftop of People's Park. He is a fan of their fish fry so I think a Friday night on the roof is in our near future!

Friday Night Live doesn't start until June and I'm curious how it's going to work with the road construction this year. But it's a great event to attend with friends and family and get them to downtown Waukesha and listen to some tunes while we wander from shop to shop.

I see a new popcorn store is opening on Main Street in June. Seeing as Poppin' on Broadway is going through a transition, I'm excited to see what this new place will offer. Hopefully Poppin reopens soon as I just love the Broadway mix and my dad wants me to pick up some cheddar caramel corn for him. The new website looks great!

Waterski shows start up later this month--Badgerland on the Fox River and Pewaukee Lake Water Ski Club on Pewaukee Lake. I think this is another great event to take my guy and his girls to.

Classic Car Shows on Wednesday nights at the Gasthaus look to be a big hit. I could hear the music from my backyard last year but never made it over for a show.

I'm sure I will get great use out of my State Park permit and head to Lapham and a few other parks this summer. Lapham has great trails for walking and running and the tower always has great views!

4 Counties, 1 Day

This past weekend I was supposed to go camping and hiking with some friends at Devil's Lake. Unfortunately some of those going ran into issues of being able to go for the whole weekend and so we ended up cancelling the trip all together. Although I would have been a trooper and survived, the weekend started out on a rather rainy and chilly note, so I think it's best we didn't go.

So when I had no plans in place for Saturday, I joined my parents on a road trip venture through 4 counties covering about 140 miles round trip.

We started in Waukesha to hit up the Farmer's Market. I wanted some more kale for the Zuppa Toscana soup I wanted to make now that the chill is in the air and my mom needed to find Buck, the cutting board man, so he could make her a custom board to the dimensions of the sink in her kitchen. We located Buck and she picked out her wood pattern and handed over the dimensions and Buck said he would have it for her hopefully by next Saturday. Speedy delivery folks! I got my kale and we left the market.

We stopped at Sprizzo's for some breakfast to fuel us up before the venture my parents had planned out. My dad and I both had the Breakfast Stratta, but unfortunately mine was a corner piece and the bread was really tough to cut through, making it impossible to bite through parts of it. I ate enough and wasn't about to complain over a few bites I really didn't need anyways. My dad's piece was great and he was a proud member of the clean plate club.

My mom asked for the quiche special that was zucchini, tomato and Monterrey jack. After a few bites, she realized she got the other special with crab and mozzarella but said it was really good so no complaints by her either.

My dad and I both also tried the Sweet Peach Ginger tea that was on the menu and I fell in love. I took the little box the tea came in to remind myself when out shopping to pick some up. But if I can't find it in the area, I already scoped it out on Amazon.

The lunch specials looked amazing and I wanted to stay but we had to get on the road. I will definitely have to keep Sprizzo's in mind for a Saturday lunch. Beer Cheese Soup and a Blueberry Crunch salad - sign me up! 

Then we were off to Johnson Creek. My parents are heading to Paris for a vacation with my aunt and uncle in a few weeks and needed some quality walking shoes. And if you know anything about the Outlet Mall at Johnson Creek, you will know they have a ton of shoe stores. We only had to go into one because my dad found 3 pair (2 for Paris, 1 for work), my mom found a pair and I found new brown boots for the Fall/Winter. The boots are even made with Gortex, yet are fashionable.

Then we ended up buying something at practically every store we walked into - including an amazing deal of 100 chocolate truffles for $30 at the Lindt store. Then when you spend $30 at the store, you also get another pound of dark chocolate truffles for just $5. If you have ever bought these at Walgreens or the like near the checkout, they are usually around $.79 each....well with all we bought, we got them down to $.27 each!

We decided we had better leave the Outlet before we go broke. So it was off to Darien next for Sorg's Quality Meats and Sausages. I had never heard of this place and had no idea what to expect. If you have ever been to Ray's Butcher Shoppe on Loomis or Robert's Specialty Meats in Waukesha, this place is very similar.

They feature excellent looking cuts of fresh meat, as well as sausages and other products to make a great dinner from. I picked up the Italian sausage for the Zuppa Toscana soup, as well as some Chicken Alfredo brats and Bourbon Summer Sausage. I can't wait to try those.

My parents picked up some Bison sausage sticks, beef summer sausage, Braunschweiger, Portabella brats and a round steak. We walked out with all of that for around $50! It was definitely worth the drive.

Then it was back north to Fort Atkinson for the Simple Life County Store (sorry no pics - left phone in the car). My parents came across this place a few years ago in a magazine and decided to drive out and see what it's all about. They have visited about twice a year ever since. It's an Amish bulk food store that buys in mass quantity and repackages for customers into smaller portions at a great price. You can pick up all sorts of baking flours, soup mixes, spices, cookies, candies, treats and more. My cousin has one up in Appleton by her and her son is Gluten Free so she can find special treats just for him at this store and know the products are safe for him to have.

We picked up some popcorn, caramel corn, pesto dip mix, pancake mix, seasoned rye chips and mint chocolate chips. (I plan to use those for some chocolate cookies for the Cookies for Kids Cancer Bake sale and Cookie Swap I participate in annually)

And then after all of that is was time to head back to Waukesha and get me home. Total tally was 140 miles give or take because of some poor directions from Google Maps that put us in a route around a farm field randomly. Total counties we drove through: 4 - Waukesha, Jefferson, Rock and Walworth.

Don't worry we didn't drink all of these!

My friend ended up having a cookout/wine night and fire instead of us camping, so I headed over to his house and enjoyed a good time chatting with friends new and old, eating, sipping on wine and just relaxing around a fire.

Wine and a Fire - perfect Fall night!

Holiday Happenings in Waukesha

The holidays are going to be here before we know it (and before we are ready!) Waukesha has so many great things going on for the holidays and I want to share that information with you. I have participated in some of these events in the past and they are really fun.

This website has great Waukesha holiday information all in one great place. I don't see that the actual Silver Bells shopping event is happening, but I see the holiday stroll before the parade is back!!!

November 22nd - Tree Lighting - 6 pm
I haven't attended this actual event, but I definitely make it a point to check out the tree every year. If you don't know where this is - it's the large pine tree in front of the Rotunda, covered in beautiful lights every year.

November 24th - Holiday Stroll - noon - 4 pm
Definitely head out to the shops on Sunday before the parade. Special deals will be available at the stores and you have the chance at getting a closer parking spot for the parade the earlier you get there!

November 24th - Holiday Parade - 4 pm
I have attended the parade for the last few years with my friends. It's a fun event! One year we brought cocoa from my condo and walked downtown. We had to cuddle close to stay warm by the end. Last year we had a plan in place. We stood outside Bernie's Tap Room for our spot and when we got cold, we went inside and watched the rest from the big windows eating Duck Pizza and drinking a little bit. (I risk the chance of giving up my spot this year by sharing this vital info, but I want people to come to Waukesha for this great parade, so I won't mind too much!)

November 30th - Small Business Saturday
Yes this falls after Black Friday, but I really urge you all to consider shopping local this year and supporting our great local artists and shops this year. So if you weren't trampled on Black Friday - come to downtown Saturday and finish your shopping :)

December 6th - Art Crawl - 4 - 10 pm
Shops stay open later and have many great specials. This is your chance to SHOP LOCAL at any of the great shops in downtown and get great gifts for all your loved ones.

December 8th - Santa Run - 10:30 am
I only participated the first year and it was a blast. My friends and I didn't realize that people were really going to run it in the snowy-icy conditions so we had boots on that made running difficult. I believe we are going to be true competitors this year and run it - with a nice beer and pizza after I'm sure!

Fridays & Saturdays in December - Carriage Rides
Check the link for details on times

Shopping Local: Waukesha Edition

This year, I am making a very solid effort to SHOP LOCAL for Christmas. I would say about 90% of my items for Christmas were purchased at local stores in and around Waukesha/Milwaukee. I have had a few of the items for a few months now in preparation for the holidays. But I'm still finishing up in the next few days finding that gift for the hard-to-shop for. I'm hoping tomorrow I can find some goodies at the Indoor Waukesha Farmer's Market held at Montecito Restaurante.

So are you trying to shop local this year? When you shop local, more of you dollars stay in the community and help that community grow. Downtown Waukesha is an excellent example of shopping local. The shops, restaurants and businesses all have many options for gifts and buying these gifts will keep Waukesha prospering. And we all want that!

Image from GreaterSpokane.org

If you aren't familiar with Waukesha - let me do a brief breakdown of the types of stores that I am familiar with. (I'll be missing a few most likely as the list is long, so please don't be mad if I forget a few).
 

For the food lover, there are so many options, restaurant gift certificates, food items, kitchen accessories and more. Some of my go-to shops for my foodie friends:
-Poppin On Broadway - gourmet popcorn (more on this shop after the holidays, but you must get in here!)
-Allo! Chocolate - chocolates and candies
-The Steaming Cup - tea
-Cafe de Arts - coffe
-RiverMill Foods - breads & cheesecakes 
And then a gift certificate to one of the restaurants is always a great option (People's Park, Magellan's, Sprizzo's, J. Lotti's, Bernie's Tap Room, Divino Gelato - the list goes on and on)

For the accessorizing friend, there are many shops with purses, scarves and jewelry. Some of my go-to shops to glam it up:
-Bangles & Bags - purses, scarves, jewerly
-Plowshare Gifts - scarves, purses (fair trade)
-Restyle Studio  - scarves, jewelry
-Copacetic - hats & shirts

For the cocktail connoisseur, Waukesha has watering holes to wet everyone's whistle. My favorites are:
-Nice Ash Cigar Bar - new expanded whiskeys and great cigars and hookahs
-Boscos Social Club - nice lounge bar with a little bit of everything
-House of Guinness - Irish bar
-Discount Liquor - support the independently owned shops. It's not Wal-Mart! Get personal service and help picking out the right wine, beer, liquor for that loved one. The staff is spectacular with this (especially Tiffany!!!).

Image from Exceptions to the Rules

For the art lover, Waukesha has a million art galleries! Ok, not a million, but they have a gallery for everyone's taste.
-Almont Gallery - really cool salt & pepper shakers on cars to zoom down the table
-Clinton Street Gallery - great Raiku pottery
-River's End Gallery - Beautiful paintings and glass art

And then there are a few more shops that fit into categories all on their own.
-Waukesha Tattoo Company - although I am un-inked still, there work is so beautiful from what I have seen. The team over there is really active in the community and the company shows great morale amongst the staff by going out together.
-Martha Merrills - for the book lover in everyone, this shop features stories by many local authors.
-Beading Hearts - a bead store, recently expanded to offer yarn and classes

There are sooooo many more shops in Waukesha that I cannot list them all. So if you have time, take an afternoon to stroll the streets. Waukesha is even offering horse-drawn carriage rides on the weekends to get you around town.

Hope this list helps you out and maybe tempts you to come visit my town - I hope so!!! Happy Shopping!

Wauk Wednesday: Good Friend, Inc. Drop'n Shop

I have worked for Good Friend, Inc. as a marketing & events volunteer for three years. I could not have asked to work alongside a better group of ladies with such an amazing passion for their organization. This year, I was asked to join the Board of Directors and I didn't hesitate in submitting my application. I just attended my first meeting and the coming year looks really exciting for Good Friend Inc.

From GoodFriendInc.com
Good Friend’s mission is to create autism awareness, teach acceptance of differences, and foster empathy among typically-developing peers.

The co-founder's, Chelsea & Denise, go to schools around the area and present their message in assemblies, staff in-services & peer sensitivity workshops. They have produced two DVDs and a third is in the works. These DVDs have been ordered around the nation to help others get the Good Friend message out. 

These events are not possible without financial support from grants and fundraising. Each Spring, a large Hawaiian-themed bowling event takes place as the major fundraiser for the organization. Last year, the Drop'n Shop was started and due to the amazing success of the event, the Drop'n Shop is back for year two!!

The event takes place on Oct. 27 from 10:30 am - 1:00 pm at the Steinhafel's Community Room on Hwy F in Waukesha. The Community Room is located on the first floor of Steinhafel's (thru the theater doors) and we ask that attendees park a little farther from the entrance to the store because we are privileged to use the room for Free and should allow Steinhafel's customers the closer spots.

Details from Good Friend's Facebook page:

All your favorite entrepreneurs in one festive space! Vendors from Kiefer's Kreations, Lia Sophia, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, PartyLite, Pepper It Up pottery, R U Puzzled, Tastefully Simple, T.F. Woodworking, Thirty-One, Tupperware, and Uppercase Living will sell on-hand and catalog items, with 25% of the sales benefiting Good Friend's autism awareness-acceptance-empathy mission! Demonstrations! Door prizes! Refreshments! Mini-massages! Free admission! Bring your giving holiday spirit, checkbook/credit card, and a friend for this girls' day out!

What a great way to get a jump on your shopping. Have the opportunity to see all these home entrepreneurs without having to book a party yourself and find people to come to it - we booked it for you :)