FOOD, FUN & LIFE IN WAUKESHA

First Time Mom - Third Trimester

2019-07-20T13:28:00.000-05:00

This post will be a little different than others, but it's about the newest stage of my life and I want you all to follow along on this journey! This post was originally written for The Lake Country Mom blog, but I want my followers to be able to see it as well.

Resuming the story about my pregnancy, my third trimester went from the beginning of April until June 11 when our son, Cameron James, was born (15 days early). I’ll get to Cameron’s arrival on my next posts, but this one is focusing on that final trimester. I call this one the “it’s getting real trimester.”

To say I felt big was an understatement. But oddly I had not gained that much weight—28 pounds (the average person gains 25-35). I do have fibroids in my uterus that they found during my miscarriage which made my stomach larger. My doctor was keeping an eye on them so they wouldn’t interfere with Cameron’s space.

Staying active—well I tried, but the closer to the end I got, the harder it got. I did manage to have some fun. I met up with some of my high school friends and coincidentally, two of them were pregnant. We went to ThirstyDuck for bowling, and if you haven’t gone, it’s fun! You don’t have to do much, so it’s easy no matter how big your belly is. It was nice to talk with the ladies, because they both have been pregnant before and I could ask them some questions about pregnancy and what to expect for the rest. And I attended a Board & Brush night with friends and made a new project for our house (more on that on another blog). But overall, I did enjoy sitting on my couch with my feet up often—maybe a little too much.

During these final months, we wanted to make sure my stepdaughters weren’t feeling neglected. A lot of my and my hubby’s time was focused on getting things ready for the baby. So, we made sure to make things special for them too—a mini shopping spree for their new rooms, and an awesome Easter scavenger hunt with fun surprises were just a few of the things we did. (The girls said it was the best Easter hunt ever!)

My hubby and I also wanted to spend some special time together before the baby came. We went to the Brewers Game for our two-year anniversary, as it would probably be our only game we would attend this year. We splurged on some nice seats in left field (the ‘keep-your-eyes-on-the-ball-as-all-the-foul-ones-go-here’ kind of seats), but unfortunately my pregnant body didn’t cooperate for too long and the seats hurt. We walked around a bit and even caught moments of the Bucks playoff game (something unique to see at Miller Park) and then we decided to leave early. It was still quality time for just the two of us and I really enjoyed it.

My hubby was also generous with going out to eat, a thing he doesn’t like to do too often because it costs money. But he justified it by saying once the baby arrives, we won’t be going out much. And this momma didn’t complain and enjoyed eating all the things!

I also attended the birthing and breastfeeding classes at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. My husband had attended the birthing class with his first child, but that was over 12 years ago, so I asked that he attend for a refresher. He reluctantly said yes and came along. I found both classes to have some value to them and am glad I attended, but really found the breastfeeding class the most beneficial. Much of the birthing class didn’t apply to the way my birth happened. As a first-time mom, I suggest that everyone take it still and if you plan to breastfeed, take that class too.

Self-care was important and realizing once the baby arrived that I may be in a lot of pictures meant it was time to cover all the grey and make the hair look presentable. I was also treated to a pedicure from a friend the day before my water broke. I can’t say that one led to the other, but it could be possible from what I have read online. And I had gorgeous blue toes for delivery!

My baby showers were in May and I am so appreciative of all the love and support we received from my friends and family. We received many thoughtful gifts as well as kind words/advice were shared with me before the big day. Registry hint – register for all sizes of diapers. 😊 Also, shout out to Thunder Bay Grille for the awesome setup for my shower and great food! Sweet Perfections, you outdid yourselves again on another scrumptious cake.

The nursery

They talk about this nesting thing that happens to expectant moms – yep, definitely happened to me! I started to clean EVERYTHING and re-sorted the clothes in the nursery a few times. Storage hack – hang onsies three to a hanger to save space and see what you all have. I even found the time and energy to prep a few meals for once the baby arrived. I made five freezer meals and had plans to make stuffed shells and lasagna, but the day I planned it for, my water broke…..so that didn’t happen.

Aches and pains – you betcha! My back pain became so bad, it was hard for me to sit in the car. My OB told me it was the way I sit while driving, but even as a passenger or on a chair at home, it hurt. She suggested I try a massage, and oh was it luxurious. (Thanks Massage Envy!) Though the therapist couldn’t do a full massage, he worked on the spasm spot for a long time and I felt healed…for a few days. Unfortunately, the pain came back and I decided to just deal until the baby arrived. I also purchased a belly band to help with the weight of my growing belly putting strain on my back. I wore it a few times, but found it somewhat annoying with how often I had to go to the bathroom (which you do A LOT).

Inverted with feet above head and ice pack on belly to make baby flip - it works!

Cameron was breech and wasn’t flipping like he was supposed to, and we almost had to schedule a c-section. Luckily, I tried a trick and he flipped. I used my grandma’s ironing board and rested it from the couch seat to the floor. Then I inverted myself on it and laid upside down for twenty minutes. To say I looked odd would be an understatement. I also put an ice pack on the top of my belly as well to help him flip. I had no idea if it would work, but at my ultrasound the next day, it showed it worked. HALLELUJAH!

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure with one month to go and had to have some extra tests run to make sure all was good. I had to do blood pressure readings a few times a day and had more frequent doctor appointments so they could keep an eye on things. Luckily, it stayed under control. I had some pretty bad swelling in my ankles at the end as well. It would usually go down each night, but by mid-day, I was rather swollen and had to put my feet up. Not exactly bed rest, but just told to take it easy and stay off my feet when I could—thus the couch sitting.

The next post will be my favorite of this series because I get to share the arrival of Cameron and how my life changed forever on June 11 😊Stay tuned.

First Time Mom - Second Trimester

2019-06-23T12:02:00.001-05:00

Picking up where I left off in my last post about my first pregnancy, I have completed my second trimester and Baby A is only a few short weeks away from arriving. But I wouldn’t have made it through this second trimester without all of the support and love from family and friends. My husband and I have dubbed this time frame the “helpful trimester.”

My husband and I aren’t big on New Year’s resolutions, but knew we needed to get a plan in place to make sure we were prepared for Baby A’s arrival. It was only fitting with the timing, that we created this plan right around January 1. We broke the list down by months until the arrival and gave ourselves work to complete in each of those months without overwhelming ourselves or family if they were able to help.

Our first task was the relocation of bedrooms for the girls so the nursery would be on the main floor. Violet was a little hesitant to move downstairs to the toy room, but we sold her on all the perks and she quickly turned around. Sam would be taking over her sister’s room because it was a little larger, and the nursery would be Sam’s old room.

Before we could move anyone, we had to consolidate the contents of the toy room downstairs into our office/workout room. It has since become the catch-all room that will be sorted out after we are settle with the baby. We also knew painting was going to be a big task, but it was even bigger than we realized. The previous owners had some very bold paint colors for some of the rooms in the house. The toy room had fire engine red walls, ceiling, and even the closet. And Violet’s room had four bold colored walls – pink, blue, green, and purple. My husband and I tackled the priming of the toy room together (two coats) and my father and husband painted it Violet’s color of choice, a light pink/purple. Both of my parents helped move all of her belongings into her room and we were able to surprise her with the completed project.

Sam’s new room also needed primer before painting and my parents again stepped in and helped out on this so I wasn’t the one painting. Sam’s room is now a gorgeous turquoise – think ’57 Chevy. The girls and their dad were able to move her furniture across the hall into the new room and set it up just how she wanted it.

With those large tasks out of the way, we could focus setting up the nursery. The theme of the nursery is planes, trains, and trucks, but more vintage than modern. Of course I found some amazing ideas on Pinterest that I wanted completed for the nursery, and my father-in-law and husband were able to make one of those happen and built a project together on a weekend.

I found a crib and dresser on an amazing deal and my parents are helping refinish part of the dresser. My brother and sister-in-law have been saving their baby items for when I finally had my baby and we received so many things from them, we will need to do two trips to get it all. And I received a complete maternity wardrobe from my sister-in-law. I can’t even begin to figure out how much money this has saved me. Old friends and new are also offering us items and borrowing us things that they have for our little guy and we are so unbelievably grateful for all the support and help we have received. I can’t say it enough--it really does take a village to raise a little one.

As for the second trimester for me growing my little boy, it had a few ups and downs. I had one really scary day where pain came out of nowhere very quick and fast and kept increasing in intensity. I wasn’t sure if it was contractions or not, and so my doctor’s office, Moreland OB-GYN, told me to come in right away. It was confirmed that I wasn’t having contractions and after hearing my baby’s strong, steady heartbeat, my husband and I were put at ease. Though I didn’t get a confirmation as to the exact source of the pain, and sometimes there is just undiagnosed pains in pregnancy, it was considered to be from over-doing it with the painting and moving that caused my pain. The pain subsided after I took two days of bed rest, but it was extremely scary. They definitely don’t tell you about all the things that happen to your body in all the books you read, but I rely on my Dr. office and my friends who have been pregnant to help me decipher what is a concern and what is normal, but not necessarily comfortable.

My emotions are mostly up and I find myself smiling, laughing, and more energize most days. But don’t let me watch any show with animals where they can be in any sort of distress or I will be a weeping puddle of tears. Animals have always pulled at my heart, but it seems that has intensified.

I don’t have any crazy cravings, just mainly drawn to sweets over savory items but I’ll eat just about anything that I can 😊I have no food aversions and have been doing a decent job of making sure I am covering all the necessary food groups and caloric intakes asked of me by my doctor to have a very healthy baby boy. I do miss lunch meat and sushi and can’t wait to have it after Baby A arrives. The last second trimester ultrasound showed that he was in the 55 percentile and about a week ahead in size. This is the time the doctor said you don’t want an overachiever and average is great.

I have been seeing my doctor every two weeks and have been for a lot longer than a typical pregnancy. I am at an advanced age for being pregnant at 37 years old. And because of my struggles getting pregnant and miscarrying, they are watching me extra close.

Second trimester means that you are finally feeling the baby move and it took me a little longer than some to understand kicks from what feels like bubbles in your belly at first. But now he is a kicking machine and right at the end of my second trimester, my husband was finally able to feel the kicks for the first time. It’s a very cool feeling and brings reassurance that he is strong and that he is there.

As I close in on the end of my pregnancy, I plan to share on my third trimester and the arrival of Baby A with all of you. He will be here before I know it, and my life will be changed forever. I can’t wait to finally meet my little boy who has already stolen my heart.

Baby Post - Reducing the Stigma Behind Infertility

2019-05-30T09:49:00.000-05:00

Continuing my pregnancy journey on my blog with this next post. This post was originally written for The Lake Country Mom blog, but I want my followers to be able to see it as well.

Sunday, May 5 was Infertility Survival Day and in honor of that day, I want to share with you our struggle to get pregnant and use this platform to tell my story and let everyone else who is struggling know that you are not alone. I want to help reduce the stigma behind infertility and one way to do that is to talk about it.

My husband and I married in April 2017 and began trying for a baby right away. I had been off birth control for three months to regulate my cycle and get us ready for conception. I found out I was pregnant in June after coming back from a hiking trip with friends in Colorado. My husband was in Canada with his family on a fishing trip at the same time, so I planned to surprise him on the day he returned (Father’s Day). I woke him up with a little gift from baby and a picture of my positive pregnancy test. We were both so overjoyed that it happened so quickly and started counting the days until we could tell people.

Three weeks later was my first doctor’s appointment at Moreland OB-GYN (approx. seven weeks pregnant) and because I was having some spotting, I was seen by a doctor to perform an ultrasound to confirm everything was fine. I got to see my little bump jumping around in my belly and it was the most amazing moment. Tears of joy streamed from my eyes and I felt so much love for that little bump already. I was reassured that everything was going just fine, but to keep an eye on the spotting. Two days later, the spotting got much worse and included some back pain, so I went back to the doctor’s office. I was sent for another ultrasound.

This time when I looked at the screen, the bump wasn’t moving and the tech had to break the news to me that I had lost the baby. I stared at that screen for a long time hoping and praying the bump would move, because I didn’t want to believe it was over. My first thoughts were instantly, what did I do wrong? Why did this happen? Why me?

After the ultrasound, I spoke with a doctor to explain things to me and answer any questions. The conversation was very much a blur as I was still in shock, but I do remember some of the important things that were shared with me.

“I did nothing wrong to make this happen. There could have been a chromosomal problem with the fetus that made this happen. I shouldn’t blame myself at all. This is extremely common and happens to many, many women. Just because I miscarried once, doesn’t mean I am incapable of getting pregnant in the future. “

I was told that my doctor would follow up with me in the next few days, but that I would continue miscarrying for the next few days. I was given a doctor’s note to stay home from work and a prescription in case the pain became too much.

My husband had pretty much figured out something bad happened, so when he got home from work, he held me while I sobbed and sobbed. (As I am writing this now, it still makes me sad and teary). He comforted me the best he could and we both knew it was going to take time to recover.

Because it was my first, I had already bought a few items of maternity clothing and started a journal for the baby. I put everything away in a box and put it on a shelf in my closet and took those days off of work to recover the best I could. I will never forget our first baby, but I couldn’t be reminded of it everyday either or I would never be ready to try again.

We took a little time off from trying and decided to just let what would happen, happen. But family and friends kept asking if we were trying or when we were going to try and it constantly kept triggering my sadness about the miss. It was at this time that I shared my story with my closest girlfriends. I don’t know why but I still felt shame for what happened to me when telling them. But their response and support has overwhelmed me and made me realize just how common this is and how many people know someone that has struggled to get pregnant. And that’s why I decided to share my story with all of you.

We tried for six months with negative tests every time. And then I was a few days late in February. I was nervous to take the test and wanted to wait until I was definitely late so as to not get my hopes up AGAIN. On day four of being late, I woke in the middle of the night with the worst cramping—comparable to the pain of the miss. I am almost certain that was another miscarriage but because I never took a test, it can’t go officially in my medical history. But my doctor did say it was a high possibility.

We began to talk with my doctor about what our options were to get pregnant. My husband and I are both older, so we didn’t want to wait too long on trying as the window would just get smaller. Because my husband successfully produced two daughters in his previous marriage, they decided I was the person in need of testing. I tracked my ovulation to a T using an app and tests, and I went through a procedure to check my ovaries and eggs. Everything came back fine and I was told that sometimes infertility can go unexplained.

My doctor decided on one final blood test to make sure that everything was good and I found out that I have hypothyroidism and will need to take a pill every day to help with that. Thyroid issues can affect fertility rates, but mine is not an extreme case. However, anything that I could do to be helpful in this case, I was willing to do.

We continued trying through the summer and only had negative tests. So we sat down with my doctor in September and decided it was time to go to the next level. We agreed to try a round of IUI, because it is costly, and see what would happen. This is different than IVF though both help give better odds to those with infertility issues. The procedure fertilizes me at the perfect moment in my cycle—giving me the highest chance of becoming pregnant. The worst part was that I couldn’t take a pregnancy test for 14 days because I would see a false positive due to the extra hormones from the procedure.

Those were the longest 14 days, but day 14 became the best day ever – a positive test followed by bloodwork that proved that I was pregnant. Though it was extremely early on and I had a long way to go, I tried not to worry and let life be life as there wasn’t anything that I could do. But Baby A is still in growing strong and developing and we can’t wait to meet him in a few short weeks.

This wasn’t easy to write, but I know I am not alone in this struggle. So many women deal with unknown infertility and miscarriages and I want them all to know that they are amazing women and I hope that your turn for good news is coming soon. And if anyone needs to talk, I am here. I am not an expert, but I know that when I chose to talk about it more, it helped me a lot. I will never forget seeing my happy bump jumping around on the ultrasound, and I doubt the pain will ever completely go away when it wasn’t, but knowing I have so many supportive people in my life makes it easier to talk about.

St. Patrick's Day - A Little Nontraditional

2019-03-11T18:11:00.000-06:00

For many years, my friends and I have gone out together for St. Patrick's Day. We have gone out in a few different cities, but no matter where we go, we always have a great time!

This year will be a little different for me being pregnant, but I vowed to myself when I found out I was pregnant that I would not be a hermit or not go out. I still want to have a good time with my friends and not miss out on experiences or time with them. I even bought a special shirt for the day and have a cute headband to wear to be festive!

Our plan is to enjoy St. Patrick's Day festivities on Sunday, March 17--the actual day, in downtown Waukesha. There is plenty going on at many of the local establishments. And quite a few of them are Irish or becoming Irish for the day. :)

I am a huge fan of Reuben Rolls--corned beef, cheese, and sauerkraut wrapped in a wonton and deep fried and then served with Thousand Island dressing. I already saw a few places plan to have them, so I'm ready to indulge!

I looked up what to drink that would be non-alcoholic on St. Patrick's Day, but didn't find much that would be easy to make knowing the bars will be very busy. I most likely will stick with Sprite or water with a lime, but I may switch it up and have a seltzer or a lemonade as well. I'm not a fan of non-alcoholic beers, which is basically beer-flavored soda. If there is a place in downtown that wants to make me a fun n/a cocktail (and has the time), I will gladly be there. If you have suggestions for me as well, I'm all ears. (Moscow Mule....hold the Russia?)

Here are just a few places that are having specials for St. Patrick's Day. Even if I didn't list them, most bars offer something special, be it green beer or shot specials.

Daylee Public House-celebrating both Saturday and Sunday! Mmmm Guinness Beef Stew

Mainstream Bar & Grill- Reuben burger offered all month long.

Roots Coffeebar & Cafe - Get yourself an Irish cream coffee to start your day.

Magellan's (aka McGellans) - Renamed for the day to celebrate and Reuben Rolls!

Donnie Boys - Plenty to drink at this place!

Bernie's Tap Room - our savior a few St. Pat's ago when other places were busy and we could get in a food order a flatbread right away!

House of Guinness - need I say more :)

Taylor's People's Park - another Reuben Rolls stop! Received an email about their specials but I don't see it on their website or Facebook yet.

Five Points Pub/The Clarke Hotel - This menu has Irish flair all year round.

Meli - one of a few places we found green beer a few years ago

Boscos Social Club - Hoping it's warm enough outside to enjoy their patio and play some bags. They do have heaters out there.

Whatever you do for St. Patrick's Day, please do it safely. Stay hydrated, remember to eat (who could forget with all this awesome food??), and use a designated driver. Uber & Lyft helped me get around last year and it wasn't expensive at all. Let's pray for nice weather too!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Punch Bowl Social - MKE

2019-03-07T13:59:00.003-06:00

We are very fortunate to live in an area that provides a vast variety of entertainment options. In Waukesha alone the variety is amazing. But by traveling just 30 minutes, the variety expands ten-fold.

I was provided an opportunity to check out Punch Bowl Social in the new Bucks Entertainment Block before it opens on Saturday. They allowed area influencers in during their soft opening week and gave us the royal treatment. I brought my friend Tory along to check it out with me--it's always more fun when you go with someone you know. Special thanks for the use of some of her pictures as well!

Punch Bowl Social (PBS) is located directly east of the Fiserv Forum. The roads have been reworked in that area so that there is an open air space and 4th Street no longer cuts through. Many other entertainment businesses are projected to open in this area in the coming year. But the two-story PBS makes quite a statement in that area already.

Upon arrival, I was in awe of all the glass windows that make up the front facade of PBS that look directly at the Forum and what will be the entertainment area. This will work well for those outside to see the fun in and vice versa. And many outdoor events are planned for the block during the warm weather to really make this a hub.

We were escorted to the upstairs area where our party was happening and walked past a large bar, plenty of seating areas, and many entertainment options. At the top of the stairs, your eyes take in the large bar and more seating, but also all the entertaining things that make up PBS. We self-guided ourselves around the space and took it in at our own pace.

After perusing the table display of the drinks and eats they were featuring that night, we grabbed a a beverage and continued on our way. I thought the display table was an excellent idea and the influencers "ate it up" too.

Being pregnant, I truly appreciate that they had a variety of unique n/a options in addition to their hand-crafted cocktails. We started with a strawberry rhubarb fizz for me and rum punch for Tory. They also had servers coming around with samples of their signature cocktails, allowing guests to try all the options without ordering full drinks.

Upstairs offers a variety of seating areas to accommodate groups of any size. There are three bowling areas featuring six lanes upstairs and four more downstairs that are first come first serve or by reservations really adds to the fun of a good time out.

Upstairsa also offer karaoke rooms, pool, jumbo jenga, ping pong, foosball tables (including one of the longest I have ever seen), a second bar and an arcade with some video and pinball games, and a lot more. Many of these are pay as your play or pay by the hour.

After our tour, we loaded up plates of food to try a little of everything and took in the sights and sounds of others enjoying themselves. The menu ranges from grain bowls and hummus to sliders, burgers, and tacos. They even offer a kids menu too, so this isn't just a destination for adults (though that is their primary target)

Everything that I selected to eat, I was extremely impressed with. The pickled carrots and cucumbers were an awesome palate cleanser after my sweet drink. The chicken and waffles were awesome--I think they use thighs which offer a richer, juicier meat and the breading was top notch. Homemade potato chips and a rice crispy treat fished off my plate and I was happily full.

All of the servers and other employees that were available that evening were super friendly and knowledgeable. One server that kept checking in on us was also pregnant, so she guided me to a second n/a cocktail--lime cilantro fizz. The smell of the drink alone had me already pairing it up with a street taco in the future. It was very tart, but still good. I would have never thought of cilantro in a beverage, but now I may consider it. She also told me that when we come back once they are fully open, the variety of homemade juices is amazing and I must try them all.

I don't think I have ever been to a bar or entertainment place in the Milwaukee area that offers so much variety under one roof. Their grand opening is Saturday night and tickets are still available. If you are looking for something to do with some hands-on fun, this place is an excellent option. I will definitely be back.

First-Time Mom - First Trimester

2019-03-04T17:27:00.000-06:00

I may not have always known what I wanted to do or be when I grew up, but becoming a mom was always part of the plan. When I first started dating my husband, who has two daughters from his previous marriage, we talked very early on about the idea of children and he was on board. I still remember his exact words, “Being a parent is amazing, so every woman should have the opportunity to become a mom.”

Once married, the questions started coming from everyone if we were going to be having a child of our own. Being in my mid-late 30s (not ready to say late 30s!), I knew that could pose some challenges for us. But I really wanted to be a mom. Yes I was a step-mom, but having a child of my own was my dream. There is no way to guarantee pregnancy and so I put my faith in God to provide me with a child if it was in the plan he had for me. I prayed about it and finally in October of last year, we found out we were expecting.

We found out extremely early because I was diligently monitoring my cycle. We had a long way to go before we were going to be telling people, but I did confide in my mom (of course) and my close girlfriends who were emphatically excited for us.

And so began the doctor appointments and decisions on which tests to have performed. I have been a patient of Moreland OB-GYN for many years and trust them fully with my medical needs. Because both my husband and I have down syndrome in our families, we opted for the MaterniT21 test that would let us know if there were any chromosomal abnormalities with the baby. And a separate bonus of this test, because it goes down to the DNA level, is that you can find out the gender earlier than your 18-20 week ultrasound.

I had an ultrasound around 8 weeks because of some pains I was having in my uterus. As a first-time mom, I wanted to make sure everything was ok and get answers from the pros. The ultrasound confirmed that Baby A (what we are calling the baby) was completely fine and the pains were most likely my body growing and stretching to make room.

Because of the ultrasound, we had our first images of Baby A. And we received the MaterniT21 results a few days before Christmas--no chromosomal abnormalities were found and also Baby A is a…..BOY! Because my husband already has two daughters, he was so thrilled that it was a boy. For me, I didn’t care either way, just want a healthy baby.

Christmas marked 13 weeks and out of the first trimester. Overall, my first trimester was rather easy—a little nausea and definitely was very tired all the time. We put a plan in place to tell his daughters and our close family at Christmas but that our full announcement would then happen after the holiday.

Baby A has made this past Christmas extra special and memorable for us being able to surprise everyone and in return receive so much love. Our favorite announcement was telling my step-daughters. I purchase shirts from Etsy for the girls, “Big Sister Again,” and “Big Sister Finally.” It was only right for them to find out in a special way and be told before others.

The Friday before Christmas, we let the girls each open one special gift. It seemed to take the girls forever to unwrap the shirts and read them, but the moment of surprise-shock once they figured out what the shirt meant is forever in my memories. The screams and squeals to follow confirmed their ecstatic excitement to get a sibling, and a brother at that. After the squeals subsided, the questions began and haven’t stopped yet. Though we (thankfully) weren’t asked how did this happen (aka where do babies come from), we have been asked a million other questions.

My mom is super excited and already knitted Baby A a pair of booties in Duke Blue Devils colors (my husbands favorite college basketball team), and my step-daughter Samantha does a ton of knitting and already made the baby a little hat.

Each week I provide my husband and the girls a Baby A size update from my apps that I use to monitor my pregnancy. One of the apps compares the baby to food (lime, mango, artichoke) and the other compares it to a gadget (Nintendo controller, Game Boy, TI-86 calculator). I love the food references, my husband loves the gadget references.

I am trying to do my best to take in every moment and remember this pregnancy. There are many things that are coming as a surprise to me as a first-time mom, but the journey is exciting and I can’t wait for Baby A to arrive. Watch for another update on my second-into third trimester coming up.

Murf's Fish Fry

2019-03-01T08:02:00.002-06:00

With the official start of the Lenten season next week Wednesday, where many Catholics make the decision to not eat meat on Fridays, I found it only fitting to write about Wisconsin's favorite Friday night activity - Fish Frys!! (Is it Fish Frys or Fish Fries??? I did some research but didn't get a definite answer.)

I have been a fan of Murf's in Waukesha for the better part of two decades. During college, I had a friend that worked there who we would occasionally visit. One memorable night, I was rollerblading around Waukesha with a friend and we found ourselves to be starving. We stopped at Murf's to see what our money could get us. We had enough to get a bucket of fish, complete with fries, rye bread, coleslaw, and of course tartar. Though that night happened about 17 years ago, that fish fry stuck with me. We ate it on the tables outside of Murf's on a beautiful summer evening and then rollerbladed back home during sunset.

Since then, I have told many people about Murf's and stopped there from time to time myself, though never again on rollerblades.

Recently, I introduced my husband to Murf's and he in turn has told many people about it. He even had a guy's night and instead of just ordering pizza or getting wings, all the guys got Murf's and we made many the place have even more fans.

Though they are mainly known for their burgers and custard, the fish fry is still as amazing as I remember. My husband and I love fish frys - be it at home or out in the area, and with Lent starting next week, I see many fish frys in our future (and a lot of Wisconsinites' futures!)

My husband had not had the fish fry from Murf's so it was time to dazzle his taste buds with this great fish. We ordered the 8-piece meal instead of two four-piece dinners to save ourselves a little bit of money. Murf's was hopping as always, but it didn't take too long for our meal to come out.

I was happy to see the exact fish that I remembered from that summer night so long ago. We each fixed ourselves a plate and went to town making our bellies happy.

The fish is generously sized cod fillets that are breaded solidly, but not thickly. You could actually pick up the pieces and eat it like chicken tenders with your fingers if you wanted, but we opted to cut it with our forks.

The butter was really cold, so I actually put it under the fish on the tray to help warm it up before spreading it on my rye bread--worked like a charm.

At first my husband and I were worried about the amount of tartar we received. We enjoy dipping our frys in tartar as well, so we thought we were going to run out. But actually it ended up being a perfect amount and the tartar was quite good. Rye bread was also nice, fresh, and delicious with the warmed butter.

I wasn't a fan of the coleslaw, but I am a bit more picky on this overall. There are very few that I like and I prefer a more vinegar-based style. This was very creamy with lots of mayo and just wasn't my thing. But if they have been offering it for all this time, I know others must enjoy it.

This fish fry is very near the top of my husbands and my list for go-to fish fry. It's close to home and it was really good. We hope to venture out a lot more during Lent and try even more fish frys to add to our arsenal. Here are some of the others that we have tried in the past few years that we have really enjoyed and suggest you check out. I would love to hear your favorite spots for fish frys in the Waukesha area.

Cue Club of Wisconsin - probably the top of our list
People's Park
Delafield Brew Haus
Thunder Bay Grille - splure for the seafood fondue as an appetizer - it's soooo worth it!
Tally's Tap & Eatery
Tofte's Table
Spring City Restaurant

Easy Valentine's Day Treats

2019-02-13T19:47:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day - a day to tell those you love how much they mean to you. The holiday dates back centuries and though many think it's a Hallmark holiday, it's really something so much more. I shared a post on The Lake Country Mom about things you can do for the holiday with all of your loved ones. And this week, I experimented and made some simple chocolate treats with my mom.

There are a variety of Waukesha businesses that also have chocolate dipped items--cookies, pretzels, strawberries, and more. But if you are crunched for time, or you want to make something so it's more special, this could be your option.

These treats are so easy to whip together, it almost takes longer to preheat the oven or melt the chocolate in the microwave than make the actual treats. And the mess was very minimal and clean up was quick and easy.

We started with chocolate Rolo pretzels. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and while that is happening, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Start with a layer of square pretzels and then place a Rolo chocolate candy on top of each pretzel. Then place in the oven for just three minutes so the chocolate gets a little melty. Push an M&M into the top of each--and push down just enough to mush everything all together. (Aren't these seasonal M&Ms so cute?!?!)

In addition to the pretzel treats, we melted some chocolate in the microwave to dip cookies. If you don't want to purchase a lot of items, you can buy these grab cups and seasonal M&Ms. Usually those cookie cups are in the 10 for $10 bin at Pick 'n Save.

We tried to "fork" or "toothpick" the cookies to help with the dipping, but the cookies wouldn't stay together or fell off in the chocolate. We settled for dipping half the treats.

My mom and I also figured out the calorie content of each treat, and honestly, they aren't that bad. (If you don't eat too many.)

Each treat is under 40 calories, except the regular size Oreos. Those didn't work the best in the chocolate but I just had to dip one of the new Most Stuf Oreos (that have 110 calories each before the chocolate dip!!!)

My mom and I had a great time experimenting and making some treats. She took some home for my dad and I have some to share with Jake this week for a quick sweet treat for my sweetie. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day, no matter what you do.

Sobelman's Waukesha

2019-01-30T11:51:00.001-06:00

Recently, the hubs and I were looking for someplace to go for lunch on the weekend. We have our staples of Culver's, Taco Bell, and Cousins, but I wanted something different. I pulled the discount card off the fridge (thanks to the Waukesha West Baseball team) and saw Sobelman's on there. I convinced the hubs that we should try it as neither of us had been there yet.

The location of Sobelman's in Waukesha has been quite a few things in the past couple of decades. When I went to Carroll, it was Mulligan's, a popular college bar. After my college years, it became a few other bars before becoming a country bar that then turned into Sobelman's. The owners of Sobelman's Waukesha also own Boscos Social Club in downtown and I went to college with one of the owners and had friends in a similar circle. It's awesome to see that they stayed local after college and now have successful businesses in the city.

When we walked into Sobelman's, the first thing I noticed was how different it was from the college days. The bar used to jut out in the room and take up a ton of space. Now the bar is L-shaped allowing for more tables for dining. They added cool rustic lighting with mason jars and lots of local vintage signage.

We grabbed a high top table in the middle of the place and were promptly greeted by our server. We showed our coupon for free cheese balls right away and she told us it was a great choice. I ordered a cherry coke and the hubs ordered a Mt. Dew copycat called Mountain Mist from Dang! That's Good soda company (from Milwaukee!). It wasn't Mt. Dew, but it was still good. And my cherry coke was made with grenadine - delicious.

Sobelman's is known for their awesome burgers and has even made national TV shows with a local burger battle in Milwaukee. I am a sucker for a Mushroom Swiss burger (my go-to at Culver's) so I had to try theirs. The hubs went for The Hangover (though he didn't have one) and just said no to the onions.

Our cheese balls came out wicked fast and oh man were they good. "No cheese ball left behind" was our mantra because we didn't want any of the cheesy goodness to go to waste. The cheese is breaded in a delicious coating and then deep fried. The ranch that comes with is awesome and the pairing really got our buds going. We ate about half the order before our burgers came.

The burger patties are flatter than other places in Waukesha, but with how they pile on the toppings, you still get a huge sandwich. (Is a burger a sandwich?) The buns are nice and buttery on the outside and soft on the inside. My burger had more mushrooms on it than I have ever gotten and they were sauteed perfectly. The cheese was melty and the whole pairing worked really well. I ate half the sandwich as is, and for the second half, I ate just the burger and toppings because I was too full to eat the bun too. The pickle slices on the side are nice, super crisp, and dilly.

The hubs burger looked amazing - one smush down on the sandwich had the fried egg running all over. He said it was cooked perfectly and it added egg to every bite. The sandwich also had cheese and bacon. He devoured the entire thing and was very impressed.

Our server was extremely attentive and we never ran out of beverages, had plenty of napkins, and she made sure we liked everything we got. She even chatted with us a bit about their other specials and how awesome it is to work for this company. Most servers don't take that kind of time any more or say it nearly as sincerely as she did - so that awesome to hear and something I wanted to relay.

Sobelman's is known for their Bloody Mary's and even has one with an entire fried chicken on top! We didn't try any that day--me, because I'm expecting, and the hubs, because he didn't think he needed a third lunch that day :) (They really can be meals in themselves, can't they?) But we are definitely going to keep this place in mind for lazy Saturdays and invite some friends for Bloody Mary's and a great meal.

They also have wing night on Wednesdays and Fish Fry on Fridays - plenty of reasons for us to go back. And if it wasn't for that coupon to get us in the door the first time, I'm not sure how long it would have taken us to try this gem.

Boombalatti's Pizza Co.

2018-10-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

I like to believe that I have always lived a healthy lifestyle--making good food choices and staying active. Since I was little, I was always riding my bike around town, playing volleyball, basketball, and softball, and I loved to dance, both classical ballet and competitive poms. Even after my sports days ended with high school, I continued to stay active with bike rides and I even added running/jogging into the mix. But the older I get, the easier I find it to fall into really poor habits and it's a lot harder to keep the weight off.

My love affair with the gym is one of epic proportions and probably something to discuss on another post. In a nutshell, I have joined and cancelled multiple gyms in the past 15 years and hopefully this time around, I have found the commitment to stick with this one and keep going.

But staying active is only half of the challenge--you can workout all you want and burn calories, but if you go home and chow down on unhealthy options and eat more calories than you burn, it's all for nothing.

Right before I met my husband, I had found a solid routine that balanced healthy eating and working out regularly and I'm aiming to get back to that lifestyle (but I know it won't be easy).

I fall victim to carbs all too often. I am a girl that loves bread, pasta, potatoes--if its a white carb, I love it. And I have had fears that I will never be able to break the habit. But I am also someone that knows I can't go extreme or I will fail. Everything in moderation is ok.

Cue in Boombalatti's Pizza Company -- I first heard of the company from an article in the Waukesha Freeman introducing the company as a low carb/keto-friendly pizza company and I was instantly intrigued. The business utilizes the kitchen at the Easter Seals building and provides fresh pizzas (and a few other goodies) to take and bake at home.

My husband and I are finishing up our "Biggest Loser Challenge" this month. It consisted of changing out lifestyles however we each wanted to be supportive of each other's choices. I increased my activity level and shrank portions, and my husband has cut his ties with the vending machine at work to provide ourselves with a healthier lifestyle.

I ordered from Boombalatti's and got a sausage, black olive, and green pepper pizza for us to try. The pizza is a 10' round, which doesn't sound that large, but let me tell you it is. The owner makes her own crust and sauce from scratch and loads up the pizza with plenty of toppings. Cooking instructions are provided and it's no more difficult that making a Papa Murphy's.

Once out of the oven, the pizza looked and smelled just like a regular pizza. Though the crust didn't get nearly as crispy as my husband likes, I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza. To me, it wasn't too far from a regular pizza in flavor, and knowing I was enjoying fewer carbs made it even closer to regular pizza for me.

Boombalatti's is growing in popularity and offering more days to for pickup during the week. How it works is that you order in advance before the pickup day, pay online, and then come during the pickup time window and your pizza is ready for you.

I have had a few conversations with the owner and she is experimenting with more varieties of pizza and food options and has a very solid following for those looking for gluten-free/keto-friendly food options that are fresh and local. I see good things in her future!

Pamper Yourself

2018-09-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Labor Day has come and gone and with it comes Pumpkin Spice everything, sweaters, and boots…..well eventually. It’s still rather warm outside and will be for some time. So don’t unpack those boots just yet and take a little time to pamper yourself (and maybe your little ones)—you deserve it.

I love getting pedicures—I would get them bi-weekly if I could afford it. My feet always end up so much better looking after time at the salon than anything I could recreate at home. I’m not a picky person when it comes to my pedicures--just get in there and exfoliate, hydrate, massage, and paint.

This year, my husband and I decided to provide more experiences for gifts for the girls and less presents. They really don’t need another toy sitting on a shelf downstairs and they have so much available to them at their fingertips. We decided we needed to provide them things the internet cannot and did a little research to find just the right gifts.

Our main Christmas gifts to the girls was fuzzy slippers, mini manicure sets, and a gift certificate for a pedicure. Neither have ever had an official pedicure, just foot soaks at home with a polish to follow. They were so excited and a little nervous to have a stranger touch their feet, but I think I was pretty convincing when I shared with them how heavenly I find it. They wanted to go right away, but I told them that when you spend the money on pretty feet, you want to show them off; so we waited until the weather vastly improved and sandal season arrived.

We decided on a nice warm day to head over to The Corners and check out Anthony Vince Nail Spa. I found on their website they offer child pedicures, and with Samantha only being eight years old, I appreciated not being charged the full price for her tiny feet. And of course I was getting one with them--I wasn’t just going to sit by and watch!

I made the appointment about a week in advance so that we would all be able to go at the same time. The girls loved the wall of nail colors to choose from and spent a decent amount of time deciding. Once colors were finally chosen, we were walked back to our chairs which we were in a semi-private area for just the three of us to enjoy. I’m pretty sure that the spa could handle a couple dozen pedicures at once during the busy season, they had so many areas available.

Our nail techs were amazing and talked to the girls a bit about life and the fun day we planned and then got down to business. We were filed, massaged, hot toweled, flip flopped, and polished. I did warn them that parts of it could tickle and we all laughed at least once when they touched our feet just right. And the girls got to experience the massaging chairs. I kept this as a surprise, but at the end, I asked the techs to paint a flower on each girls’ big toe for a little extra fun. When it was done, I asked if they would go again and without hesitation they both said yes! Now I know a fun treat to get the girls and tell others as gifts for them.

And mommas, remember to treat yourself too! A few friends from high school and I still get together and recently did a pedicure and then grabbed dinner. It was such a relaxing experience for all of us, we want to make that a more regular get-together. I don’t know many ladies that don’t enjoy a pedicure, and certain places, like Anthony Vince, even offer adult libations to enjoy while you are being pampered! So before boot weather comes, make an appointment and pamper your toes!

Other nail salons in the area to check out:
-Emma Faye

-Solar Nails, Waukesha

-Love Nails

This blog was written for The Lake Country Mom, as I am a contributing blogging momma. But I am sharing on here as well for my audience. Consider checking out LCM on her website and social (FB, IG) for many other great blogs and information about events happening in the Lake Country.

Take Time to Disconnect and Play Some Games

2018-06-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

Let’s just say that April was a pretty miserable month….weather-wise. I think we shoveled more in April than in January. Let’s hope those days are behind us until at least December. So what do you do with your family when the weather is less than ideal? Going out all the time can get pricey, not to mention, the weather can limit things too. And there are only so many TV shows you can watch and things to view on YouTube. I vowed to not let my family become zombies to the TV or computer/tablets. I do think that our girls could watch TV or play on phones/iPads for eternity, but that isn’t a good habit to start so young. We all need a good disconnect every now and then.

What got our family through many, many snowy, rainy, cold days were games—cards and boards. To state we have some games is a severe understatement. We love games—all types and skill levels. We bring them over to friends’ homes for get-togethers and our friends love to play and share their games with us too. And we have raised the girls to love games and want to play them as well. Rarely do we get complaints when we say we are taking a break from TV and playing games.

Here are some of our favorites that we have introduced the girls and our friends too. They can be as competitive as you make them, but I guarantee it will be good family bonding time and learning at the same time.

Outburst
The point of Outburst is to guess all ten items under the category in a minute. You get points for each correct response. We have a few versions of this game, but the Junior is a favorite with the girls because the categories are less complex. No need to make the girls name ten Harrison Ford movies (“who is that, they would chant in unison?) My husband purchased Ultimate Outburst in the early 2000s, and though some of the questions are dated, it adds another level to the game. The Ultimate version makes you guess the category by listing the items and you receive points based on unused clues.

Uno
I have been playing this game since I was a wee child and it’s still a favorite. Our oldest received Emoji Uno for St. Nick, and thinks it’s hilarious when she plays a wild and makes the next person make the emoji face until their next turn. Regardless which version of Uno you own, they are all a blast and involve some strategy. Matching numbers and colors and mixing in some fun rules, makes our games last a very long time and provides the winner extra joy in being the first one out.

Rack-O
This game was one of my and my brothers favorites growing up, but it’s less known. You are dealt 10 cards and need to put them in the holder in the order they are received. Then you take turns picking and discarding from the center pile to try to get your cards in numerical order first. There isn’t a lot of strategy to this game, except what cards you are going to keep and how you can get the most points each turn.

Phase 10
This card game involves players competing to be the first to complete ten different rounds (phases) in the game and have the least amount of points. There is some strategy in this one, but again is a little based on the luck of the draw. The game takes a while and you need to pay attention to what others are playing so you don’t discard what will make the next person phase up. I also received a dice version of this game as a gift a few years ago, but the card game is more fun.

Headbands
This game is a staple for us and brought along to all get-togethers—young and old. The girls especially love the Disney version. Every player wears a headband and one person is given a card to wear in the headband facing out so the other players can see, but not the person with the band on. That player needs to guess who/what they are by asking a series of questions to slim down the answers. I am not nearly the Disney aficionado that the girls and their father are, so they know to give me a more basic character but it brings laughs to everyone that plays. The original version is an assortment of things. We played this with my husband’s mom and while she was trying to read the suggestion card she grabbed her glasses and said “I cant’ see this I’m blind as a bat.” We all started laughing a chuckling and didn’t know what to say, because her card was indeed a bat. What are the odds? It’s a great story that will be a family memory for all of us.

So even though the weather is finally acting like it should for this time of year, I urge you all to disconnect from your devices and spend some time playing games with your family and friends. These games are great for cookouts, when you are babysitting, or just want to have a different kind of night. Games are a sure way to bring some laughs and memories and the video or show you were going to watch will always be there waiting.

**This post was written for The Lake Country Mom as I am a contributing blogger. But I also want to share it with my readers here on my own blog.

Taco Chili

2018-04-08T10:58:00.002-05:00

Looking for something to warm you up on these unseasonably cook Spring days? Taco chili will surely warm you up. This is a family favorite that my husband introduced me too when we first started dating. I was leary about it because he does like spicier foods than me, but once he said I could add sour cream, I was in heaven.

This is a super easy recipe that we name a dump and run and the slow cooker does all the hard work for us.

The only prep you need to do is browning off the meat and onions. Once you have that done, it's literally dumping in a bunch of cans and then set the slow cooker to do the rest of the work.

Here's the recipe:

1 lb. ground meat
1 lb. ground turkey
half a medium onion, diced
1 can corn, with liquid
1 can chili beans
2 cans beans of your choice (you can drain liquid and rinse beans)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. ranch seasoning
1 can chilies (optional)
1 cup water (optional)

Toppings:
Fritos Scoops
shredded cheese
sour cream

Brown the meat and onion together. Once done, add to slow cooker, add all other ingredients and stir together. (I hold on the water until the end if it doesn't seem to have enough liquid). Set slow cooker on LOW for 6-8 hours to let the flavors really meld.

Serve in a bowl topped with sour cream and cheese. Scoop it up with some Fritos for extra texture.

ENJOY.

I know everyone makes chili a little different--I would love to know how you enjoy it. How spicy can you handle? Do you have a signature ingredient that goes in yours?

Daylee Public House - To Go

2018-02-08T18:46:00.000-06:00

Daylee Public House outdoor patio - on W. Main Street
Photo: Daylee Public House

It's no secret that I am a fan of Daylee Public House. I have introduced many people to Megan and her lovely establishment and have never had a bad experience. She makes you feel like you are with family when you are there (and the good family, not the crazy uncle that bothers you.)

Heat lamp at Daylee Public House
Photo: Daylee Public House

Daylee is good for small groups, large groups, private parties, catering, and more. There is plenty of space inside and out, and she caters to all seasons!

Grilled cheese and tomato bisque at Daylee Public House
Photo: Daylee Public House

My co-workers and I went to lunch on a very chilly Friday afternoon and ordered tomato bisque and fancy grilled cheeses from the menu. Though she has a create your own grilled cheese, we were all drooling over her menu options and ordered those. The boursin cheese and fresh ingredients put her grilled sammies over the top.

NEW Wraps at Daylee Public House
Photo: Daylee Public House

Megan also shared with us that she has four wraps on her menu now as well. I love a good wrap sandwich and these look amazing. I can't wait to try them out.

Soup to go at Daylee Public House
Photo: Daylee Public House

Besides just going to Daylee's for a meal and a good time, you can bring Daylee's home to your family. Megan keeps a fully-stocked freezer of take-and-bake meals that range from soups and sides to entrees and desserts.

Take and Bake Meals
Photo: Daylee Public House

I couldn't resist her freezer when we were there and brought home meatloaf (for two) and lasagna rollups (for the family).

The hubby was very excited to see the meatloaf in the freezer that we made it the next day. Every package comes labeled with the ingredients and directions. I whipped up some of my favorite creamy mashed potatoes and let the oven do the rest of the work with the meatloaf.

Daylee Public House Bacon BBQ Meatloaf

My mom makes a good meatloaf--I have never had much luck making one. Megan's is really, really good. It's juicy and the bacon takes it to another level. As you can see I like my potatoes because the meatloaf portion was decent sized and I loaded on the taters!

Other meals of Daylee's that I have taken home included stuffed meatballs, meat lasagna, and glazed carrots--all were fantastic. You can stop in and seen what Megan has Tuesday through Saturday or email her and she will respond and let you know what is currently available. I have never had a difficult time finding something I would like to eat from her selection.

As for catering, she will make you whatever you wish for your event--the skies the limit. My bridal shower was held at Daylee's and my mom and I put together a menu of our favorite items and Megan surpassed all our expectations with the food.

So consider Daylee's for all your eating and drinking needs. And watch my blog soon as I attempt to recreate her tomato bisque and grilled cheese at home.

National Sandwich Day

2017-11-03T10:07:00.000-06:00

In honor of today being National Sandwich Day, I want to share my top sandwiches that I love in downtown Waukesha. There are a lot to choose from so I had to slim it down to my top five. Please share your favorites as well.

1. The Cranberry Bog - The Steaming Cup--This sandwich is the epitome of Thanksgiving. It has turkey, cranberry, mustard and pecans on a cranberry bread. Though ownership of the Cup has changed, this sandwich has stayed a staple and is so delicious.

2. Chicken Breast Salad - The Rochester Deli--Savory, delicious and always a great lunch option, this sandwich comes loaded with chicken in just enough mayo sauce, but not too much that it saturates the bread.

3. The Veg Head - Daylee Public House--I think it's the cheese spread that puts this sandwich so high for me. The spread gets extra creamy when grilled and the veg combo is on point. Pair with the delicious tomato bisque and you are set!

4. Sandwich Capri - People's Park--Another go-to for me. Juicy tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic on a crusty baguette. Simple but packs in so much flavor. Pair with the cucumber salad for a real delight!

5. The Beatles - Roots Coffeebar & Cafe--I'm a sucker for melted brie and sweet jam and this does it for me. The toasted bread, turkey and raspberry pair so well with the cheese. Some kettle chips on the side and I'm a happy girl.

So take some time today and celebrate deliciousness between two great pieces of grainy goodness. What will you choose?

Pieper Porch Winery

2017-11-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

Pieper Porch Winery has been around for about five years, but recently it has been picking up steam and popularity. More and more of my friends are talking about the business and it was about time I checked it out. The opportunity arose about a month ago and my friend and I decided to enjoy a nice sunny Saturday afternoon at the winery.

The winery is located on the edge of Waukesha/Mukwonago off Hwy. I/River Rd. It's just a short drive from my house and is a residence that has been turned into the winery and vineyard.

The tasting room is located in the basement of their home and the family/staff is smiling and ready to serve you. The winery provides five samples as part of the complimentary tasting from their lengthy list of varietals. They even provide further explanation than what the sheet provides on each wine if needed, and then you have some time to choose your samples.

I tried some sweet wines, but mostly stuck to the dry varietals and was very happily surprised with how bold their wines are. When you think Wisconsin wines, sweet and fruity come to mind a lot of the time. Peiper Porch knows how to do both kinds of wines and does them well! The reds are very deep in flavor and are dry.

After our samples, we decided to split a bottle to enjoy on their covered porch and have some girl talk. The winery was quite busy, but the crowd seems to rotate well and we found a spot with no problem. They have two silo areas that can be reserved for special events in the vineyard, and the grape vines were really impressive. You can also bring in your own food to enjoy at the winery--we took notes for next time.

We watched kids play in the open field while parents enjoyed each other's company. I also ran into a friend from high school and it was her first time here as well. It was good to see her and I found out that if you aren't a wine fan, they do have some beers to offer to help please more of their crowds (not her, but her husband isn't a wine guy).

After about an hour, we noticed the sky getting a little darker and started to make plans for what to do for dinner, realizing our wine time was nearing an end. The winery is only open Friday-Sunday 11 am - 5 pm, so regardless of the rain, we were about to get the boot.

It did rain and so we went inside, wrapped up our sales, and asked to take the rest of our bottle home. They gladly recorked it for us and sent us on our way. We told them we would definitely be back. I will be keeping them in mind for presents as well #shoplocal!

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and quality of their products. They have a solid business and you can see the pride they have for it in the wine and the vineyard. I also recently saw their wines for sale at Sentry Fox Run--not sure where else they are available, but this was a good find for the winter. I know I will be back soon to enjoy more.

Waukesha - City That I Call Home Part 1

2017-10-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Riverwalk Apartments, Waukesha

It's been almost 10 years since I moved to the city of Waukesha, not including my days at Carroll University (it was College back then). I have lived in two places in downtown, owned a condo on the north side, and now reside near Waukesha West in our forever home.

There are definitely benefits to living in the heart of the city versus living in the more rural areas. The biggest benefit--being close to all the fun and excitement that comes with city living. When I moved to the Riverwalk Apartments in February 2008, downtown was revitalizing itself. Not even the catastrophic flooding of June 2008 could stop downtown. That summer People's Park, the Clarke Hotel, and other shops opened--making downtown more inviting. It was an event filled summer with the Harley-Davidson celebration and national recording acts played at Cutler Park.

June 2008 Fox River Flooding in Waukesha

My roommate, Tiff, and I were able to walk to all of it and really enjoy our city. This is when I really realized all that downtown has to offer. Since then, downtown continues to add new businesses (and lose a few as well). But overall, this is a massive improvement over what downtown was when I went to Carroll.

(Side note - when I went to Carroll, it wasn't really recommended to students to go downtown by themselves or really at all. Downtown didn't have much to offer at that time for students and came across as a scary place. What a difference a few years make as now Carroll partners with downtown businesses on promotions and that entire opinion has been changed. Good job!)

Madison Street Condominiums, Waukesha

After a few years with a roommate, I decided that I might want to live on my own and try to purchase a property. I found a one-bedroom condo that was lease-to-own and thought that would be my best route to finding out if I could do it. It was still in the heart of downtown and so close to my job that I could walk every day.

And that leads into......walking everywhere is a huge benefit. I was able to walk/bike to work, walk/bike to meet friends, walk to explore, and walk to shop. The farmer's market and I became really good friends while I lived downtown--exercise and local produce--a win, win. And there aren't "big box stores" in downtown Waukesha, so when I did shop, I supported local with unique gifts that meant a little more to the receivers.

Sentry Liquor Crew Bike Ride

Also, I was a convenient location for friends to meet and hang out before going to events or a night out in downtown. Being able to walk everywhere kept us safe and we had a lot of fun in the process.

However, along with living so close to everything came the sights and sounds of a busy downtown--noisy vehicles, people yelling, loud music, and fire trucks leaving the station at all hours of the night to name a few. I didn't get angry and bitter about it, I realize it's part of living in an area that is more populated by businesses than residential and sometimes it was actually quite comforting to know there were so many people around. For some people, they enjoy city sounds all the time.

For me, it was good for a while and I became used to some of it but obviously, a one-bedroom place wasn't going to be my forever home. I decided to get out of my lease-to-own property and began the search for a real place outside of downtown. I definitely appreciated living so close to everything (as did my car), but I wanted something with a bit of a yard and more square footage.

Part two will talk about my next places that I have lived in the city and the benefits (and drawbacks) of those. But overall, I would recommend Waukesha to anyone of any age looking for a place to live. It has downtown, city, and rural life all in one and provides a little bit of something for everyone.

Wings Around Waukesha: Homemade Wings

2017-09-02T12:09:00.001-05:00

As you know, hubby and I love chicken wings and try them whenever we can.

About a year ago, hubby and I made wings at home for the first time. It was definitely a new experience for both of us and it turned out so well. The wings were oven baked and amazing--I couldn't have asked for a better first experience.

The worst part of making wings is having to separate the wingette from the drumette. My coworker told me about Cermak and that it has an incredible butcher department. I went and checked it out for myself. Indeed the butcher department was very impressive with every cut of meat you can imagine. I was able to find packages of fresh chicken wingettes and drumettes already separated. Hubby was so excited we were going to have homemade wings again!

I couldn't find the original recipe that I used to cook the chicken wings the last time, but relied on Pinterest, and the amazing bloggers that share their recipes on the platform, to guide to me to another good one.

I put all the wings in a big bowl and sprinkled baking powder and salt over them and flipped them around. The next step was to put them on wire racks over baking sheets. A recommendation would be to foil cover the baking sheets for easier cleanup.

This recipe has the wings bake at a low temp for the first 30 minutes and then you raise the temp for the last 40 minutes. During that time, I made the sauces.

Searching chicken wing sauces on Pinterest brings a ridiculous amount of pins. But one struck my interest right away--copycat Buffalo Wild Wing sauces. My hubby loves BW3s so I asked him to pick his faves for dinner--he chose Parmesan Garlic and Asian Zing.

I had everything for the Parmesan garlic, but I was missing Sriracha for the Asian Zing. I subbed cayenne and Frank's Red Hot. I also recently bought an Apricot Bourbon sauce so I added a tablespoon of butter to thin it out and gave us three choices.

I recommend keeping your wing sauces warmer so when the wings are dipped in them, they don't cool down. And sauces with a butter base will thicken when not kept warm (as you can see in the photo above.) The surface of my stove gets warm when the oven is on, so I put the sauces on it so warm up.

Though the recipe didn't call for it, I flipped the wings with about 10 minutes left.

I let the wings rest for five minutes when they came out of the oven and then it was everyone from themselves! Not really, but I showed hubby how to sauce them up and we went to town. Place a few wings in your sauce of choice and flip them around. Using tongs, I grabbed them out, let them drip off, and then plated them up.

My favorite sauce was the Parmesan garlic (right). The Asian zing (center) ended up rather runny, my guess because of my Frank's sub instead of sriracha that is thicker. But the flavor was there. Apricot Bourbon was good as well (left).

Though the sauces coated the wings, the wings stayed nice and crispy. This was definitely a success and I have since pinned the recipe to be able to find it in the future.

I also used my air fryer for the first time to make homemade fries. I will share my thoughts on the air fryer once I use it a bit more. But so far, so good!

Have you ever made wings at home? What are your favorite wing sauces?

Zubleton Wings Rating (Max Score of 5): 4.5

Flavors: 4.5 Drumsticks (I offered 3, which hubby said was pretty awesome being we were home, but ultimately could have made as many as I want.)

Size: 4.5 Drumsticks

Taste: 4 Drumsticks - the runny Asian zing was what brought this down.

Price: 4.5 Drumsticks (.43 each - I had all the ingredients already at home for the sauces)

Temp: 5 Drumsticks - nice and hot

Sauces: Ranch

Veggies: Celery and carrots :)

Wet Naps: napkins while eating, plenty of soap and sinks to wash up with

Flatbreads - My Favorite Food

2017-08-13T19:23:00.001-05:00

"Flatbreads - Like Pizza But Annoying" :)

Bacon Cheeseburger Flatbread

That sentence couldn't be any further from the truth for me, but my friends use it to talk about my obsession with flatbreads. It comes from stand up comedian Iliza Shlesinger discussing the way girls share appetizers, use Groupons, and then split the bill twelve ways.

In all honesty, flatbreads are a favorite food of mine. If it's on a menu, I'm most likely going to order it. And then I'm going to try and make it at home. I have tried to replicate a few that I have eaten and have come pretty close. I like flatbreads because they are full of flavor, have excellent crust, and aren't over greasy and messy like pizza. And you can get them so many different ways.

My all-time favorite in downtown Waukesha has to be the Duck Confit flatbread from Bernie's Tap Room. Some of my friends and I tried it on a whim during the Christmas Parade and I have been hooked ever since. It came to our saving grace on St. Patty's Day a few years ago when the bar we were at forgot to put in our order and we left starving and in need of food in a hurry.

I have written about flatbreads a few times on my blog, from restaurants in Waukesha, Milwaukee, and making them myself. It's a quick easy dinner and customize-able so everyone can get what they like.

I had my friends over for a girls night and planning our annual trip to Door County. I offered to supply the main course and asked everyone to bring a side. When I said I was making flatbreads, a few friends thought I was joking--joke was on them when they arrived.

I cooked up some chicken breasts two ways and supplied many topping choices.

I had BBQ sauce, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, fresh mozzarella, basil, parsley, shredded cheese, and balsamic reduction. I found small flatbreads and everyone was able to make their own.

It was a huge hit with everyone as were all the yummy homemade sides.

We munched, talked about life, did a little Door County planning, and just enjoyed each other's company.

And just tonight, I made Bacon Cheeseburger Flatbreads for Jake and I for dinner.

We had some ground beef that needed to be cooked up. So I seasoned the meat, fried some bacon until well done, picked some fresh tomatoes from my garden, and covered it all in cheese. The sauce was put on after cooking and was a combo of ketchup and mayo (and mustard for the hubby).

Hubby said I killed it with dinner and he would eat this again and again. #WINNING

Flatbreads have so many options and make a quick and easy dinner for anyone that doesn't want to spend a long time prepping. What topping would you put on yours?

Waukesha Floral

2017-06-19T14:30:00.000-05:00

Kara Reese Photography

When I started at Image Makers fourteen years ago, I became aware of Waukesha Floral & Greenhouse. The company is a client of Image Makers and also provides floral and decor for the office. If you drive down North Street in Waukesha heading to downtown, you might notice the brightly colored, fun decor in front of our building. Waukesha Floral does an amazing job and we have even had people stop in and ask about it.

Marty and Jane are genuinely fun people and experts in their field--it was a no-brainer when it came time for floral for my wedding.

Kara Reese Photography

The floral arrangements that Michelle, WF's wedding specialist, came up with for my day were the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. Though I gave input on the types of flowers that would make up the bouquet, I had no idea how gorgeous it would turn out.

Kara Reese Photography

As I shared before, Tom Kaupp, the president of Image Makers, passed away in November. Before he passed, we had a conversation in his office and he offered to purchase my bridal bouquet. He shared this wish with others before passing on and so the least I could do on my wedding day was let everyone else know how special he is to me and my family. The bouquet that Waukesha Floral put together for me was absolutely stunning -- I know Tom was with me on my day.

Kara Reese Photography

I received so many compliments on how the floral really pulled the room together and weeks after the wedding, many friends and family still had roses and succulents still alive. I am trying to save some and grow them in my yard.

When it came time to find annual plants for our new home and add some color to the yard, we selected Waukesha Floral. There were so many plants to choose from and we let the girlies pick out whatever they wanted.

After we picked plants from the outdoor area, the cashier told us to check out the greenhouse and see how beautiful everything was coming in. The girlies were mesmerized by the beautiful colors and how many plants were in the greenhouse. It really is something to see.

This was the girlies first time really getting in the dirt and planting all on their own and they did any amazing job. The hardy plants from WF have survived my absent-mindedness to water them and bounce right back.

It's no wonder why Waukesha Floral has been around for over a century -- their amazing flowers stand the test of time and I have no doubt who I will turn to in the future for any of my floral needs.

PS - they have an amazing shop with home decor, candles, purses, jewelry and more - definitely worth checking out.

North Carolina Honeymoon - Through Our Bellies Part 1

2017-06-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

I married my dream guy on April 29--Fiance has been upgraded to Hubby on the blog. Though it was typical of Wisconsin weather to be gorgeous the week prior to our wedding, we indeed had a rainy, unseasonably cold day. But that didn't stop us from having an amazing party. From what I can tell and have heard, everyone had a great time and the rain didn't get any of us down.

On the Monday after, Hubby and I left for North Carolina on our honeymoon. We are non-traditional and kept that pattern up when we planned where to go for a week. To say Hubby is a "Duke fan" is an understatement. He knows crazy facts and stats about players that would lead you to believe he and Coach K talk every day. So we started the vacation in Durham and by the end of the week, ended up in Asheville, North Carolina.

Though there is a ton we can share about NC as a whole, maybe another blog post will be for that. This post is going to be all about the amazing eats that we had while in tobacco country. Land of vinegar BBQ'd meats and homestyle eats, we never went hungry and every meal was superb. It's like comparing fantastic and spectacular.

Because of Hubby's Duke-love, his Facebook group of Duke fans provided us many options for meals in Durham. Though we couldn't go to all of them, we did enjoy a few and no one lead us foul (see what I did there).

Our first night in Durham we checked out a restaurant called The Pit. It is known for it's full-hog BBQ options. The place was decently busy--we found a table by the windows and watched a rain storm come in. Our server was extremely informative and told us about their sauces and popular menu items. I went with the choice favorite on the menu, pork shoulder with a Lexington sauce. Hubby went with ribs--he even ordered us an appetizer of Pumpkin Corn Bread.

Welcome to heaven - the pumpkin corn bread with maple butter was sooooo good. Cooked in a cast iron pan, the bread had a crisp crust, but was warm and soft in the middle. The dollop of butter melted over the top and into the bread. I saved a piece for the end of my meal where as Hubby ate his portion right away.

This meal goes down as my favorite of the vacation. I know.....right out of the gate???? But truly the shoulder was pull-apart perfect and the flavor was on point. The creamed corn and the mashed taters weren't too shabby either. For me this was honestly a perfect meal.

Hubby's ribs were quite delicious too....fell right off the bone. His potato salad had a bit too much mustard in it for me, but he loves his mustard.

And just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, our server offered us dessert on the house for our honeymoon. How could we pass that up? Pecan Pie with caramel drizzle......I don't know if it was the food comma we were both already in, or if truly food is better in the south, but this pie was excellent. Clean plate club for us on that as well.

Across the street from this restaurant was this 'daughter of a mechanic's' ideal bar----Parts and Labor. It is actually an old repair shop and showroom that has been transformed into a very vintage, rustic bar and music hall. If it wasn't down pouring, I would have definitely stopped for a beer or two. Speaking of, I did enjoy quite a few local beers and wines while in town. That will be in another blog.

My aunt recently visited Asheville and gave us some pointers on great places to eat. It just so happens one of the places she recommended had a Durham location, Another Broken Egg Cafe. We stopped for breakfast on Tuesday morning before continuing our Duke campus tour. It's a cute place with tea cups and rustic decor on the walls.

I love all things "carbs" so when I saw specialty pancakes, I knew what I was going to have. And to this foodies' delight, they offered a trio (pick any three of their gourmet pancakes and get one of each.). Peach Cobbler was a no-brainer; my goat cheese obsession brought me to the blueberry lemon cheese option; and Bananas Foster was just filler. Who would have thought the bananas foster would win first in my belly....I loved this so much. The caramelized sauce soaked into the pancake and made it so decadent. Second would be the blueberry lemon--refreshing flavors. The peach cobbler was good, but needed more butter to bring flavor to it.

Hubby chose the caramelized pecan french toast. His was delicious as well and there was sooooo much food that we couldn't finish.

These monstrous breakfasts kept us full well past lunch, so what else would I get to tide me over until dinner except ice cream!

We managed to find the cafe while waiting for our tour of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. The cafe offered pre-packaged sandwiches and snacks, bottled waters and sodas, and dishes of ice cream. Butter Pecan was a perfect treat for an 80 degree day.

We worked up quite an appetite walking around the gardens, so we headed back to the Inn and got ready for dinner. Hubby suggested Italian, so we went through the provided suggestions and picked The Boot.

This place was rustic but with an Italian vibe. It smelled absolutely amazing when we walked in. What caught my attention was the cork wall they were in the process of building. I had much envy as I have a cork project of my own I want to complete and an only imagine how many corks they needed.

While we decided on our entrees, Hubby ordered us calamari and it was THE BEST I have ever had. The batter was light and flaky and the marinara was definitely homemade. We both joked about how the mini octopus calamari freak us out, but there wasn't a bite to eat left on the plate.

Hubby is a sucker for spaghetti and meatballs and tries it everywhere. He wasn't disappointed and enjoyed the meal. I ordered the oriechette pasta with Italian sausage, broccoli raab and pecorino. Though this had a little spice kick, it was very appeasing to my palette. I enjoyed watching other entrees come out of the kitchen and hearing satisfied diners rave about their food. Again, another solid choice.

The next day was our last in Durham before we started the trek to Winston-Salem. We had heard great things about the American Tobacco Campus area and decided to check it out. "When in tobacco country, go where things are named after it...right?" Parking was a bit of a struggle, but once we found a garage, it was a pretty cool experience. The old Lucky Strike factory has been revamped into the entertainment district of downtown Durham. From where we entered the area, you wouldn't even know the Durham Bull Stadium was a part of it.

We ate at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe--it reminded me of TGI Friday's at Miller Park because its attached to the stadium. We again ordered an appetizer and were extremely impressed with the Fried Green Tomatoes. I had never had them but they were fried to perfection and the pesto salad went very well with it. Again....completely gone.

Hubby ordered the tacos for lunch and I chose the fried chicken sandwich. I didn't realize I ordered the food challenge portion (not really)--look at the size of that beast!!!! It was two very large chicken breasts with extra crispy coating. I don't know who could possibly finish that. Huge but so so so good again. I took one of the breasts off the sandwich and hubby snacked on it after his tacos were gone. I still couldn't even come close to finishing the sandwich.

So that's our experience in Durham--I would definitely go back and tour more of the city, and eat more BBQ! The area is so green and lush with vegetation and no mosquitoes!!!! Stay tuned for Winston-Salem and Asheville eats coming soon!

Wedding Favors - Cookies of Course

2017-04-28T09:46:00.001-05:00

This weekend, I marry my best friend and love of my life--Fiance becomes Hubby on the blog.

Being the foodie that I am, I wanted to create wedding favors based on a food theme. I looked through many ideas on Pinterest, researched and priced out options, and finally settled on heart-shaped puzzle cookies to follow our theme.

I bounced the idea off my mom and we decided to bake, frost, and package all the cookies ourselves. This was quite the undertaking when realizing that it's two cookies per person so they get both sides of the puzzle.

I originally bought a cutter online that was 2" X 2.5" when complete--way too small to try to cut out and frost. I eventually found a larger one online that made a nice sized complete cookie.

Now it came time for the dough and baking. My mom made a few test recipes and we finally settled on a recipe from my favorite blogger, Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. The hint of orange zest sets these apart from any of the others that we tried.

For the frosting, we experimented with color and flavor and finally settled on white almond frosting with white and silver sprinkles. This is modified based off of many we found online.

Each batch of dough was made separately as we didn't want to double the batch and run into any issues. Then each batch was split in half and flattened into a disc to chill for about an hour. This made rolling the dough out much easier, but also resulted in many, many batches of dough. My mom, having a background in teaching engineering, used two 1/8" dowels to help roll the dough out consistently.

Easter Sunday, my maid of honor and I helped making dough, rolling, cutting out, and baking. My mom and dad did the majority of the frosting, outlining each cookie first and then flooding the middle. I helped with the sprinkles.

As for packaging, we wanted to make sure everyone saw the final design, so we found a way to lay them out and then seal with a cute ribbon and favor card that told people to come here for the recipe.

This was definitely quite the undertaking for my family, but we got them done and I think they look and taste better than anything that could have come from a store. I can't thank my family enough for all their help with these favors, and hope everyone enjoys them.

And now for the recipe:

Cutout Cookies by Ree Drummond

Ingredients

2/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. orange zest

1/2 tsp vanilla.

1 egg

4 tsp. milk

2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together shortening, sugar, orange zest and vanilla until fluffy. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Add milk and beat until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together and add in parts until all combined. Divide dough in half and shape each into a flattened disc and place in a Ziploc bag. Chill for at least two hours or over night.

Roll cookies about 1/8 inch thick. Bake on parchment paper lined cookie sheets at 375° for 7-8 minutes. Let completely cool before frosting.

Frosting/Icing

Outline or border icing

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

1/3 tsp. almond flavoring

1 1/2 Tbsp. corn syrup

Mix together powdered sugar and milk. Whisk in almond flavoring and corn syrup. Whisk until well blended. (If it is not thick enough to stay on the outer edge of the cookie, add an additional 1-2 T of powdered sugar.

Flood icing

Same as above, but use only 1 cup powdered sugar. If it seems too thin, then add an additional 1 T powdered sugar.

Using plastic bottles (similar to the picnic style for ketchup and mustard) will make the frosting process a bit easier.

Fish Fry Season is Upon Us

2017-03-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

Today is the beginning of Lent and for many of us in Wisconsin, it's the unofficial kickoff to fish fry season. I enjoy fish fries year-round, but many restaurants up the ante during Lent and offer their fish fries more often or have more offerings. I want to share with you a few of my fave places around the area that I have enjoyed a fish fry.

Thunder Bay Grille Fish Fry

Spring City Restaurant/The Rox Bar - They have a full menu full of Fish Fry specials. I recommend the cod and the perch. The restaurant is a traditional family place, but if you want a more lively atmosphere, head to the bar side and enjoy it there.

Thunder Bay Grille - They do offer specials on Friday in addition to their regular menu items. I love the Fish and Chips - Atlantic cod, farmhouse ale beer batter, fries, house made tartar sauce, house slaw - 13.99

Tally's Tap - They offer an AYCE Fish Fry among other specialties and they have really good potato pancakes :) They recently went through a remodel--I haven't been there to check it out, but it's a sports bar with bar games and such.

Cue Club of Wisconsin - This is probably my fiance's and my favorite fish fry in town, and not just because we lived close by. They have a menu exclusive for their fish fry. The portions are great (they offer a smaller portion too for those that don't need a lot). The breading is good, fish is flaky, and waffle fries--need I say more.

Delafield Brewhaus - This place is known for their fish fry and it's a year-round tradition. Portions are large and delicious. I left stuffed with a happy belly--where as my friend who is usually on seconds when we are just taking our first bites--was considering adding on the clam chowder!

Albanese's Roadhouse - This offers bar room dining or a dining room depending on which atmosphere you are in for. The fish fry has an Italian breading that I really enjoyed.

Murf's Custard - This one takes me back. In the early 2000s, my friends and I roller-bladed here and pooled our money together for a bucket of fish and fries. We ate it outside on a gorgeous evening and then roller-bladed all over downtown and around the city. The scariest part was rollerblading on the boardwalk late at night (yes we probably shouldn't have, but we were young and it was fun!) I still remember the fish and it was great!

People's Park - My parents and I have enjoyed this fish fry many times. They have a fish sandwich as well. And I love that I can get the cucumber salad instead of fries. My mom always opts for the sweet potato fries!

In addition to the places that I have shared, there is a website dedicated to fish fry's in the Milwaukee area--with a page just for Waukesha. Check it out and maybe find your favorite.

And please feel free to share your favorite place with me - I'm always up to try new places and new foods!

2017 - The Best Year of My Life

2017-01-19T14:00:00.000-06:00

My company's 30th Anniversary trip to Las Vegas (Tom is in the yellow hat)

Two months have flown by since my last post, though it doesn't feel like that to me. At the end of September, I found out some devastating news about my boss Tom--he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He was given a diagnosis of one to three months and this turned my world upside down. My boss, mentor, and friend of 13+ years wasn't going to take treatment and would instead spend his remaining days surrounded with family and friends. His faith in God is like no other that I have witnessed.

Just two months and one day into his diagnosis Tom took his last breath surround by his family. During his service, the priest said some words that struck quite a few of us. "Strive to live your life in order to have as many people at your funeral as Tom had." I have never attended a wake or service with so many people at it--over 1400 people attended the wake and there wasn't a seat available at St. Gabriel's Church. There were so many other sides to my boss' life that I was unaware of his impact.

So needless to say, my end of 2016 wasn't ideal, but I have learned some really important lessons that I'm carrying into 2017. 1) Life is unpredictable - live every moment like it's your last. 2) Being the nice guy does pay off. 3) Every moment is a moment to remember, no matter how big or small. 4) Do the things that bring you joy.

So as part of living out these lessons, I am dedicating myself back to my love of writing, including writing about the city that I love, Waukesha. And 2017 is a year that holds big things for me and I plan to bring you along for the ride. It's truly going to be the best year of my life and full of so many amazing events.

1) I marry the love of my life in April and we begin the next chapter of our life together.

2) The purchase of a new home that is larger for all of us.

3) A hiking trip with my ladies to Colorado in June

4) And of course all of my ventures around the city.

Though I didn't make many formal resolutions this year like I have in past years, I did make one to be more organized. This will help my life in so many ways. I plan to get on a more routine schedule, keep my desk organized at work and keep my household clean. This will help us be prepared for selling, and by doing these things, I will make more time for ME!

See you soon!

Playing Catch Up

2016-11-06T20:00:00.001-06:00

Yikes- August 24 was my last post to you guys - I'm sooooooo sorry. This year has been flying by and wedding planning has taken a forefront to my personal writing and downtime lately. But don't worry, I have still gone out and enjoyed many places downtown with friends and family.

Let's start with some upcoming fun, then a quick recap of what I have been up to. And then I PROMISE that I will get more thorough blogs out on each of these topics below before November is over!!!

First off - can you believe we are less than two months away from Christmas! The season is upon us. I recently wrote about the downtown Waukesha happenings for the holidays for the Waukesha Pewaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau. Check out the post here.

Ok - here's a brief recap of what I have been doing.

Salsa Chicken - super simple dinner!

1. I have been experimenting with new recipes and family favorites. I try to cook one new dish a week -- sometimes they are kiddo friendly and other times, they are for more advanced palettes. I also recently completed a 10-day cleanse and it taught me a lot about my food choices and what I should be eating. I would say I haven't had any cooking "fails" lately, so that is always a plus. Meals include chicken salad (two ways), chicken cordon blue pasta, "crack" brownies (seriously so good), salsa chicken and z'paghetti noodles with shrimp.

2. I have enjoyed a few meals out and about with friends and my fiance. Gyros West, Bernie's Tap Room, Meli and Tofte's Table top the list of places I have visited late.

Lighthouse Events Pumpkin Run in Oconomowoc

3. I am really trying to get myself into a fitness schedule in addition to eating better. The wedding is coming up in less than six months and I have some work to do before the big day. I signed up again for the Winter Run Series with Lighthouse Events and just completed my first of the five. I also have been trail run/walking with my friend Tory.

Nature Trails at Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha

White Gull Inn Fish Boil

4. I recently had my bachelorette party up in Door County. We did it early because we wanted to make sure things would be open while we were up there. My MOH picked the perfect weekend and we really lucked out with weather. I ate plenty of cherry items and partook in the famous Fish Boil at White Gull Inn. Upon returning, I checked out Raised Grain's Door County Cherry IPA to reminisce on the amazing weekend. I won't be sharing all the details of that weekend, but it was a great time and we actually hope to make it an annual trip.

Raised Grain beer flight

Oscar H. Hanson Bed & Breakfast - Breakfast

5. My fiance and I just returned from a quick weekend trip to Cambridge and stayed at the amazing Oscar H. Hanson House B&B. The service was stellar and we found plenty to do in the neighboring cities to keep up entertained for a few days. We definitely will return to the B&B and maybe venture deeper into Madison next time.

Ok - so before November is over, I promise my readers will see at least four new posts. I am making a commitment with my fitness to also give myself more person time. Typing, doing crafts, or reading gives me less time to snack and more time for creative outlets.