Brookfield Wannabe

The Chocolate Swan was a bakery in Elm Grove, located on Watertown Plank Road, between Elm Grove Rd. and Legion.  Although a different bakery has taken its place, I still miss the Chocolate Swan, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  So, I was happily surprised to learn that the Chocolate Swan has an online store! 

"Mary," the proprietor of the store, was an elegant, friendly lady (I'm sure she still is).  My mom, brother, and I were devoted fans of her shop.  My mom would often stop in to buy chocolate covered strawberries or our family favorite, the strawberry logcake made with fresh whipped cream.  I loved it so much that I had Mary make my wedding cake.  (She also made my brother's.)  From the looks of her picture gallery on the Chocolate Swan's website, it looks like she still is making delicious and creative desserts.

The shop closed several years ago when the owner decided to move to Las Vegas.  I had heard that she opened a store in the Mandalay Bay hotel, but I only recently discovered the website. 

It appears that there is a limited number of desserts being offered through the online store.  Be sure to read their shipping policy if you decide to order.  There is a phone number listed if you want to call the store directly.

The strawberry logcake, unfortunately, is not one of the options.  Ahh well, the carrot cake was also pretty darn good, as I recall...
 

I got an email from the co-chairperson of the Big Chili Round-Up, Kerry Wendelburg, reminding me that Brookfield's Fall Festival was coming soon.  So, although you will see an ad for it on BrookfieldNow, I'm putting some of the info in my blog because I want to really get the word out on this great family event.

Date: October 7, 2007

Place: Mitchell Park Pavillion, Mitchell Park - Brookfield

Time: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Ticket Prices: $10 adult; $5 children 3 and up; $30 family price (2 adults and 3 or more kids) - PRICES WILL BE HIGHER AFTER OCTOBER 1

According to co-chairperson, Kerry Wendelburg, the above prices are the "pre-sale" prices, good for registrations received before October 1.  Proceeds go to Juniors Care for Kids and other charities sponsored by the Brookfield Junior Women's Club. 

Registration and ticket forms can be downloaded from the website for the Brookfield Junior Woman's Club.

You can also find the same information and find out more about the event by looking at the ad on the homepage for BrookfieldNow.

As the name implies, the chili cooking contest is the main event.  Anyone with a favorite chili recipe can enter.  Several prizes will be awarded, including 2 Packer tickets and a 2-night bed and breakfast stay at the 52 Stafford in Plymouth, Wisconsin.  See the above sites on how to enter.

Lots of stuff for the kids:  coloring contest (sheets can be downloaded off the above sites); hayrides; scarecrow making (an additional fee is required to enter this event); face painting; cutest cowboy and cowgirl contest.

There is also a special prize being offered this year as part of the silent auction: an opportunity for 5 kids to participate in a mini-sausage race at Miller park.  The prize also includes 15 outfield tickets for family members.  In order to bid on the prize, you must attend the Big Chili Round-Up.

I've personally attended this event with my family.  (My nephew even won the prize for cutest cowboy awhile back.)  It's a day of food and fun!
 

"It comes at you quickly; it requires alertness and skill; the outcome is unpredictable; the weak can sometimes overcome the strong; it involves elimination and has both winners and losers." (Rule 10)

The above quote is an excerpt from the book, 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School (Real World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education), by Charles J. Sykes.  On Monday, September 17, 2007, Mr. Sykes will be appearing at the Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore in Brookfield to promote and speak about his book.  The event begins at 7:00 p.m.

I don't listen to his radio show, and I am not familiar with his other work.  However, after reading a short newspaper review of this latest book by Mr. Sykes, I was compelled to buy it because the quoted "rules" were bitingly funny and at the same time had a serious edge.  Coming from the perspective that real-world perspectives and basic common sense are being lost in a world of touchy-feely parenting, Mr. Sykes has expanded what were originally 14 Rules into 50 Rules, some that I agree with and some that I don't.

Each rule is given its own chapter.  Although you may not want to use it as your main parenting tome, the topics covered, the counsel given, and the anecdotes described do make you think. 

Here are a few of the other rules:

Rule 7:  If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.  He won't have tenure, so he'll tend to be a bit edgier.  When you screw up, he's not going to ask how you FEEL about it.

Rule 18: Life is not divided into semesters. And you don't get summers off. 

Rule 33: Be nice to nerds.  You may end up working for them.  We all could.

Rule 48: Tell yourself the story of your life.  Have a point.
 

I love to indulge in a cafe mocha, even though it is bad for my reflux and my tooth enamel.  I justify it by saying that there are studies that say coffee is chock full of antioxidants.  Although I am a fan of Starbucks, I had an opportunity to go to the Elm Grove Perk and Pub (when using this link, scroll down to "Perks and Pubs").  I probably had the smoothest cafe mocha there that I have ever had.

I take my daughter to get her haircut at Whimsikidz, a kids' boutique, in Elm Grove, owned by a Brookfield Central graduate.  Right down the sidewalk is the Elm Grove Perk and Pub.  Both stores are located in the Autumn Grove Plaza complex, slightly east of the intersection of Bluemound and Elm Grove Roads.  Because I was feeling the need for some caffeine this morning, I dropped by the Perk and Pub for the first time.  As the name implies, it is a place for both coffee and something a little harder, the bar opening later in the evening.

The Perk and Pub offers a quieter atmosphere than the Starbucks a little farther west on Bluemound, and the mocha I had didn't have that acidic punch that sometimes a Starbucks one can have.  The Perk and Pub  has several tables, and a small sitting area with a few comfy chairs and toys for the kids.  Although I only had coffee, sweet treats were also available, like cookies and brownies, and there is a food menu.
 

My daughters are what you might call "easy marks" when it comes to television advertising.  The preschooler, when watching the Disney channel, is enthralled by anything "princess" related.  The teenager, when she was just about the age of the preschooler, saw a commercial for Aquafresh and insisted we buy it because it was "the best" toothpaste.  (In fact, that is still the brand she prefers.)

In addition to some shows on the Disney channel, I let the younger one watch the shows on PBS Kids, a cable network that runs shows like Curious George, Clifford, and of course Sesame Street (Ernie and Bert, you gotta love 'em even after all these years!).  

Last night, I was dismayed to see that there were commercials on PBS Kids for Amazon.com and Sunmaid Raisins.  I say "dismayed" because I have always thought of PBS as a haven away from advertising, especially when it came to programming for children.

I realize that it comes down to money.  PBS needs the advertising revenue to survive.  I get that, but it doesn't lessen my disappointment.

Seen at Grasch's today...

The produce sign says "Gourmet EUROPEAN Seedless Cucumbers". 

The label on the cucumber says "Product of CANADA".

*** 

You might have already seen the advertising on BrookfieldNOW but Grasch Foods is holding its 25th Annual Brat Fest this Saturday, 9-15-07,  from 10 am to 4 pm.  In addition to food, a flyer I got today says that there will be balloon art and face painting for the kids.

Proceeds from each sale are being donated to the Waukesha County Special Olympics for transportation, equipment, and uniforms.
 

If it is actually possible to be in love with a kitchen appliance, I LOVE my new dishwasher.

When we bought our model house, it came with kitchen appliances.  Although most of them are still holding steady, our old dishwasher was the bane of my existence from almost the very beginning.  First, it was so loud that trying to hold a conversation in the kitchen was like trying to talk while in the near vicinity of a freight train.  Second, the door to the dishwasher kept breaking down every so often.  Pieces of plastic would break off the vent mounted on the door.  The hinge would break.  The screws holding the inside of the door to the outer frame would pop out.  You get the picture.

Finally, after yet another screw popped out, we broke down and decided to get a new one.

When we first went looking, I thought all you needed to know was the size of the dishwasher.  WRONG. 

You need to be aware of how your old one is anchored under your countertop and need to make sure your new one can be anchored in a similar fashion.  You also can be surprised, as I was, at how your power is coming into your dishwasher.  In my situation, the power source and its physical configuration was a potential barrier to  fitting my new dishwasher into the old space, something I didn't know until the installer pulled out the old one. 

And for Pewaukee, I'm not sure about Brookfield, you need to pay for a PERMIT to change out your dishwasher!

But all the problems in buying it and having it installed (my experience with Lowe's in Tosa is fodder for another blog) have been worth it.

We bought a Bosch dishwasher.  Now, I will kid you not, a Bosch does not run cheap.  And because I was going all out, we got the one with all the bells and whistles, including the hidden childlock. 

But it is so quiet, you honestly almost forget it's running.  It purrs like a kitten.

You know you're getting older when the almost silent running of your new dishwasher is the highpoint of your summer.

My daughter is attending a different school this year. Her new schedule is killing me. Ok, so I'm being a little dramatic, but it's been really busy since school started. So, this blog is about some new stores that I've seen on the fly (mostly as I'm shuttling to different school events).

NEW RESTAURANT

It looks like there will be a new eaterie on the corner of Capitol and Calhoun, but I'm having trouble reading the name of the restaurant on the sign as I drive by. It's either "Bovary" or "Bowary." It says it's coming soon. I haven't heard anything about it though.

If anybody has info on this new place, feel free to put in a comment.

RELAXATION

At the Towne Centre, there is a new store coming soon, called "Massage Envy," located a storefront or two west of the Northstar American Bistro. Now the sign out front is advertising a price of $39.00 for a massage BUT there appears to be a small asterisk by the price.

As I am always driving by, I haven't had a chance to see upclose what kind of conditions are attached to that asterisk. I have heard of this franchise before, but I heard the price was more like $45 to $50, which is still pretty reasonable for a massage.

I thought there was a Massage Envy somewhere in Delafield too. Again, if anyone has ever went to a Massage Envy store, post a comment.

FOR THE LADIES

There is a new upscale lingerie store in the Galleria. Open as of September 4, "Allure," located next to Faye's, also has a second location in Mequon. I haven't been to the Mequon location or the new one in Brookfield yet, but I've heard that Allure carries high-end lingerie brands not found in department stores.

I don't generally write blogs that contain objectionable content, so imagine my surprise last night to find out that one of my blogs had been censored!

I had some time on my hands last night and was experimenting with features on our new blogging tool.  I was using an option where I was able to scroll through and view past blogs.  As I was scrolling down, I noticed a bunch of asterisks in one of my blogs.  It was about the importance of getting an annual mammogram, and my own experience this past spring.  ("Say It Isn't So/ May 16, 2007)

So, of course, I have to mention the word...umm... the word that refers to that part of the female anatomy that rhymes with "vest". 

So, in a blog about the early detection of "vest" cancer and my experience of finding a nodule in my left "vest", all references to that part of the female body are gone and replaced with asterisks, probably due to some program that is designed to detect and delete...umm... dirty!?... words

My apologies to any who may have been reading this particular blog (and thanks to all who are reading my past ones - I can see the hits!).

I've already informed the powers that be that in this particular instance perhaps "vest" should be reinserted, seeing as that's kind of the topic and all.

 Technology is a wonderful thing...until it mucks everything up.