Amy Artisan

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Category: WI-Family (page 1 of 3)

MKE Moments

As I’ve mentioned before, the last several months have included many trips to Milwaukee for work on a big project. When east coast vacation plans with the WI-fam in early August had to be delayed and I saw another MKE trip on the calendar for mid-month, all things aligned for me to fly out there earlier for a weekend of WI-fam fun before work. Here, a few snapshots along the way.

Coffee

Saturday @ 6:25 AM – Wide awake early, so I decide to make some iced coffee & read for a while to start the day. “Can I get some non-decaf coffee packets?” That was my question as I went down to the front desk once I discovered the in-room coffee service only had decaf. “You mean regular coffee?” was the response. Umm…yes – evidently I do need some caffeine to ease into this day.

Custard

Saturday @ 2:01 PM – As we were out and about on Saturday morning, late afternoon supper plans were finalized. So when the shopping was done, we resumed the great Milwaukee custard tour with a stop at Leon’s Frozen Custard. For some of us, custard might have been our entire lunch. Another delicious vanilla cone – the heat of the day made this a fast melting and messy treat.
golfSaturday @ 6:57 PM – Mini golf with the cousins on a summer evening. It has been decades since I played. Fierce competition gave way to silliness among our 3 teams. By the end, my team of 4 (including the 3 year old) only had 2 golf balls to play among us all – so the adults would tee off and our littlest team member then made a game of getting the ball into the hole. From my play, evidently the stress of the last couple of weeks of work was working its way out via some horrible shots…

more custard

Saturday @ 7:47 PM – To beat the heat after mini golf we all headed to Kopp’s for more frozen custard. Truth, the LaCroix was more satisfying at that point in time after a filling supper and a hot round of golf. I only ate about 4 more bites of custard after this pic…but of course, since this was vacation I had to have custard twice in 1 day…

sleepy Will

Saturday @ 9:45 PM – Tuckered out from a full day…for the youngest in our crew, it was too much effort to stay awake for the final Phelps medal ceremony…watching the Olympics together & cheering on our favorites was a great end to the day…

market

Sunday @ 5:07 PM – After saying farewell to the WI-fam &  settling into the work hotel, I walked 2 blocks to the Milwaukee Public Market. Finally a chance to stop into the market after walking by it on every trip so far…a few provisions for a light supper & breakfast options for the mornings…

Monday morning

Monday @ 7:17 AM – Waking up to a view like this over the lakefront doesn’t jive with the “MKE travel advisory” email in my inbox from corporate security. Praying for peace here in this town!

beirhausTuesday @ 6:10 PM – A team celebration dinner to end an all day workshop meant a taste of Milwaukee at the Bavarian Beirhaus – complete with accordion music.
23rd floorTuesday @ 9:21 PM – Ending the day with drinks on the 23rd floor – the picture can’t capture the amazing view of the moon reflecting on the calm lake waters. A great jazz trio playing in the corner & plenty of laughter with colleagues.

The trip was quick; however, plenty of fun moments were had both “at play” and “at work” behind the cheddar curtain.

A Week in Pictures

The combination of a planned weekend with the WI-fam & a work project out there meant I had a week+ back in Marinette. The time seemed to follow a “work hard, play hard” mentality – lots of work during the days paired with family fun for evenings & weekends. Here, a few scenes from the trip…

MKE

…Friday was for an early flight from Philly – a layover in Atlanta – and flying into Milwaukee and trekking north…for heading to Grandma & Grandpa’s house for an amazing Friday Fish Fry (some of the fish had been swimming under the ice that morning)…for “picking up where we left off” in family time…

Cake

…Saturday night was for celebrating a new marriage…with cake and cupcakes and a great DJ and lots and lots of dancing by the littlest cousins & nieces…

Tamale Pie

…Sunday meant all sorts of things…a lazy start to the day after the late night party…wandering Walmart to figure out our Sunday Supper menu: Tamale Pie, WI style with ground venison – roasted green beans for dipping in salsa – spinach salad…picking up double cheeseburgers from Mickey-Lu’s Bar-B-Q for lunch…mid-afternoon as snow arrived it meant another Walmart run, dropping a kid at the ice rink, and when in WI you drive to Culver’s in a snowstorm to pick up Oreo concretes for the adults for dessert…Sunday evening is for starting to read aloud The One and Only Ivan to the 4th grader (with Mom & Dad enjoying the story, too)…

Apples

…Monday was for Disney Apples to Apples with the whole family – after a quickly pulled together Amy supper…Monday is also for finishing up the “Ivan” read aloud and completing an unanticipated book report…

…Tuesday didn’t yield pictures but included a “normal” evening of tasty supper and homework and hanging out…

Lighthouse

…Wednesday meant a work team dinner and a bit of time to kill before the reservation…so I headed to a favorite spot to capture another seasonal shot of the lighthouse…

Football Pizza

…Thursday was for driving “so far away” to pick up a favorite pizza: the 30″ football – topped in thirds…

Blurble…Friday was for the whole family heading to Dexter’s for supper (amazing stuffed shrimp!) and then home for family game night as the snow moved in…a flurry of Blurble was followed by an intense round of spoons…

Snowy

…Saturday morning started with a tranquil view of the fresh snowfall and some reading on my Kindle before the house awoke…French Toast and coffee and conversation…

Zingers

…and then once the rental was cleared off and packed up, it was time to pick up one last coffee from my favorite Zinger Coffee & Tea and hit the road back down to Milwaukee to fly out…

And just like that…the trip was over…and I was back to PA, at least for a few days…

Currently…October

Ah, OCTOBER…a month of fall colors and falling temps…of shortening days…of pulling out the colder weather wear…in the midst of it all, these are a few of the things that filled my days…

Reading…a bit…plans for an October QuickLit update didn’t happen but the draft is queued up for November…unexpected work travel has given me more reading time than anticipated this month…

Tipsy discovering the magic of a ball of yarn

Tipsy discovering the magic of a ball of yarn

Crafting…continue to stitch through the Packers season on my Scorecard cowl…my “Walk the Land” cowl is off the needles and in use…some gift knits on the needles…

Spiced Pear & Apple Butter has brought autumn joy to many meals

Spiced Pear & Apple Butter has brought autumn joy to many meals

Cooking…it’s the season for cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg – pears & apples that were past their prime were thrown in a pot with these spices and simmered on the stove to become Spiced Pear & Apple Butter…continuing with some Whole30 basics on hand and prepped for quick meal success!

After work on a blustery day, the view of a favorite spot

After work on a blustery day, the view of a favorite spot

Traveling, Part I…plans for the month were very different than I thought they would be…back to back work trips to end the month – first a quick a work trip to Marinette filled with busy workshop days, beautiful fall scenery, a bit of time with the WI-family, enjoying a bit of a Culver’s Pumpkin shake and a bowl of my favorite stuffed bell pepper soup…

The view as I arrived in Switzerland for a work trip

The view as I arrived in Switzerland for a work trip

Traveling, Part II…because of course the trips stacked up, about 48 hours after getting back from WI I was headed overseas…the last week of the month was for meetings in Switzerland which meant a scramble to get my passport renewed…plans for Halloween with my Texas cuties didn’t happen so that I could extend my trip for a weekend of exploring…more to come on my Swiss adventures…

Looking Ahead…November brings my birthday, family Thanksgiving time, a time to focus on what I’m thankful for and more…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer’s monthly “What I’m Into” roundup. What are you into these days?

Currently…August

Ah, AUGUST…a month of… local heat waves 3 and 4 of the summer (and maybe the start of 5)…some mornings that had the slightest hint of crisp and the promise of cooler days ahead…birthdays and anniversaries of many dear ones…seemingly endless summer produce at the farm stands…in the midst of it all, these are the things that filled my days…

A farm stand bouquet to start the month

A farm stand bouquet to start the month

Reading…working my way through the lofty vacation reads stack…after finishing up my recent Civil War read, I transitioned to baseball & World War II for my next narrative nonfiction – The Game Must Go On: Hank Greenberg, Pete Gray, and the Great Days of Baseball on the Home Front in World War II by John Klima has kept my attention while diving into the way that professional baseball survived during the war…no surprise that I didn’t get my summer reading challenge finished by the arbitrary end of summer that the local library decided upon: closing time on Tuesday, August 18…but I did achieve 12 books this summer before month end…August travel provided a lot of reading time…

Reading on a rainy Sunday morning in WI with Willie Bear at my feet

Reading on a rainy Sunday morning in WI with Willie Bear at my feet

Watching…Wallander was the Netflix series to start the month…Doc Martin was a fun show to work through later in the month…The Astronaut Wives Club was a fun summer series…it won’t be long until Sunday afternoon football is back in rotation (time to figure out football knitting)…

Never too old to have fun opening gifts

Never too old to have fun opening gifts

Celebrating, Part I…On the front end of my work trip down to Florida, I was able to stop in Georgia for a weekend in the ‘Ville…it has been years since I have been with my sister for her birthday – it was fun to enjoy her birthday celebration in person instead of via photos sent via text

A bit of summer crafting

A bit of summer crafting

Crafting…breaking in new colored pencils with some coloring books…knitting a few more dishcloths (you can never have too many on hand)…working on a new infinity cowl for me with some local-ish yarns…

Supper one evening - a nod to British breakfast: eggs over baked beans

Supper one evening – a nod to British breakfast: eggs over baked beans

Tidying…#konmari action in the kitchen means I’m taking stock of stockpots and food stocks and everything in between…it’s really amazing what items that once were “must have” items are exiting the house because they don’t spark joy these days…

Pan fried zoodles & homemade tomato sauce

Pan fried zoodles & homemade tomato sauce

Cooking…late in the month I started another Whole30 & I will be sharing some of my recipes in September…but I resumed many of the food prep/meal concepts at home early in the month…the key to success really is prep…hard boiled eggs in the oven become quick meals/snacks during the week…chopping & cooking up a package of bacon on the weekend provides a quick addition to meals and snacks throughout the week…mason jar mayo is a great base for dressings and dips/sauces…several times in the month, a quick supper involved throwing a couple of fried eggs on top of whatever was in the house…pan-fried zoodles with homemade tomato sauce was a delicious Sunday supper…

Jam & Pickled Blueberries ready to put up

Jam & Pickled Blueberries ready to put up

Preserving, Part I…A heat wave Sunday afternoon was spent canning with a friend and her daughters. After many years of “canning solo” in my kitchen, it was fun to have the girls help with some of the activities and see their reactions to the alchemy that is canning. In a couple of hours we made a double batch of a favorite Cantaloupe-Vanilla Jam and tried our hand at Ginger Pickled Blueberries.

WI weekend fun

WI weekend fun

Celebrating, Part II…a trip back to Wisconsin to celebrate the kids’ birthday – a total of 42 candles was celebrated among the 3 of them…in addition to the party, the long weekend was filled with just general fun of hanging out together and ended with Vicki and I enjoying a spa day & discovering a great restaurant in Appleton before I flew out on a Monday afternoon…

Putting up tomatoes for the winter months

Putting up tomatoes for the winter months

Preserving, Part II…A plethora of tomatoes at the local farm stand provided several opportunities for “putting up” tomatoes for the cooler days…for the freezer, I made several batches of the go-to tomato sauce recipe that I picked up at the Italian cooking class I took in Assisi in July 2011 (must share this simple recipe!)…for the cupboard, a batch of spicy tomato jam was put in jars and put up for the winter and for gifts…

Airplane & airport scenes

Airplane & airport scenes

Traveling…eight legs of air travel between the 2 trips: early in the month, a work trip down to Florida with the detour to the ‘Ville on the way down…later in the month, the Wisconsin adventure…

Starting the WI weekend off right with yummy root beer & frozen custard

Starting the WI weekend off right with yummy root beer & frozen custard

Looking Ahead…as we turn the page to September I’m starting a new weekly planner calendar to try to keep more on top of things…no definite travel plans are booked yet but several things are blocked out on the calendar in the coming months…

Linking up with Leigh’s monthly “What I’m Into” roundup. What are you into these days?


Currently…May

In May…a whirlwind of work & life travel meant waking up several times during the month & wondering where I was…in the midst of it all, these are some of the things that filled my May days…

A lighthouse on a Sunday afternoon drive...

A lighthouse on a Sunday afternoon drive…

Traveling…lots! – The itinerary for the month really drove most of my “into” things for the month…A couple of days in Princeton for a work summit…home to the ‘Ville over Mother’s Day weekend…several days with the project down in FL…6 days in Marinette for celebration, fun & work…

So many nuggets of wisdom from the summit...

So many nuggets of wisdom from the summit…

Cultivating…my professional development through 2 days spent with amazing women in my company at our global women’s growth summit…a focus on innovation…a chance to meet and network with many that I’ve worked with virtually…a great keynote session with Meg Whitman from H-P…

Mom & her girls on Mother's Day!

Mom & her girls on Mother’s Day!

Celebrating – Part I…I was home in the ‘Ville for Mother’s Day weekend. It was fun to be with Mom for the day. While family is always a great reason to head home, another catalyst for the trip was seeing a family friend whom we have known since I was an infant & we hadn’t seen since my senior year of high school. Jack served on Dad’s missile crew when we were stationed in Kansas so it was great fun to hear stories from “back in the day.”

Celebrating Bre!

Celebrating Bre!

Celebrating – Part II…I was back in Marinette for Memorial Day to celebrate Bre’s high school graduation – it is hard to believe that the middle schooler I met in the early days of the project is now a high school graduate! Saturday was for graduation – a warmer than normal spring day sitting in the football stadium stands provided me with a “nice” sunburn on my arms. Sunday was for family time – time up at the land, visiting the West Shore Fishing Museum that I’ve driven past many times, burgers at Saz’s, the boys were water bugs in the pool for a couple of hours in the afternoon and of course Sunday evening meant our “Sunday supper” tradition. On Monday – we had a full day to Milwaukee & back – fun at the Brewers game & then dinner at Bre’s favorite The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate her. I extended my trip through Wednesday & spent 2 days in our Marinette facilities catching up with people and projects.

Our 6th baseball game in 3 years!

Our 6th baseball game in 3 years!

Cooking…not too much with my May travel schedule…but while in Marinette, our “Sunday Supper” tradition continued and I had free reign of the kitchen, so a simple supper was pulled together with plenty of kitchen helpers: Grilled (in the rain) Chicken; Roasted Veggies; Pasta & Sauce; my “famous” Spinach Salad…we harvested rhubarb from the backyard & I made a simple “new to me” dessert which we ended up eating for breakfast instead – this Five Ingredient Rhubarb Squares recipe is a keeper…

Tradition - Lilacs on my desk in Marinette!

Tradition – Lilacs on my desk in Marinette!

Sipping…iced coffee…iced tea…lots of infused water because of my fun new infuser pitcher…”barley pop” with friends in WI…

The best sunburn relief!

The best sunburn relief!

Soothing…sunburnt arms with a “new to me” Aloe Gel that will now be in my medicine cabinet from here on out…

Breakfast by the bay on a Saturday morning!

Breakfast by the bay on a Saturday morning!

Reading…not quite as much as you’d think with all the travel…The Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society by Laurie Dick was a fun airplane read…I’m really enjoying The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown – another great narrative nonfiction that keeps you in the story.

Exploring the West Shore Fishing Museum on a gray Sunday...

Exploring the West Shore Fishing Museum on a gray Sunday…

Watching…while home in Marinette, a couple of low-key evenings included some on-demand movies…we thoroughly enjoyed “St. Vincent” and also found “Black or White” to be cute…

Simple cotton knitting...

Simple cotton knitting…

Crafting…I finished up a Shutterfly photo book for a graduation present…simple dishcloth cotton being turned into burp cloths for some Fourth of July babies at work made for easy travel knitting…

Rain-kissed rosebuds in the drive-thru for my morning iced coffee

Rain-kissed rosebuds in the drive-thru for my morning iced coffee

Browsing…on Pope Francis and the Art of Joy…on being busy…first there were earworms, now meet the “eggcorns“…on the classic Birkenstock coming back

Looking Ahead…as of now, my suitcases aren’t scheduled for use in June & that is fine with me…ready to restart my Saturday morning farmers market runs and then the resulting cooking…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer for the monthly What I’m Into round-up. What are you into these days?

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