A Halloween Party is near

Have a wonderful Halloween! I'll be back on Monday with details on our Zombie-themed Halloween Party......

MKE Style: Halloween Decorating

1. Target Eyeball string lights
2. Trixiedelicious Skull Plate
3. Modcloth Downtown Coat
4. Vintage black vase
5. BugsUnderGlass Museum-framed Cicada

Our annual Halloween costume party/Husband's birthday is fast approaching! Every year we throw a themed costume party, get a keg, and celebrate. It has turned into one epic event. I usually expect about 50 people, but the number has ballooned up to 80 friends and co-workers. Fortunately, I feel like I have the prep-work under control this year. Most of the major floor cleaning, dusting, etc is behind me. The next few days I will be arming myself with a roll of cheesecloth and putting on the final touches. And putting out some of my favorite halloween decorations, including my framed bug collection. It's pretty spooky. My vintage pieces will surely go nicely with the noise-activated life-sized ghost hanging from our ceiling.

Listening to: "Polish Girl" by Neon Indian

Milwaukee Faves: Palomino's Jukebox

There aren't many good jukeboxes hanging around. Those new-fangled digital ones have replaced most of the old flip page behemoths. But just over the Hoan, in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood, Palomino still rocks it the old fashioned way with an excellently curated jukebox for their hipster, rockabilly patrons.



Those 5 songs are a big decision. My strategy? - Feel out the mood, start soft, warm up the crowd, pace the jams for the middle and go out on your best solid note. And hit those buttons with caution, because nothing is more embarrassing than accidentally having a great set ruined by Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". Not your best, Billy. Not your best.

I like: MAKR

I'm loving the oh-so simple lines of these canvas bags from MAKR Carry Goods. Simple is sometimes way better. I could probably own one of these for the next 50 years and still be pretty happy. Truth be told, I still wear some L.L. Bean items I've had since middle school. I'm not loving the crazy-uber price of these little sacks, however. But I digress....

Do you guys own a super simple bag or piece of clothing with clean, classic lines?
I'm liking Lands End Canvas, Jess LC, and Baggu, but I need some more suggestions.

Brewers Fever

Off to Club Garibaldis to watch the Brewers-Cardinals game. Although it might be cancelled due to rain. Just another reason why Miller Park is awesome.....it has a roof.

Read how I'm celebrating the MLB Playoff season over at InsideMilwaukee HERE

How are my fellow Brewers fans/readers celebrating the winning streak? And what in heavens will we do if they make it to the World Series??? Freak out? Dancing in the street? Yes, indeed.

New In Town: Hamburger Mary's

I was so excited to have Hamburger Mary's open in Milwaukee that we have already eaten there....twice. After weeks of scoping it out/stalking the doors looked to be open last Wednesday. And it was! It was their opening night. We ate so well that we went again on Friday after the Brewers game. We promised our waitress we weren't stalking her.

Those in Chicago may be familiar with the offbeat burger joint. Hamburger Mary's is a small national burger chain with a cross-dressing "Mary" as a mascot and cheeky names for their delicious burgers. Brothers, Ashley and Brandon Wright, own the Chicago location as well as part of the franchise and took over the empty Omega Burger on KK and Becher this spring. We met them when they were both at Chill on the Hill postering for their upcoming restaurant and again when Brandon came up to our table both nights. They have fully integrated into Milwaukee life, owning a place in Bay View as well as adding local beers and taps to the menu. It had a real local hangout vibe and a fabulously eclectic mix of the neighborhood- kids, couples, and cross-dressers, oh my!

I had the Mary Burger, a 1/2 pound angus burger with fixings and special sauce, a bloody Mary with their special pepper infused vodka and lemon pepper rim, and the Mary Tyler Smores over the course of two visits. Once the menu expands, look for other burgers like the Barbara-Q Bacon Chzburger, the Buffy (the Burger Slayer), the Queen Mary, and appetizers like Britney Fried Spears. Cannot wait. Did I mention the patio is modeled after the Golden Girls' lanai? And I'm quite intrigued by their hambingo (drag queen bingo) and mimosa brunch (deets forthcoming).



Hamburger Mary's on Facebook

Hamburger Mary's on Twitter

Fall Nail Colors

I looked down at my toes in the shower this morning at the summery coral-orange nail polish and decided it was time to say goodbye. The transition of summer nail colors into fall nail colors is really a mental shift. I just haven't been able to let summer go, but with Halloween fast approaching (along with our annual epic costume party/ husband's birthday), I need to get my head in the game.

This fall, I'm seeing a lot of DARK, dark nail polish. And colors not typically seen on nails. To my neutral only tendencies, coral-orange was a big step! Just ask my pedicurist how many minutes of indecisiveness it took for me to pull that trigger.
So, what color will be next?? There are some hot new colors out there.....

Deep greens..........

the beauty of life

Rich burgundys..........

rocklanieve

Flame oranges..........

absent daughters

Slate Greys..........

julie frick

Etsy Finds: Amy Ruppel's Wisconsin Print

I'm in love with this print from artist Amy Ruppel.

On the Road: Life in the I-Pass Lane

Much like my week, this post is going to be a jumble of tangent thoughts. As you may have guessed, I'm busy! This may sound obvious and outlandish, but grad school is intense. I knew this going in, but I don't think I grasped the concept until I was knee-deep. I knew I would be staying in more, reading more, applying eye drops every two hours, driving for long stretches, working part-time, and juggling everyday life. I was like, 'no big deal, I can do this'. And yes, I can, but man it's tortuous. Like how nongravid women like myself ponder the concept of childbirth pain only to have a horrific revelation once in the delivery room.

In addition to having that rather enlightening thought, I made a few more discoveries.....

1. The Brewers are awesome. They play the Diamondbacks tonight. The road to the World Series is getting shorter and shorter! If that happens, this blog might morph into a sports page. I can't make any promises.

2. Triskele's in Walker's Point never disappoints. You may be familiar with their amazing soup served up daily at Sugar Maple. But this little place tucked away in the Walker's Point neighborhood near the Outlaws Motorcycle Clubhouse (no joke) is a true hidden gem with a seasonally rotating menu that focuses on local ingredients.

3. I've been exploring the Ravenswood neighborhood where I've been staying on school nights. I realized I will never be able to afford anything at Scout, an uber-cool design and furnishing store, but that will not stop me from window shopping (aka drooling) and the Julius Meinl coffee house, a jazzy european-esque Vienna cafe suites me very, very well.

4. Thermacare neck patches have kept me alive for the past week. Long drives and long nights studying have wreaked havoc on my trapezius muscle. They're a little costly but they last 8+ hours and keep me functioning. Godsend!