This Friday at Brookfield Suites Hotel on 1200 S. Moorland Road , The King Arthur Flour company will offer 2 baking classes. Did I mention it was FREE?

Their web page says, No registration is necessary – just come join us! For more information, call 800.827.6836. (The hotel is located on Moorland Road just north of Greenfield Ave. and south of I-94, phone 262-782-2900)

The first class is on Sweet & Savory Yeast Breads at 12:00 noon:

Sweet & Savory Yeast Breads covers basic yeast bread recipes and techniques, from ingredients and mixing, to shaping everything from soft dinner rolls and decadent cinnamon rolls, to decorative loaves and even pizza.

The second class at 7pm is on Festive Cookies & Pies:

In Festive Cookies & Pies, you’ll learn how to achieve the perfectly flaky pie crust, wow guests with beautifully decorated cookies, and even get some of your holiday baking done ahead of time.

In my opinion, there is no comparison between the quality of home made and a commercial bakery. Plus, baking it yourself is one of the best ways to save money on your grocery bill. This is a great opportunity to become more familiar with baking if you find the idea intimidating.

Each session runs about 2 hours.

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Around this time of year, I usually start thinking of vacation destinations for the coming year. How about this one?

Walt Disney World just announced their new theme for 2009, "What will you celebrate?" They are giving a free theme park ticket to visitors who come on their birthdays. So if someone in your family has a birthday when you are thinking of going on vacation next year, you might consider Disney World or Disneyland. A little planning now could save you a bit of money later. 

From the Orlando Sentinel: 

Next year everyone will be able to come to a Walt Disney World's theme parks on their birthdays and get in free.

That's the cornerstone of the 2009 national promotional campaign, "What will you celebrate?" announced today by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Anyone showing up with a valid ID including proof of birthdate will get a free ticket on that day in 2009 for one of the theme parks at Disney World or at Disneyland in California.

Disney officials announced the promotion as their effort to cash in on what they described as a growing trend called "celebration vacations" -- trips to vacation spots that people take to celebrate big birthdays, big anniversaries, honeymoons and other momentous personal occasions.

We have been at Disney World on my birthday. I got a free cake when we ate at Mexico, a favorite lunch stop at Epcot. But free dessert pales in comparison to a free theme park ticket! (Hmm, could we go next fall?) 

Of course if you go to Disney, wouldn't some free Disney money to spend be nice too?

If you apply for a Disney Rewards Visa credit card from Chase bank, you can earn free Disney money! Each month the card awards points to your account in proportion to the money you charge. When you are ready to use the points, you call them and they change the points to dollars and load them onto a Disney debit type card. You can then use that card's dollars to purchase theme park tickets, food, gifts, etc. in the theme parks and stores. The longer you have the card, the more points you can rack up.

We have had this card for years and used our points for free tickets and food. (Mine has Mickey on it.) Just make sure you pay off your balance each month so the dollars truly cost you nothing. (The only way to use a credit card.)

The Disney Rewards Visa card also carries an excellent buyer protection insurance plan on your purchases. (We have collected on that too.)

So if a visit to the Kingdom of the Mouse is in your future, plan now to save later. Free is good.

Brookfield District 7 Info meeting, Wed., Sept. 24, 2-3pm or 6:30-7:30pm

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

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Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin,  Vicki Mckenna

One of the great things about gardening is that there are usually plants to share with others. If a specimen is doing well, invariably there will come a time when it needs dividing or thinning. Sometimes a particular plant does a little too well and spreads itself to places you don't want it. That is when your garden clean up can be another gardener's boon.

Last year a friend in my neighborhood mentioned she wanted to start some Mayapples. Since I really hate to see someone spend their money on plants that are so prolific*, I mentioned I had some and would share some when I had a chance. This spring I dug a few out for her so she could get a patch started. 

As I was digging, I got to thinking about my Mayapple plant's history.

Back in 1968 my family was camping in the West Bend area. I was also volunteering that summer at the Milwaukee Public Museum in the plant department. We were working on a Wisconsin Woodlands exhibit and my boss, Roberta Plumber needed some Mayapples to make a vac-u-form type mold from. My mother and I, avid wildflower enthusiasts, noted that at the campground there were lots of Mayapples. We asked the owners if we could have some and they were willing to share. So 4 Mayapples traveled from West Bend to Shorewood.

Mom and I planted 2 in our shady back yard and I carried the remaining 2 in a bucket (on the bus) to the Milwaukee Public Museum.  Mrs. Plumber made her plaster molds of the large umbrella type leaves and was able to vac-u-form many plastic leaves from those molds for the display. The Mapples stayed in the bucket for weeks to serve as a sample for color and structure until the exhibit was finished. (We added wire and beeswax stems and then sprayed them with acrylic paint. They looked quite real.)

Talk about tough, those 2 plants survived in the bucket in the museum plant department for weeks. When we were finished with them, I trucked them home again on the bus (talk about a conversation starter!) and planted them with the others.

When I got married in 1977, I brought some to my Riverwest home to start a wildflower shade garden. When we moved out here in 1986, I brought a few with me to start some Mayapple areas here.

Now, 40 years after the first transplant, they move on again to my friend's. Who knows where they will go next?

There are lots of plants in my garden that have come from friends and neighbors. I remember the story behind each one. You could say my garden is not only a garden of plants but of memories too. It is one of the many things that make gardening enjoyable to me.

If you admire a friend or neighbor's plants, I think a polite way to ask for a plant is to say, If you ever have to thin them, and you have extras, could I have a start? Most gardeners will be more than happy to oblige.

Next time you are at the Milwaukee Public Museum, look for the Mayapples in the Wisconsin Woodlands display. You now know a little bit more about them!

Mayapples are considered to be a thug of the garden by some (they take over), but I have not had that problem. Their unusual large leaf makes a nice contrast in shady areas, and they are tough!

Mayapples are used for medicinal purposes by some in the medical field. They are not to be used by lay-people, as parts of the plant are poisonous!

*Last year at the Mary Knoll Weed Out, one woman told me she purchased Wood Violets. I told her to give me a call, I have plenty for free! I have seen them for sale for around $4.00 each. 

A reader reported she has hostas with a traveling history too and "can picture them in three states, with a number of friends and neighbors." She also noted the Trillium in the photo. That Trillium was native to Kinsey Park Drive (my street), but not my home. My great uncle was a home builder in the late 1940s - 1950s and built several houses on my street. One site had trilliums in the excavation path. He dug them up and gave the plants to his daughters and nieces (one was my mom). She planted in Shorewood at our house. I took some to Riverwest when I married and eventually back to Kinsey Park Drive in Brookfield. So my Trilliums literally went full circle--just a block west from their original location!

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Today is Tuesday, and I must make my monthly pilgrimage to Alterra coffee at Mayfair Mall. (It is usually the only reason I venture over to Mayfair!)

In case you did not know, Tuesdays are double punch days at Alterrra Coffee. That means they give you 2 punches for every pound of coffee you purchase at Alterra Cafes. They also have a drink card if you purchase brewed coffee to drink there.

When you fill the card with 12 punches**, you can turn it in for a free pound. But that is not the end of the freebies. On the reverse side of the card, if you fill in your name, address and birthday, Alterra will send you a birthday greeting with a coupon for another free pound of coffee!*  Now, I call that a bargain.

Alterra is great coffee. It is a local company that roasts right here in Milwaukee. Photos are from their roasting operation on the East side at 2211 N. Prospect Ave. (It is fun to watch the roasting operation and it smells wonderful in there!) It is a Fair Trade company if that matters to you. I like supporting local companies, especially when their product is great!

The coffee I purchase at the actual Alterra stores at Mayfair Mall or on 92nd and North is REALLY FRESH. Much fresher that even the Alterra coffee from Sendiks or Pick 'n Save, I think because they go through it so fast at the cafes. 

Coffee is one area I am picky about. I would rather drink 1 cup of really good coffee than a pot of bad, cheap coffee. In fact, I do not drink regular coffee much at all; my husband and I switched to espresso 20 years ago. (Warning: Once you acquire a taste for espresso, all other coffee pales in comparison.)

Over the years we have tried many different coffees. We found Starbuck's beans
too burned tasting. Used to use Victor Allen's but they closed the Brookfield store long ago. Then we stumbled onto Alterra and have used only theirs for years. Sumatra is our favorite for espresso. 

The stores also offer a 25 cent discount if you bring in your own 1# Alterra bag to refill.

I purchase my coffee in the bulk 5# bag, which they offer an additional 10% off on.  This brings my total cost down to about $42 for 5#. Add to that the extra 2 punches for 1 additional pound to fill the card, and the card is then ready to turn in.

That comes to about $51 for 8# of coffee: $42 for bulk 5#, 1 more pound @ $8+ to fill the punch card, then 1 free pound when card is turned in, and 1 free birthday pound.

Really good coffee just became more affordable!

* Only one free pound per name. Because I buy so much coffee, one helpful Barista told me to fill in a name/birthday/address for each family member or even fill out with a coffee loving friend's name, birthday and address to send them a free pound.

**Unfortunately, their policy has changed on 5# bags. They are still discounted, but they only offer 5 punches regardless of which day you purchase. It is still really good coffee! 

(I am not affiliated with Alterra in any way.) 

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