Hey-Ho! Hey-Ho! HoHo! What's Up This Christmas Dunn County?!?🎄🎄

Instead of Just Small Business Saturday, Let's Do Small Business December! It's an Awe and a Wonder Thanksgiving Weekend🌠 Winter Daze -Tuba's and Neighborhood Christmas Lights Cruisin🚘

It was great for the community to come together to support all the small businesses in Menomonie and throughout Dunn County last Saturday for Small business Saturday. As I ponder upon this, I personally feel small businesses across Dunn County deserve special treatment and an overwhelming amount of support by all our Dunn County neighbors throughout the month of December verses just one Saturday in November which kicks off the Christmas season. Small businesses are truly the heart and backbone of our country. Small businesses give a special and unique character to the community. There is something about small businesses that bring a touch of “I am Home” feeling😊 Small, quaint and personable is the way I love to shop! I never was into the Big Box Stores. I usually feel lost, confused and neglected verses going to a small business shop where I get personalized service to help find what I am looking for, small enough to find what I am looking for in a flash. AND I feel like I am talking to my neighbors when I converse with the owner or associate of the store. Why not, make an adventure out of it by going small business hopping😃 If the women can do it on Ladies Night Out in Downtown Menomonie several times a year so can the gentlemen out there! Go small business hopping to get all your Christmas shopping done:) There are lots of cool shops and eats to hop around to throughout the month of December. Here are some of my favorite spots to go small business hopping shopping at; Mainstream Boutique which has the coolest women's clothing, jewelry and shoes located by Dick's Fresh Market on 9th Street E., LaDeeDah's on Main Street in Downtown Menomonie where you can find unique gifts for everyone in your family, Mood Boutique which is more than just a clothing store. It has home decor and gifts too right on Main Street, Menomonie. And if someone on your list is an antique buff go to Town and Country Antiques also on Main Street in good ole downtown Menomonie. And for those that want to upgrade their living or dining room furniture for the upcoming family Christmas gathering check out Rassbach's on Hwy 12 which is a little out of town toward Knapp. Oh yeah, and for those on your list that have a sweet tooth go over to C & J Candy Store and Scoop Shoppe right on Main Street in Downtown Menomonie. And whenever I start losing steam to continue small business hopping shopping I catch a bite to eat at either Ted's pizza or the Silver Dollar which are across the street from each other on Main Street. And if your out and about on a Friday night check out Log Jam on Broadway for an incredible fish fry as well as Wilson Creek Inn also on Broadway in Menomonie that also serves fish fry's on Monday too😋 If you want to take a scenic route outside of Menomonie city limits for a marvelous fish fry head on over to Jake's Supper Club on County D on Lake Tainter. So let's be a little adventurous this Christmas season and go small business hopping shopping which will greatly support our Dunn County neighbor business owners😃

This past Thanksgiving weekend I must say was an awe and a wonder type of holiday. Your probably thinking, so what made it an awe and a wonder Laurie? Well, it started out with a Thanksgiving Dinner at Jake's Supper Club with my incredible husband. Even though on Jake's Supper Club Facebook page where it stated booked throughout the day all the way up to last seating which was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. After going to Wilson Creek Inn only to find it closed, we decided to take a chance and take the trek out to Jake's. We arrived there finding the parking lot packed! We found a spot down a little ways from the restaurant. We walked into Jake's that appears to be many of our Dunn County neighbors patiently waiting to be seated. My husband was brave and walked up to the hostess at the reservations desk to explain we do not have a reservation and asked what is the wait time. The wonderful hostess said, “If you want a table it will be 45 minutes until seated OR if you want, you can be seated at the bar and you can eat at the bar without the wait”. Well, that's a no Brainer! Especially if your stomach is doing the talking😁 I exclaimed, Sure! We are game! So we headed to the bar and grabbed two bar chairs and ordered two cranberry sprite soda spritzer. The bartender was confused because we didn't have a buzzer to let us know our table is ready. We told him we were going to eat at the bar. After he talked to the hostess it was a go👍 We helped ourselves to an incredible Thanksgiving buffet with many sides, ham, pork roast and chicken-turkey-duck combined together as a roast and was quite superb. The food was exquisite and we did not have to wait in line nor have a reservation to have exceptional service! This was a first for us - Eating a Thanksgiving dinner at the bar. Now you know, we are the adventurous type.

After savoring our delightful Thanksgiving dinner, we took a different route home and I was amazed how many Christmas lights were up on display out on the country roads. I am the “Wait until after Thanksgiving Day” to decorate the house inside and out. I always felt we need to celebrate Thanksgiving first before jumping into the Christmas season. Well, I broke that tradition by heading over to Chippewa Falls for the opening of Irvine Park's Christmas Lights display on Thanksgiving night. I may have broken my tradition but it was oh, so worth it!! The Christmas lights display was jawdropping with an awe and a wonder spectacle. The volunteers did an incredible job putting over 125,000 lights up. It's a very magical place. Actually, this is a great spot to propose to your sweetheart😉 Even all the dogs walking in the park with their owners were wagging their tails constantly being in a state of bliss. There truly is something extra special about a city park being adorned in many different strings of colorful lights to wake up your senses! So Steve then decided to call his sister who lives just a few miles up the road if they felt like having some company over before hitting the hay🤞(the hubby is feeling pretty confident now after the hostess at Jake's incident). Wow! He is on a roll! Because his sister actually accepted the last minute invitation to stop by while her son and grandson’s were still there visiting. It's been a very long while since we seen them last . At least a little over a year ago. It was a wonderful visit with much laughter and hugs along with great conversations. We thought we would stay for about a half hour. Ends up being a little over two hours we lingered there. How time flies when we are all having a jolly ole time. So to end on a beautiful note this Thanksgiving day, on the way home from my husband's sister’s house while traveling on Hwy 29 by Elk Mound/Colfax exit we witnessed at the same time a Falling Star!!!!🌠 Another jawdropping awe and a wonder moment! Heavenly Father's great orchestrating and timing at work!! It truly was heavenly😇

OK! This early Friday morning called Black Friday was a first for my husband to get up at 4:30 am to go Black Friday shopping in which we were striving to get to Fleet Farm by 5 am. Well, we arrived a little after 5 am, lo and behold the parking lot was PACKED! And thy husband was surprised. I on the other hand was not. I have experienced a few Black Friday early bird expeditions over the years and comes with the territory. As we entered the store we received two teddy bears as our reward for getting up super early.🤪 And the hubby was in shock to see how many people actually get up this early in the morning for some deals. It looked like a zoo, people roaming everywhere. I know what he is thinking - He would rather be in the woods in the early morning all by himself being surrounded in nature patiently waiting for the perfect buck to arrive in his sight. After getting our basic stock items of paper products, toiletries and an Eureka vacuum cleaner for $49.99 which was originally $149.99(See! You can find great deals in the wee wee hours🥳) while bumping shoulder to shoulder with our Dunn County neighbors we headed for the outdoor recreational department which basically means the gun department. I thought this should perk him up, for the gun shop is his favorite place to be than anywhere else in the store. But, this time we are looking for a gun foe me.😁 Nevertheless, he was still glad to be in his happy place. And boy, am I glad because after the associate in the gun department told us that we needed to get in line pointing his finger to the line for service while I was looking at different handguns displayed in the enclosed glass showcase, that this could get interesting. I believe the wait was close to 35 to 40 minutes. During the wait we ended up plopping a 10 pack of hand warmers in the cart, watching my hubby struggle to keep his eyes open and talking to a friendly Dunn County neighbor in line patiently waiting for service. Yes! Patience is a virtue. And with great patience comes great rewards! The good news after all the hoopla of Black Friday madness we endured, is I finally received the handgun I have been eyeing for three years! It's my Christmas, Mother's Day, Anniversary and Birthday kind of day. After a little over two hours going through the process I am one happy gal and my husband can now get a t-shirt that states, “I Survived the Black Friday Madness”.

On Saturday I started bringing the Christmas decorations out of my Holiday Room to start decorating the home for Christmas along with my holiday tree on the front porch. I am keeping the tradition alive as my grandmother took several days to a week to spruce her home up for Christmas because she kept accumulating so much stuff over the years. Yep! My Holiday Room keeps accumulating more bins as I change things up for Christmas. I must say, I am in my happy place when decorating for any occasion. Whether at home or for church. Thy home is starting to look a lot like Christmas. It's a cheerful, peaceful, inspiring environment. And I needed more inspiration for I was in the process of prepping for a late Thanksgiving/early Christmas dinner for the missionaries and a brother in Christ in our church Sunday evening. With much prayer and pondering it turned out fabulous with honey spiced glazed ham, cheesy potato casserole, green bean casserole, candied carrots, stuffing and dinner rolls. Then to top it off I made my signature double chocolate mint cookies with vanilla ice cream. Great conversations and powerful testimonies shared. It truly was an awe and a wonder Thanksgiving weekend🌟 What's your awe and a wonder Thanksgiving to share? Don't be shy! Because I truly believe everbody has a story.

Are you into Winter Daze? I am not talking about feeling dazed out of your mind because winter hit you like a high speed railway. No, No - I am talking about an annual event in Downtown Menomonie which consists of meeting Mr. & Mrs. Claus, possibly proposing to your sweetheart on the hay wagon ride(this is another great proposal idea💡) or sipping on a cup of hot chocolate while watching some really festive floats cruising down Main Street. And while your kissing your sweetheart in celebration of the “Yes!” let those large winter fireworks on display make your night even more memorable. The 18th Annual Winter Daze on Thursday, December 8th, 2022 is sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces. Whether your a family, couple or just hanging out with some friends, it's bound to create fun filled memories. Starts at 4 pm and concludes at 8 pm.

Tuba - Tuba - Tuba - Tuba - TUba - Tuba - Tuba - Tuba - Tuba - TUBA!!!!! Well, as you can read, Tuba is on my mind. And your thinking, why is “Tuba” so dominant in my brainwaves? Mmmm…….Maybe it’s because come December 11th which is a Sunday, The Ludington Guard Band and St. Joseph's Catholic Church will be presenting the Ninth Annual TUBA CHRISTMAS in Menomonie, WI. The TUBA CHRISTMAS will be held at St. Joesph's Catholic Church, 910 Wilson Ave., Menomonie, WI and concert will begin at 4 pm. The concert will last approximately one hour. And is friendly on the pocketbook because it is free to the public. What a great way to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit! Through the sound of Tuba Christmas carols.

I don't know about you but I love the sights of colorful Christmas lights. Some are subtle and some are bold. Some are twinkling, some are dancing and some are staying on steadily bright. Some are shaped like icicles, some shaped like snowflakes or shaped to a delightful Christmas theme. Some frame a window, some frame a tree and some frame a whole house. Oh, the creative ways to decorate those beautiful, colorful Christmas lights. And what better way to capture all of Dunn County neighbors creativity with Christmas lights than by going Neighborhood Christmas Lights Cruisin or Strollin on a beautiful December night. This could very well be a new family tradition of sorts. My husband and I like Neighborhood Christmas Lights Cruisin on Christmas Eve to capture the Christmas joy our Dunn County neighbors are happily sharing through their labor of love of putting up colorful Christmas lights. My hat goes off to each and everyone of you for bringing into the neighborhood a sense of joy, lights of bright hope, lights of good ole fashion childhood memories and lights of a magical Christmas.🎄⭐🎄

To One Dunn County Neighbor to Another-

Have A Very Merry Christmas

And A

New Year Filled with Peace, Hope & Joy