2008 Blog Archive
Katie's 2008 Blogs:
My Unlucky Day-December 24, 2008
My Unlucky Day-December 24, 2008
I had just said to my husband the other day that considering how many holiday preparations I still had left to do, I wasn’t feeling all that stressed. I think I should have kept my mouth shut!
Knowing that I had to work all day yesterday, I wanted to get to Sam’s and the grocery store early in the morning. Number one to get the best selection and number two, I knew we would be busy at the store and didn’t want Jill to have to get stuck working by her self while I was running my personal errands. Just as I was getting ready to leave, I heard the chiming of my cell phone, which meant the battery just died. I don’t know about you, but I feel helpless if I don’t have my cell phone with me. So I’m driving down Hwy. 18 and just turned onto Springdale road, when I thought to myself, gee, the road is really bumpy, but just thought it was the ice build up on the road…until I smelled burning rubber. I had the chance to turn off on a side street, thinking that if I needed a tow at least I would not be blocking traffic on a main road. I got out of my car to check my tires. I couldn’t believe my eyes as the tire had fallen off the rim! Which to a car mechanic that means my tire blew! I got back into my car to see if I could drive a bit further, but then got nervous with the burning rubber smell. So, I put my hazard lights on, wrapped my scarf around my head and started walking to Tires Plus over on Hwy. 18 which was just a few blocks away. Not a bad walk if it was a 70 degree day!
I had explained to the guys at the shop what had happened. They called for a tow truck, but you can imagine how long they said it would be with the bad weather that was upon us. One of the guys said that they would drive me over in one of their cars and the service man would drive my car back and I would follow in his car. Whew! That saved me about $300.00 right there not needing a tow. I guess all the snow was a good thing, since it helped cushion the rim on the tire. Ladies, don’t drive on your rim unless there is 3 feet of snow! Thankfully, they had a tire in stock and had me in and out of there in about an hour! Thank you guys at Tires Plus!!!!
Now, I needed to head back home as the furnace repair man was to be there shortly. Yes, my furnace died that morning too. I arrived home to a 58 degree home and my kids wearing their coats inside the house. (I also discovered that my big boy dog, Cole Weber, jumped up on the counter and ate half of my Petite Fours that I had just frosted the night before. That should make for an interesting day today, as the sugar usually kicks in 24 hours later!)
While waiting for the repair man, Jill calls me from the shop to ask if we have anymore dishes of a certain collection. We goofed on a ladies order on Saturday and shorted her several pieces. (Our brains get a little mushy about this time of year). We had more dinner plates, but were short 4 salad plates. So, I jumped on the internet to see who else carried these dishes and found exactly what I needed at Details in Williams Bay, which is just outside of Lake Geneva. I asked her to hold them for me.
In the mean time, I called my husband to tell him that he needed to get home to meet the furnace man and that I needed to run some more errands and then get back to the shop. I hadn’t told Jeff what all had been going on in the morning as I knew how upset he was about the furnace and didn’t want to upset him anymore. Thankfully, I was wearing my “big girl” panties yesterday and took care of things all on my own!
So I ventured out and headed to Williams Bay to get the salad plates. Half way there, my windshield wiper fluid light came on. I freaked as I knew I would need that fluid with the roads being so messy and that slop was flying up onto my window. So, I needed to pull off to the closest gas station to fill up my wiper fluid. I just brought a $5.00 bill into the station thinking that that would have been enough. Wrong. But the young man behind the counter said not to worry as he had some quarters in his pocket. WOW! This must be my lucky day.
I arrived at Details to pick up the plates. I had told her that I am a retailer in Waukesha and that we had made this error, but that I will do whatever possible to correct the mistake. She said that she completely understood and insisted on giving me the plates at cost! Wow, again how lucky was I?! Thank you Details in the Bay!
As I was driving back to Waukesha, I was just recapping the days events and thinking to myself how the day could have been a lot worse. Just then my cell phone rang, or I should say my son’s cell phone rang as I didn’t have time to charge mine. It was my husband. He asked what I was doing, and I told him, “oh, just running some errands”. He asked me if I had gotten the plates and then proceeded to ask me which tire blew. I was busted! He called at the shop to tell me that the furnace was going to be okay, that it was just a minor $180.00 repair. He was able to get Jill to “spill the beans” about how my day was going. I was planning on telling him later in the evening when all was said and done.
Oh, and we can’t forget about Jill at Katydids. We were very busy all day long, which is a good thing except for when there is only one person working! I am sorry for those of you that had to wait in a line at the store, but I know Jill was doing her best at running everything by herself. Thank you Jill!!!
As I think back about the day yesterday, I think about how lucky I was considering all the bad luck that I was having. Things could have been a lot worse. I know that times are tough right now and the weather isn’t helping matters. I encourage you to open your hearts to those in need during this Christmas season and the seasons to come. As bad as things may seem at times, choose to find the good, and be grateful for the people in your life.
Peace and Blessings to all of you, my Katydid friends.
This is dedicated to my dear friend Lee Woyahn, who lost his best friend yesterday, his Dad.
Katydids is Open for Business! A Store in Progress-November 11, 2008
The time finally came yesterday, November 12th, to unlock the doors to the new and improved Katydids. We did not send out an announcement for this as we are still “under construction”. We were doing pretty well on Tuesday until the freight truck arrived at our door with 34 boxes of furniture and lamps that we needed to unload in the rain! So, needless to say, things soon became a mess again. It’s always something in the wonderful world of retail!
The new store hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10-5 and Thursday is still our late night of 10-7. Appointments can be made for the other days if necessary. The decision of these hours are based on many different factors, the most important is that of my health and my family. I still continue to have trouble at times with my Fibromyalgia especially now going into the winter season. My feet have held up with the set up of the store, but in the back of my mind I am still nervous of them giving out if I over work to much. The 14 hour days are a thing of the past now.
This obviously is not the greatest time to be opening a new store with the economy in a shambles, so I ask you to shop local and remember the “little guys” like us. I think that you will be pleased with the mix of business that we have brought in. And yes, the rumor is true that will be putting in a full size kitchen for entertaining and cooking classes! This will not happen though until after the holidays as we have enough on our plate with selling our fabulous Christmas merchandise.
We still have many boxes to unpack and much to get in place, but we invite you to come in and start your holiday shopping. We are all so excited about our new home and we are looking forward to seeing all of our friends of Katydids again!
A postcard will be coming out soon so spread the word to your friends that don't have email
If you have any questions, please call the store at 262-522-6707.
Thank you!
Good things come to those who wait-October 3, 2008
And that phrase says it all about the new home of Katydids. The summer has come and gone and I did enjoy being home with my family, dogs and flower gardens. I am sorry that I did not keep the website up to date, but I was trying to do as little Katydid work as possible. Fall is here and the holidays are just right around the corner, and now I am ready to get back to work!
I know so many of you love shopping at Katydids in the fall and I was hoping to be opening right about now, but it is going to be just a few more weeks. Tom and Vicky Hekkers, the owners of the building, are doing a fantastic job of remodeling the building that we are moving in to. Your jaws will drop when you see the space for the first time. If any of you have built or remodeled a home you know that things take a little longer than you expect. So trust me, the wait will definitely be worth it!
My house is bursting at the seams with wonderful new merchandise. We are bringing back some of our favorites such as Danielson Designs, Root, Paddywax and Woodwick candles, Sweet Shop truffles, Casafina stoneware and many home décor items for your home. In addition to the favorites, we are adding gourmet products from Stonewall Kitchen, Robert Rothschild and Salem Baking Company. We are even going to have fresh olive oil. A “girlfriend” vignette will offer bath and body products from Pacifica, sassy cocktail napkins for your Bunco game nights, and other fun little gift items and must haves.
Please stay tuned as I will update the website with photos of progress and opening information just as soon as I know anything.
Rumor Has It- March 11, 2008
I didn’t really think that Waukesha was a small town, but when there is exciting news, it really does get around. I was spotted coming out of the M&M building in downtown Waukesha. If you don’t know which building that is, it is on the corner of Maple & Main across the street from Otto’s Fine Art Academy. Curt Otto posted a hint on his blog. The Freeman newspaper called me yesterday fishing for some information. There is a nice article in today’s paper, March 11th in the business section.
Something that Brett Favre said last week in his press conference which really hit home with me was “It was never about me, it was about us.” That is exactly how I feel about Katydids. You are part of the “us”. Without your patronage we would have not been able to accomplish all that we have. I truly believe that Katydids helped put downtown Waukesha back on the map. We have supported numerous charities, brought beauty to countless homes, but most of all we have had fun!
I appreciate all of you standing by me during this transition in my life. I thank you for making it difficult for me to leave (in a good way) as it has opened my eyes to how much you love Katydids. I love Katydids too and I have realized that I can’t let it go. I am still planning on taking some time off this spring and summer to get a lot of things in order around my home. My family is by my side and they know how important the store is to me. Thank you to Jeff, Bo and Blake for your support.
When I have some definitive information, you, the friends of Katydids will be the first to know!!!! I promise!
Katie
An Overheard Conversation- February 27, 2008
The other day I was rearranging the front window with all of the new spring merchandise. Two ladies came into the store and were casually wandering around. As they where chit-chatting, I overheard the one lady say to the other, “I don’t think I am going to put out any Easter decorations this year as the holiday is so short”.
This conversation really troubled me as it has been playing over in my head for the last few days. I would like to take a moment and share my thoughts about Easter.
Whether you are religious or not, this is such a beautiful time of year. As a Christian, this is a time of celebration. Jesus is alive. He has risen. Alleluia!
Spring. Spring is a season, not a day. Easter. Easter is a season, not a day. Being in the floral and decorating business, I have learned over the years that people associate spring as a few days leading up to Easter and when the day is over the spring “ décor” is packed away. However, Easter is more than one day of jelly beans and the Easter Bunny. These are seasons of renewal, when things come alive again. Prepare your hearts and your homes for this wonderful time of year.
Celebrate!
The snow will soon melt. The birds will be chirping. The buds will soon appear and begin to blossom. Crocuses will start to poke up through the earth and the bunnies will be frolicking about the yard.
Celebrate!
The season of spring and all of its blessings are upon us!
Knowing that I had to work all day yesterday, I wanted to get to Sam’s and the grocery store early in the morning. Number one to get the best selection and number two, I knew we would be busy at the store and didn’t want Jill to have to get stuck working by her self while I was running my personal errands. Just as I was getting ready to leave, I heard the chiming of my cell phone, which meant the battery just died. I don’t know about you, but I feel helpless if I don’t have my cell phone with me. So I’m driving down Hwy. 18 and just turned onto Springdale road, when I thought to myself, gee, the road is really bumpy, but just thought it was the ice build up on the road…until I smelled burning rubber. I had the chance to turn off on a side street, thinking that if I needed a tow at least I would not be blocking traffic on a main road. I got out of my car to check my tires. I couldn’t believe my eyes as the tire had fallen off the rim! Which to a car mechanic that means my tire blew! I got back into my car to see if I could drive a bit further, but then got nervous with the burning rubber smell. So, I put my hazard lights on, wrapped my scarf around my head and started walking to Tires Plus over on Hwy. 18 which was just a few blocks away. Not a bad walk if it was a 70 degree day!
I had explained to the guys at the shop what had happened. They called for a tow truck, but you can imagine how long they said it would be with the bad weather that was upon us. One of the guys said that they would drive me over in one of their cars and the service man would drive my car back and I would follow in his car. Whew! That saved me about $300.00 right there not needing a tow. I guess all the snow was a good thing, since it helped cushion the rim on the tire. Ladies, don’t drive on your rim unless there is 3 feet of snow! Thankfully, they had a tire in stock and had me in and out of there in about an hour! Thank you guys at Tires Plus!!!!
Now, I needed to head back home as the furnace repair man was to be there shortly. Yes, my furnace died that morning too. I arrived home to a 58 degree home and my kids wearing their coats inside the house. (I also discovered that my big boy dog, Cole Weber, jumped up on the counter and ate half of my Petite Fours that I had just frosted the night before. That should make for an interesting day today, as the sugar usually kicks in 24 hours later!)
While waiting for the repair man, Jill calls me from the shop to ask if we have anymore dishes of a certain collection. We goofed on a ladies order on Saturday and shorted her several pieces. (Our brains get a little mushy about this time of year). We had more dinner plates, but were short 4 salad plates. So, I jumped on the internet to see who else carried these dishes and found exactly what I needed at Details in Williams Bay, which is just outside of Lake Geneva. I asked her to hold them for me.
In the mean time, I called my husband to tell him that he needed to get home to meet the furnace man and that I needed to run some more errands and then get back to the shop. I hadn’t told Jeff what all had been going on in the morning as I knew how upset he was about the furnace and didn’t want to upset him anymore. Thankfully, I was wearing my “big girl” panties yesterday and took care of things all on my own!
So I ventured out and headed to Williams Bay to get the salad plates. Half way there, my windshield wiper fluid light came on. I freaked as I knew I would need that fluid with the roads being so messy and that slop was flying up onto my window. So, I needed to pull off to the closest gas station to fill up my wiper fluid. I just brought a $5.00 bill into the station thinking that that would have been enough. Wrong. But the young man behind the counter said not to worry as he had some quarters in his pocket. WOW! This must be my lucky day.
I arrived at Details to pick up the plates. I had told her that I am a retailer in Waukesha and that we had made this error, but that I will do whatever possible to correct the mistake. She said that she completely understood and insisted on giving me the plates at cost! Wow, again how lucky was I?! Thank you Details in the Bay!
As I was driving back to Waukesha, I was just recapping the days events and thinking to myself how the day could have been a lot worse. Just then my cell phone rang, or I should say my son’s cell phone rang as I didn’t have time to charge mine. It was my husband. He asked what I was doing, and I told him, “oh, just running some errands”. He asked me if I had gotten the plates and then proceeded to ask me which tire blew. I was busted! He called at the shop to tell me that the furnace was going to be okay, that it was just a minor $180.00 repair. He was able to get Jill to “spill the beans” about how my day was going. I was planning on telling him later in the evening when all was said and done.
Oh, and we can’t forget about Jill at Katydids. We were very busy all day long, which is a good thing except for when there is only one person working! I am sorry for those of you that had to wait in a line at the store, but I know Jill was doing her best at running everything by herself. Thank you Jill!!!
As I think back about the day yesterday, I think about how lucky I was considering all the bad luck that I was having. Things could have been a lot worse. I know that times are tough right now and the weather isn’t helping matters. I encourage you to open your hearts to those in need during this Christmas season and the seasons to come. As bad as things may seem at times, choose to find the good, and be grateful for the people in your life.
Peace and Blessings to all of you, my Katydid friends.
This is dedicated to my dear friend Lee Woyahn, who lost his best friend yesterday, his Dad.
Katydids is Open for Business! A Store in Progress-November 11, 2008
The time finally came yesterday, November 12th, to unlock the doors to the new and improved Katydids. We did not send out an announcement for this as we are still “under construction”. We were doing pretty well on Tuesday until the freight truck arrived at our door with 34 boxes of furniture and lamps that we needed to unload in the rain! So, needless to say, things soon became a mess again. It’s always something in the wonderful world of retail!
The new store hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10-5 and Thursday is still our late night of 10-7. Appointments can be made for the other days if necessary. The decision of these hours are based on many different factors, the most important is that of my health and my family. I still continue to have trouble at times with my Fibromyalgia especially now going into the winter season. My feet have held up with the set up of the store, but in the back of my mind I am still nervous of them giving out if I over work to much. The 14 hour days are a thing of the past now.
This obviously is not the greatest time to be opening a new store with the economy in a shambles, so I ask you to shop local and remember the “little guys” like us. I think that you will be pleased with the mix of business that we have brought in. And yes, the rumor is true that will be putting in a full size kitchen for entertaining and cooking classes! This will not happen though until after the holidays as we have enough on our plate with selling our fabulous Christmas merchandise.
We still have many boxes to unpack and much to get in place, but we invite you to come in and start your holiday shopping. We are all so excited about our new home and we are looking forward to seeing all of our friends of Katydids again!
A postcard will be coming out soon so spread the word to your friends that don't have email
If you have any questions, please call the store at 262-522-6707.
Thank you!
Good things come to those who wait-October 3, 2008
And that phrase says it all about the new home of Katydids. The summer has come and gone and I did enjoy being home with my family, dogs and flower gardens. I am sorry that I did not keep the website up to date, but I was trying to do as little Katydid work as possible. Fall is here and the holidays are just right around the corner, and now I am ready to get back to work!
I know so many of you love shopping at Katydids in the fall and I was hoping to be opening right about now, but it is going to be just a few more weeks. Tom and Vicky Hekkers, the owners of the building, are doing a fantastic job of remodeling the building that we are moving in to. Your jaws will drop when you see the space for the first time. If any of you have built or remodeled a home you know that things take a little longer than you expect. So trust me, the wait will definitely be worth it!
My house is bursting at the seams with wonderful new merchandise. We are bringing back some of our favorites such as Danielson Designs, Root, Paddywax and Woodwick candles, Sweet Shop truffles, Casafina stoneware and many home décor items for your home. In addition to the favorites, we are adding gourmet products from Stonewall Kitchen, Robert Rothschild and Salem Baking Company. We are even going to have fresh olive oil. A “girlfriend” vignette will offer bath and body products from Pacifica, sassy cocktail napkins for your Bunco game nights, and other fun little gift items and must haves.
Please stay tuned as I will update the website with photos of progress and opening information just as soon as I know anything.
Rumor Has It- March 11, 2008
I didn’t really think that Waukesha was a small town, but when there is exciting news, it really does get around. I was spotted coming out of the M&M building in downtown Waukesha. If you don’t know which building that is, it is on the corner of Maple & Main across the street from Otto’s Fine Art Academy. Curt Otto posted a hint on his blog. The Freeman newspaper called me yesterday fishing for some information. There is a nice article in today’s paper, March 11th in the business section.
Something that Brett Favre said last week in his press conference which really hit home with me was “It was never about me, it was about us.” That is exactly how I feel about Katydids. You are part of the “us”. Without your patronage we would have not been able to accomplish all that we have. I truly believe that Katydids helped put downtown Waukesha back on the map. We have supported numerous charities, brought beauty to countless homes, but most of all we have had fun!
I appreciate all of you standing by me during this transition in my life. I thank you for making it difficult for me to leave (in a good way) as it has opened my eyes to how much you love Katydids. I love Katydids too and I have realized that I can’t let it go. I am still planning on taking some time off this spring and summer to get a lot of things in order around my home. My family is by my side and they know how important the store is to me. Thank you to Jeff, Bo and Blake for your support.
When I have some definitive information, you, the friends of Katydids will be the first to know!!!! I promise!
Katie
An Overheard Conversation- February 27, 2008
The other day I was rearranging the front window with all of the new spring merchandise. Two ladies came into the store and were casually wandering around. As they where chit-chatting, I overheard the one lady say to the other, “I don’t think I am going to put out any Easter decorations this year as the holiday is so short”.
This conversation really troubled me as it has been playing over in my head for the last few days. I would like to take a moment and share my thoughts about Easter.
Whether you are religious or not, this is such a beautiful time of year. As a Christian, this is a time of celebration. Jesus is alive. He has risen. Alleluia!
Spring. Spring is a season, not a day. Easter. Easter is a season, not a day. Being in the floral and decorating business, I have learned over the years that people associate spring as a few days leading up to Easter and when the day is over the spring “ décor” is packed away. However, Easter is more than one day of jelly beans and the Easter Bunny. These are seasons of renewal, when things come alive again. Prepare your hearts and your homes for this wonderful time of year.
Celebrate!
The snow will soon melt. The birds will be chirping. The buds will soon appear and begin to blossom. Crocuses will start to poke up through the earth and the bunnies will be frolicking about the yard.
Celebrate!
The season of spring and all of its blessings are upon us!