Spring time = Garden time

Well since it's officially spring (shhh, I am not talking about the "s" storm next week; it's not happening no matter what you say!), it's time to think dirt, flowers, and gardening.

Here are a few Phoenixville local places to help you get started with your gardening needs, whatever they may be. New patio, planting new perennials, hardscaping a border in your backyard, front flower bed...the possibilities are endless.

Landscaping

Woodwards Landscape Supply
661 Schuylkill Road (Rt 724)
Phoenixville, PA 19460
http://www.woodwardlandscapesupply.com/
610-983-9810

These guys were lifesavers for us. We went there when we were planning our patio and they really helped us out. They even run periodic seminars for all your DIY people out there like us. We simply purchased our supplies from them and did the grunt work of installing our paver patio ourselves but they also have people you can hire to install for you. 

Shep's Yard
405 W Pothouse Road
Phoenixville, PA 19460
http://www.shepsyard.com/
484-302-9555

They have it all - bulk mulch, flowers, firewood, outdoor structures and pottery. 

General Gardening and Hardware Needs

Colonial Gardens
745 Schuylkill Road
Phoenixville, PA 19460
http://www.colonialgardenspa.com/
610-948-9755

These guys pretty much have it all. Fairy garden supplies, beautiful flowers - both perennial and annuals, mulch, patio supplies, pottery, birdhouses and so much more. Twice a year they do this Colonial Bucks program where you can save money in the future with your purchases now. Definitely check them out!

Phoenixville True Value
785 Starr Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pheonixville-true-value-phoenixville
610-917-9800

These guys are your true locally owned hardware shop. They carry Benjamin Moore paint (which is super nice!) and have all your basic needs for home improvements. They don't carry as much selection as some of the larger mega stores (you know the ones) but the nice thing about this store is that they are in the borough of Phoenixville so walking there is a possibility for most people in town. 

Phoenixville Ace Hardware
542 Kimberton Rd
Phoenixville, PA 19460
http://www.acehardware.com/mystore/index.jsp?store=15869&saddr=40.1180715,-75.53931549999999(19460)&daddr=40.130002,-75.552494(542A%20Kimberton%20Rd%20Phoenixville,%20PA%2019460)
610-933-7733

They JUST opened up a few weeks ago. I went in there the other day to get a few things and they were UBER helpful with my questions about growing grass in my backyard. Seems like a well oiled machine in there. It's bigger than True Value (sorry True Value) and have more selection naturally. One thing that's really nice is that they carry Carhartt clothing. I can see this being a place where local landscaping companies will frequent. This is located in the same shopping plaza as the new Planet Fitness.

Happy spring and happy gardening!!

Meet some of the Phoenixville Water Department

Meet Rick and Bob. They work for the Phoenixville Water Department. They came to my rescue recently and I want to share with you why they are awesome!

We noticed our water meter dripping  a few weeks ago so we knew we had to call our plumber. We did and he said we should call our water department because technically the meter belonged to the borough and he wasn't allowed to touch it. So I called but there was a mixup in communication as I did a poor job of explaining what the issue was and where the water was coming from. They seemed to think that the issue was my responsibility since I am responsible for all pipes and water issues from the street to the house. Okay fair enough so I called Rob again. He came out but was again convinced we needed to all the borough again. I should add here that it was about 4pm on a Friday. We called them together and got bounced around until we finally got one of them on their cell phones. Bob said it sounded like it was their responsibility and that he needed to call Rick, his "guy" who would help make the repair. It was helpful that Rob (our plumber) was able to talk shop with their person on the phone. I have no idea about plumbing terminology. Rob went on his way and didn't even charge us for coming out. Which is amazing in and of itself. Rick called and we set something up for Monday morning.

While they were out at the house they decided that my water meter was just too old so they were going to replace it. Free. Of. Charge. 

Apparently as they go into homes in the borough and discover older meters that are having issues they just upgrade them at that time. 

Here is the icky old meter that was dripping:  

And behold our new and improved fancy meter...

And last but not least is the fact that we had to spend countless hours digging through at least 5 feet of snow and ice to locate the shut off access. Because of course (of course!) this happens to fall right when there are gobs of snow piled up on our street. If we hadn't located the access point they wouldn't have been able to shut the water off to replace the meter. As you can see from the above photo they have an access point between the sidewalk and the road. 

But, fellow Phoenixvillians or soon-to-be Phoenixvillians, be of good cheer. Phoenixville has an awesome team of guys who will take care of you if you ever have any water issues. They won't always be able to foot the bill but they are super nice and helpful. And on a side note I ran into Rick at Wawa and he remembered me and my name. Now that's special!

It's Time To Get Running

Well, we haven't officially thawed out yet but spring is in the air (okay that might be a lie seeing as while I am writing this it's about 20 degrees outside) and folks are starting to think about dusting off those running shoes and pounding the pavement. Or perhaps you've always thought about aspiring to be a runner and want to give it a go. 

Well, Phoenixville is the town for you then. 

Not only do we now have our own running store complete with a bi-weekly running group (I will dedicate another post for that!) for a little togetherness, but we have a ton of nearby races. For me, signing up for a race is like holding my hand to the fire. I know that I need to train for it because I've invested some money. And usually that works. 2 years ago I did the Merrell Down and Dirty Mud Run and it was a blast! You never think getting muddy would be so much fun but it really is!

There are a few helpful websites out there where you can search for nearby races. One is Run The Day and another is Running In The USA and yet another is Active. 

But here are a few that are closeby you may want to consider registering for:

• Sunday March 30, 2014 - Julianne's Journey 5K Run/Walk in Royersford, PA at Springford High School - On-site registration starts at 7:30 AM, race begins at 9AM. Proceeds go to a scholarship in Julianne's honor, a Springford HS senior who was tragically murdered last year. More info at their website: http://juliannesjourney.com/
• Sunday, April 27, 2014 - Valley Forge Revolutionary 5 Mile Run in King of Prussia, PA - Also during the morning activities are a 3 mile walk and a 1.776 km Young Patriots Run. Race begins at 8:30 AM and proceeds benefit the Valley Forge National Historic Park. More info at their website: http://www.valleyforge.org/visitors/valley-forge-revolutionary-run/
• Sunday, May 18, 2014 - Dragonfly Forest 5K Run/Walk in Phoenixville PA at the campus of the Christian Conference Center - Proceeds benefit Dragonfly Forest's Year Round Camp Program for children with Autism and Medical Needs. Onsite registration begins at 7:30 AM on the day of the event and race begins at 9:30 AM. More info by calling Deborah Sutton at 610-574-2622 or via email at info@dragonflyforest.org. 
• Saturday, June 7, 2014 - Dog Jog in Reeves Park in Phoenixville, PA. On-site registration opens at 7:00 AM on the day of the event; race begins at 8:30 AM. Proceeds benefit The Spayed Club as they share their mission about educating the public on pet overpopulation. For more information contact Judy Lyon at 856-905-2655.

Good luck and happy running! Maybe I will see you out on the town sometime. I will be the short redhead going slower than everyone else! 

Winter Activity: Great ski resort close to Phoenixville

So this has been a remarkable winter hasn't it? And by remarkable I mean awesome, crazy, intense, destructive, beautiful, cold and loooonnng.

And so if you're like our family you want to make the most of the snow, right?

Well if you live in the Delaware Valley area you have ample options for skiing. Within a 3 hour radius there are at least half a dozen ski resorts for all your skiing and snowboarding needs.

The day after President's Day our family headed to Bear Creek in Macungie, PA. It was about an hour from where we live in Phoenixville. That's not too bad of a drive with two kids 6 and under.

Additionally I'll let you in on a little secret. The Upper Macungie Township offers really good discount lift tickets and they can be picked up the same day. Regularly priced at $46 you can get them for $31!! Sure we had to drive a little out of the way for them but well worth the savings.

Also as far as the lodge is concerned, it was comfy and the food,  while slightly overpriced, wasn't crazy expensive. No need to finance the meal or anything!

Here are some photos of the fun we had. Enjoy!

Spotlight: Vecchia Pizzeria

I have heard a number of friends recently tell me about this fabulous pizza place Vecchia Pizzeria. But really? Pizza is pizza, right? Well, not always. And I definitely think this pizza is pretty worth the visit.

Located right at the corner of Bridge Street and Gay Street, they have literally cornered the market. The only other intersection in the downtown Phoenixville area with comparable traffic is Main and Bridge. The only downside is that they don't have a parking lot so you have to park in a municipal lot or find on street parking. But that's kind of the cool thing about downtown Phoenixville, right? Park and walk the main strip. It's a ton of fun!

Their menu is light. And by light I mean they have about 6 different kinds of pizzas they make. That's it. No frills or anything super fancy other than the amazing taste of course. 

Here's a photo of their menu.

We started talking with the guy who was making the pizza. And as we were chatting with him he sounded really knowledgeable. So I asked, "Are you the owner?". Sure enough he was. Then since our 4 and 6 year old kids were with us, he asked the kiddos if they wanted to see the fire in his "oven". Of course this is not ordinary oven. It's a wood-fire brick oven. He had just loaded up some wood and the kids got a sneak preview inside. It was pretty cool seeing the fire wrap up and around the inside of this structure. 

I was curious. How did he know it was hot enough. He tells me that when it takes the pizza 45-60 seconds to cook (yeah, that fast!) he knows it's at the right temperature. That's crazy. 

He told us his grandmother was from Italy so this type of thing is in his genes. He ended up going over to Italy and training with a pizza expert (I'm sure it has a fancier name but that's my interpretation) for about 3 weeks. 

I would definitely categorize this as gourmet pizza. It's a little on the pricey side. The kids split a Margherita pizza and the adults (me and hubby) got the Regina. Super duper yummy. 

Definitely recommend you go there and eat this great pizza cuisine in the heart of downtown Phoenixville!!!

Phoenixville makes 3rd Best Pennsylvania Town to Raise a Family

Well, Phoenixville has done it! Now the world (okay maybe not the world but you get me) knows that we are a town with style.

In November of 2013 there was an article published that ranked Pennsylvania towns on the following criteria:

1. Does the town have good public schools? We measured schools’ academic performance with ratings from GreatSchools. This non-profit compares a given school’s standardized test scores to the state average to obtain a rating on a 1 to 10 scale (10 representing the highest score). Higher ratings led to a higher overall score.
2. Can you afford to live there? We looked at both median home values in each town and ongoing monthly home costs, including mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance costs, utilities, fuel and other bills. Lower costs led to a higher overall score.
3. Is the town growing and prospering? We assessed a town’s economy by looking at average household income and income growth over the last decade. Higher income and greater growth led to a higher overall score.

The full article can be found here, but suffice it to say that if you were in doubt before about Phoenixville, doubt no more, friends. Phoenixville is the place to live! 

The above photo is courtesy of Main Line Today online magazine and was taken in 2010. This is the Children's Plaza complete with benches and a water fountain that operates in Spring, Summer and Fall. In the summers you can catch bands playing here during one of the town's popular First Fridays.

You must check out this Facebook page: Phoenixville Office of Emergency Management

If you are new or old to Phoenixville and have a Facebook account you really need to check out the Phoenixville Office of Emergency Management Page. Not only do they post helpful information for residents of Phoenixville but the person who manages the Facebook page is truly funny. You've got humor and wit with a splash of helpful weather or other important info thrown in for good measure.

As a resident myself I even submitted our snowman into their contest in December. We got about 6 inches and to liven things up they had a contest for folks to enter. Ours made it to the top 3 but sadly lost to more creative efforts. We named him Olaf.

But seriously do yourself a favor and go check it out.

Here's a sneak preview from a recent post just to pique your interest. Also here's our Olaf too. He totally should have won the contest don't you think? :)