Posts
oooo, did I do it??? Now if I could only add it to my actual template. . . hmmm. . .
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Give Away
This is a super cool site that I blog hopped to tonight. There is a giveaway going on too so I strongly suggest you check it out & enter it. The Giveaway: Three readers will win a brand new copy of The Creative Family by Amanda Soule. Now I just need to figure out how to edit my blog better. . . I want to start adding buttons. . . I need help!
oooo, did I do it??? Now if I could only add it to my actual template. . . hmmm. . .
oooo, did I do it??? Now if I could only add it to my actual template. . . hmmm. . .
Monday, July 28, 2008
Fruits of My Labor
Some of you may have been expecting to see my 3 boys in this post. . . While they ARE fruits of my labor (heck, Spencer was 15 HOURS of labor!). . . I'm referring to these beauties. . . I GREW THESE! I'm just so excited that veggies are growing in MY Garden!!! I planted late. We have mostly clay. We've had LOTS of rain, wind & hail. And now we're kind of DRY. Woo HOOOOO! The sugarsnap peas are tasty. Hopefully the beets will be too. I'll have to rely on my boys' opinions for those as I'm not a big fan. I'll have to take a shot of the whole garden again. It's getting quite big. I have (or will have) sweet corn, pumpkins, cantaloupe, green peppers, zucchini, green onions & tomatoes in addition to the peas & beets. Not bad for a first time gardener!
In other news. .. I'm putting together the fabric selections for my first quilting project(s). I can't post WHAT I'm doing yet. .just in case the recipients read my blog. But I'll post the finished products later:)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Life Going On
How is it even possible that life doesn't stand still when someone you love passes on? I mean, really, how dare the ordinary everyday things continue to happen?? Does this make sense? And I don't even have to live right there, seeing reminders of my late Uncle Rich (why do we say "late" anyway?) everytime I turn around. Although, I will say that seeing sunglasses, pink flamingoes, anything football or racecars reminds me of him.
My Aunt Kay - what an amazingly strong woman! I know her heart is still breaking as she realizes Rich will not be coming back. It's only been one week. What she wouldn't give to turn the hands of time back. . . what many of us wouldn't give. Reminds me of the song "One More Day" by Diamond Rio. . . "One more day, one more time. One more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied. But then again, I know what it would do. Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you."
So get off your computers right now. Go grab your loved one & hold them close. We don't know when our time will come. We don't know when their time will come. The only thing for certain is that it WILL come. And most likely, whether it's today, tomorrow or 1700 tomorrows from now. . . it won't be enough time. We won't get to say everything we want to say or do everything we want to do. I'm going to go cuddle with my best friend right now. . .because I still can.
My Aunt Kay - what an amazingly strong woman! I know her heart is still breaking as she realizes Rich will not be coming back. It's only been one week. What she wouldn't give to turn the hands of time back. . . what many of us wouldn't give. Reminds me of the song "One More Day" by Diamond Rio. . . "One more day, one more time. One more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied. But then again, I know what it would do. Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you."
So get off your computers right now. Go grab your loved one & hold them close. We don't know when our time will come. We don't know when their time will come. The only thing for certain is that it WILL come. And most likely, whether it's today, tomorrow or 1700 tomorrows from now. . . it won't be enough time. We won't get to say everything we want to say or do everything we want to do. I'm going to go cuddle with my best friend right now. . .because I still can.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Rich Bessert 1951-2008
My Uncle Rich died unexpectedly last Friday morning. He was only 57 years old & we just weren't ready to say good-bye just yet. We're still not totally believing what has happened. Services begin tomorrow.
Clifford “Rich” Bessert, 57, a longtime Green Bay resident, died at a local hospital Friday, July 18, 2008, of a heart related illness. He was born March 23, 1951, in Green Bay to Clifford R. and June M. (Butterfield) Bessert. Rich graduated from Ashwaubenon High School with the Class of 1969 and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. On July 28, 1978, he married Kay Vander Heiden at St. Agnes Catholic Church. For many years Rich was active in teaching, coaching and mentoring to numerous young adults throughout the area. First and foremost in Rich’s life was his wonderful family. He received distinction in the classroom and on the playing field, but what he really treasured in his career were the relationships that he built with many young men and women whom he had taught and coached. Rich was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather-to-be and a loving brother. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife, Kay, Green Bay; two children, Andrea Bessert, Oshkosh; Steve Bessert, Green Bay; his sister, brother and their spouses, Cindy and Bob Kardoskee, Ashwaubenon; Dale and Valerie Bessert, New Franken; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Carlene Bessert, Tom and Nan Vander Heiden, Dave Vander Heiden, Dan and Terry Vander Heiden; many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and many many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Brian and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Bob and Jean Vander Heiden.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 1484 Ninth Street. Visitation will continue from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. A concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church with Rev. Richard Getchel presiding. Blaney Funeral Home is assisting the family. To send on-line condolences, please visit http://www.blaneyfuneralhome.com/.
A memorial fund has been established in Rich’s name.
The Bessert family extends a special thank you to all of his friends who helped him achieve his dreams.
“Rich was one of the most upstanding men I have ever met. He had a way of stripping off the veneer to get to the truth of the situation. Using the fewest words possible, Rich got to the heart of the matter. He loved his Bride and his two children fiercely. After family and friends, Rich loved football in its purest most honorable form. He recently considered the hundreds of lives he touched through teaching and coaching and told me how lucky he was to have influenced so many. He went on to say that he prayed that he was always a positive role model in everything he did. I can testify there has never been a better role model.” -- Nancy Schultz and her son, Charlie
Clifford “Rich” Bessert, 57, a longtime Green Bay resident, died at a local hospital Friday, July 18, 2008, of a heart related illness. He was born March 23, 1951, in Green Bay to Clifford R. and June M. (Butterfield) Bessert. Rich graduated from Ashwaubenon High School with the Class of 1969 and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. On July 28, 1978, he married Kay Vander Heiden at St. Agnes Catholic Church. For many years Rich was active in teaching, coaching and mentoring to numerous young adults throughout the area. First and foremost in Rich’s life was his wonderful family. He received distinction in the classroom and on the playing field, but what he really treasured in his career were the relationships that he built with many young men and women whom he had taught and coached. Rich was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather-to-be and a loving brother. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife, Kay, Green Bay; two children, Andrea Bessert, Oshkosh; Steve Bessert, Green Bay; his sister, brother and their spouses, Cindy and Bob Kardoskee, Ashwaubenon; Dale and Valerie Bessert, New Franken; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Carlene Bessert, Tom and Nan Vander Heiden, Dave Vander Heiden, Dan and Terry Vander Heiden; many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and many many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Brian and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Bob and Jean Vander Heiden.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 1484 Ninth Street. Visitation will continue from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. A concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church with Rev. Richard Getchel presiding. Blaney Funeral Home is assisting the family. To send on-line condolences, please visit http://www.blaneyfuneralhome.com/.
A memorial fund has been established in Rich’s name.
The Bessert family extends a special thank you to all of his friends who helped him achieve his dreams.
“Rich was one of the most upstanding men I have ever met. He had a way of stripping off the veneer to get to the truth of the situation. Using the fewest words possible, Rich got to the heart of the matter. He loved his Bride and his two children fiercely. After family and friends, Rich loved football in its purest most honorable form. He recently considered the hundreds of lives he touched through teaching and coaching and told me how lucky he was to have influenced so many. He went on to say that he prayed that he was always a positive role model in everything he did. I can testify there has never been a better role model.” -- Nancy Schultz and her son, Charlie
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Where in the World ARE YOU?
Bring on the comments here people! I want to know where you live. . . you don't have to post your exact address - just your spot on the map. I am in De Pere, WI - very close to Green Bay - home of the Packers. We have 4 seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring & Construction, er, I mean Summer. Over the past few years we have been seeing much more overlap among the seasons. For instance, we had snow in May, 70's in March (for those of you in the Southern part of the US - this is NOT normal for WI). Yesterday there was hale as big as tennis balls in some parts of WI (Thank God it didn't make it here.)
So give me a shout out in the comments section. . .even you lurkers out there. I posted 2 days in a row! That should count for something:) I'm still trying to think up some sort of prizey give away sort of thing I can do. . . I will be purging my scrappy supplies sometime soon (keep in mind soon to me can be anytime in the next 6 months. . . tee hee. . .I'm the queen of putting things off!)
So give me a shout out in the comments section. . .even you lurkers out there. I posted 2 days in a row! That should count for something:) I'm still trying to think up some sort of prizey give away sort of thing I can do. . . I will be purging my scrappy supplies sometime soon (keep in mind soon to me can be anytime in the next 6 months. . . tee hee. . .I'm the queen of putting things off!)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I NEED to work!
I am ending my sabatical from blogging. . . thanks to Lola (http://lolaagain.blogspot.com/) who commented on my lovely firemen first:) I know it's been quite a while since then. I did have a few weeks off of work thanks to my very interesting work schedule of 2 days a week (12 hour shifts), a week of vacation & then a week of low census in Labor & Delivery. Then I ended up teaching last Tues & Wed, worked the floor Thurs & Friday (people were getting very cozy 9 months ago!) & then I taught again on Saturday. I then had Sunday off only to jump right into another population explosion Monday & Tuesday. Today I am home with my rugrats. I did miss them. . .
Now that you know what I have been up to. . . there are SO MANY topics to discuss: Brett Favre. . . no comment. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle & since I don't have a whole lot of control over what happens (even though I'm a Brown County tax payer & help support the Packers), I choose to try to take it all in & watch what unfolds. He IS the best quarterback to ever walk the Frozen Tundra. Enough said.
Babysitters. . . boy, I hope none of mine read my blog. . . Do you remember when WE babysat? It's a new day, I know that. I just can't quite get how I got paid $2/hr to watch 3 kids under 3 years of age, got them fed, often bathed, put to bed on time, house cleaned up & extra housecleaning done & then finished my homework when I babysat. Maybe it's the letter "S" stamped onto my chest or the cape that I manage to wear. . .but man, I did a lot. I'm not asking that much from my babysitters. . . .all I'm asking is that the kids are taken care of - you know, played with/entertained without too much rough & tumble, Carter's diaper to be changed & the kids to be put to bed by about 8:30 or so - in their beds or somewhere close to their beds before watching TV. Oh, and I pay more than $2/hr - obviously inflation should count for something I guess. Oh, and rules??? We don't eat anywhere but in the kitchen. It's a fairly new house - I'd like to keep the place looking fairly good for a while. (I also hate scrubbing carpet & upholstery.) But lately there are remnants of supper & snacks throughout the great room & the hallway. . . when I ask the boys what the deal is with that. . .they tell me, of course, that it wasn't them. . .but it was the babysitter. And then Spencer, my oldest, pipes up - we told him there's not supposed to be eating in the living room but he said he is older so it's OK. NICE! Now, do I totally believe my kid? WHY WOULD MY KID LIE? HA! Well, I'm not THAT naive. . . I'm sure my kids have something to do with it. Obviously, I need to reinforce the rules a bit more. Just venting here. It's not just this particular sitter either. Before we moved we had sitter issues. In fact, there were times we'd come home & ALL of the leftovers from supper were still on the table - now wasted because they were not properly refrigerated. NICE.
SOLUTION??? I think I should start an Exceptional Babysitter Class. I could train young people the fine art of being excellent care providers as well as space management. . . really, most are making more than minimum wage, tax free I might add, and once they get the kiddos in bed they're sitting watching TV & eating snacks. This would improve customer service & maybe get them a raise. Call it job training:) I'll file that idea away. . .
Speaking of those little people I call my children. . . I need to go entertain them now. I do miss them. . . even their incessant fighting. . .
Oh, & this is my 100th post! Holy snikeys! I have to think of something fun. . . . . .well, maybe for the 101st!
Jen
Now that you know what I have been up to. . . there are SO MANY topics to discuss: Brett Favre. . . no comment. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle & since I don't have a whole lot of control over what happens (even though I'm a Brown County tax payer & help support the Packers), I choose to try to take it all in & watch what unfolds. He IS the best quarterback to ever walk the Frozen Tundra. Enough said.
Babysitters. . . boy, I hope none of mine read my blog. . . Do you remember when WE babysat? It's a new day, I know that. I just can't quite get how I got paid $2/hr to watch 3 kids under 3 years of age, got them fed, often bathed, put to bed on time, house cleaned up & extra housecleaning done & then finished my homework when I babysat. Maybe it's the letter "S" stamped onto my chest or the cape that I manage to wear. . .but man, I did a lot. I'm not asking that much from my babysitters. . . .all I'm asking is that the kids are taken care of - you know, played with/entertained without too much rough & tumble, Carter's diaper to be changed & the kids to be put to bed by about 8:30 or so - in their beds or somewhere close to their beds before watching TV. Oh, and I pay more than $2/hr - obviously inflation should count for something I guess. Oh, and rules??? We don't eat anywhere but in the kitchen. It's a fairly new house - I'd like to keep the place looking fairly good for a while. (I also hate scrubbing carpet & upholstery.) But lately there are remnants of supper & snacks throughout the great room & the hallway. . . when I ask the boys what the deal is with that. . .they tell me, of course, that it wasn't them. . .but it was the babysitter. And then Spencer, my oldest, pipes up - we told him there's not supposed to be eating in the living room but he said he is older so it's OK. NICE! Now, do I totally believe my kid? WHY WOULD MY KID LIE? HA! Well, I'm not THAT naive. . . I'm sure my kids have something to do with it. Obviously, I need to reinforce the rules a bit more. Just venting here. It's not just this particular sitter either. Before we moved we had sitter issues. In fact, there were times we'd come home & ALL of the leftovers from supper were still on the table - now wasted because they were not properly refrigerated. NICE.
SOLUTION??? I think I should start an Exceptional Babysitter Class. I could train young people the fine art of being excellent care providers as well as space management. . . really, most are making more than minimum wage, tax free I might add, and once they get the kiddos in bed they're sitting watching TV & eating snacks. This would improve customer service & maybe get them a raise. Call it job training:) I'll file that idea away. . .
Speaking of those little people I call my children. . . I need to go entertain them now. I do miss them. . . even their incessant fighting. . .
Oh, & this is my 100th post! Holy snikeys! I have to think of something fun. . . . . .well, maybe for the 101st!
Jen
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
What I've been up to. . .
COUNTRY USA 2008
Sharing MY firemen. . . look at these hotties! Oh, & the boys are not bad either! Tee hee! They were in the entrance area collecting cash for muscular dystrophy. Of course, my sis & I HAD to do our part to help. Poor guy's knee from me sitting there! I NEED a tan!
Sharing MY firemen. . . look at these hotties! Oh, & the boys are not bad either! Tee hee! They were in the entrance area collecting cash for muscular dystrophy. Of course, my sis & I HAD to do our part to help. Poor guy's knee from me sitting there! I NEED a tan!
Sugarland on Wed night was FANTASTIC! I want to be like Jennifer Nettles & her extremely thin body & awesome attitude:)
And I also made my debut as a country singer. . . .
I am getting TOO old for this though. I'm still tired. I need a vacation from my vacation! The weekend before last was a NASCAR race in Milwaukee. . I had last week off of my real job helping babies be born. I feel like I worked harder taking care of the babies I grew. They are so funny. . but oh so busy! With Country USA thrown in there I am so spent. And I think I added poundage to my already expanded hips/hind end area. What is UP with that? Why can't it just migrate to the boob area?
We went to Bay Beach & then the Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday. I need to get those pics loaded to my failing PC yet. This poor computer. . it has Alzheimer's already. My new Kodak EasyShare has most likely done it in. Time for some therapy. Of course, the camera battery died prior to many pics being taken. Oh well, I guess I could focus on making the memories instead of documenting them:)
And I also made my debut as a country singer. . . .
I am getting TOO old for this though. I'm still tired. I need a vacation from my vacation! The weekend before last was a NASCAR race in Milwaukee. . I had last week off of my real job helping babies be born. I feel like I worked harder taking care of the babies I grew. They are so funny. . but oh so busy! With Country USA thrown in there I am so spent. And I think I added poundage to my already expanded hips/hind end area. What is UP with that? Why can't it just migrate to the boob area?
We went to Bay Beach & then the Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday. I need to get those pics loaded to my failing PC yet. This poor computer. . it has Alzheimer's already. My new Kodak EasyShare has most likely done it in. Time for some therapy. Of course, the camera battery died prior to many pics being taken. Oh well, I guess I could focus on making the memories instead of documenting them:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)