Nap or Blog. . .???? I choose. .. Both!

I NEED a nap. . .but I probably should update on my happenings as well. So this should be brief. .

Only ONE more week of clinical left! I'm surviving. . . that which doesn't kill us. . .

This week I taught Prep for Labor to expectant parents on Monday evening. . .
Worked 12+ hour days Tuesday & Thursday. . . I know, cry me a river. . .
Taught clinicals Thursday & Today.

I'm a bit exhausted to say the least. So I think I will go chill out for a bit. I'm miffed about WLUK/Fox pulling out of Time Warner Cable (my provider) which means I won't be able to watch the Packers from home on Sunday or any of my other Fox TV shows. . .well, I could attempt the rabbit ears but I'm doubting that will work. . . .

Time to nap!!!

The Secret is in the Sauce: October Giveaway: Photoshop Elements!

The Secret is in the Sauce: October Giveaway: Photoshop Elements!

I Totally WANT this so badly!!! Of course. .. if YOU win you can give it to ME!!!

HOLY CRAP - I'm still alive. . .barely

Yup, I know. . .it's been almost an entire week without a blog entry from me. I've been MIA & nearly KIA. To put it lightly. . .this week has kicked my @$$. But I'm alive. I don't know how. . .but I am. Let me just give you an abbreviated rundown of this week's happenings:

• 1st Cub Scout Pack meeting Monday evening - solo as Scott worked late - score one for Mom as got babysitter for youngest. Split time between 2 dens - score another for Mom!
• Stayed up late working on Quilt for cousin's baby shower this coming weekend.
• Worked 12 + hours Tuesday & 12 hours Wednesday.
• Last minute prep for clinical teaching Wednesday night after working all day:(
• All 3 boys to daycare Thursday AM as Scott had to leave early - clinical started later as was Day 1 - orientation.
• Donned the cape & painted an "S" on chest to get home prior to boy 1 & 2 getting off bus - score bonus point for picking up boy 3 from daycare & still making it home in time.
• Cleaned up the messes made by aforementioned boys & their father from Tues & Wed while I worked later, did 2 loads of laundry, prepared supper, helped with homework, bathed boys & picked my Mom up to stay overnight all before 8 PM!
• Stayed up pretty darn late getting work done for clinicals Friday.
• Up at 5 AM to get ready for clinicals. Yay for having Grandma here to get boys off to bus & daycare.
• Home, with boys, by 3PM. Homework conquered prior to Dad getting home around 4 PM.
• Crashed by 7:30 PM. . . . slept like a ROCK!!!!
• Made taco dip for best friend's baby shower today - & got there a few minutes late. . . but hey, I got there. Girl time watching friend open all those cute gifts.
• Home with family this evening. .. working on final stitching of binding for quilt that needs to be finished tomorrow!!!
• Now I'm blogging. . . & you know why I haven't had a chance to this week. ...
• Making taco dip in the AM tomorrow for cousin's baby shower. . .hopefully will have quilt finished!!!!

I omitted many details. . . . I know. . . how is that even possible?? I need to go iron my red cape & get my red "S" paint ready for tomorrow. I should go to bed before I fall over. . .

Blog Mommas Digital Scrapbook Giveaway!!!

Holy Moses! I am totally enthralled with all of these giveaways I'm linking to lately. This one is super awesome as well. . . go check it out HERE. You could be the proud winner of super cool kiddo scrapbooking supplies. . .including the camera for little ones.

I really need to learn how to create my own little signature. . . they're so cute;)

Cute Necklace Giveaway

She just keeps this going & going. . .Head over to MommyMandy for her fabulous Little Windows Giveaway. You just HAVE to see these awesome necklaces that enclose pics of your choosing. Heck, if you don't want them. . .enter anyway & give them to me when you win! So do as I say, go there now. ... . go ahead. . . right now. . .

FREE Photo Printer!

Go here for your chance to win a FREE Photo Printer. It's pretty cool. But you know what is even cooler still??? The support fellow bloggers give. Don't just follow this link to win the printer. . .but read a little about the people as you follow the directions. There's a lot of love out there!!! Let's keep the world full of hope & peace.

The Secret is in the Sauce: September is SAUCY- Cricut Expressions!

The Secret is in the Sauce: September is SAUCY- Cricut Expressions!

Go get saucy!!!

Make Believe Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Make Believe Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Pro Choice

I know. . .. this isn't really my political forum. BUT, this IS a big deal to me. I am VERY PASSIONATE about my stance on women's rights. When asked if I'm pro choice I reply. . .YES! I believe that every woman has the right to make a choice when it comes to whether she takes her pants off or not. Once you cross that line, you must accept whatever consequence ensues. SO THERE! Come on, People! Let's get real here! When we take on the responsibility of having intercourse we know full well that conception could take place. I know. . .there are circumstances where this choice was not made by the woman. . . and in the grand scheme of things conception does not occur for most of these cases. BUT for the percentage of those unfortunate circumstances would it make you feel better if you added another wrongdoing to the mix? Is it that little fetus's fault? Could that little life bring something wonderful to someone else's life? I think so.

I've assisted in the delivery of many babies. . .some that were under 20 weeks gestation. Obviously, those did not survive. . .but I've seen a preterm delivery of 23 1/2 weeks & a baby survived! He is still alive. I've witnessed a live birth of a under 20 weeker. . .who didn't survive. . .but it had a heartbeat at birth! That has to count for something. . . it got acknowledged with a birth & death certificate. I've seen deliveries of babies that prenatal tests showed severe handicap. . . possible poor quality of life. . . once born there was NOTHING WRONG!

So I think the Choice is clearly one that should be made BEFORE conception has the chance to take place. If I've offended anyone. . . so be it. These aren't stray animals we're talking about. . .it's human life.

Mandy's birthday GiveAWAYS!!!!

FREE FABRIC GIVEAWAY!!!!

Go here: Sugar Shop NOW! This is a FANTASTIC giveaway of $75 Worth of FREE FABRIC SHOPPING!!! Don't wait. . . just go there. I can't wait to see what she's been up to. . . Oh my. . .for some reason the pic doesn't show up. . .unless you click on the empty box you see below. . .so go ahead. ..click on it or just use the link above:)

Go To Peeky Boos. . . .

It's right over there. . . .to the right. . . . see the link? It's my new blog for my creations. So go check it out or I'll feel bad & I might cry.

There is so much to blog about. . .but I'm tired. I have a sassy bug bite on my ankle that looks kind of not good. You know. . . like it might have developed a mind of its own & decided to become infected. NICE. I needed that.

Boys started school today. I got all teary eyed when they got on the bus. You'd think I'd be OK with all that by now. They were both in school last year already. But that's OK. . . a few tears are a good thing for us girls. Then I dropped boy #3 off at Daycare & he was super clingy & cried. . . so I felt guilty for bringing him when I was going to be home. He really does wonderfully when he goes 3 days a week though. . .so we need to get him back into that swing. It's preschool too so I shouldn't feel too guilty, right?

I worked on a sewing/quilting project today again. My Mom helped me with cutting applique pieces out. I'm such a newbie at this. I can't wait to finish. I hope it turns out!

OK, so go to Peeky Boos & tell me what you think so far ------------------>

More than I can chew. . .

I did it again. . .or almost did it again. . .bitten off more than I can chew that is. I think I get a little manic at a certain part in my cycle or something when I believe I can take on the world. I could not fall asleep last night. . . seriously. . .I saw 4:20 AM without even dozing off slightly. . . and I was VERY irritated. Of course, this only makes things worse. I had grandiose plans to get things done today as I taught the Prep for Labor class all day yesterday. We did enjoy some campfire time last night as a family. That is good. I'm of low to no productivity today. Of course, there is always COFFEE! I've already consumed a cup & a half. . .

And then I decided to work on some finger knitting. See Peeky Boos for that accomplishment.

I think my insomnia from last night is due to my growing anxiety about starting so many new things this fall. School for the boys starts Tuesday. Flag football begins end of Sept. I start teaching a nursing clinical 3rd week of Sept so that means working my two twelves plus teaching 2 eights & then grading papers & what not. New role for me. . . nervous & excited & scared. I am working on my first ever quilt & really want to have it completed for a baby shower gift. The shower is the 3rd weekend in September. (See a pattern to my anxiety here yet???) Wait, there's more! I considered beginning my Master's program October 27th. . .which would mean taking the MAT now & getting my admissions material in before September 12th. As if that's not enough. . . . I have one set of Grandparents left & we just found out that my Grandpa has cancer. . . . we'll see what the prognosis is this week. That, along with my Uncle's passing in July, my Great Aunt passing shortly before that. . . . & life in general. . . . I think I've taken on a bit TOO MUCH!

So today I made the decision to go with my original plan to begin my Master's in January. I know, this is still a lot to take on. But does life ever really slow down?? Probably not. I will just have a better grip on things by then. . .at least I had BETTER! It will be a wild ride:) I look forward to the challenge!

Check out MommyMandy

You'll want to make sure you visit this site next week. I know I will be. . .

Time to Light a Fire under my ARSE!

Sorry for being so terse (like that word? Me too.) But I really DO need to light that proverbial fire. I HAVE to get stuff done. So I must make a TO DO List & start crossing off!!!
In no particular order (because that would require more time):
1. Clear out top 2 shelves of hall closet to make room for my scrappy stuff that needs to get out of my office. Done! but I could use the whole closet!
2. Move Scrappy Stuff as mentioned above (no kidding, this needs it's own spot on the list.) started! I'm running out of space!!!
3. Organize bills. Pay bills:(
4. Clear off desk in office.
5. Clear floor in office - see #2 above for part of this. again, started. . .
6. Organize sewing stuff - see #5 for part of this as well as consider moving this entirely to basement work area. . . which require yet another. . .
7. Make a spot in basement for sewing. . . maybe.
8. Make trip to the Restore to scope out possible cabinets/islands for #7.
9. Work on & finish quilt I started for gift.
10. If #9 works out well - do another one for another gift.
11. Get application materials in for Grad school.
12. Go through boys' closets/drawers to determine clothing needs for school year.
13. Make sure all school supplies are ready.
14. Daycare schedule to daycare. woo hoo! done! Check!
15. Buy nice & comfortable shoes for teaching clinicals.
16. Check my wardrobe for potential needs.
17. Freeze more zucchini - why did I plant 6 SEEDS??? They all grew. . .
18. Get pics printed from day on the pontoon boat with Scott's parents.
19. Fix boy #1's favorite blanket.
20. Contact insurance company re: uncovered crap.
21. Buy toothpaste. . . I keep forgetting to get MY kind. (yes, still brushing with other stuff)
22. Laundry, Laundry, Laundry why is this even ON a list? It's never completely done!
23. Dishes, Dishes, Dishes done for today - yay!
24. Hire someone to do my laundry & my dishes. Yeah, right!
25. Prepare for teaching clinicals.
26. Study for BLS recert.
27. Purchase boy #3's birthday present & plan his party.
28. Enjoy the last week of summer vacation with my boys! Most Important!!!

Finger Knitting???

OMG!! I used to do this when I was Much Much Younger. Have you ever finger knitted? I never realized that it could be THIS advanced! OK, so I was only a one row finger knitter. You have to go check out the link to see what I'm talking about. Hmmm. . . like I NEED another item to add to my "I want to try this" list!!! Hey, I could use this to keep my little boys busy:)

Register for THIS Giveaway for sure!

Simple Mom has done it again! You NEED to go HERE and register for this giveaway. It's a basket FULL of wonderful things. Go there. . . now! Just do it.

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Do I need these? Of COURSE I do! Not for MY offspring. . .but I have a lot of friends & family having new little ones soon. How cute are these???

ALWAYS question closed bedroom doors with a quiet child. . .

Need I say more? Anyone have a Magic Eraser??? Maybe this one will be the artistic home decorator type??? (By the way, it's my OLDEST who is 7 1/2 years old who did this.) I thought it was strange that he went up to "lay down" this morning. This is light blue highlighter with a small tracing of pink highlighter. Interesting. . .

This & That & Everything Else

OK, so there are TOO many things to mention in one title today.
First of all - go HERE for a giveaway from The Village Shop. She is giving away a couple really cute quilt patterns.

Second - our Anniversary Date was fantastic. We went to Big Tomatoes in Downtown Green Bay. We had never been there. It is a really cute old building & the food was pretty good. . .but the fantastic part was my "little" surprise from Scott. He gave me an anniversary band!! It's pretty amazing & totally unexpected. Oh, I did have our babysitter snap a picture of us before we went out. . . so there that is. . . I still haven't scanned a wedding picture of us to upload. After dinner we walked along the river in Green Bay & then stopped by Jimmy Seas along the river to listen to the live entertainment. We didn't stay out late.
FRIDAY!!! Wow! We went to the Brown County Fair for a short time with the kiddos in the afternoon. . .then picked up the sitter & brought them home so we could go back for the Rodney Atkins concert. Our seats were FANTASTIC!! Here's a shot of the hunky man.
We had a BLAST after the concert too. There was a local band called Grand Union. They are Fabulous! Their website doesn't really do them justice for their vocals. And the fun??? I felt like a youngster again. A little sore yesterday from dancing. . . . I'm getting too old for this. But I'll keep on trying!!!

Saturday evening we went to see my little brother's new house. They should be moving in within a few weeks. It's a VERY nice house! They are building near Lake Winnebago. . . & the bay flies get a little freaky when you light a bonfire. .. but other than that. . . it's a great spot.

We're heavy into potty training this weekend. I know, this doesn't flow well with the aforementioned topics. . . but it had to be said. This is not easy.

On a better note. . .my garden is totally rocking! Can you say ZUCCHINI??? Holy cow! I have been freezing it, cooking it & giving it away. And there's more to come! Love it! I've even harvested a few tomatoes already. Pumpkins are growing. We have so much fun checking the vines to see what's sprouted out from day to day. I even have CANTALOUPE growing!!! Corn is coming along nicely. Peppers are slowly getting there. . . I hope. I already know that next year's garden needs to be bigger. Scott is not to pleased that I want to take up more real estate with my gardening adventures. I have big plans.

I'm going to have my own clinical group this fall. This is exciting & nerve racking all at the same time. I subbed last semester but this will be my own little group. Whoa! I'll be shaping minds of hopeful nurses to be. Scary thought, huh? So that also means that I will be working my usual two twelve hour shifts a week plus the 2 clinical days. And the clinical is on the floor I work on.

My siblings & I gave our Aunt Kay a Memorial Bench last weekend. Here it is:

It's really hard to believe that Rich has been gone for almost a month already. I think it will become MORE real when the holidays come up. Actually, it will be before that even. . . when the first football game for Ashwaubenon is played. . . I think we're all going to go & wear matching shirts in memory of him. It's still surreal for us. We don't have to come home to him being gone every day like my Aunt Kay does. I don't know how I would be able to do that. But I guess nobody really does know.

I need to get a move on sewing projects for baby gifts. Holy cow! I don't have a ton of time left for some of these people. I'm going to have Scott try to make me an island type table for downstairs. I used our kitchen for cutting my latest project out - with a cutting mat covering the island of course. But I really do think we need to have something similar for downstairs. I think we also need to start to finish the basement off. . .but we'll take this one step at a time. I'm thinking we should frame up the walls for the all purpose room, drywall, plaster & paint. . . put some Pergo flooring in & ta da! Oh, that's right. . .there are other step involved in that. Not to mention the money. . . I guess we'll put that on hold for now:)

10 YEARS! Wedded Bliss. . .

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago TODAY at this time I was getting my hair & make up done for one of the biggest days of my life. I have pictures to prove it. . .but they're not of the digital era yet. .. so I'll try to track down a picture of me & my honey from now. .. which is not likely because one of us is usually taking the pictures. . .

Anyway. . . Here's our story:
Scott & I were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. I had just sworn off men for the 50th time (which isn't all THAT impressive except for the fact that I was 21 years old). I was going to just date, just play the field so to speak. Like my Mother said, "You're not married. Why date just one person???" (Shocking, I know!) So Scott shows up to pick me up for our first date. He's nice looking - not as tall as my usual dates - but dark hair, nice deep brown eyes & a small to medium build. As we're walking out the front door to his car he says, & I quote, "Just so you know, I'm not one of those 'big truck' kind of guys." Where did this come from??? I wondered. He opens the door to his red Ford Taurus for me - score one point for the boy!

We went out to the Olive Garden. Conversation was easy. We joked around. He used a coupon! How funny is THAT? We were both in college so hey, a frugal guy. . . not a bad thing. (Funny how he doesn't bother with coupons now which would be totally impressive.) He goes to the bathroom a couple of times. . . I'm thinking, Hmmm. . .is he going to abandon me here??? I've never dated a guy who uses the bathroom more than I do. After dinner we go to a park to walk around. This is nice. I'm thinking, "Wow! He isn't looking to shut me up. He's looking to actually talk more." We hold hands a little bit. . .this is nice. He tells me jokes, we swing on the swings, walk near the river (he didn't push me in. . . good sign). Of course, he'd tell you he told me dirty jokes. . .but I don't think they were dirty. Funny. . . but not dirty.

He brings me back to my duplex & we talk for a while & then he leaves. . . . but he doesn't even TRY to KISS me! This is weird. I had this rule that I don't kiss on the first date. . . but he didn't even TRY!!! What's up with that??? I'm thinking, "CRAP! He doesn't like me. I must not be attractive to him. Man! I really like this guy. . . what did I do wrong?" You know, all the usual crap that floats through a girl's brain after a really awesome date. But then I remember, "Oh, that's right! I have a date with so in so tomorrow night anyway. . . what do I care?" But I cared. . . because so in so was a sleeze ball.

Well, sleeze ball boy stood me up the next night. Figures! So I figure, hmmm. . . why don't I give Scott a call to see what he's up to??? Is that too forward? Is he going to think I'm desperate? Oh, yeah, that's right. . .what do I care??? He's just a guy, right? So I call & he's not home. But he gets the message that I called & he calls me back! YAY! He's out & about with his friend. . . . but he comes over later & we talk for hours. . . . & then, here's the good part, when I go to walk him out. . . . after what seems like hours of 'good-bye, see you again' - he kind of almost asks for permission to give me a kiss! AND WOW! So maybe this playing the field thing isn't going to last long. . . this guy is really nice, really great looking & kisses so sweetly. Plus, he has manners. .. . .oh, and by the way, my friend who set us up. . .she told him about my no kissing on the first date rule. . . . but that's OK. He still didn't try so he gets a point for respecting me.

That's how it all began. Within a year we were engaged & we were married the year after that. Scott is the LOVE of my LIFE! He's my best friend. He's the one who can get under my skin the most. But he is the only one that I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know, mushy gushy. . .but it's true. He's stuck with me!

I guess I'll have to take a picture of a picture for our wedding shot & I'll have someone take a picture of us tonight. . . . we're going to dinner.

Forming New Habits

I've been inspired by Simple Mom blog - more specifically about forming new habits. I have been doing quite a bit of looking inside myself lately & this has forced me to look outside myself as well. (Did that make sense?)

Just a couple of days ago we instituted the clean up as you go rule found here. I'm tellin' ya. . . this Simple Mom site totally rocks! Go there! Go there now! Read it. It could be life changing. For instance. . . Friday evening after supper everyone helped clean up. We cleaned up everything. . .including the floor. No dishes were left unwashed. (OK, so we did leave the hand washed dishes to air dry. This we won't change.) And guess what? Instead of Mom having to stay inside while the 3 boys & Dad went outside for fun. . .MOM GOT TO JOIN THE FUN! How cool is that? And you know what else? No? Well, I'll tell ya. . . having all of that done before bed & waking up the next morning to no dirty dishes & a CLEAN KITCHEN was FANTASTIC! Saturday was another story during the day. . .but we're a work in progress. So far today we're doing splendidly. (don't you just love the word "splendid?")

We had some dear friends over last night - after the trip to the Urgent Care for Carter's nice little bullseye rash around a bug bite - NICE! (He got his blood drawn to check for lovely Lyme's disease) They so kindly informed me, as I boasted about my awesome garden, that I've been picking my sugarsnap peas a little too early. OOPS! (And thanks to those of you who maybe were thinking the same thing when I posted the pic of them. . .but didn't want to hurt my feelings.) So my skinny, underdeveloped peas that I was so proud of, just need a little time to mature before I snap them off the vines. OK, I get it. . .I just need to be patient! Lessons learned. We had a little chuckle from that. But they were fully impressed that I planted the garden in the first place. They have a wonderful garden that is probably triple the size of mine. They're experienced so I love their tidbits of knowledge.

We put up retractable clothes lines last week. I'm very pleased with this. Ever since I read Lola's blog & saw her mission, I've been inspired. She's also freakin' hilarious & talented. . .so I recommend reading her blog too. You don't really need to sleep, do you? Just blog hop. . . that's what I do. Seriously though, another one of my goals is to try to haul my hiney out of bed a bit earlier everyday (yes, even those non working for money type days) which will, in turn, make me go to bed a bit earlier every night. Either that or I'll end up growing horns out of my head or flying on a broom - which could be interesting. I need to restructure my days to get more done. I've read in the blog listed way up there that getting up earlier is good for your productivity. Now, I imagine that's assuming your children stay asleep until a reasonable hour?? Kid free = more productivity??? We'll see how this shakes out with my sun is barely peeking up & I'm awake type kids.

Going to Packer Family Fun Night at Lambeau Field tonight. I'm excited. We're bringing kid 1 & kid 2 but kid 3 is going to have some fun with some neighbors. He would probably not truly enjoy the Lambeau Field experience. Right now I'm debating on whether or not to bring my camera. I think I will. Much of my family will be there & I need more pictures of us together.

OKEY DOKEY then. . .time to get ready. . .

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. . .

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:)

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.

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

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!)

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

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!

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:)

New Concoctions

My neighbors think I'm off my rocker. . .but I've made some very interesting food discoveries in the past week. It's amazing what you can do with limited ingredients.
Discovery #1 - impromtu chip dip: I had potato chips & once in a while I like to dip them in ketchup. . .don't knock it. . .have you ever had really crispy french fries? This is like the same thing. But this isn't the discovery. I decided to combine the ketchup (organic of course) with some organic raspberry preserves. This was INCREDIBLE! Remember a while back when Tastefully Simple had the Raspberry Chipotle sauce? This is better because there was something in the TS stuff that inevitably sent me running to the bathroom. . .sorry for the explanation there.

Discovery #2 - made at lunch today as a matter of fact. . . have you been to PB Loco yet? This idea was inspired by that place. The boys had quesadillas. . but I ran out of cheese. . .so I had to punt for my own lunch. We have Peanut butter. . . we have cream cheese. And we have raspberry preserves. . why not combine these??? Oh, & let's not forget the green onions! So I took a flour tortilla, slapped some cream cheese, peanut butter & rasp on it. . .& then cut up the green onions. . .wrapped that baby up & then heated it in a pan for a few minutes to meld the flavors a bit. Voila! This was absolutely YUM! I think PB Loco has a version like this only they add lettuce & shredded carrots. . .& maybe some other stuff. Very filling!

Off to the races tomorrow. . . no pun on that one. I'll have pics to share I'm sure:)

Getting in the Game

I have rolled out of bed at 5:55 AM the last 2 days to walk with my dear neighbor, Kim. We walked for about 30 minutes yesterday & maybe 40 today - subtracting the time it took to coerce a small dog named Cheese back to his yard. It feels GREAT to get moving. It is exhausting come this time of the evening. My body says, "TIME FOR SIESTA!" My kids say, "TIME FOR FIESTA!" No, they don't really speak Spanish. But you get my point. Of course, come bedtime tonight. . .my brain will kick into its 2nd wind & tell my body it can't quite sleep yet.

I have some cool pics that I need to share with you. I just need to get my computer to clear up some space. I need more RAM. I'll work on it. This weekend should supply me with even more adventures as we're going to the NASCAR race at the Milwaukee Mile. Cooler yet. . .we have VIP Pit/Garage passes!!! I'm not a NASCAR junkie. . .but this is going to be cool. Young guys working on cars. . . hmmm. . . need I say more? Of course, I'll be with my loving, adorable husband.

Time for soccer. I'm going stag - well - that is, I'm going with my 3 little men. Daddy is still at work with Jerrick Johnson. . the NASCAR driver who came to visit Rasmussen College today. I'll share pics later:)

Come together

I've been blog surfing & commenting. Figured I'd better update mine now. We have SO MUCH going on here. And as soon as I figure out what the heck is going on with my Kodak EasyShare software I'll get some pictures posted. Baseball has come to an end & Soccer has revved up. We think Summer is actually going to stick around now too, but one never can be too sure. We are in WI after all.

I planted my first ever veggie/fruit garden. HOLY Shnikees, Batman! Why didn't someone warn me it would be THAT much freakin' work? Of course, I have clay. . not exactly the medium of choice for a garden. And we had someone come with a tractor to break up the sod & work the dirt. But then I waited a bit before getting out there so I needed to till it quite a bit. Of course, this required a tiller. We didn't have a tiller. . .so I went & bought one that attaches to a weed whacker. I am woman. HEAR ME ROAR!!! I bought a manly tool. . .OK, it's a womanly man tool. . .but a man tool just the same. And it worked for the most part. Let's not kid anyone, clay was meant to be molded, not planted. Maybe it will loosen up & be better next year. Maybe I'll shoot monkeys out of my butt. . . sorry, had to.

My boys have discovered many living creatures in the back pond (storm retention pond that is). The little stream that flows from it is in our backyard so the boys have a blast finding frogs, toads, turtles, tadpoles, etc & they like to take said creepy, crawly critters in a pale or whatever they may find to contain them, up to the house. We have a tote container full of polywogs & frogs out front right now. I'm sure some animal of prey is having a great buffet this evening. Nice. And this evening the 2 older boys, along with neighbor boys, decided to have a mud fight. Double NICE. Have you ever smelled swamp mud? Not exactly rosey. Kind of reminds me of smelly, stinky, moldy sock smell. Ewww! And clay. . . so nice when it stains! Hey, maybe I can just rub THAT on my skin instead of spray on tanner! (Thanks to my gardening experience, I am red right now.)

Summer vacation has begun. Who's vacation is that?

My Parker turns 6 on Friday. . . yup, 6 on Friday the 13th. . . creepy combo. We're having his party on Saturday. . . hoping for sunshine! The garage still has my garage sale stuff in it. . .slowly getting rid of that.

Time for night night.

Nippals & Pwivates

Caught your attention with that one I bet! Had to share the latest Carterism. I was changing Carter, er, Spiderman just a moment ago & he looks down at his chest, points to his nipple & asks, "What's this?" I reply promptly, "That's a nipple." He exclaims, "Nippal!?" I say, "Yes." Then he inquires, "You have nippals?" as he inquisitively looks at my chest. I reply, "Yes, Momma has 'em." He then says as he attempts to lift my shirt, "Me see!" Of course I don't want to terrify the poor child with my National Geographic porn star version of nipples. . .so I say, "No, Momma's nipples are private." He stares at me sweetly & says, "Pwivate? Why they pwivate?" I simply reply, "All girls' nipples are private." I know, so simple. I'm hoping he doesn't go nipple hunting anytime soon. Social services will be knocking on my door. . .

Saving the Earth

10 Green Things You Can Do This Week Check this out! I've been blog surfing again. . .but this is SO COOL! I just may be linking her blog up to the right folks! Gotta Save the EARTH!

YADDA YADDA YADDA

Don't know exactly why I titled this the way I did. . .but I did. . . so there! Probably because it's going to be a cluster of topics so I will begin:

Garage sales - not selling the garage - but it's not really a yard sale because I do plan to use the garage & the driveway. . .so why don't we call them Driveway sales?? But then again, driveways could technically be part of the yard. . . so we're back to yard sale. I digress. We're doing a neighborhood sale June 6th & 7th. (so does that mean we're selling the neighborhood? Tee hee, couldn't pass that one up.) Am I ready? Of course not. Why would I be ready already? It's over a week away, right? Yeah. Ok. We'll see how that goes. I am getting rid of a lot of stuff. Let me reword that. . . I'm planning to get rid of a lot. AND, whatever does not sell I will donate. It's part of my 12 step program for being a packrat.

What the heck is up with me update - I'm in limbo on the MS front. So far we have this: MRI of brain has changed since 2004. 2 new areas/lesions. NOT tumors - but demyelination I guess. C spine & thoracic spine have nothing abnormal. Visual evoked responses - normal. Sensorymotor Evoked Potentials - slightly delayed but still within normal limits. Physical exam - normal. Symptoms - improving - still some pain issues with my low back & legs but only when I'm inactive. Seems that being physically active really helps decrease my discomfort.
What's the Plan? I'm taking 1000 mg of Fish Oil 3 times daily, 1000 to 2000 mg vitamin D daily, 250 mg Alpha Lipoic Acid daily as well as decreasing my grain intake. I will be having a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) probably tomorrow. I'm having an anesthesiologist do it. If that is clear - then I remain in limbo & deal with symptoms. OR, I get another expensive genetic test for a rare disorder that isn't very likely. . . AND, I have a repeat MRI of my brain in November. I don't mind having a non diagnosis. The alternative kind of sucks. Then again, knowing what is wrong might be a relief & prove that I truly am not crazy. (well, that could still be debated I suppose) I'm going to remain positive either way. Why not?

Sewing - I've begun to cut out a new purse. I will post it when it's complete. I still have tons of ideas that I hope to be able to put to use one of these days. While attacking the pile of laundry this past weekend I had the TV on & saw some cool things to do to repurpose jeans: making cute skirts by using the waist & hip portions & then cutting panels to attach - I don't explain this well. . .go here:
Nancy's Notions Denim Redesign It's the skirt on the left bottom. Isn't that cool? I really liked the kid version - but I don't have girl people other than myself in this house. You do realize this could cause my clutter problem to become worse, don't you? I mean, those pants that I don't unload at the sale could suddenly find themselves back in my grasps. What cool projects could erupt from already owned items???? It would be a shame or even a SIN to GIVE those away!!!!! (Somebody, quick! Save me!)

Why did I drink coffee at 7 PM? WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Duh! Body is tired. . .mind is not! Or is it the other way around? Or maybe both are tired but restless??? YIKES!

Shout out for Positve JU JU!

It's been a while since I posted. I have reasons. . . of course, doesn't everyone? This is a shout out for positive thoughts & prayers & overall good "ju ju." (What is "ju ju" exactly? Hmmm. . .) Anyway, I'm being evaluated yet again for MS. This will be the 3rd time in the past 10 year going through some tests. I have symptoms & the MRI of my brain is abnormal, however, my physical exam is normal. So there's nothing for sure but I thought a little shout out for the positive would be a good thing.

I'm not a very private person. . .obviously. And maybe this will be another wait & see kind of situation. . . & I'm OK with that. Really, I am. I hope that I am able to get active again & stay active with the boys & with work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unable to do things. . .just slightly impaired - sometimes more than others. No crazy, white female thing going on either. . . as I saw the new lesions in my brain. Now to check the spine & some other neurological tests. Then maybe onto the dreaded lumbar puncture. . . yeah, not looking forward to that.
Wish me luck!

Got My Book!

When I got home from work last night it was here! I ordered this book: http://www.peterwalshdesign.com/3books/3_2book/3_2book.html It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh. . .he was featured on Oprah & I knew I needed the book (funny, I need MORE stuff to fix my problem of TOO MUCH STUFF!). So now I am going to go multi task while reading it. . .

La La La Lazy. . .

Have you heard of The Love Monkeys? They're a Milwaukee band. . . been around for quite a while. . . anyway, they have a song called "Lazy" & this has become my theme song for this week. With not being able to do much physical stuff due to my lovely hip inflammation (I sound like I'm 80 or something). . . I've become quite lazy. (Disclaimer here. . .80 year olds do not all have bad hips & are not all lazy. In fact today, they probably are much more productive than I have been all week.) OK, I'm making a short story long.

Potty training update - hurray hurray the first of May - potty training begins today. I know, this is NOT the sing songy phrase that usually follows, but I adjusted it for my own purposes. Carter does not exactly have this potty training thing down. And I know, it's the first real day of it. . .but boy oh boy. . . this is not fun. Buzz Lightyear does NOT like to be peed on. Does this stop him? Nope. And bribery is lost on him as well. I say, "if we go try to go potty on the big boy potty I will give you some juice." He replies, "Me did go potty alweddy. Me want juice!" and then he proceeds to scream bloody murder when I don't let him have any without trying a potty. I'm evil, I know. . .but I refuse to give in to the screaming child. I'm one of the evil mothers in the store who actually leaves a cart with merchandise in it to leave the store after threatening to do so if a child does (insert sassy behavior) one more time. I have been known, on occasion, to say, "Hmm, everybody is looking at you as you scream." and I have also carried a child, kicking & screaming, out of said store as people stare in horror. No hitting (except by the child at times), just calm assertiveness (same as dog whisperer techniques thanks to Cesar Milan). The child must always know you are the pack leader:)
How did I get so far from what I was talking about? That's me. . .short story long.

Maximum OVERLOAD

I need to take action. If you watched Oprah yesterday, you saw the update on the hoarder. By all means, I'm not THAT BAD. . .but THIS is pretty bad! I need to take action today to start getting rid of clutter. My office, pictured here, has become the gathering ground for every hobby I have as well as various coloring books that Carter likes to busy himself with. It all gets moved TODAY. . .as long as my back holds up (another story - see my wellness blog). Wish me luck. I'll take more pics when it's the end of the day.

SPRING - interrupted - RETAIL THERAPY FIND!

Since Spring was once again interrupted this morning by SNOW!!!! (IT'S APRIL for crying out loud!) I did some retail therapy. I ventured to Hancock Fabric & boy did I make a FIND!!! Here is what I found. . . at $1.99/yd I was ecstatic. It's upholstery fabric. I know I will use it for something. I was actually considering making a headboard for our bed by covering a few pieces of wood with the fabric on the right. Then I would probably need to get a new comforter. And let's not forget pillows. . . oh the ideas! Maybe I could find some comforter type fabric that matches or accents it. Oh boy, I must be manic. Anyway, the colors didn't really come through on this pic (I need a new camera - another story there) but the darker color is a deep purplish color. . ooo, I'm just so so so excited!! This was WAY too cool of a shopping trip for me! I FINALLY bought NEW fabric - allbeit on the clearance rack - but it IS NEW!

Here's a little something I created this weekend. It's not pieced together yet. . .but I think it will go nicely onto a tote or whatever I decide. . . I might add some steam coming from the top. I also think I could design a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. . .oh the ideas are endless!

Carter-isms

"Are you waffin' at me?" "What? Are you kiddin' me?" And let's not forget, "Pooperman" instead of Superman. . . This kid is hilarious! And he's all MINE! I pretend to nibble on him once in a while. .. & he laughs his ever lovin' butt off. But once in a while I ask if I can munch on him. . . just a little moment ago he comes up to me as I'm blog surfing. . .and he says, "Munch on me 'gain, Momma." I say, "What? Are you serious?" He says, "Yeah, munch on my boo boo." (FYI, "boo boo" is his belly)
His blonde, curly hair is absolutely adorable. . .even though it needs to be cut badly. Buggers. . .was going to take a pic of him just then but my batteries need charging. . . later for that. (added the pic now!) So I'm just loving up my little man today. . . there will, sadly, come a day when he no longer wants his Momma to munch on him. . .& quite frankly, there probably SHOULD come that day. . . (kind of freaks the neighbors out if you're munching on your 13 year old - not to mention it's probably illegal in most states).
I'll be back. . .

Quilts?

OK, so I never thought these words would come off my lips let alone be serious. . .but I might want to try to quilt an actual QUILT! No kidding! You HAVE to take a look at http://web.mac.com/cjroskelley & see what I'm talking about. Go there now. . . really, do it. And while you're there. . .leave a comment & tell her that I sent you there from here: http://scrappinfor3.blogspot.com/ so we both get a shot at winning this absolutely gorgeous quilt.

And just in case I don't get lucky enough to hold this fantastic piece of art in my hands as created by such a talented lady. . .I might just have to go here: http://web.mac.com/cjroskelley/Thimble_Blossoms/Thimble_Blossoms_Home/Thimble_Blossoms_Home.html to purchase the pattern.

Productivity!!!

I'm a procrastinator & kind of disorganized (there I said it!) in my personal life. Professionally speaking I'm very organized & get things done quickly when I'm at work. So today I am going to try something again. . . I'm going to STAY FOCUSED on my tasks. So, I will only check my email 3 times today. One is now. . . . so I will check again around noon & again before the kids get off of the bus around 4 ish. . . this will be interesting. . . wish me luck!
So I'm off to make my TO DO list for the day. I need to stick to it. This will be great practice for me when I do some home schooling of the kids this summer (just the summer folks. . .I'm not THAT good that I could do the home schooling thing for the year). We're going to do Spanish (hablo Espanol un pocito) & possibly sign language as well as crafty stuff & we'll squeeze in science & math in a creative way as well. I know, it's ambitious. But I believe I'm up for the challenge. It's going to be fun!

See you later!

It IS FINISHED!!!

Here is the finished bag. I feel pretty good about it. It's super cute. I brought it to work yesterday to get people's reactions & it was a hit. I have several people wanting one. It's funny because one of my coworkers was saying, "Oh, we need to market these. You could make them for craft fairs & I would work your booth for you. . . " Totally hilarious! And do I think I could? Sure. . . now that I've got this one under my belt the difficult part is done. . .the designing that is. Of course, my prototype is being gifted today so I won't have it on hand. . .but I have many pics.

I might get to the tutorial on this within the week so please be patient with me. I have never done a tut so I am not sure how to go about it. Suggestions to where to create it online???
I think if it were for an adult I would make the straps a bit thinner & longer to fit shoulder length. And I may even make the dimensions of the bag part deeper. These will surely be one of a kind bags as there is no way to keep them consistent.

This design needs a name. . . I could call it The Maddie - it's for my niece, Madelyn. Feedback please:)

What kind of Handle??

Here is the exterior body of the bag all put together. This wasn't as difficult as one might think. Then again, I kind of made a boo boo with the flower (note to self, don't apply any embellishments until AFTER sewing parts together). Now I need to figure out what kind of handle/strap to make. Any suggestions? I need to have this finished by Saturday. . .so I'm on time constraints here. I was originally planning to do 2 longer shoulder straps. Now I'm considering 1 longer strap & attaching it across from narrow side to narrow side (do you smell what I'm steppin' in?) Then again, should I do 2 shorter tote type straps?

Putting on the Cape

This summer I will be Super Mom! We're not sending the 6 & 7 year old boys to daycare or summer school this summer. So I decided that we'd do some summer schooling of our own instead. I want them to continue to learn new things & be exposed to new adventures. So I'm planning on making it fun. Ideas??? Well, thanks to my neighbor, I have the idea to teach them (Oh, & learn myself) Sign Language. I think they'll like this (as they already learned a not so nice sign!) & this is something the 2 year old can learn as well. In fact, I think "Silent Moments" could be part of a daily ritual around here & much appreciated for our sanity.

Other ideas include: basic Spanish, gardening, natural resources, underwater basketweaving. . .OK, maybe not that. We will of course continue reading everyday. I think this is fundamental no matter what. But I think I shall put on the cape &, follow me here, schedule our time! Oh NO! What did I just type?? ME, structured with my "FREE TIME?" Never! I'm going to try it. It just might lead to less stress & more stuff getting done. Maybe. . . I'm willing to try.

The little guy is sleeping. . .so I'm going to work on my bag. Hopefully I'll have an update & pics later today:)

Should I departmentalize???

The blog, that is. . . I've been surfing blog wonderland tonight & have seen many different formats. . . I don't really want to have a bunch of separate blogs to address my eclectic life. but I also realize that certain people don't give a hoot about my new obsession with designing bags & God only knows what & on the same note. . .many people don't care to read about the latest issues I'm having trying to balance my boys, career, health, hobbies & the list goes on. .

So I'm sure I'll ponder this in my sleep (if I get to sleep tonight). The boys have been making nightly rendezvous to our bed. . .they don't usually arrive all at once. And they don't usually get escorted back to their own rooms all at once either. We would never be THAT fortunate. It's one at 1:30 AM cuz he's scared. Then it's another one at 3 AM because he needs his "pup" (a.k.a. cup) & then yet the other one because one of the others woke him up in the process of coming or going or he has to pee & feels the need to inform us of the much needed event before, during or after said event. Gotta love boys! I thought this kind of waking every 2 hours bull$#!t was over after infancy! What to Expect When You're Expecting doesn't share with you all of these joys. . .I skipped the sequel. I truly love being a Mom. . really, I do. I am getting OLDER people! I NEED MY SLEEP!!! And yet, given the opportunity to crash early tonight I sit here typing like a mad woman. What? Am I on a mission to take over the Super Woman throne? Yeah, not gonna happen. I am in no way, shape or form Super Mom, Housewife, fill in any domesticated thing a ma jig here that you want. My house is a catastrophe at present time (which, for those who really do know me, will be of no surprise). I have MT. Laundry errupting from just about every laundry basket known to man(if only clean laundry would fold & put itself away). . .plus a laundry room reaching critical mass. My dishes are not done. Dishwasher. . you guessed it. . . clean & not emptied. Bed, - HA! I'm getting back into it anyway. (YUP, Mom & Dad, you wrecked that one for me. I'm rebelling by NOT making it. The only way dust mites die is by exposure to sunlight. . .so that's my story.) I think we have an island in the kitchen as well as a table. . .but I might have to hire someone to find them. I don't know how SAHM's do it! And Single SAHMs. . .They wear the real capes!

Done whining. . .well, I was just stating facts. I know I have to get my crap in order & do it. So, instead of tackling any of these things tonight, I've worn myself out making the list so now I'll go to bed hoping to awaken when the sun rises (NOT BEFORE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE LET ME SLEEP! Well, as long as everyone is OK that is.) Maybe I'm bipolar. . . nah, just PMS.

Progress on Patchwork Raggy Bag

I might have to try my hand on a tutorial after this adventure. I'm taking pics regularly & I'll see. . . but here is some of the progress I made today on my new bag. The first pic is the front side with the bottom/sides just laying together. . .

The other is the front, back & bottom/side attached at just the bottom. Now for the fiddling to get the sides sewn up. . .and then to the lining. I'm impressed thus far. I designed this bag from the workings of my brain. . . so I'm very excited to see it come to life. I need to remember to make the handles yet too! And to sew the pink button onto the flower before putting the lining in.

Stay tuned. . .this has got to be done before Saturday. I'm planning to give it to my 7 year old niece for her birthday.

DAVID COOK!!!! wow

Ok, so I don't normally blog about American Idol. ..but I just watched this on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVAs2zmb0ig&feature=related & if you go watch/listen to it you will most likely agree that this guy is going to do very well in the industry!!!

I'm just in awe. . . go check it out, you know you want to:)

Coming Along

I stayed up LATE last night & went to town on this bag. Wow, Can you say "LINT?" I was covered in white fuzz from the quilting stuff in the middle. I'm recycling for this bag & using a coverlet type quilty thing for the inner fluffy stuff. Did that make ANY sense?
(removed image. . .go so the finished bag:)
I'm excited about this as it takes shape. I still have to figure out how to put it all together & how to do the lining & the zipper. . . maybe I will just do a snap??? We'll see. As it comes together I'm considering this for part of my 7 year old niece's birthday present. I think she'd like it. It's a bit small for an adult sized bag. It will surely be a one of a kind as I'm not following a pattern.
Now to clean up my mess & hopefully get to work on the bag a little more later today.

Buttons, Buttons Everywhere!

Thanks to an idea from Bridget http://bridgetbaxter.blogspot.com/, we now have our own Button System complete with jars & lots of BUTTONS! I still have to make my lists & get them looking cute. I had a blast buying buttons. I got these beauties from Hobby Lobby. While I was there I also found some really cool fabric in the bargain bin & some awesome ribbon (30 yards!) - 16 different pieces (I actually got a bonus yard so it was 31 yards - yay!).

It's AMAZING how motivating this technique has been with my boys. . .especially Spencer who just could not wait to get the jars made. (And I need to add their letters to the jars yet too.) I couldn't get the holes in the lids so I improvised with cut plastic bags & rubberbands for now.

Spencer & Parker are constantly asking, "If I do this. . . does that mean I get more buttons?" For the LOVE, they think they get extra buttons for everything. . .but when they go above & beyond they get more - so that excites the living daylights out of them. Carter, well, he couldn't care less for the most part. . .but he join in anyway.

While I haven't gotten any scrapbooking done, I have done some sewing. Here is my latest endeavor. When finished, it should be a patchwork, raggy edged purse. I do hope it turns out. I plan to try a zipper for the first time too. I know, ambitious. It is once again Winter here in Wisconsin. After one week of Spring, we skipped summer & fall completely & just dove right back into Winter.

So wish me luck with this adventure. I'm not using a pattern so I hope it turns out. I have ideas in this crazy head of mine:) don't you just love the flower & the button? I've been wanting to use that big old flower on something for a long time.

Inspired to Scrap!

I need to get back to my scrapping! My supplies & pictures are just sitting there (many in digital limbo) awaiting my clever hands & mind. Of course, I have a curious & ambitious 2 year old who would love to "help" me create. And I have my lack of motivation lately. . .I think I need to knock that lazy self right off her butt!

I'm reading Body by God right now. . .well, not right this second as I'm typing. But you get the point. . . I will let you know what I think. So far, I've read that there is a difference between inspiration & motivation. I need inspiration first & then will come the motivation. So my inspiration is my kids & wanting to tell our story. Gotta work on the motivation & light that proverbial fire under my butt.

I believe that I need to clear the clutter first! I'm always inspired/motivated when I see those fancy, awesome, cool scrappy spaces like: http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1321279&f=n# & http://www.scrapjazz.com/guides/organization/ so maybe if I can just get organized. . . . HA! How many times have I mentioned THAT??? It is true, clutter in the environment indicates clutter in the mind. . . and less productivity. Of course, I cannot life heavy objects today (excuses, excuses) as I wrenched my back (seriously, I have already gone to the chiropractor today & have another visit Wednesday morning). So, I will do what I can to get the other things done so I can get my crap together this week!

OK, enough whining. . .I must to check on the 2 year old. He is eating his "wunch" right now. I should eat too. . .but my appetite is not so good. (perk to the injury? doubt it! The cookie I ate not too long ago was NOT a good choice!) I will Clear My Clutter!!!! And I'll take before & after pics to prove my journey!

Plastic Packaging!!!!

Plastic packaging. . .you know the type. . . with the heat sealed edges??? Not the SOFT packaging, the hard, cannot rip open type. . . it's royally pissing me off lately. I've incurred multiple cuts to my hands & fingers as a result of trying to open these crazies. I can't take it anymore. I might start a petition. . HA! Or maybe I should sue for physical harm & emotional distress. I mean, really. . . how much protection do these things need? Why not just put a lock & key on them or inbed an ink torpedo in them for anti shoplifting protection?

I digress. . . anyway. I opened the Tag-a-long that I thought was such a screamin' deal from Shopko the other day. I really don't see myself using this much - probably as much as the Quickutz that I have. . . which is just about never. It's all good in theory. . but when you have to cut your paper to that small of a width & mess around with all of the parts. . plus you have to purchase different dies to put through it. I just don't see myself using it. I might have to sell it. I should sell my Quickutz too.

Happy Easter. I need to get to bed. I work Monday & Tuesday. . .so I'll get back here soon.

Today

I'm regretting the GS incident last night. Getting out of bed this morning was NOT an easy task. Now whether that is from the aches in my body from the great Wii workout on Monday or the cookies taking their toll. . .I'm not sure. But either way, it's workout day again! I'm being sidelined slightly by my almost 6 year old, Parker, who is home today not feeling so great. I think he may need a little Mom time more than he's ill. . .but that's OK. Right now he & Carter (2) are watching a Pokemon movie in the living room. That's where the Wii is. . .so I need to occupy myself with other "important" duties like blogging.

I also have to fill out my NWTC application online today. I've kind of been hired already to sub for clinicals in OB - just need to officially apply now. Tee hee. Love the backwardness of it all. I'm excited to do this. Scott is excited because he really wants me to get out of the 12 hour shift work & into teaching somewhere with State benefits. What a dreamer! I'd need to get working on my Master's degree. . . not sure I'm ready for that yet. I love being a labor & delivery nurse. And as long as I get my body back in shape I should be able to perform my duties for quite a while yet. Wouldn't want to get too soft!

Maybe I'll get to work on some of my creations today! I have so many pieces of fabric either in jeans/corduroy form or pieces I've collected. . . they need some sewing action! I also need to alter a couple of tops so that I don't need to keep yanking on them to keep my bra from showing! Oh the joys! Maybe I just need bigger boobs! Ha!

STEP AWAY FROM THE GIRLSCOUT COOKIES!!!

I was doing so well!!!! And then I had to open the freezer. . . . Girlscout Cookies!!!! And not just ANY Girlscout Cookies. . . . Thin Mints!! And they're frozen!!!! Isn't that the only way these should ever be consumed? Holy Hell, there goes my "good eating." I've already devoured half a row & I see no end in sight. I'm trying to fend them off. . .but my defenses are low & my hand just keeps reaching over for another & another & another. OMG! I am going to die!
And so I start my little techniques to try to consume less. I take a small bite off the edge of one & set it down. . .take another small bite & put it down. . . WHO AM I TRYING TO KID, PEOPLE???? This is a full blown, highly vicious, cunningly calculated conspiracy. How can I compete with such dastardly design??? (By the way, I have no idea if dastardly actually fits there. . .just sounded good with the "d" sounds.) Oh crap, another thin mint is in my mouth! I'm so WEAK!!!! Somebody save me!!! All of the Wii boxing in the world isn't going to counteract this tomorrow.

And I happened to see a box of those coconut & chocolate cookies. . .I always forget the name now that they've changed it. I think they were Samoas at one time or another. Why did they change it? I don't get it. Again, it's another conspiracy I'm sure of it. But whatever the heck they're called, I'm thinking I might have to try one. . .or two. . Hell, I may as well just eat them all in one sitting. It would be saving the kids from eating them & me from the aftermath of them eating them. . .which is pure agony in & of itself. They go nuts. So if I eat them all right now I might be able to fall asleep fast from the sugar low that follows the probable sugar high (thus leading to a catastrophic collection of fat on my lower regions.. . wish it would collect in the breast tissue only. . .but that isn't my situation!)

It's 10 PM. . .WHAT THE HECK!? Of course the coffee I drank at 4 PM is still working. How is it that at 7 AM I can drink all the coffee in the world & still feel tired? (Nevermind the incessant shaking & heart palpitations & oh, the nonstop urination that occurs secondary to such actions.) But at 4 PM I can drink one blasted cup of diluted coffee & at 10 PM (when the 6 hour half life is OVER!) I still feel wide awake & perky? Of course, DH is able to fall asleep 5 minutes after drinking full strength, thick as molassas, Starbucks. Then again, don't most husbands fall asleep within 5 minutes of most things?? Tee hee, just kidding:) But then again, NOT!
Now to find those other cookies. . . there is still half a row left of the Thin Mints. . .I mean 1 and a half rows!

Yeah, still Samoas. But unless I want to work on breaking another tooth I should use caution with eating these babies frozen. (broken tooth? Yeah, broke a tooth on a frozen cookie at work when I was first working there. Duh, thaw it out first!)

Good! Only ate one of those. Now I had better get my butt ready for bed so I can take advantage of my insulin dump. I need to STEP AWAY FROM THE GIRLSCOUT COOKIES!!!!

Blue Corduroy

Here is my Blue Corduroy Creation. I didn't follow a pattern for this. I just winged it. The lining & belt are made from leftovers that I had from a skirt from last summer. The handles are made from a pant leg. I had some issues with the lining being too big so I had to adjust it. All of the pockets are usable & this comes in handy for keys & my cell phone. Where do you usually put your keys? The front right pocket! I have mine on a carabeener (sp?) so I hook them on the belt loop & put the keys in the pocket. Cell phone goes in the left front pocket & the back pockets I use if I have a coupon or what not that I don't want to go digging for later. Back pockets are also great places for business cards!

I would have liked to bling this up a bit. . .but didn't have anything on hand at the time. It's simple but sometimes that is a good thing. I think my next creation will be a more contrasting for the liner & belt. Let me know what you think:)

Been Busy but I Got Big Plans

I've been surfing through other blogs & see so many amazing artists in the sewing world out there. I still didn't take a pic of my newest bag. . .which isn't very new anymore. . .but I do get some compliments on it. I used light blue corduroys to make a bootie bag. . . and it is cute. I think I need to get adventurous though. I need to get flashy with the colors & the design. I have so much stuff & just need to USE IT! What am I waiting for?

I am going to use my stuff. . . and not wait for a "better project." I need to get my butt in gear & get doing what I have been putting off. I know, it's kind of late for New Year's Resolutions. . .but I don't really do those anyway. It's more like time to kick myself in the @$$ with just about everything. You can read about my weight loss efforts in my other blog: http://jenswellness.blogspot.com/

I will do my best to keep this updated. I will actually post my blog link so others can read it if they want to!!!!

Wish me luck!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Another year, another birthday. . .what to do today? I am kid free & work free today. . . What should I do? I could sew, scrapbook, shop. . . shop for sewing stuff. . . Hmmm, I think I shall ponder this while I shower to loud music & flat iron my hair. I should get a pic of my new hairdo on here. It's WAY different than my old do.

I was scoping other blogs last night. WOW, can I just say how impressed I am with the talent that is out there? The blogs alone are amazing let alone the work that is showcased on them. My goal is to get my blog to be as cool and worthy as those. I have a lot of learning to do. My journey begins. . .hmm, perhaps something for me to start today??? We'll see. Shopping sounds somewhat nice. Maybe I will ask my dear Mother to join me. We do want to get some purses made for craft fairs. . .

OK, wish me luck with my newly 33 year old self today! (Who am I kidding? Nobody reads this yet!)

This satchel was my 2nd bag ever. . . and it was challenging. I made it from Vogue pattern V8439. It's red quilted material with black faux suede lining. The handles & the snap were a challenge for me as well as the thickness of the material. I am learning so much!

Blue corduroy

Here is the bag I made using this pattern: http://www.tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/06/shoulder_bag_tu.html

I modified the way I did the handles because I needed to cut them out seperately anyway. I also added my creation - the cuff pocket - to the inside. I didn't use a closure - and I'm not sure if I should or not. . . let me know what you think!

New Hobby for me!

Like I need a new hobby, right? But this one ties into my scrappy hobby & is a very creative outlet. I've started to SEW! AND I'm ADDICTED!!! I think I have an addictive personality. I find myself daydreaming about ways to design purses, clothing, just about anything. . . I think I get my creativity from my Mother. . . she always has had a knack for the creative.



Here is the 3rd bag I've ever sewn. I really like this design but need to learn how to add zippers. . .

Other things I'm working on: scrub tops - I've actually designed my own pattern for this with inspiration from a top I currently own. I couldn't find a pattern for it so I just guessed & tweaked. I'm very pleased with my creations & will try to get some pics up in the future. I have a ton of corduroy pants from someone on freecycle & plan to use them for sewing. . . patchwork bags, regular bags, maybe a vest. . .we'll see!

Happy Sewing to you!

On a mission

I hesitate to put this in writing. . .but I've worked out 5 out of the last 6 days. I only did the 8 minute Tae Bo workout the first 4 times & today I did the 20 minute one. I am going to be sore later. . . but that is OK. I need to get back in the habit. Scott already said he can see more definition in my arms.

I am also working on not eating late at night. It's common for me to sit down & have a snack before bed. I am curbing this habit. It's not easy though.

We're off to a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend's husband this afternoon & we'll also watch the Packers' Playoff game there. I'm hoping it's not smokey as we will have the boys with us. If it is, we will probably leave right before half time. That way we can get back home without missing much of the 3rd quarter & well before the traffic jams up Hwy 41 South.

Go Pack GO!!!

Jen

Welcome Back to ME!

My last post was about a year ago. Wow! So much has happened. I won't begin to try to list everything that has changed for me & my family.
The highlights:

• settled into new home
• Scott is now the Director of a local college
• I cut down to 2 twelve hour shifts at the hospital
• picked up an educator position there part time
• Spencer started 1st grade
• Parker started kindergarten
• got a cleaning lady!
• started to sew after purchasing my own sewing machine
• Carter had surgery last January on his eye lump - no problems
• I had surgery end of August - no problems

I think that covers the big stuff. I will most likely change the focus of my blog to sewing type materials. I'm getting quite crafty here. Looking forward to sharing lots of ideas!

Jen