Happy Halloween

Yesterday Henry enjoyed the pumpkins as usual, but kitty Astrid slept most of the day:P We worked all day to finish the mowing/raking for the houses, and the weather cooperated with 60 degrees and little wind. Last evening we grilled out when everything was done. Elle was tired after a busy rehearsal day, and a birthday celebration for Trevor. We made a batch of brownies with white chocolate, and they were enjoyed by all. Today is much quieter, after the usual round of choirs and masses. Packer game time at noon, which allows time for a long walk before trick or treating. Another beautiful weather day in store.

Interesting!

Fond du Lac is among four Wisconsin cities listed as the nation’s 15 best small cities to raise a family. Forbes Magazine rates Fond du Lac 14th on the list. Fond du Lac city manager, Tom Herre, says he's not surprised. "I don't think anybody that lives here should be surprised...but sometimes we underplay what a good deal we got living in Fond du Lac," Herre said. Forbes examined 126 cities with less than 100,000 residents and rated them on their average incomes, cost of living, educational opportunities, commuting times and home ownership rates. City Council President, Rick Gudex says he believes Fond du Lac’s greatest strength is the people who live here. "I think that's good news for Fond du Lac. We've certainly been trying to maintain an image of being a friendly place to live, a safe place to live, a place where you can raise your family, earn a living, and our school systems are good," Gudex said. The other three cities to make the list are Manitowoc…ranked 2nd, Marshfield at 5th on the list and Stevens Point 6th. The top rated small city is Dubuque, Iowa.

How cool is this? I was born and raised in Manitowoc, and lived the last half of my life here in Fondy!

Goodbye to puppies:)

Lance and Sollie left this morning. Thanks to Eva for walking them...my foot is still not 100%. It was nice having dogs in the house again. Steven has been gone for a year, and Mctavish died more that 2 years ago. Elle is enjoying a day off with NOTHING scheduled. Wow...it's been a long time since we could say that. She and some friends went to Jon's house, another cast member, to make omelettes. She took some homemade blueberry muffins along. Tomorrow is another school day off, but the 'Birdie' cast is pulling an all day rehearsal. When the girls were little, we always spent this 4 day weekend camping. I miss that, but with eveyone's schedule so hectic, we just can't all get away. Eva has class from noon until late, and Paul has a booking tonight at the Holiday Inn after his regular Holy Family work. Long day for him. The group home called and wanted some PM and overnight hours filled, but I said no. It's too hard with my injured foot. I only take reasonable hours now to fit my schedule. No more 60 hours. Makes life a lot easier.

Bright spot:)

Definitely the bright spot today is that I'm dog sitting overnight for 2 great little dogs:) They are really sweet and very social. They loved Paul's students, and the schnauzer really likes to play. The rest of the day was not good:( I've been trying to walk home from the high school every afternoon for a little extra exercise. The wind was SO fierce, that it was more like swimming than walking. The normal walk takes 40 minutes...today it took 65. Then I sprained my ankle walking into an unseen hole in the soccer field:O It was the foot that I injured last week, so it was insult to injury. My cell phone died so I couldn't call anyone, so I hobbled home. Ugh. Thank goodness I had my furry friends waiting at home. The hot tub sure looks good tonight!

11 months old today:)

Thanks to Elise and James for the nice pictures from a recent trip to the corn maze and pumpkin patch near Nashville. Lots to do today, mostly for Paul who is busy with work, teaching, and choir rehearsals until late, finishing up with the Springs concert. Elle also has a marathon day which doesn't end until 9:30 pm following the regular school day, rehearsal, choreography and dance. Eva has a regular school day, but things are getting super busy for Mike who has his senior recital in 2 weeks. We all know what that's like getting prepared for such a big event. Best of luck to Mike. I have several hours of work also, followed by a trip to the library to purchase books in Aunt Jeanette's honor. She was such an avid reader, we thought that would be a nice gift. Switching gears a bit, I want to thank all those who've ordered from our recent Pampered Chef party. We 'earned' several practical kitchen gifts which will be donated to a local shelter. Also a big THANK YOU to my co-worker Kristin for her generosity in the loan of various baby items during the weeks Belle was here. The baby grows so fast, it's hard to keep up with buying things, and Kristin is just great with sharing:)

Not much color anymore:(

Elle opted for a nap this afternoon, so I hiked about 6 miles along the Mascoutin alone. Most of the folks I passed had blaze orange on, so I better drag mine out for the season...you can never be too careful. Just Marian mass now, and relaxation with the game and our chili con carne:)

Henry's pumpkin:)

Henry is very fond of pumpkin seeds, so every year we buy a pumpkin just for him. As you can see from the video, he enjoyed it. Today after choir practice and church, we plan a short hike. The weather is still crummy, and Elle has choreography and play practice which makes for a long day. Eva and friends went out for brunch. Paul has an afternoon booking, followed by another mass at Marian, so he will probably want to relax and watch the Packer game this evening. Chili on the menu for tonight:P

Another busy Saturday

As Paul and Eva have yet another Marian booking, for the installation of the new president, Elle and I have a few errands. We're replacing a tire on the van. We've replaced the other 3, but we had to wait for this one because it wasn't in stock:( Then Elle has bell practice and a brief musical rehearsal. The house needs a thorough cleaning, so I guess that leaves me with the job. We have a few more pumpkins to carve, thanks to Eva and Mike, who picked them out at the Little Farmer. Today's pics include Eva and friend Stacy in Halloween garb, and Elise's friend's daughter Amaya, who visits when Elise and Belle are in Fondy.

Aunt Jeanette's obituary posted here...

Jeanette Marie Babler, 89, of Waupun, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at the St. Francis Home in Fond du Lac where she recently took up residency.

Jeanette was born on July 31, 1921, in Bemidji, Minn., the daughter of Joseph and Eva DeForge Rochon.
In 1925, the family moved to Two Rivers, Wis., where Jeanette attended St. Luke's Catholic Grade School and later graduated from Washington High School in 1939.
Jeanette worked various jobs until World War II began, at which time she was employed with the U.S. Navy Civil Service in Manitowoc during the duration of the war.
On May 17, 1947, she married Edmond J. Babler at St. Luke's Catholic Church in Two Rivers. Ed had served with the Marines during the war and was held as a prisoner of war for three and one half years in the Philippines and Japan.
In 1947, the couple moved to Waupun where they resided for the remainder of their lives.
Jeanette was a kind and gentle person whose daily prayers were, "let no one be hungry, cold or homeless." She contributed to the Waupun Food Pantry and the Rescue Mission in Milwaukee. Jeanette was very patriotic and provided American Flags to St. Joseph's Catholic Church, her family, and to others who could not afford a flag. She enjoyed reading, puzzles and working at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and School in Waupun. She was a life auxiliary member of Disabled American Veterans, and Welling Washbush, Chapter 11, in Fond du Lac, where she served the Office of Commander for four years. She was also a life member of the American Ex-Prisoners of War and an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waupun.
Jeanette is survived by two sons, Joe (Betty) Babler of Lamartine and John (Deborah) Babler of Palm Harbor, Fla.; three grandchildren, Tim (Stephanie) Babler of Lamartine, Christine Baierl of Waupun and Matt (Stacy) Babler of North Fond du Lac; four great-grandchildren, Alyssa, Lucas, Brianna and Jacob; two sisters-in-law; and nieces, nephews and many dear friends.
Jeanette was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ed Babler; a grandson, Mark Babler; three brothers; and a sister.

•Services: Funeral services for Jeanette Babler will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waupun with Father Michael Sturm celebrating.
Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Waupun.

•Visitation: Friends and relatives may call on the family on Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home in Waupun where a wake service will be held at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service at the church.
Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home of Waupun and staff are serving the family. Online condolences can be directed to werner.harmsen@sbcglobal.net.

:(

Sadly, we lost another Aunt yesterday, the last sibling in my Dad's family. Aunt Jeanette passed Thursday morning. It was a blessing she was living so close to us the last few months of her life. We were happy to have spent many visits filled with old stories and photos. She was just the greatest! She'll be buried on Tuesday in Waupun.
(Photos of Jeanette in blog entry September 30, 2009, and more recently August 24, 2010)

high school today

We're meeting today at the high school to discuss Elle's college plans. Yikes! I don't think I'm ready for that yet. But considering how long apps for scholarships and admissions take, it makes sense. After that I'm meeting a friend for lunch. Around the house, it's still too windy to rake leaves, so I think I'll reorganize the garages, so we can actually get all the vehicles in them this winter. That's such a chore...I guess like most people we have too much stuff. I sold Belle's first car seat today. It only holds up to 22 pounds, and she is heavier than that. We have a neighbor who is having another grandchild in December, and it's always nice to have a car seat for each car so you're not moving them all the time. It works out for both of us. The larger one we bought will fit her until she's in school...don't want to think about that either:) It's amazing how much nicer car seats are now than when we had kids. Other than that, a fairly quiet evening is planned. Elle's done at 6:30, which is early for her, so maybe I'll save my walk for later so she can join us. Eva and Paul have a late night playing at a Marian function. Tomorrow morning is Aunt Bert's funeral followed by a luncheon in the church hall. It will be nice to visit with my sister-in-law's family and the cousins. And hooray for those funeral hotdogs:P

So sorry...

Oops. I'm sorry to the locals who tuned in to KFIZ today. I goofed. The staff is interviewing the Bye Bye Birdie kids NEXT week, just before the week of the play. I didn't understand Elle correctly. Wednesday and Friday times are the same. Sorry about that folks.

Aliyah update...

I just noticed that I haven't posted info about Aliyah lately, so here's a much needed update. Aliyah will be 11 next month, and is doing well in the 5th. grade. So well, that we don't see her very much because of her many after-school activities. She is in the school band, and has taken up the saxophone (go Elle with your influence!) She is also a member of the volleyball team, which plays it's last game tonight. Minnie was fortunate to acquire a piano from work, (she just had to move it) and Liyah is also enjoying piano lessons. This is hard for me to imagine. Aliyah will always be a fragile little newborn, not quite 2 pounds, as when I first met her. Really folks, she was smaller than a hairbrush. I'm so happy that she's doing so well.

Elle and friends featured on KFIZ tomorrow and Friday:)

Locals can tune in tomorrow mid-morning (10-ish) for the 'morning show' on KFIZ 1450. Several of the cast of Bye Bye Birdie will be featured, and again on the 'breakfast club' on Friday, which is earlier at 8 or so. They will be discussing the upcoming musical, and doing a little dialogue as well. How fun!

Princess Leia!

Belle's Halloween costume is the cutest!

Elise, Elle and Eva with the legendary Eugene Rousseau!

His majesty!

this and that

The 'Avenue Jazz Radio' out of Appleton published a few nice pics of Saturday's concert, and thanks to Elle's friends for sharing photos from the recent Cardinal Singer's overnight camping trip. Looks like they had fun. Right now we're busy washing diapers and clothing for Elise and Belle's return trip to Nashville, and later having lunch with Eva. Lots to do before leaving for the airport at 3 PM.

Fun in Chilton with the cousins...

Beautiful afternoon!