Work schmwork

I am so tired after working 2 shifts this weekend. Probably has to do with the fact that I haven't worked much for about 5 weeks. You really get out of the groove. Thankfully on my first shift back, my LPN who would normally work with me on my team called in sick and was replaced by my favorite RN. We had a smashing time together caring for the sick and injured. Only 2 hand injuries, so men please be careful with your table saws and grinders, especially if you're over 50- that is our biggest client for that type of thing- sewing your fingers back on. Thankfully for those 2, it was their non-dominant hands on both accounts.

Just Hanging Out

Hello Blog!

There isn't much to say today. There are officially 2 weeks left of summer today. The kids are starting to get a little bored, so I am planning some outings this week. We've been doing lots of hanging out at home just relaxing, watching the Olympics, reading, and putzing around. I can't believe how fast the summer went. I feel like next summer might look a lot different with a full on teenager having more things to do than be with us, so am enjoying just being together and relaxing. Buying new underwear, going for ice cream and slurpees, all the essentials. But also friends are away and it feels a little lonely. Fall brings good routine and busyness. So it's all bittersweet. Remember when you were like 19 or 20 and summer was just full, felt so long, rich with friends and late nights and work of course, summer romance- oh wait that never really happened to me. OK maybe it did but I'm not telling. I need some more purposeful busyness this fall, so I am praying, looking for something to invest in.

Funny photos from summer:

Ditto and Misha (Marcia's dog)- she's looking suspiciously at him out of the corner of her eye, not quite trusting the young and crazy boy.


Smiling Misha

Ditto moving in for the kiss- she's old enough to be your mother!

That's better

Disappointment

There are a lot of philosophies out there these days that encourage you to look to your power within, your own strength, to dream the best for your life and go out and accomplish it. They tout that you are the creator of your own destiny and that you can make whatever you want happen in your life a reality. Take hold of life and be all you can be!! While I believe in that last part I think the rest is a load of crap! How does that help us deal with everyday life? Life that sometime throws us things that we have absolutely no control over. Life that is in many moments not all we dreamed it would be, life that in the late nights is boring, lonely and not quite full of all the moments, people and experiences we imagined. How does this world philosophy help us deal with disappointment?

Lately I've been on the giving end of listening to a few who are in the disappointment of life. It doesn't make sense, it is hard, it is requires the most patience they've ever had to give, and it isn't what they had planned or hoped for their lives, but nothing they can do can change it. So where do you go from here? How do you have victory in these circumstances? I've thought of this a lot, OK a bit, over the last few days.... I just want to fix it, make it better, and make it go away. But I know that this is how character is built and that is the best result. Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest". His idea and life philosophy seems to make the most sense of all. We are all broken people with some things that need to get fixed. We have lots of disappointments and He wants to worry about them with us. He's the one putting us together into the glory of what He created each one of us to be. Jesus is the one that fills all the empty, disappointing holes in life. And then we can see each other as works in progress and live with more grace and more love for each other. I'm glad someone knows what's going on!

Tooth Fairy

I have the sweetest boy! You know sometimes you just wonder if your kids are going to turn out or if you're totally messing them up. I hope that they don't turn out in the least like myself. And sometimes you just are amazed at their sensitivity and kindness. Well this is one of those moments. My boy had his friend sleep over last night and just before bed, the friend's tooth fell out. My boy found a Ziplok to put it in so he could take it home to the tooth fairy. I told him he should just put it under his pillow tonight thinking that I'd put a little surprise in there until he told me that for his last tooth he got 5 bucks! Being the wonderful mother I am, I completely forgot!
This morning as I'm in there helping them move the mattress out of his room so they have more play space, he looks under the pillow and is so excited to find 50 cents! How sweet is that?

Blueberry Obsession

Kevin has a new little obsession he shared with me last night.
Pour a little bit of whip cream- unwhipped, straight out of the carton into a bowl. Add a little bit of milk so it's not quite so thick, I think this also decreases the calorie count for those of us who care.

Then add blueberries.... Enjoy....

The berries somehow just burst with flavour when you do this--- Amazing! I have read quite a bit on the anti-cancer properties of blueberries so fill right up!!! I'm sure the whip cream is good for that too.

Tara Love

This is why people hire interior designers.... except I didn't hire her, she's just so great!
I would never come up with these things on my own....

Tara's ideas: What do you think?
Behind door #1 - photo wall (you certainly have no lack of material) with square, black frames and lots of white matte. If you didn't need the sewing machine there, you could make it floor to ceiling. I recommend the 20.5 x 20.5 Ikea Ribba frame. It would really pop if you had a darker color on this wall - something in the same tones but a more dramatic shade. Would look very cool in all B&W photos - even cooler with some gallery lighting directed at the wall.

Behind door#2 - a photo rail. My Dad made one for my Mom out of mdf moldings. I recommend painting it the same color as the wall so that it becomes part of the wall. The advantage of this is that you lean the frames against the wall and there are no nail holes if you swap out the art. I personally like the layered-photo-look but you could space them evenly. Same story on the wall color.

Empty Canvas

I need to give some "Tara love" to this wall! Help me! One of the problems is the small furniture piece below, but if there's too much on the wall it looks top heavy. I finally bought a new piece of furniture to house the tres messy corner of ancient, but still good sounding stereo equipment and other paraphrenilia, and that took 3 years. I don't think more furniture purchases are in the near future and there's not a lot of space there, but I don't like what I had, it has been moved...

The new "side server" made into stereo cabinet--- very clean area compared to how it was! That pic. is going on the wall above. Sorry no "before" photo...

Get on it girls, give me some advice....