My niece Lindsay and her husband George had a baby boy yesterday, their first! He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz. I can't wait to hold him. He lives in Chicago so if he doesn't come here soon, we'll be on our way!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Really?
All week long, we've had inspectors at the hospital where I work. They're checking to make sure proper paperwork is in place and that we follow procedures for safety and that sort of thing. Its kind of like having company over for dinner, so you know the entire place is spotless and we're all on our best behavior. Man, is that hard! We all live in fear that the interviewer will pull us aside and start asking questions. I've worked in this hospital for 25 years and have managed to avoid this scenario. Until today. However, I was asked brief, meaningless questions before the inspector turned her attention to my co-workers. Whew!
So the surveyor starts looking around the department, heads into our playroom and looks at the only electrical plug that does not have a plug protector in place. The one thing we missed! Of course! That kind of made me mad though, because in the general scheme of things, a missing plug protector doesn't mean our patients aren't well taken care of. And I'm certainly not going to ignore a patient's needs while I go look for a plug protector. I guess I'm not detail oriented. And maybe I have a bad attitude. Im just glad we don't have to do this again for another 2 years.
Happy
About a month ago now, my daughter was very ill. She had gone away to college with what we now know was a kidney infection. Unfortunately, we didn't know that until it was almost too late. The poor thing went to class every day feeling just awful, and finally came home a week later. By the time she got in to see the doctor, she was in kidney failure and almost at the point of vascular collapse. I think if she had waited another day, she would have died. She spent several days in ICU, where I slept in a chair at her bedside, watching the constant display of her blood pressure and pulse. To say that I prayed constantly would be an understatement.
So the surveyor starts looking around the department, heads into our playroom and looks at the only electrical plug that does not have a plug protector in place. The one thing we missed! Of course! That kind of made me mad though, because in the general scheme of things, a missing plug protector doesn't mean our patients aren't well taken care of. And I'm certainly not going to ignore a patient's needs while I go look for a plug protector. I guess I'm not detail oriented. And maybe I have a bad attitude. Im just glad we don't have to do this again for another 2 years.
Happy
About a month ago now, my daughter was very ill. She had gone away to college with what we now know was a kidney infection. Unfortunately, we didn't know that until it was almost too late. The poor thing went to class every day feeling just awful, and finally came home a week later. By the time she got in to see the doctor, she was in kidney failure and almost at the point of vascular collapse. I think if she had waited another day, she would have died. She spent several days in ICU, where I slept in a chair at her bedside, watching the constant display of her blood pressure and pulse. To say that I prayed constantly would be an understatement.
Thankfully, she recovered and quickly got back to school. She had a really rough start and once back at college, was extremely homesick. What's making me happy is that she's doing very well now. She's healthy. She has her sense of humor back. And her beautiful face now has a smile. Jeremiah 29:11 has always been a favorite of mine. Its a comfort to me in times of trouble, and an inspiration to me when I look at my kids. Paraphrasing here, "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord. "Plans to give you hope, and a future." I'm so thankful for the prayers of so many friends, and so thankful that my daughter is once again back to her normal, wonderful self.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Here's what I've learned:
Now that gardening season is done, I'm writing down what I learned about having a big garden so in the future, I will learn from this year's mistakes.
Lesson #1: No one needs 50 tomato plants. Unless you're a farmer, or plan on making a living selling tomatoes, 50 tomato plants is just too many. I had planned on canning lots of different versions of tomato products but that just didn't happen. First of all, it was a bad year for tomatoes, and second, and probably more importantly, I just didn't have time to can much anyway.
Lesson #2: Planning is essential. I had a master plan for my big garden and did a pretty good job of following it, but got enticed by some plants that weren't in the plan. See Lesson #3.
Lesson #3: There is no point in growing eggplant if no one in the family likes it.
Lesson #4: Mulch is also essential. My idea of putting down newspaper an inch beneath the soil kept the weeds at bay...for about 2 weeks.
Lesson #5: Everything takes longer than you plan. And by this I mean that it took twice as long to plant, weed, prune, and harvest than I had scheduled. It also took twice as long, in some instances, for stuff to grow. Seed packets give you the number of days from planting to harvest, but I guess these are just general guidelines. Stuff just grows in its own good time.
Lesson #6: This is probably the most important thing I learned. You have to have time to devote to taking care of your garden. I was willing to overlook the fact that this garden is 20 minutes away, and thought it would be no big deal to run up there a couple of times a week to care for it. But then, lesson #5 was quickly learned, and there were very few days that I had enough time to devote to doing the garden justice. In the mean time, my own yard suffered because I just didn't have time to take care of it properly. Maybe some day, when I'm retired, I'll have a big garden again, but for now I'm going to stick with my tiny little garden and grow stuff in pots on my deck. I guess for now, I'll be a frequent flyer at the farmer's market!
Happy
The reason I started this silly blog in the first place was to keep myself accountable for 2 goals I had set for the new year. One was running a 5k, which I still haven't done, and the other was paying off a bill. Well, I paid that bill off last week and was thrilled for about 5 minutes. Then I realized that I still have other bills to pay (well...I didn't just realize that, but reality has a way of being a downer sometimes). And it only took me 6 months longer to do than I had planned. Sigh. But hey, I'm making progress!
Lesson #1: No one needs 50 tomato plants. Unless you're a farmer, or plan on making a living selling tomatoes, 50 tomato plants is just too many. I had planned on canning lots of different versions of tomato products but that just didn't happen. First of all, it was a bad year for tomatoes, and second, and probably more importantly, I just didn't have time to can much anyway.
The weather was hot and humid most of the summer, rather than just the one or two weeks we usually get. Good beach weather, but apparently bad for tomatoes. I really thought that I'd have enough tomatoes for the neighborhood but I got a relatively small harvest, considering that I had...say it with me...50 tomato plants.
Lesson #3: There is no point in growing eggplant if no one in the family likes it.
Lesson #4: Mulch is also essential. My idea of putting down newspaper an inch beneath the soil kept the weeds at bay...for about 2 weeks.
Lesson #5: Everything takes longer than you plan. And by this I mean that it took twice as long to plant, weed, prune, and harvest than I had scheduled. It also took twice as long, in some instances, for stuff to grow. Seed packets give you the number of days from planting to harvest, but I guess these are just general guidelines. Stuff just grows in its own good time.
Lesson #6: This is probably the most important thing I learned. You have to have time to devote to taking care of your garden. I was willing to overlook the fact that this garden is 20 minutes away, and thought it would be no big deal to run up there a couple of times a week to care for it. But then, lesson #5 was quickly learned, and there were very few days that I had enough time to devote to doing the garden justice. In the mean time, my own yard suffered because I just didn't have time to take care of it properly. Maybe some day, when I'm retired, I'll have a big garden again, but for now I'm going to stick with my tiny little garden and grow stuff in pots on my deck. I guess for now, I'll be a frequent flyer at the farmer's market!
I don't mean to sound like gardening was a negative experience! It was quite relaxing to go up to my garden and see the entire farm growing. People planted some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen, and a lot of people personalized their gardens making it fun to wander around. I also learned a lot by being up there and watching how people plant their stuff. Much of the time, I was the only person there and I enjoyed being outside listening to the birds. You can do a lot of thinking in a garden!
The reason I started this silly blog in the first place was to keep myself accountable for 2 goals I had set for the new year. One was running a 5k, which I still haven't done, and the other was paying off a bill. Well, I paid that bill off last week and was thrilled for about 5 minutes. Then I realized that I still have other bills to pay (well...I didn't just realize that, but reality has a way of being a downer sometimes). And it only took me 6 months longer to do than I had planned. Sigh. But hey, I'm making progress!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday Confessional
Not only has it been a long time since we had a confessional here, but its been a long time since I've been here at all. The last part of August turned out to be quite a busy time. Preparing a child to leave for college is rather time consuming. And then going to retrieve that child because she is sick consumes even more time. But then sitting with that child in the emergency room, the ICU and the medical floor for 5 days takes up even more time. Poor kid! I wouldn't have been anywhere else. She's recovering nicely, thank God! And the knowledge that many, many people were praying for her really comforted me - and helped her too!
So what to confess...what to confess... hmm... ... ...
This is not a shocker to those who know me. And I hope its not something that is exclusive to just me; but I can't seem to find my car in a parking lot. Ever. You could suggest that I use the panic button on my key fob, but that whole thing hasn't worked in a really long time. I've tried memorizing just where I park (section G, or whatever) but that doesn't seem to work either. So instead, I wander the parking lot, trying to act nonchalant about it. I don't want to appear uncool, you understand. I'm sure people can figure out that I'm lost anyway.
I've been known to get in the wrong car too. Which mortifies my kids. But really, people should keep their car doors locked!
Please tell me I'm not alone!
So what to confess...what to confess... hmm... ... ...
This is not a shocker to those who know me. And I hope its not something that is exclusive to just me; but I can't seem to find my car in a parking lot. Ever. You could suggest that I use the panic button on my key fob, but that whole thing hasn't worked in a really long time. I've tried memorizing just where I park (section G, or whatever) but that doesn't seem to work either. So instead, I wander the parking lot, trying to act nonchalant about it. I don't want to appear uncool, you understand. I'm sure people can figure out that I'm lost anyway.
I've been known to get in the wrong car too. Which mortifies my kids. But really, people should keep their car doors locked!
Please tell me I'm not alone!
You'll Thank Me
Allright my friends, I'm gonna say three words that are going to make your life complete:
Green Goddess Dressing
Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but seriously, Green Goddess Dressing is my new favorite food product.
My 17 year old daughter told me about GGD (I'm too lazy to keep typing it out) a few months ago when I was going to make taco salad for dinner. She insisted that the salad had to be made with Doritos, but that it also had to have GGD. "Trust me", she said. So I went to the store and bought a bottle of GGD and a bag of Doritos, and I'll be darned! That was the Best taco salad in the world! And I'm not being too dramatic here!
Yesterday at work, a security guard gave me a recipe for a seafood salad that contains...you guessed it, GGD. He said that without that dressing, the salad is nothing. He's tried substituting ranch or other various creamy-type dressings but that the GGD really makes it good. Thus began a discussion about GGD. Just what is in GGD? Thank God for Google! It contains tarragon and chervil which we think makes it green.
A lot of stores don't carry GGD anymore because, while it was popular in the late 70's, not too many people use it anymore. Kraft still makes it but I'm a little nervous that they'll stop. So before it disappears completely, go buy some!
Green Goddess Dressing
Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but seriously, Green Goddess Dressing is my new favorite food product.
My 17 year old daughter told me about GGD (I'm too lazy to keep typing it out) a few months ago when I was going to make taco salad for dinner. She insisted that the salad had to be made with Doritos, but that it also had to have GGD. "Trust me", she said. So I went to the store and bought a bottle of GGD and a bag of Doritos, and I'll be darned! That was the Best taco salad in the world! And I'm not being too dramatic here!
Yesterday at work, a security guard gave me a recipe for a seafood salad that contains...you guessed it, GGD. He said that without that dressing, the salad is nothing. He's tried substituting ranch or other various creamy-type dressings but that the GGD really makes it good. Thus began a discussion about GGD. Just what is in GGD? Thank God for Google! It contains tarragon and chervil which we think makes it green.
A lot of stores don't carry GGD anymore because, while it was popular in the late 70's, not too many people use it anymore. Kraft still makes it but I'm a little nervous that they'll stop. So before it disappears completely, go buy some!
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