August Pinterest Project | Plaid French Memo Board

I've been wanting to do this project for probably close to a year.  And I'm so happy it's done and I can now enjoy it! (Mine is on the right).

Below is the picture that inspired me on Pinterest.  I was disappointed that it was simply just a photo on a designer blog. But thankfully there were plenty of french memo board DIY tutorials on Pinterest. I located this tutorial on Bennyville Blog that does a good job walking through the details.

I had been looking for fabric for this project for quite some time. Perhaps for over a year. Last week I finally found some fabric on Etsy that I liked. Paid more than I would have liked, but no regrets. And thankfully I have a fair amount of leftover fabric to employ for future projects. Yay!  ;)   If I could've found a similar red/black/white plaid somewhere, I certainly would have gone for that. But like I said, it took me quite a while to find fabric that I would be happy with. The photo really doesn't do the fabric justice. It's a really dark navy (almost black looking) with dark green, white and a small bit of yellow. I had thought about doing yellow ribbon but felt that it would've stood out and overpowered the board. So I went with white, which is, of course, one of the predominant colors. Also, I cut the fabric so that the plaid would lay diagonal on the board. It was challenging because the pattern is not square but more rectangle. But I was able to easily manipulate the ribbons to form squares/diamonds, so the rectangle issue is not all that noticeable.

Supplies
12" x 36" back-stapled traditional canvas by Artist's Loft (Michael's).
Basic quilt batting (I purchased by the yard- enough to wrap around the back edge of canvas).
3/8" grosgrain ribbon -- 10 yards was plenty for me (used maybe 8?)
Fabric (enough to wrap around back of edge of canvas on all 4 sides)
Staple gun, staples

I'm not going to go through my project step-by-step as the tutorial is linked above and the directions are very adequate. Certainly since my board is oblong, I did have to spend some time figuring out how I wanted to run the ribbons. I used straight pins to anchor the ribbons on the edge of the board where I wanted them (my ribbons are about 4.5 inches (mid-ribbon) apart. At the point I felt that everything was properly laid out, I stapled the ribbons to the back of the frame so that no staples would be visible. And I certainly feel that her instructions of criss-crossing the ribbons certainly helps to keep the items on the board without needing buttons or pins at the ribbon intersections.

I still have to add hardware for hanging. Currently it is just resting/sitting on my thermostat!!!

Pros:  It's a pretty simple project if you use the pre-made canvas! Very customizable in terms of colors/patterns, ribbons, board shape, etc...
Cons: None!  I love it!  Might choose to make another one!

July Pinterest Project | DIY fly paper

I had a fly living in my apartment for two weeks. Every day I hoped I find him dead on a window sill. So one day I looked on Pinterest to see if I could find any fly capturing solutions that didn't require a fly swatter. I found instructions for making your own fly paper using brown paper bag, twine, honey, sugar and water.

So you basically heat up the honey, water and sugar until liquidy (but not burning) and then dip the brown paper bag into the honey mixture and then hang up to dry. I chose to recyle a brown paper bag from Chipotle (you know, the ones that look like gift bags) and cut out the center of the bag front keeping the handles intact. That way I didn't have create a means by which to hang the paper. It was very easy to make the honey mixture, melt it and apply it. Most frustrating party was that it was ridiculously very slow to dry... hours and hours! BUT it IS really sticky.  Unfortunately my fly was not at all interested in my fly paper.

Pros: Easy to make!
Cons: Didn't work. Waste of time and resources. I ended up throwing my DIY fly paper out after 2 days (and deleted my pictures off my camera)!!

I ended up accidentally "catching" the fly in an empty plastic 2 liter lemonade bottle that I had saved, hoping to use for a future Pinterest project. oops!

June Pinterest Project | Set-in Oil Stain Removal

Okay, so my June project wasn't of the creative variety, but it did require hope that all would work out in the end!

So it being June now, I decided it was time to make the final clothing swap in the closet. Out with the sweaters and in with the capris! It was long-overdue, but life has been a bit crazy with the change of jobs. Nowadays I rarely wear anything other than scrubs during the weekdays (except PJ's). Thankfully the new job outside of the hospital means that my scrubs don't feel gross after working all day. So I rarely change clothes after work. Yay for less laundry!

Anywhoo, I'm getting off track.

All that to say... I've been slow to pull out my summer clothes. And to my horror, I discovered a favorite t-shirt and a favorite blouse BOTH had an unmissable oil stain on the front. The blouse was one that had been packed away since last fall! So, as I have grown accustomed to doing, I checked Pinterest and found a method to try. Honestly, I was doubtful, but I had a enough hope to give it a try. And boy, am I glad I did!

I had totally planned to take before and after photos and document my success (or failure) here, but in my excitement, I completely forgot! So you'll just have to trust me!

Follow the link above for the detailed instructions. But the gist is that you use WD-40, baking soda, a toothbrush, and Dawn dish soap, in various steps, to remove the set-in stain. I followed her steps exactly and it worked!

There was a time when I wasn't sure I wasn't doing it correctly (baking soda being rubbed into WD-40/oil stain), but apparently I was doing it right. It was just hard to tell amid the dust of baking soda all over my blouse. 

I will say that I used name-brands of everything except the baking soda.  WD-40 with a straw device. Check.  Dawn dish soap (blue). Check. A box of baking soda and a used toothbrush. That's it!

I'm so happy to have rescued two of my favorite tops!  Definitely worth a try on stubborn oil stains--even if you've already washed/dried the item multiple times.

Another win for Pinterest!

2014 Goals | An Update

The last two months have been about change. I bought a car, turned 40, and have recently just changed jobs. The good news is that I no longer work night shift. I am about two weeks into my new job at a cardiology clinic. No nights, no weekends, and no holidays! I do work 5 days a week which is an adjustment, but overall I expect my quality of life to improve (especially socially, physically, & emotionally).

I had hoped to do an quarterly update about how I'm doing with my 2014 goals, but alas, here it is early June...so this will have to do for a six month update.

So how am I doing with my goals?

1. No fast food (alone) -- I've been 99% faithful. I snuck and got a Shamrock Shake twice during March... but I see that more as enjoying a rare dessert that just happens to come from a fast food place.
2. No soda -- Been tempted, but 100% faithful.
3. Trade Smart University Classes -- I started but didn't get very far. My goal is to restart classes in late July once I'm feeling more comfortable in my new job.
4. Save $15K -- Well, this goal was to help facilitate the purchase of a "new" car. With rumors that my nephew would need a car this summer, I got busy and found one in April. I borrowed $$ from my parents to be able to pay cash. I bought a 2011 Honda Civic and I love it!  I am still paying insurance on my old car. Not sure when the hand off will take place. For the time being its parked at my parent's house. I'm hoping to pay off my parents in August.
5. Read through the Bible in a year -- 80% faithful. I did really well until early May when my birthday, a bunch of night shifts lined up tight, I went on a trip to NYC and then came back and changed jobs two weeks later... I am behind right now about 17 days. My hope is to play catch up over the next week. 
6. Increase MJH contribution % -- Never got around to it...new job!
7. Host Pinterest Potluck x2 -- Still on my to-do list. Thinking this is another good plan for the summer.
8. Camping Trip -- Still on my to-do list.
9. Birthday Party/Celebration -- I had a small party at a local Indian restaurant. Due to a variety of circumstances, I decided to forgo something larger. My hope is to organize/host a scavenger hunt (and camping trip) later in the summer to extend the celebration of my 40th.
10. Decrease TV/movie watching -- bleh. no progress.
11. Explore Changing Churches -- I think it was February when I joined a small group...so for now I'm planning to stay connected to my Church Family--the one I've been with since 1997.
12. Dating -- Still single. ha!  Not going to share a whole lot here, but I'll say that I ended up rejoining one of the sites I had given up. Not sure why as I rarely go on, rarely browse. Same for the other site. Dating and getting psyched up about dating while working night shift was hard. Now that I have my evenings "free" I'm hoping more opportunities come my way. But at 40, there are fewer and fewer single people. But I still believe there are some good ones left.
13. Journal Entry +1/week -- 85% faithful. Some weeks more than one entry. Other weeks none. When I'm busy, this is what falls by the wayside.
14. Bible Reading Daily -- See above. This is probably what I'm most disappointed about. But I won't give up!
15. Gym 2x/week and Walk 2x/week -- I estimate 65-75% faithfulness.  During colder months I was pretty consistent. But I've gotten a little slack since early May. But now with new job and evenings free, I have NO EXCUSE! I've been thinking that I'd like to incorporate strength training, so I've been thinking that perhaps I'd go to alternating cardio and strength days with my weekends off. Not sure yet.
16. Pinterest Project/month-- I missed my February deadline, but did two projects in March. So I'm at 100%.
17. Pinterest Recipe/month -- 100% faithful. This has been surprisingly easy to do! In April and May I've done TWO new recipes a month.
18. Lose 3-4 lbs/month -- No real progress here. Need a kick in the pants and maybe a gym or running partner!

Well that's it. Overall positive progress. Definitely on a good trajectory. Still time to make positive changes or progress.

MARCH: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Éclair Dessert

So in 2014, I decided to make one Pinterest Recipe per month. This month I am making Chocolate-Peanut Butter Éclair Dessert. What's different this time is that rather than finding the recipe on Pinterest first, I am adding it to Pinterest!  

One of my fellow nurses brought this in to work during Nurse's Appreciation Week last year. It was unbelievably good! You can't go wrong with PB and chocolate! I begged her for the recipe since I was unable to find one on Pinterest that I thought was close.

This is my first time making it. I am taking it to my small group Bible study tomorrow night because I'm afraid I'd eat it all myself.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ÉCLAIR DESSERT

Cool Whip forgotten in the photo.

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Graham Crackers (you'll use most of a box)

1 large box Vanilla Pudding (5.1 oz) prepared (with milk)

1 container Chocolate Frosting

½ cup Peanut Butter (add more for more flavor)

1 container original Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS:

1. In food processor or mixer, mix together pudding (already prepared), cool whip and peanut butter.
2. Place one layer of graham crackers on bottom and sides of 9x13 in baking dish.
3. Pour 1/3 of the pudding-PB mix over crackers and spread evenly.
4. Repeat layering of graham crackers and pudding mix with last layer being graham crackers (I had total 4 layers of graham crackers and 3 layers pudding mix).
5. Heat icing container up in microwave for a few seconds until it is melted and pour over graham crackers. I did 15 sec x 3 times being careful not to burn it. I was able to pour directly out of the container over the crackers smoothing with a spatula.
6. Place in fridge and allow to cool. Tends to taste better after several hours of chilling so that graham crackers have time to get soft.

2014 Goals

Hard to believe that we are almost half way through the first month of 2014. Yeesh-- that was fast!

This year I've created quite a list of goals to accomplish. Some are very specific, some not so much. I know the goals that are specific are much more likely to be accomplished than the not specific ones. For some goals, I simply didn't know what I wanted to accomplish, but felt a general need for a direction change or some resolution. I have my goals printed both at my bedside, but also on my bathroom mirror. This provides me with a semi-daily review. I'm hoping that those areas that have less than specific goals or direction, will at least be considered and not forgotten and perhaps as the year progresses, more specifics can be applied and perhaps they can be areas of focus for 2015.

I have goals that are general in nature or rather to be honored all year or to simply be accomplished at some point during 2014. Then I have monthly and weekly goals, some of which support my general or yearly goals. I have created a chart with goals broken down in to those three time frames. But I have also assigned categories and benefits to each goal (to remind me and help keep me motivated), along with thoughts for implementation. If you care to see specifics you can click on image below.

So here are my goals for this year. And because I'm posting them here, I'll have a record come the end of the year of what my goals were...and maybe making them public will help with accountability and motivation.

Interestingly, I have not included any employment, career or job goals.  Those too, are bumping around in my head and unspecific, but even if I had specific goals, I'm not sure it would be wise to post those publicly.

I'm going to go through each goal and make general comments.

1. No fast food (alone) -- This is mostly to cut calories, encourage healthier meals, force myself to cook more and to hopefully help me work on my savings goal. However, if getting together with friends means eating out...that's cool... just no eating out alone!
2. No soda -- I've done this before. I love soda, but I know the chemicals (diet) aren't good for me. Plus I'm hoping I will start drinking more water. My only exception here is if I get GI sick and need gingerale. But it's been YEARS since I've been nauseous.
   
3. Trade Smart University Classes -- These are classes about the stock market. My dad is a BIG fan of theirs and he's been encouraging me for the past couple years to be more intentional about my retirement. And because I know very little about investments and stock market stuff, he recommended I consider taking their classes. Periodically they offer their Level 1 course (8 online webinars) on a scholarship basis (for free). They started a new scholarship session on January 6 that is much more flexible (necessary for my ever-changing work schedule), so I jumped on it (still available as of today 1/14/14). They offered all three Levels of their Foundations of Stocks & Options for a discounted price (Buy 1, get 2 free) which I decided to do. I'll have lifetime access to video recordings of those courses AND will be able to access unlimited Live Webinars for one full year for the courses I've purchases!  I've completed 2/8 webinars and it's good stuff!
4. Save $15K -- This is very feasible, but will require diligence on my part! I am likely going to need to buy a new-to-me car in the next year or so. My 18-year-old Honda wagon runs reliably, but with 241K miles on it, it is definitely aging and I no longer drive out of state with it. I have mixed feelings about getting a new car. I don't want a car payment, so my goal is to pay cash, but that's a LOT of money to part with all at once! There are things about my car that drive me crazy which don't affect it's reliability or driveability (door locks, paint job, etc...) which I'd be glad to be done with, but it seems silly to get rid of a car that runs reliably. I've considered getting a paint job, but it would cost probably more than my care is worth! Haha!  I'm seriously considering giving it to my niece/nephew who will be driving in the next couple years. Not sure if I really want to insure two cars until then (if I buy a new one before then), and I'm not sure that my niece/nephew will be entirely happy about driving around a station wagon that needs a paint job. But really, WHO turns away a FREE car? Thankfully my current car situation does not require that I make any quick decisions. So for now, I'm just saving my money...
   
5. Read through the Bible in a year -- I've never read through the entire Bible before, and think it's time for me to do this. I've found The Daily Bible (NIV) in Kindle format which divides up the daily readings into dated selections--which is helpful in keeping on schedule. Plus I think reading the Bible in chronological order sounds really helpful. I've started reading the Kindle sample which goes from January 1-23. I wanted to make sure that I liked this format and would actually use it BEFORE I paid $9.99 for it. So far so good-- I'm enjoying it!
6. Increase MJH contribution % -- This refers to increasing my retirement contribution at work to the maximum so that I can benefit from employer matching contributions. Wish I had done this when I started. Better late than never, right?
   
7. Host Pinterest Potluck x2 -- I think it would be so much fun to invite friends to a potluck, where all the food brought/contributed has to come from each person's Pinterest food board! A great way to break out of making tried and true and favorite potluck dishes and also a change to taste test some new recipes! Thought is to create a Pinterest Board for each potluck where the guests post what they will be bringing!  Thoughts are to organize two this year. A spring/summer and a fall potluck. My 500 square foot apartment is not ideal for hosting, so I'm thinking maybe doing it a local park/picnic shelter.
8. Camping Trip -- I was given an old tent a few years ago which I haven't used yet. Maybe I might combine this with my...
9. Birthday Party/Celebration -- I'm turning 40 this year--which certainly needs to be celebrated so that I don't go all over-the-hill-depressed! My cousin is getting married the same weekend as my birthday, so unfortunately the party can't fall on my actual birthday. If I don't combine camping and my birthday together, I'm thinking it would be fun to do an adult scavenger hunt!
10. Decrease TV/movie watching -- This is one of the goals that I'm not very specific about. I rarely watch live TV anymore and mostly watch my favorite TV programs online. In reality I don't really know how much I'm watching and initially I just need to document the time that I currently spend watching TV/movies and then make a plan (kinda like counting calories so you know what you need to cut out). I usually watch 60-90 minutes of TV programs while I'm getting ready for work (that's three days a week). I'm considering whether I might just limit my TV watching to work days and put strict restrictions on my days off.
11. Explore Changing Churches -- Another very unspecific "goal". There's been a lot of change in the past few years at my church, some of which I think is good and some of which I don't particularly care for--but admittedly aren't wrong. Definitely a preference/style issue-- which I personal think is a wrong issue for considering a change. But considering my spiritual growth has lagged, I feel a change might do me good. A LOT of people have left my church over the past few years, likely related to these changes and it's made me sad that some long-time members and church officers have left. I love my church and it would be hard to leave, but honestly I've struggled since I left my staff position there in 2010. The tough part is that there's no particular church that I really want to visit or consider. And a frustrating aspect of visiting other churches in this community is that I will undoubtedly bump into former church members. While it's nice to bump into familiar faces, I generally find that often those folks will assume that I'm unhappy at X church and have decided to leave, which is not necessarily true. And these same former members are often eager to share their reasons for leaving and their unhappiness. I'm sorry, but I simply do not want to bond with you over reasons to leave X church. It's not always that way, but that's what I'm wary of. There is one particular church, that is very close to my apartment, where many folks have landed, which makes me curious...but the wariness of running into former church members definitely dampens that curiosity. Another aspect that I need to consider is that working two Saturday nights a month definitely makes it difficult to feel connected at church. Even joining a small group, which would help with the connectedness aspect, is tough with my ever changing work schedule. Certainly this is going to be bathed in prayer!
12. Dating -- This is probably the least specific goal. And I'm not really sure what I mean by it. Sure I'd like to be dating more, but my efforts in 2013 didn't really yield good results. Dated a guy for three months, who turned out to be a HUGE disappointment. Looking back, it's good that it didn't work out, as there were red flags that I was discovering. And if I'm honest, I didn't cry but a day after we broke up, mostly for the way he broke up and that he turned out to be a putz instead of the man he pretended to be. I was more upset over the end of the relationship, rather than upset at the actual loss of HIM. Telling. I think that every date I've had in the past few years has come from guys met on dating websites. At this point I'm so OVER online dating. Plan is to let my current subscriptions/memberships end (end of January and early February). I will still have one site that I've paid for through fall of 2014. Sigh. I would just like to meet a genuine Christian man who has never been married, who has no kids, and where there is a mutual attraction. It shouldn't be so hard!! Sigh.
13. Journal Entry +1/week -- This past year I wasn't very consistent in journaling. I think putting my feelings, thoughts and emotions on paper more consistently will be helpful.
14. Bible Reading Daily -- This is a smaller daily goal to help reach my annual goal of reading through Bible in a year (see above). Plus I just want to be in the Word on a more consistent basis.
15. Gym 2x/week and Walk 2x/week -- Basically, my goal is to exercise every day that I'm not working... for a minimum of 4 days/week. I need the sunshine, so right now I'm walking outdoors in 40 degree temps. If it's expected to be colder or rainy, I alter my schedule accordingly or I will resort to going to the gym. I'm not sure what I will do in the summer months when it's so unbearably hot/humid.
    
16. Pinterest Project/month -- Last year I was fairly successful as I completed a project 10 out of 12 months. I really enjoyed finding something creative to do, so decided to carry this over again this year. I'd also like to post each project here on my blog and possibly even go back and post the projects from last year.
17. Pinterest Recipe/month -- Since I'm not going to be eating out as much this year, I will need to find some new recipes to keep things interesting!  Plus I have a Pinterest board full of recipes that I've pinned that I have yet to try!  Excited to have some new favorites at the end of the year. I might just have to break down and buy the Crockpot I've been eyeing. I also have an unlisted goal of using up the canned and packaged foods in my cupboard that have been there for over a year. Tonight I made my January dish -- Quinoa and Black Beans -- and it was very good!  I haven't decided if I will attempt to post these here on my blog or not. If so, my food photography skills will need some work.
18. Lose 3-4 lbs/month -- This is safe weight loss and feasible! With increased exercise efforts and eliminated fast food, the weight might come off even faster. But I'm definitely going to need to make a concerted effort to limit portion sizes, snacks and keep things healthy (yay for new recipes!).

So that's my list of goals for this year. Most are feasible and realistic and hopefully the less specific "goals" will see some progress or at least get further thought. Maybe I will do a monthly or quarterly "Where Am I At?" report for all my goals. I tend to be an all or nothing kinda gal and if I get behind, it's hard for me to jump back in again when I've lost momentum. So far I've been utilizing a blank 3x5 card with my weekly and daily goals to help keep me on track... so right now I'm 100%! YAY!  Just another week and I will have hit the 21 day mark--which we all know is how you make something a habit!

Six Months In

Just realized I've been WORKING as a nurse for six months. Crazy, how time flies!

The most common question that I've gotten over the past six months is "So are you loving nursing?" It's a really tough question, 1) because the asker really wants to believe that I do and 2) I really want to say yes, but I can't.  I'm too new and too inexperienced to say I love it. I usually reply "I have good days and I have bad days." I think I'll start to enjoy it more when I stop feeling anxious before my first shift. First shifts of the week are always hard because I'm getting all new patients. Day 2 and 3, I'm a bit more relaxed because I've already cared for several of my patients for at least one night and know their routines and behaviors.

Night shift isn't so bad. It's the sleeping during the day part. haha!  Actually MOST of the time I get at least five-six hours after my shifts, but after a particularly hard shift, I often can't sleep more than a few hours because I wake up and my mind starts thinking about work and it's hard to go back to sleep. It's those times that I wish I had some good sleeping meds. Ambien\helps me get to sleep, not stay asleep (when I actually take it!).  But honestly, I have no desire to work day shift at a hospital. On dayshift, the number of people on the unit seems to double at times with doctors, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, case management,administration, pharmacists, and of course, family and visitors! Plus patients often are coming and going from tests and procedures or are discharged or admitted. Night shift is generally much calmer! Don't get me wrong, it can still be busy-- there are nights when I don't get to sit down (except for my 30 minute lunch). What I like is that the night shift nurses really help each other out. Our busy times wax and wane, so as available, we can help each other out. I'm so new that I still ask a ton of questions or need help with something something I've not done before or done only a couple times (blood warmer, feeding pump, wound care, etc...) and it would be hard on day shift to get help. I'm not sure how new nurses cope on day-shift. Perhaps they just learn faster because they see more and are forced to figure it out. But I'm not wired for it - at least in the hospital environment. Certainly I'd prefer to work when the majority work and to sleep when the majority sleeps, but for now night shift is where I need to be (and it pays more). When life circumstances change (like going back to school), I'll have to rethink things, and maybe by then I'll be ready to move into a different type of nursing that will be more accomodating to a personal life. Twelve hours shifts are tough too, but I DO love that I only work three days a week!

I've been a complete slacker getting to the gym. After completing my three work days, I'm usually so exhausted and it's tough to get motivated to leave the house. Previously I found that I was most successful in getting to the gym when I went right before or right after work or school. But on the days that I'm working I don't want to go to the gym after my shift b/c I'm dead tired and just want to go to bed. And if I go to the gym before my shift, then I will end up not getting enough sleep. So that leaves my days off...and I don't have a regular routine for those days. Maybe that's what I need to figure out.

My goal this year is to do one creative project a month. So far I'm ahead. My January project was Pinterest inspired. When I was in Liberia, I saved a few bottle caps from the soft drinks. Liberia has it's own Coca-Cola bottling company, so all the caps have the price in Liberian dollars on them. Anyways, I turned them into refrigerator magnets by gluing craft magnets inside. I love them. Then the same weekend, I made what I hoped was going to be a case/tote for my new laptop which is super thin...but the tote is HUGE and was actually designed to hold a sleeve (from same pattern package) for the laptop. So I have this nice, new homemade tote and still nothing to hold/protect my laptop! Oh well, at least I don't need to carry my laptop to work or school these days. Guess I should pay more attention to actual dimensions than to what the photo on the pattern package looks like! Ha! So I guess my next creative project should be to make the sleeve and HOPE that it works, but the tote was soooo much work that I'm a little worn out and might have to push the sleeve to spring.  Other things I want to sew this year include: seatbelt covers, hairbands, flat sheet into fitted sheet, and maybe another totebag. Not sure about after that. Perhaps I'll re-learn to crochet. I did a little in highschool, but I've forgotten anything I learned. I tried knitting and that was a disaster. Perhaps I could try it again, but it's hard to get psyched up when "casting on" defeated me the first time.

Well, I probably should be thinking about going to bed as I'm back to work tomorrow. Somehow I was scheduled for four days in a row. Can't remember if I've worked four in a row before. This past week I worked two shifts and they were pretty miserable/crazy. So I'm hoping this weekend is much calmer!

Feeling Productive!

Thanks to seven straight days off earlier this month, I was able to spend time working on some projects I've wanted/needed to do since my move in early October. I painted some furniture, restored a piece of furniture that I inherited and made a Roman shade for my kitchen window.

I inherited an antique "bookshelf" from my grandparents over five years ago. It was falling apart because it's actually a modular shelf made of six different pieces (base, case #1, door #1, case #2, door #2 and top) and therefore had gotten a lot of abuse over the years. My dad and I spent a while working to restore the integrity of it (gluing, nailing, adding supports) and then I cleaned it up with some wood cleaner, added a touch of stain to scarred areas and then added a little polish to it. Part of the design is that doors slide up and into the case. The doors originally had glass in them, but as you can see, I put in plaid covered inserts (thin paneling). Now I have a nice little storage case. It's been done for about two weeks and I've yet to decide what to put inside. The doors are still a bit fragile because the grooved tracks have worn out. So whatever I put inside will be stuff I don't need on a regular basis. But I LOVE the plaid fabric- it really "crisped" up the design of this piece. I wasn't exactly sure where it was going to end up, but it fits PERFECTLY on this wall!

And here's the picture of the Roman Shade. Yes, it's plaid too! (I'm a bit of a plaid freak!) I was originally planning to use "ring tape" but the ring tape my mom had was irregular, so I ended up having to hand sew the rings on the shade. It was a LOT of work, but I'm so thrilled with how it turned out! I still need to hang a lift-cord anchor on the wall. Right now I'm simply using a clip attached to an adjacent flower pot. I keep forgetting to go by Lowe's.




...and tonight, in less than two hours, I turned a beloved sweater into a Christmas stocking! This is a thick, wool petite (hits just below the waist) sweater that simply was too hot to wear with a shirt under it and too itchy to wear alone. I've owned it for a number of years and dutifully pull it out with my winter clothes every year, but I'm hard pressed to remember the last time I wore it. So today, it's now part of my knit Christmas stocking collection. I think this makes either #4 or #5!!

The point is to use the hem of the sweater as the top finished edge of the stocking, so while I'm a tiny bit disappointed at the position of the colored areas (wish it was higher), it was VERY easy to do and I'm pleased with my first attempt to re-purpose a favorite sweater! Thanks Pinterest!

It's been years since I've done any pleasure sewing. It feels really good to use my creative side, and even better to produce something I end up loving!! I have some left over plaid fabric from the above projects, so I'm contemplating how I might use the leftovers along with a bunch of other plaid fabric I have collected over the years. Maybe my first quilt? or a quilted wall hanging? or a braided rug like this, or a fabric seat belt cover (I'm short, these are a life saver!) or perhaps one of these? Hmm?

Nothing Much...

Been working (temp odd jobs: babysitting, companion care) the last couple weeks, trying keep my head above water- financially. It will be so nice to have a regular income again. I think I've decided that I will not turn the on air conditioning until I get a job. It's not been that bad yet, but still a long summer ahead, so hopefully I'll get the job/income thing figured out soon. Hey, I can always drag a mattress downstairs to sleep where it's cooler. On that front, I have a interview scheduled for a new grad position in great unit. This is a follow-up to the interview I had about a week and a half ago. Fingers-crossed.

Still on target for taking NCLEX end of June. And then, Lord willing, I will have my license...which makes me more legit when interviewing for jobs. I'm not worried about finding a job - but I am getting a bit nervous about my bank accounts. However, God has abundantly provided for my needs every step of the way these last two years of school, so I am confident He'll continue to provide what I need. And hopefully that's in the form of a job!

Provision.

God is good people.

This morning I had plans to head over to campus to pick up a reference letter that I need for my job interview on Monday. At 11:45, I'm in the car and leaving my neighborhood and realize that due to it being close to the lunch hour, I should call the division office and ask if someone will be there to give me the letter that is waiting for me. But when I call, the automated message for the school says that they close at 11:30am on Fridays. aaaaah!  oh no! I try calling both admin assistants directly and just got their voice mails. So I know they are probably gone. I almost turned the car around and drove home. But I hoped that somehow, someway, someone would still be at the school to let me into the office to pick up my letter. I did NOT want to walk into the interview on Monday only having two out of the three letters.

I've had weeks to get these letters pulled together. But reality was that faculty was on vacation and busy starting the summer semester and I was not a priority. However, when I went to campus earlier this week (to pick up my Kaplan book), I ran into the faculty member who had not replied to my requests for a reference letter. She promised she'd do it on Thursday. So I made plans to pick it up on Friday (Kaplan prevented me from picking it up on Thursday). So here I am, in my car, realizing that I'd blown it and would have to pick up my reference letter on Monday after my interview. Sigh.  I hate excuses. I hate getting them and I hate giving them. And in my mind I was determined not to go into my interview passing blame onto my faculty member or stupid campus hours. I was willing to suck it up and look bad.

So I kept driving to campus. I get there and find there are still about three dozen cars sprinkled in the vast parking lots. I park my car and start walking toward the building when a girl calls out to me and says, "Do you know why the Main Building is locked?"  aaaah!!!  I tell her that I myself just learned that they close at 11:30 on Friday mornings. She's dejected and I'm less hopeful, realizing the science/nursing building is probably locked too. But with great hope (and desperation) I walk towards the nursing building. I put my hand on the door and am shocked when it gives. It's NOT locked! Hallelujah! One boundary crossed. A few more steps and I find the main office reception area locked. Shucks. I look through the glass wall and yes, I can see an envelope with my name sitting there. So close.

I head downstairs and find the door to the nursing faculty offices ajar- hoping that someone with a key or password can let me into the office upstairs where my envelope is (I even brought my ID with me to prove it belongs to me). I notice a guy sitting in the student lounge area downstairs, but head toward the faculty offices. No one. I head out the other end of the hallway and track back deciding I should see if that guy has seen any faculty or staff. He says he's not sure, but that there were two ladies that he saw upstairs walking towards the back of the building. I say thanks and rush upstairs. Sure enough the back door to the upstairs faculty office wing/area is open...and that's when I realize that there are TWO entrances to the main office. The main office is just in the middle of the upstairs faculty office area/wing. I can hear that someone is in one of the faculty offices (which is why the entry door is open), so I head into the office wing and head towards the reception desks. The lights are off (but light comes in through the glass wall) and I immediately have this moment of thinking "Wait, could I get in trouble for this?" Would someone think that I had broken in? Surely not- the door was open. So I quickly skirted the desks, grabbed my envelope with my name on it and booked it out of there. Whew!  With my letter in hand I head out the building saying "Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus!"

When I called the office this morning I was disappointed and discouraged. But my God is good and nudged me to keep driving to campus. It could have ended up all for naught, but it ended up okay! God provided. I have my letter. And I don't have to hang my head and apologize on Monday for only having two of the three letters.

Now I'm just hoping that what's written in this reference letter was worth all that stress. I have no idea what she wrote in the letter. My instructor sealed it and signed over the envelope closure. Her opinion is that the reference carries more weight that way. I'm hoping! =)

Okay, my last Kaplan session starts in 30 minutes... Here goes!

No Chance of Survival, Part II

My love life or lack of love life, has been blogged about here from time to time. I've tried to be vague, simply because I don't know many of my readers.

If you recall, from my post in December, I decided to make an effort to "get over" Mr. Wonderful. I was partially successful until I got an email from him about 40 days later and well, that just undid any progress I'd made. 

Well, last weekend, I did work up the nerve (and boy was I nervous!) to tell him how I felt. He said he needed to think about it and we'd talk about it again. We talked today and he told me he's not interested in taking our relationship past friendship. After four years of praying and hoping that something might grow between us, I finally have my answer. Disappointed and heartbroken. But also relieved --as this is what I needed to hear so that my heart can move on.

So, there will be no more talk of Mr. Wonderful on this blog. He dealt with me kindly and for that I am grateful. I still admire and respect him and think he's totally handsome. And time will tell whether we can safely remain friends. By "safely" I mean, safe for my heart.

Goodbye, Mr. Wonderful.

And now I'm going to go sob my eyes out for the umpteenth time, and then in X-STJ fashion, I'm going to make a plan for how to move on. 

So close...

Today was our last lecture day for Peds. Next week is our last Peds test and our last OB lecture (online). The week after we have our last OB test...and then finals the first week of May! Woot!

...and I just picked up invites for the pinning ceremony!

In addition to taking tests and finals, I'm also in the midst of planning Q&A events (3) that will be hosted by our student nurses association for the newly admitted nursing students (they all find out this coming Monday!). We chose the Monday/Tuesday before pinning/graduation as our classes and exams will all be done -  but everyone will still be in town. So I'll be spending my middle-of-the-week birthday putting on two Q&A events. Not too sad about it--as I'll be surrounded by people and involved with something that makes me happy (even if they won't know it's my birthday) and I'll also be with family the following weekend for pinning! :D

I'm already wondering what summer is going to look like. The priority will certainly entail studying for and PASSING the NCLEX exam (this is the RN board exam for those of you not familiar).  And it may entail applying for jobs--if I haven't secured one yet. I'm planning on a short trip to Ohio right after graduation to see my sister and her family. And until I have my license and job, I'll probably continue the part-time jobs that I have. Maybe even add a day or two if they need me. I'll need the income! I'm debating taking a statistics class that will be required for entry into a BSN/MSN program. I need to do some further investigation on where I want to complete my BSN and possibly what other classes I should be considering (Chem I & II???).

But I'm also now free to think about fun stuff... sewing projects and refinishing furniture, reconnecting with friends and planning outings like camping or trips to DC. And then there is also that marathon-before-forty goal I have (I'm turning 38 in a few weeks). Probably need to pick a race, read a marathon book or two and make a training schedule. I'm also looking forward to being more regular at the gym. I've kept going this semester, but my work and school schedules made it more challenging to get there more than 1-2 days/week.

But now that I look at the stuff I'm thinking about doing this summer... all of a sudden I'm realizing that I'm not going to be bored. I might be just as busy! eek.

Happy Friday everyone!

Two Words.

I'm not ashamed to admit I like Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand music. And I really love this song, one so relevant these days.  Tell him! Tell him! Tell him!  My battle song, hahahahaha!




Just heard this Justin Hines song on the radio this afternoon.

Limbo and waiting is no fun.

Today in clinical, when my co-assigned nurse asked me if I was married, I told her I wasn't...and then somehow I ended up telling her my story of unrequited love. Okay, I wasn't that dramatic, nor is my story. But again, here's another person, who doesn't even know me, who thinks I should just tell this handsome, kind man that I like him and see if he might feel the same. But the problem is, it goes against every bone in my body - or at least the romantic bones. What am I afraid of? Well, rejection for one, but also I really don't want to embarrass him or myself (in his presence). And maybe I just don't want to give up my fantasy either. But I have got to stop living in this limbo land--which if I'm honest, feels like never-ending rejection because my heart wants what it wants.

I'm realizing life is short. Finally at 37 years of age, I'm realizing life is too short and too precious to waste pining after one man...but despite my attempts to walk away...my heart wants what it wants. I am much closer to getting up the courage to talk to him about it. I've started the conversation in my head a million times, but it's just so awkward. But maybe that's just what it has to be. Is awkward better than nothing? Is botching it better than nothing? Embarrassing myself for the prospect of love? Hmm? Or is this just desperation? Is this me not trusting God? Probably a little bit of both, but reality is, I have waited. So how does a person know it's time to move ahead?

On Sunday, Psalm 27 was read in the worship service. The last two verses of the chapter hit me over the head as I contemplated my frustration and heartache over this man: "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Wait. For how long? At what point does waiting become disobedient? When does moving towards someone become disobedient?  I believe it's a matter of the heart and my intentions. So my confusion continues. But I am closer to being ready to put my heart on the line for this man. He's definitely worth it...now it's just a matter of me believing I'm worth it too.

Spring Break

Been a crazy few weeks! But the end is near. Just got home from North Myrtle Beach, SC where I spent the past five days enjoying my spring break with family. Probably the best spring break I've ever had! It was so very relaxing and it was good to get sun and fresh air and to get away from the normal view of the inside of my house. Here are a few photos from the week...

I had no idea until this past week what my spring nemesis looked like. We went on a short walk one afternoon and I was noticing these yellow flower like things on some of the pine trees. Never seen them on a tree before...so I reach out to touch them and the craziest thing happened... they practically disintegrated into yellow powder that blew away in the breeze. Yes. Pine Pollen. This is the stuff that coats our cars in the spring. And I am so allergic. Thankfully I'm already taking my allergy medicine (despite risk of back pain---see previous posts from April/May 2011), so I wasn't adversely affected by the experience. Most of the pine trees in SC are covered in pollen, but for the most part the pollen is still on the trees. On the drive back into town, I kept looking on the pine trees here and I couldn't see them. I'm hoping that means we are still a couple weeks out from pine pollen season. It's been so warm (in 70's and 80's) that we know the pollen is coming!

One afternoon we went for a walk through a nature area during low tide. There were signs along the path and boardwalks identifying creatures and plants etc... At one point, we were walking along a wooden overlook and saw two signs in the same vicinity. Both are in the water below us. One sign is facing away from the dock- we assume it is pointing out something interesting (we can't read it) and the other sign (see below) which we can read says "Please stay on path." We aren't really sure who the intended audience is. Maybe a boat? Weird.

I'm a natural disaster freak. So before we had even parked our car at Broadway at the Beach, I was completely drawn to this structure. Fun huh? Looks like this building crashed upside down on another building. The inside and exterior are similarly designed. We didn't get too far inside as it's some sort of HUGE play area for older kids/teens/adults??? I'm sure my nieces and nephews would've had a great time had they been with us.

On Friday, we headed down to Myrtle Beach to see the goings on there and took advantage of the off-season to ride the Ferris wheel. What a beautiful day to do so. Spectacular views!

...it was so exciting that we caught my dad napping on the ride. haha!








Full week ahead, OB test (got an A on my Peds test right before break-yay!), working on an event for the student nurses association at school and back to clinicals. Wednesday I'm a student leader for our Peds clinical. That will be interesting...and thankfully no patient prep--just have to know about everyone else's patients!

Lots to do tonight (unpacking, laundry, school work..). Although I'm still in denial that school starts back tomorrow with clinical! Tomorrow I'll be in the NICU (baby ICU), so it's probably going to be a bit sad.

Gotta run.

P.S.  54 days until graduation (47 days until final exams are over).

Already There

Beautiful! Especially in these moments of impatience. Moments of fear. Moments of heartbreak. Moments of wondering what my life is about and where it's headed. He's already there.

Sometimes You Just Have to Call it a Day

Last night I was facing a long evening of homework, but after a long clinical day and only two hours of sleep the night before, I was feeling pretty miserable. All I wanted to do was to go to bed. I realized it was going to be a terribly unproductive evening with me nodding off between sentences. So I sat down and calculated the number of hours left until 8am this morning. I could either unproductively study all evening and then go to bed for eight hours and then get up and go to work, OR I could go directly to bed and sleep for eight hours and then get up at one o'clock in the morning and get my work done after a solid night's sleep. I'm no fool. I called it a day at five in the evening and set my alarm for one in the morning. My big fear was that I'd sleep through until morning and completely lose all my study time.

I woke up with my alarm. But then I woke up again at three. Obviously I ignored my alarm, but after ten hours of sleep, my body was okay with getting up- even if it was three o'clock. And I was able to quickly pound out my evals and read most of the assigned chapter for the online quiz due today. I made a good decision! I'm at work now and not feeling any effects (yet) of an very early morning, I am expecting that around dinner time I'm probably going to crash again. BUT I can't really do that since I've got a test first thing in the morning. I could go with the same sleep pattern, but I don't want to completely wreak my sleep habits. So the plan now is to go home after work, eat and catch a 30 minute nap before attempting to study for my test. Things are quiet here at work, so I'm also getting some good studying in. 

I will be so glad for the weekend, although I won't be sleeping in on Saturday unfortunately. I'm doing "FitCamp" starting this Saturday morning at the gym. It runs six out of the next nine days. Hopefully I'll have the stamina (and washing machine) to manage all those workouts next week with my already crazy life schedule. I'm sure I'm going to be SORE too as we'll be doing workouts that I haven't done in a LONG time. I can do cardio and pool all day long, but they'll have us doing all sorts of things for these hour-long sessions. It will be fun and I'll get to meet new people- always a good thing. I'll probably give myself permission to miss one of the workouts, but hope that I'll make them all.

Well, back to studying! :D  Happy Thursday!

16 Weeks from Tomorrow I'll Be GRADUATING!!!!

Well, here I am, the night before the start of my LAST semester. I've made my packing lists for tomorrow (food, gym stuff, school stuff) and packed about 50% of that. Still need to print out syllabi and calendars for all three classes, as well as some of the study guides. I had hopes of having read ALL the material for tomorrow's classes. Nope. Not even 10%. Working every day this week kinda put a kink in that plan. So I'm going to at least skim through every page yet tonight. Oh, and since I need to leave the house by 7 am, I probably need to be up by 5:45am. Ugh. So I've told myself that I should go to bed at 9:30pm so that I can get eight hours in for my first day of the semester. Um, just looked at the clock and it's 9:15. Lovely. Maybe I should go to bed now and get up and start skimming. Oh, Scooby-Do...I still have to print. Okay, so NOT a great start to the semester. :(

So what have I been doing this evening when I've got all that reading to do? Okay, so last night I made up the new batch of butternut squash soup (=4 butternut squashes) sans the oregano and am now in the process of combining the new stuff with the over-seasoned stuff that I made back in December (I froze it so I could deal with it later). And now I'm having to keep a close watch as it heats up. After all the work, I don't want it to scorch on the bottom of the pan. The soup is THICK and so it takes a LOT of work (force) for a heat bubble to rise to the top.  It may taste fine...it still LOOKS like it's over-spiced.  I went back and checked the recipe and I think rather than 1/2 tsp of oregano, I put 1 TABLESPOON!  Yes, that's six times what it should have been! Ack! I'm going to have to try a sample bowl here shortly to determine if I've remedied it or if it's still over-spiced. Hopefully it's going to be edible. I probably should have waited until the weekend or at least tomorrow evening to mess with this. But alas it's done (I hope). And I can catch up on school stuff this weekend.

I'm actually really excited for the semester to start. To return to a routine/schedule that is predictable for the long-term. It's been good to earn money over the holidays, but I have not been consistent at the gym since before Thanksgiving. I had pushed my body pretty hard this fall, with some results, but not great results. I'm not sure I had hit a plateau last semester, but I think I might have been coming close. So I'm hoping this extended break has reset my body's memory and that my body will be ready again for weight loss mode. I know I'm ready! I'd love to drop 20-25 lb this semester (16 weeks until graduation!!!). It's definitely within the safe range of 1-2 lbs per week. This semester's schedule doesn't provide for a nice MWF/TuTh type of workout schedule, so I'm still trying to figure it out. BUT my gym bag is packed and I'm heading to the gym after classes tomorrow! Yay me!

Well, seeing that I have about ten chapters to read (um, skim) tonight and about 50 pages to print, I'd better hang this up now.

Until later...
Joy

Okay, so I tasted the soup. Not bad. Yay! I was definitely not excited about the prospect of chopping up several more squash!

Spinning

My head is spinning with thoughts that are going in about a dozen directions!

Here's just a sample:

• Starting three new classes: Pediatrics, Labor/Delivery and Nursing Dimensions
• Course assignments and study guides already posted in all their tree-killing glory!
• Clinical expectations - working with new populations of children, infants, their mothers and families.
• Grad School - to apply or not apply right now; where to apply; deadlines!
• Resume updating and applying for jobs.
• Graduation checklist.
• Calender that is being pushed to the limits with course work deadlines, tests, quizzes, part-time job(s), etc..
• Chicken marinating that must get cooked, chopped and portioned out and frozen.
• Butternut soup that got triple or quadruple-seasoned with oregano that needs more butternut puree added to remedy it so that it can be portioned out.
• Pre-cooked and pre-measured ingredients for Turkey Chili (three batches worth) waiting to be assembled, cooked and portioned out.
• Two heads of lettuce that need to be washed, ripped up and portioned out for salads.
• Three baskets of laundry that need to be put away.
• Plants that need some TLC and new plants purchased/planted.
• Get caught up on six episodes of TV shows, in addition to a whole first season of another TV show that I just discovered.

If anyone would like to send over a personal assistant, chef and/or housekeeper, I'd be very grateful! Or flowers. Flowers would be nice.

Potentially good news: on Monday, I'm briefly meeting with someone who is probably going to strongly suggest that I consider a graduate level nursing degree program at the local university. From what I've gathered over the past week (of working with her on a project) is that she is a much-loved, heavily-awarded faculty member in the school of nursing. When she approached me today about wanting to talk to me about my future plans, I think she told me that she mentioned me to the head of the graduate program after talking to one of the coordinators for the project we just finished today. This person may very well have significant influence when it comes to applications for the program. Finances were the primary reason for me choosing not to attend nursing school at this university ($40K vs. <$10K--I SERIOUSLY do not have any interest in taking on debt!!!), but I would seriously consider this program if they could workout significant financial assistance for school expenses AND if my participation in the graduate program could also positively influence my job applications! It really was very affirming to be told that I had made a positive impression on her (still not sure how that is), enough to warrant her to go ahead and speak to the head of the program about me (without my knowledge). So very affirming.

Counting Down to the Start of My LAST SEMESTER!!!!

A week from now I will be heading to bed in anticipation of starting classes the next day. We've had a nice long semester break...but it's time to go back. One more time. One more semester.

Well, I got my wish. Woo hoo!  I will do my OB clinical at the community hospital (the nice NEW resort-ish hospital) that I wanted. And my Peds clinical will be at the local children's rehab hospital (part of the large teaching hospital). I'm REALLY looking forward to this semester. In order for me to get the community hospital that I wanted, I had to agree to do an evening clinical on Monday. Since there's no clinical prep for OB -- it was a no brainer!  My Peds clinical is on Wednesdays with clinical prep on Tuesday nights (Torture Tuesdays as I call them).

I did decide to pile my lecture days all on Friday which will allow me to have a full day to study for tests, rather than having tests the day after a clinical day (like last semester). Two of my three classes have a hybrid component. Not sure yet what that will look like, but I'm excited! I'm anxious to get our course calendars to find out when quizzes, assignments and tests will be-- as having two tests on the same day will bite big time! Hopefully they've worked that detail out in advance. If not--Grrr! :D

This past week I've started a new part-time job being a home-aide for a man in his mid-80's. Very nice couple. Recently he developed some new hip pain that has caused him to use a walker and his wife is a bit nervous about him falling etc.. So I basically just following him around the house when he moves around and help him out as needed. Pretty low key and very good money for what I do. Looks like I'll be spending 8 hours on Thursdays with him. (I'm working three days this week, two days next and then hopefully switch to one day a week after that). The great thing about this job is that I can totally work on school stuff while I'm there! If I don't take anything with me... I would be utterly bored. They've given me wireless access-- so I'm good to go! :D   At this point I'm also planning to keep my other 4 hour a week job with the local artist. I'm hopeful that I can work for her on Monday mornings before I go in for my clinical at 2:30pm. Thankfully no parking issues or bus rides to deal with, so considerably less travel time required -- but then again, it is on a completely different side of town.

I'm still trying to figure out my "life schedule" for this semester (studying, work, gym time, errands, etc...). Three classes, two clinicals, job search, two part-time jobs, and possibly joining a committee or two within the nursing school!  Oh mercy, I just completely overwhelmed myself! Breathe.


The main project on my shoulders right now, before school starts, is to get my computer back to better functioning. For the past six months it's been getting slower and slower. Well, for being almost six years old, it's done a good job so far. No serious problems to speak of. So while I hoped that just removing data/files from it (memory storage was 95% full) would solve the slowness...I think I'm going to have to take more drastic measures and completely reinstall Windows and set it back to the way it was when I bought it. I've been reading/researching how to prep for it (exporting this and that), and I'm about 85% done with the prep work. My goal is to get the install and reloading of software/data done this weekend...and then early next week I can spend time getting it set up the way I like (colors, backgrounds, font preferences, etc...). My goal is to keep my computer functioning (and keep me SANE) for this last semester. About two or three weeks ago, I started researching computers and then considered that I could probably make my computer usable again for very little money ($100 external hard drive) and a lot of time...  But this way, rather than spending $900-1000 on the computer that I want, I'll have money later for any car repairs that crop up (15 years old, 222K)--which is a priority too. If I got desperate for a computer, I do have a good desktop computer (which I only used for about year) sitting in the closet at my parent's house. Right now... it's all about saving money and playing it smart. God has abundantly provided by sending me lots of work for me over the holidays (3 weeks at distribution center, several standardized (mock) patient gigs, and now this new part-time job)! This week I'm working 38 hours doing three part-time jobs! It's crazy, but all of them are good paying jobs! Lord willing, there's a wonderful nursing job waiting for me six-seven months from now.


Well, it's late and I'm working tomorrow... so to bed I go. But I'm so glad I still have one week before classes start! :D Still so much to do!

Cheers,
Joy