Maybe this time it'll stick again?

So, it's almost 2022. Crazy to think. We have had a whole famn damily worldwide pandemic for going on two years now. I know. It's been a bit since I've been on here. Sue me. This Christmas though I finally replaced my old (truly a freakin' lemon) computer and now have one that I can actually use without throwing it against the wall (ok so maybe I just had to keep updating it and it kept shutting down or freezing indiscriminately). So, here's a quick update on me and life in general for 2021: 1. Covid became a huge thing early 2020. Worldwide huge. I worked the first 9 months of the year and whew, that was, er, something. 2. I hadn't retired at the end of 2019 like planned because DH's company brought in new management and despite him being #11 of 13 on the previous management team to be someway or another squeezed out of the company, he was indeed still left without a job due to "restructuring". So I stayed on with the plan that I would retire immediately upon him finding a new job. But, when he did we were in the midst of #1 and I wasn't about to abandon my coworkers. 3. We finally had to cut bait and plan on relocating for DH's new position. So, September 2020 I officially retired to focus on getting us and the house ready for our move. SO. MUCH. DOWNSIZING. AND. PURGING. 4. We found what we thought was a great new home and had an offer accepted. 3 months into it and after multiple and consistent extensions and unaddressed concerns about the sellers, we pulled out of it, found a new place to bid on, offer was accepted and BAM, to the new house we went. (The prior drama from the first house was ridiculously upsetting but in the end we ended up in the PERFECT home for our little family). 5. Our son found a new job, which he loves and is excelling in, less than a month after settling into our new home. 6. During the course of working the beginning of the pandemic, my already present healthcare associated PTSD was worsened to the point of having flashbacks at random times/places outside of work. I retired and have been dealing with this new level of PTSD since. This is my new norm sadly but I have great support from my DH and DS so I will be OK eventually. 7. I have spent all of 2021 dealing with the effects of my now C(hronic)PTSD and dealing with the return of my seasonal affective depression (on top of my regular depression) and am newly diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder. Yay me. 8. Upon moving and getting new GPs, both hubby and I were encouraged to have "baseline" cardiac workups since we are both now in our 50's. Whelp, my workup has so far been found to be normal however, . . . . . . . 9. DH was found to have some major perfusion issues within his nuclear med cardiac stress test along with a ridiculoulsy high cardiac calcium score via CT. A cardiac cath was indicated to see what we were dealing with and 3 major blockages (90%, 90%, 95+%!!!) in his LAD along with a completely occluded RCA which was left the right side of his heart being fed by an intense system of collaterals all stemming from his highly diseased LAD. The man would have been a classic sudden cardiac death had we not had been having "routine" workups being done. He simply had absolutley no symptoms outside of some SOB with exertion but no more than I was having so we though we both just needed to get in better shape. True for me but clearly NOT the only issue for him. Thankfully and blessedly, we had been consulted to one of the premier cardiac interventionalists of the day who was able to do the cardiac cath and clear out the blockages via artheroscopy then place 4 stents to keep them all open without having to resort to open heart surgery. I can not express how grateful I am to our God for having us exactly where we needed to be to find this and take care of it prior to my having become a widow. 10. I had an urgent cholystectomy which then necessitated an emergent ERCP for a stone that was completely occluding my common bile duct. Thankfully, the duct never ruptured and I recovered without any issues. 11. This year, the pandemic and our health issues have made so many things so much clearer in my life. I understand even more now how absolutely precious every single moment we have on earth is and how fleeting life truly is. I have learned via my therapy that I AM ENOUGH and that I am worthy of respect and care from those around me. I do NOT have to maintain toxic relationships to "keep the peace" within the family if said family isn't willing to alter their toxicity towards me. I am ALLOWED to step away from relationships where all I do is give and they take and no manner of me asking them for healthier boundaries have worked. Sadly, this has led to me being forced to realize that some family members have truly always used me for their gain with no regards tobe ok with myself or my needs as their family member. Ive learned to speak my truth and see where the chips fall. I have learned that it is OK if I separate myself from those who aren't able to mind my boundaries. I am still learning to be OK with and not feel guilty for refusing to be walked on again. 12. I am approaching 2022 (2020 too?) with my eyes wide open as the world deals with the 2nd major variant to Covid-19 Omicron. My little family of three have all been vaccinated and boosted and we all follow social distancing and masking guidelines. We are doing all we can to stay healthy and to keep others healthy. I've learned to accept that that is all we can do. If you've stuck around this long (God bless you lol), thank you and I hope to see you here more. Stay well and here's to 2022!

Well, well, well......we meet again

When I woke up this morning I had no idea that I would be writing a blog post. But, here I am and here it goes. I will need to sit down on my actual computer to try to organize a "real" post if I am going to come back to this type of media. Do I even remember how to keep a blog up? Is there anybody still out here? Will anyone care about anything I have to say at this point in my life? I certainly do not have the answer to any of these questions but maybe I'll give it a go and see how I feel. I will provide an oversimplified and general update. We have lived a little over 14 years here in NC. This has been the house that both my husband and son have lived in for the longest time of their lives thus far. It's been an amazing time and we will miss NC tremendously. I say this in the midst of us preparing to move to MD just outside of the DC area. New job for my husband so, off we go. We all love DC and the surrounding areas so we are all extremely pleased to have this opportunity. Our little boy is no longer little! He's almost 24 and attended as well as graduated from UNCW. After graduation, he found a job he really enjoyed and then the pandemic hit. He lost his job to the pandemic. Sadly, he has yet to find new employment. Being entry level at a time when companies are running at bare minimums is hard. Thankfully, he's keeping his spirits up and continues to work at job searches vigorously. He has been an immeasurable help to me during the purging and packing for this move. We had our movers come and redo our initial estimate and they estimated we had gotten rid of close to 2 tons of stuff from the attic alone AND we have gotten rid of more stuff since then. This move has been postponed repeatedly because of issues from the sellers. We have been ready for almost two months now, but that story is a post unto itself! I worked the beginning of the pandemic (adult ICU/Emergency medicine) through the beginning of September. The plan had been that I would retire at the end of 2019 but, Randy's position was "restructured" by the new executive board when his old company was resold. To his credit, he was #11 of 13 on the management team at the time of the sale to be out, so he made it a long time. I had to keep working while his job search was ongoing, hence not retiring until 9/2/20. Working with Covid and during Covid just plain sucked a$$ no way around that. It just did and added a whole new level to my preexisting healthcare work associated PTSD. I'm now hearing of a new syndrome for this specific issue labeled C-PTSD. No, not covid PTSD, it stands for chronic PTSD. That's a whole post on its own as well. But feel free to look it up and yes it IS as bad as it sounds. On that note, I'll say this last thing as a closing. This pandemic IS real. People ARE dying. The disease and the deaths from it are horrendous. Please WEAR THE DAMN MASK and continue (or begin) to practice social distancing. Thank you.

Go and VOTE please!

OK, so I am a bit of a Disney lover. NOT a real die-hard but pretty good fan nonetheless. However, I am a die-hard fashion lover. So, put those two together and you get the lovely blog Disneybound.

Leslie, the genius behing Disneybound, puts together the most amazing themed outfits I've ever seen. You should really check out some of her creations. So very cute.

So, right now, Leslie has been chosen and is in the running for a contest on BBM Challenge Council. She really deserves your votes so, if you would take a moment and jump over here to give her a vote, that would be wonderful. Oh, and enjoy all her creations while you are there.

Good luck Leslie!

BTW, can someone PLEASE explain Tumblr to me? I've tried to go on several blogs but I just don't understand the concept. How do you comment? Why can't I see some of the blogs there? What is it all about? I'm so behind the times. . . .

temari inspiration

I think I am going to make these temari in Xmas colors for the Enloe Theatre Fundraising Auction . . .

Friday night fun

Aaah, it's Friday night here at Chez Knittingnurse. What a relief to have this week go by. DH just got back into town this evening after having been gone all week on business. Of course, as if on cue, DS decides that he needs to be a slightly bit moody and snappish right before his father comes home. . .I was a good girl and I let it all roll of my back (mostly) but I felt bad having DH come home to moody teenage boy. UGH!

Tomorrow I am going to the Carolina Fiber Fest with my buddy. I certainly don't need anymore yarn but when the festival is only 15 mins away, how could I NOT go? Besides, it's being held at the NC State Fairgrounds which also happens to have the NC State Flea market one of my favorite "picking" spots in the area for vintage items to fill my Etsy shop, "Something from the Heart". One of my best friends and I each have vintage online shops via Etsy and we go picking together for items to fill our shops. Her shop is lovely as well and you can see it here.

Oh and, btw, did I tell you all that I won a contest and got to dance with Derek Hough? You know as in from "Dancing with the Stars"? yep, that Derek.

I didn't mention it you say? Hmmmm, well, I'll save that juicy story for next time. I'm curling up in bed with hubby now. Good night all!

Miscellaneous crafting and surfing

Have you found Pinterest yet? OMG! It's amazing and highly addictive. So, here's the low down: once you have an invite and set up your account, you can set up a series of 'boards' where you can 'pin' items that you find online and what to be able to get back to. How often have you seen a craft idea or a new blog or a cool new product and want to remember where to find it. But, if you bookmarked everything you bookmark list would be a mile long. Just think of it as a series of virtual bulletin boards where you can post all the information. Plus, you can organize all your pins by boards; a recipe board, craft board, tutorial board, blog board, etc., etc. . . . It's AWESOME. Then, not only do you get to organize and get to all these pages you wanted to remember, but, you can see other people's board and their pins and they can see yours. So, it's a great place to get more leads to find cool stuff online and to promote yourself, your blog, friends shops, etc.....

Be careful though. It's a world of it's own and HIGHLY addictive!!! So, what kind of things can you find? All sorts of craft ideas and tutorials. Here's an example for you all.


What happens when you take this:

and this:

along with a little glass cement???

You get THIS:


Cute huh? I think it's a lovely little cupcake, tea sandwiches or pastry stand. It's not big enough to be a full cake but, how many times have you wanted to set out a "little" something and a cake stand is just too big? Like if you are having tea with your bestie. The two of you don't need a full cake but a few treats would look great on this stand.

I can't wait to try it out. . . . .

I also have been posting all sorts of vintage goodies and some of my photographs for sale in my Etsy shop. Wanna see? Go ahead and go take a look, why don't you? Let me know what you all think. . .I'd be really interested in hearing what you all think.

What's up nurse?

Here at Chez Knittingnurse, March madness is in swing, the birds are singing and the crafts are slowly starting to re-emerge.

I made an egg Temari today that is meant for my niece. She is just about 18 months old now. Last year, I made matching egg Temari for her and myself. So, I have completed her egg for this year and tomorrow I will have to make the same egg again, this time for me. I think it will be pretty cool for us to having matching collections of Easter egg temari. Don't you.

I have had a set of felted clogs on the needles since last Fall. They are to replace the well worn (through) clog slippers I made a few years ago for DH. DS wants a pair to but he's growing out of shoes so fast that making a pair now would be an exercise in futility.

All that not withstanding, the most important thing going on here is that I have opened an Etsy shop! Something from the Heart "Handmade gifts and vintage treasures" opened about a month ago. I will be selling vintage items as well as handmade (by me) items and photographs. Right now, I only have vintage items and photographs for sale but I am pretty excited about it.

Here are a few of the items that I currently have up for sale ;

The tin salt and pepper shakers are absolutely adorable and much cuter in person. They very retro, kitschy and nostalgic. Love them! The tea bowl and saucer are Royal Staffordshire china. Who knew that find China was available in tea bowls? Regardless this is a charming set that will make a great addition to someone's tea cup collection.








So, here are a couple of examples of the photographs that I am selling. Red Geraniums in my window was taking last summer during our trip to Paris. I took this shot from the balcony of our hotel room. I just loved the rustic feel and the contrast of the red from the flowers against all the neutrals surrounding them. In the Arms of the Angel is a statue that can be found at the Louvre. I don't remember who the sculptor was but while admiring it, I got to this angle and loved the play of light and shadows to the statue. Isn't it wonderful?

What do you all think of these so far? The photographs that I have posted and will post are all going to be my own original shots taken during the KnittingNurse family adventures.

I appreciate any comments you have regarding the shop, items, listing and such. So, excited!

It's official

I am now an Etsy shop owner. My Etsy user name is 'somethinfromtheheart' (I had to drop the 'g' b/c the name was too long).

Funny thing is that I've always wanted to own a shop. A, coffee/tea house, gift, needlework, yarn shop. Y'know? The kind of shop where you go in and there are comfy couches and yarn and cutesy gifts (cards, stationary, simple knick knacks) and you can get a lovely cup of coffee or tea and a scone? Aaaaaaah!

Unfortunately, that brick and mortar store has yet to become a reality BUT I now have an online shop where I can sell some handmade things and some vintage items I've found along the way. Fun, eh?

Right now, I only have vintage items. Well, 4 vintage items. I had 6 but I've sold 2 (awesome right?). I've got a huge boxful of items to photograph and list but I haven't quite gotten them on their as of yet. Hopefully at the end of this week they will all be up and available.

My first handmade items to list will be some facecloths knit/crochet made out of cotton. I want to post knitted items, some temari, some stamped items and some jewelry along with my vintage treasures but, I need to get to making some stuff.

So, when thinking of a store name I was talking it over with the fam and we kept coming up with different ideas and then I said, "no, no, it needs to be something from the heart". Well, DUH! So, the shop is named "Something from the Heart" with the tagline "handmade gifts and vintage treasures". Cute huh?

Go take a gander for a moment. Go ahead. It won't take long and I will still be here waiting for ya.

Something from the Heart shop on Etsy.com

Kind of cute stuff so far, I think. BTW, go back if you have a minute and check out my friend's shop as well Back home vintage.

That's my 'picking' partner. Flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales, our ATTICS! We bounce pieces off of each other and help each other decide on purchases and prices to set as well as photographing, etc.

So, cross your fingers and wish me luck.

WHUCK is over my head and why does it feel like I need an umbrella??

I called off from work today. Yep. I had it yesterday. 5 different patients:

2 transfers out to the ICU,
1 discharge,
1 admission from ER who clearly should have been ICU not stepdown but, "we know you can take good care of her*" and "putting her in the ICU will just make her less of a person" are the comments you get from the MFDs (referring to physician's degrees - I'm sure you can all decipher) when you question her status, and
1 transfer from med floor with a whopping 160 heart rate, SOB, clammy and hypotensive

REALLY??? WHUCK is over my head and why does it feel like I need an umbrella??

So, I got home, ate, showered, took a muscle relaxant b/c I couldn't stand hearing my back yell at me any longer and went to bed. UGH.

But, here I lay now, in bed, after 1100am, awake less than 1/2 hour and pondering what to do with the day. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Nothing
2. Start up on the laundry since DH is having a bad week and you do have an unexpected day
off after all
3. Watch more Doctor Who
4. Pack for this weekend's BHI trip with my girls
5. Nothing
6. Finally finish up that damn book so that you can start this month's book club selection
7. Work on the girls xmas gifts which you are to present them with this weekend (see #4)
8. Finally put out this week's flex team newsletter for work so that you at least make SOME pesos today.
9. Nothing
10. Work on DH's felted clogs that were due to him since last Fall

I think I like 1, 5 and 9 the best. We'll see how those go and then decide from there. Hey, 3 out of 10 ain't bad right?

*So, BTW, this is a blog written by an actual, practicing, 4 year degree, registered nurse with over 20 years of critical care experience under her cap (just kidding, I hate those damn things) so, let me give you all a piece of advice. NEVER, EVER, EVER ask a nurse to "please take good care of Grandma, Mom, Son, Cousin, Hubby, Sister, Priest, self, next door neighbor, WHOMEVER!" Why you might ask? Well, would you tell a chef at a restaurant to "please be sure to actually cook my meal correctly" or a Salesperson to "please scan my item the right way" or to the dentist "please drill the correct tooth" or to your doctor "please give me the right prescription" (OK, you might have a point with the last one but you get what I mean).......

It's an insult. If a nurse wasn't going to take good care of your X,Y,Z she wouldn't have shown up to work. OK, sometimes there are nurses that might make you question that but DAMMIT, not all of us and that sure as hell better not come out of the mouth of some snot-nosed, yet to be independent, I've been a nurse almost as long as you've been alive, just out of internship, I've saved your ass on more than one occasion resident who thinks they don't sound condescending as they say it to you.

I'm not sayin', just sayin'.

Back to taking care of 1,3 and 9. Isn't it great to be productive?

Happiness all rolled up into a candle

I love scented candles. However, I am not a huge flowery scent kind of girl. I like to go for "clean" scents.

My favorite scented candle of all time is a Yankee Candle scent called "green grass". It is the clean scent of freshly mowed grass on a crisp spring morning. Ahhhh.

I burned that candle all the time for years and then one day I walked into a YC store looking for "MY" candle. When I didn't see it on the shelves I asked the salesperson where I could find the "green grass" candles. "Oh, that scent has been discontinued" was all she said. I think I stood there speechless for a good 5 minutes (and anyone who knows me knows that would be a sign of the apocalypse).

That was quite a few years ago. Since then, I still look for "green grass" whenever I enter a YC store or any store that sells YC products. It was gone.

I.

WAS.

DEVASTATED.




Fast forward to yesterday and the Tanger Outlets in Mebane, NC. Just a mere 45 mins away from home and the newest Outlet Mall in NC, we went as a family yesterday to see the outlets and go shopping. It was amazing.

The Outlets themselves are great . . . . clean, pretty, well designed, lots of store that we actually shop at and many great sales. yeah!

So, one of the last stores I enter is the YC outlet store. As usual, I look around and then ask about 'green grass'. "Oh, we have tons of that!" - "Um, really? GREEN GRASS????". "Yeah, we have it in 2 different sizes, would you like me to show you?"

(trumpets blared, angels sang and the Heavens shown down on me in all their glory)

I bought 6 candles in total and will probably get some more then next time I'm there. I literally jumped up and down in excitement when DH came in through the doors a few minutes later and said "They have Green Grass, they have Green Grass!!"

He smiled kindly at the salesperson and just nodded as if to say "she's fallen on her head a few times, please forgive her".

OH, and I had a 10% off your total purchase coupon to boot!

MAN, was I a happy girl on the drive home!

Diners - America's orginal 'comfort' food

What is it about Diners that makes the experience so, well, magical? I love Diners. They have that awesome true Americana feel to them. You can always count on friendly but no-BS staff, basic but gooooood food, and charm out the wazoo. We found a new diner for us today in a nearby town that was the epitome of what a diner should be. Southern accented staff who can't do enough for you (or each other as demonstrated by the manager busing tables and bringing out food for her waitresses), good basic comfort food staples (i.e. fried chicken, chili cheese fries and chicken fried steak), metallic vinyl seated chair, bar style seating and cheap prices.

Diners are an experience and one must truly understand the experience to appreciate it. Don't expect 5 star anything at a diner. It ain't gonna happen. But, if you can get beyond that, dining at a diner brings a feeling of nostalgia unique to these establishments that only adds to the overall experience.

You instantly feel at home in a good diner. There's no worry about being too loud or having to mind your "p's and q's". Now, that's not to say that one should be without manners at a diner. Just, you can speak at a normal volume and not feel like you are intruding on your neighbor's dining experience. You can put your elbows on the table and eat with your fingers (finger foods of course) without feeling 'gauche'. You can literally laugh out loud at your child or spouse's commentary without worrying about calling attention to yourself. Nobody cares. They're all too busy enjoying their own company and food and laughing as well.

Food at a diner is basic but good. Burgers are greasy and messy and amazing. Fries are hot and fresh and have that deep fried taste that makes them too good to leave any on your plate. You will find foods that you can't find at restaurants . . . chicken fried steak smothered in gravy is a staple as well as old fashioned meatloaf sandwiches and fruit cobblers.

So, tonight we went to a diner. It had all the neon light signs and decor that you think of when you think of the 50's and diners. The menu was thorough but basic. DH had the chicken fried steak with white gravy, side salad and black eyed peas. DS had a bacon cheeseburger with chili cheese fries and I had the chicken fried chicken with mashed taters, brown gravy and side salad. For dessert, DS had the best chocolate-peanut butter shake that I have tasted in a long long time (they use chunky peanut butter and you get little pieces of peanuts when you are drinking it). My only disappointment was that they didn't have any cherry syrup to put in my coke to make a cherry coke. Sigh. I guess nothing can be perfect right?

Miss Tina was our waitress and she was attentive, funny and efficient. We never were low on drinks and she came by just enough without being annoying. Families were sitting all around us, couples on dates, buddies out for a quick bite after work, etc. The walls were covered in pictures that looked like they came from the local HS yearbook for the last several decades and the music was classic rock 'n roll from the 50's.

It was great. Real Americana nostalgia in a single meal. All for $6.50 - $8 for our entrees. Now, where else but a diner can you get all that?

BTW, if you are interested. I have YET to finish "dragon tattoo". I did finally get 'into' the story but ran out of time to finish it for book club and although I am now truly interested in seeing it through to the end, I am not madly crazy about the story enough to not be able to put it down.

Next up for book club is "Loving Frank". Anybody got any feelings on that book?

I'm slowing heading over to the dark side

So, DH has always spoiled me. Even when we were first married and had very little money, he would find ways to go above and beyond the necessary. He said that ha got a kick from seeing me happy. It's never changed.

I usually have something significant that I want for Christmas that he will get me as my " big" gift. This past year he was puzzled that I had nothing significant on my list. I had everything that I wanted and didn't really have any "wishes".

So what does he do? He got me an iPad. The big 3G iPad. I was stunned and said "but I've never asked for an iPad". He said he knew me and that he knew I would love it. He knows me well.

So although I've always been a PC person, here I was with an iPod, iTouch and now an iPad. Hmmmmm........

Fast forward to this past week. Verizon gets the iPhone. Hallelujah! I have been an Altel customer for over a decade (now Verizon) and had been waiting for this day. I was debating on whether or not to upgrade to the iPhone or not.... Friday night my hubby tells me that Verizon has decided to eliminate it's "new every 2" feature on the tail of getting the iPhone. It seems that they feel that getting the iPhone has given them an edge and that their customers will be so elated from that, they won't balk at the elimination on "ne2" AND that AT&T customers with iPhones will switch to them b/c of their network. Humph!

Verizon is attempting to change the wireless industry in the USA by setting a standard of making their customers pay for their phones each time they upgrade without providing any discounts. Hmmmm, I personally am a fan of good old fashioned competition and providing incentives to customers. AND Verizon has never and doesn't plan on providing rollover minutes. (a pet peeve of mine). Due to this new change in service, I was forced to upgrade my (and DS's) phone by today or forfeit my eligibility for a discounted upgrade. Really? A customer for over a decade and then this? NOT. GOOD. CUSTOMER. SERVICE.

So, off we went yesterday to the 3 major players (AT&T, T Mobile and Verizon) to review our options. Surprise surprise, who had the least accommodating and financially accommodating options? Verizon. Switching to a smartphone would void my current cellphone plan (a vestigial Altel plan) and force me to change to a current Verizon plan (more expensive). Plus their smart phones (even with my NE2 discount) were expensive! Unlimited texting (I DO have a teenager) was ridiculously expensive compared to the other companies. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't stand to be bullied or forced into any decision. Yeah, that's really bad. I WILL do all within my power to go against those decisions. Call me stubborn.

When comparing the other to companies (plans, texting, phone choices) we decided to go to AT&T and I ended up with an iPhone 3G S.

So, now I have an iPod, iTouch, iPad and IPhone. How long do you all think it will be before I switch from a PC to a Mac?

I guess we will have to wait and see.........

(but I love my iPhone!). Tee hee

I've had an Epiphany

Ok, to begin with, let's get some business out of the way. Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged. No, I will not be apologizing for it this time. Here's why:

1. This is MY blog and I should decide when and if I choose to write something.
2. Anyone who knows and likes me will just be glad that I've written something and won't care how long it's been. And finally,
3. If there are people who don't like that it's taken so long for me to write, they probably aren't following me anymore so, who is there left to apologize too?

So, now that THAT'S out of the way. . . .

Like I stated in my title, I've had an Epiphany. No, not the Roman Catholic kind (although we do celebrate Epiphany and I got a nifty new GPS but I digress), a personal kind. . . .

I like my husband.

Surprised? No? Well, let me explain.

Yes, I love my husband. Of course I do. If I didn't I wouldn't have married him or still be married to him 22 years later. But does loving your husband actually mean liking him, as a person independent of being a husband? Unfortunately, I have recently come to believe that the 2 aren't necessarily inclusive to eachother.

It seems that the older I get and the more I actually LISTEN to what people mean when they speak (it's easy to hear but one must actively LISTEN to fully grasp the intent behind words) I've noticed something disturbing. A lot of woman don't necessarily 'like' their husbands despite loving them.

I have come to feel that loving someone is an emotional response whereas likeing someone is an intellectual one. And that, my friends, is the paradox of the husband situation. We fall in love with our heart and in like with our brains and sometimes those two organs are at odds with eachother.

Why do you think that best friends aren't always someone's spouse?


Sure, you love your spouse with all your heart and you get that little fluttery feeling when you think of him/her and it's all safe and sound with them as your partner but,. . . . . . when you need to vent and dish out the dirt or complain about work or try to decide what to do about a given situation who do you turn to? Your best friend. Your bestfriend understands where you stand on issues, what's important to you and what you like on your salad. Your best friend is the person that you are going to talk to when something happens and you just HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT IT. Your best friend is the person who you call when you want to discuss your favorite TV show and how you can't wait until next week to find out where the Tardis is going to be and how the Doctor is so damn cute and how you wish you were british and (oh, dear, let's get back on track - pardon me).

So, there I was minding my own business recently, sitting in bed and multitasking (i.e. watching TV, playing on the computer and attempting to check my email) when I looked over at my husband (also multitasking but replace playing on the computer with reading) and I thought to myself "Self, you have a really great friend sitting next to you right now" and I realized that not only do I love my husband but I like him. Well, the thought didn't just come to me. It was an evolutiono of a conversation in my mind.

I was multitasking and along with all the stuff I previously listed, I was also thinking about conversations I had had with friends/acquantances at work and about complaints they had regarding their spouses/partners. Then I thought, "huh, I don't think I had much to complain about DH today" then the thought crossed my mind "hey, when I complain about DH it's about something that we disagree on usually and not about him as a person" and that lead to "wait, most of the time I hear people actually complain about their spouse/partner with regard to something inherent about them as a person" and that's when I got the BAM "I like my husband" thought.

I leaned over and kissed him on the head and he said "what was that for?" and I said "nothing" and he said "oh, that was sweet. Thanks babe." and continued to multitask.

I sighed and continued to multitask but this time I was smiling.

yeah, I like my husband. I would hang out with him and want to do stuff with him and go out to places with him and invite him over even if he weren't my husband. I'd be his friend even if we weren't married and unfortunately, I think that there are a lot of people out there who, if they truly looked into their heart of hearts, would be able to say that they love their husbands/wives/partners but, if they weren't in love with them, they may no like them per se.

My hubby and I can have mediocre conversations about the trivial things in life or can crack each other up over some stupid comment or show or can discuss deep issues and even agree to disagree (you should see us argue about Capital punishment) and yet, we respect each other and I still like him. Hopefully he feels the same.

That's all.

BTW, I should be trying to finish up "The girl with the dragon tattoo". . . I haven't been totally enthralled with it yet. I think there might be something wrong with me. I just don't get all the hooplah yet. Hopefully it will come to me soon b/c book club is next week and I need to be done. UGH.

carry on

Why Migraines SUCK!

I woke up at 2 am with one of the worst migraines I have ever had. I contemplated cutting off my head a variety of times but then decided that it would make a huge mess either 1) on our relatively new bathroom floor, 2) on our freshly cleaned carpet or 3) on our new set of sheets (let alone on the hubster). So, that idea wasn't going to work.

I then thought of shooting myself in the head but, because of the same reason as well as the fact that we do not own a gun, that wasn't going to work either.

In the end, I took migraine medicine (for all the good it did me), threw up a variety of times (gross I know but if you have migraines, you'll understand. If not, deal), used my trusty migraine relief set (LOVE IT), and suffered through it. I woke with a milder form of the migraine and took, yet again, more migraine medicine.

I have spent the day in bed with icepacks and trying to keep my mind on the nuclear holocaust that is my head. UGH.

Anyhow, I thought I would post because I have the time and I've been a slacker. I wanted to review a new knit shop that opened nearby, Downtown Knits. Michelle has opened an absolutely gorgeous shop in downtown Apex, NC which my friends and I have seen and love. It is a very open and well organized shop. The selection of yarns is still limited but vast enough to suit any knitters needs. Michelle is working on increasing her inventory and is very good about asking knitters in the shop their opinions on what yarns to carry next and in what colors. One thing that I loved about the shop is that she carries many unique yarns from local yarn vendors. For those of us who love to buy "souvenir yarn" this is EXACTLY what we look for when visiting yarn shops while on vacation.

Michelle is lovely, friendly, quirky and a great hostess. She holds a weekly knit night on Fridays and welcomes knitters to BYOB (yeah). I've yet to attend one but once the craziness that is my summer simmers down, you can bet that I will be making the trek out there. If you are in the area, you should definitely give it a shot. I don't think you will be dissapointed.

What else is going on in Chez Knittingnurse you might ask? Well, we are on the final countdown to the BIG TRIP! Paris is t-9 days away and I can't wait. DH has diligently been working on looking up everything that DS and I have asked for and has written things down for our information while we are there. We aren't an "itinerary" vacation kind of family but DH is very good about researching things in the areas we visit so that when the mood strikes us, we can look over his notes and know where to head. He has found a myriad of shops for me to do some souvenir shopping at and I've looked them over to decide which will be the best to visit while we are there. Do any of you have any fave shops that you have been to in Paris? Any suggestions?

We will also be visiting Bruges, Belgium and Normandy while there. I am planning on bringing home some sand from Normandy's beaches. Although I do not have any direct family that fought at those battles, it is an amazing part of American history and I am expecting to get emotional when I am there.

I also am planning on visiting the memorial at the Velodrome d'Hiver since, ironically, we are arriving on the anniversary of the roundup. I had no idea about this dark page in French history until my bookclub read Sarah's Key a few months ago. I really liked the book despite it's dark topic and I was amazed that the trip we had booked last year had us landing in Paris on the morning of the anniversary of this horrible event. Needless to say, I felt compelled to pay my respects at the modest plaque left to remember this tragedy.

What other things are we planning for the trip? Eating, drinking, walking, Fat Tire Bike Tour of Versailles (highly recommended by a coworker) and just 'being'. We recently found out that our hotel for the first leg of our trip recently started providing wireless internet service to guests so, hopefully, I will be able to make some quick posts during our stay.

Lastly, have I told you all that I am now taking my love of photography a bit more seriously? No? Well, I am. After photographing a friend of mine and her boys last year as a Father's day surprise for her husband, I got an amazing response from friends in the neighborhood and recently did an engagement shoot for a coworker. I am actually going to be shooting her wedding as well! AACK!

Here are a couple of shots from the engagement shoot. Let me know what you all think.......

It's Tour Time~

Anybody else watching the beginning of the Tour???? Anyone?

We have a special vested interest this year as we will be present for the end of the race. AAACCKKK!!! So excited!


I need to go run and get me some "livestrong" attire for the event. What are the chances that Lance will end up in the maillot jaune at the end???

Hey everyone

So, I have been delinquent on my "Wonderful Wednesday" postings. Life here has been busy. When did that happen???? I remember being able to post much more regularly. I think it's all because of the evil of FACEBOOK . I wish I was stronger to resist but, I am not. Then there's Twitter. Another time and soul-sucking site. Who is evil enough to have developed these sites? Sigh. I wish I was stronger but I am weak and you just never know what your friends might be doing now, or in 5 minutes or 10 minutes from that or another 5 minutes after that, or, well, you get the picture.

Then there's the Temari.









So, what soul time sucking activities are you addicted to involved in???

Wonderful Wednesday!

I was laying in bed trying to relax enough (and take enough drugs) to get sleepy. During my random flight of ideas while surfing the 'net it occurred to me (have no clue why - flight of ideas remember?) that Wednesdays usually get a bad rap. "Can't wait until humpday is over" is the general consensus. Let me try to explain:

It seems as though Mondays get the respect of being the first day of the week. Yeah, a lot of us don't like that but I know that there are a good many among us (goody two-shoers if you ask me) that like new, clean beginnings and every Monday is just a prize waiting to open up with all sorts of endless possibilities for the week. (Don't take me wrong, I'm no Brenda Ann Spencer but I'm not Pollyanna either). So, good or bad, Mondays are usually a significant day for most people.

Tuesdays. Ah, Tuesdays. Tuesday is the day after Monday. That means that all the aforementioned people who dread the beginning of the work week, now celebrate b/c Monday is over. The week has now started and the pressure of it being Monday is all gone. You are in the thick of it and all is good. (of course all the goody goods are probably still happy as clams because that's how they are).

Thursdays, now that's another highly anticipated day. It's signifies being just one day away from the end of the week. Joy and rapture. The goody goods are happy because they are approaching the end of another goal - a completed, successful week and the rest of us are chomping at the bit for Friday to come.

Friday. Fridays has it's own MOVIE. A MOVIE PEOPLE! That's how much people admire, respect and stand in awe of Fridays. 'Nuf said.

Do I even need to explain Saturdays and Sundays. Yeah, I thought not. I shall continue.

So, what does that leave? That leaves poor little misunderstoond and much maligned Wednesdays. When was the last time you heard anyone say "Man am I glad that it's Wednesday!" or "Wednesdays are so awesome!". Nope instead it's "I can't WAIT for today (our misconceived Wednesday) to be over." What do we call it most of the time? Poor thing, we don't even use it's proper name. Mostly we refer to it as "hump day". Really? Who want's to be known by a name that is also a slang term for fornication? Er, not me!

So, I've decided that here at Chez Knittingnurse, Wednesdays will now be celebrated. Wonderful Wednesdays they shall be called. And, what happens on wonderful Wednesday at Knittingnurse you might wonder? Well, Wednesdays are going to be my day of reflecting on what's wonderful in my life at that moment (ok, not that exact moment but you know what I mean). So in honor of my very first Wonderful Wednesday I present to you what is currently making me happy.


1. Temari. Love my Temari right now. It's very soothing and precise and just right.

2. My son. Yes, he's 13 and can be a pain at times but, he's generally a good kid, has a great and loving heart and thinks that I am the silliest Mom in the whole wide world (shhh - let's not spoil it for him, kay?)
















3. Knitting. Well, if you've read this blog for any amount of time, or have gone back in the archives you understand. Moving on.












4.This Cereal. Have you guys had this stuff yet? If not, run to the store and get some. NOW. It's seriously delicious and it's relatively good for you (0gms of Fat, 0gms of cholesterol, 220mg Sodium, 26gms total carbohydrates and 3gms of protein. Heck! It's even a kosher/parve food! - Seriously, I wouldn't make that up)




5. Books that are about what I lovingly refer to as Vampire Smut. Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, Kim Hatterson's books, P.C. and Kristen Cast's House of Night Series and such. I can't wait until the beginning of the Trueblood series next month!



Yes, I know that my hubby isn't on there. But he's OOT and not returning until Friday so, if I am talking about what's making me feel wonderful and happy, he isn't because he can't and won't be able to until late Friday night. I'm sure he'll be making the list quite often.


Hey, guess what?!? I'm actually yawning so, TTFN!

Today I've done. . well, nothing really.

So, I must say that I have been a very nonchalant blogger as of late (like a few years behind - sorry). But, I do hope to get back into my writing as I truly did enjoy keeping track of what goes on with my life for future prosterity (namely mine as I can't imagine anyone else wanting to read about me back in 1999) - tonight I'm gonna party like it's. . ., oops, flight of ideas. Let's get back to what I was saying shall we?

I have had this week to chillax (love that word) and do very little and I kind of like that except that I then wake up at 4 am with a list of a gazillion things that I should accomplish when I "wake up" (i.e. finally get out of bed) but by the time I do get up, I have no clue what all those things were. See, my husband is out of town on business and I don't sleep well when's he's not home. For anyone that has been reading this blog for any significant amounts of time (and thank you so much for still being here!) you all know that this is very true. So, it takes me forever to get to sleep and then the little thing will wake me up and I can't get back to sleep. It's a viscious cycle. Anyhow, that leads to my useless brain syndrome during the day and thus, very little getting done.

I did however get out today to mail 4 books out for Paperbackswap then go the one of my happy places to get some groceries. It's TRIPLE COUPON TIME and you all know how I love a good coupon deal (ok, newer readers may not know but I am totally a coupon/sale junky).

So, I went, I conquered ($170 worth of groceries for $80 - tee hee), I put it all away and now I am back to chillaxin' and doin' a whole lot of nothing. hmmmmm, maybe hubby being gone isn't so bad after all??

BTW, a couple of friends of my have decided to jump into the world of blogging. Do me a favor and check them out would you? They are 2 lovely, crazy and funny girls. I love them.

Wonky Tonk Life and Paradise Purls

Go on over a visit them and let them know I sent you! ;-)

Why explain?

So, I've a new addiction craft over the last few weeks. It's Temari and I love it. I like the idea that I am doing something that women began to do over 600 years ago. I like the way it feels to make something from nothing. I like the process of picking a design and colors and then working through blending the two. I like the feeling of the needle in my hand and the way the stitches lay next to eachother slowly building the design. I like the way the temari looks when I've completed it. I like seeing them all together and how beautiful they look as a group as well as individually. I like making something beautiful for the sake of beauty itself. I like looking at the finished project and saying "wow, I made that". I like the way DS looks at them and tells me "Mom, that's really cool!" I like the relaxation that comes with the rhythmic stitching and stillness of the needlework. I like TEMARI!

So, WHY do I feel like I must justify myself in this new craft?


Let me explain:

I've been a jack of all crafts my entire life. You name it, I've done it (at least once). Crochet? Check. Macrame? Check. Latch hook? Check. Cross Stitch? Check. Knitting? Check. Card making and stamping? Check. You get the idea. However, I have NEVER had to explain why I do something until I started to make Temari.

I mean, I have had the usual "why would you knit socks when you can buy them?" question but I've never had to answer "what's the purpose of (insert knitted item)?" before. Even when I was making Macrame'd wall hangings (hey it WAS the 70's y'know!) I never had anyone question the point of the completed project. (Even the Sun/Moon macrame wallhanging in the HORRID shades of gold that my Mother insisted on hanging in the living room - God help me).

But make Temari balls and this is the conversation that follows 99.9% of the time after showing the completed ball to someone else:

Me: "Here's my newest Temari."
Them: "Wow, isn't that pretty. What's a temari?"
Me: "It's an ancient japanese craft where you make and stitch these beautiful balls"
Them: "So. . . . . . .what do you do with it?"

EVERY TIME!

Whenever I've shown someone any of my crafts, I've never ran into the "What do you do with it?" or "What's it for?" question before Temari.

My reply is usually "You look at it and say 'Isn't that pretty'!" which inevitably is followed by "Well yes but what is it FOR?"

How do you explain beauty for the sake of beauty? Creation for the accomplishment of creating. But still, there's a nagging feeling of having to justify my crafting with Temari that I've never felt before. Show someone a cross stitched picture of a bunny in a field with trees and no one blinks an eye. Show someone a piece of pulled thread work in an octagonal shape and not a peep. Show someone an abstract painting ala Jackson Pollock - nada. Sand art in an elongated soda bottle? Zip (yep, I did that too!)

Now, I am not saying that any of this is going to slow me down or have me stop stitching Temari but, I find it interesting that the vast majority of responses to these gorgeous pieces of art is "I don't get it".


What's WITH that?


BTW, here's a beauty for you to ponder and admire (b/c you can).

ENJOY!

As time goes by.

he, he, he, just when you thought it was safe to blog. She's back!

Seriously though, how does time go by so fast when you don't expect it to? I mean, look at the date of my prior post. REALLY???? How the heck did THAT happen? I mean, especially when time goes by soooo sloooooowwlly when you are waiting for something. Like a trip to France.

Yep, knittingnurse et al are going to France this summer. FRANCE people! I'm positively giddy about it. What's even better is that DH has been doing his research (as usual) and we then had the following conversation:

DH: "We can't just wear shorts and tennis shoes, people will target us as tourists and we are more apt to get robbed (pick pocketed mostly)".
ME: "Um, so what are we supposed to wear pray tell?"
DH: "Well, it says people dress properly and care about style. Tennis shoes are for tennis. Shorts are for physical exertion type activities, etc. So, we need to dress nicer."
ME: "Examples please"
DH: "DS and I will have to get nicer khaki type pants and buttoned/collared shirts. You will need to wear some summer dresses and such."
ME: "Does that mean??????"
DH: "Yes, you get to go shopping."
ME: {squeals}
DH: "Glad to help."

I've now gotten about 4 adorable dresses all in no iron type fabrics so that they will hold up well in the suitcase. OH, and we are all going to get some "nice" comfortable shoes for walking. Tee hee! Shoes too people!

France, clothes and shoes!

SQUEAL!

Why I love knitting and knitters in general. . . .

Who else can make fun of themselves this way?!!??

How will YOU be remembered?

So, I try not to be a downer here but every once in a while I know that I am. Today, my hubby sent me a link from snopes that truly saddened me. To save you from clicking over, it's about how the following obituary was a TRUE one posted in the Times Herald on August 16th, 2008:

Dolores Aguilar
1929 - Aug. 7, 2008
Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby.

She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.

Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.

There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.

How SAD is that??? I wonder how a family could be this torn apart? How can you live with a family that is so obviously full of hurt and anger? I wondered to myself, "was the whole family this way or just this one particular daughter?"

So I googled "Dolores Aguilar". Thankfully, I DID find an article that was printed in the Times Herald a week after the original Obit was printed. It was a commentary written by a neighbor of Dolores which read as follows:

Loving Dolores
Article Launched: 08/24/2008 08:18:25 AM PDT


I had been told about an unbelievable obituary about a woman who was not loved by her family because she didn't love them. Today, I was given that obituary to read and could not believe my eyes.
This was a woman I knew, and had grown to love.

Dolores Aguilar was my neighbor on Carolina Street for many years. A few days after we first moved there, I was introduced to her by her young granddaughter who was living with her and she was taking care of. I met her husband, Raymond, who loved her very much and she loved in return. They were friends, and comrades in life. Raymond, who worked at Mare Island, died a few years later from asbestos poisoning. He was a very good man.

I spent a lot of time at her house. She adopted me as her granddaughter, too. I was happy to be there, as I loved to hear her stories and her hugs were always heartfelt. Every time she saw me, she would hug me and say, "I love you Nena" or "I miss you." Dolores had many stories to share. She spoke a lot about life experiences, and being strong in the world. The one thing she made sure to tell me was not to lose love.

Although she didn't go to church often (she did not drive), she was a deeply religious woman. She talked a lot about the saints, the Virgin Mary and God. She spoke a lot about Heaven and also about faith and forgiveness. She was excited to go to Mass, dressed to the nines, and heard the service in complete solemnity. Dolores' spirituality may not have been visible to others, but I knew she believed and she had great faith in God.

She often cried for her son, who died in Vietnam. I was honored to be included in a trip with her grandchildren to South San Francisco, to visit her son in the cemetery. The experience was unforgettable. All the way there, she talked about how he was a good person, and how he decided to serve his country and how she often prayed for his safety. She had zest in her eyes when she spoke about him, and she would also stop mid-sentence as she tried hard not to cry. In her frailty, she made the trip to see her baby boy, she touched his tombstone, and whispered "I love you." I didn't hear one word against the government, against the war or against those who killed him. All I heard was that he was a good son, he gave his life for what he believed in, and she missed him terribly.

Dolores had a great love for animals. She welcomed dogs, and spoiled them. She was also good with people, and understood deeply about their paths in life.

What I want everyone to know is that she isn't the woman on the obituary. Because I knew her, and I loved her and she loved me. She was a wonderful woman. She was a beautiful woman. Despite all the different sorrows and pains she may have gone through with her family, she still continued to love.

She made a huge difference in my life. She may not have given me material things, but the pearls of wisdom and her enduring belief and love for me is something I will cherish forever.

Grandma, I love you, and may you truly rest in peace. I miss you and I am forever grateful.

Maria Guevara
Vallejo

I felt a bit better for Dolores but then I thought some more. Why did her daughter feel such loathing for her and yet a neighbor such love and caring? Was it something that her daughter perceived or was it a family 'secret'? Were there two Dolores Aguilars, the cruel family Dolores and the kinder neighbor Dolores? Was Dolores incapable of showing care to her family but still able to be kind to outsiders? Was she somehow frozen in her family life because of some unknown turmoil or tragedy? Did the loss of her son turn her cold towards the rest of her family? WHY could her daughter not see the person her neighbor saw? Obviously this woman was capable of giving, receiving and feeling love. She did so with this neighbor.

WHAT HAPPENED WITHIN THIS WOMAN'S FAMILY LIFE?

So, I say (once again) make sure that those you care about know how you feel. Sometimes it so much easier to be kinder and loving to outsiders because of some unseen circumstance. Whether it be because you think your family/friends/loved one know how you feel or because you were raised to not express yourself to family. Maybe you were raised that showing emotions is weak or unnecessary. Maybe you get caught up in living life and therefore are too busy at home to express your love and caring. Maybe you set too high of expectations within your family and mistakenly withhold care to "toughen" family up. Maybe you are too frightened of being rejected or are being held back by a past tragedy or hurt to express yourself to your closest loved ones.

SCREW ALL THAT!

Be sure that people in your life know how you feel. If they don't return the sentiments, F'em! At least you won't be giving anyone a reason to write an obit about you like the one written about Dolores Aguilar.

Never let yourself be unknown to anyone. Never leave yourself in doubt. Never leave reason for a obit such as the one written for Dolores.

OK, now I KNOW that I am going

straight to hell. All because I find this
extremely funny.

I can't help it and now I am dying to see this movie. (psst make sure you check out the url - too funny!)

Well, and also I just blasphemed (?) the Hail Mary into:

"Hail Harlot, full of lace
the Muses are with you.
Brilliant art thou amongst knitters and
brilliant is the fruit of your hands, JESUS!
Holy Harlot, mother of shawls,
pray for us knitters now and in the hour
of our frogs.
AMEN!"

Um, would anyone like me to save them a seat next to me?

The agony of defeat. . . .

Yeah, I didn't finish my ravelympics project. UGH.

I'm treading on with it and WILL finish it. It's my first sweater for DH so, it will be done. Plus it's coming along so lovely and DH seems to like it so. . .

we'll keep on, keepin' on.


Hey, my book club is coming along lovely and I have finished every book so far. Just read The Seduction of Water and it was great.

We are now reading Eat, Pray, Love and so far, it's good.

Are any of you in a book club? Do you all love to read? What are you reading right now?

Look Ma! No Cancer!

OK, OK, so I suck b/c it's been longer than a week and I haven't posted any other info. Y'all probably thought I died in that time (or something close to it). Thankfully the initial round of tests showed no cancer. I think that's what we are going to end up with and I finally exhaled a week ago today. However, I still need more procedures done, specifically a LEEP procedure. Doesn't sound like fun but, at least I've had a "no cancer" diagnosis so far.

Still nervous about this whole thing. My maternal grandfather and all his siblings have died of some sort of cancer or another. Plus I have a great aunt who had breast cancer as well. So, I've always felt as though "it's coming". I was sure that this was IT but, so far so good. The leep will be next friday, the 22nd. I'll try to post sooner rather than later this time, kay?

OK, onto other news. Can I say just two words to you? OLYMPICS ROCK!! We have been glued to the coverage since last friday. Woo hoo! The olympics were always a magical time in my home while growing up. My parents and grandparents would all be into it and we (my brothers and I) would get to stay up late for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as for the major events.

Can I say that in all the olympics I've ever watched, this opening ceremony was by far the best. EVER. Of course, nothing could go this well as demonstrated by this and now this. Really? Not "pretty enough". How does a 7 year old EVER get over that one? Of course, I don't buy it for one minute that all their gymnasts are at least 16 either. Honestly there are a couple that I would say are 13 at the most. Sigh. Oh well, I'll just enjoy the show and not try to focus on the politics of the whole thing.

Speaking of Olympics, I am participating (snicker) in Ravelympics for Team Hopelessly Overcommitted. I am participating in three events ("freeforallfreestyle", "holidayhandball" and "sweatersprint") with the knitting of this beauty for DH. So, I'm into the body of the sweater and I am desperately trying to work on it as much as my poor little carpal tunnel wrists will allow. I also have to try and squeeze in some reading time for my book club. We are reading "The Seduction of Water" by Carol Goodman. So far, it's been a good book but I just don't have the time to do it all.

AAACCCKKK!!

ooh, I wonder what's on the olympics right now ???

Have you seen this?

THIS is a great site and an amazing way to "recycle" books. So far, I've 'mooched' 2 books (one of which is next month's selection for my book club - SCORE) and now sent 3.

If you are like me and have many books which you've read and which need good new homes, go check it out! By the way, my bookmooch id is "knittingnurse" - SURPRISE!

Knitting continues slowly but surely. Still working on the SOTS-II and some other previous WIPs. I'm trying not to start anything new without first finishing somethinig old. We'll see how that goes. . . . .

Health front: at least 1 week before results come back . . . . . . .

Sharing a funny

Thanks Amy for the heads-up on this!

So good!

Daily Thought

July 15, 2008
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
— Allan K. Chalmers


I am one of those people that sign up for all sorts of stuff in her email. I can't help it. I'm a sucker. One of the things I get is a daily thought. Sometimes I open them, others I just delete. Some of them hit home and others have no impact at all. I am a believer in kismet, synchronicity, karma, fate, call it what you may and I think that things come to you at just the right time when you really need them most. Like when I am really feeling pissy about my life and how "unfair" it all is and then I go to work and take care of someone who has had their world cave in on them. I always take a look up and say "Ok God, I hear you and I will shut up. Thanks for the reminder!"

So, anyway, today's daily thought spoke to me. Not because I am not happy, I am (today is a good day). It's just that happiness can be so fleeting and we often take it for granted.

Now, since my "active" posting a lot has gone on. Hate to repeat but, there was the accident, the hot water heater, the downstairs a/c (replaced last week) and now the upstairs a/c (thankfully we have, since last week, renewed our home warranty contract so it will be, at least partially, covered this time). I am, as I type, waiting for the a/c repair people to come check it out. So, still happy though, why?

Well, because in the last few weeks I have been dealing with another issue that has really made me take a good look at life and what matters and what happiness really is. I am in the midst of a health issue that I have wondered about posting vs. not posting. For right now, let's just leave it as, I am going in next week for further tests and then I will have a definitive answer. I'm not trying to be sneaky, I just would rather wait to have a clear diagnosis (or hopefully not) before typing. As I said, I was debating about whether or not I should post about it until later but, I've been really good about keeping it to myself and I felt I needed a bit of an outlet. So, here's my vague post about the whole thing. Le sigh. Sorry 'bout that. The thing is that I really have a grasp on what truly matters better than I have in the past. I am grateful for that understanding.

So, think of me and say a little prayer if you have a moment. All will be revealed in the next couple of weeks. . . . .


Tonight is swim meet night. Woohoo. Go SHARKS! I should post some new pix of the boy soon. . . . .


Still knitting on SOTS-II but signed up for SOTS-III anyway! Ravelry link.

Things I've done since falling off the face of blogger

1. Recuperated from that REALLY bad accident.

2. Dealt with a ruptured hot water heater (heater in attic - water coming down through second floor and into kitchen on first - fun times)

3. Joined a book club (Woo hoo)

4. Dealt with broken A/C (yep!)

5. Visited my friend for her 40th birthday up in Cleveland!

6. Drove down replacement car for hubby on the way back from Cleveland

7. Got sick on said drive down (on side of road and not in new car - Thank GOD)

8. Helped friend here in NC deal with dog behaviour issues and having to give dog back to breeder (EVERYTHING was tried)

9. Got hooked on "In Plain Sight" and "Swingtown" (hey, I'm allowed some guilty pleasures)

10. Knit unknown quantities of dishcloths (at least 8 or so)

11. Knit this tunic in bubblegum Cotton-ease (ravelry link)

12. Planned a girls weekend away craft extravaganza for August with 3 buddies from my 'hood (ha ha, I said "hood")

13. Dealt with the death of 4 fish (they made the trip all the way down from OH and everything!) - abou 1/month or so - they were old

14. Knit my very first Baby Surprise Jacket (and gave it away without a picture)

15. Got 4 new fish (our pleco was getting lonely)

16. Knit some more on my SOTS-2 (ravelry link again)

17. Bought new living room furniture!

18. Lost 3.5 lbs on Wii Fit!

19. Got hooked on Facebook!

20. Didn't feel guilty about not blogging (well, maybe a little. I DO miss you all)


I will try to get some pictures up of some of my knitting (except the dishcloths - those are already given away)

Mosaic meme

1. 040906 - Mike and Jannett around campfire, 2. Pompon the Sushi Connaisseur, 3. 01-BrieMimiGrandmaNancy, 4. Red Panda, 5. Andy Garcia, 6. Mojito Power, 7. extraordinary symbols, 8. Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Cake and its Chocolate-Ginger Mousse, 9. the Clinquant of Hope, 10. Joy of life, 11. Golden Clouds, 12. Flip Flop Swap Goodies

I totally stole this one from Amy

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.

2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

4. Post your mosaic on your blog.

5. Enjoy!

The questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food right now?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your dream vacation?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. What is one word that describes you?

12. What is your flickr name

Happy Birthday my love, my life

It may seem like an ordinary day to others, but today is the day where I bend knee to thank God for you and the life that we have. What may seem like any other day is the wonderful anniversary of the day that you were born. I'm sure that your parents had no idea on that day that you were to be as amazing as you are. I'm sure that looking at you, they were both in awe and couldn't imagine you being anymore wonderful than you were in that very moment. However, they learned.

They learned about your kindness as you grew and brought home hand made gifts and trinkets. They learned about your intelligence as they were amazed with your accomplishments at school. They learned about your wit with all your quick retorts and the wonderful sounds of your laughter. They learned about your compassion while watching you care for Baron as well as your amazing bonds with friends. They also learned about your mischievousness through all your antics with your cousin and friends. (Boy did they ever learn THAT!)

I, however, had very little time to learn all this before falling helplessly in love with you. You were handsome, kind, smart, funny, bold and strong and I loved you. I loved you and I have since that moment on. There's never been a moment since then in which I haven't loved you with all that I have within me.

Our years together have been peppered with sadness as well as anger. We have disagreed and we have argued as well as crying and laughing. We've moved forward, then backwards, only to push further forward in our lives together. I want you to know that through it all, my love for you has never faltered and, in all the years to come, it never will.

I want to thank you for blessing me with the honor of guarding your love and having our son. To look at him and know that this is something made from both of us and our love amazes me to this day. I shall never be able to repay you for the wonderful gift that our son is to me. Thank you seems so inadequate for all that I have been given by you.

So, today I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE! I hope that this coming year is full of even more joy and happiness for you. I pray that all your heart's desires are fulfilled just as much as you have fulfilled mine. I will try to bring you a fraction of the swonderful life that you have brought me because, I know, that there is no way that I could ever dream of being able to make you as happy as you have made me. I can't imagine my life without you in and am in awe of my luck at having you love me.

Tag you are it!

First, Moriah tagged me for a little meme that's kinda cute and been running around (frankly I'm surprised that any of you are still here with as lazy as I've been about blogging):P. Here be the specifics:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.

My stuff:

1. I am a neat freak at work everything has to be in it's place and any non-essentials thrown away. All my tubings, bags, bottles, syringes must be fresh and dated. However outside of work, I have many multiple piles all over the house and never put the same thing in the same spot twice. Despite this, I know where everything is. This drives my husband insane.

2. I DESPISE putting laundry away. I don't mind washing and drying. I even like folding things the right way so that everything is nice and neat and the same size. . . . .and then UGH! Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate putting it away. What a waste of time! Again, hubby is driven batty.

3. I had two miscarriages before successfully carrying our son. I spotted with his pregnancy and fretted over him the entire pregnancy (although I continued to work until the day I went into labor). I called my hubby with each and every twang putting him into fits of despair I am sure although he was extremely supportive.

4. I was very close to my great-grandmother growing up. She died on the day before my first communion. About 3 years later, I saw her sitting on the edge of my bed waving at me to let me know she was there. My husband thinks it was all a dream. It was in the middle of the day and I know what I saw. Nobody else saw her. Hubby thinks I'm insane on this point. Whatever.

5. My day isn't successful unless I make my patient smile at least once in my shift (barring those days when I am lucky just to keep my patient alive through my shift). There's nothing better than to hear your patient laugh or to see their eyes light up as they smile - especially when they do it despite their breathing tubes, etc. Makes my day every time. No insanity with this one, just some Patch Adams therapy (Ok, maybe a little craziness from me but would you rather have Nurse Ratched?)

6. I got my first (and so far only) tattoo at the age of 36. It took me that long b/c I wanted something that would mean something to me no matter my age AND that wouldn't look silly when I was old (gotta love them grandmas with their skull tattoos or birds/flowers on the breasts- NICE) and give my family something to be horrified about. I settled on the Univ of Miami split "U". It's on my lower back. Yeah, it's a tramp stamp but I like it and it isn't going to turn into some unidentifiable blob when I am old. Hmmm, does that make me crazy?

hmmmmmm I think I am going to tag. . . . . .

1. A Nurse who Knits

2. Knitting RN

3. Nurse Shar Knits


Oh, and BTW, could you tell that I had a fabulous day at work today?????!!!!???