Not Me Monday-I'm a Geek!

WOW! I can hardly believe it is NOT ME MONDAY again.

Yes, I am joining MckMamma for this fun blog carnival.

I highly recommend it!

"Computer geek"… who said that?!

I am NOT becoming a computer geek!

Well, programming and knowing all about

the innards of a computer is (really) not what I am talking about!

I am NOT spending many hours on the computer each week.

Between work…

My blog…

Emails… Online Bill-pay and budget management…

I am NOT spending way too much time online!

This would NOT be appropriate for a wife-mom-nurse-type.

I should be spending more time…

Cleaning…

Cooking…

Sewing…

Attending to my family’s every beck and call...

Not… I like being a computer geek!

Off to surf!

My Bedside Table, Revealed

Reading Hilary’s post over at A Look into our Lives inspired me to do as she did and reveal my bedside table ")

I really loved her post.

I thought it was a great way to get to know someone better.

So, here goes: My Bedside Table, Revealed

1) The usual suspects…lamp,telephone, tissue, alarm clock

2) Pretty glass vase-I love colored glass

3)Rock-To throw at Firehubby when he snores. JUST KIDDING! (ooh, I’m in trouble now!)

Actually this rock means the world to me. It is a candle holder.

When Firehubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary,

we went to Vancouver Island, Canada.

It was an incredibly romantic trip. The inn had one of these in our room, made by a local artisan. Special memories.

4)Black Ticonderoga pencils- Never know when a story will come to mind. They are my version of a laptop.

5)My latest reads…

All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg

My new passion, reading about women who lived in eras past and have overcome adversity.

The author tells of his life growing up in the Old South, with a focus on his hard working, self-sacrificing mother.

He is a phenomenal writer and I am clinging to each word.

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

A sweet neighbor just dropped this by as a special gift.

I am looking forward to finding out why I came to her mind as she read it.

New Jack by Ted Conover

An autobiography about a prison guard…don’t ask! “)

Our Mother-Daughter Journal by Julie and the Princess

This is a special book in which the Princess and I write little notes to each other.

After we make a special entry, we tuck it under each other’s pillow.

Sometimes it’s a gratitude journal, sometimes a chance to say sorry, a special love note…I love our book.

I thought this was fun. Maybe you will be inspired too!

Memorial Day and an unexpected loss

I’ve missed you, my friends. I hope you had a terrific weekend!

I really had a good weekend…

Time with my family

Driving through the Riverside National Cemetery and taking time to really wrap my mind and the minds of my family around the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Watching over 6,000 motorcycles parade through town as they honored those who've sacrificed for their country.

For now, that is all the energy I have at this moment to explain my blog silence.

Yesterday was hard…running my bereavement support group is usually enough emotional exertion for one day. I feel so privileged to do it and thankfully, I have the personal resources to handle it.

But...

Yesterday was different…when I returned to the birth center, I found out that a pregnant mother had died.

A devastated family raced to the hospital after hearing they had lost a precious wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece…

Nurses and doctors attended to their patients with sadness beyond sadness...

Some were at home, tossing in their beds, fighting for sleep, pushing nightmares out of their head, asking God "Why this woman, why me?"....

Oh, how I wish I could give you the details…but it is not the right thing to do

I can tell you this. There truly was nothing that could have saved this poor lady and her baby.

It was beyond human intervention.

Prayer. Presence. Listening.

These are the only human measures that can benefit the people who mourn this lovely lady and her unborn baby.

Today, I am hurting.

But my pain is minimal compared to that of a family who eagerly anticipated the joy of a new baby, but now plans a funeral.

My Home: A Blank Canvas

Perfectionists.

We can be perfectionists at times.

All or nothing.

That was true of our decorating. All or nothing.

Well, we leaned towards “nothing” for a good 7 years.

Bare walls. No pictures. Old furniture

Do it right, or don’t do it at all.

Then I found my inspiration…

Domino magazine.

I loved this gals funky taste.

Vintage prints.

Simple.

Blues.

So we went for it!

Loved this so much, I just outright copied it!

My green does not photograph well.

It has much more life than this!

Chalkboard paint (another exact copy, just had to do it!)

Firehubby drew the line here! DARN!

Looks like fun to me!

(Update:My awesome bloggy friend Mighty M just told me that Domino Magazine went out of business. I have just confirmed it. What a shame.)

True Story Tuesday

Rachel at Once Upon a Miracle is such an awesome bloggy friend that I cannot resist joining her in her really fun blog carnival...
When I was a nurse in Hawaii, I had a roommate and he was so cute. We actually shared a bed. He slept in it when I wasn’t home.

It has crossed my mind that he may have snuck into bed with me at night, when I was actually home. But it really gives me the heebeegeebees to think about it.

Now firehubby is gonna be so mad that I posted his picture (and even told this story), but, I tell you this guy was special to me!

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He was my own little gecko (maybe I was his "own girl" as he lived there before me).

He was actually a better roomie than in my previous Hawaiian condo, but that will have to wait for another TSTuesday!

Ok, Ok, this is not actually him. But, I'll bet this is his cousin.

Come on, the guy was adorable!

Who can resist those awesome little feet.

There was one big down-side to having him as my roommate:

Every morning that I came back from work, I had to change my pillow case. My roomie always left me a special "present" to show how much he loved me.

Ok, that was not so cute, or sweet!

Yep, this is my true story!

I know your day wouldn't have been the same without hearing it ")

Happy Tuesday!

Not Me Monday- Birth Day Edition

May 18th, 2009

Happy Not Me Monday everyone. It's a great day to join MckMama at My Charming Kids in this fun blog carnival-Not Me Monday.

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In honor of Scout’s birthday I have decided that I will NOT embarrass him (and myself) and share a little about his actual BIRTH DAY.

So, here is part of the story of a crazy L&D nurse having a baby after 7 years of helping other women have babies...NOT ME!

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When it was becoming clear that I was going into labor, I did NOT think it would be a great idea to have a nice Mexican dinner. After all, I would be breastfeeding and who knows when I would be able to enjoy beans and spicy food again...

I realized that was NOT a huge mistake when my tiny newborn was squealing and then having major TOOTS just hours after he had his first meal of

Spicy Mexican colostrum!
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For years, I did NOT fantasize about how I would spend my time getting through

early labor. Yes, I was sure that I would labor in the bathtub. That would be so relaxing...
NOT! I got in the tub and didn’t even get through the first contraction before I literally jumped out of the bath water. I did NOT spend the next couple of hours on my hands and knees, washing the kitchen floor.

No, it did NOT feel better than any bath that I could have imagined.
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Acting like my own nurse NEVER crossed my mind. I did NOT fill out my own admission assessment, put myself on the monitor, and give myself an IV bolus when my blood pressure bottomed out after my epidural.

And finally, I did NOT scream “GET. IT. OUT!” as my baby was crowning.

(no one told me it hurt really bad at the end!)

I did NOT freak out at that moment thinking that everyone at the nurse's station might have heard!

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Happy 12th Birthday Scout!

(Thanks for forgiving me for the salsa and refried beans!)

A Moment to Treasure

Firehubby is at work tonight. I’ve been catching up on reading blogs and erasing shows off of my DVR…

A few minutes ago I was startled by the sound of sobbing coming from upstairs. Racing up the staircase, I found my boy standing in the hallway crying his eyes out.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?

“Yes, I’m fine,” he replied.

“Then why are you crying?” I asked, as I led him to the edge of my bed to sit down and talk.

“I’m crying because I had such a good day today that I don’t want it to end.”

Oh my gosh, how sweet.

I have to admit, I have not heard anything like this before. Sitting beside him, watching the tears stream down his face, I was simply baffled, but in a good way.

“So, what made today so very special?” I asked him, after he calmed down.

He shared that the wonderful parts of his day were when:

· I woke him up this morning and told him he could sleep in while I went to work on a special project downtown.

· I called him and told him that he could have his left over birthday cake for breakfast “)

· he enjoyed watching TV for a long time.

· he playing his new Risk game, by himself.

· he had so much fun playing his new DSi.

· I left him home alone for the first time for an extended time.

· he and his sister watched the new DVD I bought (Hotel for Dogs).


I was learning something about my boy. He is very sensitive, maybe even sentimental.

Tonight my heart just melted.

He will be 12 years old on Monday. He will go off to middle school in a short 3 months.

I loved this moment tonight. I like the young man my little boy is growing into.

Wordless Wednesday

p.s. I'm looking forward to posting a new Stories From the Delivery Room on Friday ")

Not Me Monday- The Bad Mommy Edition

Yep, I’m joining MckMama again this week for her awesome blog carnival. I think I shall take this opportunity to make a couple of confessions…

Let’s just establish that this is NOT my daughter’s fish bowl!

I would NOT let her put off this chore for a month(or more)!

I just would NOT allow this! NOT this awesome mommy ;)

When I was little, I did NOT do the same thing with my fish.

My fish did NOT live to be older than any fish

in the neighborhood because of this loving care!!!


Next, I want to say “Happy Belated Mother’s Day” to all of you babymomma’s.
I helped two sweet ladies celebrate their mommyhood yesterday.

One C-Section, one natural.

I do NOT love my job!


We celebrated my Mother’s Day Saturday night.

I did not buy myself this cupcake bouquet on Friday when

Firehubby got called away so suddenly because of the fires.

(I did NOT leave it sideways because I am running out the door

to go to a conference!)

Well, those cupcakes did NOT call my name…they did NOT haunt me!

I did NOT sneak one from the bouquet on Friday night!

NO, that would have been WRONG!

Then, I did NOT strategically move the cupcakes into place as to avoid being caught by my family.

That could ruin the specialness of the great celebrations.

NOT ME! “)

Happy Not Me Monday!!!!