Last night I went to Susie's house: friend and former co-worker. She had a Pampered Chef party and had a really good turn out. There were about 5 of us that used to work together but two left before I took the picture. In the picture is me, Susie and Marilyn. I see Marilyn every once in a while where I work now and occasionally for lunches too. I admit, I miss the group of people I used to work with. "Years" ago we were such a tight knit group of nurses that worked well together under Henri...and now, it's just different. Anyway, the party was fun and of course I didn't need anything but ordered another stone (love mine to back cookies on), a pizza cutter and some kind of little sandwhich cutter.......figured it would be fun to make for Matthew. Still not sure if any new gadget will motivate me into cooking!!!

The painter guy is finally here (45 min late) and I've got to point out the places he missed yesterday. Hope you all have a great day!

Progress....

Finally some paint on the walls! Yeah!! And best of all, I love the color. I worried it might be too dark but now that some of it is on the walls and it has dried, I can't wait to put my stuff back on the walls and see it all done. So far my only complaint of this process is that this guy has been late everyday. I can understand their laid back schedule and they probably don't usually have someone at home. But I am home...waiting! And obviously getting very annoyed. Note to self: It's rude to be late.

Life is too short and YAZ

I know...I don't blog for a while and now I can't stop. I've been inspired by a couple of people but mostly being stuck home with the painter guy (who was an hour late) has given me way too much time alone with my thoughts....or maybe it is the paint fumes! First, what is the deal with the whole Anna Nicole saga? I certainly hope they have embalmbed her or restoring her body is going to be a nightmare. Yes, I think I may have watched too much of the show Six Feet Under! I think this should be a wake up call for everyone "our" age.....make a will, decide who you want to watch your children, get life insurance and set up a health care DPOA. Have I done any of this, well do have life insurance. My great high school friend Renee posted a link to a relatives blog about a local woman named Jennifer Ireland. By the time I knew about the blog, Jennifer only lived for a few days more. She had been diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 27. Her story was mentioned several times on Mix 93.3 here, the Kansas City Star and after readingy EVERY post Jennifer and her husband Chris, wrote, I've been changed. Probably why I'm motivated more to make out a will etc. If you have a chance, check out the blog at http://jenniferireland.blogs.com/weblog I will warn you....grab the kleenex if you read a lot of it. Their little girls are so young and so cute. Such an inspiring story.

Secondly, I want to talk about my new med YAZ. If you don't want to read about girl problems, then skip this paragraph and yes, I will eventually delete it as I know this isn't something for Matthew to have to read later! So, I started YAZ about 2.5 weeks ago and I don't remember having so much problems when I started Yasmin 2 years ago. I have cramps almost 24 hours a day, (okay, how many readers did I loose there) and my right side hurts like it did before I had to have surgery for my endometriosis. So, I guess I'll just be patient and let my body get used to things and hope things get better. Anything to avoid the knife again! I know......I'm a whimpy nurse I know! Hopefully the inconvience and pain will all be worth it in the end.

I think that is it for now. Still NO paint on the wall but I think it's getting close. Looks like there is a lot of mud on the damaged walls at least and it is almost 50 outside.

The Repairs Started

The repair and restoration process started today. There is some tape on the floor boards and some mud on the walls. Pictures are down and nail holes filled. I can't wait to see how the paint looks on the walls! It's the same color at a close friend's house and it looks great there....so, I'm hoping it will look just as clean and classy here. You might have noticed the big white patch over the fireplace mantle. Actually, there are TWO. Yep.....I tried to hang the picture myself....and hammered in a dry wall anchor into a stud. Twice. If you understand how stupid that was.....you can stop laughing now! Well, it is out now and I won't make that same mistake again. We got the piano moved this morning and I finally got the border all off in the basement and the walls cleared. The house just looks so weird.......bare and like I just moved in. The old curtain holders are off the walls too.....and those massive holes are filled too. Basically I was busy the whole day but did manage to get caught up on the last 2 episodes of ER I had taped. I can't believe that show is in it's 13th year. With the addition of John Stamos it has markedly improved this year. Speaking of tv....I'm STILL hooked on General Hospital. I joke that this is why I became a nurse but seriously, I've never seen a nurse on there do any real "work".

Tomorrow should bring paint on the walls and warmish weather again! Today was in the low 60's....I had the front door open and it was so nice to let the fresh air in! I can feel Spring on the horizon.

I almost forgot a cute thing that Matthew said last week on one of our snow days: He told me how thankful he was that I was his mom. Yes, I totally teared up! He said he was glad I was looking out for his safety (making sure he wears his seatbelt.....it is a rule if you're going to ride with me!) and that I was his favorite. He has such a good heart and is so sweet and sensative....a total Miller trait!

I'm BACK!

Okay, first off, I am fine, the family is fine, I've just been busy. I know...totally no excuse! What on earth have I been so busy doing? Well, getting ready for the painters and dry wall guys to come tomorrow. I've been taking off the border in the basement, vacumming, packing up all of the belongings in the china hutch and getting everything down from above the kitchen cabinets and off the walls. I'm litterally exhausted and glad for an excuse to sit down and finally blog. I wish I had a before picture of the basement to show all of the hard work I really did taking off the Americana border. I'm so glad to be getting rid of the themed room. Did I mention we had two snow days in all of this mess too? Matthew was a big help in picking up all of the border off the floor after I pulled it off the wall. He loved being a special helper. So the painters show up at 9:30 in the morning and are here until Friday and maybe Saturday then the hard wood floor repair and restoration starts on Monday. It should be a fun two weeks.

So, since the kitchen, family room and down into the basement (and hopefully basement) is going to be painted, I've decided to change colors and curtains and of course curtain rods. I found some super cute ones at.......where else? TARGET! I looked at JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Linens and Things, Bed Bath and Beyond and ended up liking the stuff at Target the best. Well, truth be told, I LOVED the Pottery Barn the best, but I am on a budget. I'll see how the paint looks first before I make a final decision. I found a new black and white print for the basement too but it remains on my wish list for now. I ended up going to a different Target today and found a little bit of STL......a Chick Fil-A. It really hit the spot too.

So is everyone watching American Idol? Speaking of reality shows, I was watching Rachael Ray this morning and she had Colby from Survivor and OMG it was so good to see him again! He is such a gentleman too. I seriously still love it when a man treats a woman like a woman. Not that I don't like the occasional whistle or two (been a while though!) but I do like it when a guy opens the door for me. Chivarly is not dead......at least I hope. I must bring up QT again. People always open the door for each other there.

Thanks for hanging in there with this long post. Since I'll be "trapped" at home with the painters here, I'll try and blog more.

Time to GO!!

Today was a day of cleaning . I guess the 60 degree weather yesterday finally motivated me to start this massive project. I started with Matthew's closet. I don't think we have seen the floor in 6 or so years. My friend from work Lindsey came over and went through some of Matthew's clothes and shoes. It was fun to look at the tiny baby shoes and then send them to their new home. She also took the crib as well. I will admit there was a little bit of sadness and some closure today but I am ready to move on. I see a lot of Lindsey in myself and she has been one of the people I've bonded quickly with at the new hospital. She told me yesterday the doctor doesn't want her working anymore. To say I'm crushed is putting it lightly. She is a great clerk and really keeps things running smoothly. She is about 24 weeks and has pre-eclampsia.......right about the same time that I went on light duty. See......lots in common. Hopefully the crib and clothes will help out. Please pray for the rest of Lindsey's pregnancy and her husband, as has just been laid off! Matthew totally thought Lindsey was here to see him and he even threw in a couple of toys for the baby.

A Blast from the Past

I often ponder if in my job do I really make a difference in anyone's life. I assume I do in some way but I just never really know.....well, until today. I had heard we were getting an admit this evening.....and she had an unique last name and one that I had heard before.......but YEARS ago.....like back in 1993 or 1994. I was a young new nurse who was very green....quiet and painfully shy too. I know....hard to believe. While we were sitting at the desk, I told my co workers about this patient I remembered: He was a prominent police officer, was off duty and in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was punched in the left eye by a guy who had spent some time in prision, where he had learned how to box. It was a huge hit to the eye and he ended up finding out he would loose his sight in his eye and thus his job in the homicide area of law enforcement. It was that day, that I caught him smoking in the bathroom. And boy did I make a big deal about it. He felt bad for breaking the rules and I felt bad that he was going to loose his eye sight. He had a ton of visitors and one that sticks out in my memory. Again......remember then, I was really shy! The patient told his friends that I caught him smoking so they sent a rokie cop to find me......who pulled out his handcuffs and asked me if I wanted to use them. Oh I'm sure I turned 10,000 shades of red. Long story short......it was my former patients mom that was admitted today. So, I went up and asked him if he had been a patient where I used to work and HE REMMEBERED ME as vividly as I remembered him. He said he had often wondered if I had stayed in health care and I had always wondered what he ended up doing for a living etc. He said I made such a difference in his hospital stay with my positive attitude, skilled nursing and my humor. Yes, I've been on cloud nine ever since!