07.02.09

Have you made the ginger tea I suggested a few weeks ago? We have many times. It is soo refreshing. I even crave this drink. You really must try it.



Courtney and I found some stirring sticks the other day at Pier 1. They are great for this tea since some of the spices tend to settle to the bottom. They look pretty too.

Remember the colorful nursing uniforms I showed you awhile back? Well it seems as if things have almost come full circle. Starting July 1st, our hospital has gone to RN's wearing only white and navy blue. No more colorful, fun prints on my uniforms.



It really is quite boring to look in my closet now. One of the biggest complaints from patients on surveys is that they don't know who the nurse is. So our hospital has decided that this will set us apart and our patients will know when it is a nurse that has come in to visit with them. They feel that is a more professional look. The aides are now only allowed to wear beige and white. Courtney is NOT thrilled with that color choice!! Time will tell if this really is beneficial for the patient. At least we have done our part to stimulate the economy of the stores selling nursing scrubs. Thank goodness we aren't required to wear all white.

More Randomness

Just cleaned out my linen closet upstairs. It looks so much better! I'm procrastinating before I start the next project. How better to procrastinate than to post on my blog?

Courtney and I chose to help Ed clean out the garage for his Father's day gift. I have some before pictures, but we're far from done, so no after pictures just yet. I'll post them when we are done.

I planted a few vegetables in some pots on the back patio this year. It's kind of exciting to see to see the little veggies emerge.



Cute little beans don't you think?!



On Sunday, Ed and I went to the Woodruff Place Home and Garden Tour. It was a beautiful day to stroll through the quiet neighborhood. The houses ranged from a small bungalow to over 7,800 square feet. Several of them had carriage houses as well. Some of the houses had been completely remodeled, others were in the process. One home was completely gutted except for an area at the back of the house that had been completed for the family to live in. There were a lot of people from the neighborhood walking around and visiting in the houses. It seemed like a very friendly neighborhood and they have lots of activities going on. There weren't many houses for sale in the neighborhood, but there were a few that looked like they were in need of a major remodel. I don't know that we have the energy to do that kind of project anymore.

I hardly took any photos. When there are so many people milling around I feel wierd pulling out my camera. I loved these concrete stepping stones.



They would be fun to make and create a colorful walking path and add some character. You could tell that the person who owned this house was artistic.

How about this relaxing scene? (That is a carriage house you see in the background behind the fence.)



Wouldn't that be a great place to get lost in a book? We headed home to relax in our own hammock instead.

Work was crazy and very busy the last few days. I actually agreed to work an extra day this week and now I'm thinking I was nuts to do so. It did get me out of working my holiday on Saturday though!

Ok, enough procrastinating, off to clean some more.

Randomness

I bought some limes today when I was at the grocery store. I thought I'd try one of the centerpiece ideas I posted a few weeks ago.



Let's just say they look better in the pictures. I definately need more practice/instruction on flower arranging also.

Ed was gone in England last week. I had plans to get a lot of sewing done, but I only got one project finished. I just didn't seem to have the motivation to get the other ones done. Lots of plans though.



The legs on these pj pants are a little wide. I have material to make Courtney a pair, so will decrease the diameter a little. The material and pattern are from Amy Butler.

I think today was the warmest day we have had so far this year - just couldn't seem to keep the house cool this afternoon. I'm so very thankful for air conditioning!

Off to work in the morning.

Father's Day 2009

We had a quiet day here on Father's Day. I was actually supposed to work on Sunday, but they requested that I work last Tuesday instead. I didn't argue with that one! (I don't like to work on Sundays and miss church.) Courtney was the only "child" home, so she and I planned a meal for Ed. We actually all took a power nap right after church before we fixed dinner and felt so much better the rest of the day.

I tried a new recipe and made german chocolate brownies. Ed is a big german chocolate cake fan, but had some really good g.c. brownies at the Clabber Girl Bake Shop in Terre Haute, IN. We have tried to find some as good as those and so far have failed.



I made these from scratch. They came close, but not as good as I remember. I'm going to try tweaking the recipe a little and see if we like it better. The brownies are almost gone, so they must have been ok.

Ed and Courtney played tennis in the afternoon, until the rain cut that activity short.

We watched an action film, Batman Begins, while enjoying popcorn, brownies and ice cream.



I have been blessed with an wonderful husband, who is also an incredible dad! I am so thankful that being the dad God wants him to be has been, and continues to be, a priority in his life. All of his choices revolve around what is best for his family and he has worked so hard to provide for all of us. We love you Ed and couldn't ask for a better dad/husband.

Bathroom Divider Ideas

Too bad I didn't see these ideas when we were updating the downstairs bathroom.

A "soap-screen."





Or how about toilet paper?



These ideas are by the designer Gary Hutton.

These ideas would not have worked in our little bathroom, but they are fun nontheless!

Happy Birthday Sonya!

Happy Birthday Greetings to our daughter in law Sonya. We are so thankful for the years we were close by to celebrate this day together, and sad that we won't see her today. She is so perfect for Matt and we are so thankful to have her as part of our family. She lights up the room with her smile! Have a great birthday today Sonya. We love you.

(She shares her birthday with her dad. How special is that? Happy Birthday to Verlyn as well!)

A New Tree

Ed and I stopped at Lowe's on the way home from church today. I went to look at the flowers and trees while he picked up a piece that he needed. The sign by the trees said they were 50% off, so we decided to pick one up for the front yard. It actually rang up at $19.95. That was 75% off. So, we are able to fill in one of the spots in our yard with a nice Pin Oak Tree.

Saturday Slacker!

Once again while Ed worked at home I went galavanting around on Saturday. I checked out Things to do in Indianapolis earlier in the week to plan my day. I stopped on my way downtown at Starbucks (thanks Mark and Rosie) for my morning coffee. I also stopped at Boyden Bakery for some honey bars.



They don't look all that impressive, but they taste great! I even took some home for Courtney and Ed.

Indy Craft Mania and the Talbot Street Art Fair were in the same area downtown, so I headed there. Indy Craft Mania was at the Harrison Center for the Arts. I bought some home made goat milk soap.



The booth was manned by an adorable 10 year old boy. He had the whole sales pitch down. Very polite little guy. I just couldn't resist! The soap smells pretty good too.



I saw this brass fountain at the Talbot Street Art Fair. It sounded so soothing. I called Ed to see if he wanted me to bring one home, but I resisted when he asked me what he would have to do to hook it up. I don't need to give him any more projects to do. We didn't need to spend $450 on a fountain either.

Ed and I went to "Shakespeare in the Park" in the evening with several couples from our small group. It was a free performance in a local park. We were sprinkled on a little bit. It was a good performance even though I didn't understand all of what was going on in the play. I'll have to read up on it. We went for blueberry pie at Scott and Beth's afterwards. A fun ending to the day.

Visiting the Dentist

I went to the dentist yesterday for my routine cleaning and check-up. Unfortunately I had a tooth with a crown on it that needed some work. I thought crowns lasted forever, but I learned that they do not. Anyhow, I spent two hours there today with my mouth open. I'm so thankful that someone invented this gizmo that keeps your mouth open enough for them to work on your teeth and suctions all at the same time!! It definately decreases the discomfort from holding your mouth open for hours at a time.



Our dentist has a few "special touches." After you have had dental work done they give you some Advil & Tylenol while you are still there and they give you a coupon for a free milk shake. They had to cut away on some of my gums today, so they sent me home with more Advil & Tylenol and said I definately would need it! I went to pick up my shake and thought I deserved some "comfort food" so stopped at McDonald's for french fries. Definately not on the Weight Watcher's plan.

Off to eat my fries before all the numbness wears off and my mouth is too sore to eat anything.