Tuesday 05.31.2016

Another great day!

Worked.  Busy, but a good day, with The Best Co-Workers Ever.

A quiet night.

Hoping to run tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 05.30.2016

Another great day!

Went out for a run. Breakfast, then washed the car. Put that stuff away, showered.

Gathered a few things and headed to Flushing.

Top down, was a nice ride.

Lo Lo was still on the bed; she has a hospital bed now, and seems to be helpful for getting her in and out of bed. She woke a short time after I arrived. We had a nice conversation while Diane spent some time outdoors.

We fixed supper and enjoyed our summer feast.

A short while later I headed back home.

Tomorrow is a work day.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 05.29.2016

Another great day!

Sunshine and blue sky. A little cloudy with "bird-spit" rain, enough to make the dust stick.

I've done 3 loads of laundry, food prep, cleaned both bathrooms. Installed the under-cabinet radio, grocery shopped, fueled the car, watered the plants and changed the water in the bird bath. Cleaned the kitchen, had supper, and missed sitting outdoors on this beautiful day.

But I got some things done.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit the Faix girls.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 05.28.2016

Another great day!

Went out for a run, between light rain showers.

Breakfast, shower.

Frank came over, and together we disassembled an air conditioner that I had gotten a couple months ago from Craigslist. It was really dirty and smelly. The plan was, that if it doesn't smell better when we're done, I hoped to find a great sale this weekend.

The good news is, it wasn't too bad to take apart, it wasn't too bad to put back together. We shop-vac'd everything we could. I took a couple pieces in the house and washed them in the sink with scrub brush and tooth brush. Frank went through a couple buckets of water wiping off the cases and whatever else was exposed.

He carried it inside and upstairs (strong like bull--the thing weighs almost 100 pounds). It installed easily in the window and blew out cold air.

I'm looking forward to sleeping in a cooler room tonight.

Ahhhhh......

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 05.27.2016

Another great day!

A nice work day with The Best Co-Workers Ever.

Got home a little late, had a quiet night.

Hope the weather is good tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 05.26.2016

Another great day!

Went in to the J.O.B.   Umm, you're not on the "daily sheet"....

Th "master" schedule is that I would work Thursday and Friday of this week. The scheduler, who of course knew I was at the Ed Fair for 5 consecutive days, took me off of the schedule for today.  I didn't look at the schedule, and she didn't notify me of any changes.

There were lots of patients, though, and it was decided that I would stay and be "helping hands".  Turned out that it was a good thing.  Procedures right off the bat that I jumped in and assisted with, and several other pieces of patient care. As well as coverage for breaks and lunches.  (what a novel idea....)

Enough patients had discharged, and the remaining work was manageable for them. I left about 3pm.   Nice.

I had a nice afternoon. I put a few things away, made a couple of business calls, sat out on the porch.

Prepared a small salad for supper and had a quiet night.

Tomorrow I am on the "daily sheet".

Thank  you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 05.25.2016

Another great day!

Went out for a run.  Lots of side streets, so there are lots of options. Enjoyable to be away from the main road. Beautiful sunshine and birdsong.

Breakfast, shower.

Went out for fresh veggies and fruits; fixed food and ate.

Spent part of the evening on the porch, watching the crew restore a yard from a house that had been razed last week. I think I saw 4 yards that looked the same way while jogging today.

A quiet rest of the evening.

Tomorrow is a work day.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 05.24.2016

Another great day!

Last session of our Ed Fair. Largest group, and with diligent navigation through the "stations", we got everyone through fairly smoothly.

Took it all apart, loaded into our vehicles or back over to the main building, and met over at Olive Garden for a celebration.

We did good.

Back at home (finally) I put some things away before going out on the porch to enjoy the great weather.

A quiet rest of the night.

Tomorrow is catch-up day around the house.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 05.23.2016

Another great day!

Two sessions of the Ed Fair; both went very well. Lots of positive feedback from the awesome staff.

Came home, went out in the garage to check things out. Winged ants on the outside of the back corner. Termites??!  I got the spray, but saw that they were traveling up on the rafters. Ugh. I'll send a message to the owners...

Got my bicycle ready to ride--aired the tires, cleaned off the winters' dust, checked the brakes.  Looks like it's all good.

Had supper before going out for a ride.

What a beautiful evening!  I had seen a trail nearby, and went in search of it.  Maybe a mile-plus away, I found it. A short stretch along the river, with signage. It's been mowed, has a couple of bridges, and obviously maintained. Maybe a half mile/mile or so long.

And I got back home.  Up-hill. I rode pretty good. Pleased that I got to the top. And a block or so later, I decided to walk another block or so.  Yikes--jelly legs!!!  I laughed at myself and the way they felt.

I rode the rest of the way, though, and enjoyed it.

Tomorrow is the last session, and tear-down, and taking all the stuff back over to the main building.

Thank you for reading.  Hugs.

Sunday 05.22.2016

Another great day!

Was able to run this morning. Enjoyed the sunshine and the flowers and the blue sky.  Ahhhh......

Showered, breakfast, ate, made muffins, took them while warm to our education session. The session went very well--and it was the largest group (23) we've had. The remaining 3 sessions will be full, also.

And there are two tomorrow, starting at 0730.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 05.21.2016

Another great day!

Both sessions of our Ed Fair went very well. Our Manager came through--she likes to participate to have the same experience as the staff--and called it "phenomenal"!   (that's what we think, too....)

Home this evening, I cleaned the crock pot from the soup I had made for our lunch, did another load of laundry, had a small salad, sat outdoors and enjoyed the birdsong.

Tomorrow is an afternoon session.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 05.20.2016

What a great day!

The Ed Council met at 12:30, getting our displays and equipment transported to the other building to set up for our Ed Fair.

We broke for food about 4:30. First session started at 6 and ended a little earlier than we had predicted, at 9:30.  It went very well, better than any of the previous fairs' first sessions, with encouraging feedback from the staff.

Tomorrow we have 2 sessions, starting at 10 am. It will be a long day.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 05.19.2016

Another great day!

Went to the eye doctor to check the vitreous detachment. She seemed surprised that the "blotch" in my visual field hadn't moved yet, and suggested waiting another 6 months. Evidently, the vitreous fluid is supposed to thin out as we age, so that the "floaters" are able to move out of the visual field.

I'll try to be patient as the days go by. It sure is annoying to have that smudge in the way.

I stopped at a couple of stores on the way home.

Put a load of laundry in, then sat outdoors in the sun, watching the robin enjoy the fresh water in the bird bath. He splashes quite loudly! The birdsong was loud today, too.

I potted a few of the tomato seedlings that I was given.

Back inside, I got things together for the Ed Fair tomorrow. Got my food together, prepared the soup for Saturday, fixed supper and ate, cleaned the kitchen.

Big day tomorrow, setting up and having the first session.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 05.18.2016

Another great day!

Woke up feeling "punky", tried to figure out why.

I've felt like there has been a lot of lymph fluid accumulating; maybe those toxins are affecting me??  Good thing today is massage day.

Went to the morning meeting, semi-final before the Ed Fair. Next meeting Friday afternoon, first session Friday evening. (staff request for evening sessions. This is how it worked out.)

Went home, had lunch, went to Leah's.

She seemed surprised when she found a couple of different areas that needed a little more work. I was surprised, too, especially when I became queasy as the fluids were being moved out. Ugh.

But I did feel better when she was done.

I drank another bottle of water, and by the time I got home, I was getting quite drowsy. A couple of light chores, then I rested on the sofa for an hour or so.

More water, a bite to eat, and a shower.

Feeling a little more "with it"  this evening.

Tomorrow is an eye appointment, a check up for the detaching vitreous.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 05.17.2016

Another great day!

Busy at the J.O.B.

Stayed a bit to finish some Ed Fair stuff.

Tired tonight.

Meeting in the morning, massage in the afternoon.  (is there a song lyric in there....?)

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 05.16.2016

Another great day!

Up, shower, breakfast, business calls.

Off to work in the afternoon.

Out on time.

Sat on the porch enjoying the evening.

A quiet rest of the night.

Work tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 05.15.2016

Another great day!

I started collecting my things as I was getting up and around this morning. Bedding stripped and in the wash; Matilda said I could stay.

The majority of what I brought packed, the laundry done and bed re-made, M wanted to go outdoors.

Yikes.  It was pretty cold out there. Low 40's and windy. So we bundled up and went out. The sun came out after a bit and was welcomingly (is that a word?) warm.

I had received a message that the parents were on their way. We had just come in and washed up from playing in the sandbox when I looked out the window and saw the camper/trailer. They were all happy to see each other, and me, too.

We visited a bit, they unloaded, I put biscuits in the oven for shortcake, and we had a birthday/first anniversary bit for them. They seemed pretty happy, and tired. I closed up my bags, put them in the car and got underway.

A safe drive home, thank you God.

Sure felt good to come "home" to this house. And it didn't look too bad--I think it was good to get away from it for a few days.  Still lots of settling to do...

Tomorrow is a work day in the afternoon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 05.14.2016

Another great day!

Cold, windy, and gloomy.

After breakfast we got ready to go to the library for story time. We enjoyed the stories, and the play time. While we were there, M reminded me of the "playground and picnic" we were planning for today.

Groan. Less than ideal weather to be outdoors.

I had brought warm clothes; together we put lunch together, put it in a bag, got a towel in case we needed to wipe off anything wet, checked the map, and went out.

She was asleep about a mile down the road. Instead of going any further, I pulled into the elementary school where I had seen nice playground equipment, parked, and woke her.

She wanted to stay, so we bundled up and went out.

There was a picnic table up near the building. The wind wasn't quite as bad there. We set out our lunch, sat on the towel, ate and laughed.

It was really quite fun.

And we spent another hour or so on the playground, practicing her climbing skills.

Back at home, we washed up and went right to bed. She slept for a couple of hours.

I fixed supper, we ate, and watched her recorded shows.

Got her to bed in an almost timely manner.

Tomorrow the parents return, and I'll be going home, too.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 05.13.2016 Lucky Day!!

Another great day!

Sunshine and a little cooler after several hours of rain overnight.

Matilda and I made (scratch) pancakes this morning.  She does a great job whisking.

We played a little, took the dog for a walk, and went out for groceries.

Came home, "rested".   Got up and had a snack, played outdoors together, then I came in to start supper. To my surprise, she went back out and played in the sandbox by herself for quite a while.

Had supper, I cleaned the kitchen again, and we went outdoors again with the dog. M wasn't having anything to do with going for a walk. So she was a driveway away "fake" crying. Loudly. We would go a short distance, turn to look at her and wait to catch up. She'd go a few steps with us then stop and squall again. Pitiful. I didn't buy into it. Dog and I went to the end of the block and turned around. M was determined to get a response from me; I continued to be calm and ask her to use words. She finally started whining something, then settling down. By now we were 2 driveways from home.

Back inside, she lays on the sofa, covers up, speaks clearly, and tells me, "I need to take a rest from all that crying I did. I can talk big girl now."

Ohmygosh.  3 1/2 years old.

Bath and bed. Bedtime was nice tonight, snuggling and listening to relaxing music.

Shower for me, and bedtime.

Tomorrow is a trip to the library.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 0512.2016

Another great day!

J & J had taken Matilda to school this morning before I got up. (I don't see a need to be up early when the parents are there.)

They were packed, loaded, and ready to go. Final instructions/directions for me, they hooked up the rig, and were off.  Dog turned to look at me, looked back at them going down the road with sad eyes and ears back.

I had breakfast, did a couple of light chores, and went out on the deck. It was very warm, high 70's. I made myself comfortable and found myself waking up. Pretty nice.

I spent some time finishing another chapter and workbook, started reading the next. Realized I needed to get M from day care.

Checked the Garmin in Jenny's vehicle for addresses and went out. That was a successful maneuver; I was able to retrieve the child.

Got back to the house, changed into bathing suits, and went for the next adventure--swim class!  I found that building too (awesomely beautiful), parked, and got inside. Wow.  It really looks like a water park in there! We had a lot of fun playing in the lazy river, jumping off of the edge to me, and going down the water slide. So many photo ops, but I couldn't play and pic at the same time. I tried to capture those moments in my heart...

I was surprised that, in the locker/change room, I found myself "shielding" the scar on my breast as I took down the top of my suit. Not sure I understand that--but I recognized that I did it.

Matilda wasn't quite ready to leave, and she played on the indoor climbing structure. Outdoors, we had to check out the pond before finally getting back in the car.

We ate supper, took the dog for a walk, and did the bedtime thing.

Tomorrow I need to get a couple things from the store, and maybe find another playground. The weather has turned; heavy rains now with cooler temperatures.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 05.11.2016

What a great day today!

The Nurse Excellence/Daisy Award Celebration was today. Our Best Fed team was nominated for the Daisy Team Award. As the other 6 groups' names were called out in recognition, we wondered why ours hadn't been called.  We were last, because WE WON!!!! The Daisy Team Award!!! The DAISY Team Award:  Honoring collaboration by two or more people, led by a nurse, who identify and meet patient and family needs by going above and beyond the traditional role of nursing. Henry Ford Allegiance Health's Best Fed team for leading the hospital to being a Baby Friendly designated facility. The entire staff are to be recognized, too, for supporting and protecting mother's milk.

I went home for an hour, visited with a teammate, packed a little more, and went back for the next meeting. That one got a little loud, but we got things accomplished.

Went home, ate supper, loaded the car, and had an uneventful drive to Matilda's. (and her parents)  Thank you God.

J & J are leaving around noon, and me and the girl are here for the weekend.  Hope we have fun!

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 05.10.2016

Another work day.

And another odd day of sneezing and drippy nose. So embarrassing to interact with patients with clear fluid running down the upper lip. Or having a "sneezing fit". Or both.  Ohmygosh.

I took a sudafed at 0800, a claritin at 10:30-ish, another sudafed at 11:25. Lunch at 1:30. Tylenol and motrin at 2:30, starting to feel a little better. No drainage with only occasional sneezing until 5:30, when I took another sudafed.

Clocked out on time, drips starting again about 8, but waited until about 10pm to take another sudafed. Drips a little better.  Geesh, what is causing this?????

Tree pollens? Something in the new house??  If it's some kind of allergy, this is sure yucky.

Got 2 loads of laundry done tonight, collected a few more things to pack for my trip to Matilda's tomorrow.

A noon "Recognition Ceremony" that the Best Fed team was nominated for, then an Education Council meeting after that.

I'll come home, change, get things together, and head out for a long weekend with Matilda. Her parents are going camping. (Wait!!  Without us!?!)  We're going to have our own fun...

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 05.09.2016

Worked, busy.

Left. On. Time.

Woo Hoo!!

One of the girls went with me to pick up the car; her husband picked her up at my house.  I'm happy to say, the rattles are gone from the front end. Frank did the first half of the job, which saved me about half the total cost. Thanks, Frank!

Tomorrow is another work day.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 05.08.2016

Another great day!

Started with a run, breakfast, and a shower.

Stopped at Meijer for a couple of sale items; one was a furnace filter. And the size I need isn't carried. Ugh.

I did find a couple of other items, though, and "saved" almost as much as I spent. I like shopping like that.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen again, cooking, restocking the freezer.

I also emptied a couple of boxes. Trying to get sifted in.  Slow going, it seems.

Frank got the car done, we met at the dealership to drop the keys for an alignment tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a work day for me.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 05.07.2016

Another great day!

After breakfast, I went out for a few groceries. Came back and enjoyed being outdoors in the sun for a short time, freshening the bird bath. To my delight, there was a big fat robin in there this afternoon, splashing with vigor!

Frank came over and picked up the car, taking it back to his house to work on it.

I spent the afternoon (way too long) working on a "cookie" recipe. More like an energy bar, in that there is lots of protein, fiber, and just plain good stuff in it. The house smells good, and they passed the Frank test.

He brought the car back, but wasn't quite done with it. So he took it back with him.

A quiet rest of the night. Still a little soreness in my head and neck from yesterday's migraine.  Geesh.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 05.06.2016

Another great day!

Sunshine and mid-50's this morning.

I was (finally) able to go out for a run.  Pleasantly surprised that the route I chose was barely traveled; a mile down and back, with only a handful of cars.

Breakfast, and a migraine attack.  Yikes!!  It surprised me, no "warning" aura. I found and took some medicine and proceeded to take a warm shower. The major spasm pain went away, but the right side of my head and neck have been uncomfortably sore all day.  Probably should have had tylenol and motrin at some point. Maybe at bedtime.

I went out for errands, enjoyed being outdoors for a bit.

Spent some time on the computer registering for the IBCLC Exam. That test will be in October. International Board Certified Lactation Counselor. Pretty excited to be able to test.

Tomorrow Frank is going to work on my car. Control arms or something. And I scheduled an alignment for Monday.

And major Congrats to the Owner and President of Newold, for her milestone reached. You rock, Amber. Change the world!

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 05.05.2016 Sink-a the Mayo!!

Such silly little things we do with dates/numbers...

Worked today.

Early afternoon got more busy than the 2 of us could handle. I asked for help.  And got it!

The patients' needs were met, we were able to eat (even though it was 2 pm).  Thanks to The Best Co-Workers Ever!

End of shift, we moved the remaining patients over to the main unit (we were on the "overflow" unit) and were able to leave in a timely manner.

A quiet evening.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 05.04.2016

Another great day!

Went to the morning meeting. We are getting our Education Fair fine-tuned. We'll probably have a few more tweaks and adjustments, but it's coming together pretty good.

After the meeting, I took over from the person who worked for me.

We had a good afternoon, which got pretty busy the last hour.

Tomorrow is another work day.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 05.03.216

Another great day!

The sunshine was welcome after these many days of overcast and drizzly rain.

I went out for errands, sat out in the sun and read most of another chapter. Fixed food and ate, and just had to go back outdoors. So I vacuumed the car.

I needed to get a little more "settling" done; I cleaned some windows and put up a window treatment. A pleasantly surprising discovery--the windows are the tilt-in kind to be able to clean the outside!

A quiet rest of the night.

Tomorrow is a work day, with a meeting in the morning.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 05.02.2016

Another great day!

Went out for errands, fixed food and packaged it, (and ate some, too,--yummy).

Put a couple "personal touches" in my new place. It's slowly feeling more comfortably "mine".

Tomorrow is groceries.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 05.01.2016 May Day!

What a great day today!

Got up, getting ready for the J.O.B.

Ring Ring

Woo Hoo--my turn to stay home!

Put on my comfy clothes, finished reading a chapter, and completed the study guide for it.

By that time, my eyelids were getting heavy, so I went back to bed.

I woke a couple of hours later, feeling better.

After breakfast I was able to finish my closet. Yay--that seemed to take forever to figure out.

A nice phone call, then I started unpacking my "office" space.

It went together better than I thought it might. I have lots of empty boxes now!

Fixed supper and ate, cleaned the kitchen, and a quiet evening.

Tomorrow is errands.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.