Last time (I hope)

I hope this is my last holiday season to work at the bedside in acute care.  After 15.5years, I'm pretty well done.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I love being a critical care/cardiac nurse, I love the sick patients, the monitors and labs and the iv's, the rapport I have built up with the docs, the other staff members, the adorable old people, the scared young people and everyone else in between.  But, alas, it is enough.  I'm ready for a steady, predictable job(yes, boring) where I work 3 8hour shifts or 2 12hr shifts and no weekends or holidays, no calls at 4:30 asking if I can come in extra due to short-staffing, no staying over until 8pm after leaving my house at 5:50am because a patient coded at 6pm and we are running around the unit trying to catch up, no more days of coming home late and kissing my little ones goodnight without seeing them at all that day. I'm not in a hurry or desperate, so I'm waiting and praying for the right position to come along.  Hopefully, this is my last Christmas Eve to work.

Fun Christmas weekend

These pics are all out of order and it requires too much time and effort to rearrange them.  So, we shall reminisce in random order

Above you have my side of the fam.  We all gathered at my parents for a lovely Christmas dinner and present opening.  Fun and wild, that is the standard for us :)

 And above is a awesome picture I snapped of Hudson loving every minute of a train exhibit that my mom and 2 of my sisters went to see last week.  He, as you all know, is obsessed with Thomas the Tank. 

Above are the grandkids on Mike's side of the fam.  We spent Saturday at Mike's grandmother's home.  We had lots of fun playing Dillon's Michael Jackson Wii game.  You try to dance along with Micheal and his sidekicks and it is hilarious(not to mention hard and a good aerobic workout).

The angel pictured above(not allowed to show her full face) is my sister and brother-in-law's hopefully foverever daughter!!  OH MY WORD, this beautiful child is to die for.  She has been in foster care since birth.  In about 2 weeks, a judge will decide her future.  Brad and Melody, along with the rest of us, are praying for the judge to place "baby sister" with them and their 3 yr old Aspen.

Here we have Dillon opening his birthday gift at my parent's.  He wanted a popcorn maker and, as you can tell by his face, he was thrilled!  It is the air popper kind and we all watched and screamed with joy when the kernels burst forth.  He says he's going to sell popcorn in front of our house!  If you drive by, please by some of Dillon's popcorn :))

Trying....

For those of you who've been visiting my blog a while, you know my Christmas cheer is seriously lacking. I seem to have the hardest time reconciling the simple truth of the real Christ story with modern day American Christmas. Grinchy--yes I am.

This year I'm trying to not be grumpy, grinchy, Scroogey, cheap, irritable, judgemental...fill in the blanks.   This morning as I ran in a very crisp 36 degrees I prayed for God to help me chill and enjoy!

It is hard.  This is what I see in my mind....

fyi:  I don't know who to credit this amazing picture for.  It is not my original and kudos to the person who designed it.

I'm now the dumbest mother around

Breaking news:   My kids know everything!  I'm old and stupid and they are much cooler and smarter than I.  Likely, I'm not the only one in this boat.
My 15 yr old told me that his lack of attention to his studies are his problem and not mine.  My 11 yr old gave me an exasperated "What?" when I called her to come pick some toys up.  My 4yr old already says "nuh-uhhh"  when arguing with me.  Really, the only dedicated 100% "moms the greatest" child left is Dillon--who turns 9 today--sweet little blessing.

North Korean Refugee Adoption Act

First, scroll way down the far right and pause my Music Player so you can hear.  Now then, PLEASE take 1 minute to watch this clip. There are hundreds of thousandsf N. Korean orphans living as refugees, castaways.  What if we could do something and provide a loving forever family??  I think if these children become adoptable, that is the one thing that would cause Mike and I to revisit if our family is really complete.  In 2009 Mike, Abby, and I stood at the DMZ, looking through binoculars into that closed, crazed country, where the people are starving.

 If you are ignorant about what is going on in N. Korea, please educate yourself.  Pray for these children and sign the petition.
James 2:15-17 says If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what [does it] profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

morphed into a new type of family

We've entered a new phase of family life..

We are a No-Leftovers kind of family!  Booohooo.  We eat up every last bit of my meals now.  This is bad people, bad I tell ya.  Do you realize how much I've relied on leftovers through the years?  I only plan a menu and shopping list for 4 dinners a week.  The left overs, occastional trip to Rosa's, and fill-in  meal of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwhiches finish out the blanks.  My kids are eating so much!  Carter is nearly a grown man, Abby is near my size and we are starting to share a few clothing items, and don't forget little man who has a quite the belly! 
So, for all you No-Leftover Families like ours, do share your smart-shopping, menu and budget stretching ideas.  email  me at beepa27@gmail.com

Christmas season starts with a bang

And we're off! 
We pulled decorations out last Sunday afternoon to put up the tree.  Carter wanted everyone in their pj's to decorate.  So, after lugging the loot from the attic, and changing into pj's, we began.  I soon found myself alone.  Everyone conveniently scattered.  I did what any psychologically stable and uplifting mother would do, I yelled.  In fact, I yelled this..."Guys, I don't even like Christmas.  If you want the tree up, YOU get in here and help!".  Oh yes, I did. Of course, the tree is beautiful--complete with all the decorations in the front middle, cause that is where little kids place them(and I wouldn't dare rearrange).  Nothing like a cold evening, wearing flannel, and a lit up Christmas tree! 
 On the shopping note, I'm soooo proud of myself.  I've barely stepped into a store this season.  You can get anything you need from Amazon, and I nearly always get free shipping.  Shop in my jammies, it comes to my door 3 days later.  On the crafting note, remember my plan to make a Menorah?  Didn't happen.  So, I decided on an advent wreath/candle display for the dining table(I got the easy directions and family devo idea from the last book in the Yada Yada Prayer Group Series.  What???  You haven't read it?  MUST read!).  Unfortunately, one cannot locate pink or purple candles anywhere in December.  So, I am stuck with the Christ candle, the tall white one, sitting alone in the greenery.  It is pretty, but lacking the meaning of the full advent.

Thursday was the 4th and 5th grade musical at our school.  I realize I'm biased, but our school has exceptional music/theater talent and the kids put on wonderful shows.  Abby was the lead angel!  She looked stunning and Mike and I projected what it would be like to see her wearing an all white gown on her wedding day(tears!). 

Today Abby and I have a mom/daughter Christmas brunch.  Driving home from work last night I realized "OMGoodness!  We are supposed to bring a gift each for the exchange". So, I woke up early to     1. update this blog 2. run 2 miles 3. wrap the gifts for the angel tree child we shopped for 4. dash out to find something cute to exchange with people who need nothing and have better taste than I do 5. finish my last government chapter and take a test.  This afternoon Carter and the highschool show choir performs at Christmas on the Square.              Whew, in the words of Dori the fish,  just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming!