Monday, May 31, 2010

Yet another night shift!

It seems that I only blog when I work night shift! The ED has settled down for now (there is always a big rush from 10p-1ish). And I have my grocery list/menu plan done I think. It's been a LONG weekend. I've decided that I don't like holidays where I have to work night shift. I've spent the day with the kids and doing laundry and keeping them happy while Wesley mowed. He did watch Robert while I took a nap though and let me sleep in this morning. Anyways, they are ready to go back to school and I am ready for them to go! If it hadn't been a holiday they would have gone to school, Wesley would have gone to work and it would have been peacefully quiet at home in between laundry! Robert talked me into playing candyland again, lol.

We had a pretty low key weekend. Nothing really happened. Wesley went to Brad's sat from 1pm-midnight. I took the kids to the park and then out to DQ for ice cream. Sunday was church and then we had supper with Wes' parents and Nanny. And then today we took the old blue van to get it's transmission repaired.

This week is another full time week. I work tonight and tomorrow night and then have super user orientation Thursday and work 7p-11p as coordinator Friday. So 36 hours.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Ta-berries!

You know, ta-berries. Like ta-berry tortcakes tar? (Strawberry shortcakes car!). Well we are a little strawberry obsessed over here. From taberry tortcake (and her tar) to the real deal to the canned taberries I did last night we got taberries!



mmm-taste, smell!


the boxes of strawberries

I think I see strawberry colored toes in our future!

the results of last nights canning-strawberry lemonade concentrate, strawberry jam and strawberries in syrup!
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The Strawberry Farm

The kids and I took our only day off this week and went to the strawberry farm to pick (and eat!). We had a great time!

Riding the wagon behind the John Deere tractor! See Robert likes this!

Mary isn't as sure-she's plastered to me on my lap


They did so well-I was so proud of them. Robert did a great job of picking the red berries. Mary did a nice job of just staying with us and not wandering off. They both managed NOT to break the little flag that marks where you left off. That was a feat in and of itself. Mary picked quite a few green berries but that's OK. She tried really hard. And was really cute.
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Camping etc

Here are a few pics of camping! Mary and her baby (can you tell that baby needs a bath BAD?)

Robert and a hose I guess. Being a boy...

Back home, a very dark but contemplative picture of Robert building legos. He simply CANNOT wait to go to chicago and see the lego store. We think we might just be able to talk big Rob into going with us for that.
And Mary and the leapster. Wow, worth every penny of the used price! They are both loving it and learning quickly how to use it!
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More pics-including 5 months post burn!

Mary in her big girl bed!
Mary 5 months post burn-it is amazing how much better it looks!

All dressed up for church! Aren't they cute! I love to see them go to toddler church!
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Big Kids Camping

This past weekend we went to the annual Argus collectors group gathering. We've gone every year forever it seems-since before Robert was born. It basically works that Wesley goes to the sessions and the kids and I camp with Roger and Peggy and join the group for occasional meals and for the photo shoot outing. This year was the best year ever. Last year with a 1 year old and a 3 year old was terrible-as was the previous year with a 2 year old and a newborn. But this year was much better. They slept better, they listened better, Robert played leapster, Mary played baby dolls. They played on the playground but also were happy to just hang out some too. MUCH BETTER. I actually read several books on the kindle while they played or watched DVD's on the portable DVD player. It does kinda feel like cheating when you camp with electric-A/C, DVD player, kindle that can be used for internet since we had cell service. One hot afternoon we got ice cream bars from the store and then had a water gun fight. (LOL, Robert got in trouble yesterday at school for turning something into a gun-oops!). We left Wed after I got up (I worked night shift the night before)-about 2 pm and came back Sun eve. We had a great dog/house sitter which made coming home so easy-Snoopy was fed, medicated and here waiting for us!

Monday and Tuesday I got up early to hit the gym before work. Monday I taught new employee orientation and then helped with IV therapy for a while. Tuesday I had new hospital orientation which was really fascinating. I am SO excited about the new hospital! So today is my first day home alone with the kids in a long time. I had worked full time the week before last, then they were at school mon-tues-wed until we picked them up before we left, then we were camping... then I went straight back to work. I'm off today and tomorrow and then work fri/sat/sun. I'll prob have 38 hours this week. This afternoon I still need to go to the gym and get groceries.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Living

We live, we love,
we forgive and never give up
'cause the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
'cause the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

I'm pretty sure I blogged about this before-when the song had just started playing a lot on the radio. I heard it again today and it was a reminder to slow down. I've been kinda stressed today as I think about all the stuff that needs to be done before we leave. And worrying about how the kids will do-will I be horribly tired with crazy kids-will they refuse to go to sleep? Will I be functioning on like 4 hours of sleep? This was a reminder that each day that I have is a blessing-be it here at work, with the kids, whatever. I am blessed to live this life. This weekend with time to just play with the kids (no housework, no projects) is a blessing.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Garden, Mother's day and UVA visit

It's been a busy week outside! We've gotten a lot of projects completed mostly thanks to mom and dad and their help both with the projects and with kid wrangling! The square foot garden beds are done and filled (finished that today!), the area out back under the trees is done and mulched (and wow what a difference it makes!), and best of all-the plants are no longer on the freezer! I even moved the blueberry bush into a bigger pot and outside (and gave it acidic food per instructions!). We're getting a few strawberries here and there and the lettuce is really going well (in the flower bed). The peas and beans are popping up (how cute is that!) and I have tiny lettuce and spinach and basil in the square foot garden. I have a 4x4 square foot that has: lettuce, basil, peas, spinach, thyme, beans, strawberries, yellow squash, zucchini,





Then the 8x4 has:


tomatoes-16 Roma, 2 cherry, 2 slicing, squash plants (the 4x4 has squash seeds), cantaloupe, rosemary, sage, cucumbers (salad and pickling), watermelon. I grew the Roma's from seed and they don't look anything like the plants I got from the greenhouse. I'll be interested in seeing how they compare.





Anyways, those beds were my mother's day wish and I am sooooo happy to have them done! Wesley has decreed that dirt ISN'T cheap! At least compost, peat moss and special dirt with moisture beads isn't! But this is the only year we'll have to do that (for these beds-I can totally see adding another bed next year! Wesley was also able to get the camper cleared out for our upcoming trip on Wed to Eden NC and a trip to the dump and got mulch!



Mother's day was a nice day. Not a whole lot different but still nice. We had lunch with the Furr's-mmm Furr BBQ and then grandma over for supper. We did grilled chicken and grilled asparagus wrapped in bacon-YUM, rice and salad and brownie pudding. I also did a bunch of housework and the week's laundry (after realizing that this week is going to go really quickly with working 2 12 hour night shifts and a trip to UVA!



Today Mary had a 8:50 apt with the plastic surgeon and an 11:00 with the physical therapist (Leslie). The plastic surgeon gave me some tips to try to work on the area on her neck and was very happy over all. She came away with a handful of tinkerbell stickers from him. Leslie was ecstatic over how well her burns were "settling in" and thought her neck looked better than she thought it would-she did not recommend a compression neckpeice and further thought that we might be looking at just a year in her shirt and not 2! She gave us 2 bottles of elta sunscreen and 2 tubes of elta. We also squeezed in a quick trip to Toys R Us and a nice lunch at a local pizza place. AND Mary went poopy on the potty TWICE today!



Tonight I'm working on peds (7p-7a) and tomorrow night I'm working as coordinator (7p-7a) and then we'll leave some time Wed early afternoon to head to Eden for the argus gathering.