Clay Hill Farm

Putting this Blog to Bed

2010-10-26T14:14:00.005-04:00

It is with great regret that I put this blog on hold. Clearly, I haven't had time to post in months. Things are great on the farm - I just don't have time for all of my interests, and this blog has been put on the back burner so much that I just need to accept it and move on. Thanks to all of you who became my friends through this blog - I wish all of you nothing but blessings and happiness.

Peace...

Terri

No Time for Blogging

2010-08-29T07:26:00.004-04:00

Well, I really should have posted this a long time ago. My apologies to all of you - I simply haven't had time to blog this summer. I started teaching anesthesia this summer, and since I have only been out of school for a year I spend a great deal of time making absolutely sure that I am not giving out erroneous information!

I spent summer weekends studying with the outgoing seniors who were preparing for their board exams, and I've been working forty hours a week in the operating room and ten to twenty a week in the classroom. It has been an exciting time, if a bit brutal! The good news is that fall brings a lighter workload and (hopefully) a return to sanity. And I'll post a little more often now that I have time to breathe again!

Here I am at a faculty meeting - a far cry from my usual scrubs and mask! Or jeans and work shoes here on the farm! Thank you all (yet again!) for your patience as I work through the craziness that is my life!

Chicks for Hannah

2010-04-20T21:02:00.005-04:00

I made a special field trip this week, along with a couple of our resident chicks, to see Hannah . We had a nice visit, as you can see here.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos - we used my cell phone camera to take them! Hannah lacks fine motor skills, but she was definitely interested in these babies! She just needed a little help to fine-tune her snuggles!

In fact, I think our visit excited Hannah enough that she quickly tired out, as you can see below. Look at that sleepy face! The lovely lady in the photo is Hannah's nurse, Bobbie, who graciously agreed to help Hannah enjoy her visit with the chicks AND to have her photo published on this blog.

And, yes, everyone involved made sure their hands were clean after we played with the baby chicks! With the nurse and Mom, Dad and Big Brother on patrol, no germs had a chance!

One thing the visit highlighted was Hannah's desperate need for a new room. She's growing fast and all of her equipment and supplies take up most of the space in her room. Hannah's Mom is working on fundraising for a new room, but these things take time, so Hannah, the nurses and the family are making the best of the situation for now.

The family suffered a serious setback a few months ago when someone broke into the family van and stole Hannah's wheelchair. If you know anyone with any kind of physical limitations, you know that the equipment that keeps them mobile is a lifeline. You can't look at a specially-designed pediatric-sized wheelchair and NOT realize that it belongs to a special needs child. What kind of lowlife steals a wheelchair from a special needs child?

At any rate, it looks like the wheelchair is being replaced, and the fundraising efforts are still ongoing. If you get a chance, stop by Hannah's blog and say hello!

The Hummingbirds Are Back!

2010-04-17T10:27:00.003-04:00

This is my favorite time of year - I have flowers blooming everywhere, little seedlings are popping up in the garden and we have baby chicks brooding under a heat lamp in the garage. And, of course, the hummingbirds are returning from their winter migration!

We have several hummingbird feeders that we hang every spring. By midsummer, it's a veritable hummingbird buffet and we're refilling the feeders every couple of days. The little birds are fearless - they'll feed even if people are sitting on the porch a few feet from the feeders.

We love watching them - they swoop and dive and have epic battles over access to the feeders. A couple of years ago we even had a white hummingbird - she stayed for most of the summer, but hasn't returned since.

We make our own hummingbird solution using one cup of sugar to four cups of water. We don't use food coloring - the feeders attract the birds just fine without it, and some experts think the coloring might be harmful to the birds. Some websites advocate boiling the sugar solution, but we use well water, so it doesn't contain some of the impurities you might find in water from a municipal supply.

Last year things really got busy after the babies hatched - we had young birds and older birds visiting the feeders, and taking advantage of all the hummingbird-friendly plants I put in the flowerbeds. At one point I counted twenty birds at the various feeders and perching on the flowers. No wonder we were refilling those feeders so often!

I can't wait to see how many show up this year!

Potatoes in a Barrel

2010-04-10T11:30:00.006-04:00

We planted our potatoes last week here at Clay Hill Farm. I don't grow potatoes in the ground, though - I grow them in barrels. It's really easy, and the yields are very good. You can grow up to forty pounds of potatoes in each barrel, depending upon the size of the barrel.

Potato plants are actually attractive, and they look good in containers. Only these containers can help cut your grocery bill this fall, and growing your own potatoes is fun!

If you want to grow your own potatoes in a barrel, select your container first. You can use a barrel, or a large pot, or a growing bag, or one of the commercially available potato barrels. I've even heard of using old tires, and stacking them as the plants grow. Potatoes are remarkably versatile and will grow almost anywhere.

Make sure there are holes or an opening in the bottom of your container for drainage. Put three inches (or so) of dirt in the bottom of the container. Season your seed potatoes by cutting them into chunks with one or two eyes per chunk, and let them sit and dry for a day or so. Then plant your seed potato chunks in the dirt.

When the potato plants get three or four inches high, cover all but the top inch in more dirt, Keep doing that until your container is full of dirt. This essentially creates a very long root, and little potatoes will sprout all along the length of it.

When the plants have flowered and the flowers have died back, your potatoes are ready to harvest. Tip the barrel and pick up your potatoes. It's that easy. You can harvest new potatoes in the summer by gently reaching into the soil and pulling out the baby spuds before the big harvest in the fall, but we usually don't do that. We wait for the big motherlode in early fall - taters everywhere!!!!

We dump a barrel every couple of weeks when it's time to harvest the potatoes. This helps keep the potatoes from spoiling, as they might if we harvested all the barrels at once.

I don't re-use potato barrel dirt from one year to the next. This year's potato dirt will go into the compost pile and spend a year or so helping the worms break down vegetable wastes and chicken and horse manure before I put it back into circulation in a raised bed or container or tilled into a flower bed. This is because potatoes are susceptible to blight and you don't want to allow the blight to establish itself in your dirt.

If you want more information on growing your own potatoes, here are some links:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1980-03-01/Taters-in-a-Barrel.aspx

http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/growing_potatoes_in_a_barrel_or_bag

http://roomfarm.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunday-project-growing-potatoes-in.html

Graduation Present for the Farm

2010-04-05T08:51:00.006-04:00

Long-term readers of this blog may recall that Clay Hill Farm is actually a little less than half of a bigger, shared farm that we call Thistledew Farm. The name came about when Melissa and I were joking about names for the farm - Melissa and her husband had picked Thistledew as a name many years ago, and I pointed out the big clay mound where our building site had been cleared. "I have to name this side Clay Hill!" And, it's been Clay Hill and Thistledew ever since.

So, many of the things we do around here are joint ventures. Melissa and I garden together, care for the horses and chickens together, and generally collaborate on all manner of things. I made it through anesthesia school, in part, due to the support of everyone here at Thistledew.

And my standing joke during my senior year in anesthesia school involved a tractor as a graduation present to myself, and to everyone else for putting up with me during those long years. It wasn't entirely a joke, though - we really do need a tractor around here. And now we have one! We went to the local Kubota dealership and debated the merits of the various tractors. Here's Melissa, trying one on for size:

Everybody had different priorities for the tractor - the guys wanted a backhoe for some of the heavy work, and Melissa and I wanted a tiller. We needed a tractor that was big enough to handle the heavy work but not so big that we couldn't maneuver it in tight spaces around the farm.

We finally settled on a tractor that fit everyone's needs. We hope! And here we are at tractor school, with the perfect specimen! Isn't she gorgeous?

Melissa and I wanted to name her Bunny, because she came to us at Easter Weekend. But the boys vetoed that, and suggested an alternative - Smokey. This isn't a bad name - we live on the edge of the Smokey Mountains, after all. And I went to anesthesia school (and now work part-time) at The University of Tennessee, where the mascot is Smokey and the school color is bright orange.

Here's the real Smokey in his regalia:

And our own Smokey has already been hard at work, tilling the ground for our spring garden. But I haven't had the nerve to drive her yet!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T14:17:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter, everyone! I was on call yesterday and had to go in for about four hours - not too bad. Then we had some unexpected visitors, so we threw dinner together and had a nice visit, which has extended into today.

I replanted my porch containers and got a flower bed cleaned out in the interim, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Oh, and I finally got my (our!) graduation present - but that's for another post!

TGIF

2010-04-02T08:27:00.003-04:00

Thank Goodness It's Friday! I have the day off today and I'm on call tomorrow, and I'm really praying that nobody needs surgery tomorrow. I know that's unlikely, but can you imagine being in the hospital Easter weekend? I don't wish that on anyone.

This has been a very busy week. I worked, of course, but during all of my normal down-time I helped with interviews for the new class of student nurse anesthetists. That was an eye-opening experience! I had no idea how much work went into it.

All of the candidates send in their files - transcripts, work histories, application essays, and various other items. Each item is given a numerical score. All of those numerical scores are tallied up and the top forty or so candidates are invited for an interview.

Then the interview takes place. We ask a series of questions and each answer gets a numerical score. These scores are tallied with the pre-interview scores and we come up with the top fifteen candidates, who are then invited to join the program. I've simplified this here, because the process actually took several weeks and involved some discussion/debate - each faculty member had different ideas about what makes the perfect candidate!

We had a really great group of applicants this time. We honestly could have taken anybody in the top thirty or so, and had a strong class. This makes it difficult, because sometimes the thing that separates one candidate from another is simply a few points on a test. I really hope that some of the folks who didn't get in this year will be persistent enough to re-apply next year, because I really liked so many of them!

And, essentially, I've taken on a second job with this faculty thing. I'm excited about it - I love working with students and I love to teach and I think I can be good at it, but we'll see. For the moment, I have the day off and there's a chicken coop to clean and garden beds to build and I really ought to muck out the pastures. My pretty suit is hanging in the closet and today's uniform is old jeans and a t-shirt. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Falling off The Wagon - Already!

2010-03-28T13:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I have fallen off of the Wardrobe Refashion wagon before I even got started. I'm doing some teaching at the university (guest lectures and such) and I will be involved in candidate interviews next week.

So, I started going through my closet and realized that the last time I bought a suit was five years ago when I interviewed for anesthesia school. Looking out-of-date doesn't bother me, but ill-fitting clothes do, and since I haven't lost that last few pounds I needed something that actually fit.

I'm ashamed to admit that my sewing skills aren't up to producing an executive-level suit. So, I bought a nice, neutral year-round suit. And, since I was off the wagon already, I bought two blouses to go with it.

And, then I bought some new workout clothes, because although my ratty sweats are fine at the farm, they do look kind of out of place at the somewhat upscale (but cheap!) gym we belong to. Although eventually I think I can learn to make workout gear - it doesn't look terribly complicated.

So, there's my sad tale. I whined to my husband about it, and he was unimpressed. "It's about time you spent some of the money you earn on yourself!" No sympathy from that quarter, I'm afraid!

Have a happy Palm Sunday, everyone!

The Cyberspace Monster

2010-03-26T19:23:00.001-04:00

The Cyberspace Monster has been stalking me! It follows me from blog to blog and eats my comments. Please bear with me if I double (or triple!) comment on your posts for a bit until I get this straightened out!

1940's House

2010-03-24T18:30:00.003-04:00

I just watched this series today on DVD, and I loved it. It was a fabulous portrayal of life in England during World War II, complete with air raids and food rationing. I am tempted to buy it and watch it every time I feel the urge to wallow in self-pity. The deprivation was astonishing! I knew there was food rationing during World War II, but I had no idea to what extent. This series was eye-opening.

In my experience, the people who lived through the 30's and 40's are some of the most stoic and sensible people we see, and viewing this series made me understand why that might be the case. There simply wasn't time to whine and feel sorry for yourself. If you survived, it's because you pulled yourself up by your bootstraps and made do with what you had.

I think that's what I love about all of my blogging friends. We may not suffer under the same deprivation as our mothers and grandmothers and fathers and grandfathers did, but all of you are smart and resourceful and creative, and I am sure that any of you would manage beautifully if you found yourselves in a situation where everything depended on your intelligence and resourcefulness and ability to survive.

So, give yourselves a pat on the back, from me, and if you get the chance to see 1940's House, I highly recommend that you watch it. With your kids, if you can, so you can point out to them (as I did to my son) exactly how spoiled modern children have become! :)

A Good Call Shift

2010-03-23T22:30:00.006-04:00

I finally had a good call shift - I went in to work at 11 a.m. and was done by 6:30 p.m. and I had a lunch break in there. One minor issue with a patient undergoing heart surgery, but we got that straightened out and he should recover nicely. And I am one well-rested chick! :) Speaking of chicks -

spring is finally here, and we have baby chicks coming in a couple of weeks! Nothing says spring like baby chicks! They are so cute and sweet - I can't wait!

And then there are my favorite type of spring chicks... I know they have no redeeming nutritional value whatsoever. But I don't care. I love them. I don't eat very many of them, but every Easter I treat myself to a little package of Peeps.

And I have a Cadbury Creme Egg. But not both at the same time. Well, not every year, anyway! Okay, one year I didn't have them both at the same time. I ate some Peeps first and then I ate the creme egg. And then I ran ten miles.

One part of that last paragraph is a complete fabrication; you'll never guess which part! :)

What's your favorite Easter candy?

Punjammies

2010-03-21T19:59:00.003-04:00

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be making/recycling all of my clothes. But I might have to make an exception for these beauties: Punjammies. The story behind them is amazing and it's definitely a cause I could support. So, what say you, friends? Would I be cheating if I bought a pair of those lovely PJ's?

Luckily for me, they've had lots of good press lately (much of it from Pioneer Woman) and they're sold out of almost everything, so I have time to mull it over a bit while they replenish their stock. But wouldn't you love a pair of those pants to sleep in this summer?

Spring!

2010-03-20T22:59:00.002-04:00

Spring is here! I am so happy I'm nearly doing cartwheels!!! Happy spring, everyone!

Wardrobe Refashion or I Have Officially Lost It

2010-03-18T22:53:00.007-04:00

Okay, if you know us here at Clay Hill/Thistledew, you know we hate waste. And you know we think that, global warming notwithstanding, humans have not been very good stewards of the wonderful environment we've been given. And we're trying to make small changes where we can to do our part to change that.

So, I've been toying with the idea of signing on to the Wardrobe Refashion for several months now. I do think modern Americans own too many clothes. And many modern clothing manufacturers rely on sweatshop labor to produce their wares, which I find extremely distasteful. Also, the manufacturing process used to turn fibers into wearable garments is not environmentally friendly, by any stretch of the imagination. But I've been reluctant to take the final step, for several reasons.

Reason number one: I am not a very skilled seamstress. I can sew straight lines. That's pretty much it. Constructing garments is very different from constructing tote bags or pillows or quilts, and, frankly, it's intimidating. Yeah, I'm a chicken!

Reason number two: I have no (I mean ZERO) sense of style. A person who is creating her own garments really ought to have a little idea about how to make said garments fit into a stylish wardrobe. Don't you think?

Reason number three: I am carrying around ten extra pounds. I know ten pounds doesn't sound like a lot of weight, but I am very short. Ten pounds is nearly two dress sizes for me. If I lose the extra weight (as I certainly hope to do this spring), I'd dearly love some new clothes as a reward.

But, the truth of the matter is that I can learn to do anything that anyone else can learn to do. I know this because I have learned to do all manner of crazy things over the past several years. I can take over a person's bodily functions almost entirely and still keep them alive, and wake them up comfortably at the end of a procedure. I can surely learn to sew some clothes.

And, there are lots of resources out there for the fashion-challenged these days. There are books and magazines and websites, and don't forget my stylish friends! And, the older I get the less I care about being stylish, anyway, so that excuse is gone.

Finally, the weight thing - if I sew the garments, surely I'll be the best person to alter them if (WHEN) I lose the weight. Or I can give those items away and make/refashion some more, because there is no shortage of old clothing around these parts!

So, in between gardening and quilting and cooking and animal posts, I'll be posting occasionally on my progress with the wardrobe. The next "official" round doesn't start until May, but I'm starting my own pledge now. I'm going to try - no, I'm going to DO this for six months, and then re-evaluate.

I'll make an exception for undergarments and socks, for now, although I may learn to make those at some point, too! I've truly gone over the deep end, folks - I'm going to sew things and wear them! Heaven help us all!

A Lovely Story About Me

2010-03-16T17:13:00.002-04:00

This was forwarded to me, and I thought it was really cute.

A Lovely Story About Me

One day, a long, long time ago, there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or complain.

(That would be me.)

But that was a long time ago and it was just that one day.

THE END.

Bleh

2010-03-16T13:35:00.002-04:00

It's gray and ugly here, and oppressive. Bleh. I'm still dealing with the winter blues, I think. Maybe I'll do some garden planning and see if that helps. Hope you're all having a good week!

Another Giveaway

2010-03-14T14:47:00.003-04:00

Marydon at Blushing Rose is having a lovely one-year anniversary giveaway. It ends on St. Patrick's Day, so you still have time to enter! I'm recuperating from yesterday, so I think I'm going to take a nap (and hope I don't get called to go back in to work)!

Another Bad One

2010-03-13T21:50:00.002-05:00

It isn't often that I get two bad call shifts in the same week. This week was the exception. We're on call for 24 hours over the weekend, once every five to six weeks. Today is my day - I'm technically still on call until 7 tomorrow morning.

My last patient of the day was an emergency case flown in from a smaller hospital. The odds were stacked against her, and we all knew it. She would have known it, too, but she had already suffered a cardiac arrest and had been resuscitated, so she was still unconscious. If she had surgery, she probably wouldn't make it. If she didn't have surgery, she had no chance. There was really no choice.

So, we took her back, hoping for the best. And we worked and we worked and we worked, for hours. And, in the end, her poor little heart gave out. We couldn't save her.

When you lose a patient, even if you haven't cared for the patient for very long, the sadness is visceral. It hits you like a punch in the stomach. Except that the pain from the punch might go away in a few minutes, while the pain from the loss lingers for days or weeks. You go back over everything you did, over and over, wondering if there was anything else you could have done. Wondering if you could have changed the outcome.

I guess my face showed how I felt as we cleaned up the operating room after the case, because one of the nurses said to me, "Terri, you have to accept the fact that you do not have the final say over who lives or who dies!" And I know this. But knowing it doesn't help.

My feet hurt, my back hurts, my head hurts and my heart hurts. I'm going to bed. good night, all.

French Cooking: Pate a Choux

2010-03-11T18:00:00.006-05:00

One of my recent adventures in French cuisine is something I've actually known how to make since I was a child. However, they always turned out kind of soggy, so I haven't made them in years, because my husband has a severe phobia of soggy baked goods. I always thought the bakeries had a secret that kept their eclairs from turning soggy. Turns out, they do!
Look at those - aren't they gorgeous? Wouldn't you like to make them? And have them not turn out soggy? They're easier than you think. I got brave on Valentine's Day and made a batch for the hubs, and he loved them. Raved about them. Promised anything I wanted if I'd only make eclairs again.

You can find the easy technique I used here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/eclairs - the instructions are very clear.

Oh, and if you don't want soggy eclairs, let them cool completely before filling. That's the secret! We were always too impatient for that, growing up!

An Awesome Giveaway

2010-03-10T17:28:00.005-05:00

My blog friend, Heidi, is giving away a box of awesome. How can you pass up a whole box full of awesome??? I could not, so I had to enter. You can check it out here: The DeCoursey Project Just think, you could be the winner! That would be awesome!

V & Co Giveaway

2010-03-09T10:12:00.003-05:00

Brutal call shift yesterday - I didn't get in until nearly one in the morning. I tried to get up at 4:45 a.m. to go to the gym with Melissa and just couldn't pull it together, so I begged off. (Sorry, Melissa!) In fact, although I am up and moving this morning, I am still in PJ's. :(

But, hey - at least I have the day off today. With pay. So, I can't whine too much!

And, I always love a quilt-related giveaway, so I have to tell you about the one over at V and Co.. She's hosting a sponsored giveaway by The Quilt Shoppe. The winner will get precut Moda fabric AND a $25 credit to spend on anything they like at The Quilt Shoppe. If you sew, or you know someone who does, check it out!

The Julie/Julia Project

2010-03-07T12:21:00.007-05:00

I just finished reading "The Julie/Julia Project" by Julie Powell. I know that this puts me behind the eight-ball. That book is sooo last year! But I am not a trendy person, and anyway this time last year I was a little bit preoccupied, with, you know, my graduate degree and the upcoming board exam, and little trivial details like that.

I enjoyed the book very much, but I'm a little bit ambivalent about some aspects of it. First, the author has a sailor's mouth. Now, I'm not a prude, but the people that I hang around with aren't usually given to gratuitous cursing. So that was a little bit off-putting.

Second, the author seems to care a great deal about a person's political leanings. Maybe that goes along with living in the Northeastern United States, though. Around here, we tend to vote more for the person and the issue than the political party, but maybe that's just my little group.

Finally, the author is just a little, well, whiny. I don't have any room to complain about that, though, because I have to confess that I'm rather whiny myself. Especially in the winter. Reading about her whininess reminded me uncomfortably of my own whininess, and made me resolve to do better. We'll see how long that lasts!

Those details aside, though, it was a good read. If you haven't read it, it might be worth hunting down a copy. And it made me want to cook! Specifically, it made me want to cook French food. Since I don't own any French cookbooks, I looked online for some simple recipes.

My first effort was Oeufs en Cocotte aux Fines Herbes. This is simply eggs baked in cream with herbs. I used fresh eggs from our own hens. Where have you been all my life, Oeufs en Cocotte aux Fines Herbes? You are delicious! And so easy! I found the recipe and tutorial here: http://www.amandascookin.com/2009/08/eggs-baked-in-ramekins-wit-herbs-oeufs.html tml.

For dessert last night, I made Chocolat Pots de Creme - essentially a rich chocolate custard. Again, very simple and incredibly rich and delicious. Where have you been all my life, French food???? I found the recipe here: http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2008/07/07/chocolate-vanilla-pot-creme-french-dessert/

I think I may need to travel to France. Purely for educational purposes, you understand. Because if the French food I can make in my little kitchen is this good, I might need to try the real thing!

Moving Audrey

2010-03-06T08:11:00.005-05:00

I love roses. I know - they can be a pain to grow, and some varieties can be leggy and ugly. And I'm terrible at pruning. I wince and cringe with each cut, and after about three cuts I just give up. So I shouldn't grow roses, and I know this. But I buy rosebushes anyway.

And, given my wimpy nature with regard to pruning, I certainly shouldn't grow climbing roses. I know this, too. So, against all reason, I brought home a pretty little climbing rosebush two years ago and put it in the flower bed next to the house.

I had this image of a trellis, and greenery with yellow roses shading the porch on warm summer afternoons. I was going to sit out there with a cold drink and a book, and the fragrance of the roses all around me. It was a pretty fantasy.

The reality has been somewhat different. That rosebush hasn't produced a single rose. She has, however, produced dozens of horrible spiky branches that reach out and try to grab you as you carry groceries into the house. She grabs at the dogs as they go out the door, and she's even invaded the porch with her horrid spikes. I've named her Audrey.

Audrey was the carnivorous plant from The Little Shop of Horrors. While my rose bush hasn't eaten anyone (that I know of, although I haven't seen that skunk around here recently), she is a hazard. And she has to be moved.

I thought I'd wait until later in the spring to move her, but upon talking to some local gardeners who specialize in roses, it seems that you need to move the plant before a series of warm days in a row cause the sap to start running and the plant to come out of dormancy. We're expecting a warm-up this weekend, so Audrey must go to her new home before she gets too warm.

Wish me luck. And if you don't hear from me in a couple of days, send a rescue squad armed with hedge clippers and pruning shears!

Garden Dreaming

2010-03-02T18:19:00.003-05:00

It's cold and rainy here today, and it will probably ice over tonight. But a person can dream, right?

These are just a few of the beautiful images I found on Google. Aren't they gorgeous?

Just look at all that lush green vegetation. Imagine carrying a picnic lunch to that little outcropping on a sunny spring day. I could just sit on those rocks like a lizard and soak up the sun!

And, of course, vegetables. The White House garden? Hopefully, it won't be a one-time thing.

Yes, garden season is coming - and it can't happen soon enough!

Snow

2010-03-01T14:24:00.004-05:00

We're expecting snow here tonight. It's the first of March. If March comes in like a lion, in this case it's a cold lion.

So, we'll throw some extra feed in to the hens and sneak a bit extra to the horses, and hunker down inside to try to stay warm. And hope that this lion is followed closely by the lamb of spring!

Stay warm, everyone!

Bleh

2010-02-28T11:58:00.011-05:00

It's chilly and gray here today. Bleh. I really, really, really want spring to come. I know, I know - me and everybody else, right?

But, we're roasting some coffee as I write this, and it smells wonderful. We started roasting our own coffee this winter after I emptied yet another plastic coffee container. I tried to reuse them, but they're ugly and we're trying to get away from the use of so much plastic. So, I started researching ways to get away from packaged coffee, and I came across Sweet Maria's. And our coffee-making was changed forever.

This is a photo of a coffee plant. I stole all the coffee photos in this post from Sweet Maria's website, and I will do penance for my theft by buying some Kona coffee beans. Wait, penance should be unpleasant, right? So maybe that's not such a good plan!

Coffee is actually very easy to roast at home. You can roast it over an open fire, on your stovetop, in a re-purposed popcorn popper (we have a secondhand Westbend Poppery popper found on Craigslist) or in a specially designed coffee roaster. And green coffee beans have a pretty long shelf life, while roasted coffee gets stale very quickly.

Look at the lovely green coffee beans - just waiting for someone to toss them into a hot roaster!

The taste of freshly roasted coffee is amazing. It's much more complex and flavorful than the national brand we used to use, and by buying from a reputable dealer we can reasonably expect that the coffee producer got a fair shake, as well. The initial set-up cost varies, depending on the equipment you use. We already owned a coffee grinder, so our only expense was the secondhand popper and a variety of green coffee beans to practice roasting. We got started in coffee roasting for under $20.

Here's a lovely dark roast! We were spoiled by living in the Pacific Northwest, where we acquired a taste for dark coffees.

A pound of freshly roasted gourmet coffee runs $5-$25 (or more, depending on the variety), so roasting your own nets a small monetary savings if you drink gourmet coffee. If you drink supermarket coffee, though, you might not see much savings. You will have much better flavor and a more environmentally-friendly coffee, though, and that does make a difference.

I took a pound of freshly roasted coffee to a party a couple of weeks ago and one of our friends said, "Don't tell me you're growing coffee out there on that farm of yours, now!" Well, no - I still haven't figured out how to grow a tropical plant in Tennessee without the aid of a greenhouse. But I can have a fresh cup of coffee on a cold gray day, and that's something!

OK, I'm back!

2010-02-27T14:58:00.002-05:00

Sorry, everyone, about my long break from posting. I tend to suffer from seasonal affective disorder to some degree every winter. This winter, unfortunately, has been worse than most. I just feel like I'm dragging myself through the days - I can't even explain it. It's like I'm just hanging on to a cliff with my fingernails until spring comes. I usually hide it pretty well - at least, I think I hide it pretty well. But I'm really struggling. I keep reminding myself that this will pass - spring is coming. It is, it is - even if more snow is forecast for this weekend! Ugh.

To add insult to depression, (heh), my youngest son was injured during a field training exercise at Ft. Stewart. He's okay, but it looks like he'll need surgery and will have some downtime to heal, which might affect his ability to deploy with his unit. He is NOT happy about that, but what can you do?

To all of you that I've neglected - please accept my very sincere apologies. I will do better. Oh, and Fabio says hi!

Where I've Been Secret

2010-02-27T10:32:00.002-05:00

If you can keep a secret - I'll tell you where I've been....

If you follow my blog you know I am infatuated with Fabio.....my dream has come true - I've been on an extended tour with Fabio, I carry his hair gel.

Winner, Winner, Tuna Dinner!

2009-12-15T18:48:00.003-05:00

Because we had tuna for dinner tonight! :) And I have a giveaway winner! I used random.org to choose a winner, and that winner is:

Andrea - who wrote: "awwwww Terri - thanks for popping by to tell me to hustle over ;)the warmers are something I always use and a book about horses is sure to draw my attention too!I will link my blog(s?) to this - of course! I just twitted about it too - and could facebook too but not sure anybody I have on facebook is a big reader ;)"

And a secondary winner, because I love you guys:

Heidi D, who wrote: "Oooooo! I want them! When you mentioned they have lavender in them...{big grin}...must have pillows!!! Lindsay would love that book too. She really adores horses and I love a well written book, so perfect! I actually have a blog buddy that lives in Kentucky. I wonder if she's heard of this place. I'll have to ask her. Great giveaway by the way. :)"

So, winners - get in touch with me to give me your addresses and tell me how you want your book autographed and we'll get something in the mail ASAP! And, to everyone else - thank you so much for entering! Have a great week!

Catching Up & A Giveaway!

2009-12-13T10:35:00.007-05:00

Well, it's already the middle of December - I can't believe I've gone so long without a post! I apologize for that - this month has just been extraordinarily busy! The operating room is running steadily at work - people are trying to get things done before they start a new deductible period. I think some folks are also a little worried about what health care reform might bring, so they're scheduling procedures now (under a system they know) rather than later (under a system they don't). I don't blame them - I'd probably do the same thing if I needed surgery, but it does mean we've been steadily busy, and some days have been crazy!

But exciting things are happening around here! Christmas is always fun, and my boys will all be home for Christmas, and I am so thankful for that. And we've had gatherings and parties and decorating and baking - whew! No wonder I haven't had ten minutes to sit down and write a blog post!

And, my long promised giveaway - I've finally pulled everything together! It's a two-parter (is that even a word? It is now, I guess!) The first part is kind of simple, but appropriate, given the current climate over most of the United States right now. In other words, baby, it's cold outside!

For the first part of my giveaway, I've made rice-filled therapy bags - a large one, a smaller one and two little hand-warmers to help keep you nice and toasty in the cold. One minute (more or less) in the microwave and these little guys will stay warm and toasty for quite a while! They can also be placed in the freezer for cold theapy - icing sore muscles or bruises or what-have-you.

They are made of soft brushed Moda flannel and the larger two are scented with lavendar (some of it grown right here at Clay Hill and Thistledew). I didn't scent the handwarmers because I figured they were more utilitarian than therapeutic. They're good for those cold mornings on your way out the door!

And now, the second part - I saved the best for last! My dear friend, Ellie Troutman of Windy Meadows, wrote a book! And it's been published! How exciting is that? And she has reserved a copy for one of you! She'll autograph your copy and ship it to you directly from Windy Meadows. It's beautifully written and beautifully illustrated, and is a perfect gift for horse lovers of any age.

I've been to Windy Meadows several times, and I can tell you that the book and the illustrations really capture the spirit of the place. There are guest cottages available on the farm, and guests can visit and tour the barns, and meet the characters. You might even be able to schedule a riding lesson, if you work that out in advance.

So, your favorite horse-crazy child or tween or teen (or adult) can read the book and then go visit the characters, either online or in person - or both! The Troutmans also have character cams, where you can log onto the website and see the horses during the working day.

Here's a photo of one of the illustrations in the book. I've walked by that very pasture on a farm visit, and I've petted the soft, velvety nose of a curious horse peeking over the fence - just as you see here. And Windy Meadows is amazing - visiting there was the most invigorating vacation I have ever had. Ellie and Randy are great hosts. Kentucky's Bluegrass Region is truly gorgeous, and Windy Meadows really is worth a visit, if you find yourself in Kentucky for any reason!

To get your autographed copy of this wonderful book AND the therapy bag collection, visit The Tails of Windy Meadows and then come back here and let me know which character you like best (I have a soft spot for Matem, myself, because he really is a sweetie and he LOVES food!). The site is still under construction, so keep that in mind when you visit, but I wanted to make this book available as soon as possible! If you blog about the giveaway I'll give you two extra entries. If you post it on Twitter or Facebook, that'll be two more entries for each post - just let me know you've done so in the comments.

I'll pick a winner Tuesday, December 15 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time, and will ship the items as quickly as the winner gets in touch with me. We'll try to get them to you for Christmas giving! Good luck - enter early and enter often!

I'm Behind!

2009-11-25T17:04:00.008-05:00

I can't believe I thought I'd be able to pull together a giveaway and a major family dinner the week my son got home from training. Sorry, everyone - I have the fabric cut but haven't managed to find more than a few minutes at a time for any actual sewing.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I found this on an online forum:

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop,or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.

He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all.

He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.

He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away ' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.

Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

Now, I don't mean to harp on the subject of respect for our military, but this brought tears to my eyes, perhaps because it describes two of my three boys. And I love them, and I am grateful for the gift of all three!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and please say a quick prayer for all those who are away from their families this holiday - whatever the reason!

Boys Are Fun!!

2009-11-22T10:46:00.008-05:00

This one just spent the last fourteen weeks learning to be an Infantryman. We have him home through Thanksgiving, and then he reports back to the Army. He got up early and ran three miles with me this morning, and then spent some time on the computer sending e-mails and such.

And now, he's indulging in some well-deserved couch time:

And this one is finishing his first semester of college. They're on Thanksgiving Break this week, so he's at loose ends. He loves the fireplace - he'd have it running in the summer if his Dad would go along with that! You can see that he is entertaining The Naughtiest Dogs on The Planet, here:

And he just told me he wants to buy one of these:

Not just a car - specifically, a Mini-Cooper. And he is just over six feet tall - I told him he'll need to fold his legs to fit!

And I have two of my three ducks home for Thanksgiving and may have all THREE home for Christmas. Definitely cause for giving thanks, don't you think?

I'll be posting a giveaway in the next day or so - stay tuned!

Road Trip!

2009-11-17T17:34:00.002-05:00

We get to take a very special road trip tomorrow - we are heading back down to Fort Benning, Georgia to bring home the youngest son, who is now officially an Infantryman in the US Army - and VERY proud of it! We bring him home Saturday for ten days, so he'll have Thanksgiving at home - hooray!

And I am working on a blog giveaway, but it will be on hold 'til we get the young man safely home. Have a wonderful week, everyone, and I'll try to post some pictures this weekend!

I Need More Weekend!

2009-11-15T19:53:00.004-05:00

Oh, the weekends are never long enough, are they? This one is over and I have several projects unfinished. I guess it's a good thing there are several weekends in the month!

Melissa and I took a three-mile hike early in the day today, while the Princess rode her horse. I haven't gone on the trail with them in awhile, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Princess is riding like a pro! She's improved by leaps and bounds since the last time I saw her riding. It was such a gorgeous day and I'm glad we took some time to get out and enjoy it.

I've been meaning to use some leftover fabric to make a stacked coins quilt - I worked on that today and the top is almost finished. Here's a couple of photos - I'll take a better one when I finish it - maybe next weekend!

It will be another throw-sized quilt, probably 50" x 60" or so. I have some bamboo batting I've been wanting to try, so maybe I'll put that in this quilt and see what the result is.

I don't know what the ultimate destination of this quilt is - it all depends on how it turns out. I always keep the option open of making it a dog quilt, just in case the results of my experimentation are awful. The dogs aren't too worried about what a quilt looks like! But so far it's not looking too bad - it might not have to go to the dogs after all!

I got the thrifted wool washed and dried. I was trying to get it to shrink, so I washed it in hot water and dried it on high. It worked - everything felted down nicely. I want to do a few felted stockings, and some stuffed critters, and maybe even a cozy felted blanket. I might need a few more sweaters!

And now it's time to get ready for next week and then settle down for the evening. I need a few more hours in my weekend! Have a good week, everyone!

Saturday Shopping

2009-11-14T18:50:00.002-05:00

Today was a good day. Melissa and I started the morning with a two-mile run, and then we cleaned out the remains of the summer garden and planted garlic. The garlic will grow all winter while the ground rests and we'll harvest it early next summer - a perfect use of otherwise dormant garden beds.

After showers and breakfast, we spent the day shopping. We found some wonderful wool items for recycling at the thrift store, some great fabric and yarn at the craft and fabric store and a treat for the princess at Toys R Us. And I found a perfect quilt pattern book - there are so many good things in it - I can't wait to sew some of them up and show them to all of you!

Tomorrow afternoon I think I'll break out the sewing machine for a bit. Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!

Happy Veteran's Day!

2009-11-11T22:13:00.002-05:00

I spent my Veteran's Day on call, which makes for a very long day! But we capped the evening off with dinner at Applebee's - they had free entrees for veterans. Thank you, Applebee's! And now I'm settling down before bed. Before I call it a night, though, I want to send a great big thank you out to all of you who have served in the military, or who have family that have served.

And, may God make me ever mindful of the sacrifices of thousands of men and women who protect our freedom every single day.

Surprises in the Mail!

2009-11-10T14:53:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week I got an unpleasant surprise from the cat -and today I got a very pleasant surprise in the mail! As it turns out, I won one of the giveaways from Karen at Little Pieces of My Life. See the pretty parcel wrapped in tissue paper? It was tied with the sweetest little pink ribbon you have ever seen!

And when I opened the package, it contained a lovely vintage ivory-colored apron embellished with blue and red stitchery, and a "Quilter on the Move" luggage tag AND a new book! The book is "The Quilter's Kitchen" by Jennifer Chiaverini. Aren't I the luckiest person in Tennessee right now?

Even more than the package, though, I am happy about what it represents. It represents Karen's return to health, and to her life. So, thank you so much, Karen, and congratulations on your recovery! May you continue to gain strength and health with every day that passes!

And, if you're interested in participating in National Tie One On Day, you can read more about it at Karen's blog. She even has a link to an easy apron pattern - it's worth a look!

Beware Cats Bearing Gifts

2009-11-08T11:30:00.003-05:00

I have the most loving cat on the planet. She loves to snuggle, and gives sweet little kitty kisses and brings gifts. And who doesn't love gifts? Anybody who's ever had a generous cat, that's who!

It's getting colder here, and when it's cold the poor little field mice start coveting the warm interior of the house - or, at least, the sheltered area on the porch. The cat found one of those little mice on the porch and she brought it inside. To share. While it was still alive. You know where this is going, don't you?

Yep, she let the mouse go. In the house. There's a live field mouse running around in here. Yay. Now I have to find some chihuahua-proof mousetraps. Wish me luck!

Tragedy at Ft Hood

2009-11-05T20:45:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you've all heard of the tragic shootings that took place today at Ft. Hood, Texas. My prayers go out to all the soldiers and their families affected by this. My oldest son is stationed there, and he called earlier today to let all of us know he's okay. And we've been fielding calls all afternoon from family members who are worried about Joshua.

And then, on the news, I heard that one of the shooters was an army physician - a mental health specialist - who was afraid to deploy. Now I don't blame anybody for not wanting to deploy - not for one second. But how in the world do you justify taking the lives of the soldiers who are just as frightened as you are? Especially when you are a medical professional who is charged with protecting those soldiers?

The truth is, it makes me angry, and the more I think of it, the more angry I get. I could just scream! How dare he hurt - kill - the people he had promised to protect? As an officer and a physician, his mission was clear. I just don't understand how someone could veer that far off course.

And I'm left back where I started, praying for the young men and women who have been affected by this dereliction of duty, and for their families who may, even now, be awaiting word of their loved one's fate. And shaking my head at the madness.

What's For Dinner?

2009-11-04T14:44:00.004-05:00

What are you having for dinner? I had some leftover roast chicken (from the Kroger deli - I did NOT try to do a roast chicken dinner midweek!), and we decided to make some chicken stock. It has simmered all morning and the house smells lovely, and I found this wonderful recipe: Chicken Corn Chowder.

I think I'll pair it with some rustic bread and maybe a little bit of shredded cheese for the top. What's for dinner at your house?

Oh, and for my month of gratitude - I am thankful for chilly fall days and hot soup!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T12:09:00.002-04:00

It's Halloween Weekend! I love Halloween because it seems to kick off the wonderful holiday season, and this year I'll actually have time to enjoy it. It's rainy and chilly here today, though, so I'm not sure how that will affect the trick-or-treaters.

As for me, I am feeling the urge to make some caramel apples - or at least some caramel dip to eat with sliced apples! Have a great weekend, everyone!

You Know You Need These!

2009-10-29T15:42:00.003-04:00

So, how many times have you been getting dressed, and looked at your underwear, and thought, "If only they made these for other parts of my body?" Yeah, me neither, but apparently somebody has.

Yep, some enterprising soul has invented Handerpants. The website claims that they are nontoxic (yay!) and suggests all sorts of uses - texting, cooking, cruising and sanitary handshakes. Even night blogging. I don't want to know what that is!

If that doesn't convince you, they are also said to be good for distracting enemies and great for jazz hands! I have to confess that my own jazz hands are a little wan most days and could certainly use some beefing up. And, you, too can have your very own Handerpants for less than twelve bucks. Excluding shipping.

I know you think I made this up, but I assure you that I did not. You can see the advertisement here: http://www.handerpants.com/ and the order button takes you to another site where you can order Handerpants and a set of Remote Control Hopping Yodeling Lederhosen.

So don't say I never gave you any Christmas ideas, my friends, because there are two prime ideas in ONE blog post! You can thank me later!

Catching Up and a Blog Giveaway

2009-10-27T08:53:00.006-04:00

I am off work today, because I was on call yesterday, and I'm spending the morning catching up on blogs. When I was in school I only let myself do this every so often, and only for a few blogs at a time. Now that I'm out of school there should be more time, but I still feel that I'm playing catch-up to some extent. So, it may take awhile yet before I get back to normal!

So, I was catching up and came to Karen's blog - Karen is a long-arm quilter and her blog has some lovely quilts featured - see it here: Little Pieces of My Life. Karen has had some health problems recently and has had a long road to recovery, but it looks like she's finally made it, and to celebrate she's hosting a giveaway. Please stop by to congratulate her on her recovery and to wish her continued good health going forward.

And, as I mentioned before, I have decided to work on simplifying my life. My children are grown, I have met my professional goals and now it's time to get some balance back! So, I went to the hairdresser and asked for wash-and-go hair. Short wash-and-go hair. I've thrown in a "before" picture for comparison.

I'm still getting used to the results, but overall I am pleased. There's so much movement to this cut that the messier it is, the better it looks. My hair actually looks better after I've had it under a scrub cap all day! I can't be unhappy about that!

I have a box full of hair products for the Princess to look through - she's a girly-girl and will be delighted to play, I am sure. And I have reclaimed a lot of space in the bathroom - maybe it's time for some redecorating in there!

Taking Time to Breathe!

2009-10-24T08:42:00.002-04:00

Well, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity! I feel like there hasn't been more than ten minutes to sit and relax for weeks now unless we were in the truck driving somewhere, and that's not exactly relaxing!

Last week was our vacation and we saw the youngest son for a glorious 36 hours. He looked good - he's taller, and heavier, and he's grown up quite a bit. Even his brothers commented on the change. He said he has no regrets about joining the Army or choosing the Infantry. And that's all I needed to hear!

We came home Sunday and I went straight back to work on Monday - and it was a busy week! The oldest son left yesterday to go back to Texas and today I have nothing on the agenda but getting the house back in order. I have this tremendous urge to simplify things - more on that later!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Aquarium Visit

2009-10-15T22:29:00.005-04:00

We spent the day at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta today. I've been wanting to go since they acquired the elusive whale shark for their collection, and today we discovered that they actually have FOUR of them.

It is rather expensive to visit, but when you think about their food budget it balances out, I am sure. And look at these two handsome fellows I found hanging out by the tank!

We'll get to see their brother on Saturday!

The whale shark is actually a fish - here you can see them swimming in the tank. They are spotted and enormous, and they swim slowly and gracefully through the water. I could have watched them for hours.

The Georgia Aquarium also has two manta rays - you can see one of them here. They were fascinating, as well, with their underwater acrobatics! They swoop through the water in giant somersaults, their mouths open to scoop up food.

And who doesn't love a lionfish? Except folks who step on them, I imagine - all those lovely spines are venomous!

And, like every good aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium had some educational offerings, too. The one I'd like to share today is the idea of sustainable seafood. Overfishing is causing population collapses among some species, so you can go here and find out how to choose a seafood feast that won't bring a species to extinction. I know I'll be more mindful of sustainability before I make my next seafood purchase.

And we are on vacation, so I'll post again next week when we return - hopefully there will be quite a few more photos! Have a great week, everyone!

The Test is OVER!

2009-10-09T15:40:00.002-04:00

Well, I took the board exam this morning. You get preliminary results before you leave the test center. I was absolutely certain I had failed the test - it's crazy that you can work for years for something and have it all come down to one test, isn't it? But, to my surprise, I passed!

Now, it isn't official until I get the score report in, but for the moment I can relax and enjoy my vacation! Thanks to everyone who has given me support and encouragement over the past couple of years - you guys are the greatest! Expect to be seeing a little more of me now!

A Quilt for a Princess!

2009-09-27T08:23:00.004-04:00

Since I am heartily sick of talking about the test, I figured I would show you the quilt I made for the Princess this summer. Although you can't see them very well in these photos, the colors are purple, brown, pink and lime green.

She really seemed to like it, and it has a new home at the foot of her bed, where it matches her Hawaiian theme surprisingly well! The fabric caught my eye because it is covered in birds that look like they were drawn by Dr. Seuss - very fun and whimsical. Oh, and one of the fabrics has ladybugs scattered all over it! How can you miss, with birds and bugs?

It's machine-pieced and machine quilted. Now that I've learned the technique I simply love running a quilt through the machine! That's my new favorite part of quilting. Oh, and I also love hand-sewing the binding in place, because you get to sit with the quilt in your lap and feel how warm and cozy it will be!
And, now, dear friends, I must return to the books. Wish me luck!

Two Weeks...

2009-09-24T18:57:00.005-04:00

...and one day 'til I take the dreaded board exam. I'm never going to get through all the material, and I'm never going to know everything I need to know, and studying like this is extremely frustrating! Wish me luck, everyone, and I'll post more later!

Phone Calls

2009-09-19T10:02:00.007-04:00

I got a phone call from the youngest yesterday - he's just over a month into basic training now, and he sounded really good. He said he's working hard and enjoying the training.

He said he's gained ten pounds (he was really proud of that) and said the drill sergeants have said he's the smallest guy there with the biggest heart - he said, "Mom, I just don't quit!" That's my boy!

And these photos are from his company at Fort Benning - they post generic photos on the website and the wives and mothers all scan them, looking for our boys! I haven't seen Sean yet, but I've seen a couple of likely suspects - I just look for the short ones!

And I thought I'd share a few photos on this blog, because, folks, here are some of the young men who are willing to fight for your freedom. These photos show all men because it is an Infantry company, and right now women don't serve in the Infantry. In all the branches of the service, though, there are young men and women exactly like these boys - working hard to get through their training so that they can take their place in our lines of defense.

I am very proud of all of them, and I sincerely hope and pray that we all figure out a way to avoid using them in anything but humanitarian missions someday very soon. If you're the praying type, send one up for the young men and women out there fighting for all of us, no matter what our political affiliation is!

ICE Your Phone!

2009-09-14T18:45:00.002-04:00

I was just reminded of this by a friend, so I pulled this explanation from another website. Please ICE your phone today!

Paramedics are asking that everyone add at least one additional entry to their cell phone contacts list. Please add an ICE entry. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. This number should dial the person in your family that can respond to medical decisions if you are injured or incapcitated.

If you are in an accident, paramedics know to check your phone for your emergency contact information. Imagine taking a look and trying to figure out who to call out of the twenty or more numbers on your phone. By adding a contact entry that's designated as an emergency contact number (ICE), you can make their job much easier and possibly save your own life.

So program an ICE entry on your cell phone today, as a matter of fact, pull it out right now as you're reading this article. If you have more than one person the paramedics can contact in case of an emergency, you can add additional ICE numbers to your list. Your primary contact should be listed under ICE, then you can add the other contacts under ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, etc.After you program ICE into your phone, have your spouse, your kids, your parents, and your friends do the same thing. If there are people in your life that you care about, they should all have ICE on their phones.

Pity Party

2009-09-12T06:59:00.003-04:00

This morning I am feeling just a wee bit sorry for myself. It's Saturday, and there are interesting and exciting things going on all over town!

My friends are tailgaiting, and shopping, and gardening, and there's a local quilt shop that's going out of business and having a fabulous sale!!!

And I can't do any of it. Working and studying through the week is proving to be a bit more challenging than I anticipated it would be, so that leaves the weekends for the bulk of the work. There just aren't that many weekend days between now and my test date. I can't waste a single one!

Woe is me. I'm a sad sack, aren't I? Oh, well - I dug this hole by myself and I'll fill it in by myself. And the lovely cooler weather outside will have to go one without me... and the garden will have to sit for a few more weeks.

If you need me, I'll be the one with my nose in the books!

Weekend Designer Closing Up Shop

2009-09-05T15:05:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite sewing bloggers has decided to stop blogging. Weekend Designer is closing up shop after 100 posts. I don't know how long the site will remain accessible, so any of you who sew (or want to sew) might want to take a look at his patterns before they are gone forever.

There are patterns for everything from shirts to skirts, and bags to dog beds on the site. He even has a pattern for neckties! Most of his patterns are very easy to copy and to sew, and you can tailor them to fit your size and shape. This is something I love because I am roughly the size and shape of a hobbit!

If you're intimidated by pattern drafting, take a look at his motto - "...it ain't rocket science" - and be encouraged. You can sew custom clothing and accessories for yourself, for your family and friends, for your home and even for your pets, and it's much faster and easier than you think.

So, to my favorite weekend designer - good luck in your future endeavors, and if you ever want to start another blog, your fans await!

Football Time!

2009-09-04T18:54:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again - the air is cooler, the humidity is lower and people in East Tennessee are beginning to turn orange. Yes, orange - as in orange and white, the team colors of the Tennessee Volunteers!

it isn't just the leaves that change color here in East Tennessee in the fall. Clothing and cars and houses and mailboxes and buses and office buildings all start sporting Tennessee orange.

The Tennessee football stadium (pictured here) fills up with fans on game day and you can't navigate downtown at all before or after the game - it's chaotic and crazy! Local radio stations play Tennessee's fight song: "Rocky Top" and everybody sings along.

And I'm not a big football fan, but it is nearly impossible not to be swept up in the excitement. It's fun because everybody is so into it. And, since the University of Tennessee is my alma mater, I have a legitimate reason to cheer them on! Even if what I'd rather be doing is this:

Just like Smokey, the Volunteer mascot. Napping on game day! Have a great holiday weekend, everybody, and if you're a Western Kentucky fan, we're going to beat your team this weekend!

Still Here

2009-08-30T08:31:00.002-04:00

I haven't gone anywhere, and I'm not abandoning the blog. It's just that the combination of working and studying for the board exam has me so busy I can't see straight! So, let me do a quick update and then it's back to the books!

First - the new job. I was very nervous starting out, but it's been good. I'm working hard, and learning more about how they do things at this hospital. Some of those things I like, some not so much, but that's true of anywhere, and so I'll adapt. Everyone has been very nice and very supportive, so I think I'll make it!

Second - the board exam. Uggh! I am wading through all this material and some of it I swear I do NOT remember studying before, even though I am sure we did. I study 'til my eyeballs ache and then I study a little more. I'm trying to log 2 hours of study per workday (although I give myself a break if the workday goes past 6 p.m.) and 6-8 hours on each day I don't work.

I take the test October 15, so just about six more weeks of this and (hopefully) I'll be able to relax. Either that or I'll be back on the same treadmill again, because I must pass this test at some point, although there is an option to retake it if you have to. Need I say that I really don't want to have to??

On October 18, the youngest graduates from basic training and I have the time off to go see it. And my oldest son is taking leave to come out with us! The middle son starts college next week, but he'll be able to go see his brother graduate, as well. So, there's lots to look forward to! All my duckies together again - at least for a weekend! They're all busy and I'm really busy so the time will fly, I'm sure!

My Guilty Pleasure

2009-08-22T09:25:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm confessing, here. I am a Top Chef addict. Love, love, love the show. And the new season started last week, and I think it's going to be a good one!

The show starts with a handful of professional chefs from all over the country - this year it started with seventeen. Each week, they face different cooking challenges and one chef is eliminated. The finale is a cook-off and one chef wins a large monetary prize. Past season winners have used the money to open restaurants or to go on culinary tours to broaden their knowledge and experience.

The challenges are awful. "Here's $10 and two vending machines - you have thirty minutes to make a gourmet dish." Or, "You will be catering a wedding with 250 guests... tomorrow!" To their credit, the chefs always manage to pull something off, but there is always wailing and gnashing of teeth and running around the kitchen and chaos - it makes for great television.

Of course, the producers almost always find one or two chefs with controversial ideas or bad attitudes, just to spice things up. I feel kind of sorry for these people, because they come across so badly on screen. Surely nobody could be that nasty in real life - I am sure there's a lot of creative editing.

Because I have to spend a large part of fall studying, I'll be recording Top Chef and watching it AFTER I've logged the required studying for the week. We'll see how that goes!

Classmates

2009-08-20T14:22:00.007-04:00

Here's a photo of all the girls in my graduating class. I am pictured in the front row of girls - the first one on the left. We were attending a graduation banquet and didn't everybody look good?

Here's the whole class together. We've been together for about three years, and this week everyone is off doing their own thing, and it's a little sad. To everything there's a season, though... and for us, it's time to move on.

And here I am at dinner. That was a great weekend, but I have to say that I still haven't come to terms with the fact that I am really and truly finished with school. My diploma came today, certifying that I do, in fact, have a Master's degree. I have worked for four days at the new job, and so far I love it. And yet I can't shake the feeling that I've forgoten to turn something in or that I need to finish a care plan!

And, in truth, there is a bit of unfinished business. That board certification exam looms ahead. So I'm studying as much as I can, because failure is NOT an option!

Letters From My Son

2009-08-16T08:46:00.002-04:00

My son has written four letters since he left for basic training ten days ago. He has always loved to write, so it doesn't surprise me. I'll probably get a letter every couple of days, whereas I think I got two letters total from the oldest one.

He's safe and he's happy and he (so far) loves the Army. I've also had a phone call, and I asked him, "Do you like it?" He said he did. I asked, "Do you love it?" His answer: "Most definitely."

So, he's doing something that he loves. What more can you ask?

Quick Update

2009-08-13T08:35:00.002-04:00

Well, the computer problems I thought I was having turned out to be power cord problems, which my dear husband managed to correct by picking up a new power cord! Hooray! He's the best! :) I did NOT want a new computer - I have this one trained!

Yesterday was my last clinical day as a student, and tomorrow I graduate! Tomorrow! I'm doing the Graduation Happy Dance, which looks something like the chicken dance crossed with the twist, if you can picture that!

And I want to thank all of you for your encouragement and kindness over the past few months as I've been running toward this finish line. You've all been a tremendous help. I can't even tell you how often I've been exhausted and discouraged, and reading your comments really gives me a lift. For that I am truly grateful.

There are graduation festivities on and off all weekend and on Monday I start my job! We'll be taking lots of pictures, though, so I'll try to post photos sometime this weekend. And I will make my journey around blogland, as well - I need to catch up on what all of you are doing! You miss a lot in just a few days!

Computer Woes...

2009-08-09T10:40:00.003-04:00

My computer, faithful workhorse that it was, is on its last legs. Thank heaven I am done with my coursework and I don't really need it to study for boards - at least not right now.

So, you might be seeing a bit less of me for a couple of weeks while I work through this. Because, you see, in order to get a new computer I need to have a paycheck. In order to have a paycheck I need to work, in order to work I need to graduate... you get the picture.

The good news? I graduate in five days. Five days!!!! :) And my first paycheck will be at the end of the month. Bear with me for a couple of weeks, kind friends, and I'll be back in full force in a couple of weeks! I will miss reading your blogs every couple of days, but think of the fun I'll have when I do get connected again - all that lovely reading material!

Yogurt

2009-08-08T12:49:00.003-04:00

I was at the grocery store this morning, in the dairy section, looking at yogurt. And I picked up one of those commercial flavored "light" yogurts, and read the label. It was enlightening, to say the least. Why does my yogurt need food coloring, pray tell?

And I'm on a bit of a whole food kick right now - trying to eliminate processed foods from my diet, to a large degree. I know that I feel better when my diet consists mostly of real foods - fruits and vegetables and lean meats and such. The single-serving yogurts don't really fit the bill. Plus, they're more expensive ($0.70 each) and there's a lot of unnecessary packaging involved. They're not even environmentally friendly!

So I picked up a large container of plain nonfat Dannon yogurt ($1.99 for 4 cups), and I brought it home. And this afternoon I spooned half a cup or so into a bowl, and topped it with a handful of frozen blackberries, and a handful of organic granola and a drizzle of wildflower honey. It was every bit as good as the individual flavored yogurt, and everything in the bowl was wholesome and healthy. This is the way I used to eat, and I really need to get back to it.

The next step is making my own yogurt - I know it isn't that difficult. I'll keep you posted, and if nothing else, the chickens and the dogs will be happy to help me hide the evidence of my failures!

A New Identity

2009-08-07T21:47:00.002-04:00

So, it's Friday night. And I'm being lazy, and looking at blogs for a few minutes before I go to bed. And just now I looked at one featuring craft ideas for kids and it hit me - I don't have little ones anymore. Nobody wants to paint or make journals or make leaf placemats or nature candles or any of the crafts I used to make with my kids.

Don't get me wrong, they'll always be my boys, but our relationship has changed. And I have to face up to that - I'm a mom with grown children, and they don't need me on a daily basis anymore. It's weird, that's what it is. Really, they haven't needed me for a long time, but they are sweet boys and they let me pretend that I was still important. Now I have to face it - I'm not! I have to find a new identity.

Someday soon I think I'll see this information as liberating, but right now it's just sad. I'm pathetic. Thank heaven I still have to study for another few weeks - if I were completely at loose ends right now I might go bananas!

I Want to Wallow in Sadness...

2009-08-05T07:06:00.003-04:00

...but nobody will let me! You know, I really am very lucky, to be surrounded by people who care about me. And, so, instead of sitting around here moping because my baby is gone, I've been out for appetizers, and had houseguests and been visiting and there would have been a hike last night with Melissa, but a lightning storm put a stop to that.

Oh, and don't forget the comments on my blog, and the kind e-mails, and the prayers - you guys are the greatest! I am very lucky to be part of both a wonderful physical community and a wonderful cyber-community - thank you all!

My son called yesterday and says he's doing fine and will get us an address as soon as he's settled into a platoon. And he seems to have made friends already. So, I am sure he'll be fine. And I will, too - surrounded by friends, as I am.

Oh, and lest you think I forgot... nine days left. I can count 'em on my toes, now, if I want to! Nine days. Then I'll do the exact same thing I'm doing now, except with a paycheck. And benefits. And vacation - definitely a lot to look forward to.

Leaving the Nest

2009-08-02T08:10:00.004-04:00

My baby leaves for Infantry basic training tomorrow, and I am really going to miss him. He is so excited he can't stand it, though. He's been exercising for months to get ready - see the big "guns" there? :)

I really do wish he'd chosen a different path, but this is what he wants to do and now my job is to stand back and support him. And I will.

He's following his older brother's footsteps, and so far the Army has worked out very well for our oldest son. He'll finish his tour, and he's an Air Traffic Controller. So we're hoping that after that he'll find a job close to home, at least for a little while.

The oldest is currently stationed in Texas, and they'll probably deploy after the first of the year, though, and the youngest has already announced his intention to volunteer for deployment when his training is complete. So, before my oldest gets out I'll have two of the three deployed. That does not make for happy thoughts around here!

So, I'll do what mothers have done for centuries - pray, and worry, and send goodies to both of my boys. I guess those are things that we do no matter where they are, though! And tonight? Pizza at our house, since that's something he won't see again for two months.

The middle one starts college this month, but he's staying home to take classes for now, which is good. Because I'm not sure how I'd have managed a completely empty house!

And if you're a praying person, and you have a minute, send some up for my boys, and pray that I remember how blessed I am to have three adult sons who are all doing something positive with their lives.

A Brand New Bag

2009-08-01T00:12:00.005-04:00

My gorgeous niece has a birthday next month, so I made her this cute little bag. It's from Weekend Designer - one of my favorite pattern websites. If you sew, or if you want to sew, this site is worth a visit. Check the archives - there are so many great ideas here!

I used brown ultraseude for her bag, and it was really easy. It was done in under two hours. I think it came out cute, and I added some decorative stitching 'round the edges, which I think added a nice finishing touch.

My niece is on a date tonight, though, and she caught me after I'd finished the tote and took it with her on her date! So, no photos of the finished product, but imagine one of these in brown, and you'll know what it looks like. I'll try to get a shot of her and the bag tomorrow, before she heads off to work, and if I do I'll add it to this post. Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!

Quilt Pattern

2009-07-30T20:21:00.006-04:00

My dear friend Mildred treated me to this lovely quilt pattern (in a roundabout way!). Thank you so much, Mildred! It's from Thimble Blossoms, an Etsy shop run by Camille Roskelley, who sells lovely patterns. You can see her blog here.

Isn't it charming? I love the simplicity, and all that open space to showcase lovely quilting. Now I just need to find someone who can produce some lovely quilting, huh? Hahaha!

I can't wait to get my hands on it, and go select the fabrics (because I doubt I'll be able to find the fabrics shown, although you never know!). Anyway, if I use different fabrics it will truly be one of a kind, right?

Imagine this quilt done in fall colors with mums where the daisy is. Or Christmas colors with poinsettias... oh - or beachy colors with seashells! I think the possibilities are endless. I'll work on the main version (the one shown) a little at a time, I think, when I need a break from studying. And, if I pass the boards, I might whip up the fall version for a giveaway. So, thank you again, Mildred! Your kindness definitely brightened my week!

Last Call

2009-07-29T22:16:00.005-04:00

Tonight is my last call shift as a student nurse anesthetist. I am updating this blog from our call room, between cases. This call is the 16-hour overnight kind, which are usually very difficult for me. Tonight, though, I am irrepressible. I am bouncing all over the hospital, and the OR staff are cracking up at me. I am happy no matter what!

Tomorrow morning, my husband is taking me out to breakfast to celebrate the fact that I no longer have to pull overnight trauma call, and I am having pancakes. LOTS of them. :)

And, yet, I remember... the man with dissecting aorta whose life we saved, and the young girl whose face was mauled by a pit-bull, and how I comforted her before her surgery, and the stabbings, and the car accidents, and the gunshot wounds - all of them frightened and hurting and needing comfort and care. And, yes, I remember the organ donations (I've done six) which are the most difficult cases (emotionally) for me to to do.

And so, there's a tiny piece of me that's going to miss this trauma call thing. That isn't stopping me from celebrating tonight, mind you. It's just a tiny voice inside, saying, "Yes, but look at what you've gained." Indeed. Look at what I've gained.

And I can honestly say that, even knowing how incredibly rough the journey was at times, I would do it all over again. And those pancakes are going to be fabulous, come tomorrow morning!

Surprise Giveaway

2009-07-26T10:11:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't love a surprise? Well, I guess there are people out there who don't like them, but not anybody I know! So, if (like me) you like surprises, stop by We Love Quilting and sign up for her surprise box giveaway.

While you're there, take a look at her quilt show display quilt - it is simply gorgeous! I can't imagine how many hours went into creating that quilt, and the colors make me long for fall!

Oh, and I passed my comprehensive exams. They are graded pass or fail, although the "pass" designation is divided into "high pass" or "pass." I got a simple "pass" but I have to admit that that was probably my own fault - I concentrated on board study instead of focusing on excelling at comps. My reasoning is that the board exam has become more difficult this year, and if I fail boards I can't work, and if I don't work I don't get paid... ergo, boards are more important than comps.

Now, to be sure, if I failed comprehensives I couldn't graduate, but I knew I could come up with a "pass" - worthy product. Writing comes fairly easily to me, although top-notch writing remains something I have to work at. I am NOT convinced that I can pass the board exam as easily. That said, I'm off to the books again. :)

Enter the giveaway at We Love Quilting and have a great week!

Still Here!

2009-07-25T20:17:00.003-04:00

I'm still here. Twenty days and counting. Working a lot and studying a lot and trying to keep my head above water! I'll check in again in a few days - have a great week, everyone!

Busy, busy!

2009-07-19T14:19:00.002-04:00

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy, busy, busy - in a good way! There's more paperwork than you can shake a stick at, lots of loose ends to tie up and I still have that little "quiz" (the board exam) to study for.

So, you might not see me much between now and August 14, but I promise I'll be back in full force once I'm done. Twenty-five days and counting!

Friday!

2009-07-17T18:42:00.003-04:00

The best night of the week. :) First, I came home and checked the mail and there was a lovely card and gift from Mildred! Melissa and I "met" Mildred through one of our giveaways, and we have enjoyed following her blog adventures since then! Mildred, thank you so much! You are so thoughtful, and so sweet. I am very fortunate to know you!

Ron and I just cooked dinner together, and now we'll sit and watch a movie with the boys. The youngest has just under three weeks left at home, so I am treasuring every moment!

The middle son has decided to stay home and go to a local college for the time being, so I will not have a completely empty nest - hooray! I'm grateful that one of the birdies will be hanging around for a bit. I'd have been very sad and lonely this fall if they'd all gone!

Have a good weekend, everyone. The weather here is supposed to be cooler and gorgeous. I want to get some studying done and I have OB call on Sunday - more babies! :)

Memorial Service

2009-07-15T19:25:00.005-04:00

This was posted on a message board; I checked the veracity on Snopes.com. The content of the e-mail is true, but they can't verify the author or the airport tale. Still, it's a timely reminder that our national persective is seriously skewed when it comes to our heroes.

Memorial Service: you're invited.

Darrell "Shifty" Powers was buried on June 20, 2009. We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip."

My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it.

And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right. Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans. Rest in peace, Shifty.

Harvest

2009-07-15T16:14:00.002-04:00

Our little garden and chicken flock are productive right now. We have a virtual farmer's market in the yard - I love it! If we had to, we could feed ourselves exclusively with things we've grown right here. That notion makes me absurdly happy - I love this time of year!

I hope you're all having an equally "fruitful" summer!

Addiction

2009-07-12T09:45:00.014-04:00

I have a serious fabric addiction. I love all fabrics, but I am particularly enamored, at the moment, of quilting cottons. The increasing popularity of sewing as a hobby and the versatility of cottons means that designers are creating gorgeous lines of fabric in beautiful, brilliant colors. The fabric's siren song pulls me in and I can easily spend two or three hours in a fabric shop.

The local quilt shop owners are aware of this addiction that I share with countless women (and perhaps a few men) in East Tennessee, and they feed it by getting new fabric in every week and then putting the older fabric on sale. Sometimes they put the whole shop on sale! This is NOT helping me wean myself away, people!!!

Just look at these colors! The quilt shops stock high-quality cotton fabric that's almost as smooth as silk - it's really amazing to work with! Now, you all know that I love to re-use and recycle, but once in awhile I have to feed my new fabric love. I do try to confine myself to sale fabrics, but sometimes I just simply have to have a cut or two of something gorgeous.

This floral fabric and the blue print next to it are asking to become a tote bag, I think. I'm thinking that the floral needs to be the main body of the outer bag and the print needs to be the interior (I love a tote bag with a pretty interior), but I haven't decided yet. I think this blue and brown combination is summery enough to use now but not so summery that it can't make the transition to fall. What do you think?

This tote is made from purple fabric (I know it looks blue in this photo - I couldn't correct for the flash) with a purple and beige floral print. It's for a friend of mine who's just started anesthesia school. She's meeting me in the morning to learn how to set up an operating room and how to run a basic case.

I'm putting a couple of reference books, a clipboard and a couple of high-quality pens in it. I'll give it to her tomorrow, as a "Welcome to Anesthesia School" gift. I hope she likes it!

Oh, and my sewing machine is acting up a bit, so there may not be much more sewing going on if I can't get her to behave. I'm going to do a bit of troubleshooting later this afternoon and see if I can't correct the problem. I suspect it's a combination of some lint in the machinery and a tension issue, so maybe it will be easy to correct. I hope it will be easy to correct!

Weekend call

2009-07-11T13:39:00.002-04:00

I'm on weekend obstetrical call. That means lots of epidurals and c-sections. And babies. Did I mention I love babies? I do. Babies are so fat and cute and cuddly and they just smell so good... the world is better with babies in it.

So, OB call is hectic and busy, and there's very little down-time (I'm just now eating lunch at nearly 2 p.m.), but there are babies involved, so all is good.

I've been very whiny lately, and I just wanted to thank all of you (especially Melissa and Janet, who've heard it first-hand in e-mails or phone calls) for putting up with my whiny self. It will be better, soon, I promise! I have 34 days left of this mess, and then... well, then I'll probably find something else to whine about!

In the meantime, I'm going to go coo over some more babies! Hey, it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it! Have a good weekend, everyone!

All I Want To Do...

2009-07-08T14:26:00.004-04:00

...is nap. I am bone-tired. More exhausted than I have ever been in my entire life, including when the kids weren't sleeping through the night yet. And I'm not the only one. My classmates tell me they're experiencing the same thing. It's almost like a clinical depression (not to minimize anyone's actual depression, mind you!), because I want to spend every spare moment sleeping.

I'm not spending every spare moment sleeping, of course. Can't do that - too much to study and too much to do! I am taking a nap whenever I get the chance, though, and sleeping in when I can. I think it's just exhaustion - we've all pushed and pushed and pushed to get through the anesthesia program and now we're right at the end and we're almost too tired to care.

So, I'm going to do what any self-respecting student would do and go have another nap. Have a good day, everyone! Oh, and go to The Apron Goddesses and enter to win a couple of aprons - you won't be sorry. Well, if you win, you won't, anyway!

Finishing The Quilt

2009-07-05T15:32:00.003-04:00

I spent a little time this weekend working on the binding of my quilt. Overall, I'm pleased with the way this project turned out, and I think I'll probably make another one of these days.

The best part is that I learned the basics of machine quilting, which is something I always wanted to do but have never been able to master. Until now!

I just love the texture of a stippled quilt. I especially love it once it's all washed and soft and cozy. I have a bit of hand-sewing remaining for the back of this quilt, and then it will be done!

And, if you want to make your own, the directions are all still available at Old Red Barn Co., and if you leave a comment on the most recent post you can be entered to win the Janome sewing machine, even if you didn't make a quilt. Even if you've never so much as looked at a quilt! So, enter the drawing, win a mondo-sewing machine and celebrate by making a quilt! That's my plan, anyway!

Last Night...

2009-07-03T17:34:00.003-04:00

was as busy as I suspected it would be. I finally finished around five this morning. Two of the patients were under the age of 8, but the injuries, although bad enough to require surgery, weren't life-threatening, thank goodness!

This photo was taken at about 4:30 this morning and I was trying very hard to stay focused - after about 14 hours it becomes more difficult. I'm glad I only have one more overnight call scheduled!

Have a great holiday, everyone, and say a little prayer for the folks who can't be with their families to celebrate Independence Day!

Ugh!

2009-07-02T08:17:00.002-04:00

I don't feel good this morning. My stomach is upset and my head hurts. Ugh. I'm on call tonight (3 p.m. - 7 a.m.) and we're leading up to a holiday weekend, so it will be another 16-hour anesthesia marathon. And you don't call in sick for a call shift unless you are hospitalized (I'm not exaggerating that, either!), so I have to pull it together by this afternoon.

I think I'm going to take some pepto bismol and try to take a nap. Maybe I'll feel better after that. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Graduation Photo

2009-06-30T17:43:00.010-04:00

We took graduation photos a couple of weeks ago, and here's mine. Can you believe it? Graduation photos, people! Surely that means the end is near!!

Anyway, after looking carefully at this photo, I have decided that I am Velma Dinkley. See? I'm short and I'm a bookworm and my hair is reddish-brown. I'm kind of stocky, and I can't see a thing without my glasses. When my hair is short, we could be twins.

So, do you have a virtual "twin" and who is it? Tell me I'm not the only "cartoon caricature" out there! :)

Flag Giveaway

2009-06-29T18:54:00.004-04:00

Just a quick note, because I have (another) test tomorrow. Check out Palmer Falls Primitives for a lovely giveaway, including this wonderful wooden flag pictured at left. Wouldn't it look perfect as part of your summer display?

My guest room started out with a nautical theme, but it has become more of an "Americana" theme and this would be perfect in there!

Oh, and I'm down to 45 days. :) Today was rough, but I kept reminding myself, "45 days, 45 days, 45 DAYS!!!" It made me feel better! Hope the rest of you had a better Monday than I did, and here's to a better tomorrow!

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

2009-06-28T16:29:00.003-04:00

The cucumbers are producing their little hearts out here at Clay Hill Farm. We have plenty of cucumbers, plenty of jalapeno peppers, and not much of anything else just yet.

So, I made some cucumber-yogurt sauce to go with the leftover chicken we're having for dinner tonight. I think it's called tsatziki in some cuisines. Cucumber-yogurt sauce is very easy - I combined a medium-sized cucumber (finely chopped) with 1/2 cup of low fat yogurt, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1/8 teaspoon cumin. I salted it to taste. You could add dill, or mint, or other fresh herbs, if you wanted to.

Tonight I'll put a big dollop of sauce on each chicken breast, and tomorrow I'll use the sauce and some sliced chicken in a tortilla for a sandwich wrap. Cucumber-yogurt sauce is also great with leftover roast, or leftover steak, or lamb - to me, it makes the leftovers taste like a fresh dish. The flavors intensify as the sauce sits, so it will be even better tomorrow.

I think I'll try to make cold cucumber soup later in the week - anybody got any good recipes?

Good News and Not-So-Good News

2009-06-27T18:02:00.004-04:00

The good news is that I spent part of the afternoon today learning how to machine quilt! And, it isn't as difficult as I thought TO LEARN. The not-so-good news is, it's much more physical than I imagined TO DO. You are powering the quilt around the machine with the strength of your arms, and there's a reason some quilters only work for twenty minutes at a time. My arms, they is a-burnin'!

The good news is it is kind of fun to do the meandering "stipple" pattern I'm using for this quilt. I took a couple of photos to try to show you the close-up pictures. The not-so-good news: I'm not very good at it yet - see below.

Still, I think with some practice, I can become a decent machine quilter. But I think this little one is going to have to stay here and become a porch quilt. I'll have to keep working at it to be as good as Dana and make quilts to give away.

I don't think it's a hopeless cause, though. I'm encouraged by my first attempt at machine quilting, and once I've finished that pesky little degree I'll have more time to play. Who knows what I'll come up with then?

Case Totals

2009-06-27T06:30:00.002-04:00

Because I am a student, I have to keep track of every anesthetic case I am involved in. We have a tracking program that we use to enter all the details about what we did and the length of time it took. This is a royal pain, and I hate doing it. One of the best things about graduating is that I won't have to do that any longer.

Because I hate it, I procrastinate. The tracking program only lets you go back four weeks, though, so guess how long I procrastinate? Yup - about a month. This morning I have to put a month's worth of case totals in. Still, my method means I only have to face the awful thing once a month, and with less than two months to go I have just twice more (after today) to deal with it.

But, it's Saturday morning, and I slept as much as I wanted to. I have a tiny dog curled up on my feet and the History Channel on the television, and a cup of coffee nearby. It could be worse! I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

RIP, MJ

2009-06-25T20:19:00.002-04:00

A troubled man has, perhaps, finally found some peace. My sisters and I were fans of Michael Jackson (and of all the Jacksons) when we were young. So, I was saddened to hear of his death today.

Here's a photo of a young Michael before whatever demons plagued him took the best of him and sent him in a dreadful downward spiral. As disturbing as some of the more recent images of him were, behind all of that there was a troubled human being who was suffering. I hope he is at peace now.

One Down, One to Go...

2009-06-25T04:03:00.002-04:00

Well, I finished my comprehensive exams yesterday. Whew. It was worse than I thought it would be. Four essay questions that took thirty (yes, 30!) typed pages (double-spaced) to answer in just over eight hours. A group of us went out afterward and had an early dinner. We went to a Mexican place (and there may or may not have been a margarita involved - I am pleading the fifth!). I really love good Mexican food and this was very, very good.

Then I came home and went straight to bed - I was completely drained. Of course, then I was wide awake this morning at 2:30 a.m. and I have to pull a complete clinical day today. So, I should have stayed up for a couple of hours when I got home last night. I'm yawning as I type this but can't sleep because I keep going over my answers in my head. If you can believe this, I'm not sure I wrote enough.

But, it's done, and all I need to do is pass. So, we'll see. Surely I put enough effort into it for that. When I get home this evening I'll probably take a nap and then I really need to get out the weeding gloves and spend an hour or so cleaning up the flowerbeds. There are more weeds than flowers out there at the moment, and that's a shame because I actually have quite a few blooms this year!

Have a great day, everyone, and don't work too hard!

Exams!

2009-06-23T19:23:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow! Yikes!!!! I thought this day would never come, and now tomorrow, it does! Off to do some last-minute studying.

Oh, and when tomorrow is over, I am down to 50 more days. In case you were wondering! :)

Insanity...

2009-06-21T20:41:00.008-04:00

...is adding one more load of straw onto an overloaded camel and hoping his back won't break. That's what I did when I signed on for the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along. I knew I didn't have time to make a quilt, but I really, really wanted to!

So, I did what any sensible person would do, and I pulled together some fabric and I started cutting it. Here it is, cut into strips and lined up:

And I told myself I'd stop with the cutting, but I was lying. I didn't stop there, not at all. I sewed that fabric into squares and then I sewed the squares together, and then I put a border around the whole thing.

And here it is, sewn into a quilt top.

I worked on it two to three hours a week, and I played anesthesia lectures in the sewing room while I sewed, so I wouldn't feel too guilty about playing when I should have been studying. It's a small, throw-sized quilt (49" x 59") and will probably shrink up a little more when I quilt it. So, it will be about 48" x 58", which is great for throwing over your legs on a cool evening but not so big that it's unmanageable when you're sewing it.

I wanted something summery, and patriotic, and a bit old-fashioned looking. I think I succeeded there. However, I am the Swedish Chef at a sewing machine, I really am. Look closely and you'll see that some of the seams don't match up as they should, and some of my squares aren't as square as they ought to be. It's handmade, there's no doubt about it.

I wanted it to turn out nicely because, well, I was thinking of making it the center of my summer giveaway. But I'm not sure it's nice enough for that, and I definitely want to see how it turns out once it's quilted. And I can't touch it again (I really can't) until I finish exams this week.

So, there may or may not be a quilt giveaway in these parts come July. But, giveaway or no, I'll definitely post photos (even if it turns out badly and has to become a dog bed) and show you the finished product. And I'll try very hard to curb my insanity until AFTER I finish exams, next time!

Sleep & Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T08:37:00.004-04:00

I slept until 8 this morning. It was wonderful. It's amazing how a little rest can change your whole attitude. This is a brand new week and I'm ready to tackle it!

Oh, and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Have a wonderful day and here's hoping that this new week is good to all of us!

Theory

2009-06-20T15:45:00.007-04:00

From Wikipedia: Theories are analytical tools for understanding and explaining a given subject matter. Almost every field of study has a theoretical framework as its base. I am revisiting nursing theory for my comprehensive exams on Wednesday.

Let me just say, first, that I love being a nurse. I really do. That doesn't mean I love everything about my job, but from the moment I stepped into a patient care role, I felt like this is where I was meant to be.

I think I can safely say that I'm good at it, too. I'm honest about what I am not good at - I'm terrible at balancing the checkbook, at keeping my car clean and at anything involving a ball coming at me that I have to interact with. I'm short and I'm stocky and I'm absentminded. I can't put together a matching outfit to save my life. I'm not even really very good with my computer, although I use it incessantly. But nursing? I've got that one, and I know it. And I have countless stellar evaluations to back that up.

So, you'd think that nursing theory would come easily, wouldn't you? Well, it does not. Oh, no. It turns out that what I am good it is the practical part of nursing, and the hard science - the theory throws me a curveball (and gives me raging headaches) every stinkin' time I have to deal with it. And this time? I have to produce a legible paper from memory regarding nursing theory (among other things) for comprehensives next week, and I can't graduate unless I pass.

It doesn't help that whenever I read this stuff there's a tiny part of my brain whispering, "...but he isn't WEARING any clothes at all!" So, the fault does lie with me - I can't wrap my head around it, in part, because I just don't buy it.

But, I have to successfully wrangle it one way or another, because I surely didn't come this far to turn back now. So, it's back to work for me. I hope all of you are enjoying the sunshine and the weekend. I am watching the naked emporer show off his threads, and trying to make sense of it all. See you next week!

TGIF

2009-06-19T21:24:00.001-04:00

I'm exhausted. Comprehensive exams are Wednesday. I may not survive until Wednesday. Off to sleep for at least 12 hours - talk to you in a few days and I thank you all for your patience!

Summer Picnic and an Apron Giveaway

2009-06-15T11:01:00.007-04:00

I have a job! Well, actually, I've had the job for some time now - I signed a contract with a local anesthesia group way back when I started school, so I've had a job all along. But now I'm eight weeks or so from actually starting that job, so when the group invited us to their summer picnic, I thought we ought to go and say hello.

Here is the front yard of the picnic host:

Isn't it lovely? The weather was perfect, and I'd show more of the property but I really don't know the couple very well and don't want to invade their privacy without permission. Suffice it to say that the remainder of the property was equally lovely.

Here are Ron (my husband) and Brian (the middle son) enjoying a drink in the shade. We sat under this tree talking for at least an hour - it was so pleasant just to relax!

Sean (the youngest) couldn't sit still, so he took the kayak (and later, a canoe, although I don't have photos of that) out on the pond. I really want a pond, and I think I know the perfect place between Clay Hill and Thistledew to put it. Now, if I can just get everyone else to agree!

It was a good day. Everybody in the group seemed almost as excited for me to start working as I am. I really can't wait! :) Soon, soon!

And, for all that baking I'll have time to do when I'm finished, here is the perfect summer apron being given away at The Apron Goddesses. Isn't it precious? I'm not telling you to enter, though. In fact, all of you could completely ignore this giveaway, if you wanted to!

Oh, okay - be that way! Enter if you must! Good luck!

Sunday Trauma Call & A Winner!

2009-06-14T21:09:00.006-04:00

You might think of summer as beach season, or play season, or gardening season. I think of summer as trauma season. Trauma call this time of year is like an anesthesia marathon. You simply keep working until it's time to go home. Today was just 12 hours - some of our calls are 16's and those can be tough.

Today was a typical trauma season day. Four broken jaws, two broken arms, two broken hips, a broken leg and a tracheotomy from the critical care unit, complete with life support machine. We have to go get those patients and take them to the operating room ourselves, because during transport WE become their life support.

I did actually get a couple of breaks today, though, so some of you may notice that I stopped by your blogs at lunchtime. :) There wasn't enough time to study, anyway, and I needed a pick-me-up!

So, I haven't forgotten all of you, I simply had a few things to do before I could get to the fun stuff. And get to the fun stuff we will! Thank you so much to all who entered for all of your kind comments. You guys really do keep me going, do you know that? So, the winner of the Clay Hill Farm Homemade Jewelry & Mystery Container Giveaway is...... Heidi 'n' Jeff!!!

So, get back to me, Oh Matriarch of The Crafting, Swimming, Picnic-packing and Library-going Clan! Give me your snail addy and I will send your package out post-haste! Oh, and if the jewelry (or the container) are not your style, it absolutely won't hurt my feelings if you regift it to someone else that might be more suited. I mean, I'll cry a bit, and sulk for a week or two, but it won't be anything lasting, you know?

I'm kidding. Please feel free to pass it on if you can't abide wearing it or using it - things are made to be loved, and if you don't love it, pass it on. :)

Have a great week, everybody, and I promise a jewelry-making tutorial in ten days or so, after that pesky test is over!

Terri

Friday Evening, Again

2009-06-12T20:47:00.004-04:00

Yep - still the best evening of the week. Today I covered cardiovascular service, which means I did anesthesia for heart surgery. It was a good day because for the afternoon they paired me with a resident anesthesiologist and he and I took turns taking breaks and doing the work - I can safely say that I today was the best time I've ever had doing hearts.

It's funny - all the things that used to scare the daylights out of me (pediatrics, obstetrics, cardiovascular surgery) are now just another day. I still go in a little early on those days, just because you never know what might happen. But I don't stress over it like I used to. I know what to do. I think maybe I've learned something in the past three years! Now I just have to prove that on the comprehensive exams in ten days or so, and on my board exam in 2-3 months.

And, tonight? A glass of wine and an early night sound pretty good to me! Oh, and one more hint on the giveaway "box" - The Pioneer Woman might like it! Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Phone & the Tub...

2009-06-09T18:19:00.003-04:00

...are NOT a good match. In case you were wondering.

I was sore the other morning when I got up for school, and I decided that instead of a shower I could spare ten minutes to soak in a hot bath. I thought it would help my "running with the boys" muscles, and get me off to a good start.

So, I got up and put the bath on, and set the phone on the rim of the tub. Why did I have my phone at 4:30 a.m., you ask? Because it is also my alarm clock - I grabbed it as I was getting up and carried it with me. I don't really know why I did that - it was 4:30 and I was half asleep, I guess.

So, after starting the bath (and leaving the phone), I went out to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal. When I came back to the bathroom, the phone was sitting in the middle of the tub full of warm water. I must have hit the "snooze" button, and when the alarm went off again it generated just enough force to propel the phone into the water.

I grabbed the phone and took it apart and immediately dried it with the blow-dryer, but it was no use. The phone is kaput, and I am without my lifeline. I literally use my cell phone for everything - I use it as an alarm clock, and a calculator, and a calendar, and a message center. My peripheral brain is gone and I am struggling.

Oh, and do we have the money for a new phone? No. No, we don't. And I was going to get myself a Palm Pre after graduation, but there's no way I'll be able to justify getting a phone now, and then getting another in two months. And I can't go two months without a phone - we don't have a landline, because the phone company wanted $3000 just to lay the line, and we use cell phones most of the time, anyway, so we didn't have the phone line put in.

I guess this is Somebody's way of telling me I didn't need that Pre. It was a frivolous want, to be sure. I don't NEED a phone that takes video. But I do need a phone with basic phone and text functionality, and I need that soon. So, Ron's going to go see what's on special through our phone company, and probably sign another contract (yet another thing I didn't want to do) to get a good deal. He's a good guy, that husband of mine. He didn't even fuss, bless him.

So, I'll get a new phone tomorrow. But it isn't exactly a happy occasion. And I'm kicking myself over it. Sigh.

On a happier note, the giveaway is going strong. If you're here to enter it, drop down one post. I promise I'll try to post a jewelry-making tutorial after I finish comprehensive exams in two weeks. It's super easy - you all will laugh when you see how easy it is, and you may never buy ready-made jewelry again! And, another hint on the *box* I mentioned before - some people consider it highly collectible. :)

Making Jewelry and a Summer Jewelry Giveaway!

2009-06-06T16:10:00.010-04:00

Handmade jewelry is all the rage right now, it seems. There are wonderful Etsy shops with dazzling creations on the web and you can't stop at an arts and crafts fair without seeing multiple jewelry vendors.

This is great, because who doesn't love handmade items? But, even the lower-priced handmade items just aren't in my budget right now. Do you know that they actually expect you to buy textbooks when you are in graduate school? Do you know how much a $100 or $150 text cuts into my fashion budget???

So, what's a girl to do? Do without (which is no solution at all) or make her own! And making your own jewelry is so easy! You could have a wardobe full of unique items for the price of one or two individual pieces if you shop carefully.

Almost any craft or hobby store carries findings, beads and pendants in various shapes and sizes. Those half-off coupons for Michaels or Hobby Lobby can really cut your costs. If you don't have a hobby store in your area, you can get supplies online at Rings & Things, and the prices are unbelievable. Don't overlook yard sales and secondhand shops as sources, either - any costume jewelry can be taken apart to yield pieces for custom items.

I don't even have fancy jewelry pliers - I use hemostats. Trust me - if I can do this, any of you can do it, too. Use your imagination and play around with different arrangements of rings, beads and pendants. You'll have fun, and if nothing else you can make your own Christmas gifts this year!

The jewelry shown in this post is my most recent work - I wanted something casual and summery and inspiring. And I thought of all my sources of inspiration over the past year, and all of you came to mind. So, to thank all of you for all of your support this past year, I am having a little giveaway.

I am giving away the custom necklace pictured here. The pendant is base metal and it says, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." It's a quote by Aesop, and I think it is particularly appropriate for the bloggers I know. :)

It is shown below with the matching custom earrings I made - also included in the giveaway. I did not put the earrings on because I knew I would be giving them away, and I didn't want to risk sending any of you any tiny little microbial visitors. I'm considerate like that! :)

The chain is thrifted from some costume jewelry I got at an estate sale - it is white metal but I don't know the composition. The ear wires, however, are new. If you choose to reuse ear wires or ear posts in your jewelry I recommend sanitizing them carefully!

The jewelry (necklace and matching earrings) will be *boxed* in a special surprise for the winner, but that will be for the winner to discover. :) If this jewelry is not your style, perhaps it is better suited for someone you know - I would be delighted to know that it had been given as a gift to a loved daughter, or granddaughter, or niece, or what have you!

To enter, leave a comment on this post. Because I think multiple comments are fun, each extra comment (up to five total) will count as another entry. If you choose to mention this giveaway on your blog, I'll give you five extra entries, but please be sure to mention that in one of your comments so I can credit you.

I'll take comments through 6 p.m. Eastern time on June 14th; I'll use a random number generator to pick the winner and then I'll mail the package out as quickly as I can and hopefully you can wear your summer jewelry on the first day of summer!

Good luck! Enter early and enter often!

******A hint on the box: it's from France, from a region that is famous for porcelain. :) ******

Baby Cucumbers

2009-06-06T07:25:00.002-04:00

The best thing about gardening is discovering little surprises, like the baby cucumbers that are already showing up on my plants. We'll be eating our own cucumbers in just a couple of weeks - there's nothing like fresh garden produce!

I know watching doesn't make the plants grow faster, but I can't resist checking them several times a day, just to see if anything's changed. And, this time of year, there are often changes from morning to evening, so that keeps me going back out there to check again!

Now, if only the tomatoes would hurry on, we could have a proper home-grown salad!

Friday Night

2009-06-05T17:57:00.002-04:00

Friday evening is the best evening of the week. I don't have anything due or anything to do until Monday. (Except study, of course!). There are two glorious days ahead and they are all mine. I have some yard work in mind, and maybe a little sewing... and comprehensive exams (required to graduate) are two weeks away, and the board exam (required to earn a living) is just over ten weeks away, so the yard work and the sewing might be put on hold for a bit while I hit the books.

But I can still revel in the idea of two free days, can't I? Have a great weekend, everyone!

72 Days

2009-06-02T20:42:00.004-04:00

until I graduate. In case you were wondering. Not that anyone's counting, mind you! :)

That's just eighteen days since my last update, so I'm doing pretty well, don't you think? I think I can exercise some self-restraint until the last week or two, when I may have to resort to daily updates. I hope you can forgive me for that, in advance! :)

Sunday Tragedy

2009-06-01T18:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a bad day here at Clay Hill... a dog decimated half of our flock of chickens. Somebody (who shall remain nameless, but who has since expressed sincere apologies AND done some serious cleaning to make things up to me) left the coop door open, and in less than twenty minutes (because I was in and out and it was between trips), half the flock was gone.

The rooster, my little mutt birds, two of my White Rocks and a Rhode Island Red hen were killed. The remainder of the flock made it back into the coop and escaped the dog. We don't know which dog it was, and it doesn't really matter, anyway. If the chickens hadn't been out, the dog couldn't have killed them.

The truth is that we had too many hens for our needs, but I was planning to give some away. I did not want them killed. :( So, now I'm sad, and I'm mourning my girls. I'd give a whole flat of pansies just to have them back.