independence day

let freedom ring, let the white dove sing,
let the whole world know that TODAY IS A DAY OF RECKONING,
let the weak be strong,
let the right be wrong
roll, the stone away,
let the guilty pay,
IT'S INDEPENDENCE DAY!
~lines from one of my favorite songs, by Martina McBride

Celebrate your freedom and independence as an American ♥ thank a service member and/or their family.

I haven't felt like blogging much lately, or doing much of anything for that matter.

I started Ambien the other night, about 5 nights ago now. It was on the second or third night that I had "the accident". That next morning I woke up and went to wash my face. When I went to wipe at my left eye I about yelped in pain and then wondered what in the world the reason was that it was (is) reddened and swollen. I went to ask Big B, he laughed asked me if I remembered falling.

Um, no.

He proceeded to inform me that after hearing me yell out in pain, he jumped up only to find me twisted in the elliptical trainer that sits on the side of the room that my side of the bed is on. Hearing the commotion LB came in to investigate only to find his mother looking like a human pretzel. They helped me up, to the bathroom, which evidently was my original destination, and back into bed.

This was all the day before yesterday. Today it's still swollen, painful and come to find out my right forearm is bruised up pretty good.

This incident hasn't helped the homework cause. Luckily I'm pulling strong grades in Psych and Nut. Because we had to go out of town for the funeral last week I fell behind on my A&P studies and had to ask for an extension for Exam #4 which I was set to take this past Wednesday. As it is now I'll be taking it this coming Wednesday. The delay cuts into my time for the next unit, but it just so happens to be the urinary system and fluids & electrolytes. I'm comfortable enough with just having had that subject matter, but needed the extra time for the somatic and special senses and the endocrine system, extra time that has been squandered away with injuries. Who am I kidding, it's going to be about doing some serious cramming over the next few weeks.

The boys have stayed pretty low-key lately. LB continues to do well driving and AW is staying out of trouble.

Big B and I have nearly completed the backyard landscaping, well at least for this year. I'm thinking the yard could use a couple of good specimen trees. That may wait for fall or next year.

I'm leave you with our latest 'scapes:

some befores, for reference


picture from realtor, before we owned the house

our latest work


lavender, crape myrtle, boxwood
just some potted plants, and pots with seedlings to include four o'clocks and portulaca






i love this grouping with my elephant's ears, some geranium and my little pot of cacti and succulents


I don't really have a good before and after for this, but will explain it anyway. To the right of our house, facing it, is a side entry where the previous owner had laid pea gravel. I've been meaning to get rid of the gravel along with the rose bushes that suffered in it, and lay mulch. We finally did it this past weekend. In fact I owe it all to Big B, self-proclaimed, "Mega Mulch". He did the pea gravel removal and has done all the mulching over these past few 'scaping jobs around the house. The rose bush was relocated to the back bed, center (see above photos), and we'll plant hardier, low-maintenance shrubs along the side of the house, soon.



this is actually some coneflower I transplanted in the front, but it's such a pretty color and ti will be nic eto see it mature in this spot

can't even blame the dogs

Really, you can't because it has nothing to do with dogs for the most part.



Lately when I 've been working in my gardens I've noticed patches of odd looking stuff. When I spray them with the hose nozzle a brown smokish substance emits from them. I figured they were some sort of mold or fungus. Come to find out it's what is called "dog vomit fungus". The patches aren't really a type of fungus, they are a type of slime mold. It's is more accurately called "dog vomit slime mold".



I am happy to learn it is harmless, if not scarey and will go away on its own. I'll probably still play with any patches I come across and spray them into oblivion.


You can see me spraying in the second photo, the glob of dog vomit slime mold the brown smokish stuff which is actually spores. Then the last photo is the end product that will hopefully just go away.

i've seen better days

weeks even

This week has shaped up to be a rough one as of yet.

Let's start with the highlights:

~AW made it out of the 7th grade. This is wonderful news, albeit it shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, but when one is unsure if their child will in fact be promoted to the next grade one is happy when it happens.

~Dr. B's office called and left me a voicemail the other day notifying me that I am not menopausal. Great news, but what's up with leaving a message? Isn't that anti-HIPAA? But hey! I'm not menopausal!!

and now I'm drawing a blank

Now the low points:

Monday started out great, until my brother-in-law called. He was calling to get Big B's work phone number because their uncle had passed away the night before. Let's not forget what this past Sunday was...Father's Day. Uncle F had been battling Alzheimer's Disease for several years and had a heart attack amidst his sons and daughters on Sunday, June 21, 2009.

We drove up to NJ Tuesday for the viewing. I was ok until I saw the picture of him and Aunt AM. It's one from back in the day, say about circa 1950. He's in his sailor's uniform, she's all dolled up looking beautiful. The whole Korean War veteran thing got me. We had the military in common, not to mention this man was one of the good ones. Really, he was a devoted husband and father. Sad to see him go.

The funeral was yesterday morning. Afterward they had a brunch at a nearby restaurant and then the guys and I headed back home.

We arrived in time for LB to gather up his baseball gear and head out to the game. Players have to be at home games an hour and a half early. I'm discovering the advantages of him driving. After getting things back in to the house Big B and I headed out to pick up dinner at Subway, and then over to the game. It started out great. LB's been starting Right Fielder for the past several games. He had an off night last night, striking out three times. Actually that was the norm for pretty much everyone. They did get a few hits in but lost 7-5 in the end.

That's another advantage to LB driving,as a matter of fact. When they lose, and/or he doesn't play well he usually ends up grumpy. Well, I didn't have to ride along with him in his grumpiness last night!

Anyway, after dragging AW to all of the games as of late we decided to give him a chance at staying at home by himself again, since he's been behaving somewhat ok, and it's less expensive considering when concession stands are open children tend to think they need to support the local team.

Gave the kid an inch and he took a mile. Let's just say he's ruined his newfound independence and is now relegated to tagging along to this summer's future ballgames.

Seriously, I hate the middle school years. On a serious note, when your child continually does things to try your patience it not only wears your patience down it also wears away at your motherly confidence.

So, in the past 36 hours I've seen a great man's funeral, my eldest son's frustration at playing poorly at baseball (his passion), my youngest's antics as an unruly, near thug-like pre-teen, and oh, yeah, my husband and I have been fighting today!

8 hours til TGIF!

P.S. I am yet again, behind on my studies!

cat days of summer

not a care in the world

bedhead


how dare you disturb my slumber??

indulgences

This isn't about sin or purgatory. So much in life is precious and should be cherished, even indulged upon. Yet, so much is taken for granted.

indulge: to take unrestrained pleasure in
-Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Today is Father's Day. I live in Virginia and my father lives in Texas. We see each other once a year, if we're lucky. Today I undulged in the love I have for my husband, the father of my children. Sometimes I take him for granted. Today I decided to get up and make him breakfast rather than going out.

I decided to try and copycat a recipe for the scrumptious donuts at The Apple House. They're these wonderful, sinful little apple, cinnamon morsels of pleasure. Far be it from me to deep fry anything, as I don't do it very often. I decided to go on the hunt and see if I could make something similar. We have some Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat pancake mix, and wouldn't you know it, right there on the box is a recipe for Pancake Muffins.



It calls for:

* 2 cups Aunt Jemima® Whole Wheat Blend Pancake & Waffle Mix
* 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 2/3 cup 2% milk
* 1/3 cup honey
* 1 egg, slightly beaten
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract

The honey we have has congealed into a crystal-like concoction I decided to abstain from using. Instead I used Maple Syrup. I substituted a 1/2 cup of the WW mix for Bisquick. I added 1 tsp of cinnamon rather than a half. We use Non-Fat Skim milk, so I added in a little margarine. I also added in finely chopped apple. Once they were done I let them cool for a few minutes while tending the bacon, hashbrowns and eggs. I melted some margarine and mixed some cinnamon sugar together. Once the muffins had cooled enough to handle I dredged them in the melted margarine and rolled them in the cinnamon sugar. They actually turned out to be quite a nice substitution for the donuts, maybe even a tad bit healthier. They were a teensy-weensy dry, but that can be rememdied with an addition of a little water.




Once everything was ready the guys and I sat down and indulged in a good meal, and each other's company. This afternoon we went and saw The Hangover and indulged in a laughter.










We must live for the few who know and appreciate us, who judge and absolve us, and for whom we have the same affection and indulgence. The rest I look upon as a mere crowd, lively or sad, loyal or corrupt, from whom there is nothing to be expected but fleeting emotions, either pleasant or unpleasant, which leave no trace behind them.
~Sarah Bernhardt

soggy saturday

Before I forget I want to share with you the enlightening information that made my evening Thursday. I was talking to one of my classmates, telling her about probably receiving my first college C, in A&P, this semester. She pointed out that because I'm taking it from another school it will just come in as transfer credit!! How totally, without a doubt, awesome is that!? Of course I knew this, but hadn't thought about it. I got a 76 on the lab exam Thursday, and a 70 on the lecture exam. Hey, passing scores=happy nursing student! And as long as I pass the course with a C or better I'm golden!

Other good news is LB is seeing alot of playing time with the American Legion team he plays for. Last year he was the low player on the totem pole and didn't see much playing time at all. I really need to talk to him about how far he wants to go with baseball. If he wants to try and play in college he needs to do showcase camps during the summer. One, the experience is priceless. It only helps him to get better. Secondly, showcase camps do exactly that-they showcase a player. College coaches are often times present, if they're not already directly involved with the camp. Showcase camps tend to be pricey (for a 2-3 day camp you're talking $399 and up), so if he doesn't really plan to play in college it isn't worth it. If he does, we'll do what we can to help him.

I'm keeping this short today as we're spending what has started out to be a rainy Saturday inside watching movies. The guys are patiently waiting for me to finish up.

ring around the posey

Today I had my visit with the OBGYN, we'll call him Dr. B. First let me say it was kind of odd, because in the military OBGYN clinics/offices I've been to children are not allowed, but today moms strolled in with their wee ones in tow.

Anyway.

I sat there reading about the nervous system, you know that unit, the one I'll be lucky to test out of with a C! Then it was my turn and Dr. B took me back and I proceeded to fill him in on my woes of late. Long story, short: he's prescribed Ambien CR and NuvaRing, which I inserted and now I wont be taking OCPs. He gave it to me to insert on my own and then returned. He gloved his left hand telling me his left hand was for his GYN patients and his right is for his OB patients. Why yes, you better use your left hand then!!! Dr. B also wrote an order for a FSH test, so after my blood was drawn I promptly paid my co-pay and skeedaddled.

I'm quite proud to say I headed straight home. This might not seem to be quite a big deal, but let me fill you in on why it really is. Dr. B's office is amidst every store you could possibly want to spend money in, and I didn't want to spend money, so I left the area PDQ! It only took a little bit of effort.

I also wanted to share our latest addition to our backyard landscaping. It's coming along slowly, but surely. The mulch pile on the driveway still exists, but it is getting smaller. We planted in one side and Big B mulched it to his heart's contentment. The other side still has a couple of open spots, so it has yet to be completed with mulch. Big B was quite proud of his mulching job, as it was his first time throwing the woody bits. He did a mighty fine job!







The day lillies, salvia, achillea, coneflower and jacob's ladder were all brought around from the front yard, so they're in shock, and will hopefully make it through the transplant process ok. The larger day lillies are the ones that look the worst, although the salvia are just lying on the dirt rather than standing tall and proud as usual. I can't wait for the crape myrtle to bloom as it is a beautiful color, called "dynamite"! It's a brilliant, firecracker red.

Ho hum. It's time I get back to working on that C! The exam this time is in two parts. One is for lecture and the other is for lab. The lab exam is nothing more than labeling, which sounds easy, until you remember you are not that nervous system savvy! You know, there are some systems you get and some you don't get as much!

I did get approval for my community college to proctor my exams for A&P, so I don't have to drive up north, which wastes a lot of time. The exams are this Thursday. Wish me luck! Cs get the degrees! C=RN!

momentous maximus

There are those momentous occasions that make a parent wish time didn't race by at what seems like the speed of light.

first steps, first words, first time they go potty like a big girl or boy, first day of school, first time they go off to middle school and then high school, and...







...the first time they take the car keys to drive themselves to school.

Yep, he did it. I know he did because I called the finance office up at the high school to ask if he'd bought his parking permit for the day. I also emailed his homeroom teacher to make sure he made it to homeroom after parking in the student parking lot.

Girl can't help it...she's a mom!

Funny thing happened because of this momentous occasion...

As I'm outside watching LB drive off, AW is inside getting ready for school at the snail's pace that he exists in. He ends up running far enough behind that he misses the bus. Well, Big B has the Chevy, and you see from the above pictures that LB has the Pontiac.

We only have two cars.

My F-i-L hasn't brought the Malibu down for LB yet, so he's using our cars in the meantime. It's going on 9:30 a.m. and my juvenile delinquent is upstairs skipping school. The lady in the attendance office thought it was kind of funny. The county schools have a half day today anyway, because today is our high school's graduation.

After some studying, and LB's safe return home from school, we'll be heading out to witness another momentous occasion.

bright spot to my day!

This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

A big heartfelt thank you to Lorie for giving me this special award!! You really did brighten my dreary, tired day!

Now I get to dole out some love!

Thank you to all who have stood by my side since the beginning or even more recently. Your words of kindness have meant a lot!

my Canadian friend, and a recent nursing school graduate who rocks the ER and is preggers with baby number two! Running Wildly

Wise beyond his years, and kind of like the big brother I never had, Drofen at The First Strike

At Your Cervix, provides tales of her time in L&D, she is working on her midwifery degree

If I had a daughter I'd want her to have the heart and determination that Andrea over at snatc embodies

a fellow student nurse, who, like me has just finished her first year, as Student RN Tiffany puts it, she's "half a nurse"

someone I admire because she has to be one of the most grounded people out there, N is for Nurse

for her candor and humor LivingDeadNurses Psycho Ward

cuz we have some things in common Twelve Weeks at a Time

I can't stop at 8!!

can't forget this truly special lady Life is Full of Blessings

someone else I have tons in common with My Journey from a Student to a Nurse

Ok. I'll stop at 10! I really could keep going though. I've been fortunate to come across some wonderful people here in Blogland who have offered nothing but support. Now it's your turn to show some love!

No, no, no! One more....my friend who is working on her LPN A Journey Through Nursing School...& Beyond

I'm drowning in homework, since falling behind a tadbit this week...hoping to come up for air in the near future!