And Now For a Word From Our Sponsors...

Those of you as old as me will remember when T.V. commercials were preceded with the words, "And now, a word from our sponsors..." Well, today I am interrupting my blog for a commercial for Wyoming Rose Boutique.  

Maria and I have been busy making a lot of new items for Wyoming Rose Boutique!  Maria has already listed many of the new items and there will be more coming in the next few days.  I wanted to show you a few that we've just listed.

All of our items are always 100% vegan.

You'll likely recognize this adorable little model.

 I hand crocheted this poncho with 100% cotton thread.

Yes, I even followed a pattern... for awhile. 

I admit, I kind of did my own thing around the bottom.

I like how it turned out.

Maria made this cute little blueberry hat.

Isn't it sweet?

And the homegrown model is 100% cute! 

Thanks for tuning in.

I'll be back tomorrow with my regularly scheduled program blog.

Let's Do the Crocodile Stitch!

I crochet... a LOT. The thing is, I don't like to read patterns much. I like to read and learn new stitches but I find following a new pattern to be very, very tedious. I like to free flow it. That is I enjoy kind of making it up as I go. It is very relaxing.

HOWEVER, I was determined to make some baby booties for my youngest granddaughter, Elise. I purchased a really cute pattern that incorporated the crocodile stitch.  I LOVE the crocodile stitch! It was an adorable pattern and I really, really love Elise so I decided to just do it.  They are small, so I figured it wouldn't take long.

Well... it has been weeks.  I am a great procrastinator! The problem is, I'm not used to having to pay such close attention while I crochet.  I am also not used to having to count as I crochet.  I'd be flying along and suddenly realize I had no idea what number I was on.  Did I just say 34 or 37?  I did a lot of tearing out and starting over. Eventually, though, I settled down and realized it wasn't really all that hard. FINALLY!  I finished the little booties last night. I feel proud. I made them in white so they'd go with a lot of her little outfits.  I hope she hasn't outgrown them while I was procrastinating!

Do you like them?  The pattern I purchased also has adult sized ones just like them.  As soon as I get caught up on some Christmas projects, I think I will be trying to make a purple pair for my friend, Rebekah.  If you are interested in this pattern, or others using the crocodile stitch, check out Bonita Patterns. If I could do it, I bet you can as well! They have some really cute things.  Apparently I liked them enough to do this free commercial for them!

Oh, and one more thing... If you are placing an order at Wyoming Rose Boutique, you may type in the code word, FRIENDS, and your shipping charges will be erased!  Happy shopping!

Preparing the Manger

This post is linked to the blog, Red Head Reverie...

Are you as excited as Cordelia about Advent?  She just got right up there by the nativity scene and did a little dance!  

Do you notice something strange about the manger?  Yes, it is empty.  That is because it is the Season of Advent, the time of preparing for the Christ Child. Baby Jesus won't show up in that manger scene until Christmas is here.  

So what to do until then?  Well, we can focus on the excitement of the preparation itself.  We can focus on the anticipation of it all. Tonight we will be attending an Advent Service.  Perhaps there are such services in your neighborhood.  It is a great way to slow down, focus on what is real and good and vital about this season, and to quiet your soul for a moment during the busyness. 

Then, in our quiet moments, we can pray.  The following was our Prayer of the Day printed in our church bulletin this last Sunday, spoken by our congregation and congregations all over the nation, perhaps beyond. I thought maybe it would be a good prayer to say today as well...

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and redeem us for your life of justice, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Announcing the Winner...

The Purse With a Past will soon have a new home!

 

To determine the winner I went to Random.org.

They make it so easy to randomize a list.  I entered the names of all who left comments since that post.  I also added the names of any new followers. 

Then, I just clicked and the name that landed in the #1 spot was my winner.  It made me smile when I saw who it was as she has been a faithful follower for a long time. I've never met her but I also check in on her blog.  As it so happens, she was also the first to leave a comment.  Are you ready?

The winner is...... (can you hear a drum roll in your head?)....

Happy Elf Mom!

I Hope I Don't Blow Away!

Just a day or two more and I will be announcing the winner of the Purse With a Past Giveaway. If you haven't already entered, you may do so by joining as a new follower or simply leaving a comment.

I am writing my post for Monday in a big hurry.  It's actually Sunday night but I have to leave for work by 5:20 a.m. so... now is better.

Wyoming winds right now are extreme!  I just saw that we are having sustained winds of at least 40mph and can expect gusts anywhere from 58mph to 75mph.  We are used to wind here... a lot of wind.  Right now, though, I am just hoping we still have a roof by morning.  Some of the paintings on our interior walls are askew as the whole wall is shaken by the wind! I will not be surprised if we lose our power so I've set out a flashlight, candles and a lighter.  Now, I'm going to quickly show you some sweet photos from earlier this evening and call it good.

I told you they were sweet photos!

Yay! Advent Has Begun!

Hi there!  It's December!  Are any of you stressing about Christmas already? Are you worrying about spending too much money, not finding the right gifts, festive cooking or keeping up with too many social obligations? If so, you are not alone. I'm going to stop it right now, though. I am going to try to follow my own advice and make myself enjoy December! Come on and join me!

I am going to focus on ADVENT. I realize not everyone even knows about the church season of Advent so let me tell you what it is.  The word itself stems from the word "coming"...as in, a guest is coming. Guess what!? The guest is JESUS! That's a big deal!

Above is the Advent Candle that we use at our church.  We also have one at our home. We use the blue candles but the older tradition was to use three purple ones and one pink one.  Each Sunday during Advent (4 Sundays in all), we light a candle. When Christmas arrives, the one in the center is also lit, representing Jesus. It is a time to slow down and focus on what is wonderful and important about the preparations we are making for our guest, Jesus. The more candles lit, the closer we are to Christmas. The closer we are to Christmas, the more exciting it should be; it should not be reason to induce pre-Christmas panic.

I came upon this lovely little clip on YouTube.  I am so excited for you to see it! Please click here to enjoy this cool little treat.

A lot of people, even people who don't celebrate Advent as a church season, have become familiar with Advent Calendars. Do you do an Advent Calendar? If so, I'd love to hear what you do. 

This Was Not My Favorite Week

This past week has not been my favorite.

Mike started Sunday off sick enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room rather than a drive to church.  That's kind of a big deal when you are the pastor.

Monday, Sam stepped on a nail.  I told him I was sure his tetanus shot was up to date.  When I got home from a long day at work I double-checked that statement I found I was wrong.  So, I drug us off to InstaCare.

Tuesday my throat started to feel sore.  I was nervous that I might be getting strep throat or any bacterial tonsillitis that would require an antibiotic.  Last time that happened to me the antibiotic gave C-Diff a chance to take over my life with multiple relapses, eventually landing me in the hospital and forcing me to resign from my job as a chemotherapy nurse.  I admit that I was letting worry take over my thoughts by Wednesday.

Yesterday at work we all learned that there was a killing at our small community college.  Schools were all put on lockdown.  I was first told that it occurred in the building where Sam spends most of his class and lab time!  I quickly stepped away from patient areas and called Sam.  No answer.  Any of you who are parents likely know that feeling I got in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was dumb to panic but I could feel it edging into my sanity nevertheless.  Our daughter is an instructor at the college but I already knew she was not there.  Later I learned there had been a related killing in their neighborhood.  Our son-in-law, unaware, had come up the police and the body of that person.  As all this drama was unfolding, I still had to keep working, caring for patients and trying to keep them from feeling my tension.

It was not my favorite week.

But...

Mike is feeling better.  He received medical care that was competent and kind.  All the worst-case-scenarios were ruled out.  The physician in the ER even prayed for Mike... out loud!  It made me feel so good I really wanted to hug the man.  I know that I teared up.  Usually Mike is the one caring for the spiritual needs of a person in the hospital.  I was so touched to know this ER Physician saw that Mike was in need of that care himself.  It was good.

After 24 hours of a very sore throat, just about the time I knew I'd better go get my throat cultured for strep, it started to feel better.  It turned out that I have a cold.  Although I've felt less than great these last few days, I did not have to face my fear of reactivation of C-Diff.  That was good.

Sam received his tetanus injection.  The visit also gave me a chance to talk him into a flu shot as well.  We were entertained by a funny little guy with an odd bedside manner.  I'm not sure if he was a physician or maybe a physician's assistant but he was quaint.  He told us he'd known three patients in his career who had developed tetanus.  One, he said, survived.  As he shook his head he went on to say, "The other two..." at that point he drew his finger across his throat to indicate death and made a sound that he must have thought indicated the sound a dying person would make.  It was so strange it was funny.  Sam won't be developing tetanus.  That is good.

Yesterday, after not too much time of near panic, Sam texted back that he was fine and hadn't been present at the crime scene.  Maria and Eric and their girls were safe.  We still do not know the names of the victims but we know that three people lost their lives.  We know that it was a horrible day for someone else.  We are grateful, though, that we had a police department that responded quickly and effectively.  We are grateful that people are drawing together, supporting students who witnessed a very horrendous homicide right in their classroom.  I am grateful that my family is safe.

I am grateful that a new week starts tomorrow.

Beauty in the Parking Lot

At 4:45 a.m. I am not usually thrilled to hear the alarm clock for work.  There are some nice things about going to work so early, though.  One is, I usually get off early enough to have a little time before supper.  It's nice to be able to run some errands and such.

Another nice thing is that I sometimes get to see the sunrise.  I'd actually already been working awhile when my supervisor told me to go look outside one morning this week.  The view in the parking lot was so wonderful, I thought you'd like to see it as well.

It was so glorious.  It's amazing, really, that such beauty is available on a daily basis...for FREE!

Just a little reminder, anyone who leaves a comment this week, or becomes a new follower will automatically be entered in the drawing for the Purse With a Past.

Flash Decorating

Yesterday the Director of Nursing (DON) for our clinic became a new grandma.  She worked most of the morning but knew that her granddaughter or grandson would be born early afternoon by planned c-section.  One of the other nurses, Kelly, asked me to help her decorate the boss' office when she stepped out for a few minutes.   I was a bit perplexed when she handed me a couple of packs of Post-It Notes and told me to "Hurry!"  I caught on, though.  I'm quick that way. Others rushed in to join us.  We all quickly returned to our work stations with innocence all over our faces.

I think it turned out well, showing our great taste and classiness.  

Elegant, don't you think?

  Since the gender was as yet unknown, we chose to use a pink and blue theme.  

I expect others will be contacting us, wanting us to decorate for their parties...maybe even weddings!  Feel free to use this idea.  You could even Pin it on Pinterest to show your great sense of style!  

Useless Information

Yesterday's post was kind of heavy.  Today's post is not, so just relax and prepare yourself to learn some rather useless information.  I've been glancing through this funny little book...

... and I'd like to share some of what I've just learned.

First of all, do you know why we call a sandwich a sandwich?  Well, it comes from  an English nobleman from the 18th century.  He liked to gamble.  He didn't want to waste time taking meal breaks so he often had a servant just bring him sliced roast beef between two pieces of bread so he could keep gambling while he ate.  No utensils were needed  It's not known that he was the first to eat this "fast food" but he was a well known guy and he ate this way frequently in public.  Guess what his noble title was.  He was the fourth Earl of Sandwich.  There you have it.

Have you heard why we call the whiskers in front of the ears sideburns?  It turns out that one of the first to wear this style was Civil War General Ambrose E. Burnside.  Somewhere along the way the syllables were reversed and to this day they are referred to as sideburns.  

Do you know what it means to talk a blue streak?  That refers to someone with rapid speech? It is thought to come from comparing fast talk to lightening and the bluish hue it gives.  In modern times it also refers to someone who simply talks on and on.

Do you know what a pipe dream is?  We use that term to refer to someone's plan that seems rather absurd or unobtainable.  It originally came from those who used pipes to smoke opium.  The use of opium contributed to wild fantastical ideas by its users, called pipe dreams.  

You have heard the direction to keep a stiff upper lip.  To us it means to act stoically; to show little or no emotion.  Well, we are back to talking about facial hair, moustaches in particular.  During a time when British soldiers were growing moustaches, they found it difficult to hide their emotions or to properly stand at attention.  Any twitch of their lip made the facial hair twitch.  So, they had to learn to keep a stiff upper lip.                                                                      

Do you have a skeleton in your closet?  You know, do you have any dark secrets?  This term was quite literal at one time.  English physicians once had a hard time learning anatomy.  Only the bodies of executed criminals could be dissected, at least until 1832.  Even then, when it was legal, people were pretty grossed out by the idea of their doctor dissecting a cadaver.  Many doctors only got to dissect one cadaver so they sometimes kept them later as skeletons, enabling them to further study bone structure.  Because it creeped people out, they kept their skeletons hidden.

So, now maybe you know more than you did a few minutes ago.  Was it life-changing for you?  No?

A Healing Purpose?

(This photo has nothing to do with this post.  I just liked it.  

The painting in the background is by my talented mother.)

Last week at work I re-met a lady whom I'd met last year while working at hospice.  Last week she was just accompanying someone who was in for a colonoscopy.  Last year she was at the bedside of a young woman who had suffered a sudden event and was sent from the emergency room to our hospice home.  Over the course of a few days she'd gone from independent living to being on her death bed.  I was with her and her family as she breathed her last.  I was the one who said those sad words, "Time of death...."

At the surgical center where I now work I am finding that I often meet people from my past jobs.  I guess that isn't surprising as this is not a metropolis.  Working at hospice I often got to know patients and family members over an extended period of time.  Even further back, as a chemotherapy nurse, I developed friendships with patients and their families that often spanned a number of months or even years.  Actually, that was one of my favorite parts about those jobs.  Many of those patients gave more to me than I ever gave to them.

My concern, now, is the effect seeing me has on the survivors.  I am seeing them at a time when they are likely a bit nervous as they are coming to our center for a procedure.  They are vulnerable.  Then, in I walk.  Does it give them comfort to have someone they already know enter their room?  Maybe.  I am happy to see them and greet them with joy, but I know that the sight of me represents painful memories as well.  That doesn't make me happy but it is what it is.

As I thought about this, wondering how I could make it easier on my current patients, I realized I may be looking at it all wrong.  Maybe these meetings are a time when I'm supposed to offer something of a healing presence.  Do you suppose that I can say or do something that helps them through their grief?  Maybe just knowing that I remember their loved one, cared about their loved one, sometimes even still mourn their loss myself could be healing for them.  I don't know.

Yesterday a patient came in who was a family member to one of my previous patients... a nurse herself who became a friend and mentor to me, even as I cared for her.  I gave her chemotherapy over the course of several years.  I loved her!  When I saw her family member, I knew they would know me.  My friend/patient had kept my photograph on her refrigerator and had included me in some of her family events.  Since her death, though, I'd only seen her family a few times.

I prayed before I entered his room.  I wanted to help him face his procedure.  I did NOT want to cause him pain.  So, I went in smiling.  We hugged.  We talked.  I tried to pay attention to what he might need to hear.  Finally, I felt he needed to hear me say some of what she had meant to me.  I told him how I still go to her grave site sometimes to pray.  I told him I still think of her.  I still miss her.

THEN, we moved on.  We talked of his life now, four years after his loss.  We talked of his family.  We talked of the future.  I think it was good.  I realized then, that maybe these meetings could be more than just painful reminders to people.  Maybe they could have a healing purpose.  Maybe that healing is for me, as well as for them.  I don't know.  

The Purse With a Past ... Give-away!

Ha! I was cleaning out some stashes of unfinished projects Saturday and I found THIS ugly thing!

To find out how I came to own this ugly purse, simply click here. I had truly intended to redo this purse right away.  It had good "bones" but that Anarchy stamp on the front was not acceptable.  Well, true to my nature I tucked it away and forgot about it... until now!

I dug it out and decided the time had come!  I messed with it for quite awhile before deciding just what I wanted to do.  Finally, I made my choice of fabric.  I went from Anarchy to Flower Garden. Really all I had to do was apply (sew) the new fabric over the top of the Anarchy symbol.  It was easy.  I've no idea why it took me so long to accomplish this little make-over.  I kind of like how it turned out.

The thing is, I don't really need a new purse.  So, look it over.  Could you use a new purse?  I've decided to bless someone else with this cheerful little beauty!  Don't hold her past against her please.  To enter this give-away, either leave a comment on this post for me or sign up as a new follower.  Either way, I will put your name in the drawing.  It will be fun, huh?!

I will announce the winner in about a week so keep checking back.  Sneaky, huh?  I leave the announcement date kind of vague so you have to keep visiting my blog.

Also, this is a linky party!  It's not my party but I am attending a linky party at a blog called, 

"You Are Talking Too Much". 

... I liked the blog name.  Come along if you'd like!  You can be my plus one!

After that party I am joining in at Repurposed Ideas Weekly.  Let's go!

And if you are interested in entering more give-aways,
try this link.

Words Optional

Praying for a Stranger

Recently I wrote a post about making Prayer Monkey Hats for a co-worker's unborn twin grandsons.  I finished them, along with several other hats for other orders this week.  I've been working on them in the evenings after a day at work.   As a nurse, I am on my feet the entire day but this is a sitting down job, and I enjoy doing them so much, it doesn't feel like work at all.    I thought maybe you'd like to see how the monkeys turned out.

I received some nice comments on that post, most from followers I "know".  I love reading those!  I also received a comment from a woman in the UK that found my blog by accident that day.  She left a nice comment and also an invitation to join her today on a mission.  She is holding a blog hop, today.  It is different than most as it is really a giant prayer chain.

This prayer chain is on behalf of her friend, Kerry, shown in these photos.  Kerry is a mother and blogger who suffered a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage.  Her husband is now posting on her blog in her place.

Today, we (me and my readers) are invited to join the blog hop of prayer, praying for the recovery of this young woman.  We are praying for her return to her home and her family.  Anyone who has been around a patient suffering from this type of brain injury knows that the path she is on is difficult and challenging, not only for her but also for her family.

 So, today I am praying for Kerry.  I am praying that she will be able to fight off infection.  I am praying she will be able to work through the exhaustion and confusion and find her way back to her life. I am praying for the healthcare workers surrounding her, for their skill and wisdom as they support her recovery.  Perhaps you'd like to join in on this big prayer as well?

Home for Thanksgiving

Yesterday we were at my Mom's home for Thanksgiving.  I've never lived at the house where she now lives, yet it feels like home to me.  I guess that is to say, my Mom feels like home to me.  We tease her about looking so serious when she works.  Trust me, she has a beautiful smile.

We were a pretty small group this year but we most certainly had plenty to eat!

I won't be stepping on the scale any time soon.

We had time to visit with my sister, Tina. She  has fancy glasses, doesn't she?

My nephew, Steven, and niece, Stephanie, kept things lively.  We were all in jeans except Steven.  He was pretty snazzy, James Bondish actually.

My Mom's Christmas Cactus was a bit of an overachiever, already blooming.

My Mom started it from pieces of my Grandma's Christmas Cactus, making it all the more special.

So, that documents our day.  How was your's?

Unlocking the Fullness of Life with Gratitude

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. 

It turns what

 we have into enough, 

and more. 

It turns denial into acceptance, 

chaos to order, 

confusion to clarity. 

It can turn a meal into a feast,

a house into a home, 

a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense of our past, 

brings peace for today, 

and creates a vision for tomorrow."

                                                                                                 ....Melody Beattie

Angel Tree

One of the things I really love this time of year is the Angel Tree that goes up at our church.  Do you have one?  If you aren't familiar with the Angel Tree Program click here.  You'll learn that this program is associated with Prison Fellowship.

Each year the tree at our church is decorated with angel shaped tags.  Each tag has a child's first name and some little details such as their clothing size and a description of a gift they'd like to receive.  One I picked up is for a 13 year old girl named Hope.  She is wishing for a new pair of jeans or a lime green sweatshirt.  That doesn't seem like so much to wish for, does it?

The children who's names appear on these tags have at least one parent in prison.  It is tough for a parent in prison to do any Christmas shopping for their child so we help out a bit.  We don't care if the parent gets credit for the gift.  We don't care what crime the parent committed.  We care that the child feels loved.  Here's words from their website that explains the mission...

Angel Tree, a program of Prison Fellowship, seeks to reconcile prisoners and their families to God, to each other, and to their communities through the transforming love and grace of Jesus Christ. Through your support of Angel Tree, prisoners have the opportunity to send their children a Christmas gift and the Good News of Jesus Christ!

I love being a small part of this program.  I am aware the purpose of the program is not to make me feel good, but it does.  I really don't care much for shopping but each year I have to say that I really enjoy making the purchases for these children we don't even know.  When I read the words above about the mission of the Angel Tree Program I realize their is a much bigger picture than just the part we play in purchasing these gifts.

Do you have an opportunity to share in some kind of special Christmas Program such as the Angel Tree?  I'd love to hear your ideas. I think we can inspire one another!

Prayer Monkey Hats

A coworker asked me if I could make two monkey hats for her twin grandsons. They aren't actually born yet.  In fact, their mother is trying hard to keep them from being born too soon.  Each day they are NOT born is a great accomplishment.  Each day gives their little lungs a bit more time to develop and increases their chances of a healthy entrance into this world.

The request is for two little monkey hats.  When Maria and I make our hats for Wyoming Rose Boutique, we make them up as we go.  We just kind of free flow it, yarn sculpting.  It's more fun to us than reading patterns.  The trick this time is that since there are two of them, I have to pay attention so that I can make them the same.

I decided that while I crochet these hats for those tiny little boys I would pray for them.  You've heard of prayer shawls, right?  Well, why can't I make prayer monkey hats?

"Grandpa, You're My Friend Boy!"

Maria and Eric and our beautiful granddaughters, Elise and Cordelia, came over last night.  We love that we have the opportunity to be around our granddaughters as much as we do!

Not long ago, while visiting at my Mom's a few hours away, Cordelia got two of her teenage cousins to play with her, directing them on a dinosaur hunt.  Not long after that I found a bag of little dinosaurs and sparked an idea.  I bought the dinosaurs so that we could start a new tradition at our house.  You guessed it, Cordelia goes dinosaur hunting.  Now, Cordy is a vegan so I want to make it very clear that when she hunts dinosaurs, it is not with a bow and arrow or a gun.  It is just about the hunt... just finding them.

So, this is how it works.  We all take turns, as directed by Cordy, either hiding the little dinosaurs or hunting for them later.  This is repeated over and over.... and over some more.  She really, really enjoys this game!  Mike got a little creative with his hiding...

Maria held Elise, who I think is anxiously awaiting the day she can join in.

A few members of the family were more interested in the football game than the dinosaur hunt.

  

I won't be naming any names, though.     

Mike is such a patient and fun grandpa.

I heard Cordelia say, "Grandpa, you're my friend boy!"

10,000 Reasons

Do you have a favorite Christian Contemporary Song?  Or maybe an old classic?  What is speaking to you right now?

I enjoy singing along with Matt Redman on 10,000 Reasons.  Do you know that song?  If not, please click on the name and enjoy it today.