A New Favorite

 

This might be my new favorite picture of Smokey! I had bought flowers for Mom, but they had gotten too hot in my car. I tossed them in water real fast, and Smokey seemed to sense them, and came running. He definitely loves pretty things!!! I am absolutely positive that he thought they were for him- he kept looking at me with a smile, and would absolutely beam while staring at them for hours! 

  I am sorry for the delay for posting. Working night shift combined with all that comes with learning a new job has been kicking my behind lately! I wish I could say all was fantastic, but there are a few things causing issues. I do love the environment, as well as the patient population. So many of my coworkers are absolutely incredible! One of my preceptors tends to disapear, and they have been amazing about checking on me and helping me out when things start going south with my patient, or if I have a question! I do wish a few things with orientation were different. Honestly, one situation I am put in a lot makes me want to quit. I'm planning on talking to my educator about it soon, in order to provide the best care possible for my patients, I need to learn a lot now. A large barrier to that should be able to be resolved, so heres hoping! 

  In other news, my sister has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. We are hoping for good news, but she is definitely scared, as is the rest of the family. We would definitely appreciate prayers!

  My schedule is weird this month; I worked Saturday night, was off Sunday, and work the next three nights. The nice thing is that I was able to attend the singing at my church Sunday evening! The down side is staying on a night shift schedule on a day off. I am hoping that next month will be better. And, honestly, as much as I love how much calmer things tend to be on night shift, as well as my night shift peeps, I am hoping that I'll get to move to days. It will be a lot different, but I think I will feel healthier again with that move. 

  How have all of you been? Anything new in your life?

  Happy Stitching!

  Emmy

Unpopular Opinion on 2020

   So, I know that this is going to be an unpopular opinion. And that's ok. I understand that for many people, 2020 was terrible. Especially the folks that lost loved ones during the year, regardless of the cause of death. And folks having their own health issues, as well as any one of the myriad things that can go awry in one's personal life. You want to know the truth though? 2020 was not that bad. Weird, yes. Crazy- absolutely. But for me? Not that bad. Wearing masks suck. Gowning up in all the required garb for Covid positives and suspected patients- a panic attack in the making. Not being able to breath due to a mask- been there, still doing that. Honestly though- all in all, this has not been that terrible of a year for me and a lot of others. In fact, a lot of it was good. Many of us just don't want to believe that.

   Think about it though: many families got their first real time together in months, if not years. Parents found out how cool their kids actually are. Kids found out that their weird parents are actually kinda neat. (They may not admit out loud though). 

                                           

  We revisited the past, to see how our ancestors handled quarantine and plagues. We remembered people long forgotten, and said their names. People made time to listen the elderly's wisdom. The elderly chose to use this to encourage others. 

  Dogs got to on lots of walks! Kitties got extra cuddle time. 

    

  Folks have finally had the time to listen to what their body and heart are actually telling them.

  We learned to play again, and how to just enjoy a day for being a day. 

   

  People learned to cook, and to appreciate a homecooked meal. Even how to be grateful for  the homecooked meals that were more failed attempts than anything else. 

  And we all appreciate eating in a restaurant a whole lot more. And going inside of a store was more of a treat and less of a chore, in some cases.  In a lot situations, people have been more polite, and dusted off their manners. 

  We all learned to look at the world around us with a new perspective. 

                                  

  And to try to see things from each others' point of view. 

                                                

  We learned to kick our feet up and just relax for a change.

                                            

  And had a chance to dress however we wanted for a change.

   

  Nature was given a chance to start to heal from all that our busyness and greed has done to damage it. Some animals have had a chance to thrive. People learned to be excited when they saw a wild animal, and how to recognize the birds their backyard. 

                                       

  My coworker's wife had a baby girl, and a friend had twin babies! Babies were still born, still took their first steps. First days of Kindergarten still happened, as did high school graduations, and freshman college classes. Perhaps different from the norm, but these major milestones were still reached. 

  Bunny prints in the snow still occurred. And snow- snow coated everything, good and ugly, in a glorious, brilliant white that glistened as though a 4 year-old was given glitter and told to go wild with it!

                         

                                                  

                                         

                                                    

  We have started to realize how amazing the other people sharing this clump of dirt are. People started finding creative ways to show others love, and lift each others' spirits. People actively sought out ways to give others hope, and took the time to implement it as well. 

  People learned how to let the caring King/Queen inside of his/herself to shine through.

                                         

  We found things in common with those around us- like our common hatred of masks. And Covid. And the word "quarantine." 

  We learned to enjoy the view from our own porch, in all kinds of weather. 

                                

  And to see the beauty in how the same small area can still change so much. 

                                    

Above photo taken by Kirstie Swisher.   

                                     

    We learned to be there for each other, as some died, and others had to learn how to live without their loved one. 

  Long overdue heart to hearts took place. 

  Relationships grew stronger.

  Many got their first chance to slow down and rest in a long time. Others continued to do so, guilt free. 

                                    

  We learned to appreciate those around us, regardless of who they were, what job they did, what they looked like, and their political views. We learned to simply appreciate them, and remember that we can learn from each other. 

  New friendships were formed between former strangers. 

                                         

  Old friendships were rejuvenated.

  We learned to adapt. And how to effectively hide from vacuum cleaners. :)

                                     

  We all realized that oftentimes, the littlest things really are the big things. 

                      

  More pets than ever found new homes!!!

  We all became a lot more understanding of each other, even when we did not understand. We learned that we are all human, and we all need grace, forgiveness, and a little understanding. 

  We took the time to actually see the beauty, majesty, and incredibleness of God's hand in our lives and the world all around us. That alone is a miracle. 

                                            

  Don't get me wrong- I look forward to when we can freely go about our lives again. I miss going places without being judged for not wearing a mask where not required. I miss seeing everyone else's smiles, and not worrying about whether I will make my loved ones sick if I hug them. But this life is still so incredible. When we take the time to- or are forced to- stop and look around us, we finally see a tiny fraction of how blessed we are really are. We get to see God's thumbprints all around us, in the laugh of a baby, the purr of cat, the faces of our families and friends, the excitement of a dog when their owner comes home, the way the frost makes little raised polka dots on a car door- the list could go on for eternity! 

                                           

                                           

And that is not even counting the thousands of miracles and blessings, little and big, that surround all of us each and every day of our lives. All in all, I'd say that 2020 was weird, different, hectic, even a bit of a disaster at times. But, in my unpopular opinion, it was still a good year. Life went on, and exciting things happened. My sister started a new job she enjoys. I got accepted into a college with a paramedic to RN bridge program. Mom gets to come home from work and tell us all of the antics of the little ones from the daycare. We received some surprise time with Dad.  Life has always been a combination of good and bad; without the bad, we would never thankful for the good. We would be unable to recognize it, and would take it all for granted. And look at all of the amazing pictures, stories, and people that have risen out of this debacle of a year. So, I'll stick with my unpopular opinion, thank you. And I hope you are willing to see the good, as well as the bad, in every day, as well as every year. Perhaps, we should do as Smokey did; just because our normal is turned on its side, that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy the very changes we usually despise so very much. 

  

So much excitement!

 I have much excitement to tell you about! So, first of all, I am building a house. Well, sort of. It all started when I asked Mom to think about my buying us a shed we could use as a craft studio. I knew I did not have enough money saved up to buy a house and feel comfortable doing so with school. But, having a craft studio would be awesome, and give myself, and Mom, more space. Mom thought about it for a few days, then asked why not buy a shed and convert it into a house for myself? So, long story short, I now have a deposit down on a shed kit. I was going to buy it outright, but it is currently backordered due to lumber shortages, so when I called the guy asked if I wanted to do a deposit for now so that all of the money will not be tied up while I wait. It made sense to me, so that is what we did. Right now, they are thinking that it will ship in October, but it all depends on when they can get the lumber. Hopefully, either October or earlier. This gives me time to work on the groundwork. My hope is that myself, and hopefully my Dad, can get the foundation ready, and have all of the pipes and such in place by the time it arrives. Then I won't have to figure out how to store it- assembly can begin instead!

  Yesterday, Banjo, Guinea, and Peppy arrived for the groundbreaking ceremony. Banjo's orange ball was the special guest, and the puppies watched from afar. 

  This is what the kit is:

  It has a full loft, which is ideal for me, since it will be my house!!!! My plan is to have an open floor plan downstairs, with the exception of the bathroom. Upstairs, I will probably use giant curtains or screens to block the storage/closet area. I'm hoping to do fairy lights upstairs; I think that will look really cool!

I'm thinking maybe these windows- they have... something that makes them not let heat and air escape.

A screen door something like this, but waaaaay cheaper. I think it would pop with the red behind; what do you think?

  Downstairs will host the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. I am buying my own windows and doors. The windows they have are cute with the shutters, but they are single pane and I can buy shutters later. The door looks cool, but I can save a few hundred buying one elsewhere. I'll probably go with a small window in the door. While I love the idea of how much sunlight the french doors would let in, there has been a lot more violence in this general area, so something a little more solid feels better to me. My plan is to paint the door a cheerful red and do a white screen door over it. I'm going to do things in stages, so the screen door will likely wait a while, as will the shutters. Shoot, for that matter, kitchen cabinets may wait a bit. I want to be able to pay for everything in full at the time of purchase, and still have a bit tucked back for nursing school. If needed, I will do a school loan, but those things are a pain to do, and I am not a fan of paying interest. Granted, I'll run things through my credit card, but that is because the rewards points convert to gift cards, which can then be used to buy stuff I need for the house. And I'll pay the credit card off right away, which makes my credit score happy, and prevents interest from being applied. When did I start using words like "rewards points," "interest," and "credit scores" so often?!? 

  Anyway, when I get shutters, I would like to pain them to match the door. I'm planning on painting house a light blue or blueish gray. For the inside, I think I will do hardwood, or something that looks like hardwood. I'm not sure what will be budget-friendly, last very well, and survive Smokey's claws, especially since the turd pulls his Purrdy Paws off. I'm not sure what colors I will paint the inside yet. I'm not even sure if I will hang drywall, or use bead board for the inside. There are a lot of unknowns, and a ton of excitement!!!!!

  It rained some today, and will be raining a good chunk of this coming week. I'm hoping it will make the ground soft. Getting the layer with the grass up was not hard, but under that layer is rocky (this is Missouri after all) with almost rock-hard soil. As my neighbor used to say, "If it wasn't for all of the rocks, all of the big farmers in Kansas would own this land, so I am thankful for the rocks." I have not quite reached the point of being super thankful for the rocks yet. ;) Maybe soon.

  No stitchy progress for the day. I am at work, so I decided to try to take a nap, but that was a sad 45 minutes of disappointment. Should've stitched instead. Oh well, perhaps I will get some stitching in tonight; we shall see! 

The baby has not been acting as peppy, and cries quite a bit. We have been letting him into the mud room to drink some kitten milk replacer. This has helped, but he still eats dirt, so I am planning on bringing him to the vet. On the upside, he loves car rides, and makes Kirst and Dad give him a short ride whenever they leave for work. 

Smokey is NOT happy with allowing Jitterbug in the house. 

Look, Mom, I'm a flower!

My cousin's bum is crushing me.

He regretted trying this- his balance is that of a drunk newborn giraffe.

He guarded the produce while carried the rest inside. 

Ignore the weeds please. :) 

Jittergbug loves helping in the garden. He gets mad if I go in there without him. 

Nap time that almost gave me a heart attack. 

Has anyone else been having issues with really weird cucumbers this year?

Big smile for the camera!

    I hope all of you are safe, happy, and well!

~ Emmy

Well, that stinks

   Apparently, Blogger decided to post my last two posts with just the title and tags. Today's was easy to fix, as it was just a funny thing I found on Pinterest. Yesterday's post is a different story altogether. It was a normal post. Which I do not remember. I do remember a few of the photos though. Here are the photos and what of the words I remember. I did change how the shift was going, to how it went. 

The sky was gorgeous yesterday morning:

  I have no clue what is wrong with these cucumbers. They forgot how to cucumber!

"Mom, it makes a great step stool!"

  These baby carrots are so tiny, they need the NICU!!!

Do you see the hidden Mickey Mouse as well?

  Just chillin'.

  Sunflowers around the bird feeder- bet you can't guess what we feed the birds!

  Miss Sadie next to Daisy's very muddy pool.

  Mom and son photo!

  Daddy-daughter photo!

  I put something here, but have no clue what. Work went well yesterday. My truck only ran one transfer from Local Hospital to Big City. Local Hospital does not have the ability to do stress tests, or rapid Covid tests, or a few other things, so he was transferred for one of the above. We did have to get 4 tires put on the back of the ambulance. My psych class had started, so I decided to start studying this week's chapter. Except a fellow customer wanted to talk to me about his ingrown toenail, subsequent surgery on aforementioned toenail, and resulting infection. Which is all good and fine, except he kept breaking it up. Mr. Ingrown Toenail would wait until I found my spot and started reading in the textbook again before mentioning the next statement or question. Now I know why Coffee Bean hid outside.  (My usual partner had traded with Coffee Bean.) Oh, well, it was an excellent exercise in patience, and we have been covering the fruits of the spirit (complete with homework) at church on Sunday nights.

  For the record, if any of you have any questions about Covid or happier subjects like my fur kids, please feel free to ask. I know that there has been a lot of confusion and misinformation passed around. Shoot, the Co. Health Dept and the hospital system I used disagreed on things! I can tell you to use Tylenol, not ibuprofen. Ibuprofen somehow makes Covid worse, I do not know the science behind it. Anyway, feel free to ask away!

  Also, please comment and let me know how you and yours are doing. I love hearing from youns.

 Happy Stitching!

 Emmy