Mother's, Grandma's. Mima's Day

Being friends with your son's in-laws before they were in-laws is immeasurable!  We seldom have to split a holiday with them.....because we share the holiday with them!  On Mother's Day the men pretend to plan and cook. We go along with it as we make the potatoes, vegetables, appetizers and desserts and set the time and prepare the venue and fret about the weather.  They handle the meat, the alcohol and the ammunition!  

Bailee and I went to breakfast and then stopped in to visit Great Grandma for a bit.  She was taking her 12 hour nap so we left our flowers and headed home.  Upon entering the garage, the big, white roaster was bubbling and giving off the best smell, sweet smell.  We thought, "apple crisp, apple pie, cinnamon rolls......?"  We asked Papa "What was cookin'?" "Turkeys," he proudly replied.  ...............go back a few hours ...... "What do you put on the turkey?"  "Just pat it dry, rub it with butter and sprinkle with some spices."............................!

Yes Lee, cinnamon IS a spice!   Strangely enough, it was delicious.  Who needs dessert when you can have cinnamon turkey for the main course?!

Our beautiful DIL did make delicious appetizers and amazing desserts.... no bake cookies and a chocolate tart that was to die for!  Adding mac and cheese and twice baked sweet potatoes completed the entree along with my favorite cukes.  Appetizers were garlic, cheese pull apart bread , crackers and dip and shrimp...lots of shrimp.

It was literally, A....Very....Good....Day!

Nurse's Week

Soooo many nurses in my family.... My Mom, SIL, DIL, nieces, aunts, cousins and friends. I have experienced caring nurses in every level of care from finger sticks to dialysis, stitches to surgeries and new life to compassionate death. You would think this everyday interaction would harden even the softest souls... you couldn't be more wrong! ♥ you all!

With so many family members involved in the nursing profession, you'd think my dream, like other little girls, would be to join the crowd.  Nope...hospitals are my least favorite place in the world.  Pretty much until Bailee was born, all my hospital experiences sucked.  It always seemed to involve being cut open, stitched up or dying. In no instance, did I have any control!  I like being in control which I'm sure comes as no shock to anyone who might be purposefully or even by mistake.. reading this!  I live vicariously through Olivia Pope! I like to fix things. For that reason you might think, "Well, nurses fix things!"  Yep, they do the very best they can to make nasty situations better, to compensate for the lack of most Doctors semblance of bedside manner and they clean up feces and puke! ......but it's wasn't the fix I was looking for!  Thankfully, it was the fix many of my relatives and friends were......!

So many things I recall about my nurses:

At an early age I learned that an enema can transform a cantankerous child into a beautiful flower girl!

Allergy shots were best given by the local veterinarian's wife who made all things better!

Some nurses have flawless skill when drawing blood...others should only draw pictures!

Good nurses pretend to look away when weighing you in....but the number miraculously still finds it way to your chart!

Some nurses read way too much into each symptom and suggest the ER versus Pepto Bismol. :-(

One NP I know and love has the virtuous quality of entering her field "to help her friends and family" and make them feel better!

Some nurses are so empathetic they practice palliative and hospice care.....REMARKABLE!

Nurses do most of the work........................period!

Nurses make the world go round.....and round.....and round...and when you fall, they pick you up and fix what hurts... 

....So let's remember, they need compassion too..... Happy Nurse's Week to all those who chose to make us feel better....

May the 4th be with you!

Star Wars Day...Lots of friends and family celebrate their birthdays today too. Nephew Clint and niece Lyndsy and friends Sharon Weeks and Eddy Sharpsteen.  Everyone always asks me how I can remember everyone's birthdays, anniversaries and special days. It's pretty simple actually...some I just plain remember and most I write faithfully on my calendar to remind me. It's always nice to be remembered.  Face Book helps a lot and I remember the past couple of birthdays getting literally hundreds of birthday wishes. I enjoyed and appreciated every single one.

Keeping in tune with the theme of the day, it's looking a little like the "Dark Side" out there right now and the lawn needs mowing again before the Storm Troopers arrive. Off to ChewtheBacka yard! Mow the 4th be with you!

Old Because

Pretty sure I see a theme evolving in these writings.  Every day I find a new reason to justify strange phenomenons.  Although, the reasons are slowly dwindling down to the same reason most of the time.  The aging process or as I often call it, f@*+ing OLD!  Here are a few of just the latest revelations!

I know I'm old because:

• I look forward to watching Meet the Press on Sunday although I strongly dislike Chuck Todd but also amazingly enjoy politics.
• When I occasionally do apply make up to my eyelids, I apply with my finger slightly pulling the lid to the outside of my eye....and it stays there!
• The process of getting out of my recliner lacks the enthusiasm of getting in it!
• The brown spots on my hands are NOT dirt and no longer wash off :-(
• Wearing the same pair of jeans 2 days in a row is now perfectly OK. I'm actually quite tickled old people even wear jeans!
• The 4th Wednesday of each month is a fun day that I lunch with other old people and the gov't even pays me to go.. (That's how I choose to see it!).
• My bedtime is still shortly after 11 but I've actually been asleep since 9.
• I no longer stress about wearing something slightly wrinkled because I know what's under it, is in even worse shape!
• Snoring bothers me less and less because at least I know he's alive ;-)
• And the number 1 reason I know I'm old is......When folks tell me to just "Hang in there," every single body part already is :-(