fantastic Italian donuts, at Olive Garden

a little taste of heaven!

Four months later, I have finally bought a bed for my bedroom. Today I had a lovely lunch with my D&D and then we went out testing beds. It's hard to decide really. But I was won over by my friends' testimony, and by the fact that after laying on my right side for 15 minutes, I had no pain. So in a few days, I'll be getting a Tempur Pedic mattress. Am SO excited to move into my bedroom. Next will be bedroom furniture....just need a few OT shifts!

Gorgeous necklaces from "L"

I got to visit with my friends from home today. Met at Milestones (which was disappointing) and then they came to my home for the first time. I think they liked it. Anyways, the necklaces are so gorgeous, absolute works of art. She does such beautiful work. I can't wait to wear them. I know the picture doesn't do them justice. I can't wait to go pick out more beads and see what she creates.

I think this would look amazing in my bedroom!

"Brazilian Bush, is that a colour? No, there's not much bush in a Brazilian" Frosty Betty

• Oooh, I got a nice little surprise in the mail today! A thank you card from my g/f's sister, with a gift card to HOME SENSE (hellooo!)!!! When I moved, I gave them my patio furniture. Totally not expected but how fun. I love Home Sense!
• I slept like absolute crapola. Must get new bed.
• the cat continues to puke. ugh. I don't really want to take him to the vet because I don't know if I would want to do surgery on him. what to do, what to do

I can't sleep. I'm so tired I am crying. I hate this!

I remembered something else happy. I found my purses and so have changed into my gorgeous hot pink Jessica Simpson bag I got in Vegas (where I get most of my purses). So happy about the new purse and the fact I found them after living with the same purse for four months!

Happy Monday!

I am happy because:

1. I switched swifts tomorrow and am now doing three nights, instead of another dayshift and two nights. Woo hoo, bring on the nights!
2. the new Paper Crafts magazine was in the store tonight
3. I finished putting together the coffee table for the living room
4. I have finally got a freezer in the garage so can actually have some extra food around
5. the Fab Five is reunited on Friday, party time!
6. I finally communicated to someone about something that has been bothering me for a long time
7. The weather has been gorgeous. Mt Baker in the south is stunning, so white against the blue skies. Same with Golden Ears in the north.
8. I've come to the realization that although Pappa didn't see this particular townhouse, I think he would have liked the rancher style.... and he would have enjoyed sitting on the deck, smoking, and watching the ducks, geese, loon at the pond and looking at Mt Baker.
9. I am able to pick up a few groceries after work and still be home before 8pm. Before when I was commuting, I was lucky to get in the driveway by 845pm!
10. I bought a Shark steam machine (40% off) and am starting to work on cleaning all the gunk in the master bathroom.

from Antropologie.... wanted it in gray, sold out. too much purple?

"There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first... when you learn to live for others, they will live for you."

Paramahansa Yogananda

oh gawd why did I say yes????????

• so you can see by the last three posts, my darling daughter and I went to Ikea yesterday and did well for ourselves. She picked out a display unit/shelf for her bedroom, which she is actually going to lay down horizontally. I unexpectantly found a coffee table I liked, for a decent price. I got one table for the scrapbooking studio and once I put it together and see how it is, I may get a couple more, for the group cropping I hope to get going. And on the way out we found those fantastic round pedestal nightstands. One for me, one for her. Now... to find someone who's super awesome with an allenkey!
• went and had a pedicure at the mall today. not super impressed, not super disappointed. so used to my Katie who really scrubs my poor heels. I now have on the funky sparkley blue that is part of the Alice in Wonderland line with OPI. I love my funky colours!
• I'm going to become a mean clean fighting machine! I went to Canadian tire and they had the Wizard on 40% off, so I picked it up. First room to battle is my master bath. Got the Fab Five coming in a week and I have to somehow make this place somewhat presentable. That was what I had planned for tomorrow.... a stay home, pj day, doing chores and such...but.......
• I got an OT shift! So I'm working an 8 hour night tonight. Have to squeeze in a nap now. Can always use the extra $$$. People are going to get annoyed soon.with me soon when I lament I haven't got a bed in my masterbedroom.
• Had a good time with my daughter. Way too short. After Ikea we went to Olive Garden where I was so proud to see my girl finally eating pasta! A yummy meal and then home to hang out in bed and watch some Olympics (her) and then Survivor and Grey's. She even managed to stay on her side of the bed this time! *wink*

my daughter's new display unit

and there are our new nightables!

from Ikea as well, regular $149, on for $79!

voila, the new coffee table!

* what a lovely day with the TRIFECTA today. A fab pasta salad, a little somethin somethin in the morning coffee, cuddles with Roy. I was spoiled by my friends; a Leopard print cake, Leopard print table cloth and napkins and then out came the leopard print glasses and martini shaker! So spoiled! love love it. Then we went off to a few stores but they drew the line at jumping on the beds. lots of laughter.... RED CHANDLIER!
* stressful end to my last set again. not specifically patient wise, more of the administrative stuff that gets me really worked up
* daughter is coming home tomorrow for a couple of days, can't wait! SO miss her. Sounds like she plans on going back to her university in the fall - I had SO hoped she would move down here and transfer to the other university. I miss her so much. But I know she's a young woman now with wings to soar. Doesn't need a mother holding her back.
* a second footstool at Home Outfitters, the lid flips over and is a serving tray; they were on half price. Oh and happily found the matching sheet set for the duvet set for my new bedroom. I just need to get a BED!!!!!
* need a second scrapbook album for work. I have slowly been getting it updated and am ready to get the 2nd album. lots of thank you notes and sadly, obits. plan to do a page of some of the flowers that have been given to staff and maybe a page or two of poems

Hoping to get a couple of these for my scrapbooking studio!

va va voom?

ROFLMAO!

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."Eric Hoffer

1. I love my daughter more than anything in this world and want only the best, happiest, healthiest life for her
2. I love my mother, she is amazing; the best generous loving mother who just wants to take care of her family
3. I love my brother and his two boys; same blood, but so different from each other yet the same.
4. I love my friends; so many wonderful patient caring friends.
5. I love a man who never loved me, one that certainly now never deserved my love, yet here I sit missing him. Happy Valentine's Day

3 generations

Pappa, with my brother and I, and our Farmor (Pappa's mother) I believe this picture was taken on the first day we arrived at my Farmor's home, which was on an isolated inlet from Trondheim.

Happy 81st Birthday Pappa

Tomorrow, February 12th, 2010 would have been your 81st birthday. So wish you were here with your family. I miss you more as each day passes Pappa.

• so I did the six shifts in seven days. crazy. I am SO not a workhorse. I had to take the OT because of bills and needs/wants for the house and I prebooked at the other hospital and didn't want to let them done. I'm proud that I was able to pull through it but it's not something I plan on continuing to do. My body can't take it. The bank can.
• it was a good shift in the ER and I worked with my dear JC who started a year ahead of me and orientated and taught so much. We were pretty busy so there wasn't much time to visit. Strangest feeling for me was it was so busy I didn't get time to stock and that is one of "my" things. Also got to see my Christina and I would love a huge catch up with her. She's in the process of growing a baby. She's going to be the coolest mom around.
• just plan on laying low, I have so much stuff I need to do in the home and no one else is going to do it for me, not that I want that either, it's just so hard for me to get motivated. even for the fun things.
• bills keep popping up unexpectantly so I still haven't been able to get my bedroom set for my master bedroom. I so want be in there and have this room ready for guests.
• so impatient. want my home to be lovely, comfy, relaxing, welcoming to family and guests

Right now, I'm just really really so tired!

Five shifts done, one more to go. I'm going to be laying low for a few weeks. Nose to the grind, head buried in the sand. Going off the reservation.

I need peace, quiet, tranquility. The walls are going back up around the bubble.

• it happened. she said it wouldn't ever happen again. lied. broke my heart.
• day 4. I am so tired. I kept hitting the snooze button on the alarm today and crawled...CRAWLED out of bed. tomorrow is a OT night, and I need the money. have so many "needs" and then another one in the ER. looking forward to that
• have had some really satisfying special patient "moments" at work.
• MUST go buy a bed for the master bedroom and MOVE in there. what is wrong with me that I have put it of so for so long
• the Fab Five is coming for a visit/townhouse inspection/sleepover in a few weeks. I sure hope it doesn't end up like Birch Bay. enough said.
• missing my girl and so looking forward to having her for a visit soon. think a trip to Ikea is in order
• need to find a better litter box, I think one with a roof. the litter box is one of my LEAST favorite things to do and there is no good place for it in the home, so unfortunately it's in dd's bathroom downstairs. he spreads so much of the litter out of it, I thought a roof would help contain it in there, because it's STAYING in there and at least that way it would be do-able for my daughter to have a decent bathroom.
• the first room that I would like to do major work on is my bathroom but the $$$ is a big factor, so it's not going to happen for some time. So I'm thinking for now, getting someone to come in and paint it a funky colour. I'd like to take down a few things they have mounted on the walls, change the light and faucet and put up some storage on the walls. Hot pink? why not.

you know it's true!

love these embossing folders Tim Holtz is putting out, together with Sizzix!

disgusted. angry. heartbroken. dismayed. livid. shocked. frustrated. betrayed yet again.

the lengths that one will go to try to hurt another is un-ending and only results in cheating the one good thing done together

sad my father's wishes were not honoured

today is a heavy heart day

I wish for spring flowers to arrive. On my doorstep. In my garden. In the complex. Maybe even in a pot on my deck. Winter has been a disappointment. Either snow a ton or after Christmas, bring on spring, minus the rain. Not a fan of rain. Looking forward to getting a nice bistro set for my deck so I can sit out there and look at the bird sanctuary in the evenings. Bring on spring!

• had a lovely Friday evening out with some girlfriends from work; tried to pull off a dual surprise, one for our lovely and very pregnant "P" who is now on mat leave and the only and only gorgeous "N" who left us for greener pastures up in the ole ICU. Great company and food.
• spent overnight with Mamma last night and had a really good visit. Her bed that I sleep in is hard as rocks and I wake up feeling like a bag of bones. I think next visit I'm kicking my nephew from his bed and sleeping there. It was just the two of us for dinner and that was good. Quiet evening just visiting.
• bought myself a small freezer (need help getting it out of the truck though...any takers?) The side freezer in the kitchen is such a strange size and a regular pizza box won't fit in it. Plan to shop more at M&M again and get back on track with making proper healthy meals. Would like to get a crock pot as well but need to find one small that 5 quarts.
• as you can see, happily got a new charm for my lovely Pandora bracelet. it's going to be a pink and purple bracelet. love it. thank you again Dawn!
• my girlfriend was up last weekend and got my walk in closet all set up with proper rods; hope to get most of my clothes hung back up in there tomorrow. just have to finish painting the ends of the mounts
• had a busy but good set of shifts last week. true THPCU patients. lots of family and patient psychosocial stuff. selfishly satisfying.
• got two new (old in time but new to me) Michael Buble CD/DVDs. one for the truck and one for the house. slowly sorting through all the CDs in a few boxes. man, some really old stuff there. lots of it doesn't belong to me, into the trash it goes. enjoying my little stereo; nice to have music playing in the house again
• hoping to have a few days with my darling daughter in a few weeks when she is on her reading break. maybe I can bribe her with a trip to Ikea!
• had the truck serviced today, so I can check that off my list. now that I'm not going up and down the highway, I think the service requirements will be less. noticing some rust spots in a few places, I think as a result of that accident from a few years ago. wonder how much that will cost to take care of. wonder if it's time to think about trading it in... another truck? a cute little red volkswagen?
• got some new magazines so the plan is to get cozy in bed and read them, cuddle with Raja and watch a little tv. hope to have a good sleep in tomorrow as it's my last day off! ciao!

yes, this is mine!

Hello GORGEOUS!

come to Mama!!!