You Are Kindness

You Are Kindness: "You Are Kindness
You never think about being virtuous. You are only concerned with treating people as you'd like to be treated.
You are a very compassionate person and a true friend. You don't have a hateful or prejudiced bone in your body.

You are good to people because it's the right thing to do. You don't expect anything in return.
You highly value friendship and personal contact. You try to make as many friends as possible"

"Why didn't you let the patient go?" asked the doctor. Unreal. Nurses are there to take care of patients and protect them from harm. Now I'm the one harmed and made to feel like it's my fault. Natural instinct is to react and save not let go. I'm in agony, my neck, shoulders, back all the way down to my right hip. What unreal timing. The party is coming up, Christmas. And I have such nausea, thinking back to that awful summer when I was assaulted and spent six months dealing with an injury, WCB and a life altering disability. Is this going to reactivate things? I have no one. No one to support me. I could barely get my bra off tonight. "Who can come get you?" No one. Alone. In pain. Crying. Scared.

“Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
Charles Dickens (1812-1870);novelist

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882);Philosopher, Poet, Author, Essayist

Raja posing by the tree, early this morning

possible set up for the party!

the PCC brought in hot breakfast for us yesterday....yummy!

shoved my walkway for the first time...thank gawd I have a shovel!

• Oh My Gosh. I can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow. So tired. Bad work dreams. ugh.
• Didn't get as much done as I had hoped. I am going to have to seriously kick ass after my dayshifts, on my turn around day and get some things done on the day of the party. Stressed and excited. But that's me, leaving to the last minute.
• Got six more loads of laundry done today. Did a super huge shop at the Superstore. I used to love going there but I hate it now, hate the crowds. Rude crowds. Unpacked all of that and did a huge garbage toss out, as well collected canned goods and toys I bought at the superstore for our food drive at the hospital.
• Have to dig out the ironing board and get some table cloths done up nice.
• Emptied a couple more Christmas decoration boxes. Now have quite the stack to go back downstairs.
• Dusted part of my bedroom, oy, what a mess. Found papers there I had completely forgotten about! I expect people will be wanting to see the bedroom so I need to make sure it's nicely done up and bed made. Cleaned half the closet as well. Lts of summer clothes to be putting away.
• I have to make a resolution for next year to deal with all the paperwork piling up everywhere. So hard to keep things in order and track of.
• And I want to scrapbook and cardmake and not have to garner up the energy or mojo to do so. I wish I had a tv down there with a couch so it was cozier and I could have it all set up exactly how I like. I have been lazy about it for awhile, not sorting out all my patterned paper and my stamps, etc. I love my cardmaking and scrapbooking so much; love to look back at albums; so wish I could go back to a layout a day. One day....

• Well I survived my five nights and I am E X H A U S T E D!!! I slept my whole turn around day and that whole night. Up early to head back home for: doctor's appt, hair appt (bye bye gray) and snow tires on the truck and little visit with Mamma. Came home and napped. Could not help it.
• This morning I woke up at 1pm. ONE PM!!! The question is, do I feel rested? Stayed turned for the answer.
• So what have I been doing all afternoon? 6 loads of laundry. Unpacked the mini tree and having slight panick about the decorations now arriving. Finished decorating the main tree. Skirt is on under tree. Did some dusting in the living room. Vacuumed my bedroom! Dont faint, I know! Wiped down my bedside table. Found all kind of interesting, uh, garbage, there. Starting a stack of papers that needs to be sorted. Got a bazillion boxes that need to go back to the basement.
• Tomorrow: more of the same. Plus grocery shopping. Plus more cleaning. oy.

And no, I am not rested, I STILL can't keep my eyes open. It's awful.

Here is one of my first "official" pictures of the Christmas tree 2010. Shot in the dark. Love all the light that shines from it.

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How to Sleep Better Tonight
15 Tips to Fall Asleep Fast and Sleep All Night
by Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Have you fallen into a pattern of sleeping poorly? Are you concerned that you may not sleep well tonight? Getting a good night sleep is very important to your physical and emotional health, but falling asleep easily and sleeping well are surprisingly complex and subject to being interrupted by a wide range of factors.
Sometimes insomnia is a result or a symptom of a serious medical condition. As one example, sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep, is a very serious condition. If your insomnia is severe, or is associated with other symptoms, please see a physician. The tips and suggestions that follow are not medical advice and are not intended for anyone in ill health.
Here are a number of simple actions and choices you can make right now to help you sleep better TONIGHT. There are also a number of additional tips for better sleep that require longer preparation and are covered in another article How to Overcome Frequent Insomnia.

1. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. If you want coffee in the afternoon or evening, make it decaffeinated. An alcoholic drink, especially more than one, will not help you sleep better. A drink may, or may not, help you fall asleep, but alcohol causes you to sleep poorly and be unable to sleep all night. Cigarettes are always an unhealthy habit, but especially in the evening.

2. Avoid spicy foods. Indigestion prevents good sleep.

3. Don't overeat, but don't go to bed hungry. If you aren't allergic to milk, try a small glass of warm milk or a piece of mild cheese in the evening. A small piece of chicken or other protein may also work well before bed.

4. Drink enough water early in the day to hydrate well, which can help you avoid nighttime leg cramps and is generally good for your health. However, avoid water and other fluids for the last two hours before bedtime to reduce your need to go to the bathroom during the night.

5. Avoid taking a nap longer than 15 minutes during the day.

6. Get your regular daily exercise earlier in the day - take a long walk in a natural setting if you possibly can - and be quiet the last couple of hours before bedtime.

7. Spend the two hours before bedtime quietly, without stimulation or stress. Read calming inspirational books or listen to soothing music. Avoid adventure books, stimulating or upsetting conversation, and especially do not watch any kind of television show before bed.

8. To help you relax, take a hot bath, practice meditation or conscious breathing, do gentle Yoga, Qigong, or progressive muscle relaxation.

9. If you have aches and pains, massage the painful places - possibly with a pain-relieving gel - or better yet, ask your partner to massage you.

10. Repeat positive affirmations to replace worries about not sleeping with positive thoughts.

11. Make your bedroom as dark as possible. Consider using a sleep mask (eyeshade) if you can't make your bedroom dark enough.

12. Make your bedroom as quiet as you can. If you have a clock that ticks loudly, replace it. Consider using earplugs if your bedroom is noisy. Or experiment with other alternatives... Some people find that the white noise from a fan, as well as the air flow, helps them sleep better. Others find soft music or natural sounds like waves or bird songs to be relaxing and induce sleep. If you use music to help you fall asleep, you may find that you get better rest later in the night if you set the music to turn off after an hour.

13. Find the most comfortable temperature for sleep. Generally a room temperature slightly cooler than during the day, combined with a light cover, is most conducive to good sleep. However, some people find a colder room and heavier bedcovers work better. Others prefer a warmer room and no covers. Experiment to find the combination that works best for you. Make sure your feet are warm. If your feet tend to be cold at night, consider wearing socks to bed - making sure that they are not too tight around your ankles. Try a hot water bottle if your feet are cold when you first go to bed.

14. Experiment with different sleeping positions, and match the height of your pillow to the position you choose. For sleeping on your back or stomach, choose a thin pillow. For side sleeping, a medium height pillow is best. Try sleeping on your right side if that is not already your preferred position. Resting your top leg on an extra pillow may increase your comfort.

15. If you can't fall asleep in 15 minutes, try counting your breaths as you breathe deeply and slowly. If you are still awake after counting to two hundred, go to another room and do something relaxing, such as reading an inspiring book, until you feel sleepier.

Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change. Life's too short to be anything... but happy.- Anonymous

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life" Richard Bach

• Stampin' Up! has an early Christmas present for you called ONLINE SPECTACULAR! Click on my Stampin' Up link and go to SHOP NOW and you will find amazing deals on everything from My Digital Studio to Sizzix dies, stamps and more! Did I mention, up to 50% off???!!!

• The weather has sure changed. BRRR it's cold out there! The winds are so bad I thought my house was going to blow away! I didn't sleep very well because of it. Hopefully they will calm down. So far no snow. Probably will come Thursday when I go to get my snow tires put on.
• Got my "to do" list going to get myself ready for the party. Sure is filling up. I hope I will get everything I need done and will be able to relax and enjoy the party. I am looking forward to it.
• REALLY looking forward to getting my hair done. It's really awful with huge amount of gray roots coming through. u g l y. And I need a shape up. My hairdresser is sure to roll her eyes when I tell her my plans to grow my hair out a bit. lol.
• Lots of deaths at work recently, young. Makes me think of my own mortality. You, as in, each and everyone of us, needs to live life to the fullest, EVERY DAY. You just never know.

Finding Christmas Spirit

1 Shop early. Nothing takes away the Christmas spirit like fighting for parking and struggling through crowds.


2 Wish people that you meet in stores and other casual environments a happy holiday. Say it with a smile.


3Drop spare coins in the Salvation Army collection buckets.


4 Do something nice for someone. Offer to baby-sit so a friend can do her Christmas shopping, take cookies to your neighbors, or shovel an elderly neighbor's walk.


5 Volunteer your time to a worthy holiday cause. Even if you are busy, you can spare an hour or two to help people less fortunate than yourself.


6 Organize a drive at work or in your neighborhood. Collect food and personal items and donate them to a local shelter for the homeless or for battered women.


7 Play Christmas music.


8 Watch Christmas movies. "It's a Wonderful Life" is a good one for reviving a flagging Christmas spirit, as is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."


9 Read "A Christmas Carol" and "A Child's Christmas in Wales."


10 Decorate your house for the holidays.


11 Don't spend more money than you have. Anxiety over after-Christmas bills can ruin your holiday.

There is beauty and adventure in the commonplace for those with eyes to see beyond.- jlh

The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.- Ralph Waldo Emerson

He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.- Socrates

It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.- Amelia Barr

Give thanks for the simple pleasures of life.

"You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going."

Well I'm on the first of four nights, working with my little McCupcake. We've pretty much worked steady for the first half of the shift and now time has come to start breaks and we've already come up with a decent menu for the Christmas party! I'm so looking forward to it though I'm worried about the lack of time to clean and finish decorating and the food. Oy. Have to find my big memory card for all the picture taking!

Had such an enjoyable day yesterday with my g/f "L" who came up across the border and we visited and scrapbooked. Like the old days, though much fewer and farer apart. I did one layout for a gift, made several Christmas cards (the count is now easily over 20!), made more Norweigan heart decorations for my white treat, cleaned up my desk a bit, printed some pictures for future layouts, matted and framed a picture and checked out a few magazines. We had a simple dinner and then worked for a few more hours. When she left it was just starting to snow...about 15 minutes later, POOF, the power went out! Of course none of my close at hand flashlights worked but thankfully I made my way to a candle and lighter and seriously thankful for my iPhone which I could still check my email and facebook (priorities!) and set my alarm clock. It was off to bed early and as usual, I woke up every 2-3 hours for bathroom and position change. Oh to sleep a solid 8 hours.......

Nearly done all my Christmas shopping. Just need to do all the wrapping. Waiting on a few packages from the USA; very excited about that. Hope they arrive; one I've been waiting on for a month and they aren't good about keeping me updated so I hope I don't have issues with that one because the order has some really cool things I want to surprise the family with. As well my daughter's 20th birthday is coming up and I have ideas for that. Hoping to have a family party in my home this year. Can't believe she's going to be 20!!!

one of my favorite Christmas pieces, a Seagull pewter candle tree; lousy picture, am playing with my iphone camera, trying to get better with taking pictures with it. when the candle is lit, such a pretty glow

the ever adorable Raja, all cuddled up on the couch. presently is trying to lay on my lap over my arms while my hands try to type on the laptop

my funky new lamp that I bought with MsCupcake, for the studio. doesn't give off as much light as I hope but it certainly adds character and pizzazz to the room

a closeup of tree number 2. I hand made all those little Norweigan hearts with a Quickutz die. pita but I'm happy with the results.

tried to make the cinnamonalicious I had in the states. disaster. don't judge a book by it's cover

one of the new trees...silver and purple.....

Christmas is coming

Didn't get as much as I wanted done, but the tree is up and fluffed and lights all work. Mantle is in the works. Raja is back at it again, rubbing up against the poinsettas (don't worry, they are silk and he's just weird).

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I've had a couple of lovely days.

Monday I had my CVC training, which had my guts in a knot, but it turned out to be a good review, confirming my practice and reinforcing information. It was disappointing as it was thought to be about NEW practices and products but that wasn't so. So it was boring for some (I won't mention any names) but I'm glad I went and it's over. Not a big deal in the end.

After that, MsCupcake and I went shopping! Got lots of good Christmas stuff at Home Sense. Some will be going back as it didn't work as I'd imagined but that's ok. We then spent the afternoon cardmaking. I have started to make little Norweigan decorations for a themed tree I have planned. I'm so excited about it. I also have the silver and white trees to decorate....more fun. On the way taking MsCupcake home, we stopped at Canadian Tire and I got some Christmas lights and a tree for outside.

Yesterday Ms Cupcake and I ventured out for a little bit more shopping. I took the Christmas tree out of the box and set it up. I plan on fluffing the branches today before I go to work. The main tree is decorated in red and silver. The pinky purple trees are at the bottom of the stairs, as advised by MsCupcake. Oh, I got a cute little twinkley white tree for my bedroom.

As you can tell, I'm excited about Christmas and decorating...........

my first "Christmas" coffee in my favorite Starbucks' mug

GORGEOUS orange roses from a patient

Raja helping me study CVC

my dining room mantle.... purple and silver room

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”
Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991)

Are these not adorable! I plan on making them for my white Christmas tree this year. I have a die cut for them, just have to find it. They will be a mini version though.

Working four dayshifts kicked my butt. My last shift I worked my unit and then in the last three hours I got called to ER and then went and helped oncology. I slept til 2 yesterday and then immediately laid down for another two hours. It was SO hard to get up this morning and I just hope I can make it through without needing a nap. Everything aches, tired aches.

For spontaniety last night I went over to MsCupcakes for a "study session" and we three ended up having yummy chinese food and having the Dexter discussion.

Speaking of Dexter, HOLY CRAP, I didn't see those twists coming. Tick Tick tick!
Today my g/f MsCupcake and I are going to do Christmas cards and some Christmas decorating - how exciting! woo hoo. I'm worried I won't be getting enough cards made (and there really is no reason for it); I just feel like sending out Christmas letters/emails. Just embarrassing when I'm an independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator. Lost my oomph I guess. Have so much paper to go through. People at work are asking where are the albums. I have projects to get done for Christmas as well. Oy! Enough with the napping already...oh that's right, I work shift work.

Raja has been especially cuddlely these last few days. Up on my lap while I'm typing on the computer, laying directly on top of my arms. Think he wants my attention? lol

Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.

Marianne Williamson

• I just got home from work. Tired. Pull around the corner and there it is, Christmas lights on my neighbours' house. Boy do I feel sucky! I think I'm going to go out and get lights for my hedges, at least windows in my guest bedroom window. Man. I can't be dark.
• Work is fine. Drained.
• Got to work with MsCupcake and we've made plans to plan for the Christmas party, which includes DECORATING! How awesome is that!
• Loved the last two episodes of Dexter, shocking last few seconds.... What, he brings the baby to Lumen? wth? Can't wait to see it Sunday night!
• have thrush, can you believe it? my tongue and throat is just covered. got the med yesterday so hopefully it'll be gone in a day. the risk of my inhalers. oy. damn steroids.
• On Sunday plan to wrap all the presents I have, to get a better idea. I think I'm doing not too badly! Good feeling........

Gosh. Am. So. tired!!!

• I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with my mom. We did quite a bit of Christmas shopping for her list, had a luxerious pedicure, nice meals, laught, even cards and lots of chats
• thinking of "him" lots, missing. Is it Christmas that brings back the memories or that a friend is coming through the same situation. I don't know. Just on my mind lots
• I need to start wrapping my gifts to see where I'm at. And I will be pulling out the decorations on my next set of days off. SO EXCITING!!!
• bringing up the Christmas drinkware just now....WOO HOO

• opened up the box and read old letters from the past. promises and declarations. lies. tears. is it ever going to stop?

getting ready for dinner guests

maybe....

my home

my lovely bedroom with girly beddings....finally! a perfect match!

I am Irish by marriage ... ha!

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours.

Irish Blessing

• just LOVE my iphone. Currently addicted in downloading itunes; thank goodness one of the younger nurses on oncology is going to show me how to get free music.
• had two decent dayshifts. running into more and more people who are wearing some sort of scent. need more inhalers. had to leave the unit for 45 minutes after the floor cleaner came by. affected everybody; that shit can't be good for you
• looking forward to my mom coming down for a visit; some spa, some Christmas shopping, some good foods, etc
• with her help am going to try to makeover my bed with the new linens I bought in the USA! can't wait to see what it looks like. hope it's not too matchy matchy. I had really been thinking of gray but the purple was so lovely......
• craving ice cream so badly! found a new flavour at Save Ons....french vanilla with streaks of chocolate, fine layers and then a surprise chunk here and there!
• got my flu shot and it ached for about three hours and now fine. now, I better not get sick like I usually do!
• thinking about Christmas lots! Starbucks brought out their Christmas drinks and cups which I love all of!
• and dreaming and hoping about summer vacation.......................

Have I mentioned HOW MUCH I LOVE my iPhone!?!?!?!?

oh look what time it is, must mean I am awake, again. aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

*yawn* This waking up every three hours and staying awake for an hour business is getting old, real fast. Oh to be able to sleep the night through without waking up and without having nightmares!