Fairy garden

A friend of mine had a fairy garden on her patio last year, and Isabel and I fell in love with the idea.

On this sunny and almost-warm January day, we browsed through Pinterest and Google looking for accessories and examples to whet our appetite for a fun spring project.  Aren't these just adorable?

Have you ever planted a fairy garden?  Any tips?  I'd love to hear your suggestions!

(ps.  I can't wait for spring!)

Am I mad?

Why, yes; yes, I am.

Thanks to Netflix, I am simply mad for Don Draper and the magic that is Mad Men.  I have watched the first three seasons over the past month (commercial-free, one episode after another, praise be!).

I am completely and utterly hooked.

The world of the 60's has come alive for me, and even more so after reading Stephen King's 11/22/63.

And even though he is a philandering executive who smokes more cigarettes and drinks more whiskey than seems humanly possible, I'm pretty sure I'm in love...

They have even invaded my dreams!

Have you seen this show?  Do you love it?  Do you have the loveliness that is Netflix streaming through your TV?

Surrounded

It might be the lack of sunshine and vitamin D.

It might be the snow and ice surrounding me, making my hands and feet cold and numb.

It might be the fact that we are only halfway through winter.

Whatever it is, this time of year almost always sends me searching for "beach photos" on Google.

Dream with me:

warm sand...

soft waves lapping at our toes...

hot rays of sun bronzing our skin...

well, it makes me feel a little bit better, at least.

How about you?

The only good thing about these dreary winter days is how much they make you appreciate the sun and warmth when they finally return!

RWOP: Camera strap cover

Since getting my new baby, er...camera, for Christmas, I have been wanting a strap cover.  However, spending another $40 or $50 just wasn't feasible, so I decided I would have to wait.

Then along comes Pinterest.  With a tutorial of how to make your own.  Add that to a wonderful mother-in-law with sewing prowess and a love of her daughter-in-law (that's me) and you have a recipe for a Real Women of Pinterest post and a happy girl with a fancy camera strap cover!

http://www.priddycreations.com/blog/2011/06/01/camera-strap-slipcover-padded-lined-tutorial/

Notice the details of the added Initial charms..."H" for Heather, and "M" for Michelle.  Yep, she even made one for my big sis.  Told you she was awesome.

I can't wait to get out and do some mad photo-taking sessions...once this bear of a class is over, that is.

That's my mother-in-law, Kay, in the white shirt.  She went shopping for the fabric with me, told me how much to get (although I got WAY too much of the fusable fleece despite her guidance), then went home and whipped them up in less than three hours.  Seriously, she rocks.

Visit the tutorial in the caption of the first pic if you want to make your own.  As much as I love you all, I'm not willing to share my mother-in-law.  She's one in a million.

Beauty

It's everywhere, if only we open our eyes and truly see.

Beauty.

Although winter is my least favorite season, I can still see the stark beauty in the bare trees...

And the wonder of the first good snow of the season...

And the way you can almost taste the bitter cold just looking at this picture...

And the beauty of your "baby" boy, growing up before your very eyes?  Leaves me speechless...

Where are you finding beauty these days?

Resolution: Part One

Every year, my employer (The Christ Hospital) takes part in the American Heart Association's Mini-Marathon.  I ran in this race two years ago, and this year I decided to be the team leader for Nursing Administration.  I am busily recruiting my fellow administrators to step away from their desks and run with me...I already have one other nursing supervisor who has encouraged me to do the 15K with her. Our goal is to get twenty members on our team and raise $1000 for the AHA...we're on our way!

Running this race not only helps me in my 2012 resolution to get fit; it pays tribute to the doctors, nurses and therapists who helped my father-in-law get through a terrible year of heart disease, congestive heart failure and subsequent open heart surgery.  

If you are inspired to grab your running shoes and join me in this race, I'd love to see you there!  If running or walking isn't possible, please consider visiting our team page and helping with a donation:  

http://cincinnati.kintera.org/heartmini/wearensgadmin

There have been so many advances in the medical treatment of the heart patient in the past decade...races like this one help ensure that more advances will be made in the future.  I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Scared.

My sister, Michelle, posted this picture of my niece on her Facebook page the other day.  Danielle starts her first nursing clinicals this Thursday.  Per Danielle, she is "scared sh*&less".  (She may be scared, but oh my word, she is adorable!)

Thinking about how she was feeling made me remember my own first day of clinicals, at the ripe old age of eighteen.  Having to give someone a bedbath and learn how to make a bed with a patient still in it were the first tasks I learned.  A kind touch, an attentive ear and a gentle spirit when caring for a hurting soul were skills that took a bit longer to master.  I was very worried about learning the technical aspects of nursing.  It was later that I realized that anyone can give a bath or change a bed, but it takes a special kind of nurse to connect with a patient and show them that they are cared for.  You don't make that connection with every patient you meet, but the ones you do, you remember forever.

Danielle already has these traits.  She is kind and gentle, and especially loves caring for the elderly population.  She is incredibly smart (can you say 4.0?!) but also knows that she has a lot to learn to become a great nurse.  I told her I would be worried if she wasn't scared; as nurses, our patients' lives are in our hands.  We need to take that responsibility seriously if we are to make a difference.

I'm so stinkin' proud of this girl.  I can't wait to see the kind of nurse she grows up to be!