Talent

One of the things I admire most about my husband is his awesome talent to be able to look at a picture in a book and turn it into a real-life work of art.

Late this summer, we had to tear down our slightly dangerous playset that was slowly falling apart.  Joe and I had discussed our plans for the backyard, and we thought we wanted a gazebo-type structure.  I found this pergola patio in a book at the library, and Joe thought he could build it.

  

He drew up some plans, we headed to Lowes and bought the lumber and lattice, ordered the paver stones and gravel, and he got to work...(with a little help from Gabe).

I helped a little, handing screws and holding the ladder, on occasion.  Mostly, I watched and took pictures :)

He still has to finish putting the little frames up on the sides, which will be perfect for hanging baskets of flowers from in the spring.  We are still undecided on the patio furniture, but this setup is working just fine for now.  I am loving sitting out here in the evenings, listening to the wind chimes and reading a book, or just visiting with my family.

Thanks, Joe, for working so hard to make our home beautiful!  You are amazing!

one more reason...

Sometimes living in the midwest seems boring...

No oceanside beaches, no mountains to climb,  no famous monuments to pose next to on vacation...

Then, the seasons change.  The heat of summer relents and gives way to fall forecasts like this one:

and living in a place with four distinct seasons (and a most beautiful autumn) seems pretty darn great, after all.

Nothing says fall like...

leaves drifting down from the trees in our backyard.

chilly mornings which require jackets that are sure to be shed by the warm(er) afternoons.

the scent of woodsmoke in the air (man, I wish I had a wood-burning stove).

Applefest in our local hometown, complete with apple fritters, apple cider and apple spice donuts.

gorgeous mums from the local nursery (yep, I try to spend my dollars locally whenever I can).

pumpkin-flavored everything, especially this gem:

Pumpkin spice latte, I love you.  (courtesy of Starbucks)

It was a great summer, but I am more than ready to say hello to fall (my favorite season of them all).  On this rainy morning, I am sipping coffee and baking apple spice muffins and debating about which homemade soup to make to usher in the season...

What's your favorite thing about fall?

Frustration

I took my van into the shop last week to get my sometimes-functioning/sometimes-NOT-functioning headlights and NO-LONGER-functioning-power-door-locks fixed.  After having the van for a whole day, the headlight problem "couldn't be duplicated" and therefore couldn't be fixed, but the power door locks were made functional for the bargain price of $285 (including a transmission flush).

That lasted for two days.

Now only some of the doors unlock, the hatch/trunk doesn't open at all, and after having my van for yet another day, it looks like it will cost $800 for the parts/labor to really fix the problem.  Oh, and even though the problem wasn't fixed the first time, there will be no refund on the money already spent.

Big, grumpy sigh over here...did you hear it?

I'm trying so hard to look on the bright side of things, but my mood matches the weather today:  gloomy and gray.  And I don't know how to make it better, other than burying my head under the covers and hoping for a brighter day tomorrow.

Pinching pennies

I really don't want to go back to "frugal year", but in this economy of late, I would like to find some new ways to pinch pennies and stretch out our hard-earned dollars.  I already coupon, make meal plans based on what's on sale, and pack my kids' lunches nearly every day.  I shop at second-hand thrift stores and boutiques (scored a brand new Liz Claiborne purse for $3 last week!), and NEVER buy any article of clothing unless it's on sale.

After reading MckMama's blog post about making her own laundry detergent, I was inspired to try yet one more thing to save some moolah.  I made a list of the ingredients and headed over to Walmart, where I easily found most everything (except the essential oils, which aren't really essential at all).  I may try to order those online, if I decide to keep this up.  The detergent was easy to make, and my test run of towels last night turned out great.  For 1/10th of the cost of Tide, I do believe it's worth the effort!

Have you ever made your own detergent?  Inspired to give it a try?  What's your best tip to save money?

Plans

I have a month-long break from my BSN program, which is already halfway over (I start classes on the 27th).

When the break began at the end of August, I had BIG PLANS to get my kitchen, my house, my life organized.  With the kids being back in school, I would have all sorts of time on my hands to get back into a regular exercise routine, plan an assortment of delicious home-cooked meals, dry my herbs in the garden, catch up on my scrapbooking, learn a new language...you get the idea.

So far, I have run around the block a couple of times, cooked a few meals, read a couple of good books, and thought about doing the rest.

Instead, I have reveled in the silence of my house once the kids are on the bus.  I have had breakfasts and lunches with friends, got hired to help a friend with her wedding invitations, surfed the blogs and facebook posts of more friends...you get the idea:  clearly, I missed my friends!  All of the time I have spent this past two years working and going to school has deprived me of what I love most:  connecting with friends, family and my kids.

Rather than feel guilty of all that I am not accomplishing, I'm just going to enjoy these next two weeks.  The weather here is cool and fall-ish, and perfect for curling up with my laptop or a good book.  I have lots of volunteering to do at Gabe's school, and a levy to support for our entire community, and 120 wedding invitations to make for a winter wedding.  That other stuff can wait til March, when I will be finished with school for good!

Do you make to-do lists?  Do you finish them?  What book are you reading?

Heartache

The other night, I received a call from the senior resident doctor, needing an intensive care bed for a patient on the oncology unit.

One of my jobs is coordinating the placement of patients onto the appropriate unit for their needed level of care. The doctor explains what is going on with the patient, and we decide on the best place together.  We have three ICU's and a variety of other units. We care for the occasional child who comes through the ER doors, but mostly take care of adults.

When the R-3 (third year resident doctor) needs a different bed for a patient, it almost always means their health is declining rapidly and they need a spot in the ICU right now.

I've done this job for two years now, and have gotten this call many times.  I take down the name, find the right bed, coordinate the transfer between the two units, and follow-up to make sure the patient gets to where they need to go in the least amount of time.  Often, I help with notifying the patient's family of their status and helping them find the new unit.

This is my job, and I do it almost automatically now.  Sometimes, though, a particular situation stops me in my tracks.

This night, the patient who needed an ICU bed was a 42 year old woman with breast cancer which had spread to her liver and lungs.  She weighs 90 pounds.  She is a wife.  She is a mother to a 2 year old.  A 2 year old who will probably never remember his mom, as her body is not responding to the chemotherapy and she will most likely not live to see the end of this year, and maybe not even the end of this week.

Although she is at the end of her battle, she refuses to stop fighting.  She is still a "full code", meaning we will try everything in our medical arsenal when her body gives in.  As a nurse, this is so hard to do; as a mother, I understand completely why she's not ready to give up.

And these conflicting emotions make my heart ache.

Why I love Ohio

Could you ask for a better weather forecast to usher in September?

Seriously, this is why I love Ohio.  Some days in the 90s to get you good and hot and tired of summer; followed by a good thunderstorm (and hopefully rain) which will bring those gorgeous fall-like days in the 70s (perfect for the planting of my mums, by the way).

Joe and I were discussing our "dream retirement location" yesterday...but I have to say the changing of the seasons of our current home are hard to beat.

What's the weather like where you are?  What's your dream retirement location?