Where was my head?!

Do you ever have moments where you wonder where your head was? I have these moments more often than I'd like to admit and today I was not-so-lucky to have another "moment". I was doing laundry.....normally, when I do laundry, I do my whites, then darks, then towels. Today, though, I did my towels first because I was in desperate need. Most of my towels are white so I threw in a little bleach to make them sparkly white.

A few hours later, I was changing the laundry and proceeded to put my darks in the washer. Then, I poured in the detergent...or so I thought! I looked and my stomach sank when I realized I had just poured in a liberal amount of bleach onto all my darks! My jeans. My sweaters. My dress pants. My shirts. Two weeks worth of darks had been stuffed in that washer and I had just poured bleach all over them! I frantically began to pull out what I could, trying to salvage what items I could, seperating obviously ruined items from the others. I rinsed and squeezed and blubbered my way through a very unpleasant experience!

I'm sad to tell you, that several t-shirts are ruined along with two new sweaters, a pair of dress pants, some pajama pants and sweat pants. The verdict is still out on 5 pairs of jeans (2 of those are new!)and 2 nice shirts. Uggghh...how frustrating!

Where was my head during this "laundry catastrophe"? I have no idea but now I know...laundry is NOT a mindless task!

I've learned my lesson...no more bleach allowed in this house because I apparently am not responsible enough to use it! Maybe someday when I grow up! ;-)

Mouth to Snout?!

So I was in a meeting at work this week and another nurse rushed in and proceeded to share a story from her morning. She had been making her lunch and her dog jumped up and got a chunk of her meatloaf. She let him have the one bite and took the rest away. A few minutes later, she turned around and saw her dog, lying unresponsive. She immediately rushed over and started doggie CPR! Yep, that's right! Mouth to Snout CPR!

I'm not a pet owner so this intrigued me. Now I'm quite curious...how many of you would do mouth to snout?! (I'm also a little curious about her meatloaf! :-)

Holiday Projects & Home "Improvement"

Yesterday I finished making Kate and Zachy's Christmas presents. I made them each a fleece blanket! Most of you are probably quite proficient at making these blankets but this was my first attempt! So, as I take this moment to take a break from posting about my trip and to bring you a little variety, I'll share a few pictures of the blankies!!

Here is Kate's blanket:

And here is Zachary's blanket...a lot smaller thank Kate's...whoops!


I also have done a little sprucing of my living room area...for those of you who have been in my home, its the front room that has been sorely neglected for the last two years. But, due to some events occurring at my home this last month, the sprucing became a top priority! I bought a sofa table and coffee table that will eventually be moved into my family room. But, for now, they are assisting to make my front room a bit more cozy. Then, I added some throws and pillows (over the comfortable but ugly couch and chair) and some lamps. I snapped these pictures in a hurry a few weeks ago so they don't really rank among the greatest ever..maybe someday I'll give a real tour of my home with pictures that are decent!! Until then...

My living room...



A view from the hallway...



My new sofa table..
There is always room for more TLC but I've already seen my front room used more in the last few weeks than in the entire 2 years I've lived there! Amazing!! And, until I have the time and money to continue with the sprucing project.....

....I'll just kick up my feet and relax...

....feel free to stop in for a spot of tea!!

Coming Soon...

...to a blog near you...more posts about my trip to Ireland! I really haven't forgotten! I promise! Life has been in overdrive since I've gotten home. I got home on Tuesday August 19th and started back to school on Thursday August 21st and then was back to work within a few days of that! I'm presenting a little something about my trip at the discipleship conference (prayers wanted!) so hopefully after preparing that I'll have my thoughts a little more organized and ready to post!

Giant's Causeway

Not to mention I have a ton of various post ideas running through my head and am quite discouraged that I don't seem to have the time to actually put something together that sounds intelligent! Frustrating!! So, here are thoughts I'd like to post about if I ever find the time:

• N. Ireland Adventures Continued: What were we really doing in Belfast?
• N. Ireland Adventures Cont: Eagles Camp!
• N. Ireland/London Adventures: Sightseeing!
• Relying on the grace of God for our salvation and for how we live our lives afterwards!
• Reaching MY neighborhood with the love and good news of Christ: Thinking outside the box to get the gospel out!
  
• MAPIT--A concept to organize change that I'm learning in class. Sounds weird to blog about but I always like organization and this seems to provide step by step processes on how to organize change, specifically in our communities....perhaps I can use this to be creative about dispersing the Good News!!

And, those are just the ones I can remember right now...and for those of you that know me..my memory is not the greatest! Hopefully I'll get to these posts someday.....but, for now, don't hold your breath!

Sunday School Picnic

A few weeks ago, Pam and I took the girls to the park for a picnic. It's such a blessing to spend time with each of the girls and to get to know them! Each one of them has a heart of gold and I just love spending time with them! We had stimulating conversation over our burgers about the message we had heard at chapel and how we can be creative in the ways we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. These girls are amazing and it was such a great afternoon!

THE WHOLE GANG
Back row: Rikki
Middle row: Julie, Bethany
Front Row: Ingrid, Hannah, Michelle

Bethany & Michelle

Michelle & Julie

Michelle, Julie, & Me

Rikki

Rikki, Ingrid & Bethany

Rikki, Ingrid, Bethany & Hannah

Me, Hannah, Rikki & Ingrid

Special thanks to Pam
who tirelessly slaved
over the fire for our burgers!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GO KU!

Last nights game was so exciting! Half the fun was meeting new people today as I waited in line for the better part of an hour for T-shirts. By the time I got to the front of the line, options on sizes and look were minimal. I got the locker room version for my dad and my friend, Kathy:



Then, since classes were canceled due to the big win, I headed down to KU Med Center bookstore to see what they had. Once again options were minimal...as in, one color and thankfully my size! So, here's what I got to commemorate the big win!!

"JAYHAWK BASKETBALL
History repeats itSELF: 1952 1988 2008"

And, this is me, just enjoying the fact that those guys brought off a big win on the court last night and how much fun it was to watch (well, at least fun some of the time...the other times I was doing some yelling and pacing and nail biting and stuff!!)

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today Sonja and Jake came to visit me! It was so much fun! Unlike the day Ethan and Simon came for a visit, today was very rainy. So much so, in fact, that as Sonja was buckling Jacob into his car seat he sang "Rain, rain, go away" at the top of his lungs! So cute!

It was so fun to have them here today, to have lunch with them, and play and read books with Jacob! I love getting to know my friends' kids! It is such a joy and blessing to be a part of their lives. I don't know what I would do without all their smiles and hugs...I just love 'em!

And, even though Jacob was ready for the rain to go away, I enjoyed having the thunderstorm today. The rain came down in sheets and it was sooo beautiful! Here's a picture of my mums this afternoon as the rain was coming down! (Keep in mind, I merely stuck my arm out the front door to get this pix!)

Sunshine and Picnics

Today I had three of my favorite people visit me! Rachel, Ethan, and Simon drove in today and it was such a gorgeous day for them to visit! The sun was shining and though the breeze was brisk (and it was a bit chilly in the shade!) we had a wonderful time at the park. We had a picnic, played on the jungle gym, and in the sand box. We even got in a quick game of hide-and-seek! It's always so wonderful to see Ethan and Simon...to see how quickly they are growing and all the wonderful things they are learning! And, the fellowship with Rachel was oh-so sweet too! I am so thankful for the wonderful friends that the Lord has blessed me with!

New Years Resolutions...In September?

So we are 9 months into the year, almost 10 in a few days, and I thought I would check to see how everyone is doing on their New Years Resolutions this year. The other day I was working on some verse memorization and in the front of the book I had written my New Years Resolutions and was gently reminded that I need to be working on those. Granted, the real goal is to spend the WHOLE year working on them, not just the last few months, but better late than never right!

So, here's my progress for the year:

1. Memorize the book of James-I'm still working on it and could possibly finish it by the end of the year if I really buckle down, though I'm sad to tell you I'm still working on Chapter 1...even though I only have 1 more verse to go!

2. Read the Bible in a year-I'm doing a little better at this than I am at verse memorization but need to pick up the pace if I'm going to stay on task to finish it by December 31st. There is definite hope for this one though!! Yeah!

3. Hospitality-My goal was to have someone once a quarter into my home....I've altered it slightly and made it a point to invite people out to dinner since I didn't have a dining room table. But, this is looking up since my dining room table arrived a month ago or so (pictures to come soon!)

4. Take the GRE this spring/summer-This one I've nixed! I'm not going to take the GRE because the graduate school I've applied to does not require the GRE...so why spend the time studying or the money if it's not required!?! But, I figure I did one better by actually skipping this step and going straight to the grad school application!

So, at least I've accomplished (sort of!) one goal for the year, and am on my way to accomplishing the other goals!

How are you doing with your goals for this year? Did you forget about them, like I did? Or have you already accomplished them? Update me on how your New Year's Resolutions are doing this year!

Feeling Better

Thanks to so many of you for your many prayers while I was sick the last week. My fevers are finally gone and my sore throat has become only scratchy...a huge improvement! I'm not 100% yet and still feeling a bit tired but I am planning on going back to work tomorrow. We'll see if I have the stamina to keep up with the madhouse all day long!!

It seems as though a lot of people have gotten sick at work while I was out. Sounds like the colds and flus are starting earlier than normal this year! I hope this doesn't mean we are all in for a long winter!

Here's a good reminder for us all to do the one thing that works the best to keep us healthy....good handwashing! So good night and happy handwashing!

On the mend....or not!

Saturday afternoon and Sunday were much better days for me. I sat on the front porch and enjoyed some of the sunshine (I think the sun is always so soothing and healing!) each day. The weather was just gorgeous all weekend! I even put my family room back together yesterday, and tucked away the hide-a-bed because I thought I was feeling better. My throat has continued to feel incredibly crummy still, in spite of the multiple doses of penicillin and since I woke up with a low grade fever again this morning, I'm headed back to the doctor this afternoon for some tests to see what is causing all this ickiness!

I'm such a baby when it comes to sore throats...and, this sore throat is one step away from strep...you know the feeling...the kind where you think you can't breathe around the swollenness of your throat and when I lay down I start to gag. So, last night I spent sleeping upright in my recliner (Thank the Lord for recliners!) just so I wouldn't gag myself!

Needless to say, I'm home from work again today. I've been gone a week which in some ways is so hard because I know how much there is that needs to be done. But, in other ways, I know that I can trust the Lord in His goodness and He knew long before I did that I would be gone these days at work. It's a good thing for me to be away from work...why, you ask?

Well, work hasn't been extremely kind to me recently.(That's me being kind!) Don't get me wrong...I really like the job itself. I love the patients and their sweet little faces. I love working with the families (most of the time!) and establishing a rapport with them, hopefully helping to make a difficult time in their lives a little easier! But, work has been really stressful for the last year or so. I've really been working two jobs and until the last several weeks, I'd been working close to 50 hours a week. It probably wouldn't seem half as bad if I had support at work, others I could turn to for help when there is too much on my plate. But, this has not been the case and has certainly led to an overwhelming amount of stress that has most certainly been a contributor to the illness I am now fighting!

So, I guess, what I'm trying to say...is even though I'm bored at home (thankful that I am now at least enjoying some leisurely reading!) it's been good for me to be forced to slow down, allow myself to think a little, to gain some perspective on various events going on in my life and just spend time reflecting with the Lord!

Sick and Bored!

Today is the 5th day that I've been running a fever. There's nothing quite like a temp of 103 to remind you how crummy you can feel. The last 4 days have involved my back hurting, my hands hurting, my legs hurting, my head hurting, even my eyes hurting. I have just felt miserable!

But after 5 days I'm also very bored! A person can only lay on the couch for so long and I feel so bad I can't even sleep! I don't even want to watch TV or read. In fact, I've spent so much time on the couch, that I finally just pulled out my sofa bed and really made myself comfortable! (I highly recommend this if you're ever sick for any length of time.) So, my routine has been to move from the bed in my bedroom to the bed in my family room each morning and then I do the reverse each evening. It's really pathetic!

Even eating doesn't break up my day (or night)! All I consume is juice, water, a few crackers here and there...I really got wild last night and ate some Pepperidge Farm Gold Fish...just to mix it up a little! And, then of course, there's always the CNS (Chicken Noodle Soup)! Always a good staple when one is sick but even that gets old pretty quickly!

And, I missed our chapel's VBS this weekend. I've really been looking forward to VBS...it's always a fun way to get to know the kids and spend some time with them. I was sorely disappointed I wasn't able to go but I certainly didn't want to share all the "blessings" that come with the crud I've been "enjoying" this last week!

All in all, though, there's still much to be thankful for... I'm slowly getting better. My temp is now low grade and makes me feel less miserable than yesterday! And, I'm actually beginning to think about foods other than CNS and crackers! Yippee!! And, I've had some time to lay on my sofa bed and pray for VBS and also pray for many of you and your families! I'm also thankful that I'm not always sick...thankful that, in general, the Lord has blessed me with great health and every once in a while I need to get sick to be reminded of how good I really have it!

Tag! I'm it!

Thanks to my dear friend, Rachel, I've been tagged! I'm supposed to tell you 7 random things about myself. I'm hoping I can come up with 7 interesting things to tell you about myself!!

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

• I've taken up mosaicing (is that even a word!?) My friend Kathy likes to mosaic so I joined her in the fun and actually made a trivet for my mom for Mother's Day. (If I had a digital camera I'd insert the picture here so you could see my amazing talents!!)
• I started to learn to play the guitar 6 years ago...I'm still on lesson 1 but am proud to say I can pick out Jingle Bells, ever so slowly!! (I'm determined I will eventually learn!!)
• I've learned to cook for 100 (the discipleship weekends) but have trouble cooking for 1!
• I love to travel and wish I had more time and more funds to travel more frequently. But, I will gladly "settle" for my July vacation to the beach in Florida! I just love to spend a week on the beach, in the sun, enjoying the water and relaxing!!
• I love to read...to a fault! I have to limit my novel reading so that I don't get too distracted from the more important things in life! (that's why I love vacations! I can read all I want!)
• I do NOT have a green thumb! I would love to have a garden at my house but I really need to learn how to be a little more nurturing to plants! I have one plant that I've kept alive for a year...that's a record for me!
• Many people know me as JENKINS! A boss called me "Jenkins" one day by mistake and it's stuck...5 years later!!

I'm tagging: Ok, call me pathetic, but everyone I know that blogs has already been tagged! So, if you're reading my blog and haven't been tagged and would like to spend a little time coming up with 7 random things about yourself, feel free to join in!! Or, if anyone has any friends they'd like to share...

The following instructions don't appear to be applicable since I haven't tagged anyone!!

The next step, if you are not interested in playing I will remove your blog info from my list! If you stop in for a visit and want to play - leave a comment and I will be glad to check your blog as well!To my Meme victims, you now must make your list of 7 and then tag 7 other unsuspecting bloggers!

How old are you??

I had the following conversation with my 3rd grade Sunday School student:

Student: Kelly, how old are you?
Me: How old do you think I am?
Student: 30.
Me: You're close. Why did you guess 30?
Student: Well, you're too old to be a "young adult" and you're not old enough to be "middle aged."

Snow Day!

Today was the perfect day to have off work! Really, any day is a good day to be off work...I have so many projects that I wish I had the time to do and ideally think I will accomplish them on my day off! Especially a day like today, where the weather is less than ideal to be out gallavanting. Of course, instead of working on any of those projects I figured it would be a good idea to stock my pantry in case any of the weathermen are actually right this time...I'd hate to be stranded at home with no food!! In the process of heading to the grocery store, I found myself at Mardel, doing some book shopping...everyone needs some good books on those snowy/icy days! Books can really be a downfall for me...I LOVE to shop for books and I think a person can never have too many books! The good news: I kept myself restrained today and left some books for other shoppers to buy AND I got every one of my books on sale! One book I bought is off of Rachel's recommendation...A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leight DeMoss. I can't wait to start reading it!

Christmas Program

Today we had the chapel Christmas program. The weeks prior to the program have been spent in a bit of a frantic state. We started practice late this year and each class was responsible for their own set of verses and a song that went with those verses. What a challenge to try to learn all that and then try to put the parts together. I always wonder how it will turn out but in the end all the pieces fall together and the program was wonderful!

My Sunday School class (3rd and 4th graders) did great! I am so proud of them! They got up there and said their verses (all of them memorized their verses!) and they sang their little hearts out! It was such a blessing to watch them sing to the Lord.

Some of the kids' parents came to the program and heard of the birth of the Savior and how He came to save us from our sin. Pray that their hearts might be moved by the truth of the gospel that they heard today and that they may not find rest until they make things right with their Creator.

"And she will bring forth a Son

and you shall call His name Jesus,

for He will save His people from their sins."

Matthew 1:21