Oh my NEW FRIEND!

I was folding the laundry in the laundry room....imagine that.
And breaking the silence, came the "tap, tap, tappy.." of my new little friend.
I look to the window, and there he is the beautiful King Cardinal!
Nose to nose, he was trying to tell me something.

He disappeared for a moment! Perhaps to take a bath.

...or perhaps to draw a self-portrait...

And then he returned!

Peering into my soul, he seemed interested in the brand of dryer sheets I was using.

Should I get a feeder for the tree outside the laundry room...??

Or was this just a one-morning stand???

We'll see.

I heart the 80's.

Yes, I loved the 80's. I grew up in the 80's. This is a picture I found on Flickr and thought it was classic 80's! I had the bangs, and the wings on the sides!

Apple computers! I remember when the first Apple came to our school! Computer lab was a NEW TERM!

This is so the 'type of boys' I thought were cool!

I had my very own Cabbage Patch Kid, and no, my mother did not fight for it...she might have stood in line for hours...but no broken bones. And I think my sister Kalee had one or two of the Koopa things.

Yes, I krimped! Or is it Crimped!....Anywho..I tried it, and I owned one!

Who knows? I like the scarf.

Okay the songs were from an album on itunes called 100 hits of the 80's. (see the mini picture above)

I then took the titles to playlist.com and created my favorite collection!

I currently have 5 playlists...many different genres...

Please create your own playlist and link me to it so that I can hear it!!

http://playlist.com/

PS. I think I might have even had a small crush on Don Johnson. (Miami Vice)

What is your decorating style??

I found a wonderful quiz for everyone to take!!

This is something I found on Bricolage and Butter.

It will ask you a series of questions and then tell you your decorating style!

Try it and let me know!

I am 83% Traditional Country and 17% Wine Country. (sample picture)

Click here and take your test!

http://www.sproost.com/

My list of 25 things!

Yes, I am joining the facebook bandwagon of a popular trend..the list of 25!

Here it goes, maybe 25, maybe more...

1. I love the Lord.

2. I love passionate people.

3. I almost went to art school (medical illustrations) but I went to nursing school instead; and, yes, I am happy with my choice.

4. I lived in a tent for 3 months, waking up to the Collegiate Peaks of Buena Vista Colorado.

5. I was a river rafting guide for Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River.

(Absolutely loved it, could probably never do it again)

6. I have had 3 boyfriends, 2 fiances, and ONE husband. ( All of which I am in good standing with, except one)

7. I love diet Coke.

8. I met my best friend and husband my senior year of college.

9. I took care of a large female patient who found her chapstick in her abdominal folds during a bed bath. (lost for THREE days)

10. I lived on a boat for 9 months in Shelter Island San Diego.

Long live the 'Flying Bridge'.

11. I love dark chocolate.

12. I have hitch hiked and was picked up by cowboys. (Thank you Lord for your protection)

13. I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture.

14. I did love James Dean for a short time in my life.

15. I was a camp nurse for the Head-Injury Camp in Breckenridge, CO for a week. I accidentally dropped Spencer's glass eyeball into the sink while cleaning it...I did grab it and clean it.

16. I have struggled with depression. (and pray to never again)

17. I tried to name my son Maxwell. (guess who won) Then I tried a second time..(guess who won)

18. I hiked the Grand Canyon on spring break with 3 girlfriends in college.

19. I have 3 scars on my abdomen; appendectomy, c-section and mole removal.

20. I lied when I applied at Nick's Garden Center for a job. I said I knew everything there was to know about flowers, and I spent the night at the library.

21. Deep down, I have a crush on older men...George Bush, Dave Ramsey, Bill O'Reily...

22. I worked as a gas station attendant across from a prison. (the prison is the white building)

Yes, I had binoculars to spy on the prisoners who were outside)

23. Yes, I deeply miss my Red 1989 Jeep Wrangler.

24. I have watched my roommate in college, and best friend, file a wart off of her knee with an emery board.

25. I love my parents and siblings.

26. My first car was a 1981 Honda Accord hatchback that had been parked next to an office building FIRE. The entire side was melted plastic!

If you are reading this, let me know if I have forgotten a good one...I can always add more!

Happy Birthday Lincoln!

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln! Wow...200...that is amazing! My five-year old Parker sang to you in the car today! And then he said, "He will have to celebrate in heaven, because he is really old"... So because of this special occasion...I am doing something 'real special'.

I am inviting my husband, Shaun to guest write. So here it goes...that was me...this is him.

I think that anyone who kicks it in a chair of marble is truly a fly guy.

200 years of Babe-raham Lincoln. Those ears, those eyes, that mole, it's a good thing he was tall.

This is why I wear a beard. Instant stud.

The young Grace Bedell from Westfield, NY wrote the presidential candidate suggesting that he “would be much improved in appearance, provided you would cultivate whiskers.”

“You would look a great deal better as your face is so thin,” she continued, “All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President.”

He was our first beard-bearing president.

This is kinda how I wear my hair when it is short. Not only was he an ethical and political genius, he was quite en vogue.

While we're on the subject of sexy, meet General McClellan.

He was one of Lincoln's generals, and Abe loved to hang out with him. What, you don't believe me?

"Abe, pass me the butter."

(a possible quote from Mac)

Here they are again. They were buddies...


Until Abe fired him and George ran against him. Abraham destroyed him. No one remembers the loser of a presidential election. Case in point, my name is constantly misspelled and mispronounced. Oh well, in 3 years I will be eligible run for president. I figure if Barack could do it...

He truly is "money."

He saved the Union. What did you do today?

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
-Abraham Lincoln

16th president of US (1809 - 1865)

Happy Birthday, dude.

Thanks, Court.

xox

THANKS to the TWENTY!

THIS is a SHOUT OUT to all of the TWENTY CRAZIES who are following my blog!

Today, the 'girl number twenty' joined the group! YEAH!! I never thought I would be so excited!

Maybe I will give her $20.00...what do you think???

Maybe I will give her 20 donuts, or 20 cookies!

Thank you to all of my friends!!

Truly, though, I never thought 20 people would ever care to read my thoughts!

So honestly....thank you to the twenty!!!

"Old Man Eleanor"

So my five-year old has been calling his Star Wars Legos some strange names.
It started with my friend Jenifer. She made reference to 'Old Man Eleanor' and I thought she was talking about her Uncle or something.

Then my son started calling a Lego 'Old Man Eleanor'.

We were in the car today and I said, "Parker, who is Old Man Eleanor?"

He responded, "Oh, that is Mrs. Jenifer's friend...the old Lego Obi-Won..."

So I blew it off and thought my son has too many legos!

Then tonight, the pieces came together! Parker has been blessed with an amazing mind. He has been recently pulled out of class twice a week to work with Mrs. Horn.

Tonight at the dinner table, I asked Parker if he met with Mrs. Horn today...

"Yeah Mom, we talked all about John Quincy Adams.."

I said " Oh, the second President.."

He corrected me, "No mom, he was the SIXTH President"

Not only did he know John Quincy Adams was number 6...but he went on to tell me

that he was known as ..

"OLD MAN ELOQUENT".....

I asked Parker if he knew what eloquent meant...and he proceeded to define the word better than I could.

And that is when he decided to fill me in on "how he came up with the name for the Lego"

He just switched the names "Eloquent with Eleanor"..because he thought it "sounded better".

I love my boys! They keep me busy! I also love this home. It is John Quincy Adams house...the SIXTH President...also know as

OLD MAN ELOQUENT.

(Thanks to Flickr. )

Do you know your neighbors WELL ENOUGH?

As I was at work tonight, I started thinking about the lonely people in this world.
And I couldn't help but wonder..."do I take the time to actually get to know them"

Do I know the neighbors I have well enough to know if they needed me?

I had a patient tonight who was 78 and blind. Her body is falling apart and full of cancer. Her only daughter is in the hospital in Chicago with her sixth relapse of cancer. She has been a widow for 35 years, and she has no one. She never complained.

Then it happened...the doctor said, "Courtney, go ahead and send her home"...I asked, "Tonight???" (thinking to myself, how will this woman get home?? who is going to help her??? is she going to make it???)

When the ambulance company said it was a $1000.oo to transfer her home, she started to cry.

Yes, we searched out all of her contacts.

The only one home who could help = her next door neighbor, Violet.

"Violet will help me" she said.

Thank God for Violet! Someone who has taken the time to care.

Someone who has loved another individual!

So, yes, I sent her home in a cab.

Placed her in the wheelchair...praying the cab driver would be nice to this ill blind woman.

...And then I placed this stranger into another stranger's care. (and my heart sank)

I walked back upstairs and thought to myself...this is too sad!

It's not fair to see people without anyone, it is not fair that there is no one to protect her!

And then, I felt His love.

...And that is when I knew that my patient had the GREATEST PROTECTOR ever!

Do I imagine her sitting in her house lonely? Yes.

Do I imagine her having a hard time sorting her meds? Yes.

Do I imagine her helpless if the chest pain returns? Yes.


Should I imagine these? I don't know.

But, I do know that He has called us to be His hands and His feet!

No matter what we look like, or how old we are. We all crave to be loved!

We all want the same thing...to be loved deeply!



May we search no more! May we know that we are loved.

May we love our neighbors well enough to reach out and be the 'Violet' in their lives.

Thank you GOD...

for LOVING US!

Help us to reach out more!