One Word Meme

I saw this most recently over at Susie blog and she found it floating around Blogville,It looked interesting so I thought I'd give it a try.

1. Where is your mobile phone? purse
2. Relationship? What?
3. Your hair? brown
4. Work? Lots!
5. Your sister Rose
6. Your favorite thing? computer
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? Pepsi
9. Your dream car? none
10. The room you’re in? Den
11. Your shoes? comfortable
12. Your fears? Illness
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Healthy
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Brother
15. What are you not good at? Partying
16. Muffin? Yum
17. Wish list item? NuComputer
18. Where you grew up? Cincinnati
19. The last thing you did? Blogged
20. What are you wearing? gown
21. What are you not wearing? shoes
22. Your pet? Cat
23. Your computer? Old
24. Your life? Full
25. Your mood? Content
26. Missing? Sleep
27. What are you thinking about? daughter
28. Your car? Matrix
29. Your kitchen? Small
30. Your summer? Hot
31. Your favorite color? Orange
32. Last time you laughed? Today
33. Last time you cried? Yesterday
34. School? Done
35. Love? Priceless

Now I tag you! If you're playing along be sure to let me know so I can come visit! Happy Friday!

God Bless

Using my talents to help prepare for the big wedding

Interesting how we all have different talents. Most of which we leave dormit until the need arises to put them to use.


Take for instance: I've known how to sew for more than thirty years. I like to sew but often let the use of the computer, work or taking care of the house take up my time, rather than let my creative juices flow. It usually isn't until something motivates me back to something I really enjoy and get a lot of satisfaction out of that we come back.


My daughter and her whole family are in the wedding of her brother in law in about a week. And as you can probably guess the dresses that were purchased don't fit either my daughter, a bride's maid or my granddaughter, a flower girl. Oh, they are close but you know how it is, they would look and feel a lot better with a bit of tweaking.

Feeling as confident and as capable and the girl they would hire at the bridal store, I volunteered to give it my best shot.


My granddaughter's dress was a bit tight at the top due to a growth spurt over the last several months. At eleven, she is growing like a weed. She is taller too, but the dress was a little long but now fits fine. With only a week until the wedding, and the summer growth spurt behind her, the dress should fit fine for the wedding.


As for my daughter's dress, there is more tweaking to be done. Her being the shortest one in the wedding party, the dress was several inches too long, even at being a two piece. I think I have the length concern resolved but I'm not sure what we will do about the strapless, wire-in, pre-shaped, somewhat ill-fitting top. I wonder why they charge so much for dresses that they need to have someone alter to even come close to fitting.


I'm off tomorrow and hope to spent some time making head way on helping her feel as comfortable as possible wearing her beautiful green, expensive, bride's maid dress.


With that being said, I can't wait to see my little grandson in a tux. One that will match his father's, his grandfather's and the groom's, his uncle Andy.


I look forward to having a picture of the family 'all dressed up'. They haven't had a picture taken in a really long time and life is way too short for that not to happen as often as can be. After all, children grow up over night.

Quote for the day: God gives us all talent. If not used, that talent will die in the vines.

God Bless, Good Night.

Free giveaway contest

Can you believe the contest that is going on at 5 Minutes for Mom? A flat screen TV! Click here to read all about it! Thanks to Best Buy they are giving away a 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV!!! Make sure you go and sign up to win. The contest ends this Friday! Good luck!

ASAP....Always Say A Prayer.....

My job continues to go well. Crazy, busy at times, but good. Sometimes, even when the days are good, we still need to remember God is in charge of all our days. If we pray for the things we need, God will provide them for us. Not in our time but his. And sometimes not in the form in which we as it but God is all knowing and all we need to have is faith, however difficult that may be.

Now, with that being said, I got this email today. I've seen it before but it still makes me stop and think, who do I want to pass this on to that may be having a bad day or needs to slow down and appreciate life and all that is good in it.

So, slow down, take a minute......get a cup of coffee or tea, I'll wait.....Now read this beautiful poem and thank God for all that is good.

ASAP

There's work to do, deadlines to meet;
You've got no time to spare,

But as you hurry and scurry-

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

************

In the midst of family chaos,

"Quality time" is rare.

Do your best; let God do the rest-

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER.

*************

It may seem like your worries

Are more than you can bear.

Slow down and take a breather-

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

*************

God knows how stressful life is;

He wants to ease our cares,

And He'll respond to all your needs

A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER.

*************

Quote for the day: Don't get in too much of a hurry that you forget to count your many blessings.

God Bless you all, my blogger friends and have a good night

Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday.......

I went to work all fired up today, list in hand, looking forward to a very productive day. I was going to get to that "to do" pile the continues to grow on my desk. I had lots of overdue calls to make. Well you get the idea, it was going to be busy today.

Do I need to tell you that my plan crumbled before I got in the building. A quick look around and I knew it was going to be a very full day. Several cars missing in the parking lot, the head nurse on vacation and my boss there before 9. Something was up.

My neighborhood was in good shape. I can't say the same for the other part of the building. They were down a coordinator (the manager) and two care managers, (that's the same as nurse aides in a nursing home). Me being the next manager in line, my first hour and a half was spent getting enough staff in the building to cover.

With that fire out, I thought the day would be smooth sailing, Not. At stand up I learned I would be the driver for the day. Now I don't really mind that but my plate was pretty full to start. I shelved that and moved forward. No since in fretting it. It was what it was.

The morning run was quick and easy. I still had time to get some on those call made. I wouldn't worry about it but they were reference calls to a couple people I hired. They were already in training and the answers to the messages I left on Thursday and Friday were still unanswered.
God must have been on my side. When I called I got through on every call.

I was able to Tweak and ISP for a resident who returned form the hospital on Friday. So the day wasn't turning out to be a total loss after all. Unfortunately, it was 1:00 and my body was screaming for something to eat and drink and I had another run at 1:30. Eat lunch or finish another project. You guessed it, I worked until time to take the last resident to their appointment. Turned out it was worth it.

Being downtown isn't my favorite place to be. Anymore, it isn't safe. Being the driver of the bus, I stayed with the bus while the care manager went with the resident. I drove around for an hour and twenty minutes waiting for them to get finished. In doing so I realized something. I haven't been in downtown for longer than I would like to think. Everything had changed. So much so that it was sometimes hard to find the landmarks than made it easy to detect what street was what. I found my self looking for the street signs . Something I never had to do being raised in this city.

Something else I realized. We really have some beautiful building in our downtown. Isn't it interesting how we go to other cities on vacations and take pictures of their building when I bet none of us could pull out a picture of our own building in our city. If I didn't know I was in Cincinnati today, I could have been anywhere. I saw building like what I saw today in Washington DC, Minnesota and even Florida.

Do I sound like I found some appreciation in my own city. You bet I did. I'm going to make a point of going downtown and just walk around, one of these days. I first have to get the world to slow down and let me off in order to have the time. I guess God knew I needed a little time to reflect and appreciate the beauty around me.

After the refreshing ride downtown, (I took the scenic route). I came back ready to get something done. And because it was already 4:30 a lot of the distractions were gone for the day. I didn't accomplish all I set out to do but tomorrow is another day. I'll just add to tomorrow what wasn't done today.

I went home with the promise of attending a 7:00 church meeting ( if was 6:55) but that didn't happen. And maybe it was for the best. I sometimes allow myself to get too worked up when I feel some people focus more on themselves that the job at hand. And I know, I need to pray about that.

Quote for the day: Today is the Tomorrow we worried about Yesterday.

All in a day's work......

I continue to learn and grow in my new role as Reminiscence Coordinator. I think the training is done and the real party has begun, if that's what you want to call it. I sometimes work 12-15 hours a day(I used to think that was a really long) and even though that sounds like a lot of hours, it's really not. Not when you consider the quality you can offer the residents and staff in the time spent there. My boss continues to be awesome. She practices what she preaches and leads by example, motivating her staff to want to do the same.

The days can be hecktic but not one day have I wondered if I choose the right place. I know God had a hand in helping me find this job that best suits me, I can feel it. I could have been at Goodwill for 15 years and still not have gotten the satificaton on only a few month at this job.

The last couple weeks have been partucliarly crazy but maybe that's because the honeymoon has come to an end and I'm entering into a new journey. What started as a really quiet, peaceful setting is turning into a quite lively neighborhood. Not that that is bad. In a way it is quite good. Kinda like one of those places where there is never a dull moment. And except for when someone falls or one of the memory impaired individuals strikes out, life is good. Those little people just want someone to care. And interestingly enough, the families are just as needy. I can do that.

Today after spending 10 hours at work, I get a call. It seems the nurse had to call a family member about an insident report and they wanted to talk to the department head. That would be me. This family member is reeked with guilt because he works too much and doesn't visit his mother often. When he gets a call, even if it is a progress report, he immediately starts pointing fingers and finding fault.

I called him. All he really wanted is for someone to listen. To join his journey. He didn't want to leave his mother there but was unable to care for her himself. And the fact that she needed to be in a home and not in his care, he found it difficult to visit. Just a bit too close to home.

After listening to him for about 20 minutes, he apoligized for being rude and unkind, stating he only wnated what was best for his mother. After a little reasurance, I think he hung up feeling a better.

If only it were that easy to put our feeling to rest. Sometimes when we think things should be one way, and God wants them to be another way, we find it difficult to accept the outcome.Llife can be harder than we want it to be sometimes.

I can't even begin to imagine how I would feel putting my loved one in a community / facility and going home at night and be expected to sleep. With that being said, I really try to do a good job with the family members the families have entrusted us to care for.

I hope when I get old and end up in a home (if I'm l lucky enough to afford it), someone will put their heart into trying to make sure I am well cared for. No only clean, fed and dry but take the time to find out what kind of food and drink I like. Or that I like people but enjoy time alone. Or if my memory is fading, perserve my dignity and join my journey. What a difference it will makes in my quality of care.


Quote for the day: Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born. Dale Turner

God Bless and have a good night.