Thoughtful Thursday!!

Several of the blogs that I follow have posted something related to random thoughts for Thursdays.... therefore, I am going to call my blog Thoughtful Thursday! I think its a good idea to have a blog every now and again where you just talk about random thoughts that run through your head. Lord knows, I have a lot of thoughts in this little brain of mine ;)

1. I have had a really long week at work- full of lots of drama, problems, and stress! I am ready for this week to be over and for the weekend. Too bad that I am working on Saturday- but I am looking forward to Sunday.
2. This leads me to my second thought- last Sunday I spent the whole day cleaning the house. This Sunday, I plan to do a whole lot of NOTHING. I have lots of TV shows to catch up on, including Biggest Loser, American Idol, and Amazing Race. My recliner/couch will be calling my name all day!!!
3. I drive an hour to work and an hour back home, which means that I am on the road for at least two hours (depending on traffic) everyday. With each day that I have to make this drive.... I become more and more annoyed with people who can not drive. People- please just keep your hands on the wheel, look ahead, and drive. Don't worry about the people beside you, police on the side of the road, or accidents ahead.
4. I love Sweet Tea- something I picked up from going to college in the South. Thank goodness McDonald's and Chick-fil-A has some really good sweet tea, right here in PA :) It is the best resolution to a bad day at work!
5. I am in love with all the awesome TV shows that are on right now..... Amazing Race, How I Met Your Mother, Big Band Theory, American Idol, Biggest Loser, Survivor, and LOST!!! They keep my evenings filled with happiness.
6. I am excited to see what in the world is going on with LOST- it keeps you thinking until you are able to watch the next episode!!! Let me know your thoughts about the new season!!
7. I am really looking forward to some warm weather- tired of all this cold weather and snow. It just seems so depressing.... ready for the warm sun!
8. I love keeping up with my blog- I might not have a lot of people who follow it, but it is a nice way to keep in touch with people and let your thoughts out! I hope those who do follow enjoy reading it :) If you happen to read this and don't have a blog- I strongly recommend you start one. You will not be sorry...
9. I have a new love- sugar cookies with icing :) I have never been crazy about sweets, but these are just so darn good!!! Thank goodness I only make them when I am either going to a party or bringing them to work. I think if I made them at home, I would end up eating them all!
10. If I were to win the lottery- I would pay off my house and school loans, help out my family members to pay off their houses or what not, and then get a really fun job. I would never be able to sit at home everyday with out a job, but I certainly would get rid of the stressful one I have. I think I would like to become a dolphin trainer or work at Disney World and financially support non-profit organizations that help sick children and the less fortunate! A girl can hope, right????

Well, I believe that is enough random thoughts for this blog. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts! Until next time...

Wordless Wednesday.... well almost Wordless ;)

I went to a concert last evening with Rusty, my brother in law, and our friend Danny- we went to see Flogging Molly. It was pretty much a first for me. Wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not.... but I LOVED it. The energy was awesome and it was a good time had by all! We went and saw Flogging Molly- an Irish punk band. Not something that I would normally listen to but they were pretty good. Here is a link from a show they did (not from the show I went to, but it will give you an idea). Enjoy!!



My only complaint- not getting home and getting to sleep until 2am and having to get up at 6am for work! I am too old for that..... bed early tonight for me :)

Tips For Tuesday- Grocery Shopping

I have been looking around on several different blogs and noticed that there are little "special" topics you can do on certain days... I have decided to do my best to stay on top of these. Not only are they fun but it gives you something to blog about.... without happening to think too much :)

So, here it goes.... Tips For Tuesday, just a little early :)

A lot of people hate going grocery shopping, but it is actually something that I enjoy doing. Here are a few tips that I find helpful:
1. Check your frig and pantry before you head out, so you know what you already have and what you need
2. Plan your meals for the week, so that you know the essential times you will need to buy
3. After looking in your frig/pantry and planning your meals for the week, make a lift of the items you will need
4. Bring any coupons that you have clipped or saved for the week
5. What at the store, try to buy products that are on sale or buy the store brand to help save extra money. Just think, you could do something fun with all the extra money you are able to save :)
6. Try not to over buy on fruits, vegetables, or dairy products that might expire before you are able to use them
7. Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry- it will never go well
8. Try to go shopping with someone, Julie and I often go shopping together. It makes shopping more fun and gives you someone to talk to :)
9. Plan your shopping trip during "off" times- going late at night (if your store is open 24-hours) or plan to avoid Monday nights, Saturday, or Sundays
10. Always remember to treat yourself to something yummy for the week :) Something sweet or salty is always nice!

Well, I hope you all were able to learn a little something or at least have fun reading my top ten tips for grocery shopping. Can't wait to read more Tips For Tuesdays... I will try to come up with something a little bit more interesting for next week :)

What A Productive Weekend :)

I live for the weekends.... most of the time because I know that I can kick back and relax after a busy week. However, this weekend was a little different. I picked up an extra shift on Saturday at the hospital- so I ended up working a little extra this week. I don't really mind picking up extra shifts here and there- I like to stay busy and the extra cash is NICE :) The only down fall is your housework tends to be placed on the back burner. When I came home on Saturday I noticed that my house needed some serious TLC- not to mention my closet and laundry!!

So......I decided (well Rusty and I both decided) that we would be good today and clean up around the house and get some much needed chores out of the way. Even though it was the last thing that I possibly wanted to do on my only day off for the week. At least I know it is was taken care of and we can relax this week when we get home from work and next weekend :)

Here is a list of everything that we accomplished throughout the day.....

Cleaned (from top to bottom)-
Kitchen
Sun Room
Family Room
Living Room
Dining Room
Bedroom
Bathroom
Powder Room
Dusted the whole house
Cleaned out the Frig
Cleaned my closet (it was really bad- its a walk in closet and you were no longer able to walk in it.... sad, I know)
Vacuumed the whole house
Cleaned the hard floors
Completed two loads of laundry (have another to go.... but ran out of time, that will be the only chore on my list for tomorrow)
Finally, had dinner over some friends house and watched an episode of 24... at least we had a little fun in our day :)

Needless to say, we were busy today! It felt good to get so much accomplished today and to sit back and look at a clean and organized house :)
Hope everyone has a good week, I am praying for a calm and quiet week!!! I will let you all know how that turns out!
P.S. Julie's husband Danny came home today.... we can't wait to hang out with them! They are our best friends and its so nice when he is home and we all get to hang out. It's like we never missed a beat!

One Last Wish..... What Would Be Yours???

As most of you know, I work as a social worker on an in-patient hospice unit. It is a challenging job, but is definitely very rewarding. All of our patients are terminally ill and dying. During the past year, we have started a program that we refer to as "one last wish". The goal of the program is to take "wishes" that our patients have and make them come true within the time they have left. Most of the time, we try to do these things as surprises for our patients. We come up with the "wishes" from the information the patients tell us or from their family members.

For example, we had a patient who loved to go fishing with family and friends- it was pretty much his favorite past time. During several of my sessions with him he mentioned how he would love to go fishing one last time. We were able to arrange a fishing trip for him- equipped with a handicap boat and all. The day before the fishing trip, I told him about the trip we had planned for him and gave him a fishing hat. The look on his face was priceless- it was like a little kid hearing that he was going to Disney World. Sadly, the next day he became too sick to go on the fishing trip. It crushed my heart- but he wore that fishing hat so proudly. I truly believe that he was just thankful for our thoughts and planning. He passed away a few days after our planned fishing trip, I will always remember him. A couple of days after he passed, his brother came in to thank us for everything we had done for him. His brother shared with me that he would wear the fishing hat we gave the patient in memory of him and his love for fishing.

Another family expressed to us that their brother always enjoyed Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve. Due to the patients illness, he was not going to be able to go out and go caroling. So, we were able to bring Christmas Carolers to his room. I have never seen so many people tear up while singing "Silent Night"- there was not a dry eye in the room. The look on his face was just amazing... he lived about eight days after Christmas Eve, it was a great feeling to know that we were able to make his last Christmas Eve one to remember.

Another patient expressed that she wanted "Amazing Grace" sang at her bedside when she was dying. When the time came, we were able to get a volunteer in to sing "Amazing Grace" to her.... it was very beautiful and peaceful. The patient passed away just hours after the ceremony.

Our most recent "last wish" is taking a patient to the movies, one last time. The patient has always enjoyed the movies and the film business. He had no idea that a movie would actually be created in all 3-D and have the momentum like Avatar. He talked about wanting to be able to go see the movie, but thinking that he was too sick to make it out. We are planning a surprise trip to the movies for him this coming week. I can not wait to see the look on his face when he hears where we will be heading!!! Of course, the trip would not be complete with out some soda and pop corn :) I will keep you all posted.

I hope you enjoyed a little look into my world at work...it may be a stressful job and sad at times, but it certainly is rewarding. I enjoy being able to make people's "last wishes" come true and their darkest days just a little brighter. I have met many people- maybe for just for a few days, weeks, or months but they have all touched my life in one way or another and I truly believe I am a better person because of them.
Until next time.... have a great rest of the weekend. I will be busy tomorrow resting, doing some cleaning, and heading to dinner at our friend's house!

Cooking, Cooking, Cooking

I had some extra time this evening, so I decided to make some Cream of Chicken Corn Soup. Growing up, I never really cared too much for cream soups. However, I happened to try some cream of chicken corn soup while I was at my neighbors house for a party and I have been in love ever since. I got the recipe from my neighbor and gave it a try during one of the snow storms that we had- it was delicious!!
So, when I had some extra time this evening I thought I would make another pot! It is pretty easy to make and oh so yummy :) Here is the recipe- courtesy of my neighbor, Angie.

Cream of Chicken Corn Soup:
Ingredients-
2 pounds of chicken
3 cans of canned corn- drained
2 cans of diced carrots- drained
2 cans of diced potatoes- drained
one large can of cream of chicken (or three small cans)
1 bag of egg fluffy noodles
4 hard boiled eggs- diced
5 cubes of Chicken Seasoning
Directions-
Boil chicken in large pot, let cool and then shred
Boil 4 eggs until hard boiled, dice in small cubes
Boil noodles in the water used to boil chicken
Mix 5 cubes of chicken seasoning and water- microwave until cubes are dissolved
Mix chicken, corn, carrots, potatoes, noodles, eggs, chicken seasoning in crock pot
Salt and Pepper to your taste
Add water (to your preference, depending on how think you like your soup)
Cook in crock pot for 3-4 hours
Serve with oyster crackers

Here is a picture...


Let me know if you try out this recipe- I would love to know what you all think. Rusty and I love it, it makes a great meal in cold weather or a snow storm :)

P.S. They are calling for another winter storm in PA on Monday and Tuesday- please say some prayers that it misses PA. I don't think that I can do another overnight adventure at work....

Wordless Wednesday :)

Pure Genius!!! One of my all time favorite TV show, and one that can always put a smile on my face! After this week, I needed a lot of time with these wonderful women :)





Here is a clip for you to enjoy..... have a great rest of the week!!!

You Might Live In The Country If......

Your neighbors put out coolers (like what you put ice in to keep things cold....) on the corner of their driveways- of course on top of the huge piles of snow. You might ask why they are doing this????? (don't worry, I asked Rusty the same thing). Instead of taking the time to clear the snow out in front of their mail so their mail can be placed inside of their ACTUAL box, they place their cooler out. They put a big note on the cooler saying "US MAIL".... I just don't know about some people!!!! I guess they put the handle of their coolers up in the air if they have mail that needs to be picked up????????

If you look closely, you can see the blue cooler sitting on top of the snow...

You live so far away from a chain pizza place (like Domino's of Papa Johns) that none of them will deliver to your house!! Therefore, if you are having a craving you are forced to drive twenty minutes to get your pizza. This is exactly what Rusty and I ended up doing tonight (after I got home from work and told Rusty that I really wanted some pizza.... thanks to Julie giving me the idea on our ride home from work). We were so hungry on our way to get the pizza that after we picked it up we ended up eating half of the pizza on the way home!!!!!!! So much for a nice dinner at the kitchen table, right? But that pizza tasted darn good :)

It is so quiet around your house at night that you often hear random noises that your house makes. When Rusty and I first moved into our new house, we would often lay in bed at night and say to each other.... what was that? Did you hear that? Do you think that is normal? After about two weeks or so.... and Rusty getting up multiple times to "check" on the noises we kept hearing, we realized that it was our house settling into the newly created lot. After we finally figured this out, the large butcher knife finally found its way back to its home in the kitchen (not that Rusty would have the nerve to stab anyone.....)

Around football season (at the local High School) you are able to hear the broadcaster yell, "TOUCHDOWN ROOOOOOCKETS". The way the broadcaster gets so excited and keeps you up to date with play by play information, you would think they were actually a pretty decent team. However, the last thing we are usually able to hear him say is, Visiting team 63 Rockets 3...... sad, I know. Maybe one day we will hear the broadcaster say that the poor Rockets won, although he might just have a heart attack (seeing that he gets so excited when they loose all the time).

Well, I hope you enjoyed my look into the life Rusty and I live in the good ol' country side of Pennsylvania :) I am not complaining at all, I would take the country over the city ANY day. We love our lovely house in PA!!! Until next time... enjoy the rest of the week. I have to get through tomorrow and then I am off on Thursday.... yay!!!!!

Seriously, more SNOW???????????

I really am not sure how much more snow I can really take.....after three blizzards in one winter and numerous other snow storms, I think it is enough for the season. However, my hopes and wishes were crushed today at about 2pm. I was busy doing work at my desk, only to look out my window and see MORE SNOW!!!! Thank goodness it has not amounted to much- but seriously mother nature, don't you think we have enough white fluffy stuff laying around????????????

All of this snow talk makes me want to be right in the middle of the picture in a boat, relaxing with a good book and the warm sun :) At least a girl can dream, right????



Maybe come April or May we will finally at least be able to see the grass at our house....... I think in the mean time I should work on planning a trip to somewhere warm, sunny, and peaceful ;) I am open to ideas. As I sit here and watch The Bachelor (I know, I know) and watch them hanging out in St. Lucia, I am thinking that might be a nice place to visit. It looks absolutely beautiful!!!

I am NOT a Believer.....

I know it has been awhile since I have posted a blog.... things have been busy around the Christman house! I finally was able to leave work on Thursday evening- after two nights of sleeping in a not so comfy office :( It then took me almost three hours to get home..... wow what a long three days! At least I was able to get home safe and sound to my comfy bed. Needless to say- I crashed that night and slept REALLY good- of course with the company of Snickers, Sophia, and Rusty! Rusty even spoiled me once I got home.... he made me breakfast in bed and then a wonderful dinner. For dinner he made an awesome Hawaiian Chicken dinner dish. It had Chicken, green and red peppers, yellow and green squash, pineapple, and rice. All flavored with a Hawaiian-luau mix- it was absolutely delicious. When we were in Disney we ate at a Hawaiian restaurant, I have to say Rusty did a pretty good at making Hawaiian food :) Here is a picture of our dish- I don't even think the picture did the meal justice!!!


Now, I am sure you are wondering what is with the title of my blog....well you might have guessed it- its about Valentines Day! I am not a complete Valentines day hater, however, I really do not believe in celebrating the "holiday" for myself! I really think that it was a holiday created to help out card stores like Hallmark. If you love someone, you should try to show it year round- not just one special day of the year. Like I said before, I am not a Valentines Day hater.... I don't mind people celebrating it and I have even celebrated it before myself. I just don't see the importance of buying really expensive gifts and doing all this fancy stuff on just one given day of the year.

Now that I am done venting about Valentines Day.... I hope you all had a good weekend and if you celebrated the big day, I hope you had a wonderful day :)
I promise I will have a more entertaining blog soon. I am open to ideas!!!
Until next time..... have a great Monday (I am trying to stay positive and not think about having to return to work tomorrow....)

Coming to you LIVE from my NOT so comfy OFFICE :(

I really hate that I have to write about this.... but MD/PA is getting hit with yes another winter storm :( We are expected to get another 20 inches or so..... I really have no idea where we are going to put all this lovely white stuff!!!!!!!!!
However, I really hate to have to write this next sentence- I am stuck at work!!! Driving home an hour from work and trying to get back in tomorrow in all this snow was not going to happen and well, duty calls- so here I am writing this blog LIVE from my OFFICE at work :( I guess there are worse things that could be happening- but sleeping at work is not fun! I miss my pups.... and well I guess Rusty too hahaha ;)
As most of you know, I work on an in-patient hospice unit. I could not bring myself to sleep in any of the empty rooms- just a little too weird for me. I decided that sleeping in my office on a recliner would be a better option!!! I will let you all know how that goes. I am thinking that I will at least be here for tonight and tomorrow night- hopefully I will be able to go home on Thursday!!!
Until next time, you can find me trying to curl up in my office and attempting to get some sleep!! Enjoy the snow, because I am really hoping this is the last time we see it for this season :)

Mission Accomplished ;)

I thought I would update you from my previous blog about the big snow storm they were calling for..... well it happened!!! We got about 2.5 feet of snow in good ol' Spring Grove!!! It started Friday around 12noon and didn't stop until about 4pm on Saturday. We had yet again, another winter wonderland outside of our house :)



Rusty and I did our best to stay on top of the snow, we ended up shoveling three times on Friday night and four times Saturday. Having a snow blower would have come in handy this weekend, however, we were lucky enough to have a neighbor who had one and helped us clear our sidewalks. It was really very nice because we have a very long sidewalk that runs in front of our house. Our neighborhood did not get cleared until about 7pm Saturday night.... here is a picture of our street- looking up from our house.



Rusty and I built a deck over the summer and we absolutely love it, although we have not gotten to use it that much!!! It was finished the last weekend in September right before we went away on vacation for our one year anniversary. When we got back, it was already too cold to sit outside and enjoy the deck :( We have gotten to use it about 3-4 times during the fall when it was not too cold, but needless to say we are looking forward to this Spring and Summer. The reason I bring this up in my "snow adventure" blog is because I was certain that the deck was going to fall with all the weight from the snow!! Rusty and my dad assured me that it would not- but I still had a little bit of fear inside of me! Here is a picture of the snow that was on top of the table that we have on our deck- this is just half of what was on the poor deck of ours.....



Now for some of the fun moments of the weekend- Rusty and I enjoyed most of our weekend catching up on some TV shows and eating some good food!!! I made some homemade Cream of Chicken Corn Soup- it turned out really good and we enjoyed munching on it throughout the weekend!! We also spend a little bit of time trying to go sledding outside of our house with our neighbors.... it was fun but it was a LONG hill to walk back up once you got to the bottom!!! The dogs also seemed to enjoy the snow, although they got very cold outside in it!! They liked to put their little faces in the snow and eat it :) Here are a few pictures of them outside in their little snow jackets!!!!



Sophia out in the snow.... isn't her little pink, fur coat just so cute ;)



Snickers in his little read coat- notice all the snow on his face, he had just gotten done sticking his face in the snow!



The pups and I outside, trying to keep warm!!! They have had a fun time trying to find places they can go potty... poor things!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures of our winter wonderland weekend- Rusty and I had a good weekend hanging out with the pups and relaxing! It was a much needed weekend of doing pretty much NOTHING at all!!!
Until next time- enjoy!!!!

Couch, blanket, TV, Food, Water, Pager, Cell Phone, Rusty, and Pups....

The title says it all..... these are the only things that I need for the weekend!!!! As most of you are aware (or maybe not....) they are calling for 2-3 feet of snow this weekend in the PA area (where I live). The snow started around 12noon today and is suppose to continue through Saturday evening. They are calling for the most heavy snow fall starting at 7pm tonight to 8am tomorrow. They say that we could get 1-2inch each hour!!!

Therefore, I am planning to do nothing this weekend but RELAX!!! This is where the couch, blanket, TV, food, ad water come into play! Rusty and the pups also fit in there- I will be watching TV and hanging out with the pups and Rusty all weekend. Rusty and I plan on catching up on some TV shows- especially Biggest Loser, American Idol, and 24!!!!

I am sure you are wondering why my cell phone and pager are included in this list.... unfortunately I am on-call this weekend for the hospital. I hope and pray that I don't get called in.... the hospital is located in Baltimore City and I am not sure exactly how I would even get there. So, I am hoping that I will be able to handle everything by pager and cell phone.... from my warm and comfy couch and blanket :)

I will keep everyone updated on the snow fall!! I will be thinking about my best friend, Julie, who is working until 7pm as a nurse and might have to stay at the hospital for the whole weekend.... I hope for her sanity she gets to go home tonight!!!!

Until next time, take care and be safe (especially if you are getting snow like me!)

My Children are Four Legged ;)

So, I always see everyone blogging about their children or their soon-to-be born children and I thought hmmm..... I have two children as well- they just happen to be furry and four legged ;) Hince the picture above!! I would like everyone to meet Snickers and Sophia. Snickers is a two year old male shih tzu- he is the brindle color doggie in the picture. Sophia Rose (named after the Golden Girls- my two favorite girls on the show) is a one year old female shih tzu, she is the red and white doggie in the picture!



This picture is a little blurry, it was taken through the screen of our window. We got Snickers in July of 2008- we rescued him after his previous owner died from cancer. He was about five months when we got him and a ball of energy!!! We had a lot of fun trying to keep up with him...
We got Sophia September 2009 from a friend who was no longer able to keep her. My friend's other dog did not get along well with Sophia at all- he actually was pretty mean to her. Since Rusty and I were already looking for another doggie- we agreed to take her in. The rest is history- Snickers and Sophia have been best friends since the beginning and they are often found hanging out like this....



I hope you enjoyed reading about my two little kiddies :) They never seem to let things get boring around our house.... whether it be running around the family room in circles, chasing each other, playing with their toys, chewing on bones, cuddling up with us, giving kisses, or just looking so darn cute- we love every minute :) Even if they wake us up in the middle of the night to go potty....

Until next time...