Today I am grateful for clear skies, and no rain…

I don’t do it very often due to the cost, and the calories, but I love Dunkin Donuts french vanilla coffee, and an old fashioned donut. Of course they have much better donuts, but the old fashioned reminds me of my nannie.

A trip to the grocery store, and hardware store [where I spent a small fortune on paintbrushes]. Home to enjoy my coffee, and to read our weekly town paper, and saw myself…

Lugged furniture outside to begin priming. Here is a before picture of the bureau…

My sister gave me this bureau a few weeks ago. It is solid wood, and in great condition for it’s age.  It will live in the diningroom, and believe it or not…I plan on downsizing all of my scrapbook/rubberstamp supplies to fit into this bureau. It is going to be perfect!

After first coat of primer.

Fingers crossed that one coat of primer will do it. It is a lot of work, but the end results are so worth it!

…the bureau with one coat primer, and one coat Sherwin Williams antique white. I may need to add one more coat of paint before it receives a shabby sanding, and a coat of polyurethane, and new knobs. I’ll share a final completed picture as soon as I can…

Unfortunately I will have to do another coat of primer on the chairs, so that project will have to wait a few more days…

Well friends, I need to clean up after myself, figure out how I am going to get all of this paint off myself, and pack for a lovely weekend away with my husband. Here’s to a beautiful weekend! Until later…

-Jenny

Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed. -Linda Wooten

Sadly, with Reggie being stationed in Georgia his presence was missed today, but he was in my thoughts. The kids spoiled me as usual, pink roses, and a charm to add to my pandora bracelet. We’ll finish the day off with a cookout. I am blessed!!

• While we are celebrating Mother’s Day today, my girlfriend, and her family are mourning the loss of their beloved father. I pray for strength for her and her family during this difficult time. RIP Mr. Lyons, you were a wonderful man, and loved by many…
• Working on completing Week 2 of Promoting & Preserving Health. Six more weeks remaining.
• Keith has made some progress on the building of our new back deck. I am anxious for it to be completed. I found a wicker chair, and matching small wicker table, and I am looking forward to adding them out there.
• Which reminds me, I finally found an antique sideboard for the diningroom and is supposed to be delivered tomorrow….[hopefully]. So excited! Sadly, my diningroom is still in disarray though…must finish painting those diningroom chairs. Someday.
• Thoughts on being a mother: “It’s about more than blood. It’s about love. It’s about the varying contexts of love that help us define it; evolving our understanding of what love is; an understanding that continues to evolve to this day.” -Brian Kessler 
• I have spent too many hours searching for garden ideas on Pinterest today. Oh how I love Pinterest. If only I had the ‘time’ for all the great projects that I find posted…

Hoping each of you had a lovely Mother’s Day. Until next time, here’s to a beautiful week ahead of us…

-Jenny

Hello Friends! Can you believe that I went out of town and forgot to take my camera with me!? My colleague and I had a wonderful time. She introduced me to my first meal at Cracker Barrel, and Panera Bread. Cracker Barrel didn’t really ‘wow’ me, but Panera Bread…lovely!

Our seminar was well organized, and informative, and I learned a lot. So great to have finally found someone who has similiar aspirations as I do…not to mention her level of stamina for shopping!

Next week is National Nurses Week.

Often described as an art and a science, nursing is a profession that embraces dedicated people with varied interests, strengths and passions because of the many opportunities the profession offers. As nurses, we work in emergency rooms, school based clinics, and homeless shelters, to name a few. We have many roles – from staff nurse to educator to nurse practitioner and nurse researcher – and serve all of them with passion for the profession and with a strong commitment to patient safety.

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Each year during Nurses Week a Reception and Tea is held at The Blaine House [the Governor's Mansion] to recognize and honor nurses in the State of Maine. One representative from each of our states healthcare facility or Nursing school is invited to participate, and I am pleased, and proud to announce that I will be representing Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center.

I am sure our Governor is much too busy to participate, but just in case I requested my husband to do a watercoloring for me, and I will either present it to the Governor, or to the keynote speaker…

New course began today. Promoting and Preserving Health in a Diverse Society. 12/17, Practicum I and Practicum II.

Listening to; Springsteen, Fly Over States, Better Than Me, Give Me A Sign, One Last Breath, If You Only Knew, Falls On Me…

Well friends, the next two days belong to me, and I have a list a mile long to attempt to accomplish, so for here I must run along. Here’s to a beautiful week ahead of us. Until next time…

-Jenny

God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.  -Unknown

I had great plans of a beautiful weekend filled with outside work, and picnic lunches…unfortunately the weather did not allow any of this. I looked outside this morning, and the two clumps of lupine are growing wonderfully, so knowing that my gardens need the rain, I won’t complain…though would prefer to have the rain when it is my weekend to work!

I could get used to not having any school responsibilities. One more week of freedom, and onward to Promoting and Preserving Health in a Diverse Society. I began looking thru the textbook the other day, and it looks pretty interesting.

RN to MSN: 62 credits to completition. 37 credits completed thus far = 11 courses completed, and 25 credits remaining. 6 actual  courses, and Capstone Practicum I and Capstone Practicum II. Amazing how breaking it down like this makes it look so much closer/easier…kind of.

Somewhere on your journey don’t forget to turn around and enjoy the view.

• This is going to be a crazy week. Heading to Portland this week with another RN for shopping/girl time, and to a psychopharmacology seminar. Hoping it inspires me to get my nose back to studying for my certification…so much to do, so little time to get it all accomplished! Must focus.
• I ordered a cool tote bag [yes, I have a problem/addiction to purses, and tote bags], Keith ordered me my new iPad, and an iPad cover, and I am hoping they will all be delivered before I head out on Thursday, but I don’t think UPS/USPS is going to cooperate. Fingers crossed.
• I received a promotion at work last week –> Nurse II to Nurse III. I am looking forward to being trained to work in the nurse supervisors office. Sadly, I have to leave my unit and move onto another unit for this promotion…
• I have not finished painting that diningroom table/chairs, and my sister gave me two new pieces of furniture that I plan on painting. Must find time, and the energy necessary to complete all of these projects!

On that note, time is ticking, and I need to close down this laptop. Here’s to a wonderful week ahead of each of us. Until next time…

-Jenny

My family are all working, and I have the day off, so Oliver and I had a lunch date together on the waterfront. Here is a photo of the beautiful view…

I have completed all requirements for Integrating Theory and Research for Evidence-Based Practice [our Professor is still a few weeks behind, so I doubt I'll have my final grade anytime soon]. I am looking forward to my next class; Promoting and Preserving Health in a Diverse Society. Of course I say this now, and once I read the syllabus I often have different feelings about the course.

After supper tonight, Keith and I walked around Fort Knox. Loving this weather. A view from across the river [I forgot to bring my zoom lens with me]…

FedEx delivered a box of textbooks to me this morning…

Upcoming Course: Promoting and Preserving Health in a Diverse Society [I cannot believe I only have one textbook for this course!]

Student-Centered Learning in Nursing Education, to begin in June.

…and while we talking school…only two weeks remaining of Integrating Theory and Research for Evidence-Based Practice. Phew! This is my second course with Dr. ”O-NO!” as we call him, and he is rough, and this class is just not enjoyable [to me]. Thankfully it is almost over, and I am carrying a pretty decent grade…

This morning we visited a local nursery, Surry Gardens, and perused the greenhouses.

I have specific flowers in mind, and have to wait to head back between the first and second week of May. In the meantime we bought some fresh herbs for the kitchen, and a Boston Fern for the bathroom. Forgot how much I love gazing balls, and thinking I am going to add one to the garden this year…and love the concrete holder.

 Hope your Saturday has been a great one! Until next time…

-Jenny