Brings a sMiLe to MY FaCe!!!!

Yes fuzzy socks and slippers bring a smile to my face, and make me HAPPY!

I LOVE to collect them! I even go for the BRIGHT colors, which is so unlike me....purple, blue, lime green, PINK, lavender, and yes I do have BLACK as well!

Luckily for me JCPenney is having THE BIGGEST SALE OF THEM ALL tomorrow from 7am-1pm....and offering my favorite footwear as a buy 1 get one for $1. Dare I pass up this deal....I think NOT!!!!

Check out the AD online @ http://www.jcpenney.com/!!!

*photo courtesy of JCPenney.com

Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to try baking some cookies. I found this recipe online, and it sounded really good. Cranberry, macadamian nut, white chocolate! YUMMY!

I thought it would be a good idea to do this with Madison.
One day she comes to me and asks if Grandma's make cookies. I replied, that yes they do, but unfortunately her grandmother didn't. She just couldn't understand, and still tells my mother she needs to make cookies, because she is a grandma.

Doesn't she look EXCITED

My two GREATEST fears as a NURSE

Before I decided to actually apply to nursing school, there were two things I thought of that I would be most fearful of doing as a nurse.

1. IV's/Drawing blood
2. Catheters

The thought of inserting something into the human body, and then losing sight of where it is going and what is going on scares me!

Well I have conquered one of these fears! I had the opportunity to do an in and out catheter on my patient last night.

It was easier than I thought. Well sort of.

To me the hardest thing about it is not inserting it, but rather the preparation.
Keeping a sterile environment is the hardest thing in the world. You can look at someone do it, and say, "oh that's easy". Then you go to do it and realize it isn't.

Once the sterile gloves were on, I had to be very mindful to not let my hands touch anything in the room, other than the catheter kit, and the patient. Then once one hand touches the patient, it stays on the patient, and you only have one hand to work with to finish gathering your equipment, and then inserting.

Jesus School

My niece is enrolled in The Shepard of the Hills Lutheran School, pre-kinder. When we told my dad, his response was, "Great, that is just what this family needs, another religion!"

She stopped by the office today with my mother.

Conversation with my co-worker:

Jeannie: What school do you go to Madison?

Madison: I don't know the name.......

It's the Jesus School.


She has 30 minutes of Jesus time, and LOVES it! I love that she is learning about the Savior!

Here is her Religion cirriculum:

• Concordia Publishing House Curriculum http://www.cph.org/
• Participate in daily devotions, prayer and Bible knowledge
• Attend weekly chapel services
• Participate in activities that develop an understanding of communityservice
• Develop an understanding of Law and Gospel
• Recognize their need for a Savior
• Grow in their faith, love and commitment to Jesus Christ
• Grow in their knowledge of the Bible and Christian theology
• Understand how faith is active, not passive and should be an integral partof all aspects of daily
life and decisions
• Memorize Scripture and its meanings.

Pretty interesting for a 4 year old! Everytime I ask her what she learned in school, it's not numbers, the alphabet, how to write her name, draw, nor about shapes. She always says, " I learned about Jesus".

Sunday Stir Fry

My dad loves to cook. Must be where I get it from...

The fixins'

the stir fry pan

steamed rice

chopped veggies

stir fry meat

equals
a fabulous Sunday night dinner with DAD!

Malachi 3:3, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.' This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.' If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end. 'Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.' Thank you God, for teaching me to laugh again....... but please Lord, don't ever let me forget that I cried.

---

Can we talk to GOD?

Sunday night Madison asked me, "Tia when we go to bed, can we talk to God?" I said, "yes, is there something you need to tell HIM?" She said, "yes I need to tell HIM how much I love HIM."

Oh the faith of a child......

Butterfly Frenzy

We went to the zoo on the 4th of July...boy was HOT. I think it was like 105 degrees. Not sure what we were thinking, but we still had a good time. Here are pictures from the butterfly exhibit.

A slice of TeXaS

Here are a few pictures I've taken over the last three years that I've been back in Texas.....

Since I live in (South) Central Texas...I thought this was pretty cool

I took this picture 1/1/2009

(The Moon and Venus)

One lone orange maple leaf @ Lost Maples National Park


Orange leaf from the Maple trees @ Lost Maples National Park

Medina River

Medina River

Loop 360 Bridge in Austin, Texas

Capital Building, Austin, Texas

Picture of George W. inside the Capital Bldg.

The "grill" at the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas

Sea World of Texas

Sunset over the Hill Country

Ingram Rd. Flooded (road to my apartment)

River walk

Everything's bigger in TEXAS...even the boots.

Boots outside North Star Mall

(yes that is me)

Sign should say it all...Tower of the Americas

(Downtown San Antonio)

Woodlawn Lake

with view of

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower

Roman Catholic Church and Downtown

Patio at River Center Mall

Awww Fiesta Time

The BEST Pizza booth @ NIOSA

(Night In Old San Antonio)

Tower of the Americas

George's Special @ La Margarita

(one of my favorites)

Alamo during the Holidays

(HEB Christmas Tree)

Some little store somewhere between San Antonio

and Victoria, Texas

(Notice the Dr Pepper vending machine!?)

Downtown Dallas

(taken as my best friend and I were out on Saturday night)

Rudy's BBQ

Beer & Soda mixed together....

A spectacular turkey dinner with creme corn (the best)

half of a pickle, lots of bread...and of course

Ruby's BBQ sauce....

She's a MOMMY now!

Madison had a surprise given to her last Thursday. Her mother had a co-worker that found this Westie mix....so Madison is now a "mommy". His name is Moses...but I believe we are trying to change it to Moby. Madison said that now that she is a "mommy" she needs to watch the news. Where does she come up with this stuff????

I believe this is a ready made trained puppy. He is in desperate need of a grooming.