Great Un-expectations

It was the end of my shift at the hospital.  I wasn't on my usual floor, and so was unfamiliar with most of the staff.  As I finished some charting, I happened to overhear a nursing assistant talking with another RN.  She was enthusiastically talking about her recent experiences in nursing school.

I had to chuckle when I heard her say, "My instructor says it's best to see all of your patients within the first 10 minutes of getting report on them.  You introduce yourself and see what their top 2 concerns are.  Then you tell them you'll be back later to do a head-to-toe assessment.  That's how I'll do it someday as a nurse."  I remembered an instructor giving me practically the same advice 5 years ago.

The other RN patiently listened to this, and with a smile said, "Yes, that would be a good plan for a perfect shift.  Unfortunately, you don't run in to those too often.  You've got to plan for the unexpected and be able to improvise.  Take the shift I came in to one day.  I had a patient just being admitted, another being discharged, and a few minutes in to my shift, another one coded.  Those are the days you just do the best you can."  The nursing assistant-future nurse considered this, and said, "Well I guess I'll learn along the way."   

I'm glad I 'happened' to overhear that conversation; it really got me thinking.  How many times: at our job, as a wife or mother... do we plan for perfection, but are unprepared to handle the unexpected?  Life is anything but perfect.  Life is anything but what we expect.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope... -Romans 5:3-4 

Lord, You know what I need.  You know what I can handle, and what will help me grow.  It may not be what I want, or think I need.  It may be uncomfortable.  All I ask, is for Your light to follow through the darkness.  Guide me on the right path, so I can do the best I can.  Help me learn from You along my way.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6

Home Sweet Home

Making a house a home should be much like preparing and enjoying a wonderful slow-cooked meal.  Love goes in to preparing that meal for your loved ones, and so love should go in to preparing a home for them as well.  Season your home to reflect your unique tastes.  A home, and the ones in it, should develop over time; their flavors mingling to yield a rewarding combined result.  Remember it's going to be awhile until it's done, so be patient... and enjoy it while it's bubbling to perfection.  Just don't rush a good thing.

"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest."
~Robert Montgomery

  

So, how do we make our home a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest?  By focusing on loving one another, and doing everything in love.  Nothing is insignificant.  Sometimes I've wondered, what difference did I make today?  I stayed home, took care of the kids, and got the usual housework done.  What was so great about that?  Well, I helped to make a house a home by singing and dancing in the kitchen with my kids, reading them a favorite book before nap time, getting the dishes done and putting supper on the table.  Love is shown in our daily interactions with one another.

Let all you do be done in love. -1 Corinthians 16:14

Let your home be a unique reflection of you and your family.  Don't worry what others might think.  It is your home, and if something strikes your fancy, go with it.  I often thumb through magazines for inspiration in decorating my home.  At some point I usually find myself thinking: what were they thinking?  The point is, who cares?  It's their home, and if we all were the same, imagine how mundane life would be.  So, just surround yourself with what makes you happy.  

"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.  Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."  ~H. Jackson Browne

Nurture your family relationships by spending time together.  When you spend time together, you grow together.  This can be as simple as taking a walk down the road and back, or sharing a cup of coffee with your spouse before work.  It doesn't take much, except action.  The result is a close-knit family, where everyone knows they are loved, no matter what.

"The smallest deed is better than the best of intentions." ~unknown

Patience... it all takes time.  It's fun to watch the kids when I'm baking cookies, and they're almost done.  The kids just can't wait for that first taste.  They have their noses to the glass, and when the buzzer sounds, they jump up with a, "They're done Mom!  Can we have one now?"  I respond with a "Not yet, you'll burn your mouth!"  Some things just take time.  Like a batch of cookies, or that delicious home-cooked meal bubbling in the oven...  Making a house a home takes time.  So take it slow... and don't rush your good thing.

          

These Are A Few Of My Favorite... Seeds

The first year I started gardening on my own, I went against my dad's advice and bought all kinds of seeds.  It's easy to get drawn in by the beautiful pictures on the front of the packets.  Standing in front of the huge display, visions of beautiful flowers danced through my head.  

Needless to say, when few actually came up, I was pretty upset.  Dad never said, "I told you so."  Instead, he said all new gardeners go through an 'unrealistic phase' in their gardening.  

So, after doing some research, I realized you can't take all seeds and expect them to grow directly in the garden.  Some require very specific conditions to start growing.  Fortunately, not all seeds are this way.  You may be asking, "Why mess with seeds in the first place?"  It's more cost effective... cheaper.  If you can get a dozen plants to grow from a .99 cent package vs. a flat of plants for $10... well, you see.  So here are a few tried and true, easy to grow, money saving seeds that you won't regret buying for your flower garden this year.

1. Bachelor button
2. Zinnia
3. Cosmos
4. Morning glory
5. Sunflowers
6. Sweet alyssum
7. Sweet william
8. Marigold
9. Nasturtium
10. Hollyhock  

A few notes on flowers listed above:

1. Bachelor button- does best in full sun, in a location somewhat sheltered from wind, as they flatten easily.  They were discovered in King Tut's tomb, woven in to a wreath (from 1340 B.C.) so, yeah, they do pretty well in dried flower arrangements...
2.  Zinnia- does best in full sun.  Keep the leaves dry when watering if possible.  Great in flower arrangements.  Deer resistant.
3. Cosmos- thrives in full sun and poor soil.  Don't fertilize and you'll have more flowers.  Doesn't need much water or attention. 
4. Morning glory- vigorous climbing vine that does best in full sun.  I grow this as a 'screen' for the side of my porch.  Soak the seeds in warm water overnight prior to planting.  Requires some maintenance of the spreading vines.  If you don't mind spending a few minutes each day guiding the vines, the flowers are worth the effort.  Blue ones are my personal favorite.
5. Sunflowers- just about everyone has grown a sunflower or two in their life.  Plant in full sun, and space according to packet directions.
6. Sweet alyssum- does best in part to full sun, in poor soil.  Low growing flower in white, pink, or purple that makes a sweet-smelling border for a flowerbed.  Re-seeds itself for flowers the next year.
7. Sweet william- does best in part to full sun.  Fragrant.  Another re-seeder.  Many interesting theories of where the name originated.  In England the flower was known as 'Sweet William,' while in Scotland it was 'Stinking Willie' or 'Sour Billy.'
8. Marigold- does best in full sun.  Grew these in my garden last year. They looked great from Summer through Fall.  The yellow ones look like dandelions to me, so I just stick with the orange and rusty reds.  As the flowers dry up you can take the seeds and spread those for even more plants.
9. Nasturtium- does best in full sun, in poor soil.  No need to fertilize.  The flowers and leaves are edible; my kids loved eating them.  They're very pretty in salad and taste 'peppery.'  May be bought as a plant, but does better when started from seed right in your garden.
10. Hollyhock- does best in full sun.  Bought a few plants at a greenhouse for $8 each.  They did alright, but the hollyhocks I got from seed were huge and did just as well or better for a lot less money.  Hollyhocks grow very tall, and are useful as a backdrop in a flowerbed.

"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides."  ~W.E. Johns