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The Spacious Place


Saturday, August 20, 2011
You know you are a pediatric nurse when...
I had the honor and privilege to sit with a group of like minded nurses this week as I interviewed for a job at a wonderful children's hospital in Orlando. I have been feeling the itch to get back to a pediatric ER for a little while. I love where I am right now. I have no desire to leave. I just want to supplement what I am doing so I can bring back to my full time job more knowledge, more best practice and more ideas to better take care of kids in our area.
The beauty in nursing as a profession you are only limited by your imagination. There are jobs available if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone, look a little bit and put your self out there. I have been very blessed in this career.
How did my interview go? They offered me a full time position. As stated above, that is not what I am looking for. Also this hospital is 75 miles away. At this point in my life it would be like trying to fit the round peg of my family into the square peg "my career." If I have learned anything in the past year or so, it's I am not defined by my career. My value and worth are not directly tied to what I do to earn money. I can make an impact in my workplace. I pray that's what God is using me for. But my family is what's going to go on long after I am gone from this planet. It's my family that's going to be the testimony of the kind of person I was.
So back to where I started, the awesome pediatric nurses. As I left them, I got to thinking about what a unique breed of nurses we are. So I woke up this morning and I little list popped in my head. I just what to share it with you. It's original, well thought out title is...
"You know you are a Pediatric Nurse when...."
1) Children don't scare you. Parents do.
2) You know all the words to the Barney song, Sponge Bob Squarepants, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and are unashamed to sing badly to calm and distract an anxious child.
3) You pay attention to the words you use and tell every child there are no cats in the CAT scan because one time you didn't and had a very sad, confused patient.
4) You use words like blue lines (veins), straws (IV catheter), soap (antiseptic), bee sting, pinch, poke to explain and IV start or blood draw to a child.
5) You know bubbles and stickers are an essential part of nursing care. It is a cardinal sin to not give out stickers to every child.
6) You could be a side show act at a carnival because you can state a babies age to the month just by looking at them and know a child's weight within 3-5 pounds just by knowing their age (after you convert it from kilograms).
7) You have called the cops after seeing unrestrained children jumping around in the back of a moving car.
8) Friends, relatives, neighbors call upon you to examine lacerations, extremity injury, rashes, fever "just to see what you think."
9) You have heard "You work with kids? It must be so sad." more times than you can count.
10) You know you work with kids because you are just caring for a patient. You are caring for a future Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan, Taylor Swift, or Hilary Clinton. You know a child has all that potential in them and you have seen and know what amazing odds they can overcome. And when the outcome is not good, its a mixture of sadness and privilege to have been "chosen" to cross the families world at this time.

So to all my pediatric nurse friends, you have crossed my mind over and over as I type this list. I thank God that you were given this passion, this calling. I pray that you will remember, even on the bad days, what an honor it is to care for these little souls. You are following after the One who loves these children most of all.
"But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Luke 18:16God bless,

joy
Posted by Joy at 9:45 AM
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Labels: career, children, family, nurse, pediatric
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Fun Summer Read!

Book Club choice for the month of August! Our fellow member's pick was this delightfully happy


read of 3 fifty something women friends. Their husbands gone and children raised decide to leave comfortable suburban lives to tackle a home improvement of 100 year Virgina farmhouse. It is one of those books that makes you smile while reading. As Valerie put in our discussion," it makes you feel happy!"

We gathered at Lynn's lovely home at Lake Thunderhead and Ladybugs and wonderful food was seen everywhere on our arrival! She applied a delightful time of a meal planned of foods mentioned in the book and fun table settings. As you can seen she is busy away with homemade bread, Pork loin, sweet potato casserole, strawberry\spinach with a hot bacon vinaigrette. So yummy... we will need some of those recipes soon.

Such a beautiful table Lynn! If you have read the book, all these items are mentioned in the book. Nice touches dear Lynn.

Lovely strawberry Lemon truffle.

I found a cute Taste Of Home appetizer recipe and just had to try and bring...

I used Ritz crackers

Cherry tomatoes quartered

ripe olives sliced

fresh chives

fresh parsley

2 oz cream cheese

sour cream enough to make smooth.

Worcestershire 3 shakes from bottle

garlic seasoning, pepper

fresh parsley and chives

then put together with fun.

The idea was from Taste of Home, but with some slight changes placed.

you may google "Taste of Home" Ladybug Appetizers for their recipe.

it was fun and tasted very good also!

Such a wonderful evening with fun and laughter. Thanks Lynn!

If a good read is needed by you...

do check out, A Year on a Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

Heat and more heat.... My favorite season has been a bit warm these days. I hear the locust singing their rhythmic music. They chant to me that summer is coming to to the end. I enjoy those sounds, but do wish for summer not to end just yet!
The gardens are looking a bit tired of the heat, but the weeds are very happy to continue to grow and grow.
This past week, I have enjoyed a quick visit with my sister Bev. She was passing through on her way to her new home in Kansas. She also brought her traveling companion Seamus, the wolf hound. He is indeed a very BIG dog! Our dogs just looked up to him and said, oh my!
Okay, whatever you want big guy... you are welcome to it!
Our addition to our home is completed and I'm excited to decorate it soon. I seem to always take my time trying to figure out just what I want to enter the new room. But my car was very happy, as was I, to pull my car into the garage!
The favorite pine tree, that was moved for this addition is hanging on... It did lose many of it's needles to the ground. I pray over it as I give it many drinks in these dry and warm days.
The weeping willow planted this spring looks very well. It enjoys when I reach into the pond to give it it's drinks.
Heat and more heat will soon ripen the delicious tomatoes.
Yum and more yummy thoughts... Can't wait!
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Cherry Season

The cherries are beautiful and plentiful in the grocery stores now.
I especially favor the Rainier Cherries. Their sweetness are not surpassed by the sweetest of the Bing cherries. Which I love also. But their Rainier season is so very short. Arrival late June and disappear end of July.
If you have not tasted their sweetest this year rush to the store. Cherries are so very healthy for us as well. High in antioxidants and very low in the glycemic index.
Which is a good thing, as that is much easy on the pancreas producing insulin in the body.
Are they very pretty?
So enjoy those cherries... I am!


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Cherry fairy by the graphic fairy.

Ya-Yas Forever

Blessings and FUN to all the cousinhood. Enjoying time together is the best!


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Favorites Saturday

Granddaughters
My favorites in life that we have been given by our daughters!
Generations of girls to come to the cabin and bring us joy.
But, soon we will be having our first grandson. The word is...it is only 7 weeks away!
Needless to say, we are excited about the arrival of the newest member to arrive to our family.
The mothers of these beautiful granddaughters are off to the annual Ya Ya cousinhood trip. They are having a relaxing time together in Galena. it is such a wonderful thing for the sisters to know our daughters share this time together. I'm thinking though much baby talk will be discussed this year. Two cousins are expecting for September! Rumor has it they may be enjoying some spa time.
Have fun daughters and nieces!