three years at St. Joe's

This week I passed my 3 year work anniversary. Sometimes my job feels humdrum, then other days I'm reminded of all the reasons I love what I do. Although there's drawbacks and downsides to every workplace, I'm still happy to be part of the Penn State Health St. Joseph team. Our hospital is small enough that you get to know a lot of the employees. There's a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Diversity is celebrated. I appreciate the fact that every morning, a prayer is said over the loudspeakers. My husband and I are provided with health insurance and savings for retirement.

Working in the pharmacy suits me very well. I'm involved in the medical field, which fascinates me, but don't have to do hands-on patient care. This means I don't have to deal with angry, difficult patients or family members. One of my nurse friends told me tonight, "I think you've found your niche." I have no idea what will happen in the next five years, but feel settled with where I am right now, even though some days I still long to be in the classroom or greenhouse.

This week we celebrated pharmacy week with various activities. I mentioned in another post how we vote on superlatives like "most helpful", "most likely to make you laugh", "pot stirrer", etc. I was given the "cool as a cucumber" award, which was flattering!

Often in the morning when I have to get ready for work I wish I didn't have a job and could have the pleasure of staying at home. But I'm so thankful I'm healthy enough to have a full time job. It's a blessing!

all things pumpkin

I love pumpkin season! There's so many delicious recipes to try and pretty pumpkins to pick and decorate with. I always like to do a pumpkin picking excursion but haven't yet this year. I did cook a pumpkin though, and tried a recipe I thought would be fun to share!

First of all, if you're going to cook a pumpkin, I highly recommend the Long Island Cheese variety. It has excellent flavor and is so much better than canned pumpkin!

Long Island cheese pumpkin 

Cut the pumpkin up in several pieces and remove seeds. Add a small amount of water to the roaster so it doesn't stick, and bake around 300 degrees for an hour or so, until it's soft when pricked with a fork. Let it cool, then remove any remaining seeds or stringy insides. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and blend until it's nice and smooth. It can be kept in the fridge for quite awhile. This can also be frozen, but will be more watery once thawed, so keep in mind you might need to add more flour to a recipe if you're using frozen pumpkin.

This is my favorite pumpkin recipe so far. It comes from my sister Keela.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
16 oz. pumpkin
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chocolate chips

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture; mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Makes 24 muffins.



Now for my favorite pumpkin quote.

And my favorite pumpkin poem.

Happy punkin' gathering and baking!

self love

I've been thinking about self care the last while and have more questions than answers. I'd really like to learn more about how to love yourself in a healthy way.

So often the thoughts directed toward ourselves are negative. Maybe it's not this way for everyone, but I think we all experience it to some extent. What would it feel like to be completely content with how we act, our clothes, body, skin, hair? Some ladies always look nice and wear the latest patterns, fabric, sweaters, and shoes. Others don't think as much about their appearance. I think we should all respect ourselves enough to be presented in the best possible way.

What if we treated our bodies like a plant that we carefully nurtured? Instead of hating our shape or size, how about thinking I want to take care of my body. It needs more fresh vegetables and fruits, water, exercise, sunshine, and rest. What if we were friends with ourselves and spoke kindly instead of feeding our mind with thoughts like You are fat and ugly, everyone else is prettier than you. You can't sew like that person and your dresses are old and plain. Your hair is a mess and that's an old-fashioned hairstyle. Your skin is too pale and blemished, you'll never have a nice complexion. Would you say those things to a friend? Or even an enemy?? Those kind of thoughts can become so loud and convincing we actually start believing them.

I'm not sure if I got my thought out correctly. I'd love to hear from anyone if you have wisdom or experiences to share on how to have a healthy view of yourself!

the in-between time

Weather really affects my mood. The end-of-summer feeling is dragging on, and true invigorating fall days are not yet here. It's hard to feel inspired in this in-between time.

Today was a good day though. After working until 11 last night, I slept late and lounged around all morning since it was my day off. It was the perfect gray rainy day for idleness. I continued in this manner all day, and didn't accomplish anything more than a trip to the grocery store, a load of wash, and cooking supper. The rest of my time was spent reading and napping. What luxury!

I'm trying to embrace having a day like today without feeling slightly selfish and guilty, but haven't fully accomplished it. We're so trained to make efficient use of our time and achieve a standard of being a good wife/homemaker/mother/employee and that can be exhausting. I've found it refreshing and uplifting to my mental health to have a day to completely relax without having a to-do list. But there's this little voice in the back of my mind that says, "You're slothful and lazy. You should've sewed/cleaned/done this or that instead of wasting the day away." Is this voice the truth? Or is it alright to practice self-care by occasionally doing exactly what we like? Mothers probably never even have a chance to experience a lazy day and that makes me feel even more convicted, but also privileged!

To chase away the seasonal blues, I sit on my deck and soak up the sunshine on a nice day. Getting outside and walking is another boost, but takes more effort. I faithfully walked for a month or so until I began having knee pain like I've never experienced. It was so painful it affected my energy at work so I've taken an extended break. I really want to try again soon, maybe with a knee brace. I guess I'm aging!

Tomorrow is back to work. The following quote is really quite true for me, so I will continue taking time for relaxation and self-care and try to look at it as a way to recharge and make my work even better!

Books worth mentioning

Although I read a lot, I don't very often come across books that I'd rate 5 stars. It has to be a book that I never forget to rank that high. There were a few recent reads that made a 4 star rating and fully interested me though.

I expected A Man Called Ove to be just another mediocre novel, but ended up loving it. Ove seemed at first to be a grumpy old man but when you stripped away the gruff exterior, there was a sweet, tenderhearted person underneath. At times it was truly funny how cantankerous and rude he acted. Thankfully Ove's heart of gold began to shine through and by the end of the book, he was a much-loved neighbor and friend.

Destiny of the Republic is a nonfiction book about a little-known President, James A. Garfield. It reminded me a lot of Bill O'Reilly's Killing series (Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, etc.) For history fans, this is a great book. It's very informative and tells in detail about the assassination attempt and astounding incompetence of Garfield's doctor, who could've saved his life if he had not been so ignorant.

A book I read several years ago did actually make quite an impression on me, even though I didn't realize it at the time I read it.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a true story about a poor, unknown black woman, and how cells taken from her body became one of the most important tools in medicine. I find it fascinating to think that those "immortal" cells are still alive, over sixty years later. Truly intriguing for anyone interested in science and medicine. The book is also a story about Henrietta and her family, which is just as interesting.

Gossip? or concern?

In this age of WhatsApp chats and statuses, news and information quickly gets passed around. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. I suppose it's some of both. However, I think it can quickly turn into gossip. 

Messages telling of a tragedy or someone's personal pain are passed around with "Let's keep them in our prayers." We need to be careful we're not using that as a pretense to spread news. If it's someone we're not personally acquainted with, does it need to be broadcasted? When not much is known about a situation and we contact someone who is more involved to find out details, isn't that just to gratify our curiosity? If we really are only passing the message around so that we can pray for the people involved, we don't need to know all the details. God knows the situation, and all we need to do is ask Him to be with them. He knows what the answer is.

Some people seem to thrive on negative news and being the first to know about happenings. It appears to bring them pleasure to tell someone else, "Did you hear about the accident/disturbing condition/wedding announcement in the _______ congregation?" Usually sentences that start with "did you hear" are followed by some kind of gossip.

Possibly I'm in the other ditch of not being interested in and talking about people enough. It never leaves me with a good feeling when I discuss someone else's failings though. I'm all too aware that I have my own problems and wouldn't want someone else discussing them unless they truly cared and wanted to help me. I don't have time for negativity and drama. What if we used all the energy we put into talking negatively about other people and used it to talk about the good in that person? Or better yet, tell the person themself what you admire about them!

It's tremendously uplifting to receive a genuine compliment and makes both the giver and receiver feel good. That's the kind of news that needs to be shared!

The gift of life

We had an intriguing case at the hospital this week. The way I understand, a woman in her 50's came into the ER having a heart attack. They were able to revive her and she was taken to critical care. After a day or so, it was determined she was brain dead - apparently her heart had stopped long enough that blood and oxygen were no longer flowing to her brain.

I was working evening shift when the pharmacist mentioned this lady passed away. Soon after, orders were coming through on the same patient, and the pharmacist realized they were keeping the patient alive so that her organs could be donated to Gift of Life. I made a few IV drips for her, and left soon after. Throughout the night more IV's were sent and she was scheduled to go to the OR the next day. When I came to work, we were sending drugs to the OR to be used during the organ recovery. This was so fascinating to me... I wonder what I'd have to do to watch a case like this! Gift of Life has their own team to organize and make all the arrangements, as well as harvesting the organs.

In this case, I don't know the details of what organs were donated.

What a beautiful way to live on after your body is dead! Although I've never been in a situation where I had to make this kind of decision, it seems it would take away some of the sting of death to know your loved one is giving someone else's loved one another chance at life.

I've heard some people say they don't want to be an organ donor because if they're in a critical condition, the doctors won't try to save them. This is a myth/conspiracy theory. Here is what the Gift of Life website says about this:

Organ and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts to save your life are exhausted and death is declared. The doctors working to save your life are entirely separate from the medical team involved in recovering organs and tissues.

Also, organ recipients are not selected based on who can pay the most. Again, from the Gift of Life website:

You cannot pay to change where you rank on the waiting list. Patients are matched based on a variety of factors that include medical urgency, blood/tissue type and size match with the donor, time on the waiting list, and proximity between the donor and the recipient.

More than 114,000 people nationwide are waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Every ten minutes, another person is added to the list.

If you're not already an organ donor, please consider it! For more information or to read stories from donor recipients, visit the Gift of Life website here.

Favorite kitchen tools

In an earlier post I listed some of my favorite home and garden tools. Although I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I have a few favorite items. Here's that list!

11x15 inch nonstick cake pan
Slightly bigger than a 9x13, I love this pan for coffee cake. It turns out with the perfect thickness. I don't know what brand mine is and couldn't find it when I searched online, but this one looks to be similar.

Vapo-seal cookware
Since it's first use, I've been impressed with my cookware, a gift from my parents. One of my more recent "discoveries" was the Dutch oven. For years I only used it as a kettle, until I saw someone else using it as a Dutch oven. I have a huge magnalite roaster and a small splatterware roaster, so the Dutch oven is a perfect in between size.

Oneida silicone spatula 
This was a bridal shower gift from my mom and has been my favorite spatula for 15 years! It's the perfect size, flexible, and dishwasher safe. Alas, I don't think they are made anymore. All I could find was a picture of one that is similar.

Large cookie scoop
I don't know the exact measurement of this cookie scoop - it's the next size bigger than the one I use as a regular cookie scoop. It's perfect for shaping meatballs and muffins.

All the Tupperware 
From mixing bowls to microwave containers, Tupperware is hands down the most used item in my kitchen. Every day there's Tupperware containers in my lunch. We drink from Tupperware tumblers. If you removed all the Tupperware from my kitchen, there wouldn't be much left!

New month, new mindset

The beginning of September always brings a certain melancholy for me. It's not yet full-blown autumn, but summer is winding down. Days are getting shorter, and the mornings are cool. Although I love fall, I feel most alive in summer. My flowers are beginning to decline and the deer have attacked once again.😫 Life feels a little hum-drum and uninspiring. It's time to look at the big picture and remember all my blessings!

Working in a hospital helps remind me how much I take good health for granted. That could be me, dying at 38 after undergoing strenuous cancer treatment, surgery, and all-out efforts to delay the inevitable. Or my husband, on hospice care at 37 because of incurable cancer. But here I am, healthy, able to enjoy food and rest and exercise. I can play hide and seek with my nieces and spend time with my wonderful family. We are financially stable and have good jobs. I can cook, wash, and clean. There's good books to read and inspiration to be found in having devotions. Each day is another chance to live fully and love deeply.

Scattered thoughts

I'm ready to blog again but don't have anything special to say. Some scattered thoughts are on my mind so I'll see what comes out!

Work life

Sometimes I feel like my job takes up 75% of my time and I don't have much of a life outside of work. This week has been especially intense and I'm ready for a weekend off. It's been over a month since we had a "normal" weekend at home! This is the time of year when performance evaluations are going on. Each employee rates themselves on how they are upholding the core values of St. Joe's (reverence, integrity, compassion, excellence) as well as job performance. The manager also rates the employee on the same points and has a one-on-one talk to discuss how you are doing in your job. This is not necessarily a pat on the back and "you're doing a great job" type of situation. Mine went well though, and I made it known that I would like to be the main ante room tech. I was told I am one of two people being considered for that position. In the meantime, I'm scheduled to work in the ante room most often. It can be high pressure and very demanding, which I usually like. There's days when I constantly have five or more things to keep track of at one time. In my eval, my manager asked if I had anything to bring to her, and I mentioned the way our schedules our made. It's a complicated process that I feel should be managed a little differently, so I suggested a few things. In the discussion, she said something about "you should try making the schedule" and I said I'd like to! She let me do the next schedule as a trial and had the lead tech look over it. It sounds like I might be doing that more often now, too! It's like doing a puzzle. It took me quite awhile to fit all the pieces in and make it work, but I enjoyed it.

Family life

We've been feeling pretty lonely now that Shelby and Kait moved to Tennessee. Since they lived a couple hundred yards down the road from us, we saw them often and Cliff especially had a lot to do with them. When I'd work evenings or weekends, he'd do things with them, and frequently went to eat ice cream there in the evening.😄 It's kind of painful to drive past their place several times a day and be reminded they're gone. 

Foodie talk

August is Pennsylvania produce month. There's an abundance of fruits and vegetables available, and I'm loving it! There's very few things so delicious as a fresh peach. I cooked up a vegetable soup the other night with fresh tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, carrots, and more. It's so satisfying to make soup.

End of summer

The night is loud with the late summer sounds of crickets/cicadas(?). I love their noise but it also makes me feel a little melancholy because I know summer is coming to an end. Every chance I get, I'm going to soak up the sunshine and warmth while it lasts. Schools are starting, and the nostalgia for teaching is still there, just less intense the longer I'm away from school.

Words that thrill
I had this on my WhatsApp status, but had to post it again because it resonated with me so intensely.

This one I saw on a friend's status and it really made me think. I relate too well to the ones that show regret. I want to do more enjoying and doing.

Boston, huzzah!!

To celebrate our 15th anniversary, we took a weekend trip to Boston. I've always wanted to go, now I know what it's like! We had absolutely beautiful weather the whole time - the kind I can never get enough of. I wasn't expecting Boston to be so citified and we were surprised by how similar to New York it is. Traffic was terrible, parking expensive and hard to find, and hordes of people walked the streets. The general population seemed more average than high-class, unlike New York. We weren't really interested in experiencing city life, but wanted to see some historical sites. On Friday we took a walk into history tour, which covered sites along the Freedom Trail such as the Boston Massacre, Boston Common, and the graveyard where Paul Revere is buried. Tour guides are dressed as a character from history. Ours was Samuel Prescott, one of the Sons of Liberty who was part of Paul Revere's ride. He did a great job retelling historical events and relating little-known facts. He told us the British way of cheering was to shout "huzzah!" and several times gave us the cue to cheer. We really enjoyed it, but were ready to go somewhere by the water and relax the rest of the day. We decided to go to Castle Island, the site of Fort Independence.

It was a fantastic place to walk, watch airplanes and boats, and lie on the grass in the sunshine. Boston Harbor is full of sailboats, yachts, and all other kinds of vessels, creating a picturesque view. We got some fresh seafood at Sullivan's, a restaurant on the island.

After awhile we left and checked in at our hotel, got ice cream, then went back to Castle Island to walk along the water and watch the sunset. True vacation mode!

On Saturday we had reservations for a whale watching cruise. We arrived about an hour early and spent the time on Long Wharf, watching ships and people. Cliff looked through his binoculars at all the activity and spotted a lone man in a tiny dinghy anchored a little way out, just lying in his boat, reading and soaking up the sun. 😄 Finally we boarded our boat and made our way to the top deck.

Once we were out of harbor, the ship picked up speed until we were cruising along at approximately 35 miles per hour. Our destination was Stellwagen Bank, a protected marine sanctuary and whale feeding ground. It took about an hour to get there. We never lost sight of land and there were always boats nearby and in the distance. Whale watching tours departing from Provincetown and other locations come to the same spot. Our ship slowed and we began looking for spouting and other signs of whales. While watching, our tour guide gave us some interesting information on the behavior and kinds of whales common in this area. After a short time, we saw the first one make an appearance and motored closer. It was a humpback whale and very active, so we all were able to see it surface and dive.

These whales even have names, and can be identified by their tails. Another whale was spotted and we moved closer. This one had a calf and really put on a show! She repeatedly surfaced, swam belly-up with her fins above the water, and waved her tail back and forth. Our tour guide said she had never seen that particular whale being so active and commented that this was one of the best trips she had been on! The first whale we saw was still nearby and there were others farther off in the distance. It far surpassed our expectations of what we might see and was totally worth it. On the way back to Boston I went inside for awhile because it was so windy and cold. The cabin was really nice but I liked being outside best, so I went out again for the last thirty minutes. The wind really picked up as we got closer and at one time I felt my head covering starting to blow off. 😂 It got warmer the closer we got to the city but was still too cold for my liking. The whole cruise lasted a little over four hours. Afterward we walked around a little but decided we were done with the city and headed to a quieter part of town to get something to eat.

We love going on outings like this and I had a few revelations this time.

•  Don't worry about how much it costs, enjoy the time off and go back to work when it's over.
•  Go traveling now, while we're in the prime of life. Tomorrow is never promised.
•  Summer doesn't last long enough. Soak up every minute possible. 
•  Less city, more nature.

Huzzah!

A child who reads will be an adult who thinks

I've had a topic on my mind for awhile and decided tonight I was ready to tackle it! A lot of my thoughts come from what I observed and learned about reading comprehension when I was teaching. For as long as I can remember, I've loved books and reading. One of the first books to make an impression on me was Charlotte's Web. Dad read it to me before I could read and I cried at the end when Charlotte died. Another favorite was The Digging-est Dog. At one time I probably could've recited the whole book from memory. Jan and Faylene Weaver read the Curious George books over and over to me and my siblings while babysitting us. By the way, thank you!!

It's well known that children who read have an easier time in school. There's many studies and research that proves this. Here's a few statistics I found interesting.

• The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school. 

•  By the age of 2, children who are read to regularly display greater language comprehension, larger vocabularies, and higher cognitive skills than their peers.

•  Children who are read to at least three times a week by a family member are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading compared to children who are read to less than 3 times a week

I'm not a parent, but I believe reading to your children is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. To build reading comprehension, take time to explain words they might not understand, ask and answer questions to make sure they are following, and explain background or historical context. Don't be afraid to read books that are above their level. This stimulates their mind and can actually build comprehension.

As a teacher, I loved reading to my students and introducing them to new books. Seeing their interest and hearing their comments on the book we were reading for story hour was one of the most rewarding parts of being a teacher! I never felt bad about reading past schedule because I felt it was just as educational as any other subject.

I know not all children like to read, but are there any who don't enjoy being read to? Also, I firmly believe that those who think they don't like to read just haven't found the right kind of book. Expose them to a variety of genres - nonfiction (kids love true stories!), fantasy, historical fiction, mystery - try it all!

I love to hear of families who go to the library, read out loud to their children on trips or winter evenings, and read chapter books to their pre-school age children. Kudos to you and keep it up!

His Great Plan

Yesterday we attended a wedding and one of the congregational songs was "His Great Plan". Listening to a group of around 400 singing in amazing harmony was deeply moving. I was touched and it left an impression on me.

The hills are the arms of God, lifting me to Him
All the beauty of nature - mountains, oceans, seasons, birds, flowers, sunshine, blue sky - speaks of a divine Creator. Observing its majesty draws us to Him.

My every need is given by His hand
How blessed we are. We've been given so much and sometimes take it for granted.

Though I'm just a grain of dust, I'm part of His creation
To think of the vast universe and all the people God created makes me feel tiny and insignificant. I'm just a grain of dust, yet He made me and cares for me!

I'm glad He had a place for me in His great plan.
These words are hard for me. Sometimes I feel He doesn't have a place for me and His plan for my life is not what I wanted. In fact, believing these words is almost beyond my grasp. That's the bare, raw truth.

Singing this song when I was in the youth was inspiring and hopeful. Now that I'm older and have walked through some tough times, it's not very easy to sing. The most uplifting part is the hills are the arms of God, lifting me to Him. I choose to focus on that instead of the words that make me sad.

I was somewhat reluctant to share these thoughts, but decided to step outside my comfort zone. Maybe it will be a blessing!

something to do, something to love, something to hope for

Life has been busy, but good! I can hardly believe July is almost over. I haven't spent nearly as much time outside this summer as I would've liked. It seems work and other obligations take up too much of my time and I kind of rebel against that. Right now there's a list of things I should be working on, but I decided to sit on the deck with my gorgeous flowers and enjoy the evening for awhile. Why can't I have more time to rest and enjoy nature? I usually enjoy my job but resent that I have to be inside most of the time and it's been a drudgery lately. I know I still have it better than moms with babies and children to take care of, but looking at it from my perspective, I think, "at least moms can be home and go outside or take a nap if they want!"

I experienced a few days of family life when we went to Ohio to help Chad and Keela move into their new house. We were there five days and filled each one to the brim. I set up the kitchen, pantry, and laundry room and arranged her decor. Cliff's handyman skills were a tremendous help for hanging shower curtain rods and shelves, wiring lights and receptacles for Keela's sewing area in the basement, and other odds and ends. Chelsea (3) begged me to color with her and I couldn't always oblige because we were so busy unpacking and organizing, but managed to get a few pictures in! It's so neat to be integrated into someone else's life for awhile. A sister's house feels like my own and there's no pretense or false politeness necessary. Yes, it should be that way with everyone, but the truth is I'm just not that comfortable with anyone else! Even though we worked hard while we were there, it was still a vacation from our jobs and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

What are your "grand essentials of happiness"? For me "something to do" and "something to love" are kind of the same, but I'm blank on "something to hope for" (besides Heaven). Here's my essentials.

Something to do:  A fulfilling job I enjoy.

Something to love: Things I find pleasure in doing - being outside, planting and caring for flowers, reading, going on relaxing vacations like this one, spending time with family.

When I was young, there was always something to hope for. I looked forward to going to school, getting converted, graduating, turning 16, driving on my own, going to teach Bible school, going to girl's class, being with my friends, going to weddings, teaching school, getting married... now that's all over! I've been married almost 15 years, don't have my own children's milestones to look forward to, and am mostly content with my life. Sometimes I think the best part of my life was my youth years, even though there were turbulent times and I wish I would've done some things differently. Maybe I'm not understanding these "grand essentials of happiness" correctly though. Also, it's not necessarily scriptural so maybe it has no meaning. I'd love to hear your feedback!

This is home

Each stately tree and patch of woods

Lush green grass soft underfoot

Bubbling creeks and mountain streams

The whistle of a train

Warm summer breeze

Crisp autumn wind

Cold winter chill

Hills and small mountains

Covered bridges

Horse and buggy

Holstein cows

Narrow, winding roads full of cars

Italian-style pizza

Where childhood memories were made

Familiar faces

Dad and mom

Grandpa and grandma

Family

School that helped me grow

Church to show the right way

Old stone houses and barns

Dutch

No place I'd rather be

Pennsylvania

This is home