A sweet find....and my talented hubby....

Well it is TGIF day....not that Friday really means anything to me...I mean being a shift worker and all. But today is Friday and I have it off and my girls are coming to visit for the weekend. Yipee! So with that being said I have many chores to get on with.

We are hoping to get out on the boat on the weekend. Hubby has been busily making sure everything is operational. Cosmetically he has been working on it as well. He decided some time back that he wanted to get a new canopy for his boat. He went out and got pricing but the best price he could get was around $800 or more. WOW! So he thought that maybe he could do it.

So he went and priced out material on Ebay and got the material. Then he needed a sewing machine. Something heavy duty that could manage the heaviness of the material and could hand the task. Hmmm. Now that could be pricey. So we started looking in the Buy and Sell and on the web for used machines....even used were very pricey. One day I was out and about and came across this garage sale, so I thought I would just stop and see what they had. Looking around (and believe me there was a LOT of stuff) I was at this one table when I notice down on the ground this old sewing machine box. I opened it up and this is what I found :

It looked like it was in pretty good condition.........they had these as well.......

I love the box.....so vintage....and look at all the accessories it still had in it....almost like new.....I could believe it....I asked her how much.....hold your breath......$3......Yup, I couldn't believe it. Do any of you know that Ikea commercial where the woman leaves rushing from the store yelling at her husband to get the car.....she was so excited about the deal that she got she figured they must have made a mistake and wanted to get out of there before she thought they would change their mind. Well that is how I felt about this ....such a bargain. The one down side is that it weights a ton....very very solid machine. The other was it didn't have the instructions...but with a little tweaking and oil...this machine ROCKS!

So the other day when I was doing all my canning, hubby was cutting and measuring and sewing.....

He actually finished that canopy in a day! I couldn't believe it....his sewing skills put mine to shame....I told him he was making the Halloween costumes.......LOL! I need to get a photo of the finished project.....

Thursday Humour

Well I haven't done this in awhile so I thought let's keep things light and easy today........
The first one's are on a baby theme......

And Now some Nursing humour:

Two doctors in practice in a small country clinic had to hire a new nurse when the one they had won the lottery and quit. They interviewed Nurse Nancy and decided to hire her. She had only worked two days when one doctor called the other to his office and said that they would have to let Nurse Nancy go. "Why, we just hired her?""Well, I think she is dyslexic and gets things backwards. I told her to give Mr. Smith two shots of morphine every 24 four hour, but she gave him 24 shots in two hours and it almost killed him. I told her to give Mrs. Jones an enema every twelve hours and she gave her twelve in one hour."The doctor had barely finished his reasons when the other doctor rushed out of the room. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" the doctor asked. "To see Nancy, I just instructed her to prick Mr. Hill's Boil!"

Hope you all have a fantastic day!!!! Keep on smilin, they'll wonder what your up to.....

A Bountiful Harvest.....

Well I know it is not officially fall yet...and believe me I don't want to rush the seasons or anything like that. The sun was shining it was a lovely 20 Celsius that's about 72 F yesterday. And today feels like it is going to be another nice one. It truly does feel like fall. The leaves have already started to turn and fall. The blackberries are ripe and ready for the picking. Yes harvest time is upon us, and with that for those of you who like canning or preserving things for a later date to be used as gifts or simply for household consumption the time is right.

I have spent the past two days canning. I am not an avid canner, sometimes I wonder what the heck am I doing in the kitchen...who am I fooling. But lo and behold I did manage to can a few things with more to come. Yesterday I was busy canning beets, yes I know not everyone's favorite but my girls and I just love them. Mother in law gave me a huge baskets of apples from her tree. Originally I was going to make apple sauce or pies and freeze them. I opted to do neither. I made Apple Conserve instead(apple pie filling). I have never made it before so I am hoping it will turn out, it sure smelt good.

Yesterday, I set off early to the market to see if I could get some baby cucumbers to make pickles....no such luck. But what I did come home with was a couple of bags of beans and more beets. So I cut and cleaned the beans...I have pickled them as well. I think they might end up spicy as I added a red pepper to each jar that I had grown and dried and a clove of garlic....I am hoping they will be good to use as a condiment at gatherings or used for Cesar's...hmmm. So after the beets and the beans, I decided to make some pumpkin bread. I just love pumpkin bread. I have a recipe that makes five loaves. So that is what I did, once cooled I wrap them and freeze them and often give them away as gifts as well.

I bought a case of peaches, but I just ran out of steam(no pun intended). Hubby tells me he loves canned peaches so that is what I will do next. Canned peaches and blackberry jam. The tomatoes in my garden are bountiful so I might be making some tomato sauce as well.

I feel like a pregnant woman who is nesting, getting everything ready for the arrival of her baby. It's crazy. I've been cooking up a storm, cleaning, and now canning...gosh whats' up with that...Actually, I know this may sound strange but I find it very soothing and comforting.

Here are a few photos of my labour of love......

I am off to work this afternoon so I won't be doing much of anything except maybe using my stepper.

There's something else I have been working on. A couple of weeks ago I decided to start knitting. Again, I am not an avid knitter but I like to give it the old college try. I decided I wanted to knit an Afghan. Big aspirations I know....but because I like to keep things simple I went on the Internet and looked up ideas for Afghans. I found the simplest idea....just knit a square and crochet them together. Yes I can do this I said to myself. Last year mother in law gave me this huge bag of wool . I made a couple of styles of scarves but that was about it. So I thought you know Christmas is coming I could make something for a gift.

As most of you know I volunteer. One of the groups I volunteer with is the Community based Mental Health. I have a client that I go and do home visits with. She is really a very sweet lady but pretty much house bound. The only time she really gets out is when I take her to appointments or call her and ask her if she is feeling up to going out for a coffee. I know she likes the visits. Along with her mental health she has physical health issues...I think it's one of those situations which came first the chicken or the egg . Regardless, she lives alone and because of her medications shouldn't drive...so she doesn't and some days it takes all of her energy to get up off of the couch.

So as I was knitting it dawned on me. I could make this for her for Christmas....now I am on a mission. It's now given my knitting some purpose.

Then I got another idea. I know bloggers are such a generous group, I wondered how they would feel about knitting a basic square. I thought if I could get enough squares I could make maybe another afghan or maybe even two and then donate them to the Mental Health Society.

So what do you think. Are any of you interested in knitting a simple 8x8 plain old garter stitch square that I could make up into an Afghan? Please don't feel pressured I just thought, there are a lot of generous bloggers out there that might want to help out a cause. So if anyone is interested just let me know here or email me and I will contact you giving you the details(which will be pretty basic). I would love to be able to give the Mental health group a couple of Afghans for Christmas to hand out as they see fit.....and or if I get a real skookum response and am able to make up something a little more elaborate maybe they could use it as a raffle to raise some money for a project or something. Just thinking out loud here. Anyhow, I leave it with you my blogging friends.

To assure you all that I will do something with the squares I will take photos and have some letter of acknowldegment from the organization.

Just sharing the blogger love.......thanks all....have a fantastic day!!

Schools back and so are the germs.....

I made this post for the Wetcoast Womens blog and then I thought it might be useful here as well....so for those of you who have read this post there please excuse the duplicaiton.

Our little darlings are back in school….yay for some boo hoo for others. But with the joys of beginning another school year comes the increased risk for our little precious ones being exposed to many more germs.

The common cold for one. You know our little munchkins sneeze….and rather than use a Kleenex they wipe that snotty little nose with their hand or the sleeve of their shirts. Never intending of course to pass the germs along but they do. Think of all the items they touch just after sneezing….their desk….the teachers desk….the building blocks….the books….the door handles the list goes on.

So what can we as parents do to help minimize the spread of these germs. First and foremost we can teach our children the basics of good hand-washing and why it is so important. I know this may sound so elementary to most but a lot of children don’t understand why it is we nag at them about washing their hands, not just when they finish in the bathroom, but when they come in from outdoor play, or sneeze. Most classrooms have a sink and towels encourage them to use it. Now days you can buy those small antibacterial soaps that they could keep in their desks…..or better yet insist that your child’s school installs the hand cleanser dispenser outside the classroom door and in the class room.

There is study after study proving how simple hand washing eliminates many of the common germs, and decreases the risk of spreading germs and other diseases dramatically. So why aren’t we insisting that the hand dispensers are provided for every classroom? If it only costs a couple of bucks to provide one for your child or have the school install(more dollars I know)isn’t it worth it? Think about all the lost days of school that happen because children are passing the cold or flu bug around? Thousands of instructional hours are lost. And what about the poor teacher who has to deal with the sniffles of every other student in the class.

This brings me to another topic….Immunization. What is wrong with people who don’t keep their child’s immunizations up to date? What are they thinking? I was shocked when I heard about the Mumps outbreak in Abbotsford. That should never happen…..people have gotten lacked when it comes to immunization. They were initiated because immunization do save lives. I know there are groups that don’t believe in them….part of me thinks that’s because they have never experienced it…and why is that…..because the rest of the population has dutifully ensured their child’s immunization are kept up to date. Believe me you don’t want to see your child get the mumps….or what about Polio….something that was totally eradicated as a result of the immunization…..do we want to go back to those days? I don’t think so.

And while I’m on the topic…..please please please don’t use the school as your babysitter. If your child is sick…keep them at home…no one needs them coughing or sneezing all over them, and they will recover much faster at home rather than sitting in a stuffy not well ventilated classroom. Here are some statistics about the common cold:

“From the time a cold virus enters the nose, it takes 8-12 hours for the viral reproductive cycle to be completed and for new cold virus to be released in nasal secretions. (13) This interval is called the incubation period.

Cold symptoms can also begin shortly after virus is first produced in the nose (10-12 hours). (13) The time from the beginning of the infection to the peak of symptoms is typically 36-72 hours. (1, 2)” So what does that mean…that means we need to keep our little darlings at home during that time….don’t you think it is worth it in the long run?

You can get more information about the common cold here: http://www.commoncold.org/undrstn3.htm

Anyhow, that is my rant. Let’s try and make this a cold and flu bug free year for our little munchkins.

Good health to you all and your little darlings….

Well if you like contests and are interested in winning a little something jenn At my kids are the world to me has a September give away....who doesn't like free stuff...please go check it out.

Have a great day all!

Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt

I haven't plays this for awhile but it's Saturday Photo hunt...and this weeks theme is "String(s)".....so here are my pics.....

The wool(string) used to knit...my daughter and her first attempt at knitting......

String used to help keep things covered during the rain......And finally the string(ok rope) used on the mast of this sailing ship....

If you would like to play along please check out....tnchick

Happy hunting!!!!

Tell me what you think....

I am struggling with something and your input would be appreciated.

In this day and age of technology there are many ways to stay in touch and to find old friends. One such venue is Facebook. I primarily use facebook to stay in touch with family and friends that I have worked with. Personally I have not attempted to contact anyone from my college or high school days. No desire really. But there are those who really have a need to reach out and find people from their past for whatever reason.

So I present this to you. A few months ago an old girlfriend of my husband contacted him. She found him via Facebook. They connected there and then exchanged MSN addresses and IM and eventually she sent him her telephone number.

She made the initial contact.....I know he was excited to talk to her...as he says she was not only his girlfriend but a good friend....I can accept that. What I am having difficulties with is her continued need/desire to contact him. It's one thing to catch up on things...it's another to make regular contact. As of late a mutual friend of theirs past away unexpectedly, she contacted my hubby to let him know...she went as far as calling his dad in an attempt to get a hold of my husband. They connected. He got the information about their mutual friend......and sent his condolences to the family. The family were appreciative of his letter and called to tell him so. That was a very touching moment, and I am glad that he was able to connect.

So there, Facebook was good for that....but now what? She continues to make contact....in one of her IM's she actually said...."Your hot"....now how am I to take that? Why would she say that....I asked my hubby about it...he said she always talks like that....hmmmm.

Personally I just find it all very odd. Why would a women who is supposedly in a relationship make continued contact with my husband, telling him he is hot and asking him when he is coming out east, if she wasn't interested in him? Am I being paranoid? Does anyone else find this odd?

I have asked my husband to just acknowledge how this all makes me feel. His response is....that he doesn't respond to her IM's anymore because he knows how it makes me feel. Well that is all well and good. But that is not acknowledging my feelings. Anyone who has taken any conflict course will know what I mean by that. Rather than saying what he said.....if he truly was acknowledging he would say something along the lines....".....I know how that must make you feel"...or " I know that must be hurtful to you and because of that I don't want to talk to her"...but rather he says....I don't talk to her out of respect for you.....so what...if I wasn't around he would? I don't know...maybe I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but it has upset me. All I want him to do is acknowledge that I am upset....that's it...nothing more......

Personally, I'd like to dim her lights but I know that would be frowned upon. I have asked him...if the shoe were on the other foot how would you feel? He never gives me a straight answer...but I know he would not like it. I can't help but wonder what is her motivation for all of this. Is it that she just wanted to connect with a friend from the past? Albeit a lover. I don't know. All I know is that it hurts me, and I don't like it. If she knows he's married which he says she does...then why doesn't she talk to both of us...why just him...why exclude me?

I am thankful that he has a bit more class and has opted not to respond to her advances.

I really would appreciate hearing your take on this....I have broad shoulders tell it as it is...if I am a nut ball and off of my rocker for being upset about this...then tell me...I can handle it....personally I just want to put it to rest....but it's hard when she continues to make contact via MSN.....I want to reach through the screen and give her a shake and tell her to leave us alone. But that won't happen....so here I am....left trying to deal with the silly emotions. I know my husband loves me....I truly believe that....and I trust him....it's her and her motivations I don't trust.....

Health care and ethics......

In all my years of nursing there is one thing that I have found to be constant. Ethics. Health care practitioners are faced with ethical dilemmas on a regular basis.

Look at the ethical issues around stem cell or egg harvesting. Those are some of the more controversial topics but ethical all the same.

As an RN I have been witness to many situations that I questioned the validity of treatment or lack of treatment. It's such a hard call sometimes. I mean do we replace the hip of a 95 year old who has fallen? The questions that are posed from that are: What was their quality of life prior to the fall? What was their level of function will a new hip improve their quality of life?.....my answer would be yes....but then we have to ask ourselves what are the risks of surgery.....what was their health prior to the accident, do they have lung problems? Heart issues? Are they diabetics? What is their cognitive state? Those are all things that should and must be considered prior to surgery.

I had a situation the other day....a young male came in for dental surgery. His teeth were in such bad shape that if they weren't dealt with they could cause him much worse problems in the future. Unfortunately, he had mental health issues as a result of a previous head injury. The young man did not want the surgery,his parents thought it best that he have the surgery. He was belligerent prior to the surgery. He refused to undress I don't know how they managed to sedate him for the procedure but they did. He arrived in the recovery room and I knew we were in trouble. He was semi awake and already calling out and being verbally abusive. We anticipate and accept a certain amount of obscenity post op as often it is the drugs that are used during surgery that cause people to respond in a certain way.

When this young man started coming around....he didn't want to have anything to do with being in the hospital...he started pulling off his oxygen mask, the monitoring equipment... we attempted to calm him and eventually he would settle down, although briefly.....the unfortunate thing with this person is that he stopped breathing a couple of times and had what we thought were seizures......it was all very strange...the anesthestist was called and we ended up helping him with his breathing. He came around .....and again he was aggressive and did not want to be there......he was a big person and very strong......we ended up calling a code white on him(aggressive patient) and hoped that security would arrive in time to give assistance....this didn't happen....he pulled out his IV....jumped off the end of the bed.....left the recovery room.....punching holes into the wall. The patients mother was there......she asked people to back off.....she assisted him to the car and left.

Here's the dilemma......was he a candidate for the surgery? Yes....did he want the surgery.....NO....was he in a right state of mind to make that decision for surgery......Questionable.....should we have insisted he stay in the hospital and recover fully before leaving the hospital....my gut told me yes..... should we have restrained him until he was fully recovered......possibly.

I don't know if there are any clear cut answers to this. I know my colleague and I were very upset by what transpired. The anesthetist and the doctor came and spoke with us....explained that it wasn't the drugs that were given during surgery...that those drugs would have worn off by the time he arrived in the recovery room. So what was it, what caused this person to behave and act out that way and should they have performed the surgery?

I don't know that I have the answers to these questions....all I know is that sometimes I am faced with situations that push the ethical boundaries for providing care and treatment.

What do you think?

The Wedding..............

This past weekend hubby and I had the pleasure of traveling to the mainland to participate in my nieces’ wedding.

The ceremony and dinner were going to be outside, so we were hoping the weather god’s would shine favourably upon us, and they did. The sun shone brightly as did many a happy face.

My niece is the only daughter and eldest child to my brother and his wife. The special event took place at HMC Discovery in Stanley Park. A lovely setting.

It was so nice to see so many family members and friends. I hadn’t seen my one brother in over a year as he and his wife had been in Europe on a teacher’s exchange program.

Here are a few photos of the special day…..

One of my sister's and my youngest daughterMy middle daughter and her date...

Thank you....

Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes.....I did have a nice day. I received many email wishes and ecards, my sister had flowers delivered that day, youngest daughter,hubby and I went shopping and then out for dinner. When I arrived home a little elf(FIL) had been and left me a gift, how truly thoughtful. Then yesterday when I arrived home from work there was a lovely bouquet of flowers and some candles from MIL. So yes I did have a very special birthday.

Working is going well. I'm into my 2nd week of orientation. I think one of the biggest adjustments I am going to have to this job are the hours. Everyday almost it seems like I have a different start time. All in all so far so good!

Have a great day all!

They say it's your Birthday.........

Yes it's that time of year again, another birthday is upon me......I have always LOVED my birthday....I mean LOVE!!!! For some reason my birthday use to go on for a week, birthday dinner with the grandparents, dinner with my girls and their dad, then my girlfriends would take me out....and then my sisters....yes I use to love my Bday!!!

This year is a bit different. I have started a new job, so no one there knows me well enough to be able to go out or anything, all my friends live on the mainland, and my two eldest daughters have to work. So it looks like it will be a quiet day. My youngest daughter has come for a visit, which is awesome and I feel blessed to have her here. My birthday isn't until the 18th but I am hoping that youngest and I will be busy doing something. I want to go out for Greek dinner for my birthday so I am sure that is what we will do.

I got my first birthday card from the girls grandparents on Friday, how sweet of them to remember me and to send a card. My brother who is in Europe sent me a message via Facebook wishing me a Happy day......so I do feel kinda of special.

Isn't it funny though. A part of me doesn't want to make a big deal about it...and yet...in my heart of hearts I really want people to remember my Bday......I know how childish. It's just that when I was growing up your Birthday was always special. You see coming from a family of 12 children that was about the only time of the year that you were made to feel like you were really someone special.....well I guess it wasn't quite like that...but you know what I mean. We use to have this rule, when it was your birthday you didn't have to do any chores....Yippee!!! Somehow, as I got older that rule went out the window...boo hoo, but I do extend the rule to my girls when it is their birthday.

Anyhow, that is all I shall say about that....I am sure it will be glorious day....any day you can get verticle is a good day in my books! LOL!

Another week in the life of............

I can't believe how time has flown! Here I am just finishing my first week of orientation at my new job, and I survived it! It's funny a few of the gals there have asked me on more than one occasion if I like it and if I am going to stay? Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.... after getting over the initial jitters I must say I am enjoying it. I love learning new things which is a good thing as there is so much to learn.

I think some times I am very hard on myself. I for some reason figure I should know more than I do. But how can I in this environment. I mean I had a general understanding of what went on in PACU having taken report and received many a patient from PACU directly to ICU, but hands on direct patient care in PACU I haven't done. It has been very beneficial having my Critical Care training, the ABC's(airway, breathing, circulation) are always the same, and if I remember that I think I will do ok.

Like any new job you have to learn the paper trail, the administrative side to things. For me I have also changed work environments, I have gone from a small rural hospital to a hospital who boost the 4th busiest ER's in the province. Which potentially means lots of surgeries!

It's a learning curve but not insurmountable. I am keen, reading whatever I can get my hands on, jumping in to take the admissions as they come, and some days you can't even catch your breath. I think one of the things I love about this unit is that you truly work as a team. There is not designated patient assignment you decide when the call comes from OR who is going to take the patient and then who is going to be your 2nd RN, and that is how it works. It's just awesome. They have all been so welcoming to me. I think partially that the group I was working with this past week are also fairly new to the unit, with two of them coming from ER background the other with telemetry background, all of them under a year on the unit, but all very seasoned RN's, and bring a wealth of knowledge.

Another thing I have enjoyed is the instant repoire we have with the anesthetists and surgeons. Everyone is called by their first name and treated with respect. I was always greeted by the doctors with a big welcome and often humour.

I think my biggest adjustment are the hours. Having never worked rotating 8 hr. shifts it does take a little getting used to. Case in point this week I have worked an 08-16, 10-18, and three 16-24, all great shift times. However, three of the shifts have mandatory overtime ie. oncall. So for example if you are the evening person working 16-24 you are then oncall from 2400-0600 and then expected to report to work at 1600 after coming off of call at 0600. I am told that it doesn't happen to often that you get called back often it's staying late. Like the other night the evening staff had to stay until 0500 and then come back to work at 1600...ouch! But I guess I will get use to it.

Now, some fun stuff. As you know before I started my new job I took a week off. Spent the one day at the spa and then spent a few days on the in-law's boat. The weather was sunny and warm. The first day we spent travelling up the inlet to eventually get gas. When ended up spending the night and a friend of mine and her daughters came to the boat for a visit. We set out early the next day. The skies were blue the sea was calm it was perfect. We actually even put down a line to try and catch some fish...but they weren't biting. We ended our day by setting anchor in a very tranquil spot. Hubby bar-b-qued and we sat on the deck with our glass of wine and just enjoyed the surroundings, the loudest noise was that of the seal slapping on the water playing with their catch of salmon.

The next morning we set sail with the intention of dropping anchor in another bay at days end. Well that didn't happen. Although the sun was shining, the winds were gusty. Weather report were for winds up to 25km. We started to pull up the anchor with the automatic winch....the anchor stopped....for the life of me I couldn't get it going again. Hubby was up on the fly bridge steering the boat and trying to give me instruction but it just wouldn't work....we had to change spots, I had to steer and keep us away from the rocks(remember I mentioned about the winds)while he worked on the anchor. He figured it out....a fuse had blown he fixed it and we were off. We made our way out through a passage which eventually led us to open water. Let's just say it was a rock'n roll time. Hubby says the swells were about 5 - 6 feet with a 2 foot chop....that means something to the seasoned sailor but to me it was just darn rough! It's a good thing I don't get sea sick. It was a little unsettling for awhile but once we were able to turn and head into the direction we wanted we were travelling with the waves. I mean who needed a roller coaster when you've got this...LOL

We made it to a lovely little cove were we took shelter for a couple of hours and then decided it was time to venture out to the bay we had initially intended on staying. The winds were still strong and the water still rough. Then it all changed. One of the engines gave out....yup....just died. I won't go into the details of it all but it made steering of the boat a little more challenging. The winds into the bay were strong so we opted not to drop anchor.....at this point we were not to far from home so we opted to go home, moore the boat and just have dinner down on the dock. Then things changed again, engine two would only go in forward, no reverse and no neutral. Not good. My hubby planned to drop anchor in the harbour and see if he could have a look at the engine. Then he thought that if there was a slip at the end of the dock that we could just tie up to we would just do that, but there was none. That is when it got really scary. Hubby was attempting to turn the boat around when the winds caught us and pushed into the row of moored boats....I was already on the bow with the gaffle hook in hand, and bumpers down....we were heading right for the stern of two boats.....hubby cut the engine......I pushed with all my might with the hook and then using my body to kick us off of the boat...hubby flew down from the fly bridge off of the boat and threw his body between us and another boat...an older gentleman who just so happened to be on his boat jumped in to help....it was all very frightening...but we stopped tragedy from happening....not one scrape or dent in any of the boats, and us...well that is another story!!!! I don't know how we managed to prevented hitting the other boats but we did....thank god! So there we were stalled, the winds continually pushing us into the boats I am still trying with all my might to keep us off of the boats....the old man went and got the harbour manager and a helper .......with all of them we managed to tether the boat to the end of the dock and moore up against another boat. Whew!......I needed a drink and debriefing after that. What an adrenaline rush.....and then the let down....I think both hubby and I were just mentally and physically beat by the end of it all. We tidied up the boat and decided that we would go home, call the in laws tell them what happened and deal with the rest the next day.

And that is where I will leave this story......I have some photos of our short trip....enjoy!

The boat......32' Bayliner Avanti

The cove, where we dropped anchor

The Captain, my hero!

And me the first mate!

"Sister's Islets" Lighthouse....this picture doesn't really give you an idea of the swells....they were a little calmer here.....I can imagine for some sailors in rough seas that this is a beacon of hope that shore is close by.....

A Day just for me..........

I finished at my old job on Saturday morning and I started a week of holidays! I guess I didn't spend my first couple of days very well, as I filled them with have to do things.....like cutting the lawn, painting, cleaning, you know.....anyhow, I ended up getting a tad stressed shall we say, I think primarily due to sleep deprivation. I had just finished working 3 12 hour night shifts and most probably only had about 8 hours of sleep in my system....not good.

For Mother's day this year my girls and husband bought me gift certificates for a complete body massage, manicure and pedicure at this very exclusive spa. I had plans to use it some time this week, but husband suggested I use it sooner rather than later. I am glad he convinced me to go.

So today was the day were I got totally pampered. It was amazing. I have had massages in the past with manicure and pedicures but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience.

My appointment was for 1045, they suggested to be there at least a 1/2 before your session so you can enjoy the mineral pool and hot tub. I decided I would go for a run along the beach which was very close to the spa,before I went for my session. I was all hot and sweaty by the time I got there and ready to be pampered.

I arrive and you can feel the sense of calm in the air. I was lead to the changing room, given my key to my locker shown around the locker room and then led to the mineral pool. Let's talk about the change room, of course they provide the most comfortable housecoat and sandals, I headed for the shower which of course is stone enclosed really cool, and full of all the amenities for a shower, from there I headed to the pool. The lay out of the pool it that of a cave "grotto" , waterfalls from ceiling to the ground the one wall is a waterfall that is glass....it was just so soothing and peaceful.

I was told I should head up to the third floor where I would be greeted by a concierge who directs me to the lounge where you there is complementary fruit plates, water, tea, and coffee. I wasn't there very long when I was greeted by the person who was going to do my hour long massage. We walk down some stairs and went down a hallway, again everything is so peaceful and soothing, pan flute and harp playing the background, I am taken to my room.

and the a The massage was more than I could have ever imagined from my head to my toes simply amazing. Hot towels draped around your face, or on my shoulders, spritzed with lavender, and then lavender pack placed on my face....ooh my goodness to die for......I wondered at first if I would feel uncomfortable and tense, but the therapist was so professional I just felt so at ease. I was sad when that part of my treatment came to and end. I was escorted back to the lounge.

Once in the lounge I was greeted by the concierge who advised me that if I wanted to go back to the pool and return they would then be ready for me. I did exactly that. Upon my return I was informed that they were running a little late and they offered me a Mimosa....yummmy very crisp and refreshing. I was then lead to another room where I am directed to sit in a chair and and my feet were immersed in this tub of warm mineral water....my feet are loving this....from there I go to sit up on the wonderful large reclining chair where my feet begin to get pampered. I swear they are doing the happy dance, from the exfoliating to foot massage and spritzing again and finally the choice of nail colour I picked what they call "It's Greek to me" A nice bright and fun pinky/red colour very summery I thought. After my pedicure I greeted by the next individual who was to perform my manicure.

I lead to a room where other women of like mind are being primped and pampered. Again, I receive the wonderful hand soaks, rubs, creams, spritzers....just simply decadent. For my nails I chose a colour called "Strawberry Margarita" with out knowing the names of the colours I picked were names of places for vacation destinations, how appropriate I thought . It just so happens that hubby and I are off tomorrow for a few days cruising on the open waters.....oh life is good.

By the time this is all said and done I have been at the spa for over 5 hours! You know besides feeling wonderfully relaxed I got a great bonus. As it turned out, unbeknownst to me I was suppose to get a different treatment for my pedicure but they had overbooked so I got my pedicure for free!! Thumbs up on that one. I left there a very happy camper.
It was time to get back to reality, but in a much more relaxed state of mind. Off to town I went got a few groceries for our vacation, did a couple of errands in town and made my way home. I had really wanted to get my hair cut, so I took a chance at my hairdresser and as luck would have it she was able to take me in right then and there. Was this my lucky day or what.

So here I am now totally chillin the sun is still shining and I am thinking about what to pack for our adventure tomorrow.

Ah life is good sometimes isn't it?