Deadlines Shmeadlines

I have a love hate relationship with deadlines. The part of me that loves a good deadline knows well the part of me that is an ace at procrastination. Nothing like a little stress to get the job done. I have had this monkey on my back for several weeks now: That would be the free sock pattern Monkey from Knitty done in the limited edition Cherries Jubilee from Lorna's Laces. You can find limited edition Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn at Jimmy Beans Wools (see link on sidebar). Only 100 skeins of this yarn in a different colorway are released each month. When I started this project, I thought 4 WEEKS was huge. No problem. I'll whip these puppies out in one weekend then she'll get the gift early. Hah. These socks are now due in a few short days and must include time to ship. Yikes. I took the above picture one week ago. Since then, I have finished 1 full sock (which would help if my sister in law was one legged), and half of the other. I don't think she has lost any toes since I saw her a month ago.

My sticks haven't been idle though because I've made another pair of socks for my friend to wear while in labor. Well, I can't say pair because it would help if Kim were one legged too, but she isn't. I also made some washcloths for the baby out of the leftover Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton. It was leftover from making this EZ Baby Surprise Jacket:

That is the proud first time mom to be showing off my labor of love. The tiny buttons are little tugboats. You can probably guess it is a boy she is cooking. She too is giving me a bit of a deadline as she is due in roughly a month.

Then, there is my sister and brother in law's secret anniversary gift. It started as a housewarming gift but due to a screw up in shipping, became a Christmas gift and then due to time contraints of last minute Christmas knitting has finally become The Anniversay Gift. Although they are celebrating silver this year, I have gone many, many shades of green. It will blend nicely in their new mountain home. Much of this yarn has very special meaning. Unfortunately, they are way too smart to tell you what these yarns are without giving away the meaning so I'll only let you have a look see:I am so thankful that while their anniversary is in May, they won't be back to the country until July. I have tried mightily to work a wee bit on this secret project every day, and it is growing. The problem is that now that 2 deadlines have passed, I don't feel enough pressure to finish. Knowing me, I won't be addressing the finishing until well into June and maybe even July. I do know one thing though, it will eventually be completed. I just hope it beats the deadline and doesn't become this year's Christmas gift.

Safe Journey Jeanne

I met my friend Jeanne 7 years ago in the small hospital where I work. In very short order, this lovely woman edged her way into my heart. She is smart, witty, compassionate and courageous and I am blessed to call her my friend.

Jeanne is leaving the hospital we work at to embark on a journey to Nicaragua. Initially, I was saddened by the news she was leaving, but quickly realized this was selfish of me. She is right to listen to her heart-she can do so much more where she is going. She truly is an inspiration.

Jeanne is leaving this week and there is a lump in my throat as I try to think how I'll tell her good-bye. I thought all day about what I would post here in this spot. What could I say? How do you say good-bye? I can't. So here and now, the following quote is the one I came up with that pretty much seems to sum her up:

“You can't always sit in your corner of the forest and wait for people to come to you... you have to go to them sometimes.” Winnie the Pooh

Farewell friend. Hope to see you soon.

Things I Love

Medication Errors

Medication errors have really been in the news quite a lot lately. We have all read or heard the story of the horrible mix up in the use of heparin (a blood thinner) on Dennis Quaid's newborn twins. I felt so sorry for the Quaids, but also for the nurse who made the mistake. I am so thankful that their babies have recovered from this mistake and truly hope this mistake doesn't get repeated. Ever.

We simply never enter our business with the thought to intentionally harm anyone. To be honest, mistakes happen and most nurses working at the bedside have made some. I am sure she or he felt horrible to the core. This type of mistake shakes your nursing confidence. I am grateful that the news has been more focused on the safeguards not present on that nursing unit nor present in/on the medication provided by the drug company. Every one involved plays a role in medication safety. I can say, since that mistake, new vials of heparin (at least the 5,000 unit doses) are appearing with a seal across the cap which forces the care provider to actually LOOK hard at what they are doing. Still, I was surprised this weekend to find a 10,000 unit vial of heparin without said seal at my work. Hmmm.


Speaking of medication mistakes, I am coming clean with the doozy I made this weekend. I felt so disgusted with myself and must be honest here:

It was midnight and I was tired. Lying in bed, I had watched the clock tick for an hour and still sleep eluded me. It was muscle soreness from some new yoga poses and the perimenopausal insomnia that has plagued me for the better part of a year. Tick. Tick. Tick. I knew I had to get up at 5am to go to work and HAD to be fresh for a 12 hour shift. Tick, tick, tick. At 12:15am, I threw in the towel and got up to take something for my back and something for sleep. As I swallowed the pills with some water, my mistake dawned on me. Oh S*&T! I just took 3 benadryl and 1 advil. OMG. An overdose and an underdose all in one fell swoop. To make things right, I took two more advil, turned up the volume of alarm and went to bed.

The Blogging Bandwagon

Well, here goes. After much deliberation, I have elected to launch my own blog. Here is hoping you all enjoy.


This blog is intended to be about my two loves: nursing and knitting. I have been a nurse for 24 years and counting. As a teen, I learned to knit then put it away for many years. I picked my sticks back up 5 years ago and haven't looked back. I have developed quite a knack for knitting now and try to work on something daily. OK. Sometimes all day long. If I could, it would be all that I do all day long.

As much as I like what I do for a living, after 24 years of doing it, I harbor a secret desire to not do it anymore. I'd rather knit. But alas, the knitting monkey on my back is an expensive one---always longing to be fed. So that is what I do: I work to buy yarn, patterns, needles, notions, etc., in other words: "my stash". My children while sifting through the remains of what I've left behind when I am gone will bemoan the fact that they are sifting through their inheritance. Hah. They will need to take up knitting in order to find anything of value---it would then be as though they have struck gold. Oh- and I promise to also leave an insurance policy to take the sting out of such disappointment.