Blissful Blogging....:)

It doesn't get much better than this...:) 

I am sitting here typing to the sound of a Christmas movie playing on Hallmark, my hubby hammering and nailing the new bead board up in the spare bedroom, and the smell of chili bubbling away on the stove. It's been cold and windy today and is supposed to be in the thirties tonight...brrr! Now, I do NOT love cold weather, but I do love the soups and stews this weather calls for as well as sweaters, cozy blankets, and holiday festivities. 

I have nothing pressing to work on for school...thankfully, which leads to a peaceful evening of cozying up with a blanket in my chair and blogging, reading blogs and so on. Bliss....I think yes! One reason I am able to have this lazy evening is due to being confined to the hospital over the weekend. No, I wasn't in the hospital (some of you already know this), my daughter Miranda was. She called around 4 AM Sunday morning to tell me she was having another gallbladder attack and this one wasn't going away after 2-3 hours like they normally did. She had been having problems for several weeks and was scheduled for consultation for surgery in a couple weeks, but her gallbladder decided it needed to come out now. So, she ended up in the emergency room and we waited to hear from her before heading up there. She lives 2 hours away and we didn't want to go if they were just going to send her back home. She is blessed to have a wonderful friend and roommate that took her to the ER and stayed with her until we were able to get there. She went through a few different tests before they decided to go ahead and remove it due to inflammation. The great thing is the surgeon who she was going to consult with was on call and he performed the surgery...:) Such a blessing and now that pesky little gallbladder can't cause her any more pain!

The hubby and I packed a bag as soon as they told her they were going to perform surgery that day and headed to Tallahassee. The surgery went very well but since it was later in the afternoon when it was performed, she had to stay overnight....which means we, of course, stayed overnight too! I was able to get quite a bit done on my laptop while we were there....mainly due to the fact I had no Internet...lol!

 I used my time wisely and wrote lesson plans for school this week as well as organized a few hundred files on my flash drive. I save things (99% for school) on my desktop and transfer to my flash drive since I don't always have it with me and I had amassed several hundred over the past few months. I am pleased to say that they are now all neatly organized in my folders...:)

We had such a pretty view of a majestic Chinese Elm tree out of her temporary room window....

Only to be replaced with a lovely ugly view of the rooftop of part of the building after they moved her.

And of course, the lovely hospital room decor...:) 

See the funny face Randa's boyfriend John drew for her...:) John is in med school himself and will be finished with rotations and ready for residency in about a year and a half. He's a wonderful guy and we just love him!

Monday morning, the hubs and I went down to the cafeteria for breakfast and a quick trip to the gift shop. I wanted to get Randa a little something....not flowers that die or candy, but something to remember this event in her life. I walked into the gift shop and was greeted buy so many beautiful Christmas decorations. I was immediately drawn to the nutcrackers. Randa has always loved nutcrackers, due in large part to watching the Nutcracker Ballet as a child. We went more than once and loved it so much...:) And I thought it would be fitting since her doctor said he removed 3 peanut sized gallstones from her gallbladder. Nutcracker...peanuts....a match made in heaven...lol! I know, I'm a little weird. It's all good though...I'm ok with being weird!

I wrote a message on the back. I forgot to date it and still need to do that. I always date special ornaments and sometimes write a little message or note on the back if room permits.

I love Christmas decorations so much. Please excuse the poor phone quality pictures.

This angel was really sweet.

These botttlebrush trees were so pretty with their tips covered in snow...:)

And these were breathtaking on their beautiful glass bases. They were really big....12-15 inches tall.

And look at this beautiful glassware and platter. I fell in love, but not with the price!

I am so thankful that Miranda is feeling much better and she will no longer have to worry about painful flare-ups with her galbladder. And thanks so much to those of you involved in the ornament exchange for your thoughts and prayers.

 I know this post was a little different but my blog is sort of a diary for me so I needed to blog about this. I'll have some more thrifty finds to share in a day or two since I went to the Hospice Attic yesterday after work and they had a 50% off sale on everything. And....you know me, I always find treasures! I will have some room remodel pictures before too long as well. I am so excited that we are finally back to remodeling in our home. Lots of projects in the coming months...and I can't wait to share them. Have a blessed evening my friends and until next time.....