and the duck said...

Goals

2012-02-01T09:16:00.001-06:00

Every January I make a HUGE list of resolutions and goals for the year. Seriously...it probably has at least 50 things on it. It's mostly that I love the satisfaction of checking things off of a list. It's also that I feel like if my list is long enough, that I am bound to get at least a few of the things on it checked off before the end of the year.

Since we are now officially done with the first month of 2012 (and, by the way, how did that happen already?!) I figured it was time to check in and see if there was anything I could check off my list.

January Goals:
*Start training for a half marathon that I am running in mid-April.
Progress? I went to the gym. Twice. But I should get bonus points since both of those trips to the gym required getting up at 4 AM.

*Watch my netflix DVD and send it back to get the next one.
Ummm...it's still sitting on the coffee table. In the same place it was at the beginning of January. Okay, so in the same place it's been since June. Oops. Maybe I'll get it watched before February is done...although it's probably a good thing we have that extra day this year...

*Do a load of laundry a day to prevent a mountain of laundry from forming and threatening to topple over at any moment.
Well...I did do a load of laundry. One day. Maybe two. Needless to say, the size of my laundry pile currently leaves MUCH to be desired.

*Take down the Christmas tree.
I'm pleased to report that ~~as of january 26th~~ this goal has been accomplished. Even though I was considering leaving it up as a Valentine's Day decoration...

*Sign up for my board exam
Halfway done. I signed up for the testing portion, now I just need to enroll in the practical portion.

*Figure out my fourth year rotations
This I actually finished, although not until just last week. I have all of my requests submitted, and I have back up plans for most of the months in case things don't work out the way that I want. Although maybe this is really just 95% done...I do have a few more pieces of paperwork that I need to submit.

*Read at least one book per month.
Not even close. I wish that I could say that I had done this and more...but I sure have not. I have gotten a few more chapters read in the book I have been working on since the fall, but it's not even close to being finished yet. I like reading it and I think that it's super interesting...but by the time I have gotten to bed at night I have fallen asleep before there was any time at all for reading...

All in all, not the best in terms of goals met, but not the worst either. I got most of the important things done, which is definitely better than nothing.

Although I am really counting on that extra day in february to have a big contribution to my productivity...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Crafty Tuesday: Placemats

2012-01-31T03:28:00.001-06:00

It should be clear by now that I am a lover of ALL things personalized. Seriously...if I had the time (and a big enough machine!) I would personalize EVERYTHING. And because of that, I seem to feel the overwhelming need to personalize things for other people too. Maybe they also love all things personalized and maybe they don't, but most people are gracious gift receivers, so if they don't want their name on things as a gift, they have been kind enough not to say so. At least so far....

My sister is getting married and she (I ~~hope~~ think) is also a lover of all things personalized. Which makes gift giving for her pretty easy...at least for now. For Christmas I made her some placemats with her soon to be last name.

I don't mind saying, I LOVE the way they turned out!

They are all the same color...I'm not sure why they look like different shades here, other than the fact that I am using cell phone pictures. Apparently it is just too difficult for me to pick up my camera and take some nice photos to share with you. Forgive me. Please And in case anyone is wondering, the design I used can be found here.

For more things to get your creative juices flowing (or just make you wish you had more time to craft!) see what is being shared at Carrie's!

Photo Thursday - Family Photos: Ashley

2012-01-26T03:31:00.001-06:00

Just before Christmas, I did some family photos for my coworker Ashley and her trio of handsome men! Ashley's first session was about 17 months ago -- and things have changed a little since then!

Crafty Tuesday: Hangers

2012-01-24T04:18:00.005-06:00

As I mentioned last Thursday, my sister is getting married. She is a teacher, so is planning on a July wedding before school starts again in August. She made these adorable personalized hangers for all of the people that she asked to be in the bridal party...how cute is this?!

See what other crafty fantastic things are being shared at Carrie's!

Photo Thursday -- Engagement Session

2012-01-19T03:27:00.001-06:00

Just before Thanksgiving, my sister got engaged. She and her lovely fiance Kevin asked me to do some engagement photos over Christmas. They didn't turn out too badly, if I do say so myself!

Crafty Tuesday: Market Totes

2012-01-17T06:09:00.000-06:00

I have a new favorite gift to give...personalized market totes! I think they make a fabulous gift, especially filled with a few goodies (and wine!). They are really nice as shower or wedding gifts, but I gave several as Christmas and birthday gifts and am thinking of using one to hold baby items and as part of a baby gift as well.

Not bad right? Don't tell me otherwise...I would be heartbroken!

For more amazing crafty goodness, see what Carrie has to share (and what is being shared) here!

Photo Thursday -- Baptism

2012-01-12T03:35:00.013-06:00

The day after my aunt threw a Star Wars birthday extravaganza, my cousin and his wife had their baby baptized while we were all in St. Louis. It was a very lovely little ceremony, and the priest who did it turned out to be the same be who married my parents 34 years ago! It was an extremely quick trip for me -- I think that I was to STL and back in about 24 hours -- but well worth it!

My mom and Cara


Cara and her Grandpa


Cara and her Grandparents


All of the family at the baptism

The last two photos are probably my favorite from the entire weekend:


Cara and her Uncle Patrick


Cara Jane

Med School Wednesday -- Sunrise

2012-01-11T04:23:00.001-06:00

This month and next I am assigned to do my two surgery rotations. The way that my scheduled worked out, my specialty rotation is in the burn ICU and happens before my general surgery rotation (which is Trauma, so not really general either). I will be the first to admit that I haven't been in an ICU for any length of time since I was in nursing school and did a two week ICU rotation. Ten years ago.

It's not that much has changed since then -- all the basics are more or less the same. It's more that I am COMPLETELY out of my element. Not to mention that I was totally unprepared for an ICU experience when I was planning on a surgery rotation. Which has led to quite the overwhelming week. Not to mention that I was completely unprepared for the hours I would be keeping on a regular basis.

My alarm is set for 4 AM. And that's mostly because I just can't bear to set it for an hour that starts with 3. Because...no. I just can't do it.

On the up side, the people are lovely and it's mostly a laid back rotation. Not to mention that I am learning a ton. You know, when my head isn't spinning.

And the sunrises are pretty awesome to watch.

Crafty Tuesday: Deco Mesh Wreath

2012-01-10T05:58:00.001-06:00

Now that the holidays are over, I can share a few of the Christmas gifts that I made. No one that I actually know really ever looks at this little corner of the internet (that I know of) but just in case I didn't want to spoil any surprises...

One of my coworkers started making deco mesh wreaths...and selling them for an ungodly amount of money! I was pretty sure that I could figure out how to make them for MUCH less than she was charging...and I was right! I only managed to get one made this holiday season, a gift for my mom, but I was pretty happy with the way that it turned out. And the good news is that I have plenty of mesh for next year's gifts already on hand!

And this was the helper for wreath making...

For more fabulous craftiness, see what Carrie is up to for Crafty Tuesday!

Photo Thursdays -- Family Photos: Jamie

2012-01-05T02:47:00.003-06:00

Because it seems impossible for me to get things posted in a reasonable time otherwise, I'm going to try and make myself somewhat of a schedule. Obviously there is nothing that could top Crafty Tuesdays, but I'm going to aim for "photo thursdays" as a way to try and post some of the bazillion photos I have waiting. We'll see how long it lasts...until at least February perhaps?

Due to time limitations, I didn't get as many family sessions in during the fall as I had originally hoped, but I did manage to squeeze in a few. This is Jamie and her trio of handsome men...

Med School Wednesday -- Psych

2012-01-04T04:38:00.000-06:00

When you are in medical school, the list of tasks required is long. Which, I suspect, is common among lots of different schools. One of the things required in medical school is rotations through various different areas of medicine. In November, my rotation was psychiatry. Which I did at the local VA hospital.

I know.

Now, this is not to say that I am not incredibly thankful to all of the veterans out there for everything that they have done. Because I am. But I was somewhat anxious about doing my psychiatry rotation there, as that entire area of medicine has a different flavor than any other.

I must admit -- my initial guesses at what it would be like were totally and completely wrong. It was FABULOUS. Now, this is not to say that I love psych -- while it is interesting, it isn't something that I could see myself doing on a daily basis. But the people that I worked with were absolutely AMAZING. They were so kind and helpful and willing to answer questions...the residents and attending that I was with completely and totally made my month on psych a fantastic experience, and I could not be more thankful for that. I had one other student with me full time during the rotation and that only served to make the experience even better. It was so nice to have a partner in crime for the month -- not to mention someone who could help give me advice on all of the things left to do for the next year and a half of medical school!

And it doesn't hurt that the view wasn't too bad either...

Crafty Tuesday: Owls

2011-11-22T01:48:00.000-06:00

I have a delightful coworker who has her first baby turning one this month. In addition to being totally in love with her little man, she also loves owls and the color orange. I thought this was the perfect combo for all of them!

This was my first attempt at trying anything with minky (the super soft fabric that you find on baby blankets and things). I have to admit - it was much easier than I expected! The tough thing about it is all the fuzz - it makes it hard to trim the applique close enough to the tack down stitch. But overall I am super pleased with the way it turned out! And more importantly, so is Paxton's mom!

Crafty Tuesday: Thanksgiving Shirts

2011-11-15T05:43:00.018-06:00

When I saw this adorable shirt on pinterest, I knew that I couldn't resist making some too. I also thought the original shirt was so cute that I did a little Internet investigating to find out who had made such an adorable thing. It turns out, the shirt was made by Jessica at Love From Texas. Not only does she make cute turkey shirts, but she has all kinds of adorable creations...not to mention two sweet little people!

My ribbon turkeys were a bit of a trial and error process, but I think they turned out pretty well. Not to mention, their recipients were all pretty pleased!

And a boy version:

For more crafty goodness, go see what's being shared at Carrie's!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Crafty Tuesday: Baby Blanket

2011-11-08T03:34:00.000-06:00

Like I mentioned, now that my coworkers have discovered that I can make things, I have had several requests for things. This was just a request to add a name to a baby blanket someone had purchased.

I was a bit nervous, since I did not purchase the blanket and therefore did not have a spare if I made a mistake....yikes! It actually was much easier than I expected it to be -- a little bit of solvy kept the stitching from getting buried in the fur of the blanket!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Photography Time!

2011-11-02T05:54:00.000-05:00

Because life has been so crazy lately, one of the things that I haven't had/made much time for lately is photography. I absolutely love it, but I have a hard time finding time in my schedule to do many photo sessions. :(

But the fall is a popular time for family pictures, and I absolutely LOVE fall photo shoots, so I was thrilled that I could find some time for a few this month.

First was the adorable Marshall family. Because the winter was so cold here last year, and then the summer and fall were so unusually warm, the leaves have not changed to the vibrant colors that they normally do. Even still, I thought that these turned out pretty well!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Crafty Tuesday: Birthday Shirt

2011-11-01T04:33:00.001-05:00

Several of my coworkers have discovered that I can make things, which has caused a significant increase in the number of requests that I have gotten. One of the requested items was a first birthday shirt. I hadn't ever done anything like that before, but I figured it was worth a shot...and I was pretty happy with the end result!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Scenes From Family Medicine

2011-10-28T03:03:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that my October rotation was in family medicine, but I didn't mention that it was in a small town about 45 minutes north of where I live. In addition to not being used to such a long commute (the hospital that I work at is a whopping 2.5 miles from my house), I am not used to being in a small town. I'm from a big city (although technically the suburb portion of the big city) and I live in a well populated suburb of a medium sized city now.

While I'm only driving 45 minutes from where I live, and less than 20 minutes from the city limits, it still feels like I am entering a whole different world sometimes.

And while I am anxiously awaiting the end of the month and an end to the two hours I am spending in the car every day, I just might miss the beautiful scenery I see on my drive every day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Family Medicine

2011-10-27T02:54:00.000-05:00

When I started medical school, I was not a fan of family medicine. I had no issue with it for run of the mill care, but I had a very difficult time seeing how one person could know enough to manage complicated issues from such a wide variety of patients. Sore throats, physicals and blood pressure? Okay fine. Pregnancy? Sorry, that's not something that I have an easy time accepting. (Disclaimer: everyone is entitled to their own opinions -- if you want to, you can love family practice and let them deliver your babies. It's just not a choice I would make).

In medical school you are required to do rotations in a large number of specialties, and that includes family medicine. And I have spent the month of October doing, you guessed it, family medicine. Which I have to admit has been a different experience than I was expecting.

I expected to hate it.

And, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things that I am not crazy about. But I also have to admit that I don't hate it like I thought I would. The days are easy, low stress and pass (reasonably) quickly. Lunches are catered almost every day (thank you, pharmaceutical reps!), and there are no nights and no weekends.

I still have no idea what I want to do with my life once I am does with school, but if nothing else, not hating this rotation like I thought that I would is helping me keep an open mind about the different options that are out there to pick from...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Crafty Tuesday: Tutu

2011-10-25T01:55:00.000-05:00

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, although it does appear that way. It just seems as though one day tumbles right into the next, and I am either too busy or too exhausted to ever complete the things on my to do list that aren't marked as "very important".

I did, however take time to make some scarecrow tutus for some coworkers for their little girls to wear for Halloween. I hadn't ever made a tutu before, but I must say...I am pretty pleased with how it turned out!

Hopefully it will look as cute on as it does on my living room floor!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Crafty....Saturday Night?!

2011-10-22T22:31:00.001-05:00

I just realized that there is only one Tuesday left in October (and by the way, how did that happen?!) and I have several crafty Halloween things to share! Guess that's what I get for slacking off for an entire month! Here are some of the Halloween shirts that I did this year:

A close up of the design. Love it -- and it was surprisingly easy to do too!

I also made a shirt just like this for Lindsey's little brother, but I guess I didn't get a picture snapped before I sent it out to them. Oops!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This Too Shall Pass

2011-09-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

As I look around my house at the piles of things to be cleaned and organized and put away, I try to remind myself that this too, yes - even all this mess, will pass. Someday -- probably a day that is here before I can believe it -- I will look around and this life, this one that feels rushed and cluttered and overwhelming, will be nothing but a distant memory.

Something just on the edge of where I have gotten to, close enough that I can close my eyes and picture it in my mind, but far enough away that picturing it doesn't bring back the rush of emotions that I have now. I will remember how the house was never quite spotless, the laundry was never quite completely finished, and how there was always a dish ~~or five~~ in the sink. But I won't remember, I hope, the feeling of being overwhelmed when I think about that to do list on top of everything else. I will simply remember that everything flew by, and then, in an instant, it was over and I was on the other side, mostly unscathed. But still singed just enough to remember that it was...tough.

This is not to say that I am complaining about my life. Far from it, in fact. I have hobbies that bring me joy and fulfillment, an education that I am proud of, and a job that makes me wonder what I did right to get so lucky. Even when my shifts are long and my patients are nuts, or my patients are sick or the outcome is awful, it's an incredible thing to do. Which is the only reason that I can come up with why I am still doing it. And the reason is...because I can't imagine doing anything else.

At least not at the moment.

Although I suppose that the decision about what to be when I grow up will have to be made soon enough.

Crafty Tuesday: Happy Housewarming!

2011-09-19T23:26:00.001-05:00

For reasons that absolutely escape me, lately I have been completely unable to give a gift that was not handmade (or at least partially handmade). I have no real explanation for this, given that I am not exactly swimming in time, other than that I have clearly lost my mind. But, crazy or not, it is what it is.

Also, have I mentioned my love of Pinterest lately? Or the fact that my love of pinterest leads me to want to make things that I never could have come up with on my own?

A coworker of mine got married last year, and she and her husband just bought their first house. It's quite a lovely house, and I was searching the corners of my brain for something to get her as a housewarming gift. And while searching for ideas, I ran across some wreaths on pinterest, including one that I thought I could change a bit to match what I was thinking of.

Perfect!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to make a wreath. Luckily, it turns out that it is not only incredibly easy, but it is pretty quick too! It didn't turn out exactly as I had originally pictured, but I was still pretty happy with the end result!

I have to say, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Which is good, since I bought materials to make several more over the next few weeks! Maybe next time I will think to take pictures of the process...I think this would make a great holiday gift!

See what other crafty goodness people have to share at Carrie's!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Collection Of Random Thoughts

2011-09-10T10:59:00.000-05:00

*I have had the NICEST patients lately. Seriously. So nice that I hardly believe that anyone like that exists in real life. Except that they not only exist, but they have ALL been my patients. It's stunning. And also awesome. And reminds me that my job rocks...even on the nights that it's rough. It also makes me slightly afraid that I am due for an absolute nut case of a patient... Not to mention that I have the world's most fantastic coworkers. Hands down, the best.

*Why does my house ALWAYS feel dirty? I swear I feel like I clean ALL. THE. TIME. And then I blink and it's a disaster area. Again. Where does the mess come from...I hardly feel like I am home at all, let alone home enough to make a mess! I told my coworkers last week that if I had to call 911 for something that I would have to throw myself in the neighbor's front yard, because I wouldn't want the paramedics to see my house. That might be a little bit dramatic, but it's not completely false...

*My insomnia has been absolutely awful lately. I'm not sure if it's stress related or just bad luck or what, but it's really annoying. And when I say insomnia, I don't mean poor sleep...I mean no sleep. Example? Yesterday finally fell asleep at 10. IN THE MORNING. Given that I am usually required to be places all day, this is quite inconvenient.

*The weather here has been absolutely AMAZING. Sorry East Coast dwellers! For almost a week straight it has been almost fall-like weather -- windows down, sun shining, put you in a great mood, amazing weather. It makes me remember how much I love living in the midwest -- I'm not sure I could appreciate this quite the same way if it hadn't been almost 100 degrees and humid 8 days ago!

*I adore where I live. Every time I drive down the street I look around and remember just how much I love the area I live in. It's an older part of town, and so there are HUGE trees that line most of the streets. I think that it's absolutely lovely, and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

*I can't seem to quit adding things to my "crafty things to make" list. It's not all written down, which is probably a good thing...it would be a mile long! There are just so many things I want to make -- and finding so many great ideas on Pinterest really doesn't help! (this is to say nothing about the length of my to do list in general, but I am sure that goes without saying...)

Image Credit

Addictions

2011-09-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Maggie, and I am an addict.

Addicted to what, you ask? Lots of things! But here are a few of my latest addictions:

Pinterest. At first I didn't understand what it was. But one night when I couldn't sleep, I poked around a bit. And I haven't stopped since. There are so many things to look at! And pin! And...well, you get the picture. But seriously...I love it!

Applique Forum. I have made no secret about the love I have of my embroidery machine. It's probably one of my favorite things I've gotten over the last year or so. I find sewing relaxing, and I just love the finished products. I read about a new forum for applique on Applique Cafe, so I decided to check it out. It's been, hands down, one of my favorite things about the internet. The ladies are so crafty and wise. And the free designs available each month are amazing!

Diet Coke. Okay, so that's not really new. But I still love it.

Presets Heaven. Which, as the name implies, is heaven. I am not all that great at using lightroom yet -- I will use it to sort my photos, but most of my editing is still done in photoshop. But I just discovered this website, FULL of presets for lightroom. Which are awesome. And will hopefully make editing go faster, especially as it gets closer to fall, which is by far the time I do the most photoshoots.

So tell me, what addictions have you been feeding lately? Please, tell me I'm not the only one...

Crafty Tuesday: Onesie

2011-08-30T04:56:00.000-05:00

Not too much to share this week -- work has been crazy and I haven't had much time to photograph some of the other things that I have made. But I do have this onesie that I made -- the name didn't turn out exactly like I had wanted -- but I love the little bird/birdhouse!

To see all the crafty goodness that everyone else has, see what is being shared at Carrie's!