NURSING SCHOOL, GIFT WRAPPING AND A THANK YOU

Well, the last time I took the time to post on my blog, it was the day before my mom's 70th birthday. I was worried about the weather and being able to get to her house to see her. We were right on the line of expecting snow, ice or nothing. We got a little bit of everything. It snowed and sleeted the entire drive to her house, but it didn't stick to the road. We didn't stay too long because my mom was really worried about us driving back home. I was thankful just to be able to see her on her birthday. She stayed in the bed while we were there, she wasn't feeling well. I crawled in beside her and we talked.

Tomorrow she and my dad head to Duke for another chemo treatment. I hope her blood levels are good and she is able to get it. I am taking the girls to go and meet them and sit with her during the treatment. Treatment days are long days.

I am doing a little last minute scrambling this Christmas. Come hell or high water, I vow to never do this again. I know I have a good excuse, but this is so not me and I am not enjoying the unorganized feeling.

I finally did some wrapping yesterday afternoon. Until yesterday, there were only a few things under the tree and I hadn't "done them up" like I usually do. I even had used a big fat black sharpie and wrote names on the back. The girls were a little relieved to see it looking a little more festive!

I set all my wrapping supplies up in the dining room.

I had a system going!

the paper this year

my helper.... on ribbon duty

finished projects....

While I was wrapping, the doorbell rang and the UPS elf brought me the greatest thing. A very special person sent me this and I love it. I cannot tell you how I felt when I opened it. I was having a little low moment and this really touched me and brightened my day. It brought tears to my eyes.

I love pottery and love collecting it. We will be using this on Christmas Eve.

I think we will be baking crab dip in it!

Thank you friend!!!

Joyce, you are something else!

Well, the other thing that has preoccupied our time is #1's nursing school application. It was due just 18 minutes ago. She submitted it about thirty minutes earlier. It is a long shot that she will get accepted the first go round. The UNC nursing program is very competitive and they are only accepting 86 students into it this year. They receive applications from all over the country as well as from students there at UNC. There were over 200 in her biology class this past semester and the majority of the students in there planned on applying, some of them for the second time. She is hopeful and knows that she would be so blessed to get in the first time.

drained - finishing up - stressed

The application was long and tedious. I hate the on line application process. There is a lot clicking forwards and backwards. If you edit something you have to remember to click the "save edits" button and if don't, everything gets lost. I lost count how many times that happened! This application was set up so that you could not print it and you could not see everything you had typed all at once. So in the whole process, even the person submitting the application never gets to see and scroll through the completed form. That kind of stinks! She worked on the application before exams started, but once they did start, she had no time to even look at it. Everyone in the family sat down tonight to read over the three essays and the application.

a little prayer before sending

Mr. Bubbles said a little prayer too!

I know you are laughing at the idea of me proofreading something. Seeing that I always have a gazillion mistakes in my posts! I always feel like I need to put a little disclaimer or an apology at the beginning each time explaining how tired my eyes are, how little the print is on my computer screen and how quickly I had to sit down and get something posted. Like now, it is after 1 AM and I am feeling a little cross-eyed. Mr. Bubbles and I are headed to bed!

15825