Snow Angel

My dear Aunt Crystal sent Ella this cute shirt and I wanted her to see Ella in it --- Photo Ops with little miss active are sure a challenge!!! Angel was an oxymoron during this photo op! And yes, this was another day with her mittens on in the house!

I was telling a co-worker last night that I am working on thank you notes and she thought I was crazy! Seriously.....have we really lost the art of a handwritten thank you? I am crazy and try to include a picture or two (or many for the Grandmas) as well. I guess it's the guilt from moving so far away from family!!!!

Goodbye 00's!

I thought this segment on the Today Show was interesting. We have said goodbye to many items in 2000's and reported in NY Magazine. And, what are we going to call them....the oughts? It's odd, all my life I've heard about the 40's, 50's, 60's.....and I was born in the 70's and grew up in the 80's and 90's. What's Ella going to say?

Among the items rolodex, lickable stamps, smoking in bars, yellow pages (we call it google now), foldable road maps (I just listen to that kind voice on my gps), answering machine, cassette tape, floppy disk (it would hold 1.5 mp3's at 1.5MB), and subway token.

As I've had the TV on this morning it is incredible that only a fraction of America was on the internet in 2000 and now what would we do without google or webcams or email???? I just can't imagine waiting for the mail to send cute pics of Ella to my family!!!! The 2000's were the time for me to learn to text, facebook, and blog and now I'm even starting to twitter!

Have a safe evening tonight everyone! I am still a little under the weather and have very lofty goals for my 4 day weekend.....so I will likely be sound asleep when the beginning of 2010 arrives.....but I do have a bottle of Cava in the fridge.

NY Landmark to close

Tavern on the Green filed for bankruptcy in September and will close tomorrow. This makes me so sad. Joe and I had dinner at Tavern on the Green on my birthday and first night in New York. We had a drink at the bar after dinner, then a carriage ride through Central Park and then he proposed right here in front of Tavern on the Green. I am sad we will not be able to return for an evening of celebration and it is just another example of how bad our economy is.

Sore Throat

Seriously? Yep, I have a sore throat and I'm sure I am going to get the cold that Joe and Ella have had. Bummer!

I just have to get through one more evening of work and then I have the next 4 days off to rest!

She looks like a little girl.....not a baby!

Computer Advice?

I have tried everything to make my laptop make it another year, but I don't think I can. This well-loved and constantly used 4 year old laptop just can't do what I need it to do anymore! It is only 75 GB and with the number of pictures and videos I take, it just isn't cutting it.

I am leaning toward a desktop because of the speed and memory I can get for the price and with the projects I do, it would be best for me to be at my desk instead of on the couch. I do like surfing in the livingroom.....so for the same price of the laptop I would need I could get a desktop AND netbook. I could take the netbook to work, on trips, to the coffee shop.....and not have my whole life on it if something bad should happen.

Joe really likes the all-in-one option.....but I'm not sold on that. I'm OK with the computer and monitor separate. I do know that I would like to stick with a PC, Apple has a lot of good stuff going on, but I don't like the transition from work and home.

Any advice? Does anyone have a netbook that they like? I've had good luck with my HP and will likely go with HP.

Check out these fun cards!

I want to thank Anna at Greetings that Grow. Last spring she made the favor tags for Julie's wedding shower and I contacted her to make some baby buggy (pram) shaped favor tags for Andrea's baby shower. She is no longer in the favor tag business, but referred me on to several others who could possibly make them for me. Most of them did not even reply. I cut them all some slack with the holidays.....but I am most frustrated with one lady who kept stringing me along with promises of sending me a sample. Well.....I gave her until after Christmas and then gave up.

I contacted Anna at Greetings that Grow and she pulled through for me. She offered me a choice of many shapes and is going to punch them, add a string, personalized planting instuctions and ship them priority in time for me to make the favors for the shower on Jan 9th. What a life saver!!!

Her work is beautiful! Her cards are handmade from recycled material and plantable!

Christmas Cards

I love getting all the Christmas cards! I grew up in a family that did not send them out, but I love them and have sent them out since I left Iowa. This is the first year I didn't include a letter, although I know there's been at least one year when I didn't send them out at all!

My favorite things about cards this year:

1. Pics of my friends kids --- it's fun to watch them grow!

2. The letter --- I do love the letter

3. The "thanks for the cute pics of Ella" --- I LOVE THIS! I make a card monthly to send to far-away family and I never really know if people like it, but this sealed the deal. The monthly cards will continue!

4. I got more than 1 card from someone (one came early and one late) --- I bet there are people who got more than 1 card from me and this makes me feel better! Thanks!

5. The cards are still arriving! I am looking forward to my favorite pharmacy school professor's family card which is always late and should arrive soon!

Here's our card this year. I made it in Creative Memories Storybook Creator

I went the extra mile and it feels good

I have a unique job as a pharmacist. I rarely do the tasks that most people think of when they think of the pharmacist counting pills behind the counter. I spend my day dealing with doctors and nurses and sometimes directly deal with patients and their families. Our inpatient pharmacy does fill prescriptions in the evening. I answered the dreaded window tonight and I spent over an hour filling a prescription for a family. It involved 2 phone calls to the doctor who wrote it and making the suspension twice (because the first time I missed the sugar free part). The prescription would have cost over $200, but I found a way to only fill what they absolutely needed for $10.99. It was honestly a lot of work.....but the Dad went out of his way to thank me through the window with a smile, then in the hallway when I ran out to tell them one more thing and then I saw them again as I was leaving the hospital at 11PM when they were finally going home as well. It was worth every second! Thanks to my great technician and my colleagues who covered my inpatient work while I was helping this family.

Christmas Day

While I headed off to work, Joe and Ella went to Dorothy's for the day. Ella got to play with all the fun Christmas decorations at Grandma's and entertain all the guests and she even got more presents! She gave up on her afternoon nap for a few days and loved all the Christmas fixins! Joe and Ella came to visit me at work and brought me delicious leftovers from Dorothy's great meal. The hospital has someone do ice sculptures every year so I went out to see Santa and his reindeer with Ella.

A huge thanks to Joe for spending the weekend with high energy-busybody Ella while being sick himself. I think he may be slightly relieved to be back at work today! I have to make it through 3 more days at work and we then we are all ready for a long holiday weekend at home together!

Necessity: Coffee

Joe and I received this coffee pot for Christmas (thank you Dorothy) and I LOVE IT!!! In the evening we add the water and beans (thanks Joe) and we wake up to the smell of fresh ground and brewed coffee. (well, we all know Ella wakes us up long before we really want to be up and then the coffee pot goes off)

We love it and I am enjoying a fresh cup of Joe right now (and I badly need it)!

Christmas in pics

Joe was so proud of this purchase and I think it's hilarious! We are so blessed and Miss Ella is just plain spoiled and I love every minute of it! Thanks so much to everyone! Merry Christmas!