Landscapes

The Sound

There are a myriad of sounds in a hospital environment. IV pumps beeping, call lights going off, and constant talking. But there is one sound that will always rise above the noise: the soul-deep sob of someone who has just gotten the worst news of their entire lives.

The average office worker, barista, pilot or librarian may never hear that sound their whole life. Even for a nurse, I would say it’s fairly infrequent. Most people take devastating news rather well in public. Some people are so shocked that no sound could come out even if they wanted to cry.

You may think you’ve heard it on TV shows or seen it in a movie. But not even the best actor in the world could accurately capture it well enough to shake the dark recesses of your psyche when you hear it just a few feet away.

There is not one other sound that I can think of that would put such a halt to a busy nursing station. Hearing “code blue” overhead would momentarily reset us into action. Hearing the fire alarm barely fazes us anymore. Some crazy person running through the unit screaming would startle us, but we’d immediately get over it and take care of the situation.

But when we hear the muffled cries of someone who is trying to escape the floor, we never know if they’re going to make it to solitude. It sends a chill down every single one of us and we are momentarily paralyzed by it. People are usually very guarded with their emotions. We don’t want to be vulnerable in front of a bunch of people we don’t know. So when we hear such a raw and primitive sound coming from another person, a stranger, it resonates very deeply.

Most are stunned into silence. What do we do? Do we stand there gaping at them, or do we turn back to our charting, our conversations? It’s disrespectful to gawk but then again, it’s disrespectful to go on as though someone isn’t falling apart 3 feet away from us.

If my coworkers are anything like me, it puts them into sort of a daze for the rest of the shift, too.

MC

<3

Gift Giving

My father-in-law opening his Christmas gift. That big box housed another box and inside that box was a really cool pocket knife that Chase picked out for him :).

The fun part of Christmas is giving the gifts not receiving. It is one way to express how much you love them so I try to make each gift special for each person. It is just so much fun!

Merry Christmas, Tad!

More Christmas

Mom got Chase and I this PD cookware. It is so nice!!!!!!

About 1 pm Christmas Day, Chase and I went over to his Mom's to do Christmas. Karla had made a big Christmas dinner that was very very good! It was Chase's parents and us so it was so relaxing and laid back. We watched movies (really I slept through the movies) and laid around. We had a really good Christmas. Hope ya'll enjoyed time with your families!

Sadie

My Christmas Cupcakes

My brother opening the Fossil wallet that Chase and I got him.

Opening his new cell phone

Christmas 2009

My Mom's pretty Christmas tree!! She always goes above and beyond on Christmas! All those presents were for Justin, Chase and me. When my brother and I were little we would have -no kidding- 15 or more presents a piece. I thought that since I am now 22 and Judd is 17 we would get just a couple a for each of us, but I was wrong. She is so good to us- better than she has to be. I love her so much. Justin got a new cell phone, jeans, shirts, a new wallet, and other stuff. Chase and I got PAULA DEAN pots and pans amoung other things!!!

Every year since this kid has been born I have had to MAKE him get up so we can open presents and nothing changed this year lol.

Presents!!

I love presents under the tree! I am still waiting on a couple gifts to arrive in the mail and I am expecting them tonight. Once I have them wrapped, I'll will be done shopping... I think. I keep remembering people I want to buy for lol.

Lately for some reason, I have found it hard to blog... I'm not sure why-this is a time of year where there are a lot of topics to blog about... I'm just tired, I think.

Chase is about to go help some friends move into their FIRST home!! We are excited for them. While he is helping them, I'm going to cook stuffed porked chop and green beans wrapped in bacon...

After Christmas I will have some pics to post and talk about :)

Cupcakes for Papa

Chase and I found out that his Papa would be out of town for Christmas and his birthday (which is the day after Christmas) so we thought we would head over there the other day to give him his b-day present early. I made cute little cupcakes and his present -a 5 yr old Juniper Bonsai tree-was in a birthday bag. We were all set. We drove over to Bull Shoals and pulled in the driveway.... only to find out he had to leave town unexpectedly...dang lol. So we will be taking care of the bonsai tree until he gets back. Of course we couldn't let the cupcakes go to waste! We ate a couple and I took the rest over to my Mom's. Moral of the story- call and make sure the birthday boy is home first!!

MC

Cuteness

Southern Living

For at least the past 8 or 9 years (probably longer) Southern Living has published a book at Christmas with the hottest decoration ideas, recipes, menu planning, and checklists to keep you prepared and organized for the holiday season. I absolutely love these books! There are so many recipes I want to try out with the family. I have two houses to crash on Christmas Day and they will certainly be my guinea pigs. I work the nights before Christmas and I won't be officially off until 7am Christmas Day so I can't make big stuff but think I can pull off a couple side dishes and desserts! Four-Cheese Spinach Macaroni, Broccoli Slaw with Cranberries, Fudgy Peppermint Brownies, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Key Lime Fudge.... My Dad loves sweets so I am planning to go heavy on those. Oh my, I loves this time of year :)

I hope everyone's Christmas shopping is going well. Online shopping has been our thing this year and there are good deals to find out there. We went to Springfield a couple days ago and hit Hobby Lobby-the BEST store ever- and they are having good sales as well!

Check out Southern Living!
Love ya'll

Our Christmas Tree!!

I love Christmas trees! Our's is small but as Chase would say "it's fine." LOL I want a bigger one and I might just get my wish next year. My mom has a big tree that she wants to give me since my brother and me are 'all grown'. Hahaha Chase- we WILL have a big tree next year :)
Please excuse the tennis shoe is the corner of the pic lol- I put poinsettias around the bottom of the tree.

"Where should I go in my travels.."

So.. my husband read my 'Thanksgiving' post where I mentioned that we had made some big decisions... and he said to me "what are you talking about, Ashley?"... Wow. Men.

A week or so ago, we were talking about him applying to the traveling agency that a friend of his has worked with. I decided to check out the website and see what kind of Rad Tech jobs were available and where. Then I decided to see what kind of RN jobs are available and where... And then it hit me- why don't I travel? I could make possibly double the money I am now AND I would get to see different places. Chase and I talked and it is a BIG possibility. He takes his Rad Tech test on December 18th. We will keep looking and hoping he gets on somewhere or with the traveling agency. If he doesn't, then in January or February I will probably apply to a traveling agency. We will both go on my assignments and I think we will be able to get his foot in the door that way.

To me, this is a HUGE deal so I considered it a big decision. I was open to the idea of moving out of state it that's what it took to land a Rad Tech job for Chase, but I never thought I would possibly be traveling soon! Traveling had been a distant goal for years now and for it to be right here is so so scary. Of course, I feel most comfortable here and would be quite alright if there was some way we could stay at home and work, but sometimes it doesn't work like that. Leaving somewhere you feel comfortable is a hard thing to do.. I am excited to see where all this will lead :)

Jason Richard Carney, Jr

My nephew-Jason- was born 11.24.2009 at 6:55 pm. He was 8lbs 4oz and 20 inches long. He is sooooo gorgeous. I heart this baby!
I can't believe I am an AUNT! I am planning a trip to Texas in January and I will definitely be visiting this little guy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I will be sleeping today and working tonight so I will miss out on the good part (the food) but I hope everyone has a great day with their families. I will see ya'll in the crowds on BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!!

On another note- Chase and I have made some big decisions!! Will share later.

Enjoy your day!

Chase

Chase had lunch with some friends from Rad Tech school yesterday at Colton's!! He learned from one of his friends that a traveling company offered her THREE permanent positions- one in Kansas, Maine, and Oklahoma. She turned them down because she did not want a permanent position out of state. Granted, this girl has about 6 months of working experience that Chase doesn't have but we are hopeful. Chase has applied to their company and we are crossing our fingers. Anything at this point would be a blessing :). If they will take him as a traveling tech, then we have discussed going ahead and starting to travel together! Hmmm the possibilities are endless...

"America is my country but Paris is my hometown."--Gertrude Stein

I have to go to Paris. I had a chance to go as an undergraduate at ASU. I had signed up for it and lined out all the travel arrangements, but had to back out at the last minute. I regret that I did. Paris is mysterious and sexy. The history, architecture, monuments and landmarks, parks and gardens, entertainment and museums-they absolutely compel me to travel there! It is only a matter of time though. It is at the top of my '100 Things I Gotta Do' list..:)

Where would you love to visit?

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta Cheese

This sounded weird to me but EVERYONE rated this recipe as 5 stars- they just loved it. I am on a 'eat healthier kick' and the great thing about this recipe is that its a low-fat naturally sweetened dish.

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Pierce potatoes with a fork and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool until potatoes can be handled, about 20 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large baking sheet.
3. Meanwhile, place olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook and stir until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell. Set shells aside. Place pulp into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add ricotta, salt, pepper, ginger, and sugar to the blender; blend until smooth.
5. Return potato mixture to a bowl; stir in shallots, Parmesan cheese, and sage. Spoon mixture back into potato skins. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole (from scratch!!)

I have never been to a Thanksgiving dinner with out green bean casserole. It's just a nice filler between all the other good stuff. But I have never had it made from scratch-we just always use a can of cream of mushroom. I think this recipe sounds very good.

• 2 (12 ounce) packages frozen French cut green beans
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (2.8 ounce) can canned French fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place green beans into a saucepan and fill with about 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a boil and steam until beans are tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain and toss with the mushrooms. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and parsley; cook and stir until onion is tender. Whisk in flour until blended, then mix in the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring constantly, so that no lumps form and then stir in sour cream. Warm over medium heat until the sauce begins to bubble. Dump in the green beans and mushrooms, stirring to coat.
4. Remove from the heat and toss briefly with some of the Cheddar cheese and French fried onions, saving some of each to sprinkle over the top. Spoon into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and top with the reserved onions and cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes.

Christmas Decorations

Oooooh my goodness! It is almost time to break out the Christmas decorations:). Christmas is one of my two favorite holidays. I love gift giving and decorating and the excitement of the kids. As a child, I would spend Christmas Eve listening to a cassette of Christmas carols on my walkman (obviously this was the 90's!). Then I would go to bed a 8 pm so that it would be morning sooner lol... As an adult, my favorite part is decorating the Christmas tree, hanging wreaths, wrapping presents, lighting Christmas scented candles... I am going to break out my tree and other decorations a couple days before Thanksgiving. Chase and I have a small skinny tree but its super cute after it's all decked out... Maybe I can talk him into a bigger tree for next year :).. I will take pics of my tree as soon as I get it up. AND I want to see yours! When you and your family get yours up, link a pic to my post! But first things first- Let's get through Thanksgiving! I plan on digging through some recipes and posting some good, quick, easy dishes to make and take to Thanksgiving dinner with your family. Love you all!

Pensacola Beach Florida

My husband Chase

My Aunt Vickie and me

My mother-in-law Karla and me

Mom, Me, and Vickie

We have tons of pictures from the Florida trip in September and I am sifting through them to post the best ones. We had such a good time and are planning another possible trip for Spring Break!

These pictures are courtesy of Karla Green Photography :)