Bitten

Have you ever been bitten with the "not-good-enough" bug? That nagging, sinking, suspicious feeling that no matter what, something is just not good enough? If I were to ask myself that question, it should probably be rephrased into this: "Have you been bitten by the "not-good-enough" bug today?"

Feelings of inadequacy plague me. Everything from my shoes not matching well enough to my walk with God not being good enough. It's a vicious cycle really. Lets say, for example, that I begin to feel like my car isn't good enough. I want a newer, shinier, fancier car. Fast forward a few minutes and I'm feeling guilty for not being grateful for what I have (a working, reliable car).

So here's a question: What is the cure for this bug that plagues us all? What is the way to pure contentment? What can I do to fully embrace God's blessings and let go of my own nagging insecurities?

Over the next month, I will investigate on my own what the Bible says about letting go of insecurities and hang-ups. I'll be blogging as a guest contributor on the Women of Noble Character blog. How do you overcome the depressing feelings of inadequacy?

Prayers Appreciated!

I know many of you have already seen my post on facebook about my cousin Josh. Here's the back story:

Josh went to the ER last night complaining of severe abdominal pain. After running a few tests, he was found to have cholecystitis and taken to surgery. They removed his gall bladder which was very enlarged, full of stones and badly infected. He also had a hernia which was repaired at the same time. This surgery was done laparoscopically.

Fast forward to this morning: he was in a regular room, feeling a little nauseated and in pain but overall was doing well. Throughout the day, the pain worsened, his belly became distended, and he became short of breath. He was moved to ICU under the assumption that he may be septic, have internal bleeding or a pulmonary embolus. Shortly after moving to ICU, it was found that his hemoglobin had dropped from 14 (normal) to 11. It was decided then to take him back for exploratory surgery to find the source of bleeding or infection. They checked his H&H before going to the OR and found that his hemoglobin had dropped to 3, which is critically low. Last I've heard, he's received 5 units of blood, 2 packs of platelets and 4 units of fresh frozen plasma.

He is now out of surgery and back in the ICU. The surgeon was unable to determine the source of his bleeding, but packed his belly and stapled him back up. He is stable but in critical condition. He is on a ventilator and will probably stay ventilated throughout the night.

Please keep Josh in your prayers. I will update tomorrow when I hear from my family.

Adventures In Georgia Vol. II

We were also in Georgia over Mother's day, which was a delight! I dont think I've spent a mother's day with my mom since we've moved to Texas. We spent a good bit of the day at my Aunt's house with my mom and my Nana. She's pictured above for those of you still salivating over her Cherry Yum-yum recipe (which has been updated-- so check it out again if youre planning on trying it. Some of the measurements have changed!). And let me tell you- her Cherry Yum-Yum is just the tip of her culinary iceberg! She is SUCH a good cook. She has a pineapple-coconut cake that is also one of my very very favorite things. Maybe one day I'll snag that recipe too. Coming soon, I'll post a recipe for Green Jacket Dressing, which is an awesome vinegar/oil-based salad dressing.

This is Papa & Pierre. He's a riot.

The dog is pretty cute too.

While in Georgia, I also went bridesmaid dress shopping with Casey. I still cant believe she's A. Graduated from college and B. Getting married. While there, Casey tried on her dress again, which was great because I wasnt with her when she originally chose it. For those of you who know my stone-cold tendencies, I did NOT cry when I saw Casey in her dress. I have pictures of Casey's dress (which I obviously wont post) but no pictures of the bridesmaid's dress that she chose! Click the link below to see a picture of our dress (it will be the bordeaux color)

Jasmine Bridal

Beach to Bay 2010

L to R: Me, Meredith, Shelly, Courtney, Maria (Connie is missing)

Even though the weather was crummy, the Birthing Babes were victorious! (in our own minds)

Adventures in Georgia Vol. I

While we love visiting our hometown and seeing family and friends, we always schedule visits around significant events. This last visit was no exception. I would NOT have missed my sister's graduation!!! I'm so proud of her! She graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelors degree in Nursing. She's such a Smarty McFarty, she graduated Magna Cum Laude!

We went to the School of Nursing Pinning ceremony on Friday night, which made me reminiscent of my own pinning ceremony 4 years ago! Casey took the stage with her classmates and I pulled out my camera to snap some pics... and... nothing happened. Dead battery! Durrrrr!!!! I made certain to charge it up for the big ceremony on Saturday morning.

Graduation was held in Paulson Stadium and some 2400 kids graduated last Saturday!!!! There was no room in the stands and people were spilling out into the grass and all over the place. It was also a little... um... warm. Central Georgia + May + 11AM + direct sunlight = HOT!

There's Cas on the big screen receiving her diploma!

Post-graduation and cooling off in Casey's apartment. Casey walked the stage somewhere around 10:45 and shortly after, we (my family & I) hoofed it over to her place and sat around in the AC until the ceremony was officially finished around noon. Can I say again how excited I am for Cas? She's such a sweet, Jesus-loving girl and I'm so fortunate to call her my sister and my best friend.

Congratulations Class of 2010!!!!

Winners and Losers!

After a rough few days at work, I'm ready for some fun & excitement! Sometimes patients (and their family members) can be so mean. And sometimes, they expect they are staying at a luxury resort!!!!

For example:

Pt's family member talking to patient while I am at the bedside: "Well, we could always go to that other hospital, at least they have better nurses there."

Apparently Hollie = Loser.

And then:

Pt has delivered (vaginally) 2 hours prior and is refusing to get out of bed to transfer out of her laboring room. She is sitting up on the side of the bed acting like a limp noodle. She asks for something to eat so I bring her some graham crackers and juice. (After I'd told her how to order her own meals) I unwrap the crackers and hold them out to her and she opens her mouth expecting me to feed her.

Ughhhhhhhhhhh!

At least there's one winner here today...

#11: Oksana "I love the MALIBU MESSENGER HANDBAG JOEL DEWBERRY DAMASK, its looks so stylish, so amazing and so cute!!!"

Congrats!! I'll send your info to Liz, so expect an email from her shortly!

Thanks to everyone who entered! That was so fun, I'm ready for another great giveaway!!!!

Yum Yum (UPDATE!!)

I've already blogged about my most favorite dessert ever and I think I may have misspoke.

There's a tie for favorite.

And it just so happens to be another dairy-based dessert. Go figure.

My Nana has made Cherry Yum-Yum for our family since as far back as I can remember. Making it this afternoon made me excited to be going back to Augusta for a visit next weekend. Seeing it and smelling it and tasting it makes me think of my wonderful Nana. Basically, not only does it exceed its given name, but it brings back wonderful memories of childhood. It's fruity and creamy and crunchy. It's almost no bake.

And doesnt it look delicious!??!

Cherry Yum-Yum

1 (8oz) block of softened cream cheese

1 box confectioner's sugar

1 packet Dream Whip

1/2 cups milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 stick margarine or butter, melted

1/2 box graham crackers

1 can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush graham crackers. Mix with 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into a 9x13 pan. Bake 7-8 minutes and let cool completely.

Whip dream whip according to box directions (this is where the milk & vanilla will be used). You can find dream whip usually in the baking goods, and cool whip is not an acceptable alternative! In a separate bowl, mix remaining confectioners sugar and cream cheese. Fold cream cheese into dream whip mixture. Spread on top of prepared crust. Top with cherries (or blueberries, if they're more your style.). Refrigerate and devour!

(The recipe has been altered slightly; my mom got the bulk recipe from Nana, which served 150 people. She attempted to cut it down to a single 9x13 pan-sized serving and ended up with a few incorrectly overestimated ingredients. Shortly after, she found her own recipe that only serves 8 people. The changes made to the above ingredients reflect that.)