Day 6:: AWESOMENESS in a Hospital Gift Store

So many people don't know how

AWESOME

a hospital thrift store can be.

I hate to confess this, but I have found some

AWESOME

and

UNIQUE

jewelry, purses, and clothing

at 

HOSPITAL GIFT STORES.

 

Here's the gift store at 

Regions Hospital 

in 

St. Paul, Minnesota.

It's amazing how much

AWESOMENESS

is found in this gift store.

 

   Not only did I find some

AWESOME

holiday decorations and purses...

  I found some snacks, stuffed animals, sleep pants, robes,

a-a-a-a-n-n-n-d

some absolutely

AWESOME

outwear jackets!

ummmmmmmmm!

 

 What other 

AWESOMENESS

do you see here?

 

I see soft drinks, amazing gift bags, and soft, cuddly toys.

Can you believe all this is in a hospital gift store?

And there is more...

 

 

Keep looking.

I am.

There is just so much 

AWESOMENESS

in this gift store!!!

I hope you enjoyed your tour! 

Come join the fun.

Search your local hospital gift store for some

AWESOME

finds!

 

This is Day 6 of this writing challenge.  To read more articles of the 31 Day Reading Challenge click

HERE.

Look at the categories.  Click on the category of your choice.  Scroll down and click on the button of your choice.  You will see hundreds of blogs to read.

 

 

Index

 

 

Day 1: Simple Blessings 

 

Day 2: How can you say a Rainy day is Awesome? 

 

Day 3::Three Beautiful Things This Week. 

 

Day 4:  Happy Birthday, Pixie Marie

  Day 5: I Heart Macro: More Awesomeness in Color!

A Quarter of a Century!

It was our dream house.  Nothing else I can say, except that it still is.

Today, I looked at this tree again.  It's not that red yet.  It's still green with a tinge of yellow, but 26 years ago, we moved into our dream house, this is the way our tree looked.  It was red, and it was beautiful!

What is even MORE AMAZING, is that I have lived in our home for longer than I lived in the home in which I grew up. 

I left my home town when I was 24, and I never been back there to live.  We left Chicago shortly after I turned 40, and we moved to Minnesota.  You don't have to do the math, I'll do it for you.

Next month, I'll be 66 years old.
66 - 40 = 26 years ago.  I keep saying this because I AM AMAZED that, as of this moment, I have lived in this home for a quarter of a century. 

My head is spinning at the math.  It's accurate. 

A. QUARTER. OF. A. CENTURY!

I am blessed!

Weekly Photo Challenge - Water

Minnesota has a lot of

Water.

This state is known as the 

Land of 10,000 lakes.

There is only one county in the state

in which there is no lake.

I don't know which state that is, but it is a fact.

Here's a lake

with a dock

and 

a duck

Water

w-a-t-e-r

Water.

Artisitic Growth - Christmas in New Zealand and Christmas in Minnesota

Deb Batten

and
I
have challenged ourselves to grow artistically using different mediums for growth.
Our first challenge was to use copper in a non jewelry item. Click here to see that blog.
Then, if you want to see the Reveal, click here.

Knowing that December is a busy month,
Deb and I decided that we would use our cameras to record our Christmas events.
Not only that, we would have a wonderful bit of history to keep for years to come!
CONTRASTS.

Deb lives in New Zealand.
I live in Minnesota.
At this time, we are in opposite seasons.
Deb is in summer.
I am in winter.
Our landscapes, our foods, our activities reflect these differences.

Here in Minnesota, we are COVERED in snow.
This year, there is SNOW EVERYWHERE!

Icicles are forming.

Critters leave footprints in the snow.

The mailbox is almost buried in snow.
The colors of the landscape are like these almost everyday in the winter.

Jenny came home with her kitties.

These are the kitties.

Pixie endures the kitties, and she stays on her couch.

Nick came home, too.
It was a great joy to have both of the kids home!

We added a few more decorations.
The red looks great on the wooden trees.

We lit a fire.

"Santa" brought presents and put them under the tree.

We set the table with the Christmas dishes.
The food was cooked, and we sat down to eat.

Jenny made some green beans and peppers.

Jenny also made black bean enchiladas.
Nummy!
There was baked ham.

We also had baked beans.

This was one delicious meal!
Gifts were fun and practical.
I'm not sure Nick was impressed with his toothpaste!

Family, food, blessings.
What could make Christmas better?
Not much. Not much at all!
Be sure to visit Deb's blog to see her photo essay about her Christmas celebration!

The End of the Storm

As I write this, the winds and snow are beginning to slow down. I am seeing the outdoor lights going on at the neighbors' houses. This is a good sign that they are safe, too.

I'm not sure how much snow is on the ground, but there's a lot, and with the wind, there are a lot of drifts that continue to grow. The light is beginning to fade. Tomorrow, the ravages of the storm will be beautiful. Today, I am grateful that we are warm. We are dry. We are safe.

I pray for all of those who must go out in this storm.

They are those who drive the plows who are battling the roads for us and making sure that we can drive as safely as possible in the morning.

They are the police, the state troopers, those who serve as firemen, paramedics, first responders. They must be out there.

I pray for anyone who must drive the highways, if they can. I pray that they are safe, especially if they are stranded.

I pray that the airports are safe, and that those passengers who are stranded can sleep, at least a little bit, as they wait for flights to resume.

I pray for all those who are homeless, that they have found shelter, warmth, and food in this storm.

I pray for all who are suffering as a result of this storm.

I can hear the snow plows on the roads now. The storm will end before the morning. Maybe, the sun will shine tomorrow. The worst is over now.

Christmas in New Zealand and Christmas in Minnesota

Have you ever wondered what differences there are in the celebrations for Christmas in different cultures, particularly, between Minnesota and New Zealand?

Well, this month, Deb Batten (Firebird Flamework) and I have decided that our challenge for artistic growth will be to document the differences in our cultures as we celebrate the holidays.

We are going to use our photographic skills to present to you a photo journal
of our lives as we celebrate Christmas.

Our reveal will be on December 27, 2010. We think that this might be enough time to recover from the festivities. I'm already tired!

In case you've never wondered about our cultural differences, I'm sure that now, you will be waiting to see what we show. So, stay tuned and see you on December 27th!

Oh, you can check out Deb's blog for her side of the story. (Notice I put the link to her blog at the end of my blog?) ;)

The Highest Natrual Elevation in Minneapolis

Isn't this beautiful? It is the highest
natural elevation in the City of Minneapolis!

Enjoy the view!

Minnesota Hot Dish!

I'd never heard the term until we moved to Minnesota. Before we moved here, what I am about to show you was called a casserole. Here, the generic term for this mixture of hot food is called "Hot Dish."

This recipe is a recipe I was given here in Minnesota at an international fest hosted at my child's school when she was in 6th grade. I actually chased the maker of the "hot dish" down to get the recipe. To say this is significant because, as you can see, sauerkraut is a main ingredient. Until I tasted this magnificent "hot dish," I was a sauerkraut HATER!
Now, I love it!

All right, here's the recipe for this Minnesota Hot Dish. It only takes 5 ingredients, and it can cook up in 45 minutes to an hour. It is delicious!

Here's the finished product! ------->

Minnesota Hot Dish

Ingredients:
1 can of sauerkraut
(You can use the smaller sized can, too.)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of uncooked shells or macaroni
1 pound of hamburger
1 small onion

How do you make this "hot dish?"

1) Brown the hamburger with the onion. Drain.
2) Mix together the hamburger and onion mixture with the soup, uncooked pasta, and sauerkraut.
3) Put in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Easy peasy! And it tastes delicious! Now, you can join those of us who live up north and say,
"Yah, you betcha! Ya'll."