Linda's Family Vacation at Westgate in Gatlinburg, TN

We happened on two of these in the Smokey Mountain National Forest.
(stock photo)

For those who are checking, all family members have arrived safely to their respective homes after our 'first' family reunion at Westgate Resorts in Gatlinburg, TN. (Westgate was a fabulous place to get together. More about Westgate in my next article.)

To tell the truth, my sister, Sandy, and I have never felt like we were really an intimate part of any family reunion we attended. We attended Brantley family get-togethers, but got left off the kinship list when our dad died. We enjoyed Mascunana family traditions as small children, but after our grandparents (Grandpa Mascunana) died, we weren't included anymore. I'm not an active part of the Cash family reunions since the divorce (although politely invited), and I don't know any of the Meikle's at the Meikle family picnics. We received invitations to our mom's family get-together back in August, but schedules prevented us attending - and we heard nothing more.

So, for the first time ever, Sandy and I made up our own little family list and formed a small reunion that included our three children and their wives or significant others. (No grandkids yet.) There were 10 of us who showed up from all points of the US. From Tampa, FL to Portland, OR, to Columbia, SC to near Orlando, FL, and from Columbus, OH, we arrived by car and by plane bringing big smiles and warm hugs and kisses.

We are as diverse and contrasted as any family - if not more! But we communicated, connected and discovered each other as we collaborated, coordinated, and had fun in the shadows of the great Smokey Mountains Sept. 12-17, 2009.

I'm writing a comprehensive diary of our few magnificent days that I hold very dear to my heart! I'll post the memories we want to remember along with unforgettable pictures soon.

This morning as I started jotting down things we did together every day, I suddenly couldn't remember what we did on Monday! How soon we will forget the tender moments including all my birthday gifts and who gave me what; little things like Colleen's first bee sting; tall things like Bobby's goofy stories told while sitting around the flickering table lamp on the back porch; Sandy's constant flow of daily photographs and videos; Coffee at Starbucks with Billy and Colleen; Alison describing her new house and showing the photos on her cell phone; Craig walking all the way to the waterfall with his bad knee; the strange little shell Billy found on the nature hike and gave to Jim; Shelley quietly working on school work in the midst of a noisy cabin; Philip telling tales of his classroom; and the unusual friendship that developed between our dogs, Star and Sheba!

And for those fortunate enough to have seen them, who will ever forget the two wolves we chanced upon in the Smokey Mountains National Forest? Their eyes glowed in the headlights, and one lifted his head as we slowed down, and I turned the car cross ways in the highway to get a good view! It happened so quickly, we didn't get any pictures. But, it was an encounter of a lifetime!

All these are memories and more that I want to hold dear to my heart forever.

Thanks to each of you, Billy & Colleen, Philip & Shelley, Sandy & Craig, Bob & Alison, and my loving hubby, James, for sharing a few special moments in time together.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

New Posting At My Bohecker College Blog

No one gets an e-mail notice when I post on my Bohecker LPN to RN blog, so here's a link where I just posted an update on school. http://rnstudentatboheckercollege.blogspot.com/

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Sunday Paper 9-13-09 Stuffed With Coupons

(As posted on my coupon blog http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com .)

I love living near the city, but being able to enjoy a bit of nature outside our door. Today the birds are calling in the trees near my window, and one came close to whisper in my ear that this coming Sunday would be a great newspaper coupon day.

There will be two Smart Source booklets, two Red Plum and one Better At Home. (I don't recall seeing that one before.) She gave me a little peek inside, and I saw more coupons than even a pro like me could imagine. Everything but coupons for Irish Spring for my friend, Edith! (Maybe I didn't look carefully enough, so I'll check again.)

There are coupons for all my favorite things like frozen veges, pet food, shampoos, cleaning supplies, and more! The USA Weekend that is also included in the Sunday paper has a nice little article on where to get the best up-to-date coupons with good online coupon links to check out.

The USA Weekend article called getting stuff for free "almost an extreme sport". In the SaveSmart story titled "Make the Most of Coupons", it lists several good coupon websites to check out. They are: http://www.wickedcooldeals.com , http://www.moneysavingmom.com , and http://www.neverpayretailagain.net .

Having shared all that, the little birdie flew on to her Tennessee destination where she plans to soak up some last minute summer sun, play in the warm soaking spas, check out some mountain water falls, enjoy a small family reunion, and pick up some fall sunflower seeds to enjoy during the long, cold winter months in central Ohio.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

No Coupons in Sunday Paper, But Good Deals Abound!

I've posted Good Deals and Free Meals over at my coupon blog. Click HERE for the posting.

Hope everyone is sleeping in and enjoying the little holiday!

Love, Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

License Renewal Time

Time has breezed in quickly with birthday greetings again! I've renewed the car registrations only two days before my birthday anniversary, so the renewal stickers won't be here on time. But, like most everything else in life, if I don't make a big deal about it, others may not either. (The birthday and the late registration on September 3.)

The big research papers are done for school. (This term.) (Thanks for your superb help, Jim.) One major test is done. Others won't be for a couple days, so I'm breathing s sigh of relief and planning to sleep in just a little in the morning.

By the 'skin of my teeth', I passed the last microbiology quiz and hope to make the grade on the one last final that only covers four chapters instead of being comprehensive. My Microbiology professor says I'm "doing well" in that class. So, I'm trusting him that he knows the numbers!

My sister and I phone each other every day (and sometimes more) discussing the auspicious, exciting plans for our mini-family reunion in Tennessee starting in a couple weeks! Our families are sharing a cabin in the Smokey Mountains for a week. Both of us have a dog, so that may be our biggest challenge. Her little dog, Star, needs assurances that our big dog, Sheba, won't take her food dish. And Sheba needs to know that Star won't take her for a cat to play with. (Star comes from a family of cats, and they love to 'play". ha ha.)

We've already decided we aren't going to spend our days in the kitchen, and shopping is near the top of the list of fun things to do! Of course, we each have our little "stash" of cash that no one else knows about for our little vacation fun!

Since my last birthday, I've almost completed the RN program (four months to go!) and have enjoyed every challenge along the way! At the least, I know that I can physically and mentally accomplish this goal. I will never again wonder if I was 'smart enough"! I have been able to keep up with those who are 30-years younger than myself who have just finished high school chemistry, modern English and and microbiology!

While on vacation, I will officially celebrate my birthday surrounded by my two sons whom I haven't seen in many months due to the distance (Oregon and S. Carolina) and work (teaching) schedules. A tiny part of me hates that my boys will see a mother who is getting older and slightly slower, but I know they will see the "mom" who is always there in love for each one! My little sister, Sandy and our spouses will help mark this passage of time in a delightful, fun day!

During this last year, several of my dearest friends have lost jobs and run into poor health. My heart and prayers go out to them. Several members of our nursing class have experienced family health crisis and financial hardship since we started. Some have had to drop out. At least one will be dropping out after this term to help with an unexpected family illness. It makes me feel very thankful for good health and continued work opportunity for hubby.

I've made some new friends at school who are now a part of the meso part of my life. We have a new page on Facebook called "Bohecker RN January 2010". I just created that page and haven't informed the classmates yet, but hope to get everyone informed before break. This way maybe we can all keep in touch after graduation.

Happy car-tag renewal day - and many more to come!

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Tests Out My Ears!

Flcker photo

For the next few days (weeks?), I'm swamped with end-of-term tests and papers to write. It all ends September 9. Hang in there with me. Thanks.

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Kroger Triples and Tickles

Yep, tonight I saved $77 and spent $4 at one grocery store. That tickles me pink and makes hubby very happy!

He is quite proud of my 'second job'. He calls it that because it saves us so much money every week! He says I've become a professional at it, but it's not that much of a mystery or that much trouble once you get into it.

I've had so much fun tonight taking in some great deals at Kroger during the weekend of triple coupons (up to 50 cents). The best deal, of course, was all the absolutely free Pillsbury Grands and related breads. Hubby looked into the refrigerator at the loaded bottom shelf and commented, "Well, I do like biscuits with my meals." I don't consider Grands true biscuits, but I guess they are. Anyway, I used all my stash of Pillsbury coupons and now have a supply for Pantry 309 too! (I'm thinking of renaming it "Linda's Pantry". But, I want to encourage others to use coupons instead of expecting me to do the shopping. ha ha)

Another swell deal at Kroger was Suave shampoo and body wash. Using my 50 cent coupons that tripled to $1.50, I got bottles of shampoo and body wash for about 12 each!

Crest toothpaste is $4/2 at Kroger, but with the 50 cent coupon, the final price was 50 cents. Even though it cost me 50 cents, some of them also included a free 'travel size' tube of toothpaste. I could have bought a lot more because I have a big stash of Crest coupons, but at 50 cents, even that has a limit of spending. Too bad no one is requesting my extra coupons...Too bad they expire August 31. (But more always show up in the weekly inserts.)

Mustard would have been free, but I forgot to get it tonight. I still have Sunday, though. So are the Bic pens that I forgot to get.

Reese's candy bars are free along with another free one with a BOGO free coupon that you guys will see in Sunday's Red Plum or Smart Source insert. My husband and big John especially love those. I politely got only 10 of the Reese Dark Chocolate Candy Bars (new), but promised the boys more on another day! (Hey, I tried one. They are AWESOME!)

The very BEST deal was at Giant Eagle where I found Chef Michael (spelling) dog food (by Purina) on sale. There's a coupon for $3 off a bag in the Sunday paper (8/23), and it's on sale for 2/$7 making it only 50 cents a bag! Sheba loves it! I got several bags, but not wanting to look greedy in front of all my favorite cashiers, I went back a second time for three more bags.

Another great deal (if you're into it) at Giant Eagle are the Chinet plates and cups. Using coupons I saved for a sale from earlier, I paid only 50 cents for each set of plates and cups. Instead of paper plates, I got the clear plastic called 'crystal' plates and cups. I'm into that even though I'd never pay full price or even half price for them! (Sandy, let me know if you use these.)

For Edge shaving cream, I have to drive to another Giant Eagle but with the coupons, it's free too. We don't need so much, but hubby says if it's free, he will find a good hiding spot for it.

At both stores, the cashiers commented on what good deals I got. (Sometimes they sneer and make snide comments, ((mostly at other stores)), so a nice, positive comment is very much appreciated.) One cashier at Giant Eagle said, "I want my wife to talk to you about how to use coupons!" Another cashier was shocked, but excited with me when I saved $77 and spent only $4. (I gave her some dog food coupons too. She has several big dogs.) On a funny note, an older man cashier noted the first $3 off coupon and commented, "That's a good coupon. When the next one was also $3 off and the others were $2.00 off, he was more astonished with each one. It was funny to watch him checking out each coupon (but not checking expiration dates).

One thing I've noticed is that the grocery stores never check for expiration dates. At least not the two main ones that I go to. While I'm always very careful about using coupons that are not expired, I decided to try some paper towel coupons that expired this week because the paper towels are free with those coupons. So far, it's worked with five rolls. I have 12 more to go. Wonder if I'll get them all?

My wish is that more of my friends and family would learn this art of saving money on all of your favorite grocery and personal items. It really does not take that much time once you get yourself organized - especially if you only buy what you and your family use. Once you get a little stockpile of the specific items you use, then catch these items on sale and pick up two or three extra, that all it takes!

At the end of each month, I toss out a big grocery bag of expired coupons, and that doesn't count the hundreds that I don't cut out. I'm learning to cut only the basic things I like. I file the inserts in a big manila envelope by name and date and use the coupon blogs to discover other specials that I need additional coupons for. Most 'couponers' have their own special way of cutting and organizing coupons. Whatever works. I love my baseball card notebook because the baseball card slots are perfect for coupons. I label by alphabet. It cost about $5 for 30 baseball card pages that hold about 300 slots.

Of course as hubby says, if everybody used coupons, the shelves would be empty! It has to be something YOU want to do. I'm sure it's not for everyone, and that okay too. I still love ya!

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

HOME: http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com
E-mail: pantry309@yahoo.com or bestnurse@usa.com

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Kroger Going to Triple Coupons Starting Friday, August 21, 2009

I just got off the phone with the Kroger in New Albany (near Columbus), and she confirmed they will start triple coupons August 21, 2009. She didn't know how high the triple would be (up to 50 cents or up to 99 cents) or how long the triple coupon special will be in effect. Last time they did this, they didn't have good sales on brand name items, so it was disappointing. This week, I have Pillsbury coupons, AND the Pillsbury Grands and rolls are on sale for 99 cents. If my 35 cent coupons triple, they will be a money-maker.

I'm going to start researching sales and coupons before Friday to see how good we can do!

My sister in Tampa always wishes she could come to Ohio for the double and triples because she says they never have that in Florida! Sorry Sandy. I'll bring you something.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Angels In The Night

(As also posted on my Coupon blog with tiny modifications)

Roused from sleep last night by a burning, choking, sensation in my chest and throat, I sat up on the side of the bed and reached for my bottle of Tums as I sometimes do when I have a GERD episode. Except this time I felt different! My lungs felt 'bubbly' when I coughed, and each time I coughed, my lungs felt more on fire and full of liquid. I wanted to reach over to alert hubby or grab the phone and call for help, but it took all my effort to remain calm and try not to cough. I couldn't speak, my breathing was getting worse, and my lungs sounded like I was blowing through a straw in water.

Believe it or not, just as I was beginning to wonder if I would die all alone at the side of the bed about 24-hours ago, hubby woke up with a start and asked if I was okay. C-A-l-l 9-1-1 was all I could force from the fire in my throat and chest full of bubbles.

He did what I asked without hesitation, and they came in full force with firetrucks, ambulance, and red emergency lights filling the cool night air. As I heard the sirens in the far distance coming closer, I reassured myself that if I was to quit breathing now, maybe they would get here soon enough to revive me.

The oxygen and professional group of paramedics crowded into our small living room, calmed my panic a little. They started oxygen, stuck my left hand with an lancet and checked my B/P on the other arm. A kind female paramedic listened to my lung sounds and heartbeat. As they loaded me into the back of the ambulance and started other procedures to ease my discomfort, I was able to give hubby a little reassuring wave through the back window.

I heard all the results of various tests they were doing. I understood the medical jargon of the paramedic as she notified the ER of our pending arrival. I knew from personal experience just what steps would be taken as they wheeled me into the tiny exam room of the ER. No I wasn't having 'chest pain' as in heart attack. (Even though they tested me for that.) Yes, they usually get a good vein in the left anticubital, but tonight it took two paramedics and three nurses and five needle sticks to finally get an IV going that eventually infiltrated. A cocktail of Maalox and Zylocain put out the fire in my throat. (Why can't I keep some of that magic stuff at home?) A breathing treatment opened some airways, and a chest x-ray and several blood tests were done. With hubby holding my hand, and nurses close by, I began to improve and slowly become able to breathe and talk again.

I'm home now. Still feeling washed out, and I have a really bad sore throat and tickle in my chest. I'm almost afraid to eat anything or lie down for sleep! I missed an entire day of class for which I'm not happy about! I had not been absent or even tardy this entire term!

But, I'm very thankful for my "night angels' last night. Including the one who woke up my husband! The professionally trained EMT's, paramedics, firemen, nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists. I appreciate even more, my loving, caring family. I just hope I tell them often enough!

Please take this message to always be ready; be kind to everyone you meet on your journey, and live your life so that when "your life flashes before your eyes', you will have no regrets.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

My Home Town of Berrien Springs is in the NEWS

Police officer falls off bridge....Click HERE for the story.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com