Everyday Life

Categories Everyday Life

Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing

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That’s what I have to say today.

Okay, not quite.

I actually have plenty to say. I just haven’t the time or the energy to say it.

So I’ll be leaving you with “Nothing, Nothing, Absolutely Nothing” instead.

Don’t tell me you don’t know “Ah Lord God” from the 70s?

Well, you might just have to be enlightened.

Ah Lord God,
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by Thy great power
Ah Lord God
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by Thine outstretched arm

Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Oh great and mighty God
Great in counsel and mighty in deed
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing
Is too difficult for Thee

It’s a good reminder when many things are too difficult for ME.

Categories Everyday Life

I love Columbus, NE

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The weather forecast was predicting half a foot or so of snow in Grand Island yesterday afternoon–and when I called one of my Grand Island facilities at 7 yesterday morning, the dietary manager said she had little for me to look at.

Not relishing the thought of getting stuck in Grand Island overnight, I elected to stay in Columbus and run some errands–and then work from home on some menu stuff (that I have a hard time doing in the office where there are interruptions galore.)

My first order of business was errands.

Errands. I don’t really relish them, but these ones were somewhat important.

I turn old next week, so it was time for me to get a new driver’s license–and probably time for my license to reflect my new dwelling place as well.

Furthermore, just over two years ago, my car (Jack) was rear-ended and I had to buy a new car (Luci). Which means that registration is due this month. And it’s probably about time that my license plates reflect my new dwelling place.

What’s more, Nebraska generally holds primary elections in May–and though I’m not quite sure whether we’ll have any of note this year, I make it a point to vote in every election. Except that my voter’s registration says that I live in Lincoln, which is definitely no longer the case. It’s time my voter’s registration reflected my new dwelling place.

Thankfully, all three errands could be completed in one place–the Platte County Courthouse.

I have to say that I was a bit leery of becoming an official “10 County” resident (mostly because 10 County drivers lack the get-up-and-go of Lincoln drivers)–but my experience at the Platte County Courthouse largely assuaged my fears.

It was there that I discovered that I love Columbus, NE.

Why do I love Columbus, NE?

First, because when I went to get my car registration taken care of, the lady at the desk assumed that I had specialty plates since my current license plates started with “RFS” instead of the ubiquitous number designating the county (Platte County is “10 County”, as mentioned above.)

I had to explain that no, those plates weren’t specialty plates. They were LANCASTER COUNTY plates. (The three largest counties in Nebraska–Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy–have enough people that they need the extra leeway allowed by the 26 letters over the 10 numbers, so they use a three letter/three number combo instead of the “County number-dash-four digit code” that the rest of the counties use.)

Then it came time for ME to get an education on getting a license plate in Platte County.

The gal at the desk asked me what I’d like as my leading letter.

“Leading letter?” I was thoroughly confused.

“How about ‘R’ for your first name, since we don’t have ‘M’?”

“Okay,” I responded, mystified.

It was then that she handed me a looseleaf notebook turned to a page with two columns of handwritten numbers.

R000
R001
R002
R003

“Pick your plates. If a number’s crossed out or has a name beside it, it’s not available.”

And so, while she entered my information into her computer system, I picked out my license plate number and wrote my name beside it.

10-R717

The lady checked what I’d written and marched off to get me my plates.

10-R717

Yes, I love Columbus, NE.

The rest of my errands weren’t quite as interesting (or unexpected)…except for my moment at the DMV where the attendant snapped a picture of me grinning my head off.

They don’t let you smile for Driver’s License photos in Lincoln. In Lincoln, they insist that you look sober.

I have to say…I love Columbus, NE.

Categories Everyday Life

Snapshot: Baby Quilt Square

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When I showed my dad the pattern we’d picked for my nephew’s baby quilt, he warned me solemnly:

“You’d best not let this get around or you’ll have women lining up for a chance to be your sister-in-law.”

Square for Dan and Deb's baby's quilt

I told him that was fine with me so long as said women had brothers who were suitable and amenable to the idea.

I don’t think that’s what he meant.

Even so, if you’re drooling for a baby quilt and want to try your chances at becoming my sister-in-law, I’m amenable to set-ups.

Categories Work

The Calculations I Make

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One of the most routine parts of my daily life is pulling out my calculator and determining someone’s energy and protein needs.

The process I use most frequently looks like this:

1.) Determine person’s BMI
To do this, I need to know their weight in pounds and height in inches. I divide their weight in pounds by their height in inches, then divide that number by their height in inches again. Finally, I multiply this number by 705.

To use myself as an example (which is why I’m doing this anyway), I would take my weight (142#) and divide it by my height (70″).

142/70=2.02857 (don’t round at this point)

This number needs to be divided by my height again:

2.02857/70=.028979 (still no rounding)

Now I multiply this by 705:

.028979*705=20.4 (now is where I round to one decimal place).

2.) Use BMI to determine whether a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese

This can be easily done using the following schema:
–BMI <18.5 is underweight --BMI 18.5-24.9 is normal weight --BMI 25.0-29.9 is overweight --BMI >30.0 is obese

By this categorization, we can see that with a BMI of 20.4, I am in the “normal weight” category.

3.) If the person is obese, determine their ideal body weight and develop an “adjusted body weight”

To determine an ideal body weight, you need to know whether your person is a woman or a man.

Women get 100 lbs to start with and then add on 5 lbs for every inch in height over 5 feet (60 inches)–or take away 5 lbs for every inch in height less than 5 feet.

Since I’m 70 inches tall, I get 100# for the first 60″ and add on 10*5=50 for the final 10 inches. So my ideal body weight is 150#.

Men start with 106 lbs and get 6 lbs for every inch in height over 6 feet.

Which means that if I was a man, I’d get 106# for my first 60″ and add on 10*6=60 for my final 10 inches, making my ideal body weight 166#.

Now, I can make an “adjusted body weight” for my obese residents. I take their actual body weight and subtract their ideal body weight to get the approximate pounds of fat on their bodies. I divide this by four and then add that number to their ideal body weight. This is their adjusted body weight (I do this because fat requires fewer Calories to keep it going–and I don’t want to overfeed the fat!)

Because I’m not obese, I can’t do this for me for real, but I can pretend that I’m only 60″ tall, with an ideal body weight of 100#.

Then I’d take my actual body weight (142#) and subtract my ideal body weight (100# in this example)

142-100=42

I’d take this answer and divide it by four

42/4=10.5

Then I’d add it to my ideal body weight

10.5+100=110.5

And there we have it–my adjusted body weight (if I were 60″ tall) is 110.5#

4) Convert the person’s body weight (or adjusted body weight, if the person is obese) into kilograms.

This is pretty easy. Just divide by 2.2.

So my weight in kilograms is 142/2.2=64.6

5) Finally, multiply the person’s body weight in kilograms by a defined factor to determine an estimate of daily energy needs

Generally, the factors I use are as follows:
…if the person is underweight, multiply actual body weight in kg by 30 to 35 (30 is lower range, 35 is upper range)
…if the person is in the normal range, multiply actual body weight in kg by 28 to 30
…if the person is in the overweight range, multiply actual body weight in kg by 25 to 28
…if the person is in the obese range, multiply adjusted body weight in kg by 25 to 30

Thus, if I were underweight, my energy needs would be 64.6*30=1938 kcal/day to 64.6*35=2261 kcal/day

Since I’m in the normal weight range, my energy needs are actually closer to 64.6*28=1808 kcal/day to 64.6*30=1938 kcal/day

If I were overweight, I’d calculate my needs at 64.6*25=1612 kcal/day to 64.6*28=1808 kcal/day.

And if I were obese, using the adjusted body weight determined above, I’d need 50.2*25=1255 kcal/day to 50.2*30=1506 kcal/day

Of course, the above factors are simply generalities. I would adjust them further if, for instance, an individual had a disease that increased or decreased energy needs or if an individual had recently lost a lot of weight (or gained a lot of weight). And even once I’ve calculated all this, I still have to monitor other indicators (such as weight) to make sure that what I’m providing is sufficient.

While it looks complicated when all typed out like this, this process is about as natural to me as breathing. I make these calculations at least a dozen times a day–with hardly any conscious thought.

Just one (tiny) piece of what it means to be a Registered Dietitian.

(Of course, this is just one of many ways to estimate nutrient needs. I could use others, but feel that this is one of the simplest and most effective for adjusting to the needs of a mostly elderly, long term care population–many of whom are overweight or obese.)

Categories Everyday Life, Reflections

Romancing the Sun

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I drive west in the morning, the sun rising behind me.

In the evening, as I drive home, the sun sinks until at last I see it in my rearview mirror, bidding me farewell.

I am blessed to never have the sun in my eyes, to not have to squint into its unrelenting gaze.

But sometimes I feel as if I were running from the sun, turning and fleeing instead of chasing it, embracing it as I would like.

I’d like, for just once, to stop my car, to stop my purposeful retreat from the sun’s glare.

I’d like to step into a cornfield and dance with the sun’s warm touch on my face.

I’d like to play hide-and-seek with the sun, dashing through the trees that line the river.

I’d like to read a book as the sun peeks over my shoulder, reading a few sentences ahead.

Romantic thoughts, perhaps, dreams of me and the sun both quitting our day’s work to merely play.

But in the wistful thought of such an idyllic day, I cannot forget the quiet romance of this, our day-to-day.

The sun’s soft hand upon my shoulder as I drive to and fro. His gentle kiss to my cheek when the road’s curve let’s us speak.

The kind service he offers me in illumining my way. And the fiery, passionate, sometimes wistful way he waves goodbye until at last we fade from each other’s view.

Categories Family & Friends, Following Christ

Tie-Dye Faith: A Metaphor

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Tie-dye can be a frightening proposition.

Folding fabric, dying sections, waiting hours before you can see how it’ll turn out.

It’s no wonder the girls were so wary. It’s no wonder they felt more comfortable free-hand drawing their designs.

Freehand dyed shirt

Tie-dye takes faith–seeing the finished product in your mind’s eye even when what you’re looking at has little in common with your intended result.

I believed in tie-dye and started using the technique from the get go.

Why?

Because I’d read a book of instruction. I’d seen illustrations of how to fold and what the finished result was supposed to look like. I’d had a friend show me his finished product and describe how he’d gotten it.

The girls hadn’t seen this yet. They didn’t have the evidence I’d seen to support my faith.

They were skeptical.

They’d stick with what they could see.

I forged on in faith, evangelizing my little brood liberally. “How about you try a real tie-dye on this next one?”

They made slow steps–little scrunches tied here and there. Still mostly sight.

But as they saw me walking out my faith, as I continually brought my book and its illustrations to their minds, they started to believe my witness.

Tie-dyed pants, in progress

They chose to act on their fledgling belief.

They folded, dyed, and left their shirts–still folded and tied–with me.

When I rinsed out their shirts, seeing the first fruits of their faith, I was in awe.

Bullseye Tie-Dyed shirt

My own faith strengthened, I determined to tie-dye even more, to convert more to tie-dying.

And so their faith and mine mutually strengthened one another.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
~Hebrews 11:1

Categories Family & Friends

Snapshot: Tie-Dye Party

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I can officially check one more item off my list.

I’ve thrown a tie-dye party.

Girls at Tie-Dye Party

It was just four of us–Esie, Krystal, myself, and Taylor (left to right in the photo above)–but we had a blast!

We made ourselves custom smocks out of trash bags, we folded and drew on and dyed our shirts (and my pants and skirt), we laughed over the unfortunate placement of a certain bit of yellow dye and the new-tire smell of the black vat of dye.

And we drank tie-dyed Koolaid.

Tie-dyed Koolaid

Here’s to accomplishing goals–and to getting to know some great girls!

Categories Everyday Life

Snapshot: Money Envelopes

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The envelope system of money management is wonderful, particularly if you’ve made yourself some snazzy money envelopes from old grocery bags.

Money envelopes

Disadvantages of the envelope system?

Figuring out which envelopes to use when purchasing loads of tie-dye stuff for the dozen(?) or more girls (you don’t know) who are coming to your house to have a tie dye party next weekend.

I’m over-the-top excited to get to know Highland Park’s teenaged girls.

And I figured out the money envelope thing eventually–how ’bout a little from household, a little from clothing, a little from toiletries, and what’s left of mad money?

Categories Everyday Life

PSA: Regarding Headlights and URIs

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PSA #1: Regarding Headlights

Some of you are lucky enough to own cars that sense available light and automatically turn on their own headlights.

Perhaps you’ve grown so dependent on said mechanism that you don’t even know how to turn on your headlights manually.

Well, please pull out your car’s manual and let’s review.

Because I’ve got a public service announcement for YOU:

Darkness is not the only reason to turn on your headlights.

Other circumstances that make headlights necessary include conditions of low visibility due to falling or blowing snow, fog, or sunset.

While you might not need your headlights to see the road, the drivers opposite need your headlights to see you.

Please, think through whether you need your headlights this winter–and drive safely!

PSA #2: Regarding Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs)

While a doctor was rounding in one of our Grand Island facilities, I overheard a bit of information that might be useful.

This doctor said that she hasn’t seen too many cases of influenza yet this year, but EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM occurred in individuals who had received the flu shot.

This suggests that this year’s strain of influenza is not covered by the shot–which means we all need to be cautious to prevent the spread of the virus.

So…

If you or someone in your family develops symptoms of an upper respiratory infection (coughing, sneezing, head congestion, etc.) accompanied by a fever (generally >100 degrees), please do everyone a favor and STAY HOME.

Be especially cautious about exposing children, pregnant women, elderly individuals, and those with compromised immune systems (people who have AIDS or are on chemo, for instance) to this.

When you go to your doctor with symptoms of influenza, you’ll probably be asked to put on a face mask immediately when entering the building in order to guard against infecting others.

Please pay attention to these precautions.

Other than that, as always, wash your hands thoroughly after sneezing, coughing, using the restroom, or changing diapers and before preparing food or eating.

When one line of defense (the flu shot) breaks down, we all have to do our part to keep our overall defenses high.

Please, for your sake and that of your friends and neighbors, do your part to prevent the spread of influenza.

Categories Books, Everyday Life

The Closing Bell (L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge)

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Carrie has official sounded the closing bell for the L.M. Montgomery reading challenge–declaring that it’s time for everyone to link up.

The bell caught me by surprise, with plenty left unfinished.

Despite frantically reading a bit more this afternoon, I am still not through with Anne of Green Gables.

Anne of Green Gables

I did, however, read and review Much Ado about Anne by Heather Frederick Vogel. I also wrote some reflections on a quote from Anne of Green Gables.

But I did not complete the first piece of the project I had hoped to unveil at the end of this challenge.

I’ll share it anyway.

A bit of background…

When I was young, the American girl dolls were all the rage (I guess they still are in some circles). In those days, the company that made them was called “Pleasant Company” and the only dolls you could get were the historical ones that had short chapter books that went along with them.

I got “Addy”, a young girl who escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad (chronicled, of course, in Meet Addy), when she first came out.

And I spent hours poring over the Pleasant Company catalog, with its outfits and accessories that matched the books.

I was simultaneously in love with Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess. I adored how Sara Crew and her indulgent Papa went to pick out the doll “Emily” and outfit her in the very fanciest of clothing.

I dreamed of a wardrobe for my doll, a complete set–and one that matched a book.

But the Pleasant company outfits were much to expensive for my (or my parents’) budget, and I had little patience to do any quality sewing in those days.

So I made do with the clothes Addy came with–and the few garments Mom made for her.

But I still dreamed of a complete wardrobe, based on a book.

I grew up a bit and decided that I wanted it to be based on a REAL book–not books that were written in order to sell doll clothes.

The Anne series.

It was perfect. Anne was the right sort of age, Montgomery goes into detail about her clothing and accessories, and I just happened to love the series.

I would make a complete wardrobe for Addy using the Anne series as a starting point.

And so I began to make lists of every object mentioned in the Anne series. The vivid chromo of Jesus blessing the children, the chocolate brown voile with its puffed sleeves and pintucked waist, the navy blue broadcloth jacket made by Marilla, the yellow pansy cut from a catalog that Ella May McPherson gave Anne to use to decorate her desk. I have a list of every object–and some only alluded to (the red and white triangles Anne had to work at before she could go out to visit with Dianna–what might that quilt have looked like?)

I started collecting bits and pieces of fabric that might be suitable for the project.

And, this month, I started sewing.

My first project has been a dress to approximate the dresses Marilla made for Anne to replace the dreadfully skimpy wincey:

“Well, how do you like them?” said Marilla.

Anne was standing in the gable room, looking solemnly at three new dresses spread out on the bed. One was of snuffy colored gingham which Marilla had been tempted to buy from a peddler the preceding summer because it looked so serviceable; one was of black-and-white checked sateen which she had picked up at a bargain counter in the winter; and one was a stiff print of an ugly blue shade which she had purchased that week at the Carmody store.

She had made them up herself, and they were all made alike–plain skirts fulled tightly to plain waists, with sleeves as plain as waist and skirt and tight as sleeves could be.

“I’ll imagine that I like them,” said Anne soberly.

Perhaps it’s a bit of a depressing place to start, but that is where I have started.

And this is what I have so far.

Anne's plain dress

Nothing exciting, but it’s a start to this project I’ve been dreaming of for nigh on 15 years.

L. M. Montgomery Reading ChallengeVisit Carrie’s L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge to see what others were saying/doing about L.M. Montgomery this month.