The Days When I'm Not a Nurse

A giveaway! (for all you monogram lovers out there!)

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A very good friend of mine contacted me and asked if she could host a giveaway on my blog!

and, judging from the post title, you can probably guess I said heck yes. :)

So.
Her name is MaLyn. 

MaLyn is a mother to 2 adorable girls.
She will do almost anything for a burrito.
She hosts an amazing dance party.
And she recently opened up an Etsy shop, Ever and Oak! These are few of her creations:
Decorative Polka Dot Letter KBlue Wooden Plaque Hello Sign with Yellow Polka Dot Ribbon.8 X 8 Gold Canvas - Love
Cute, right?
MaLyn has generously offered to give one of you readers a monogrammed burlap wreath.

Now, before you freak out because your last name isn’t Watson or Wilson or Wiskowski, this giveaway item CAN be customized with a letter of your choice (A-Z) and the flowers can be modified to (depending on what MaLyn has in stock).
Just imagine this darling thing hanging on your door or above your fireplace. Perfect for spring!
Check out her shop and enter to win! This giveaway will be open for a week.

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giveaway winner! (plus 16 &17)

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number 16.
Mo is a sweetheart.
not many people would let me rattle on and on about all the turkey brining method I heard about on the radio!
(are you cooking a turkey this year? what’s your secret??)

number 17.
Mo is brilliant.
For example, tonight it was raining hard when we left winco. So he went back inside, grabbed some newspapers, and we fashioned ourselves umbrellas so we could walk to the car together and stay sort of dry. :)
it reminded me of this unique umbrella.

and the winner of the Usborne Books & More Giveaway is……

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Just as a reminder, my e-show will remain open through next week!
There will be some awesome deals on black friday (or as they like to call it, “book friday”).
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Usborne Books Giveaway!

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Just in time for the holidays…

My lovely sister Becky introduced me to this wonderful company and their books. 
She has quite the history with them. This is what she says: 
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Who wouldn’t love working for a company where the CEO helps pack the boxes of books sent out during the busy fall season?  Especially when said boxes appear on your doorstep with a sharpie handwritten note and smiley face.  :)

Usborne Books & More is family friendly to the core.  Literacy is so important and we offer quality books to children and their families.  Based on strong values and a knowledge that “the future of our world depends on the education of our children” – our mission is to “touch the lives of children for a lifetime”.  We do that through these durable, intriguing, colorful books that focus on learning through many styles.  Doodling and coloring books, non-fiction books and encyclopedias, collections of classic tales, holiday titles – there is something for children of ALL ages.  😉

Here are a few photos of our children loving on Usborne Books.
After a 4 year discovery time with the books – and after seeing how well they held up – I began selling Usborne books two years ago.  I approached my husband with the thought “What would you think if I kinda thought about, maybe selling Usborne books?”  His reply?  “It’s about time!”  So here we are – sharing our love of literacy and quality children’s books.  And growing a massive library while we’re at it. 
Our family is constantly discovering and loving the fascinating features infused throughout Usborne books. We hope you will also love these books that promote wondering.
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Sounds wonderful, right?

Guess which one was MY favorite out of this pile? 
………………..
go on, guess.
………………..
If you guessed either See Inside Your Body or 30 Healthy Things to Cook and Eat, then you were right!! 
You already know my love for the cookbook (from this post), but the body book was an instant winner because, well, I’m a nurse! 

This book is filled with all sorts of interesting facts and it even has flaps to peek into various body organs!

Fact: In my first year of nursing, I was actually quizzed by a doctor on how many feet of intestines a human has. Wish I’d had this book years ago!
(all you nursing students out there, memorize this fun fact! You never know when it’ll come in handy)

Anyway, back to the purpose of this post.
Becky is generously giving away $50 credit to get books from Usborne! Enter to win below and stay tuned, the giveaway will stay open through Friday and the winner will be chosen Saturday!
This giveaway is open to ALL residents of the United States and it’s territories. :)

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ps. the paper plane book is really fun too!!! (and I’m saving the dollhouse sticker book for a special occation) 😉

My very own Usborne E-show!

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You guys!
My sweet sister Becky, who also happens to be an Usborne consultant, has been working with me to create my very own e-show!

Have you heard of Usborne?
They have a great selection of fiction and nonfiction books, with reading levels that appeal to babies all the way up to school age kids. As a friend to people with kids and an aunt to many, it’s going to be great to have some children’s books around the house.

Just to give me an idea of what Usborne has to offer, Becky sent me a stack of books to go through.
My sister knows me well.

I’m someone who LOVES to be in the kitchen. So I flipped through the cookbook she sent and made the first thing that caught my eye.


It claims to be healthy, but it’s the tastiest “healthy” food I’ve ever had.
I need to get this book next. :)
You can take a look at some wonderful children’s (and not-so-children’s) books by clicking HERE. 
Stay tuned for a special giveaway Monday morning!

A big thank you. a giveaway. and snail mail.

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Dear friends,

Can I just tell you how lucky I feel? 
you guys make blogging so much fun! 
I swear, I have a group of some of the highest quality readers out there. 
I don’t tell you enough, but THANKS for reading.
Love, Anna 
I want to show my appreciation in a couple ways. 
I’m in the mood to give something away.
AND. 
I’m in the mood to write some notes. 

Leave your mailing address in the comments or message it to me at whenimnotanurse@gmail.com and I’ll write you a little personalized love note! If you enjoy getting mail as much as me, this might interest you. :) said notes may include little doodles or stickers, as I see fit.

[bloopers]

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One lucky reader will get a box of goodies in the mail.
And all other lucky readers who give me their address will get a little somethin’ in their mailbox!

I’m all set.
ready?
go. 

Just Because Friday

Happy Nurse’s Week and a Giveaway!

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May 6, 2012
I have something to give away! 
Winner will be announced at the end of Nurse’s week, on Saturday night.
My Favorite Things: Nursing Edition  
1. camelbak water bottle. because staying hydrated is extremely important. 
2. ibuprofen. because you (and your co-workers) will need it every now and then. 
it’s always in my nursing bag!
3. cool band-aids. somehow, they make it hurt less. 
unless you broke your femur. that will still hurt no matter how many cool band-aids you put on it.
4. burt’s bees. best. chapstick. ever. 
5. hand sanitizer. perfect to carry in your purse. Working at a hospital makes you a germaphobe. 
6. mini-sharpies. for all the times when you need to trace a rash or mark where to find a pedal pulse.
7. A Better Pain Chart. from Hyperbole and a Half. It’s the best pain rating system I’ve found. 
8. $10 Starbucks gift card. no explanation needed. 
9. cucumber facial wipes. when you get home from a 12 hour shift and want to wipe your makeup off and then crawl into bed. 
I just wanted to share a few things I love and use on a daily basis. :) 
People of all professions may enter! You don’t have to be a nurse!
Good luck.

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Nursing Tuesday: what to expect in 17 days…

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Nurses’ week is kicking off on May 6th and will last through May 12th.
What to expect: 
Sunday, May 6th: National Nurses Day. Giveaway announced: “My Favorite Things: Nursing Edition.”
Monday, May 7th: Mondays with Mo. 
(I’ll ask him talk about something nurse related)
Tuesday, May 8th: Nurse link-up with Renee “Why I became a nurse.” 
All nurse/student nurse bloggers, join us!!
Wednesday, May 9th: History of nurses’ week.
Thursday, May 10th: How to take care of yourself when you’re taking care of others. 
(Not like I’m an expert or anything…)
Friday, May 11th: A birthday cake (for Florence). 
Saturday, May 12th: Party for Florence and giveaway winner announced! 
**this outline has potential to change, depending on my work schedule/if I think of something cool to add!**
Love it.
(right??)

It’s a good day for a giveaway.

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Happy Friday!
You probably noticed in the title….
I’m having my very first giveaway!
Jessie, my beautiful sister-in-law, graciously accepted my invitation to host a giveaway from Paparazzi Accessories. 
Isn’t her family precious? The dapper gentleman on the right is my brother, Sam. 
(He’s the cool math teacher Jessie talks about in her introduction below).

“Anyone who knows me well  would probably tell you that I would be the last on the list of likely people who would sign up to sell anything at home parties. Anything to do with money or sales or math, or quite frankly anything to do with numbers in general, just isn’t my thing (just ask my husband, the math teacher). :) So when I signed up a few months ago to be a Paparazzi consultant, it surprised all my friends and family and especially myself. However, I totally and absolutely LOVE it! I first went to a Paparazzi show in December and really liked how cute and affordable the jewelry was and decided, “Hey! Why not?” So now I have a room full (I’m serious when I say a room full) of necklaces, earrings, hair clips, headbands, rings, and super cute little girl jewelry. I sell everything for only $5.50 or 3 for $15 (the smaller the numbers, the better) and I really like the way I can help ladies feel great about how they look without having to spend a lot of money. And, for all those math-lovers out there, including my husband, I am happy to report that this little sales adventure of mine is helping improve my dislike for math. Win-win! So that’s me in a nutshell…take a look at my Facebook page and all the super cute accessories and jewelry I am selling…if you win Anna’s giveaway you get to choose your favorite for free!”
What I LOVE about this idea is that it’s such an affordable way to try out accessories you might not get normally. And it’s so cheap, why not get something chunky, colorful, and sparkly? 
This one comes in SO many different colors…
Welcome to the arm party! (it’s a weak arm party, I know). The bracelet is in a gold/bronze or silver.
I need to buy a few of these to really get the party started (love the leather ones!)
 (FYI: watch from Nordstrom, not Paparazzi)
Love mustard yellow! This one also comes in multiple colors. 
(Apologies  for all the chest shots)
Some of these are great statement pieces: I’d wear this one for some instant glamour, and this one for a hot date.
To enter this giveaway, please do the following:

1 entry: leave a comment below describing your favorite piece of jewelry from Jessie’s Paparazzi collection (lots of pictures to look through!)

1 entry: ‘like’ Paparazzi Accessories! By Jessie G. page on Facebook and let me know in another comment.
1 entry: ‘like’ The Days When I’m Not a Nurse on Facebook or join on GFC and let me know in ANOTHER comment.
(total of 3 entries) 

The giveaway will be open until Thursday, Feb. 16th. 
A winner will be announced next Friday, the 17th!

May the odds be ever in your favor.

P.S. I plan on having my first vlog next week…
you can watch as I randomly pull a winner from husband’s hat. :)