I have one semester of school left after this one. Maybe then I will be able to blog more regularly. I'm hoping that when I graduate my brain will stop being mush and that I will be able to get through a day without the need to nap, but I'm not holding my breath. At least I'll be able to have fancy letters at the end of my name!

Katie Wilmore RT(R)

=)

The college students calendar.

I find it hilarious that I never know what day it is anymore. Instead of saying "It's Wednesday!" I say "Only one more day of clinic this week!" The weeks are measured not in months, but in how many days are left until the next break. My neighbor in class gives the countdown every class day. "45 class days until spring break!", she says.

This is such an odd way to live. I never thought I would be a 'real' college kid with a 'real' college experience. Until this program, I just went to night classes a few nights after work. Now, I'm emmersed. I kind of love it and kind of hate it, but I've realized that this ride is going to keep going at full speed so it's wise to hang on tight.

Last Post... August 23rd. Sooo Sad.

I am pretty sucky at this blogging thing. Truth is, I don't have much that is exciting going on. I go to school, I work, I come home, I drink wine, I go to bed. Wash, rinse, repeat. I did complete my first semester of X-ray school (Rad tech school? I dunno what to call it.) which was HARD, exhausting, anxiety inducing and fun. I have some pretty awesome people in my class that I'm glad I'm going through this with. We've all learned pretty quickly that we have to lean on each other to get through this. Finals were probably the most stressful two weeks of my life and I was SO glad they were over!





Right before I got down to business for finals, I was called last minute into the biggest show of the year here in Asheville, The Big Crafty Holiday. I do The Big Crafty Summer each year which is inside and outside of Pack Place in downtown Asheville. It's always a good time so I applied for the winter show which is a LOT more exclusive because it's all inside (meaning they only have about 1/4 the space they do for the summer show.) I shared a booth with the amazing Rachael who I'd never met before. She makes the most darling clutches. We got through the whirlwind together. That's exactly what it was... people were PACKED into the venue and were ready to buy! It was my most profitable show EVER and I'll be SUPER depressed if I don't get in next year. (The pictures above were from the local newspaper!)



Speaking of Thimble Kiss... I just made a custom dog collar for a dear friend. It was a lot of fun to make the collar (I practiced on one for my sweet Belle) and the gem was that I made a flower that was removable for it. It was to be worn by Layla who is a rescued Pitt Bull and such a doll. She's an older girl and I LOVE how it looks on her with her snowy muzzle. =) I'm thinking of making matching collars (with flowers) for people and their pets. I'm taking custom orders now if anyone is interested!




Winter break is winding down. I have one week left before the slave driver that is school starts again. I'm looking forward to learning more, but am anxious about everything I'm already expected to know from last semester. I guess it's the nature of the beast. Only 4 more semesters to go! I can't wait until May 2013!


Happy New Year, Everyone!

Week 2

It's week two of my radiography program. HOLY SHIT THIS STUFF IS HARD!

Just wanted to get that out there.


I'm completely overwhelmed, exhausted and my brain feels like mush. IT'S WEEK TWO.


I have four tests this week.

F. M. L.

The last week in food

I've been in a creative mood lately when it comes to food. I made a cake! In the middle of summer! Not the smartest move, but the cake turned out great. It was a drier cake which made it perfect to eat with coffee. Cake for breakfast...mmmmmmmm.

Lemon and blackberry cake. I found the recipe HERE. The only thing I did differently was I made a 'frosting' out of cream cheese and blackberries cooked down with a little sugar and lemon juice. It was perfect because it wasn't really sweet but gave an extra creamy texture. It also made it a lovely purple color! You'll notice that the recipe calls for it to be baked in a bundt pan, which I don't have. I did two 9 inch rounds and put a layer of the 'frosting' between. I also kept a little of the cooked down blackberries to drizzle over each slice. Yum!

I've also been canning like a MoFo. Our tomatoes are all turning red at the same time (yay!) and I've been drowning in salad cucumbers from the garden. I haven't gotten to can anything tomato based yet, but I've made pickles, pickled okra, pickled jalapenos and dilly beans.I have also made and frozen 10 cups of pesto from all of my basil plants! This picture doesn't even have the newest batch of pickles. 4 quarts and a few half pints of chips. Lots of garlic. Hopefully delicious!


All of the recipes I've been using have come from this wonderful book "Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for a Modern Pantry" by Liana Krissoff. The pictures alone in this book will make you drool. They're gorgeous and the recipes are easy to follow. This is my first REAL time canning and I found it intimidating but this book really does make it seem easy.

Jigga What?! Two updates within a year?!

(These are Bailey's chubby thighs on her birthday. I LOVE them!)
My best friend Christina left yesterday, taking with her the cutest chunkie monkey ever. I was really mopey after she left, but we did have a (jam packed!) good time while they were here. Lots of shopping and antiquing and EATING which is always fun.

I also got my Silhouette machine! YAY! I haven't really played with it yet but am really excited to! This is my maniac face after I got the box in the mail.

I'm also really excited about my recent amazon purchase. I got a new canning pot and cookbook! I'm super pumped about some canning! I think it's safe to say that my metamorphosis into a full fledged granny is complete.

That's it. Life is good. My week off from work is almost over. Guess I better go play with all of my new goodies!

What's up Pussycat?

I'm not even going to say it. Every time I stop by my little corner of the interweb I weep inside because of my lack of interest in posting! I think about posting... I come put with blogs in my head and then POOF! They never happen. My last semi-substantial post had snow in it. SO SAD! It's hot as Hades outside and I'm LOVING it! That's the true southerner in me.

A list of random truths since I last blogged:

* I got accepted into the radiography program at my school! Not my first choice program, but after doing some observations and orientations, I think I'll be just fine. I start in August! If your kid breaks their arm in the Asheville area around June of 2013, I may very well be the one x-raying it!

*I got denied any financial aid grants. Thanks SO much North Carolina for your stupidity when it comes to spending money! I never get federal help (I make too much money...or did.) but I usually get a little bit from the state. Not this time!

*I will quit working in August when I start my program at school! I'm finally getting to be a full time student... though with the previous mention of no financial aid, I will most likely have to find a part time job in the evenings.

*I've been doing lots of craft shows and am now selling locally in another shop! I'm in The Dry Goods Shop as well as Wink Salon now. I just did The Big Crafty with Shannon (of Early Girl) which was a blast.

*I won a Silhouette machine on Tip Junkie! Woohoo! I never win anything and this is a rad prize.

*One of my besties is coming up this week to visit with her Bailey Bean! So excited!

*I adopted a dog for my mom and aunt. Seriously the biggest brownie point earner EVER!

*I'm getting better at wading through stress instead of letting it wash over me. This is huge for me and my stupid anxiety. It's made my relationship a lot better too.

*George has lost a ton of weight and now looks as good as he did when he was 18. Seriously. Bastard. =) (This is him in his get up ready to go zip lining 4th of July weekend!)

*I'm getting a lot better about keeping up with my Etsy store! I am super proud of that and it is a part of my consciousness now. I NEED to do it.

*When I'm a full time student, I've decided that along with my Etsy store, my job is going to be one of those insane couponer people. Yeah, like from the show. We'll see.

* I've finally gotten on board with Skype. It's made seeing the besties that live in other states possible and for that I'm grateful. You don't realize how much you miss actually SEEING people until you do.

*I cut all my hair off, loved it and George hated it. Well, he didn't hate it, he swears he likes it but wants me to grow it back out. Men.

*I want to be a *real* crafter and am still thinking of ways to come up with something unique. I love my flowers, but I feel that creatively I need to stretch some.

*I'm excited for the future!