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!

Warming Up!

Since my last post was such a cold one, and it's been unseasonably warm I thought I'd post a lovely treasury that I was featured in called "Entrance to The Secret Garden". It makes me so excited for Spring! Thanks Our Strange Days! Please, click over and leave a comment if you wish!



(Of course you can click the image to make it larger as well!)

Win a Sizzix!

Shoe Sugar Month: Day 13 SIZZIX BIG SHOT GIVEAWAY!!

Grosgrain is giving away a SIZZIX BIG SHOT! I really want one of these and you can pop over there to learn how you can enter to win too!

Snow Day / Alternative Advertising!

Today we got 8+ inches of snow and it hasn't stopped yet. I live on a busy street with a hill that slopes down to it so I decided to deck out my 'snow girl' in some Thimble Kiss gear and write my shop name on the hill in the snow! I love her and hope she lasts!!!

That time of year

It's that time of year again. I woke up to a dusting of snow on my deck and little flurries swirling around the dogs as they went out to pee. Crap. I hate the cold. Guess it's time to break out these bad boys!

(image via LLBean.com)

And whenever those guys come out, these guys aren't far behind.
(image via zappos.com)

Coolest bike EVER!

Have you seen these bikes? They're made by an amazing company called Madsen. How awesome would I look toting around my big and little dogs, groceries or even the kids I nanny for with this puppy?!

Pictures of....well, me.

I happen to take all of the photos of myself for my Etsy store. Okay, that's not entirely true, my friend Annie took the photos at the Biltmore Estate for me. Other than that one shoot though, all pictures have been taken by me. Of me. This means I have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of myself on my computer. Is that kind of weird? I think it is, but it doesn't bother me. (and TRUST me when I say there are hundreds, if not thousands of HORRID pictures of me too!) I am one of the rare breed it seems that enjoys having their picture taken. Maybe it's because I've been told all my life I should be a model*. Maybe I'm just a narcissist? I don't know. I do think I photograph better than some other people... but ONLY when I take the pictures myself. haha. That's kind of like saying "only after I photoshop the pictures into non-recognition". Anyway, it's a lot of work for me to come up with a look and then try and execute it so when the pictures come out good, I get really excited. I happen to really like how my hair turned out after this last photo shoot ( I slept in foam rollers, people! Do you know how much dedication that takes?!) So I am shamelessly putting them on my blog. And my facebook page. And my Thimble Kiss fan page. Okay, so now I'm kind of sick of looking at myself, but that probably means I'm not a narcissist, right?! Good.






*"You should be a model because you're so tall!" Gee, thanks.

Imitation is the sincearest form of flattery, right?

I did a photo shoot for Thimble Kiss today. If you are my friend or fan on Facebook than you know this. I kept thinking that this one photo I took looked SO familiar and then it struck me! It looks just like the photo from the Lady Grey pattern over on Colette Patterns! I've been seeing this pattern a lot recently since the lovely Gertie is leading a sew along for it. Okay, so it doesn't look like the photo from the pattern, but the button that Gertie made for the sew along. Close enough! I'm not brave enough to do a coat yet, but one day The Lady Grey will be mine! =)
(photo credit to Gertie over on Blog for Better Sewing!)

Ugly Crush

Do you have anyone you have a crush on that is less than stellar in the looks department? Mine are all musicians, but yours could be authors or movie stars. My mom's ugly crush is Tommy Lee Jones. She says his "confidence is sexy." George brings this up EVERY time Tommy shows up in ANYTHING.


My number one ugly crush will always be Adam Duritz. I love the Counting Crows SO much and the pain in which he sings some of the most beautiful words ever... well, it gets me every time. I must not be the only one because he's dated some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood including Courteney Cox, Mary Louise Parker and Jennifer Aniston. He's (I think) still dating Emmy Rossum. I also was on a flight with him once from Newark, NJ to Orlando. He sat right across from me while we were waiting to board the plane and looked at me at least 20 times. Its probably because the color of my face was going from pale white to deep purple. I ♥ him. (Just not as much as this guy apparently... scary. )




My latest ugly crush has been Win Butler, the lead singer for Arcade Fire. Now, I say ugly, but he isn't really. He's just not what I'd normally be attracted to. I was home in Savannah recently and late at night I caught a live show Arcade Fire did on tv. Ever since then, the crush has been full on. There's just something about him! I can't put my finger on it. That cute girl in the yellow dress? Totally his wife. =)
"We Used To Wait" Oxegen Festival 2010.

10 Things About Me

Carolyn over on Diary of a Sewing Fanatic passed on the challenge to post 10 things about your self you've never posted before. Well, considering I'm such a crappy blogger, unless you know me personally you probably know very little about me, actually! Okay, here it goes.

1. I don't feel completely validated in calling myself a crafter or even 'crafty' most of the time. I know, I have my own Etsy store, do craft shows and sell in local stores. I read all of these fabulous blogs from people who are SO much more talented than I am and who put SO much time in to their craft and I feel not worthy to even be partially in the same category. I know this has to do with some sort of weird crafting self esteem thing, but its true. I think it also makes me feel guilty that I don't spend more time on my craft business.

2. I don't like crafts/sewing projects that take more than one sitting! If I see a project sitting on my table, partially finished it makes me hate it. I like em quick and easy. I did finally make my first dress from a commercial pattern. It turned out to be a tent that was too short for me to wear. I fixed the tent part but am still going to have to give it to a friend because it's too short.

3. Most of the time I am too busy to miss my friends and family, but when I stop and think about them I get really sad. I have friends all over the country and my family is in Savannah, Ga. I go down to visit every now and then, but not nearly as often as I should.

4. My mom is still the most important person in my life. She rocks. I love her and I have a panic attack just thinking about the fact that there is a good possiblity that one day she won't be around. She is bitchy, has an attitude, can curse so well it will make any sailor blush and is my biggest cheer leader. She coddles me which I don't get anywhere else and is my go to person for advice. I wub her.

5. I am one of those crazy people who is obsessed with her dog. I actually have two dogs but clearly have a favorite. It may very well be because I'm his favorite too. =) (Said dog and myself.)

6. Custom orders for weddings stress me out so much I almost give myself an ulcer. Its so very personal and is completely about taste. What if they don't like what I've made? What if I can't find or make what they want? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. (Custom wedding order)

7. I love fabric way more than I love sewing. Actually, that's not completely accurate. I love sewing too, just not all of the ironing, pinning and cutting you have to do first. I'm also not that great at sewing. I'll take a shortcut if you give me one and usually my stuff comes out pretty sloppy. That's handmade, right? I need to get better at that.

8. I am going to be trying to get into a competitive program at school this year. I'm trying to get into the medical sonography program (think ultrasounds). There are only 11 spots in the program and roughly two thousand applicants every year. What if I don't get in? It makes me want to wet myself to think about.

9. If you haven't guessed by the theme of this list, I'm a Negative Nancy. Glass half empty all the way! I can't help it, and the sad thing is I'm usually right!

10. This is the biggest secret, even to the people who know me personally. All five of you that read this blog (that includes the strangers! haha) will be the few in on the gig. George and I have pretty much decided that we aren't going to have kids of our own. In some ways, that feels weird to me because my entire working career since I was 15 has been about kids. I love them, they love me and I'm good at my job.

(The rugrats I currently nanny for)



Its not that we're never going to have a 'family', in fact its the opposite. We fully plan to adopt. We're pretty dead set on it. I don't know exactly from where or when, but we'll probably have to get started on the loooooong process in the next few years. It's super expensive too. We would definitely want a newborn. The craziest thing about it all as that a lot of the agencies I've researched will adopt to a single mother, a divorcee, and married couples, but not couples who aren't married. In theory, I get it, but George and I have been together 9 years. I don't really see us separating anytime soon and even if we were married who says we wouldn't get divorced? Because of this however, I think we are going to have to get married, soon. Most agencies require you're married for at least a year, usually two. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I have created a comfy little identity with not being married but being committed to him. I believe in the reasons why we've stayed this way for so long. If we do get married, it will be an uneventful thing at the courthouse that resembles notarizing a legal document, but it still irks me. Anyway, off of my tangent, I am excited and nervous and terrified of the process all at the same time.

Lets Cook! Kale, Sausage and White Bean Soup

This is a good recipe. Super easy, quick and delicious. I say 'recipe' loosely as you can pretty much do whatever you want with this soup. Throw in a little of this or a lot of that if you want. Make it thicker by using less stock or more soupy by blending half and adding more stock. You can make it veggie by eliminating the sausage and using veggie stock. You still have the white beans in there for protein and sometimes I make it that way just for a change. Either way, its delicious.



I used leeks because I had them. Slice them in half length wise then chop crosswise and throw in a big bowl of water. That way, if there is any sand in them (which there usually is, don't skip this!) it falls to the bottom of the bowl. Swish them around every now and then.

This time, I added sweet potatoes. Sometimes I use regular potatoes or no potatoes at all.


TIP! When you go to drain the leeks, use a slotted spoon instead of just pouring them all into a strainer. You don't want all that grit you just washed out to get dumped back on them!

I add a little olive oil to the pot to help my sausage brown up. Its a local sausage I've used a lot so I know it doesn't give off too much fat.


Local sausage I use. I like the hot kind, but any kind will do.


Brown up your sausage in the olive oil and when most of the pink is gone, go ahead and toss in your leeks. Drain the leeks well first and maybe even roll them around in a dish towel to dry them.

I use this prepackaged kale. Its already chopped and ready to go. I used about half of this big bag.


Let your Kale wilt down a little bit. Stir the sausage and leeks around with the kale (making sure you're not leaving your sausage on the bottom of the pot to burn!)


Add your chicken stock. Scrape any bits of sausage that may have gotten stuck to the pan at this point.


Sweet potatoes, AWAY!


I used two cans of great northern beans, rinsed.


Grate in your garlic. If you ever chop garlic, you're a chump. Use a microplane like the cool kids do.


I forgot to take a picture of it, but I also added a big can of crushed tomatoes with about half the juice drained. I love smoked paprika so I add a generous amount of that. Also, add in salt and pepper of course and any other herbs you like. I did grate a little nutmeg in there too because I love nutmeg with dark greens.


Now we're looking like soup! All you should be waiting for at this point is for your kale to get tender and your sweet potatoes to be done. keep checking them and when they're soft enough for you, turn off the heat! You're done!

Good...


Better! Grate some parmesean on top and maybe a splash of lemon juice. DELICIOUS!