A Quilt for a Princess!

Since I am heartily sick of talking about the test, I figured I would show you the quilt I made for the Princess this summer. Although you can't see them very well in these photos, the colors are purple, brown, pink and lime green.

She really seemed to like it, and it has a new home at the foot of her bed, where it matches her Hawaiian theme surprisingly well! The fabric caught my eye because it is covered in birds that look like they were drawn by Dr. Seuss - very fun and whimsical. Oh, and one of the fabrics has ladybugs scattered all over it! How can you miss, with birds and bugs?

It's machine-pieced and machine quilted. Now that I've learned the technique I simply love running a quilt through the machine! That's my new favorite part of quilting. Oh, and I also love hand-sewing the binding in place, because you get to sit with the quilt in your lap and feel how warm and cozy it will be!
And, now, dear friends, I must return to the books. Wish me luck!

Two Weeks...

...and one day 'til I take the dreaded board exam. I'm never going to get through all the material, and I'm never going to know everything I need to know, and studying like this is extremely frustrating! Wish me luck, everyone, and I'll post more later!

Phone Calls

I got a phone call from the youngest yesterday - he's just over a month into basic training now, and he sounded really good. He said he's working hard and enjoying the training.

He said he's gained ten pounds (he was really proud of that) and said the drill sergeants have said he's the smallest guy there with the biggest heart - he said, "Mom, I just don't quit!" That's my boy!

And these photos are from his company at Fort Benning - they post generic photos on the website and the wives and mothers all scan them, looking for our boys! I haven't seen Sean yet, but I've seen a couple of likely suspects - I just look for the short ones!

And I thought I'd share a few photos on this blog, because, folks, here are some of the young men who are willing to fight for your freedom. These photos show all men because it is an Infantry company, and right now women don't serve in the Infantry. In all the branches of the service, though, there are young men and women exactly like these boys - working hard to get through their training so that they can take their place in our lines of defense.

I am very proud of all of them, and I sincerely hope and pray that we all figure out a way to avoid using them in anything but humanitarian missions someday very soon. If you're the praying type, send one up for the young men and women out there fighting for all of us, no matter what our political affiliation is!

ICE Your Phone!

I was just reminded of this by a friend, so I pulled this explanation from another website. Please ICE your phone today!

Paramedics are asking that everyone add at least one additional entry to their cell phone contacts list. Please add an ICE entry. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. This number should dial the person in your family that can respond to medical decisions if you are injured or incapcitated.

If you are in an accident, paramedics know to check your phone for your emergency contact information. Imagine taking a look and trying to figure out who to call out of the twenty or more numbers on your phone. By adding a contact entry that's designated as an emergency contact number (ICE), you can make their job much easier and possibly save your own life.

So program an ICE entry on your cell phone today, as a matter of fact, pull it out right now as you're reading this article. If you have more than one person the paramedics can contact in case of an emergency, you can add additional ICE numbers to your list. Your primary contact should be listed under ICE, then you can add the other contacts under ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, etc.After you program ICE into your phone, have your spouse, your kids, your parents, and your friends do the same thing. If there are people in your life that you care about, they should all have ICE on their phones.

Pity Party

This morning I am feeling just a wee bit sorry for myself. It's Saturday, and there are interesting and exciting things going on all over town!


My friends are tailgaiting, and shopping, and gardening, and there's a local quilt shop that's going out of business and having a fabulous sale!!!




And I can't do any of it. Working and studying through the week is proving to be a bit more challenging than I anticipated it would be, so that leaves the weekends for the bulk of the work. There just aren't that many weekend days between now and my test date. I can't waste a single one!



Woe is me. I'm a sad sack, aren't I? Oh, well - I dug this hole by myself and I'll fill it in by myself. And the lovely cooler weather outside will have to go one without me... and the garden will have to sit for a few more weeks.



If you need me, I'll be the one with my nose in the books!

Weekend Designer Closing Up Shop

One of my favorite sewing bloggers has decided to stop blogging. Weekend Designer is closing up shop after 100 posts. I don't know how long the site will remain accessible, so any of you who sew (or want to sew) might want to take a look at his patterns before they are gone forever.

There are patterns for everything from shirts to skirts, and bags to dog beds on the site. He even has a pattern for neckties! Most of his patterns are very easy to copy and to sew, and you can tailor them to fit your size and shape. This is something I love because I am roughly the size and shape of a hobbit!

If you're intimidated by pattern drafting, take a look at his motto - "...it ain't rocket science" - and be encouraged. You can sew custom clothing and accessories for yourself, for your family and friends, for your home and even for your pets, and it's much faster and easier than you think.

So, to my favorite weekend designer - good luck in your future endeavors, and if you ever want to start another blog, your fans await!

Football Time!

It's that time of year again - the air is cooler, the humidity is lower and people in East Tennessee are beginning to turn orange. Yes, orange - as in orange and white, the team colors of the Tennessee Volunteers!

it isn't just the leaves that change color here in East Tennessee in the fall. Clothing and cars and houses and mailboxes and buses and office buildings all start sporting Tennessee orange.

The Tennessee football stadium (pictured here) fills up with fans on game day and you can't navigate downtown at all before or after the game - it's chaotic and crazy! Local radio stations play Tennessee's fight song: "Rocky Top" and everybody sings along.


And I'm not a big football fan, but it is nearly impossible not to be swept up in the excitement. It's fun because everybody is so into it. And, since the University of Tennessee is my alma mater, I have a legitimate reason to cheer them on! Even if what I'd rather be doing is this:

Just like Smokey, the Volunteer mascot. Napping on game day! Have a great holiday weekend, everybody, and if you're a Western Kentucky fan, we're going to beat your team this weekend!

Still Here

I haven't gone anywhere, and I'm not abandoning the blog. It's just that the combination of working and studying for the board exam has me so busy I can't see straight! So, let me do a quick update and then it's back to the books!

First - the new job. I was very nervous starting out, but it's been good. I'm working hard, and learning more about how they do things at this hospital. Some of those things I like, some not so much, but that's true of anywhere, and so I'll adapt. Everyone has been very nice and very supportive, so I think I'll make it!

Second - the board exam. Uggh! I am wading through all this material and some of it I swear I do NOT remember studying before, even though I am sure we did. I study 'til my eyeballs ache and then I study a little more. I'm trying to log 2 hours of study per workday (although I give myself a break if the workday goes past 6 p.m.) and 6-8 hours on each day I don't work.

I take the test October 15, so just about six more weeks of this and (hopefully) I'll be able to relax. Either that or I'll be back on the same treadmill again, because I must pass this test at some point, although there is an option to retake it if you have to. Need I say that I really don't want to have to??

On October 18, the youngest graduates from basic training and I have the time off to go see it. And my oldest son is taking leave to come out with us! The middle son starts college next week, but he'll be able to go see his brother graduate, as well. So, there's lots to look forward to! All my duckies together again - at least for a weekend! They're all busy and I'm really busy so the time will fly, I'm sure!

My Guilty Pleasure

Yes, I'm confessing, here. I am a Top Chef addict. Love, love, love the show. And the new season started last week, and I think it's going to be a good one!

The show starts with a handful of professional chefs from all over the country - this year it started with seventeen. Each week, they face different cooking challenges and one chef is eliminated. The finale is a cook-off and one chef wins a large monetary prize. Past season winners have used the money to open restaurants or to go on culinary tours to broaden their knowledge and experience.

The challenges are awful. "Here's $10 and two vending machines - you have thirty minutes to make a gourmet dish." Or, "You will be catering a wedding with 250 guests... tomorrow!" To their credit, the chefs always manage to pull something off, but there is always wailing and gnashing of teeth and running around the kitchen and chaos - it makes for great television.

Of course, the producers almost always find one or two chefs with controversial ideas or bad attitudes, just to spice things up. I feel kind of sorry for these people, because they come across so badly on screen. Surely nobody could be that nasty in real life - I am sure there's a lot of creative editing.

Because I have to spend a large part of fall studying, I'll be recording Top Chef and watching it AFTER I've logged the required studying for the week. We'll see how that goes!

Classmates

Here's a photo of all the girls in my graduating class. I am pictured in the front row of girls - the first one on the left. We were attending a graduation banquet and didn't everybody look good?

Here's the whole class together. We've been together for about three years, and this week everyone is off doing their own thing, and it's a little sad. To everything there's a season, though... and for us, it's time to move on.

And here I am at dinner. That was a great weekend, but I have to say that I still haven't come to terms with the fact that I am really and truly finished with school. My diploma came today, certifying that I do, in fact, have a Master's degree. I have worked for four days at the new job, and so far I love it. And yet I can't shake the feeling that I've forgoten to turn something in or that I need to finish a care plan!

And, in truth, there is a bit of unfinished business. That board certification exam looms ahead. So I'm studying as much as I can, because failure is NOT an option!

Letters From My Son

My son has written four letters since he left for basic training ten days ago. He has always loved to write, so it doesn't surprise me. I'll probably get a letter every couple of days, whereas I think I got two letters total from the oldest one.

He's safe and he's happy and he (so far) loves the Army. I've also had a phone call, and I asked him, "Do you like it?" He said he did. I asked, "Do you love it?" His answer: "Most definitely."

So, he's doing something that he loves. What more can you ask?

Quick Update

Well, the computer problems I thought I was having turned out to be power cord problems, which my dear husband managed to correct by picking up a new power cord! Hooray! He's the best! :) I did NOT want a new computer - I have this one trained!

Yesterday was my last clinical day as a student, and tomorrow I graduate! Tomorrow! I'm doing the Graduation Happy Dance, which looks something like the chicken dance crossed with the twist, if you can picture that!

And I want to thank all of you for your encouragement and kindness over the past few months as I've been running toward this finish line. You've all been a tremendous help. I can't even tell you how often I've been exhausted and discouraged, and reading your comments really gives me a lift. For that I am truly grateful.

There are graduation festivities on and off all weekend and on Monday I start my job! We'll be taking lots of pictures, though, so I'll try to post photos sometime this weekend. And I will make my journey around blogland, as well - I need to catch up on what all of you are doing! You miss a lot in just a few days!

Computer Woes...

My computer, faithful workhorse that it was, is on its last legs. Thank heaven I am done with my coursework and I don't really need it to study for boards - at least not right now.

So, you might be seeing a bit less of me for a couple of weeks while I work through this. Because, you see, in order to get a new computer I need to have a paycheck. In order to have a paycheck I need to work, in order to work I need to graduate... you get the picture.

The good news? I graduate in five days. Five days!!!! :) And my first paycheck will be at the end of the month. Bear with me for a couple of weeks, kind friends, and I'll be back in full force in a couple of weeks! I will miss reading your blogs every couple of days, but think of the fun I'll have when I do get connected again - all that lovely reading material!

Yogurt

I was at the grocery store this morning, in the dairy section, looking at yogurt. And I picked up one of those commercial flavored "light" yogurts, and read the label. It was enlightening, to say the least. Why does my yogurt need food coloring, pray tell?

And I'm on a bit of a whole food kick right now - trying to eliminate processed foods from my diet, to a large degree. I know that I feel better when my diet consists mostly of real foods - fruits and vegetables and lean meats and such. The single-serving yogurts don't really fit the bill. Plus, they're more expensive ($0.70 each) and there's a lot of unnecessary packaging involved. They're not even environmentally friendly!

So I picked up a large container of plain nonfat Dannon yogurt ($1.99 for 4 cups), and I brought it home. And this afternoon I spooned half a cup or so into a bowl, and topped it with a handful of frozen blackberries, and a handful of organic granola and a drizzle of wildflower honey. It was every bit as good as the individual flavored yogurt, and everything in the bowl was wholesome and healthy. This is the way I used to eat, and I really need to get back to it.

The next step is making my own yogurt - I know it isn't that difficult. I'll keep you posted, and if nothing else, the chickens and the dogs will be happy to help me hide the evidence of my failures!