Katy vs. the bookcase...Take 2

Several months ago I went to Target and on my cheap nursing school budget I found a bookcase for $40 in the college section. I thought this was a fabulous idea and would be the perfect addition to my office. Boy, was I wrong...I don't have any pictures, but I got the thing together, sat it up to move it and the entire 5 shelf bookcase collapsed to the floor....

So, needless to say I was a little nervous about trying this again. This time I went with a pricier bookcase which would hopefully be better quailty. I actually got 2 of them because they're only 2 shelves, but I only attempted 1 tonight....

So, here we go! It's me verus this box....

At this point I'm thinking....you can do this!!!!

And this is what I ended up with....

Not bad if I do say so myself :) I can't wait to have the other one done so I can have them all organized and not messy looking :)

Merry Christmas (belated, of course...)

I just realized I have NO pictures from Christmas....what happened??? I think my brain was still recovering from not finishing finals until December 22nd.....yes, the 22nd!!

However, I had a great Christmas and spent tons of time with my family! My 2 aunts from PA came into town and I spent lots of time with them helping them cook, among other things. My sister, her husband and their 2 children stayed in town and I spent Christmas Eve night at their house so I could watch the boys open presents on Christmas morning. Then we had a big Christmas lunch at my parents. My brother, his wife and their 4 children were in Northern VA visiting family and came home around lunch time on Christmas day. So, after lunch we went over there to watch them open presents. That evening we had leftovers and opened family presents. It was a great day. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

This Christmas was extra emotional for me and I'm not really sure why! Could it be because i'm still single and both my brother and sister are married with oodles of kids? Possibly. Could it be because I've been a big ball of stress from finishing the semester and it was finally over? More likely. I think that I was so ready for the semester to be over and to enjoy Christmas and all the sudden Christmas was here, the semester was over and it's almost like I didn't know what to do with myself! I think I'm finally starting to decompress from school being done....and enjoy the next week off that I have (yes, I go back on Jan 4th...)

So, Merry Christmas (belated) to you and yours...hope you had a wonderful day!!!!!

Here's my little blessing and her picture from last Chirstmas!

1 year down...

It's hard to believe that my first year of nursing school has come and gone and I only have 15 months to go. 8 weeks into this upcoming semester I will be halfway done with the program...craziness!!!

Nursing School has seriously been one of the hardest, most stressful, confusing times of my life but with that said, it has also been the most rewarding. It's something I never pictured myself doing, but now that I'm in the middle of it all I couldn't be happier that this is what i've chosen to do.

This year I've made some awesome friends at school who understand at all times how I'm feeling and what I'm going through and it's a great thing. It's truly something that you can't understand until you're going through it. My sister went to nursing school right after high school, and now seeing what she went through I have so much more respect for what you have to go through to become a nurse and respsect so much the amazing nurse she has become.

So, with one year down and the next starting up January 4th I can only pray that I will continue to be as successful in the 2nd year as I was in the 1st!!!

A look back...

I was taking pictures of my latest project this evening (post to come later) and I found some photos of the Jeopardy game that I put together as a study group session for some people in my class. Though nursing school has been BY FAR the most stressful thing i've ever done in my LIFE....we try to have as much fun as possible...so, without further ado, my version of Nursing School Review Jeopardy!!!
I cleared that wall of some pictures and put up all the questions...needless to say, writing the questions was my own version of a review! I think this was from the end of my summer semester...my how time flies, another semester down!!

F.I.N.A.L.S....AND a deal!

4 hours of work tonight, a weekend full of snow and studying, 2 tests on Monday, 1 on Tuesday and an evaluation with my teacher and I will be FREE for my 2 week break.....I'm beyond ready for this semester to be over, it can't come soon enough! It has been the most stressful yet, though I'm happy to say that my first YEAR of nursing school is soon to be behind me...first year?!?!?! where did it go?!?!?! Be thinking of me over the next few days, I just keep telling myself "YOU CAN DO IT"!!!!!

On a more interesting note....

I've been wanting a new Christmas wreath and on the Today Show yesterday, they showed some wreaths from Z Gallerie that were $19....well, I went to the website to check them out and low and behold, they were on sale for $9.98...so I ordered myself 2 new wreaths! I love them....

And, I got a set of the garland in platinum! I just couldn't decide which wreath I liked more...1 is more traditional Xmas colors and the other is just fun! So, I got them both...I'm sure I'll use them :) I can't wait to get them and I can't believe I got such a deal!!! 2 wreaths and garland for under $30...my kind of shopping!!!
Hope you're all having a great Holiday Season...I can't wait to REALLY enjoy mine next week!!!

Stressed spelt backwards is Desserts...

In the past 2 days I have eaten 3 mini chocolate tarts from Ukrops....(and yes, I'm currently on Weight Watchers)...why, you ask??? School is STRESSING me out!!!!!!! My semester is not over until Dec. 23rd (I know, crazy, right)....and in the next 3 weeks I have 5 tests, a project and a 6 page research paper to write. Add in work, family and the bazillion holiday parties I have been invited to (not that these don't make me happy) and I don't know how I will ever have the time to get it all done...successfully!!!!!! Please pray for me over the next few weeks, I'm going to need it...and I'm sure I'll be MIA...story of my life!!! Is it May 2011 yet????