I'm Back...

I am finally back to blogging land. I was a WILD August. I had a really big, horrible, nasty, no fun nursing test to take that I had to pass to graduate, school started a few weeks ago, and I went to Las Vegas with my mom to help my sister move. Her boyfriend got into law school at UNLV and she had three weeks notice about the move. He started school a few days after they got there, so we went and helped.

So that nursing test/beast/monster, also known as the HESI is a killer. The nursing program that I am in at New Mexico State University requires it for us to graduate with our BSN. It is four hours long and 160 questions and of course there are two right answers, and as the student we have to decide what is the most right answer. I understand that the test is intended to help us pass our boards (NCLEX), but, wow, no fun at all. I have a BA in History and French and I started to work on my MA in History before I went into nursing. I consider myself to be a somewhat intelligent person, but this test makes you feel like an idiot and it plays with your confidence. I have been studying for it since March. We got the opportunity to take it at the end of the spring semester. I barely missed passing.

Test time came around and it was scheduled to start at 8am on a Tuesday. They had this planned for months so you would have thought that they would have tested the computers to make sure the program was installed?! Well of course they didn't, that would have required planning...two hours later the test started. I was SOOO MAD!! I think that anger helped...I PASSED!!! I had to get at least an 850 and I got a 997! The monkey is now officially off my back. When I got my score I could feel the pressure come off. I was in so much sock I had to keep looking at my score. That afternoon we left for Las Vegas and I still was in shock I kept making my husband check for the email with my score in it. I really could not believe it. I am so excited to get to graduate!!

Now to my crafting...during the first part of the Olympics I made the Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag from sew liberated. I also worked a little on the quilt for my husband, and made an apron and pot holder for the sassy apron swap. I did some more, but I will save it for another post.

I really loved the bag pattern on sew liberated. I also got the popular Emmeline Apron. The bag turned out nice, but the flap just did not turn out right. There is about a 3 1/2 inch gap all around. I followed the pattern instructions, but I still ended up with the gap. I checked the website out thinking that there might have been a revision, but there was none. I read all the instructions again, but I can't find anywhere where I went wrong. I think that I might add a ruffle around the edge, or I might just leave it. It seems to be working out well for school, which is great.


I loved participating in the sassy apron swap. My partner had similar taste in color and fabric, so I had a wonderful time shopping for the perfect fabric (but when is shopping for fabric not fun?) She received her package today and she said she really loved it. I look forward to participating in more swaps! (Yes, that is me, barefoot :))

I also cut out denim for another smock style apron using this simplicity pattern. I hope to finish it this weekend

Sorry about some of the blackness around the pictures. My camera is not behaving (and I have only had it for a year, darn canon). I hoped to have my new camera in by now, but it is delayed in shipping. I am excited to get it. It is my birthday present (I turned 25 on Monday)(Labor Day gave a whole new meaning to my mom). All I know is that I am getting a camera, I just don't know what camera I am getting. I really wanted the pink (I LOVE pink) Olympus underwater capable camera, but my hubby found another Olympus that was also really nice, so we will see.

Well, bye for now...
Sarah