6 Years!

Sure doesn't seem like it was "that long" ago!

For Unto Us a Child is Born!

Merry Christmas!

(Original oil painting by my sister)

I'm Studying for Boards

Right now, I'm going through an old released exam. Tomorrow, I'm going to blaze through some Kaplan. After that, I'll do another exam. I really just feel like I'll have to do as much as I can and pray that little bits come back to me as I take it. I'm really overwhelmed.

School's Out!

(Yes, those are porcelain crowns. Yes, it is very weird. See the Tooth Artist, not me, if you want one.)

Right now, my countdown to boards says 13 days and it's really freaking me out!

Anyhoo, finals are over, all practicals complete, and I even cast my bridge before I left (while several others hung around to make jewelry for Christmas presents - fun!)

I came home to an insanely messy room, messy closet room, and messy sewing room. My closet room is my old bedroom where I keep my clothes. The problem is that there is so much stuff in there, it's spilled out of the closet to the bed, the floor, the chair... But, really, it's not all clothes, I promise. : ) I'm in no way willing to admit that I have a problem. I picked up a lot of that today which feels good, but I now have a lot of laundry to do....tomorrow....

I spent a decent amount of time today planning so that I can get my act together for Christmas. I know what I'm baking and have all the ingredients ready to go. I figured out what I'm sewing, and I'm going to spend some time tonight organizing a bit so that the sewing room mentioned above will be taken care of and I can get to work. And boards? Maybe I'll start tomorrow? Monday? See, the difference between the DAT and boards is that with the DAT, I was aiming high and this time, well, mediocrity is all I ask for. Really, just passing, is all I want. It's all I need : )

The New Monday

Lately, Mondays have been glorious. I only go to fixed prosthodontics at 1:00 pm. So that means I wake up around 8:30, leave the house at 9:00, go to Texas Roast (site designed by my brother - who's site needs an update...) to get the BEST coffee around and then either study or shop my morning away. It's so relaxed. There's no traffic. It's the best : )

This morning, I ransacked Target for some warmer clothing as I have none. Last year, I borrowed Angel's sweater wardrobe as she was (and is again) pregnant and unable to wear said sweaters. I figured it's time to grow up and buy my own. I found some killer bargains on the clearance racks. One of my shopping secrets that I will admit to is my willingness to purchase clothes from two otherwise inappropriate-for-me departments: little girls and maternity. It just broadens your choices on the clearance rack and the kids' clothes are usually cheaper. See, I can usually swing an XL in the girls' depending on the garment/style/fit - shirts and some dresses only. As far as the preggers clothes go, well, right now, most "normal" shirts make you look pregnant anyway, and not all preggers clothes are made to fit a big belly (excluding pants, of course). I also did a little Christmas shopping and bought shrubbery at Lowes.

I was responsible enough to go to school, do a practice prep for tomorrow and go to fixed.

What a great Monday. Last Monday I studied for boards and pharm, but it was still a great Monday. Hopefully it's a peek at what a little bit of my break will look like : )

Obsessions

Betsy tagged me to list my obsessions after listing hers and her son's, so here I go. Since I have no offspring to include, I include my cats:

1. Blogging. It has changed my life by taking up way too much time that should be spent studying and could be spent sewing. Or finishing our house. Or a myriad of other things that should have a much higher priority than being on the internet.
2. Sewing and all things related. Especially buying fabric. My stash is getting embarassing and very lopsided compared to the amount of crafting I actually get to do with it. If you have ever seen my craft blog, you understand.
3. Bargains. I very rarely buy anything (aside from necessities) that is not on sale. Clearance bin fabric, clearance rack clothes, the cheapest option on Amazon.com, eBay bargains, you name it. Ooh, the dollar store and dollar aisle at Target....My latest bargain = 2 pairs of prescription eyeglasses from Zenni Optical. Seriously good deals.
4. My DVR routine. Every day provides a nice list of shows to watch when I get home and need to decompress. When I can't go through this routine I get moody. Everyday includes a Gilmore Girl episode (sometimes 2) and John and Kate plus 8 (because it makes my life seem so nice and crazy-free). Then every day but Friday and Sunday have their own favorites.
5. Coffee. For some reason that was really hard to come up with, but it is so necessary for dental school. In the past, the last one would have been baking, but who has time for that and who wants to wash the dishes? Not me. And I would always eat the leftovers and that just makes you fat and have to diet and work out. Again. Not fun.

The Cats (Roxy and Reagan):
1. Food
2. Sleeping in the bed with us
3. Watching birds and bugs
4. A good rub
5. Trying to get outside. Only to eat some grass once they do and then throw it up.

Who to tag now? I'm gonna go with the last person to comment on this blog and that would be Mrs. Annie Hunt. If ya want to. Ya know, for fun and all. : )

Did you look at the sky tonight?

Venus and Jupiter have hooked up with the moon and apparently this won't happen again until I'm...quick math in my head...72 ish. So I'll probably see it again. God willing. But had to capture it. Sure wish I had a digital SLR. I would have dug out my good ol' fashioned SLR, but who wants to drive to *insert your favorite film developer here* (what?) for 1 hr developing when I can put it on my computer and publish in like 10 seconds.