This is how you wait for your ATT!

Anyone who has graduated nursing school has had to endure the wait.  This is the time from graduation until the respective board of nursing and pearson vue (the testing center) get their shiz together and give you an ATT, which basically means "Yep, we read this paper from your school saying you graduated and your background check doesn't show any nefarious activities, now go take your boards!"

So, I've heard this process can take MONTHS, and you basically have your hands tied because it's an actual person inputting that they received your background check, graduation info, etc. and they can only go as fast as they can go.  I graduated exactly 18 days ago (not that I'm counting), and still have no ATT. I just want a J O B, with a paycheck - is that too much to ask for?

Our school utilizes the Kaplan Review Course and I do have QBank questions and sample tests to do, but I wanted to try to pace myself with those so I don't finish all of the questions and then still have to wait even longer for my boards.

So how do I occupy my new found "free time" (at least I think that's what this is...)

I have literally cleaned my house from top to bottom.  I even deep cleaned my refrigerator and stove/oven.  The only real chore I have left is laundry and dishes, but those are never ending tasks and you can only go as fast as the washer/dryer and dishwasher run sooooo.  I moved my son upstairs to his new bedroom then transformed his old room to my office/makeup room/craft room/mom's hangout where the door locks.  This entailed literally throwing 7 years of saved up kid stuff out a window and either donating it or junking it depending on condition.  Then, I went through all of his current toys and clothes and got rid of all of the broken, taken apart, worn out toys.  Once that was done, we moved everything else upstairs.

Then I got to work on my new room!  I painted the walls a nice neutral sandy beige color (I think it was called Mexican Sand?)  I transformed an antique dresser that was my Great Grandmas into a shelving unit of sorts.  The drawers were all broken and it was a fake wood grained pistachio green (no joke), so I got rid of all of them except for two drawer fronts.  I mixed up a pretty dusty sky bluish color from paint I had laying around and slapped on a couple coats over some primer.  Let me tell you, it turned out beautifully!  The only thing I have left to do is hang those drawer fronts with some hinges to make a couple cabinet spaces.  I also hung some makeshift curtains out of fabric that I found upstairs, they will work until I find some that I like  better.  I also hung up a cabinet/shelf thingy that I won at a Chinese auction and painted this the same color as my dresser and added some white "distressing" on it.  This makes great storage for my nail polish and perfume and such.  Then, only because I was bored and found a cool stencil lying around, I decorated the back of the door, that probably no one will see, ever.  But it looks so cute, so who cares!  Here's some pictures of the progress so far.....

My Stenciling......

My antique dresser that I painted/re-purposed

Close up of dresser.  The two drawer fronts will be hung with small hinges to make some cabinets.

Makeshift curtains and my wall cabinet

Desk area...

 The only thing I have left to deal with is the floors.  When we moved in, there was pink marbled carpeting in here.  I left it in until I decorated Cay's room in a spongebob theme.  Under it was hardwood that needed refinishing.  We sanded it, but never got around to sealing/staining it.  Well 6 years later, it is covered in stains from a certain child spilling anything and everything on it.  I have decided that I am going to slap some white pain on it and be done with it.  I've researched and found that porch and floor enamel is the best way to go, so that's what I bought!  Now, I just have to find a night where I can start painting and just do it!

I also started our bathroom reno.  This just consisted of taking down the bathroom surround and putting in a new window and some tile.  I still have to paint the walls, but I am looking for a new vanity and I don't want to paint until I purchase one (pure laziness on my part, the vanity will cover a piece of drywall that we used to patch up a hole in the wall, I just don't want to mess with filling in the joint/hole right now...).  Here's a few before and after of the tub surround....

Before...

I found an old window!

New Window....ripping out some walls

The finished product...

I am so happy with the results!  It's amazing how much bigger our tiny little bathroom looks now.  I like having a window to let in some natural light too.

That's all I have for now.........

I DID IT!!!!!

AHHHHHHH!  I graduated nursing school!  It is still hard to believe that after 2 long, hard years, countless hours of studying and having absolutely no social life, I am a Nurse.  I now have to prep and pass the NCLEX-RN so I can get a J O B.

In the infamous Cap

I told myself I wasn't going to cry at all during graduation, and I didn't, until I saw my family walk in.  My mom already had tears in her eyes and my grandma was smiling from ear to ear.  I instantly welled up, but held it together.  It happened again after the ceremony when my grandma pulled me aside and said I am so proud of you, I wish your grandpa was here to see you accomplish this, but he is with us in spirit.

My and my Mommy

Getting Pinned

The best husband in the world! 

I followed in the footsteps of my Grandma Dee, who is the best nurse I know.  I was so honored to have her at my graduation ceremony.  At the end, one of the Sisters (our school/health system is part of a Catholic Order) performed a blessing of the hands.  She asked that all new, current and former nurses rise to take part.  I was so ecstatic that my Grandma, who just gave up her license at 81 years old, and has been a nurse for 61 years, got to stand up and be recognized and blessed for all of the great things she has done.

Me and my Grandma!!

I am so proud of not only myself, but our whole class.  When we all first met during orientation, the instructors had told us that when it is all said and done, you will be a family.  We looked around the room and said Ya Right!  How wrong were we!  We have cried together, laughed together, studied for hours on end..sometimes seeing more of each other than our actual family.  We were there for each other at 2 am when we would call each other crying "I'm going to fail this test!  I don't think I studied enough!" and then again at 10 am laughing at how over dramatic we were when we did in fact pass the test with flying colors.

This is a second career for me, and I can't believe how different it is than any other.  Nurses are a close knit, loving and caring bunch.  I have never had a "college" experience like this one.  Everyone knows each other, how many kids they have, if they are married or seeing someone, the health of the parents, grandparents, literally everything about each others lives.  We laughed together, cried together, screamed together, worried together, vented to each other.  The instructors are equally in the know, asking you about your family, friends, life in general.  They actually WANT you to succeed, even though at the time we are thinking they have it out for us!

I can not wait to pass my boards and get a job, doing something that I absolutely love.  Nursing is my passion, I love to take care of people, make them feel better, help them out in their time of need, and I will be getting paid to do it!

Thank-you to my family and friends for helping me out on this amazing journey, I could not have done it without you!

Sephora Haul....and mini reviews

I had a wedding to go to a few weeks back, my husband was in the wedding, but alas I was just a guest.  I found the perfect dress to coordinate with his suit, I'll post up a pic below.  I was shopping in JC Penney's to look for shoes and a clutch and ran stumbled into Sephora and walked out with a few things and then went home and shopped some more online......

I have always wanted to try some Makeup Forever HD Foundation....so I got matched...with their new fangled Color IQ system.  They hold it up to your clean skin and it takes a picture of your complexion or something (like a square inch or so).  It is pretty cool because it gives you shade references for a few different brands.  It was surprisingly accurate too, the first shade it brought up was MUFE HD in 118 "Flesh".  The associate put some on me and it matched perfectly.  Since I was in the mood to try MUFE, I also purchased travel sizes of the HD setting powder (pressed, not loose) and the setting spray...primarily because they were in those pesky bins by the register.  I love love love the foundation and powder.  I have come to find out that I do not need a full coverage foundation and a full coverage powder (especially in the summer).  The finish on this foundation is amazing, it somehow manages to look like you have on nothing, but still provides coverage for those areas that need it.  The powder sets it beautifully to a nice finish, not too matte, but not glistening at all!

I also wanted to try out something from Hourglass, but didn't want to shell out 45 bucks for a powder.  I opted for a travel size of the veil mineral primer and boy am I impressed!  It has a unique feeling when you apply it, not at all like most silicone based primers.  This is white when you pump it and dot it on the face, but disappears into the skin and hides pores.  It makes the foundation go on super smooth and doesn't grab on dry spots if you happen to have any.  I also notice that I don't need to touch up my oily t-zone during the day, this somehow controls that too!

I finally jumped on the Naked 2 train.  I already own Naked 1 and thought - why do I need another neutral palate? I ordered it anyways and thought - why didn't I buy this sooner?!?!?!  I know these are neutral palates and they are supposed to suit all skin tones, but let me tell you - 2 suits my coloring way better than 1.  I used to watch tutorials on YouTube with 1 and try it on myself and it never looked right.  Now I know why, skin tone makes a difference!  I Love Love Love Naked 2!  I also got a travel sized primer potion....those darn bins right by the register get me every time!!

I am loving bright lips for the summer, and I hear quite a lot of hype about the OCC lip tars.  While I was browsing the website, I came across the Lip Tar: Test Tubes x3.  It comes with 2 colors, the lip primer and a small brush.  I figured this was a good way to try it out, especially since you get a couple of colors that you can mix together. I ordered Champagne Shores, which includes Trollop (matte) and Pris (metallic). I haven't done much mixing, but I am IN LOVE with the Matte formula and the color Trollop.  It is the PERFECT summer coral shade and it goes on so opaque and lasts on the lips (as in stains your lips perfectly after the tar wears off).  A little little teeny tiny bit goes a long way, so this will last forever. And the primer is awesome too, it makes the perfect canvas to apply the tar to. I can't wait to try more!!

Left to Right: Primer, Pris, Trollop

Last but not least, I ordered a mascara.  I've been looking for a new high end mascara that actually makes my blonde short lashes look amazing.  I've used Tarte Lights Camera Lashes before and like it, but wanted to try something new.  I came across a kit from Estee Lauder that comes with Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara, a 1 oz bottle of Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, and a .17 oz Advanced Night Repair Eye cream.  I love the mascara, and the eye cream (more like a gel than a cream) has really hydrated my under eyes - after about a week of using it, I already notice less fine lines when I conceal my under eye area.  The remover is Eh, not so great.  I find you have to rub to get mascara off, which kind of defeats the purpose of an anti-aging night cream.  The cream will last a long time, even thought it's only .17 oz, and you get all 3 items for the price of just the mascara.

That's about it for the Sephora haul!!  Here's the pic of me and hubs at the wedding, and the dress that I was trying to accessorize at JC Penney that just made me go into Sephora.....

And of course, I didn't find any accessories at JCP!  Unless you count
the makeup from Sephora!

Thanks for reading, bye loves!