Sunday, May 31, 2009

Happy Blog Birthday!

Hey Y'all!

Well, my blog is blowin' out the birthday candles today! It's a year old today! Wow and I have I been busy! Over 127 posts in a year! Yippee!

Just like this time last year, we have finally reached the last week of school! Friday is my last day with my munckins and then I have to work next Monday and Tuesday. I really don't get any time off... I have to work June 10th and 12th for summer school. Oh well! It will keep me busy.

Tomorrow I am planning a "Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest" for my munckins. It's a quick a dirty way for them to practice and review mean, median and mode. Also, they get to spit and measure how far they can spit a watermelon seed. Whoo hoo! It's kind of been slow going over the past two weeks. My reports cards have been done for almost a week now, so it's kind of me being a monkey and entertaining my kids! They have been helping me get ready for summer school though. I've put them to work making stuff for summer school. They love it and it helps me out at the same time.

Zorro is hanging in there. He is having a little trouble breathing today, but he had a very exciting day yesterday. He spent half of the day at the doggie spa with Zoe Bowie. They both look precious, but I think the Z-man is a little tuckered from all of the excitement of yesterday. Also, the transformation of my craft/sewing/yarn room took place yesterday. Oh. My. God. I do not need to buy any more yarn for the next 5 years. I will take pics so y'all can see. It's still a bit of a mess and I have a few more things to sort through and tidy up. But, so far it is going to be awesome!

Well, I am off to grab some lunch and to slice up the melon... it is so hard to find one with seeds these days!!!
:) JKP

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hot Off the Needles

Hey Y'all,

Whoo whee.. have my knitting needles been a flyin' these days! Here's one project hot off of the needles for a baby shower for a teacher on my third grade team who is expecting her second child. We are having her shower tomorrow. This sweater is from the pattern "Pretty Baby Sweater." I think that next time I will use smaller needles. The thing about knitting for babies is that you want to use a yarn that the Mommy can just throw in the washer and not have to think twice about. Most baby yarns are cotton or acrylic and are good for this. I went with Caron's Simply Soft for this sweater. All in all I am pleased with it, although I did have a few times when I wanted to pull my hair out! Anyhoo, I hope the mom to be and the baby enjoy it!






Yesterday I found out that I am going to be teaching 1st grade during summer school! I am excited about this, I miss working with my babies! It will also be a nice break from the big kiddos! Yesterday I sat through TWO three hour meetings. I got home about 6:45 p.m. and my brain was FRIED! Oh well, I am going to bed early tonight to make up for it!
Don't forget, if I haven't updated the blog, check out the Twitter sidebar on the right hand side of the blog. I "mini" blog everyday through Twitter so you can still know what I am up too!
Toodles!
:) JKP

Monday, May 25, 2009

Home Improvement

Hey Y'all,

Sorry it has been a few days since my last post. I'm being lazy. Not lazy in my life, but lazy with blogging. I am trying to be more present with most things, so I am enjoying the simple things in life right now and not rushing to blog about them. I've been taking care of my garden, grilling out on the grill, running around chasing Zorro and Zoe and doing a few home improvement projects too!

Check out what I did in my bathroom over the weekend. Zoe supervised.

It's one of those Wallies murals. Very easy to put up and it adds some pizazz to the ol' bathroom. I also took the left over starfish and sand dollars and placed them around the bathroom. I currently have laundry all over the floor, so folks, I didn't take a picture!

Also, check out the recent pics from my garden! It's GROWING!



I can't wait to eat some veggies! My squash is taking over the world!

Ohh.. here's a newsflash! I have decided to teach summer school this summer! I know, I know. But y'all know me. I don't do well with time on my hands. It stresses me out. This way, I will have something to do and earn money while I am doing it. Besides, Cesar the CR-V needs new shoes (tires) and I have some more home improvements that I want to do as well. Remember my whole craft/sewing/yarn studio re-do? This way I will have a little extra money in my pocket and I won't have to worry how I am going to pay for new tires or my car taxes in October. I only work from 8-12 Monday -Thursday, so I still have plenty of time to hang out at the beach. AND, I get to have two days off to go to Tahoe. So, Yippee!

Anyhoo.. I am going to leave you with some adorable pics of Zorro enjoying one of his doggie sundae's from Brewsters. Zorro is hanging in there! He actually just climbed the stairs to come up to see me in the computer/craft/office room. He hasn't done that in ages! I swear, y 'alls prayers have helped!



O Happy Day!

:) JKP

Monday, May 18, 2009

Hmmmm...It Can't Be That Time of Year Already.....



Lookie loo.....Yup folks. It's that time of year already...except it's not. The Atlantic Hurricane season officially starts on June 1st. At last check, today was May 18th. I have been watching the GOES radar over the weekend and choked on my cereal yesterday when I saw this little formation. It has the counter-clockwise spin and a small eye. However, the NHC says it has about a 30% chance of actually becoming a storm. I don't like those odds, considering IT HAS FORMED IN MAY! My best guestimate is that the water is too cold. It is freezing here today, only in the 50's so hopefully that will ward off any storms. Curious to see if you name is on the List of Hurricane names for 2009? All I can say is folks, batten down the hatches in 2010. Julia is on the list!

p.s. for those of you who don't know, I LOVE THE WEATHER. I check the National Hurricane Center daily to look at the satellite. I even do a huge unit on hurricanes with my kids at the end of the year. I do it more for safety. I remember was I was in 1st grade and Beaufort got hit with Hurricane David. Then of course, who can forget HUGO. Vivid memories folks!

Let the hurricane tracking begin!

JKP

Saturday, May 16, 2009

FLICKR Is My New Crack....

Hey Y'all...
First and foremost a Zorro update.... He is doing ok today. We have increased his Lasix and pain medication and he's holding his own. He even took a car ride up to Little River and had a semi play/nap date with Zoe. He even managed to bark at some offending neighbors who dared to walk on our sidewalk tonight. Hmmm..He also was happy to see his leash and took a small walk tonight. Only 4 houses down, but the fact that he wanted his leash on is comforting.

Me, I am a wreck. I went to the grocery store, and while I didn't lose it in the produce section, I had a hard time making the most basic decisions. I am exhausted because I can't sleep. Everytime Zorro moves, I think he is in pain and it scares me. I must figure out a way to get some sleep.

He's sleeping right now, and of course I'm not. So I am entertaining myself.

One of my goals for this upcoming summer is to redo my office/2nd guest room upstairs into a fantastic craft room/studio. To get some inspiration I have been cruising FLICKR. Flickr is one of those cool sites where people can post photos for online viewing and for storage. I use it to store and link photos on this blog. You just type in what you are looking for... a viola.. .you can stalk people in their own homes. Charming.

So this is what I have found that I like....




I won't post all of them... but needless to say I am gathering inspiration.

I am off to do some more stalking.....

:) JKP

Friday, May 15, 2009

Personal Day

Hey Y'all,

Well, the last 24 hours for me have just been insane. We had state testing yesterday and the test was so hard, that one of my munchkins actually had a breakdown in the middle of it! Apparently, the state department of education (I am mad at them right now and refuse to capitalize them, even though they are a proper noun)decided to place some questions on the test that are not, ahem, part of our standards. What the HELL!!!!!! Anyhoo, I am not the ONLY teacher upset by this and they have been receiving tons of complaints. Gahhh!!!! Why give me standards to teach by when you are not going to test on them???????????

To top it off yesterday, Zorro had a really bad day. REALLY BAD. Mom called me at school and basically told me this was it. She had made THE appointment. I was a wreck. Hysterically crying. I get home, and Zorro is waiting for me at the door. He barked at me. So. Yesterday was not going to be the second worst day of my life. Zorro is still struggling to breathe, but he is not going anywhere yet. As I type this, Zorro and Zoe are quite the portrait of "napping still life" on my bed right now.

Enter me taking a "personal day" today.

I am entirely stressed out and just needed a day to breathe. Yes, we only have 15 more days of school left, but I am a wreck. I needed a day to love on the Z-man and do what I do best when I get stressed. CLEAN. Become one with my Mr. Clean eraser. Oh and buy yarn. I did that too.

So, I am kind of taking things one day at a time. It's either that or I may crawl under a rock. I haven't decided yet.

:) JKP

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, We All Scream For Ice Cream! And... Some of Us Bark Too!

Hey Y'all,

Well, I survived the first day of testing. I can say that there were no surprises on the test. I taught my standards and my standards were on the test. My children however, left their thinking caps at home today. It wasn't pretty.

Anyhoo.... I have decided that a little "ice cream therapy" is in order for this evening. I have never really been an ice cream fan until recently. Of course there is my whole tummy issue, but besides that, ice cream is COLD. When I was little, my family and I went to Wilmington, NC for the day shopping at the market. While we were there, we visited an ice cream store that had Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream. I had that yummy goodness in a waffle cone, and y'all.... I still remember it to this day and this happened almost 25 years ago!!! So, I really became a fan of Blueberry cheesecake ice cream that day. I don't like to buy ice cream at the store, because it tastes store bought. I don't like TCBY or Baskin Robbins. But, the other day, I had a hankering for some ice cream. We have Bruster's Ice Cream near my house, so I dropped by for a taste. Low and behold, THEY HAD BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM!!!! HOLY CRAP WAS IT YUMMY!!!!! So, I have a new addiction and a new place to visit. Now Bruster's doesn't have blueberry cheesecake everyday, so I have had to find a new way to have this yumminess in my life. A few years ago, my mom gave me a Cuisinart Ice Cream, Sorbet and Frozen Yogurt maker. So I have been trolling the internets for blueberry cheesecake ice cream recipes. I have found a few, and I think I am going to try them this weekend.
Also, snaps for Bruster's. When I take the Z-man with me for my treat... he gets a vanilla dog sundae complete with doggie biscuit for free. Don't worry, no chocolate for Z. So now, he barks for ice cream. Actually, he has for a while. My mom got him addicted a few years ago!

I am off for some yummy goodness!!!
:) JKP

Monday, May 11, 2009

Wishin' and Hopin' and Prayin'

Hey Y'all!

I truly meant to post this weekend, but life sorta got in the way. Saturday, I woke up with the worst tummy ache. I thew up a couple of times (yes, I know TMI... but now you know why I didn't blog!) I think the tummy thing was completely my fault. I have been on a health kick lately and I have been trying to eat more veggies. Well folks, Crohn's and veggies don't really go together. Sometimes, when I eat too many veggies, I can't digest them and they end up coming back to visit me. I think this is what happened to me on Saturday. Endame is so NOT my friend. It is right up there with spinach! I have been eating those Cafe Steamers by Healthy Choice. While they are pretty yummy, I can only eat one every few days. I didn't realize that the fiber content in them was so high. Enter my crazy stomach. So, I have to lay off of them for a while!


Saturday was also delivery day for my new washer! You may have read a few posts ago about me having to have a "Come to Jesus" meeting with my old washer. Well, it wasn't old. I have only had it for about four years. Y'all... never stray from a good American brand like Kenmore or Maytag. A few years ago, my mom bought a washer and dryer set from Fisher and Paykel. I was moving home to the beach and needed a new set for the new house. So, since Mom loved her set, I bought mine. Well, I am not going to link to them, BECAUSE THEY SUCK!!! The washer was pretty fancy and it was run by a computer board. However, they put the computer board in the same compartment as the water drainage tank. YUP. So you can use your inferencing skills and figure out what happened. My computer board fried itself and it was going to cost close to $280 to replace it. Nope. Not going to happen. Especially when I can get a NEW washer for almost the same price. So, off to Sears I go. I found a great Kenmore and it even does my wash in 15 minutes! Whooo Hooo!! I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on my one million loads of laundry I needed to do. I haven't been able to wash clothes for almost two weeks now.


While I was browsing around in Sears last weekend, I found the deal of the century! I have a king size bed, so I don't often buy new sheets or even a new comforter for my room. I have had a thin silk cover on my bed for a while, but was looking to upgrade. I found this cutie patootie bed set from Ty Pennington. It was on clearance for $39.00! That included a king comforter, shams, sheets (300 count), and a dust ruffle. Zorro is in love with it. I can't get him off of the bed now!



My room is painted in Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware so the colors look great. It is very soft and cozy. And, Zorro approved. Zoe visits next weekend, so we will see!

That's about it.... we start state testing tomorrow and I am a nervous wreck. The review didn't go well with my kids today. I am just hoping that they had "Mondaitis." Say a prayer for my munchkins.. they are going to need it!

:) JKP

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Teacher of the Year

Hey Y'all,

Sorry I took a mini vacay from the blog, but I had a "garden" injury and I couldn't type for a few days! Something either bit me, or scraped me, and since last Tuesday, my left hand has been double it's normal size. After various antibiotics, two that finally worked, and 1 tetnus shot later, I am on the mend!!!!!

Tonight we had our Teacher of the Year banquet for Horry County. Here's a pic of me and the babies!

My principal was kind enough to bring me some beautiful flowers to the banquet. I received a plaque from the school district and a bag full of goodies!



So, hopefully I can blog more tomorrow about all of the adventures I have been having. Besides dealing with my "garden" injury, I have had to purchase a new washer, which is a whole long story. But, since my left hand is not quite healed, I will post more when it is more comfie for me to type!

Later Gators!!

:) JKP