A Belated Merry, Merry and Almost New Year!

Hey Y'all!

Well, the last time I hopped on the ol' blog it was right before Thanksgiving. And. What I like to call the 2013 time warp. It seemed like right after Turkey Day everything was on warped speed and things had to be done, done, done! Before I knew it, Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza was over and Christmas was a mere 14 days away. Whew. I was busy with school and then right before we got out for winter break, I was hit with the good old sinus infection, plus double ear infection. So. That is how I spent my time through Christmas, getting better! I have also had to go back on some prednisone for various issues, so that has added to the fun too. One of the things that triggered from my sinus infection was a tooth issue that I have been dealing with for a few months. It really hasn't been that bad over the months, but with my sinuses going crazy it has kicked my tooth "issue" and pain into high gear. I am hoping the dentist can fit me in sometime this week because this has not been fun. Tummy pain I can handle any day, tooth pain NOT!

Anyhoo. I am still enjoying my Christmas decorations. Y'all know how I just love the lights! I guess I will take everything down around the first. One nice thing about winter break this year is that we don't have to go back to school until January 6th! So I am able to really enjoy this next week. Except for being in pain, I have quite enjoyed the past few days of watching tv, napping (when I can) and piddling around the house. Here's a pic of the entertainment center with this year's decorations!

I also have a new addiction... no crochet/crochet scarves!

This year was a "pinching the pennies" Christmas. I have had a few expensive months! Mitzi Mazda had to have some service and then my heat went out over Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza. So I had to be really creative with my gifts this year. Since I am a "maker" I came across some really neat crafts on You Tube! I am sure you are well aware of the "ruffle scarves" that have been very popular with knitters and crocheter's over the past year. I think they are so cute, but LAWDY it takes forever and a day to knit one. One night while on Pinterest, I came across an easy way to make them and y'all... I had some great gifts!

I made a silver, gold and white one for my Mom...

This one for my Mom's friend Jean.... She hosted a great Christmas Day Brunch and I had to take something to her!

And a red sparkly one for my Mom's friend Pat... She loves the red and the sparkly!

I have some more colorways to work on this week. Would you like to make one for yourself or someone else? I promise, if you can hold a crochet hook, you can make this scarf! I started out by watching this tutorial on You Tube. I vary the stitches I pick up just a bit, depending on how flouncy I want the scarf to be. If I want it really flouncy I will pick up 12 stitches, less flouncy and I will do 9. I can make a scarf in about 20 minutes. Not bad for a new accessory. The yarn runs about $4.99.. but AC Moore and Michael's usually have it on sale for $3.99. Check out the video to get going on your own scarf!

This is a second video that I watched that really helped with beginning and ending the scarves. This video is very thorough with the demonstration and shows you what the scarves look like with different loops added.

I'll be back tomorrow with hopefully a tooth update (keep your fingers REALLY crossed) and another easy craft and recipe for New Year's!
Tootles y'all!
:) JKP

Brrrr…. Chilly!

Hey Y’all!

Today was a very cold day. We woke up to temps in the 30’s and the wind was howling! I chose to stay in my jammies as long as I could today! But, I worked really hard! All of my Christmas decorations and trees are up and the house is cleaned and ready for Thanksgiving visitors. I may need some time to recover from all of this hard work! Pitty Pat and I stepped out about 3:30 for a chilly walk, and then back under the covers we went! I only ventured out to change the laundry from the washer to the dryer and then to fold it. In fact, Pitty Pat and I are about to head back to bed for good in a few minutes!

I am really enjoying my Christmas tree lights. I haven’t taken a picture of the whole set up yet, because I am playing around with getting a new garland to go around the entertainment center this year. The one I have is nice, but it is falling apart. So I plan to head out this week to see what my (not so expensive) options are! This year I did have to add little something to my green tree. This tree is very old… at least 15 years. It is starting to brown in some spots and the limbs are not holding up well. I had a fake snow blanket that I decided to break apart to add a snow effect to the branches. I love the way it makes the tree look! I might decide to flock this tree next year (add a fake snow effect on the branches with paint) so it can last even longer. I am enjoying this tree all over again! Here’s a quick pic… remember, I am not done decorating this part!

Sadly, I did not get in any knitting this weekend. I really wanted to get my house cleaned and my decorations up. At least I have only two days of school this week and all of my hard housework is done. Now I can kick up my feet and knit over Thanksgiving vacation!

Tootles!

JKP

My Early Christmas Present, Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza Recipes and a Texas Toast DEBACLE!!

Hey Y'all!

Sorry, I took the day off yesterday. Literally. I took a personal day and had a wonderful day! I picked up a piece of furniture from a consignment store, did some shopping and enjoyed the beautiful weather! In fact, yesterday afternoon I pulled out my beach chair, poured myself a glass of lemonade, grabbed my kindle and sat my happy hiney on my patio in the sunshine for a few hours. It was so relaxing and I finished a book... True Devotion by Dee Henderson. It is a really good read! Everybody needs a relaxing Monday every now and then!

And, sorry. There is no Christmas Sock of the Day for today and yesterday. It has been in the 70's here and my toes have to be free! They say the colder weather will be back by the end of the week. I can't wait to show off my precious socks that I got this past weekend!

Now!!! If you have ever been to my house, you may notice how much yarn I have. At times, I probably could appear in an episode of hoarders. :) I am not that bad. My yarn is pretty much organized by project and color in my upstairs craft closet. However, I do keep a basket downstairs by my sofa and recliner with all of my current or about to be current projects. Ahem. Recently this basket has gotten OUT OF CONTROL. And, it was an eye sore in my living room. While out shopping with the girls this past weekend, I came across the perfect solution. Since I knew I couldn't fit it in Mitzi Mazda without tying Marie or Toni to the sunroof, I decided to think about it and come back on Monday. If the basket of shelves was still there.. then it was meant to be!

And guess what it now in my living room????? To understand the hideousness.. you must see a before and after shot...

BEFORE.......ACCCCKKKKKK!!!!! My yarn has been multiplying!

AFTER........ SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!

My living room is much happier now! And, so am I! Santa came to see me a wee bit early! :)


And, now what you have been waiting for! Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza Recipes!
Now, my two favorite recipes I used, I found on Pinterest.. and those folks have blogs who have documented each recipe. Since I was cooking for company and I was under a deadline (read, I hadn't had ANY coffee while I was cooking on Saturday) I forgot to take pictures. So instead of re-inventing the wheel on my blog, I am just going to link to the recipes. I hope you guys really enjoy them! :)

Our favorite part of breakfast on Saturday had to be the make ahead French Toast Bake. Now let me tell you... this recipe calls for Texas Toast. But there is a Texas Toast debacle. After searching several stores for Texas Toast... that I had only seen a few weeks ago, I kept coming up empty handed. Finally the deli manager at my local Food Lion took pity on me and explained what was going on. You see, most Texas Toast in our country was made by Hostess bakeries. And now they are closed. NO MORE TEXAS TOAST FOLKS!!!! So I substituted Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White Bread to make my french toast and it turned out great. You could use any hearty bread and I am sure it would be fine. But we really liked the Pepperidge Farm! I also left the crusts on my bread. I am normally not a crust eater... EXCEPT when I eat french toast. The recipe on the blog cuts off the crusts. Don't do it! :)

Here's the link to step by step directions for The French Toast Bake. Make this. Make this for Christmas morning! You won't be sorry!

The other recipe I tried was called Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups. It is a hashbrown base, baked in a muffin tin. Then you add egg, cheese and bacon. It is a great option for protein in the morning and it is easy to make!

Check out Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups here!

Alrighty, Rizzoli and Isles is on and I've got to watch it. I hope y'all have a good Wednesday! We have 10 more school days until Christmas break! :) YAY!

Tootles!
:) JKP

It's Baking Time! Peppermint Dipped Chocolate Cookies

Hey Y'all!

I bet you didn't think that I would be back soooo soon! I have a yummy recipe for some delightful cookies that I wanted to share.

This past weekend my best girlfriends helped me celebrate my 40th birthday. They kindly rented a beach house for the night so we could have a slumber party! You can see a few pics of our celebration in yesterday's post. We decided that instead of going out, we would all bring a dish to share. I spied these cookies in a Red Plum coupon circular a few weeks ago and I had been dying to try them out. This presented the perfect opportunity! The Peppermint Dipped Chocolate Cookies were a hit!

I love this time of year because you can find the best baking and cooking recipes in the most unusual places. I am a magazine hog and usually by a ton this time of year. Some of my favorite holiday and everyday dishes come from things I have found around this time of year. My big purchase last year was The Fix It and Forget It Best Recipes of 2011. Boy. That has provided plenty of yummy dishes for this year!

To make these budget friendly and yummy cookies you will need:

1 package of Pillsbury Chocolate Cookie Mix with Crushed Peppermint Candy. (I found mine at the evil empire.)
1/2 cup of butter softened
1 large egg
1 16oz container of Pillsbury Peppermint Frosting (Again, the evil empire)
*This made a batch of 32 cookies for me. I always like to know what to expect!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Open the box of cookie mix and remove the peppermint candy pouch to use later. Combine the cookie mix, butter and egg in a bowl. Mix with a spoon until the dough is soft. Drop by rounded teaspoons on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 2 minutes. Then place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Once the cookies have cooled completely, microwave the container of frosting for 20 seconds and stir. Make sure the lid is off. DUH. Then microwave for 10 more seconds. Dip the cooled cookies about halfway into the frosting. You can scrape the excess off if needed. Place the cookie back on the wire rack.
*(See NOTE!) Then immediately add the peppermint pieces from the candy pouch ASAP so they will stick as the frosting cools. Continue to dip until all the cookies are coated and sprinkled. I let the cookies sit out for a few hours until I knew the frosting was set.

 

*I placed some plastic wrap underneath the wire racks as I was adding the frosting and and peppermint pieces. It helps with clean up!

That's it! Very easy with pretty AND yummy results. :) So bake up a batch, turn on the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas Movie Marathon and enjoy!

This weekend I am thinking about putting up my Christmas Tree(s). My girls and I are also going to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. Thank goodness next week is only a two day school week, I am so tired!

I hope you have baking in your plans this weekend too! I do! Look what landed in my grocery cart yesterday....

SQUEE!! More baking for me too!

Also, stay tuned. I have big cooking plans for Turkey Day.. and it involves my Crockpot!

Tootles!
:) JKP

Trying Hard to Adjust.....

Hey Y'all!

Well, I went into work today and really got a lot accomplished in my classroom. I had some lesson planning to catch up on, copies to make and notes to send home tomorrow. I am very pleased with how much I got done today. I checked several things off of my "To Do" list, so hopefully this short week will go by quickly!

Next Friday we have an early dismissal, then we have the following Monday off for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. This is the time of year where we really hustle and bustle. Report cards are due next week and we are wrapping up several things for the new nine weeks. Only two nine weeks, or a total of 18 weeks of school are left!

I am having a wee bit of a problem letting go of Christmas though. I miss my trees and the lights! When I packed up my trees the other day  I was so sad. I had to go back out in the garage and bring a small white tree back in the house. This tree is fiber optic and goes well with my white lights that I leave up until the end of February. It has taken me a long time as an adult to like and enjoy Christmas. It is so weird that I am so sad that it is over this year. Oh well. I figure my little white tree isn't hurting anyone. And if it makes me happy and brings some light into these dark and cold days, then so be it! :)

And, yes, that is Joe Pesci on my TV. When I took this picture, Home Alone was playing on TV!

One other thing I did today was sign up for a knitting class! I am so excited. This is a hat knitting class. I can knits hats and very well! However, this is for color knitting in a hat.  In this class you learn how to do a "jog" or change colors without it showing in your hat. Sometimes when you knit with stripes in a hat, where you change stripes can show and throw off your striping pattern. I have read about this technique on the internet and I can't wait to learn it! I am taking the class on Saturday, January 21st!

Well, it is bitter, bitter, bitter, cold tonight. I am going to put on my jammies and get into bed with Pitty Pat. It is funny, when I let him out in the backyard, he keeps sniffing the ground. Is he looking for snow? We have been reassured that by the weekend our 70 degree temps will be back. Good thing, because I don't like this very cold weather!

Tootles!
:) JKP

Look Who I Met Today......

Hey Y'all!

Look who my friend Dana and I ran into at school today!
We promise we have been VERY GOOD this year! Now, may we please have a winning lottery ticket? SANTA, I KNOW HIM!!!! I KNOW HIM!!!! And this one was real... no beef and cheese smell anywhere!!!