Heavy Heart

Hey Y’all,

If you follow me on facebook, twitter or instagram, you know by now that last week my precious Granddaddy Abe passed away on Monday.

This past week has been very surreal. I took last week off from school and went back to work yesterday. I am having good days and bad days, but mostly I am still in a fog getting used to this change in my little world.

Today, believe it or not, we have a snow day! We have an impending winter weather event that is about to hit the SC coast very hard. I think Granddaddy knew that I needed a few days to stay in my pj’s, drink coffee, and snuggle with the Pitty Padster. I haven’t been able to pick up my knitting needles since I lost Granddaddy. I am hoping that over the next few days of being home, I can get my crafty rhythm back again. My heart is just kind of heavy right now.

I am currently trying to charge every electronic device I own just in case the power goes out. We are expecting almost an inch of ice and snow on top of that. I have my heat running on 75 just to get the house really warm in case we lose power once everything starts this afternoon. I have my ipod, ipad, kindle, laptop and phone full of books, knitting podcasts and music to keep us entertained. I also plan on catching up on some much needed sleep!

Every time I let Pitty Pat out this morning he keeps sniffing the air and pawing the ground. Yup. A winter event is coming!

Hopefully I will hop back on here with a weather update soon.

Tootles!

JKP

Summer Check Ups and a Quick Trip

Hey Y'all!

This past week flew by! I don't know if it is because I spent most of it behind a computer, but wow. It flew! By Thursday I waved the surrender flag with my classwork and headed to the beach for a much needed beach fix. It was just what the doctor ordered!

Friday was a busy day, Paddington went and had his four year old vet check up! He had to get three shots and was pronounced healthy! He does have to go back in Tuesday for a dental procedure. One of his baby teeth never fell out. It is causing some problems with other teeth, so it has to be pulled. I am a little nervous about this, but I know he will be just fine. He was put under when I had him neutered, so this should be a quick process. I just hate not having him home with me for the day!

Yesterday I made a quick trip to Sumter to have lunch with my Granddady and my Mom. I also got to visit with my Granny too. It was a fun day. It was rainy in Sumter and then most of the way home. But once I crossed the Horry County line, the sun was shining! Here's a pic from yesterday...

I gave Granddaddy a crash course in Instagram and he enjoyed looking at all of my pictures. My mom even decided to download the app!

The weather here is cloudy today. I had hoped to go to the beach, but since it is cloudy I guess I will go ahead and work on some classwork for the week to get ahead. I am really not in the working mood, but my bestie is coming for a visit on Wednesday, so I need to hop on the work train. Too bad all of the housework and laundry are done.. they are great distractions and excuses! Maybe I can cook something up in the crockpot... I can have a delicious aroma while I work!

Well, let me run. Y'all have a good Sunday!
Tootles!
:) JKP

Christmas Sock of the Day.. 3! Turkey in a Crockpot and Corn Puddin' too!

Hey Y'all!

Wow. If you follow the Twilight series and you haven't seen Breaking Dawn 2 yet, Oh My. You need to. I had a lot to ponder after the movie yesterday so I didn't get back to post. Wow. It was good!

Any hoo... here's today's Christmas Sock of the Day... From now on I think I will call it.. CSOD..
This sock is an oldie but goodie. I technically wear them past Christmas because I think gingerbread is great year round! I love this sock because it has all of the baking ingredients for Gingerbread Men!

AND! Speaking of cooking... hee, hee... Did you like my segway?
Here are the Thanksgiving recipes I have been promising for DAYS. Oh. They are worth it. You can use them for Christmas!

As I told you in my last post, I, JKP have never, ever, ever, baked a turkey before. I know. GASP. But. I decided this was the year and my crockpot was going to do all of the work. :)

For Crockpot Turkey you will need...

A SLOW COOKER LINER (Do not skimp on this. You will be a very sad monkey if you do.)
1 packet of onion soup mix
1/2 cup of orange juice
1 can of WHOLE BERRY cranberry sauce
1 turkey breast (anywhere from 3 to 5 pounds. Mine was a 4 and a half pounder. I bought mine fresh not frozen. With all of my digestive issues, I don't need a 20% solution of who knows what in a frozen turkey sending me to the hospital!) ALSO take into account the size of your crockpot. That will really determine what size of turkey breast you can get.

Now. Line your crockpot with the crockpot liner. You can find these on the aisle with the aluminum foil and plastic wrap.
Take your turkey out of it's packaging. Check inside to make sure there are not any bits or pieces. Just in case. Place your turkey in your crockpot and WASH YOUR HANDS!

Now in a bowl, combine the orange juice, onion soup mix, and the  whole berry cranberry sauce. Mix well. Pour over the turkey. Put on the crockpot lid. Cook on low for 6 and 1/2 hours or until your meat thermometer measures 170 degrees.

 

Warning. Your house will smell so yummy!

I am also SAD to say.. we ate this so fast, that I did not get a final picture. But. It. Was. Oh. So. YUMMY!

 

Now every turkey needs a sidekick... right? I present you with Crockpot Corn Puddin'.

 

For Crockpot Corn Puddin' you will need....

 

 

 

2 cans (10 ozs) of whole kernel corn ( DO NOT DRAIN)

2 cans (14 ozs) of creamed corn

2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 stick of butter

1 8 oz container of sour cream

 

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix.

 

Then pour into a lined crockpot. Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 2 hours.

 

It is the perfect sidekick to your turkey! And, again, I was slack with the final pics!

 

I hope you enjoy these recipes. They are so easy and they taste like you went to a lot of effort. I will say, the turkey sammies we made from the left over turkey were just divine. The crockpot will make your turkey very juicy and moist. :)

 

And, one last thought...  I think the reason I never attempted a turkey before was because of the movie Christmas Vacation. You know the scene. The one where they cut the turkey.. AND it basically decompresses in front of the family? OH LAWD. I did not want that kind of failure. :)

 

Now. Guess who has been nominated to cook Christmas Dinner at my Mom's this year? I better start looking for recipes!

 

Tootles!

:) JKP





Happy, Happy Thanksgving/Black Friday!

Hey Y'all!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I did! Do you know what? I technically cooked my first turkey on Wednesday! Granted it was in the crockpot and it was just a turkey breast, BUT I DID IT! And, it was yummy!

I have a recipe for the turkey and corn pudding that I made on Wednesday, but I will post about that later on. As you know, my family eats out on Thanksgiving, so I wanted to make sure I had leftovers to munch on over this busy weekend. And munch we have!

Here's a quick recap of our Turkey Day Meal....

Family Pics..

Me and Mom!

The Fam!

 



We always eat at The Boundary House in Calabash. The meal was yummy and we had leftovers from this meal too!

After our yummy meal, we went and checked out the movie Lincoln. Y'all, this movie is so good,  you must go see it. It is so interesting and the cast of characters is very enjoyable. Go, you won't be disappointed especially if you are a history buff!

Now, I am not like most folks. I likey a good shopping deal, BUT  I do not like to get out in the wee hours of Black Friday. But, I don't mind going out during the day. However, if I walk in a store and it is mass chaos I will walk back out! Mom and I hit a few stores today. Our main goal was to hit Belk. I had heard a wee bit of a rumor that the Belk up in North Myrtle Beach carried Orthaheels. And. Y'all know the sad shape my left foot is in. It has really been bothering me lately because the weather has turned cold and most of my Orthaheels are for warmer weather. Mom and Pitty Pat gave me a new pair for my birthday, but I can't wear them everyday because they are black.So off we went. 5 minutes in the store and I thought I was going to lose my mind! But WE FOUND the shoes AND WE GOT TO USE A COUPON! So, I have two new pairs of shoes to wear! Both of these are brown and they are so cute. So, now my feet can be happy again.. EVERYDAY!  I still may have to make a trip back to the podiatrist sometime soon. I am hoping these few days of rest will help it though! :)

Tomorrow we are planning to take it easy and maybe hit a few consignment stores. I don't really need anything, but the weather is really turning cold... well, beach cold here, and it wouldn't hurt to have a few more sweaters. I'll do a post soon on the latest finds I have found in consignment stores.

Before I go... I do want to tell you guys about a few favorite things I have discovered this week....

Bookbub! If you have a Kindle or a Nook you need to visit this site daily or sign up for emails. Everyday they send you an email with 3 or 4 books that are free to download to your Nook or Kindle. To see the daily deals and not have them emailed to you visit www.bookbub.com/deals/
I have put 6 new free books on my Kindle Fire as of today. And. Yes you read that right! I now have a Kindle Fire! We originally ordered it for my Granny's Christmas present, but once we got it, we realized it would be very hard for Granny to manage. I do have an ipad, but it is not mine and it is only mine as long as I am employed by my school district in a primary grade. I didn't feel very comfortable downloading books on something that really didn't belong to me. This way I can download away and continue reading the e books that I have come to love reading! :)

As if I am not enough of a medical mess these days, I have had the worst eczema breakout I have ever had over these past two weeks. I have fought with this since I was a baby and winter is really the worst for me. On top of that, my Crohn's can cause terrible skin rashes, so the past few weeks have been very uncomfortable to shower and put on clothes. After dealing with Aveeno and failed results, I picked up some Cetaphil and finally started to use it this week. I have now added the Cetaphil lotion to the mix... and y'all... it is a Christmas miracle! My skin has calmed down so much and I can actually take a shower and not be in pain! Every day the rash gets smaller and less irritated. Thank goodness! So. Cetaphil is awesome if you are having eczema issues or just crazy dry skin. I swear, I will never be without this stuff again! It is terrible to go to bed one night and wake up the next morning covered in an eczema rash. I am sure stress is playing a part in it too! So run, don't walk if you need this product!

Well, that is what I have been up to. I want to leave you with one more pic... I think "someone" is very happy I am home for a few days!

Tootles!
:) JKP

Attack of the Dizzies, Currently and SOUTHERN SAVERS!

Hey Y'all!

Sorry for the absence from the ol' blog. But. I have been busy! And. Sick. But, I am getting better so that is YAY!

The weekend before last was a great one! I ended up going to Columbia on Sat. May 5th to take a Southern Savers Coupon Workshop with my best friend Marie, her future daughter in law, Ellen, and my Mom. The funny thing is that our workshop was at Spring Valley Baptist Church and I used to live in the neighborhood right next door! This was a duplex and it was my first house that I ever bought.We drove by it before the workshop and it was still pretty much the same, except for the kiddie toys in front!

And, let me say. If you EVER get a chance to take a workshop with Jenny from Southern Savers, DO IT! It was funny, informative and I learned so much. Here we are before the workshop. The picture is blurry. My mom can't take pictures with my phone!

 

And, the best part. You learn how to get toothpaste for fee. Drugstores are your friend! :)

While we were in Columbia for the day, we made a stop at the Shops at Sandhill. It was great to be in a big city and get some shopping in! I was able to pick out an early Mother's Day gift from Pitty Pat.. a new Vera Bradley set. I just love Vera Bradley and it was fun to be amongst the goods!

We ended the weekend by celebrating my Grandaddy's 89th birthday. He is so cute!

Sadly, last Wednesday I got hit with the Vertigo Dizzy Lizzies. And, I had a field trip. It was bad folks and by the end of the day, I could hardly stand. My doc ended up putting me on steroids, an antibiotic and Valium to help with the vertigo. I am finally better today after hanging out on the sofa for the weekend and NOT driving. It was triggered by a sinus and ear infection. Life has not been fun. I have been on the tilt a whirl for a while!

And, last but not least, here is this month's Currently... only 15 days late! Check out my Beauty Pageant Title and my platform! Hee, hee!

Tootles!
:) JKP

Beachcombers

Hey Y'all!

Well, the weather here has been very warm, so Pitty Pat and I decided to take advantage of it yesterday!
I had to get my hair cut and colored yesterday and then I had to make a quick run to the knitting store, The Knit and Purl.  After those errands were out of the way, I decided that Pitty Pat and I needed to go for a walk on the beach.

It was much needed! Here's some pics from our beach adventure yesterday. It was so nice. The fog was rolling in and hardly anyone was out. Pitty Pat had the best time running and jumping. When we took a moment to rest, I got a big 'ole wet sloppy kiss across the face. I think he was pleased!

And I was RUNNING!!!!

I likey the beachy!

Happy Baby!!!!

To top off our special beach walk, we went and got some ice cream afterwards. One of my sweet students gave me a gift card to Cold Stone Creamery. I got the Berry, Berry, Berry Good in a waffle bowl. YUM. The ice cream was yummy and topped off a great day!

My Mom just called from Charleston and is heading this way! There's no telling what we will get into today! I am hoping that tonight we can go look at Christmas lights. I just love to look at lights!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!
Tootles!
:) JKP

A Scarf For My Granddaddy

Hey Y'all!

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter.. all you heard about this past weekend was a scarf that I was knitting up for my Granddaddy Abe. Back in October when all of the holiday knitting magazines were coming out, I got it into my head that I wanted to knit my Grandaddy a scarf. I found a pattern, but couldn't find the yarn. I ended up trolling the Lion Brand website one night before bed last week, and I found a quick knit, thick scarf that would be perfect for him!

So with needles in my hand I got off to a good start Wednesday night. But by Saturday afternoon, this was all I had!

So I found a good Christmas movie on TV, had a snack, and knitted into the deep dark night. Well. For three hours anyway! At the end I had a five foot scarf made of stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. I washed it up, blocked it, and prayed it would be dry in time to give my grandaddy at our annual family Christmas lunch on Sunday.

And the verdict.........

HE LOVED IT! The look on his face when he opened the bag made all of the knitting hours worth it. He was so excited that I made it for him! My mom bought him some new hats that matched the scarf, so he is quite the man about town right now!

Happy Thomy's!!!

The pattern is a free one from Lion Brand. It is called The Basic Scarf and it is a free pattern if you join Lion Brand. com. I used two skeins of Lion Brand's Hometown USA in the color Cincinnati. I used size 15 needles and I am a very loose knitter.  The whole scarf will take you about 3 and a half hours to knit up.

I hope you can make someone's holiday this year by making something from the heart!!!
Tootles!
:) JKP