43 More!

Hey Y’all!

Tonight marks the end of Spring Break. I was sad about it for a few minutes, until I realized that we only have 43 more days of school left. That is a very do-able number. So, as of right now, I am ready to knock those days out of the park and dive into SUMMER! Besides, unlike our spring break, the weather is getting ready to warm up . And. That means weekend beach visits. Oh yes. 43 is do-able.

I am not sure how the furry baby is going to handle us getting back onto our schedule tomorrow. I have been with him almost 24/7. He has had 4 walks a day. And. We have really enjoyed our afternoon naps. Here’s a shot from today’s nap! Pitty Pat is a blanket hog!

 

Yesterday, I started working on and finished the cutest baby hat. I call it Buzzy due to the flowers and the bees. I think it is one of my favorite hats that I have ever done. I bought the pattern off of Etsy.

I made a stop at the Dollar Tree this week to pick up some poopy bags for Pitty Pat. I found those great clips in the first picture holding my patterns together. I also found some other great knitting tools. I plan to post about those tomorrow!

I haven’t posted a lot about my trip to Charleston on Thursday. It was such a rainy and nasty day that I was very glad to get home. The doc made me have more bloodwork (which I did on Friday) and I have to have a Cat Scan of my belly done on Wednesday. He thinks I am having a Crohn’s flare and just wants to make sure I don’t have a blockage or other issue. So, I had to put in for a sub on Wednesday. I have to drink some really yucky stuff and then they take pictures of my belly as it goes through. The last time I had this done it took 4 hours. So. You better believe I am going to have a good book. I don’t take my knitting with me. I having this done in the hospital and it is so germy. I could never take my knitting there!

Well, let me log off. I have to resume “school time” bed time tonight. That is going to be so hard, I have been staying up until midnight and then sleeping until 8:30. 43 more days people. 43 more days!

Tootles!

JKP

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Hey Y'all!

Whooo, heee! It's Spring Break y'all! :) I had a serious moment on Monday night where I thought I was not going to make it through the rest of the week, but luckily some Edy's ice cream helped that moment! I am off for the next 10 days. No alarm needed. Well, except for Pitty Pat! This morning I have a house to straighten and clean a bit because Mom is coming for a visit. After I straighten up a bit today, I have a few errands to run. Then I am hunkering down for a nap. I am tired people!

Although I may be on spring break.. the weather doesn't know it. It has only been in the 50's all week. It is supposed to warm up into the 60's Sunday and Monday. Then we are plunging back down into the cold again. I am not a fan. But, I am off, so I am not going to complain! During our last cold snap, I casted on a couple of knit hats to keep my ears warm while I walk the Pitty Padster. I have had to frog one of them 3 times, so I am not sure if it is actually going to make it to hatdom or not! Here's what is on the needles....

It appears that I am going through a blue phase right now! The bright blue yarn is trying to become the cabled hat that is on the yarn label. The other piece of knitting is a dropstitch cowl that is going to be quite warm. I found the pattern on Etsy. Also tucked in there you can see the 9th Maggie Sefton book in the Kelly Flynn mystery series. I actually finshed it this week. I am putting off reading the 10th one because the 11th book doesn't come out until June. So I am trying to savor the last book!

One other thing that has really made me happy, happy, happy are these Cafe Cups! Y'all they fit perfectly into the Keurig. I picked mine up at CVS for about $9.  But if you have Extra Care Rewards you can pick them up for even less. In the package you get four Cafe Cups plus a scoop. I really love them because it makes it REALLY easy to use your own coffee in the Keurig. And. Y'all know I still have a ton of my Christmas coffee left! I have the Keurig version of the Cafe Cup, but it is really hard to use. These Cafe Cups are a snap and the coffee grounds don't leak into your cup! This is a true find! Also, it saves you money. One box of K Cups usually runs about $9 to $11. This way, you save all the way around by not having to constantly buy K Cups. This is a great find!



This shows you that the Cafe Cup is the same size as a regular K Cup!

Anyhoo, that is what is going on here! I am off to straighten and run some errands. Have a great day!

Tootles!

:) JKP 

March Madness

Hey Y'all!

Do you remember me? I hope so! Things have been pretty hectic in my part of the world and I have also been fighting with some SERIOUS exhaustion. So most of the time, a nap wins out over updating the blog! I am eight days shy of my spring break and I am so ready for it! The warm weather is visiting us for a wee bit and I have enjoyed getting out in the sun and taking Pitty Pat for plenty of walks. He likes it too! I don't do well in cold weather and this winter has been lots and lots of cold weather. Over the next few days we are supposed to go back to cold weather and I am not looking forward to it. I am ready to pull out my spring clothes and shorts!

I have also been doing quite a bit of reading since it has been so chilly. Right after Christmas I got addicted to Maggie Sefton's knitting mysteries that take place around a knitting store. In each new book there is a murder mystery and lots of knitting talk too. I am on the 8th book in the 10 book series. I am not sure what I am going to do when I finish them. It has taken up many nights! But they are great little reads and I can read one in two or three days.

In health news, I met with my general doctor last Friday. I had some bloodwork done recently and he wanted to go over it with me. I was really worried about my results. It turns out my cholesterol is looking good and I am in good shape overall. I am still very anemic, but that is never going to change. My SED rate is high, but with Crohn's that is to be expected. I am going to have to make a trip to Charleston soon because I am having some issues. I am just thankful I don't have to change the way I eat! That would be really hard for me since there is so much I can't eat! I am very relieved that waiting for those results is over! I still have to come home and take at least an hour or two nap every afternoon after school. But, if that what helps, then I am going to stick with it!

I have been very busy on the knitting front. Since the beginning of the year I have made several hats, cowls and I am even starting a sweater! Right now, big, fat, fluffy yarns are holding my attention because they are so quick to knit with. I just love casting on for a cowl one night and wearing it the next day. That's my kind of knitting! Here's a cute little hat that I like to call "Pom, Pom Goodness!"

One exciting thing that has happened since my last post was WE SAW SNOW! Pitty Pat and I were very excited! I love snow. The last time we had a good snow here at the beach was when Pitty Pat was a puppy. This time he really enjoyed getting out in it! It was so relaxing to watch the big, fat snow flakes fall. I wish I lived part of the year where it snowed, just a little bit!

The other exciting thing that happened is PITTY PAT TURNED FOUR! My baby is four. He had a great birthday. I gave him a squeaky cupcake for one of his prezzies. It lasted all of 5 minutes. But, at least it was a cute photo op!

Over Pitty Pat's birthday weekend, we had our annual Girl's Weekend Spring Palooza. This year was very different in that one of my friends could not make it AND since I had really been feeling run down, I didn't cook. But, we still shopped until we dropped! While we were out I stumbled upon a WALL OF PITTY PATS!!! Take a look....

It was quite a sight! I had to pick one up to make sure it wasn't the REAL thing!

I am still doing my thrifting thing and I have found lots of cute stuff. Since the weather is *hopefully* about to change I am kind of taking a break from it. I have really enjoyed spending our few warm Saturday's outside with a good book or knitting. I can't wait until it is warm enough to go to the beach!

One last cool thing.... in my last post in February  I was attending a technology workshop. During the workshop I learned about a free website builder and hosting service. Weebly is a very easy site that helps you build a professional looking website and hosting is free. I am in the process of building a website of all of my knits. I can't wait until it is ready to publish.. maybe in the next few weeks. I hope over spring break I can get it up and running.

Well, let me run. My Monday night shows are getting ready to come on. I have a feeling I won't make it through Castle tonight... tomorrow is my early morning duty day. Come on spring break!

Tootles!
:) JKP

So I Once Took a Sabbatical From Blogging....

Hey Y'all!

I am alive and I am somewhat kicking. But I know I have been gone for TWO LONG MONTHS! Right after my last post on Sept. 2... I got really, really, really sick.

This kind of sick.

Then, the next weekend, I got this kind of sick.

Morphine people. The pain and exhaustion that I had been having really did a number on me. And for me to end up in an ER TWICE. Ugh. It was not fun. I was put on a week of bed rest, which finally helped. I am still having some pain, but if I can sit during the day I feel better. My pain is abdominal and there are 1,000 causes for it, but the sneaking cause of mine is my Crohn's. So. I hope you will forgive the absence. I just didn't want to moan and groan about how sucky I have been feeling. Besides, you go to a blog to get away from your life, not be bored with mine! :)

While I took my blogging sabbatical lots of things happened. There has been some knitting!

I finally finished my Crescent Moon Shawlette! So pretty! Pitty Pat thinks so too!!

I made a ladybug hat for my University of South Carolina roommate Jill. She has a new daughter named Caroline. This hat was so fun to make!

This is a sweet pea hat for my friend Marie. She had a daughter too.... Miss Ellie!

The weather has turned chilly here at the beach, so I needed a new pair of Orthaheels to keep my toes warm! Mom and Pitty Pat gave these to me for my BIG Birthday!

This past weekend I TURNED 40!!! My best friends rented a house at the beach for me for the night. We had a big slumber party and had lots of fun!



Of course, before the fun, I had to get my fingers and toes done! This is OPI Kennebunk-Port!

One of the highlights of the past few weeks has been FINDING MY FAVORITE COFFEE IN THE WORLD!! It is in different packaging this year, but still so YUMMY! I also found a cute mug too!

And, there has been a wee bit of cooking. Not a lot. But I did do some baking this past weekend. I plan on posting this recipe tomorrow. It was a big hit at my slumber party and they are so easy to make!

Peppermint Dipped Chocolate Cookies

Anyhoo, that is what has been going on with me! I am so sorry if you have been faithfully checking the blog for an update and there wasn't one. I hope you will come back soon! I have some big Turkey Day plans for my crockpot that I can't wait to share!

Tootles!

:) JKP 

Spring Break 2012 Antics!

Hey Y'all!

Well, I am still loving spring break! I love that when I wake up in the morning, I can take my time sipping my coffee and not rush to get to school! Yesteday, I went and had a mani/pedi with my friend Wendy. Wendy teaches right across the hall from me and we decided yesterday was a girl's day! So we went and had our nails and toes done, had lunch and then got a yummy cupcake from our new cupcake store, Coccadotts!
I am trying to grow out my fingernails, which if you know me, is VERY HARD! I have been a lifelong nail biter, so I thought some cute polish would keep me from biting them this week! I chose the color Koala Bear-y this time! I love OPI and their neat names for polish!

Yesterday, I also finished up knitting an upside down daisy hat for my friend Marie. It turened out really cute. You just can't go wrong with a Susan B. Anderson baby hat pattern! And, if you have a minute.. hop on over to Susan's blog. She just got back from a trip to Key West with her family. I LOVE KEY WEST!!!!!!

Today, I have another comissioned knitting project to work on. I am knitting up a baby blanket and matching hat for one of my friends at school. I am also still working on my blasted sock. Here's the updated progress! Since I am catching up on Castle on my DVR I have lots of knitting options!

I have a few errands to run today, then it's knitting time! I have been so bad this week, I haven't gone to Zumba at ALL! I may try and go tonight.. but if not, oh well. I am enjoying my vacation!

Tootles!
:) JKP

Spring Break.... Ahhhhhh..Living the Life!

Hey Y'all!

Well. It is finally spring break! I have been busy having fun since last Thursday night! And, I have also been busy making home improvements AND crafting, of course! And. Pitty Pat just LOVES having me at home. :)

Last Thursday night, my friends from school and I went out to dinner and then on to see The Hunger Games. Let me first say, I did not and will not read the books. The movie was ok, but I won't be seeing anymore. :) I am just not a "fight to the death" kind of girl! I mainly went to have dinner with the girls and to hang out. Hmmm... but I promise, no jumping from bridges!

My mom came into town last Friday. I don't know where you are dear reader, but last Friday was a chilly, willy one here at the beach! We started the afternoon by going out out to lunch and then we HAD to make a trip to Lowes! I found a rug on clearance a few days before that I really liked and wanted to make sure it wasn't toooooo artsy for my house. Pitty Pat has been sliding all over our new floor, hence the need for a rug. That and he won't eat anywhere except on carpet. And only in this one spot of my living room. So. there you have it! Here's a quick shot of my new rug... AND Pitty Pat in motion!

On Saturday, we ran more errands and just took it easy. On Easter Sunday, we went to my church's fantastic service at The Market Common. This has been the first Easter in a long while where I have been a member of a church, so I made sure to get an Easter Lily in honor of my friend Joy. The service was awesome and I got to bring home my lily after the service.

Since I have lived in this house for almost 6 and 1/2 years, I have had wallpaper for my upstairs guest bathroom. Well, one thing or another happened and it never got put up. The one thing I really wanted Mom and I to do this weekend was to get that wallpaper border UP! It is really cute and it is made up of different flip flops. It goes with my shower curtain up there and it really ties the whole "look" together. So, Sunday night, we did a wee little home improvement project!

Yesterday, I decided to do another craft with flip flops! I have had material to make another no sew fleece blanket for a while, so I plunked myself on the floor and got busy! Pitty Pat plunked himself right down on the fabric and "helped" while chewing on a bone. The result... a precious blanket for us to cuddle on while we watch a movie!

I have also been knitting! I am working on a baby shower gift for my friend Marie. No, she is not having a baby, but she wants to give one of my hats as a gift! I am working on Susan B. Anderson's Upside Down Daisy hat. I am knitting this with cotton yarn since the baby is due in July.

Today, I went to the dentist and got my teeth cleaned. YAY for no cavities! I also worked in the yard for just a bit. Pitty Pat and the new dogs next door are NOT getting along through the fence. So I had to work my patio chairs into a barrier so Pitty Pat can do his business in peace. Really. It is supposed to be REALLY cooler tomorrow, so I am probably going to go shopping for my garden. I have gotten an idea off of Pinterest and I want to see if I can "make it work!"

Anyhoo...I am off for an afternoon nap! I hope you are all doing well! I can't believe that today is already Tuesday. Forget this spring break stuff... BRING ON SUMMER!!

Tootles!

:) JKP

Tired!

Hey Y'all!

Well. This weekend I set out to do a lot around the house, and I actually got it done! :) I mowed the grass, scrubbed all of my floors and baseboards, switched out my winter and summer clothes, did a ton of laundry, organized cabinets, and managed to do two crafts! It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that when it was time to rise and shine this morning, I couldn't move. Really couldn't move. To say I "overdid" it this weekend would be an understatement. :) But, I had the idea in my head that if I got my "to do" list done this weekend, then I wouldn't have to do it over spring break! YAY!

One craft that I worked on this weekend was a Chunky Mochi Baby Hat by Susan B. Anderson. I knit these a lot for baby showers, because they only take a few hours from start to finish. The mom to be is a teacher at my school and she requested the color green. So there you go!

 I also created a wreath using Fun Fur yarn and some ribbon daisies! I got the idea off of Pinterest.  It came out very cute, and I will have step by step directions up tomorrow. I am not feeling great tonight... my tummy has really been bothering me today. I don't think it is a virus, but rather something I ate that is not sitting well with the ol' Crohn's.

Lastly, (ha, ha... I taught the suffix -ly at school today, so I had to use it! ) It is the beginning of the month and Miss Farley has up the Currently meme for April. I love the choice of super power on this one! I would totally want the super power to stop time! Oh yes! Click to make mine bigger.

If you want to make one yourself... visit Miss Farley's site and then click HERE for directions on how to upload it. It takes about 5 minutes and these are really fun to do!

Well, let me run. I have a TON of Castle episodes to catch up on. I know. I can't believe I am behind on one of my favorite shows! I need to go and drink some ginger ale and chill!

Tootles!
:) JKP

We Have an APB Out on JKP.....

Hey Y'all!

Don't faint. I know. I have neglected the ol' blog lately. But life has been really busy and I wasn't sure if y'all really wanted updates on all that is going on, especially on a daily basis! If you follow my twitter feed, then you pretty much know what is going on with me! But here's an update! And. Sorry if it is in list form. That is how my teacher brain works!

1. We are so close to spring break I can't stand it. I am taking a personal day tomorrow (see below for the why) so I have four more school days to go. I need some beach time, a trashy novel and my flip flops. Balm for my soul!

2. I have been knitting on a sock since the end of February. This thing just about killed me. And. I might have thrown it across the room a few nights ago. But. I have turned the heel, and picked up the gusset. We are almost in the home stretch!

I have also been knitting up some rabbit hats for folks at school. These have been a big hit. They are easy to make and are great for a boy or girl! The baby bunny hat pattern is a free one on Ravelry.

3. I am refinancing my house. Good Lord. We are supposed to close tomorrow, hence the personal day. Today was very stressful. I was trying to teach my babies, and make sure all of my documents were faxed in and signed. If all goes well tomorrow, my payment will be a lot less. Which is a good thing!

4. Pitty Pat got his annual summer shave. I say summer because today it was 88 degrees here in Myrtle Beach!

BEFORE and AFTER!

After every haircut, Pitty Pat has a personality change! :)

5. I put in new floors in my living room! Holla! No more carpet! Pitty Pat has figured out how to play golf now. I came home the other day and all of his toys were lined up along the sliding glass door. He takes one of his toys and "bats" the other toys across the room!

We likey the new floors. I need to discuss decorating with Pitty Pat though!

6. I went on a field trip this week where I may have touched a snake and a baby alligator. I KNOW!

All I have to say is my kiddies made me do it!!!!!!!!

So, as you can see, life has been busy this March. I am hoping to enjoy Spring Break and catch my breath a little. I am still going to Zumba, just not quite as often. I am, however, LOVING that it is lighter longer. Pitty Pat and I are getting in our 3 walks a day!

Alrighty, the dinner bell is ringing. Tootles!

:) JKP