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Hiding Under a Rock......

Hey Y'all,

Well, I've been hiding under a rock for the better part of 3 weeks now! Things haven't been great at work, it has been rainy and cold, and I have the winter funk. So there. Trust me, you so didn't want me to post!

Things here have calmed down a bit , but I am still surrounded by TONS of stress. Pitty Pat is fine and tries to make me laugh every day. He is becoming such a big boy! He will be 11 months old on February 4th! We have had a few days of sunny weather, so we have been trying to get out and walk as much as possible. Paddington has also started a cute habit of "singing" to himself in his crate. Before I get him in the morning he likes to "sing." It is so funny! He is not very loud about it, just a little hum to himself! Also, at night before I go to sleep, I have been letting him hang out on the bed with me. Usually he will sleep for an hour or two and then attack me. But, he is getting used to sleeping in the bed.

I have been reading bunches and knitting just a bit. I have a few items that I need to make, and I just hate deadline knitting. Hopefully I will have some pics to post by the weekend.

Well, that's it. I am still here, I am just under lots of stress and self medicating with chocolate. If I keep this up, I may have to apply to be on The Biggest Loser!
:) JKP

Y'all Are Just Going to Keel Over....

Hey Y'all!

Guess what?? Never, ever before has this happened on this blog. I am following up a knitting post, with ANOTHER knitting post! Yes, I know this is a "knitting" blog. Go figure.

Lookie loo at what I have been up to...

Y'all, it has turned downright arctic here in Myrtle Beach. My ears were about to freeze to my head while walking Mr. P. So, I decided to remedy that situation. I got the pattern from Crazy Aunt Purl. This pattern is called the super simple fast easy chunky handknit beret. Laurie posted this on her site last spring. I remember thinking to myself how cute it was, but I would never need a beret here at the beach! WRONG! So I knit this up yesterday while watching Carolina's disastrous attempt at a bowl game.

I used Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky in black to knit this up. The patten calls for size 11 and 13 needles. After reading reviews of folks who have made this and knowing that I am a "relaxed" knitter, I used size 10 needles on the brim and size 11 on the body of the hat. Also, some of the berets looked more like chef hats, and that was the look I did not want!
I can't wait to make another one!
Paddington and I are officially depressed. I have to go back to work tomorrow. So sad.
:) JKP

Ringing in the New Year....

Hey Y'all,

Well, today was a busy day! Look at what I finished!

My one New Year's rezzie for 2009 was to learn how to knit socks. CHECK!!!!! I started this pair WAY back in February when I took a sock knitting class at The Knit and Purl. By March, I had one sock done. Then Zorro became very sick and all of my friends kept having babies, so the last sock hibernated in my knitting bag. Well, over the past few weeks, when Paddington would let me, I slowly tried to finish them up. I decided today that they were getting finished BEFORE the clock hit 2010 tomorrow night! So there you have the evidence of my 2009 New Year's resolution!

I have another knitting project that I have had to step away from. I started making these as a gift for family members for the holidays. The knitting pattern is great, it is the seaming that is driving me mad. I hate to seam even under the best circumstances. But these babies call for a "special" seam called the Bickford seam. My patience is just not there yet. Maybe I will have more luck tomorrow! I hope these felt up as cute as the ones I have seen, but we will have to wait and see. Don't fret.. the pieces are supposed to look like this, I promise!

Next up on the knitting front are SEVERAL baby gifts. I have a baby set that I have been commissioned to do, my college roommate is expecting in March, and one of our third grade teachers is due in May. My one crafty New Year's Resolution this year is to learn how to crochet. I can chain like nobody's business.. but holding the yarn and getting the right tension is giving me a fit. Oh well. I have a whole year!

My other rezzie's include, of course exercise. With my crazy tummy and now elevated cholesterol, I am afraid that I don't have a choice in 2010.

As I mentioned in my Christmas newsletter, this has been a good, but sad year. I still miss Zorro like crazy, but I am very thankful for Mr. Paddington. Who is squeaking a bone and a ball as I type.

Let me run and play with him!

:) JKP

Livin' The Life..... Of a Couch Potato

Hey Y'all!

I hope the post finds you enjoying the ends of the holiday season! Our Christmas here at Chez Barks and Squeaks alot, was very bright! On Christmas Eve Eve, I got the word that Uncle Richard was coming home for Christmas! Uncle Richard and Aunt Brenda have been spending time in their mountain home and it was easier on Uncle Richard's flight schedule if they stayed at the mountain house. Well, the last ice storm changed their minds, and yippee, I ended up having Christmas Eve lunch and Christmas day lunch with him! Hooray for snow and ice storms. No, not really, but Uncle Richard came home!

It was my responsibility to make macaroni and cheese and a desert for Christmas Day lunch. Luckily, on Christmas Eve Eve Eve, Paula Deen had a crock pot special on the Food Network. So for my mac and cheese dish, I chose to follow her recipe for Mac and Cheese in the crock pot.

I followed the recipe, but did change a few things. First of all, I HATE eggs in macaroni, so I left those out. Also I did not add the mustard seed. Before I added the macaroni to the crock pot, I only cooked it for half of the time listed on the box. I hate when noodles are soggy, so I let the crock pot finish the work! The result was creamy and yummy. Although, I think next time I will bake it in the oven. I missed the crispy crust on top!

My next responsibility for Christmas lunch was a desert. I found a recipe in a magazine for bread pudding made with egg nog and a panettone. Panettone is that wonderful bread looking thing that you only see in the stores around Christmas.

Y'all know me, I started the whole thing off with rum. :)

This is what I topped mine with. Now for the recipe....

4 large eggs

1 quart of canned or refrigerated Egg Nog (I used the Vanilla Spice kind)

8 cups of cubed panettone

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2 quart shallow baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended. Whisk in the egg nog. Place the pantettone cubes in the baking dish. Pour egg nog and egg mixture over the cubes. Add cranberries and raisins soaked in rum on top. :) Bake uncovered for 50 to 55 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. It serves 8.

This is mine, right before it went in the oven. The result was very yummy. The nice thing about this bread pudding is that is wasn't sugary and was the perfect way to end a heavy meal.

As you can see, my family enjoyed our feast!

Anywhoo, that's some of the things that I have been up too. Back to the life of a couch potato!!

:) JKP

Got Milk?

Hey Y'all,

Well, as promised, I BAKED.

Here's the total of the spread I made! I started last night, I had a few of the doughs that had to be refrigerated overnight. I started baking at 8 this morning and just finished. As you can see, I don't have my sugar cookies cut out for now, but I decided it was time for me to back away from the flour!!

Today, I made....

Top Secret Chocolate Cookies

Raspberry Shortbread with White Chocolate Drizzle (They are about to go in the oven here...)

Cranberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

My personal favorite of all time... BLONDIES!

Paddington says, "When is the fat guy in the red suit going to come? I have been a good boy!"

:) JKP

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Hey Y'all,

Well, the good news is, I am feeling SO much better! I have taken several long naps each day and have been taking my antibiotic like a good girl! Yesterday, I even went out to lunch with a friend! Today, I actually took the furry babies to the groomer and then came home and cleaned my ENTIRE house. Laundry too! So it looks like I have had a Christmas miracle!

So you know what this means for tomorrow.... BAKING! This afternoon I took the time to gather all of my cookie cutters that I haven't seen in years! The last time I actually made true cut out Christmas Cookies was about 5 years ago. My kitchen in this house is smaller than my last house, and I don't have as much counter space as a used to. While I love the kitchen I have now, when you bake cookies, you want to spread out. Well, this year I have decided to try it. I have several sugar cookie recipes to try and several icings I want to try as well. I also have some "non" sugar Christmas Cookies to bake too. Of course I watched a Paula special a few days ago on Cookie Swaps and have some ideas from there too!

So, of course, I will photo document all of my baking adventures. Stay tuned! I have to run... The Santa in the Brown Truck is here (the UPS guy) and Paddington enjoys torturing him!
:) JKP