Spring Break Antics!!!

HEY Y'ALL............

So guess where I went today? Here's a few clues.............It involves cooking......And... It's my Disney World........





Have you guessed yet? SAVANNAH! And, of course, I just had to eat at The Lady and Sons! The last time I visited the restaurant was about 7 years ago, right before Paula went global. I actually got to meet Jamie and Bobby Deen on my last visit. Of course, this time, it was much different. The food was still yummy and I am still full almost 12 hours later! Paula actually has her gift shop around the corner these days. I picked up a Tervis Tumbler with The Lady and Sons logo.

After lunch we walked around Savannah and even visited The "official" Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil bookstore.



Some folks take cruises during spring break, I road trip!

My Amish Friendship Bread starter is coming along nicely! Today was day six, so I got to add a few more ingredients this morning before my road trip. I get to finally bake on Tuesday. And boy, I don't think I am going to have any problems getting rid of a loaf and some starter!

Stay tuned, spring break isn't over and you never know where I will end up!
Pitty Pat says... "Mama... I AM SO TIRED OF ROAD TRIPPING I CAN'T EVEN HANG ON TO MY BONE!!"



Tootles,
JKP

Reads From the Beach Chair

Hey Y'all!

Well, it has been a while since I did a "Reads From the Beach Chair" post, so I thought I would do one today. Since it is spring break, I stocked up on library books last week, so I would always have a book to grab! Usually, to find books I like, I cruise the top 100 lists over on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. While I am searching, I have a tab open with my public library, Horry County Public Library, and then I look to see if they have the book I am looking for and if not, I request it. I currently have about 22 books here at home and another 15 coming my way on hold at the library. As you can tell, I LOVE to read! I have thought about getting an e-reader. But, my local library has not set up an e-lending program yet, so really it makes no sense right now for me to have one. I am sure I would love an e-reader, especially a NOOK, but with gas prices the way they are I just can't quite justify it right now. Also, I think it is really important to support our public libraries. So until my library comes to the 21st century, I am going to be reading old school!



One of the first books I couldn't wait to get a hold of and read was Friendship Bread, by Darien Gee. Y'all, this book is so great! It is all about how a Friendship Bread starter changed a town. I loved this book and could not put it down. It even spurred me on to make my own starter on Sunday. (More about that in tomorrow's post!) You really need to read this book if you enjoy baking or reading about how folks can change their lives, especially after devastating events. It is such a good read! Darien has even set up a website called The Friendship Bread Kitchen where they post a new recipe for Amish Friendship Bread each day. The mango blueberry loaf is on my list as soon as I can bake on Tuesday! The Friendship Bread Kitchen is also on Twitter, so give them a follow. I have enjoyed tweeting with them this week about my starter!

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of being in a book club at the school I was teaching at. Since I moved 6 years ago, I haven't found another book club. Hmmm... I am thinking I should start one! I have noticed in the magazine All For You, they do a book club once every few months. If you visit their bookclub page, you can see all of the books they have been reading. So far I have read Going in Cirlces (so good, it's all about Roller Derby!) and One Season of Sunshine (great beach read!) Luckily my library had the rest of them in, so I plan to read the rest of them over spring break. All For You magazine is also where I learned about The Friendship Bread book too!

The other book I have in my beach bag/suitcase is Water for Elephants. Because hello. The movie is coming out on Friday, and I am a big stickler about reading the book BEFORE I see the movie!

Finally, I started a book at the beach today called Knit in Comfort. Of course, I always have to have SOME knitting fiction around. I am not sure if I am going to like it, but I promise to stick it through until at least the 5th chapter!

Well, that's about it for today. Today I spent some time on the beach, so Paddington is not so happy with me right now! Let's hope a walk and some doggie ice cream will fix that! He has really enjoyed having me home these past few days. It's just a little taste of summer! We are going to hunker down tonight and watch Harry Potter- I was too dizzy to see in the theatre when it came out in November.
Tootles!
:) JKP

All Things Royal!

Hey Y'all!

Well, I am finally on SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!! It kicked off with a bang... I had a cousin's wedding to attend on Saturday follwed by some very severe weather. We had a least 5 tornados in our area on Saturday alone. We are all fine here at the beach, but it was very scary weather!

I have been busy since we got out of school Friday. I have already read two books! I will post about my spring break reading tomorrow. Today, we have much more important things to discuss! Have you heard about a little wedding taking place across the pond from us? I swear I was really born British, but no one in my family has fessed up to that fact yet. Maybe my family pulled an Obama with my birth certificate? Instead of North Carolina, I swear it should say England!!

Anyhoo, I have tracked down THE MUST haves of this royal season. Besides that all important wedding invitation! For those of us knitting die hards... if you can't be in London for the big day.. you can always Knit your own Royal Wedding. I kid you not!



If this is not your cup of tea, fear not!!!!Just stroll on down to your local Bath and Body Works to pick up some antibacterial royal fun! With names like "If the tiara fits," "Royal Pucker," and "Princess in Training" you will be feeling like a part of the royal family in no time at all.



If you are longing to know the true LOVE story behind Wills and Kate, tune into Lifetime TV tonight for the "Moment of Truth" movie all about the future bride and groom. My popcorn is ready!



Finally, the folks at T-Mobile sure have it down on how to choregraph a royal wedding. I got a big chuckle out of this Friday afternoon! I think that "Prince Harry" is my favorite! Although, they all are great! :)



I am sure this is exactly how things are going to roll at Westminister Abbey!

Well, as y'all can see, I am pumped about this royal wedding. Pitty Pat has no comment!
See ya tomorrow!
:) JKP

Let's All Thank God That the Month of March Is OVER!

Hey Y'all,

Well, to say that the end of February and the entire month of March sucked would be an understatement. This was mainly a work thing, but still, things sucked. I try to be positive when things suck, but you know. When you leave school in tears everyday, and contemplate changing your entire career, you know that things are on the pretty big end of suckage. This really had nothing to do with me, but the fact that some dynamics changed in my classroom and things went bad fast. REALLY BAAADD. As teachers we don't have alot of control over things and sometimes things just have to work themselves out. Thank goodness this situation has, and I feel like I can finally breathe again. And, so can my students. So, WHOOOSAAAAAA! And for now, my new career as the jewelry counter manager at Target has been put off. :)

Anywhoo, I have been up to some fun things. Mainly this past weekend, when I knew that things were about to change for the better. This past Saturday, Mr. Pitty Pat went for his spring cut. I also went for something springy, but mine was a mani pedi! Here we are showing off our new looks!

My OPI color of choice was "Girls Just Want to Play." Sounded good to me! Pitty Pat loves his new do and has been rolling and rubbing all over everything! Also, looked what hopped off of my knitting needles! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a bunny hat!!

I have already sold several of these at school. The bunny hats are really easy, and I can finish one in a night! I can change out the color of the bunny and even do different color ears. I have a boy version and a girl version. Both are so cute!

Ohhh... and the other thing I did a few weeks ago? I cashed out all of my reward points on a card. I ended up getting almost $100 in gas cards and a gift card to Amazon. I ended up purchasing an exercise DVD I have wanted for awhile. Y'all know what a fan I am of Stephanie Huckabee. She used to be an instructor with The Firm in Columbia. But, now she is doing her own thing! I already own her series called Powerfit Harmony and love the idea that you can get a great workout in 20 minutes a day. I ordered her other DVD Powerfit Plus with my Amazon gift card. I also scored her first series, Powerfit, off of Ebay this weekend for $6! So, as you can see, I am looking forward to getting back on the exercise wagon! My last bought with vertigo really made it hard, but with the month I have had, it is a necessity!

Anyway, that's what has been going on here. Pitty says hi... and if you are on Facebook... friend him!

Tootles,

JKP

Oh No She Didn't!!!!

Hey Y'all,

Well. Ahem. I went and did a little something last night that is really worth blogging about! Y'all know how much I LOVE the weather. I mean, I love it. I track it, I watch the Weather Channel constantly, and my students and I observe the weather every day. I have always wanted to be a storm spotter trained by the National Weather Service. The storm spotters are the folks who talk with the NWS (National Weather Service) and let them know about conditions on stormy days, snowy days, etc. Storm spotters DO NOT chase storms, but observe conditions and damage and let the folks who are trained aware of what is going on. Well. Guess what item I can cross off of my bucket list??

Last night I attended the training session in Conway. It was AWESOME. 3 hours of weather goodness. I learned so much new stuff, got tons of stuff for my kiddies and found out that I am not the only person who is slightly, shall we say, obsessed with the weather! I am all official now!

Since I am little too old to go back and get my degree in meteorology.. this is the next best thing!

So watch out, I have the inside track now!

Here's a little video that they showed us last night. Do you know what happened?



Yup. That little train got hit by a EF3 tornado. Scary stuff! Anyhoo, I just thought I would share my interesting news with you!!!! Watch out Jim Cantore!
Tootles,
JKP

I am Such a Fan!!!!!!

Hey Y'all!

Well, alot has been going on in Julia and Pitty Pat-ville! I have a SASSY new hair cut and color, thanks to my new and fantastic hair dresser! The old adage is true.. find someone's hair that you like and ask them who does it! I haven't been happy with my hair for a while, but let me tell you. I love my hair now AND I am back to being very blond! I forgot how much I missed being a blond. The world just feels like a brighter place! :) AND, I think I must have looked really bad before, because, Y'ALL.. folks literally stopped in their tracks last Friday when I got to school. My kiddies even thought that they had a sub for the day. So this is a much needed change!

This past Monday, I took a little road trip to Charleston for a checkup. My appointment wasn't until after lunch, so I had a little while to roam some shops in Mount Pleasant. One thing I have been worried about lately is the skin on my face. I do not hide the fact that I LOVE to go to the beach and be outside whenever it is possible. I am not so great about following a skin care routine. I mean, y'all, I wash my face and all, but I am not good at the whole moisturizer and SPF thing. Now, with Mitzi Mazda, I have the sunroof open ALL of the time....and, since I am getting to the END stage of my 30's I kind of figured I should start investigating some options. Y'all know that for a while, I was a true philosophy girl, but lately between the expense and a change in some formulas, it has just not been great. Also, with my skin breaking out in hives and this and that, I really have to be careful about what products I use. I have very oily, combination, sensitive skin. With a tendency to break out with honker zits. What a mix! I spent some time on the Internets Sunday night and came across a new line by Aveeno. Also, let me just say, I love Aveeno. When I am covered in hives from head to toe, Aveeno is my go to product. I am a big fan of their oatmeal baths and all of their bath products. I don't tend to itch with them like other products. They have come out with a new skin care line called Aveeno Smart Essentials, and I have just fallen in love with it! With coupons and smart shopping, I managed to get the entire set of skin care for around $40! This is what I would pay for just a cleanser OR a moisturizer before!

I have noticed a difference in how my face feels. But here's the real kicker, my hands! My hands are in terrible shape because I wash and sanitize them ALL OF THE TIME. I mean, I teach seven year olds! My hands are now smooth and nice. So I know that if it is having this kind of effect on my hands, it has to be doing some good for my face! I have also noticed that my dark skin damage spots are lightening up and my skin has an all around glow to it. The daily moisturizer has something in it that makes your makeup just glide on your face and shimmer. The eye treatment feels divine when you put it on. We will see how it goes a few weeks from now, but after 4 days, I am happy! Since this is a new product several stores like Target and Ulta have deals right now. Even the Evil Empire has it at a reasonable price. And with gas prices the way they are, it is nice to know that I can still take care of my skin and not have to break Pitty Pat's college fund to pay for it!

Well, let me run. It's my bed time. :) Also, if you think about it, send me some good ju ju. I found a little something the other day and I have to have a mamogram on Monday. The good thing is that it is painful, so that is always a good sign. But good ju ju is always needed! Thanks y'all!

Tootles!
JKP

Hi!

Hi Y'all!
Just a quick note to say hi! I am blogging from by Blackberry in bed! Yes I am LAZY! I just finished a fabulous GIRLS WEEKEND SPRING Palooza 2011! I will have more details soon. I just wanted to stop by and say hi! ;) JKP
P.s. Watch my Twitter feed.. I update that daily!
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