Jan's Christmas Favorites 2020

Back in the day I used to publish a Favorites Christmas List.  I haven't done that for a few years but boredom has set in and I really do have some good finds this past year.  I couldn't go out and shop, and I love to research products, so that little Amazon truck has been coming to our house multiple times weekly.  Lots of stocking stuffer ideas here, so many under $10 and except for one item, the rest are under $25.  So here we go...

If you know me personally, you know I'm the self-professed kitchen gadget queen, so naturally I have quite a few kitchen products that are winners this year.

Danish Dough Whisk.  My favorite new gadget,  it quickly mixes cookie dough, batter bread, yeast dough, it's such a workhorse I find myself grabbing this instead of a whisk for so many things.  The handle is beefy, this isn't a wimpy tool, it's just amazing.  It popped up a few months ago in my Facebook timeline, and I was intrigued.  This didn't disappoint, it's a winner.

Buy It Here!

Meat Chopper - You're browning ground beef, taking a fork or a spatula, trying to break it up, and it can be really difficult if you want it to break in small uniform crumbles.   Well, no more struggling with your burger, this handy dandy little tool makes quick work of a tedious job and breaks up the burger in a flash.  I liked it so much I bought several for the family.

Buy It Here!

I'm such a fan of America's Test Kitchen, Cooks Illustrate and especially Cooks Country.  Why was I so late to the game with this?  I'm fascinated by their shows and the fact that everything they prepare has a science behind it.  I'm a huge fan of their gadget segment, shocking, huh?  I've been struggling forever with my spatulas, I have several KitchenAid ones and some no-name ones and none of them are that great.  Well, I do like my Paula Deen "Butter Y'All" spatula.  No, it doesn't work well either, but it's funny and at least I smile when the thing is collapsing as I stir something.  And I do have that cute yellow Smiley Face one, but no, it's not any good either.  But back to my crappy spatulas, they bend when you're scraping a bowl, that drives me crazy and they are two pieces, the stem and the handle so food gets caught in the crack or the thing just comes completely apart when you're cleaning it, and then a few months ago I realized I should just go to America's Test Kitchen and see what they like.  Well, this is the winner, I bought it and it's wonderful.  It's stiff so that batter releases smoothly and the end doesn't buckle, it's one piece so no food in the cracks.  It's the best spatula ever!

Buy It Here!

Lodge Griddle - I've become a biscuit maker thanks to Cooking with Brenda Gantt on Facebook.  She always bakes biscuits on a griddle, so of course I needed one for mine.  Seriously, Jan?  Any excuse for new equipment works for me.  This was a steal for only $14.88 and who doesn't love Lodge Cast Iron.  Now I have my eye on their covered chicken fryer, I'm just hopeless when it comes to kitchen equipment.

Buy It Here!

Priority Chef Knife Sharpener - Did you know that you cut yourself more with a dull knife than a sharp one. I guess that explains why I've sliced my fingers multiple times over the years.  I read this on the internet, so it must be true, right?   Last summer hubby, who is an avid Amazon junkie as well, and he's always onboard with me buying kitchen equipment because I cook so much, purchased this knife sharpener for me and I love it, it works so well, it's so easy to use, it's fast and so far, no knicked fingers.  It's so so much easier to use than the old fashioned ones, and it has two slots, one is for regular knives, the other for sharpening serrated knives.  Anything to make life simpler at my age is a good thing and it's so inexpensive.

Buy It Here!

Cuisinart Spatulas Griddle Kit - This one is for the guys in your life who love to BBQ.  These spatulas are extra long, my guys really enjoy that length for flipping burgers on the grill.  It comes with accessories, that wasn't a deal breaker, I was just looking for good quality grill spatulas at a fair price.  We did purchase a new Weber griddle this year that fits on our outdoor grill, that was a big hit as well.

Buy It Here!

Warmies - I bought these for the grandkids this fall.  They are stuffed animals with bean filled tummies that you warm in the microwave.  They were a huge hit and will be great this winter when it's cold, something for them to cuddle that's warm when they go to bed and comforting if they don't feel well.  I bought a lion for Ben, a lop eared bunny for Lexi and this horse for Abby.

Buy It Here!

Crayola Inspiration Art Case - This is a great gift, inexpensive, sturdy, it's a nice large size and it comes loaded with art supplies, pencils, markers, crayons and paper so everything stays organized.  

Buy It Here!

Dog I.D. Tag - I bought this for Maggie nine months ago and it still looks great, not showing wear at all.  I got her the turquoise, a girl needs a little bling in her life and the price is insane, $3.00, free shipping.  It had room for her name, our address and phone number.  You will be surprised at the quality, it's really nice.

Buy It Here!

Dog Water Bottle - I obsessed over this one, I know, it's a bottle, right?  I ordered a couple, returned them before I found this.  Good features, works well, doesn't leak, easy to use, and it's blue, I know, but hey, color is important.  Did I mention it doesn't leak?  Seriously, it doesn't leak, need I say more...

Buy It Here!

Beauty Blender - I love beauty blenders for putting on makeup but darn, the original one is so pricey, like $20 for one!  I bought these on Amazon on a whim and they are just as good as the real thing, and you get five of them in pretty colors for $8.99.  Works for me...

Buy It Here!

E.L.F. Brow Pencil - I'm a big fan of drugstore makeup, for the most part, I think it works as well as the upscale stuff.  I used to pay $20+ for Anastasia Brow Wiz, and that was just crazy expensive for a brow pencil.  This one for E.L.F. is awesome, I buy it in taupe and it costs $2.20 shipped to you.  How's that for a deal.  If even has a spoolie.

Buy It Here!

Wonder Puffs - I've always loved Buf-Pufs, nothing better for exfoliating your face, but ouch, the price.  One Buf-Puf is $13.49.  I now buy these Wonder Puffs, they're the same thing and a pack of 12 is $6.18.  Unreal..

Buy It Here!

Reading Glasses - I buy so many of these it's embarrassing.  I lose them constantly, it's just what I do.  These are the ones I'm liking this fall, a friend recommended them and she was right.  They're sturdy, hinged, super cute and this pack of four is super cheap.  And yes, I've lost a couple of pairs already, so it's time to reorder again.  

Buy It Here!

Frontier Frollies - Okay, so I don't actually have this, it will ship on November 17th.  I'm a huge fan of Ree Drumond, I buy her children's books for the grands, loved her first book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, so when she announced she was writing Frontier Follies, Adventures of Marriage and Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere, I was first in line to order.  

Buy It Here!

And that's my list if you're still with me.  It's long, but it's all so inexpensive, maybe you can find some goodies on here that you like.  Happy Shopping!

~ Jan

This year is a disaster and so was our vacation...

We've stayed at many airbnbs and VRBO's over the years and always have good experiences. But your luck is bound to run out sometime and of course this was the year that it did, and boy did it! Since pictures really are worth a thousand words, I'll share a few with you.

John was looking for a getaway and he found this rental near Chattanooga in the country that also came with a separate apartment. It had horses, cows, fancy chickens, guineas, cats, a creek, it sounded perfect. A country getaway without being around people. Deanna and I were all over this like a mayo on white, it just sounded idyllic. But as you can see, it didn't quite work out that way.

So we load two cars full of food and more stuff than we could use in a month of Sundays and off we go. We arrive, full of anticipation, up a long winding tree shaded lane and then...  Oh my, it was nothing like the pictures. The yard hadn't been mowed in months, there was this pile of trash next to the fire pit, the landscaping was choked out with weeds, the flowers planted in the spring were all dying in their pots and the creek was a mess with fallen trees in it. To say we were shocked was an understatement, we had arrived at Weedy Acres.



So we unpack, trying to wrap our heads around what we had gotten ourselves into, but thankfully both the house and the apartment were clean and orderly, it was just the outside that was a disaster. The poor horses were so skinny their ribs were showing and the lone guinea was as big as a turkey. One of the cats was missing part of it's ear and they hissed and swatted at Maggie with their claws bared, so my dream of letting her run free was curtailed.

Poor Deanna had a run-in with a mean rooster. It flogged her, it really flogged her. LC and I were sitting on the porch and we heard her screaming. She was trying to defend herself, batting at that rooster with a bag of carrots she had taken to feed the horses. It just wouldn't give it up, just kept coming at her! Lexi was hiding behind John, and of course he was doubled over laughing instead of helping her, thankfully this sweet rooster in the picture came to her rescue and chased the mean one away.

And I can't forget the gazebo, it was one of those things you can't describe, you just have to see it. This is it, where they string with lights and hold receptions. Note the barnwood table sitting on concrete blocks. Just the perfect ambience for any kind of reception, NEVER! 

And let's not forget the view from our rickety deck, complete with dirty chairs and a vase of dead flowers on the table. Oh, it did overlook the weedy creek, such as it was. And I had so been looking forward to sitting by that creek, too, just living in the moment, enjoying the sound of rushing water. Well, the creek was dry, or maybe it was just clogged from all the weeds and fallen trees and the mosquitoes were fierce!

You can't make this stuff up, folks. Sometimes you just have to see it to believe it. The only thing we can figure is that all of the pictures had been taken a few years ago and this woman's husband must have passed away and she had nobody to help her. Her ad was full of excellent reviews, even from this summer, we just couldn't imagine anyone giving this mess a positive review.  You're probably thinking that it was a cheap rental, heck no, it was pricey!

John walked on the porch, but it was so low that he bashed his head on the overhead beam and fell to the ground, he thinks he passed out for a minute. We loaded him up on Aleve and Tylenol, the lump on his head wasn't that bad and he insisted he was fine, but told Deanna that evening that he saw double vision all day.

He had rented a pontoon, and even though the weather was "iffy" with storms in the area, he thought they would go around us. We boarded with poor Maggie all wrapped in a beach towel since we had to smuggle her onboard. They didn't allow dogs on boats, but there was no way I would have left her behind at Weedy Acres. Mags was such a trooper, I didn't know if she would be scared since she had never been on a boat before, but she loved it and really enjoyed the breeze blowing her ears. Deanna was looking at the radar and shaking her head, but John started the boat and off we went on what Lexi and I later called "John's Excellent Adventure." It was a huge lake and we were the only boat in the water. That should have been a dead giveaway, but it was too late to turn back and the sky behind us just kept getting darker and darker. Deanna told him that he needed to try and find shelter that we were in trouble, but we were in the middle of the lake. He powered down, trying to make it to a Mexican restaurant on the shore, and I'm thinking that's not gonna work even if we get there, we have Maggie onboard. So anyway, the sky lets loose, and of course the canopy on the boat starts leaking like crazy, we're all huddled under beach towels, except for poor John who is steering the boat with water dripping off his nose. Lexi and I were laughing so hard our stomachs hurt at all of that water pouring down on us. There was lightening in the distance, it was a major ordeal, and of course we couldn't make it to that restaurant, but finally the skies cleared and it turned out to be a nice day.

One afternoon we loaded up and went for a drive. John took a shortcut, it was miles and miles and MILES, up this windy, twisty untraveled mountain road. I'm talking look out the side window, scare yourself to death kind of road, that was so bumpy and rocky that I'm surprised we all didn't get car sick. And what was at the top of this mountain? A lake! Seriously, how could there be a lake on top of a mountain.

But I need to put a positive spin on this. We actually had a great time, we made lemonade out of lemons.  I had taken my Instant Pot, I made a Sunday roast beef dinner, Lexi helped me stir up Pioneer Woman's Texas Sheet Cake, which was wonderful, better than my recipe. I took mother's crock full of flour and made Facebook's Cooking with Brenda Gantt's biscuits one morning. We sat on the porch in the evenings and played games with Lexi, it was actually very peaceful if you didn't look out in the yard at the weeds.

We had never been to "SEE ROCK CITY" but of course had heard about it for years because of all the painted barns and billboards. It was such a nice surprise, it was just amazing. We all decided it was one of the best tourist attractions we had ever been to. They only let a certain amount of people in the park, you had to have a reservation to get in, people social distanced and wore masks, so you felt safe. It was so well maintained, very updated, there was a pavillon where we had lunch, fried green tomatoes and blackened catfish cakes, yum! The gardens were beautiful and you really could see seven states from the lookout. It was a beautiful day, the weather was so nice, the humidity was low, it was a great experience. We were supposed to stay another day but we decided to pack it in and go home instead of spending one more night in the weeds.



This vacation is one for the record books for sure, but in this year of Covid, I wouldn't expect anything less...

It's long past time to check in...

Such trying days we're having.  I'm so tired of staying home, days of cold, rainy weather that doesn't seem to end, I'm tired of thinking about and talking about anything that is related to COVID-19, I never want to hear the words social distancing again, yet there is no escape from it, in just two short months, this has become our new reality.

But on a much, much happier note, in late February we adopted this adorable little bundle of fur.  She is two years old, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, whose name was Maggie, so we didn't change it and she has been such a help to both hubby and me during this time.  It was meant to be, for us to get Maggie, if we had waited it wouldn't have happened.

We debated over and over again, all the reasons we didn't need another dog.  Our age, temperament, taking her out, the list went on and on, but yet I couldn't give up the idea of another dog.  We lost Maggie, our Yorkie, two years ago and I miss her every single day, but I didn't want another Yorkie, it just wouldn't be the same.  I've always loved Cavies, especially the Blenheims.  We are a family of gingers, and this color just called to me.  I talked with a wonderful breeder in Eastern Tennessee who told me about a friend of hers, another Cavalier breeder who had two dogs she was retiring.  I called and talked to her, we quickly realized that neither of those dogs would work.  They were both over 15 lbs. and five years old, I needed a dog that was more compact, one that I could handle easily and bathe in the sink.

After I told the breeder about my life situation, she told me that there was another option.  Enter Miss Maggie, two years old, twelve pounds, a dog that she kept to breed but Maggie was too small to breed to her other dogs.

So one pretty Thursday morning in February we drove three hours, past Chattanooga to meet Maggie.  You never know what to expect when you meet a dog, for me it was love at first site because she was a cuddler.  Even though she didn't know me, I picked her up and she nuzzled right into my neck and held on for dear life.  It was a perfect match.

And so we brought her home, and none of our worries ever materialized.  We feel like we won the doggie lotto because she is the most gentle little soul.  She has no bad habits, she doesn't potty in the house, she rarely barks, she just wants to be by your side.  She's definitely my dog, she shadows my every step and brings me so much joy.

And that has been our spring.  One of the few bright spots, except for our good health.  I haven't seen my Lexington grandkids in months, I miss them so much, I do get to see Lexi, but only from a distance, she doesn't even get to pet Maggie.  I pray this will be over soon, but the reality of it is that we don't know when we will be comfortable being in public, and certainly not in restaurants.

But life goes on, Mother Nature doesn't realize there is a virus, the flowers bloom the birds sing and we all hope for better, sunnier days ahead.

Stay safe, don't let your guard down, we're not through this yet.

~ Hugs from Jan & Maggie...