[cottagebythesea]

Good morning,

It's Monday already, what happened to my weekend? They go by so fast! I did make a major dent in my Christmas shopping, and everything is wrapped and stashed away. We never did get a chance to go out for my birthday dinner, though. We had grandkids all weekend, but they're more important than a dinner out any day.

Looks like it's raining out, but I have the morning off. I planned a playdate for the girls after school today, so Maggie and I are going to bake some oatmeal cookies for their snack. This morning, though, it's Curves first, then I must get this house back in order after the weekend.

What's happening on your Monday?

[femmecreole]

Morning Cottage...and all that follow!

You are right about the weekend (what weekend??) Had a client wanting a fast launch of a website so people could register for art classes, so I have been burning the midnight oil and got it launched last night. No fair I have to turn around and go to school and teach today!! Then I have a ton of work to do for other clients when I get home. Guess I shouldn't be whining, at least I have a job (make that 2 jobs)

I grilled a couple of marinated turkey breasts yesterday and also have some eggplant and mushrooms I cooked down that are leftover, so I think a "leftover" frittata will be the menu today along with a thrown together salad...fast and easy to fix then back to pounding away on the old computer. sigh. LONG day ahead.

[Ruthxxx]

Hi there Early Chicks! I woke at five but luxuriated in bed for a whole hour. I have some new and very wonderful cotton sheets and just love them.

Mondays are good for motivation and I'm going to do my best today. There was a bit of "slippage" over the weekend and my ticker is lying a bit so......

It's cold here this morning so the coffee is really appreciated. Mugs are nicer than regular cups and saucers because you can cuddle them and warm your hands. Hershey is lying on my feet so all is wonderful.

Today's plans are rather loose. Kevin The Elusive is supposed to come to work on the barn this morning and I sure hope he shows. It's getting time to start putting the car away at night and I sure can't get it in there right now. All the stuff is moved to the car side so he can work on the east wall. (The sill is rotted and that side needs to be jacked up and replaced.)

I have my painting class this afternoon and will try to run in to see Harold while I'm in Athens.

Hope your day is joyful and productive.

[garybearsgirl]

Good morning, All! What's a weekend?
My "day job" has been i mandatory overtime since I started here (I got about 2 or 3 weekends off, then it was on to a 58 hour week!) And on top of that I have a Mary Kay business I am not willing to give up. I'm applyig for transfers like crazy, it's no wonder this department can't keep anybody. If they expect me to stay, I will either try and get a doctor's note that I don't work overtime (since I have a history of clinical depression) or I will resign from here and start temping.
Anyway, I am RE starting phase 1 today. It's Veteran's Day, since the job is in a government office I have the day off. Got groceries yesterday, went to a high end grocery store for produce. It's called Meijer's, they had fresh watercress, radishes that looked like teeny red carrots, enoki mushrooms, kohlrabi, and lots of other veggies I wouldn't find in Marsh or Kroger or even WalMart. So I splurged on veggies.
I'm a tea snob, trying oolong tea today. I don't know if it will really result in weight loss, but it's a tea I haven't tried yet. Normally I brew tea from loose tea leaves. I have to order those online, haven't found a local source in Indianapolis really. I have an order coming in, but Lord knows when it will get here, so I bought teabags from Meijer. Even Trader Joe's only has bags. I have oolong from Meijer and yerba mate and some white tea from Trader Joe's. Waiting on some samplers of Chinese and Pu-errh teas. Of course, they are shipping from the far East - ought to be god tea! Too bad it takes so long to get here!
-Michele in Indy

[THINBYJUNE]

Good Morning Everyone
Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday. I am back to work today after a 3 day weekend. Why is it so much harder to go back after three days rather than two. Oh well like Cat said at least I have a job. Have a great day!

[Schmoodle]

Morning chicks,
My weekend really got away from me too. Since I never got to my housework last week, I ended up with a houseful of company on Saturday, my parents and grandmother, and niece and nephew. I did get my grocery shopping done for the week, and spent the rest of Saturday cooking. I made a big pot of vegetable soup, deviled eggs, some pumpkin Nessa breakfast bars, and an apple crisp for after dinner. The kids were busy with activities, playdates, and sleepovers. Sunday I got my hair done (way overdue), and then the kids and I watched Ratatouille before bed. And poof, here we are on Monday! My govt customers are off today, so even though I will be working, things should be pretty quiet. DD has a very sore throat, so I guess we'll run up to the doctor for a strep test.

cottage, sorry you missed out on your dinner, but sounds like you had a fun weekend anyway, WTG on the Christmas shopping and wrapping! I just got started on my gift spreadsheet/list. I have bought some gifts, so I need to inventory to see what shopping is left.
Ruth, hope you have a productive day! I am gathering my motivation too. I want to have a really clean week and make some good progress toward my birthday/monthly goal. I just have a feeling that once the holidays start, I'll be lucky to maintain until January.
femme, sorry you're so busy right now. Sounds like you are suffering from success!
HiMichele I am a big fan of loose tea too. Safeway used to have it in the bulk bins, but no more. Fortunately there is a coffee roaster place not far from here that sells it. I love to treat myself to tea!
Have a great day THINBYJUNE!

[jenne1017]

Cottage: Happy belated! I've gotten ALL my xmas shopping done. It's not what I wanted to spend (had a budget of $300 for EVERYONE!) but I got everything but stocking stuffers for DW done. Doesn't it feel good???

Femme: Don't forget to breathe in between business! have a good day!

Ruth: I would LOVE another hour in bed. DW is off today. I am doing my best not to pay her back and wake her up!

gary: today is day 2 of Ph1 for me! GOOD LUCK! And you're another one who shouldn't forget to breathe!

Thin: Wish I had a 3-day, so jealous!!! Have a good one!

Yes, DW has today off to celebrate Veteran's day. I don't. Poo! So I am up, making Sausage and Egg cups -- oh I just realized I forgot the cheese! Ok, back from that. I didn't realize we didn't have a muffin pan. Who doesn't have a muffin pan? So muffin cups and a casserole dish it was!

Ok, 12 mins to go. I am going to try to get some laundry folded. I spent the weekend cleaning -- like a major overhaul. Wish I had today off to enjoy it! Instead, I will be one of the few at work -- at least I can watch the auctions I spent 6 hours putting up this weekend without fear of reprise

Happy Monday!

[jenne1017]

Hey Schmoodie -- great minds post at the same time! Hope DD is ok and you have a good day too!

[CyndiM]

Morning all!

I'm also working today. I even managed to make it a late day - working until 9 On the plus side only about 25% of our staff will be in so I get to wear jeans. It's kinda sad that it makes my day

Now to get to the long list of things that need to be done before going in to work late (no wonder late days feel twice as long!).

Have a good day all-
Cyndi

[Pacergal29]

Good Morning! Yep I am working today also. Hoping the phones are quiet and I can do some catching up on the small stuff that tends to slip through the cracks.

The new furnace was put in saturday by 3pm. Going to see if the insurance will cover it but I am not holding my breath.

Barb I am right there with ya girl where DH is concerned. Mine was picking fights this weekend. He brought up the fact that the phone rang the other night before I got home from work and my daughter wouldn't answer it. I asked why he didn't and he said he worked all day!!!! WHAT????? Well that set off the mad woman in me! I gave the usual, I work all day come home, cook, do dishes, do laundry when you are griping you need jeans, and you can't answer a phone?!?!?!?! I'm there for ya girl, if you ever need to talk to just let me know!

Ok enough of my soap box, hope you all have a great OP day!

[beachgal]

Happy Monday, Chickies!

Cottage, sounds like a fun and productive weekend! My best friend does that, too--wrap her Christmas gifts right after she buys them. Do you have all your wrapping stuff all set out somewhere? I end up wrapping all my gifts at once and it takes about 2 days. I enjoy it, though--really.

Cat, you're a hard-working girl! I hope that you will see tons of profits soon that make it all worthwhile--this is the right time of year to be earning extra income! Good luck today and enjoy the frittata. Sounds delish!

Your morning sounds divine, Ruth! We have some Wamsutta Sateen 400+ count sheets and I could just live in them forever!!! Isn't it lovely to have a lie-in? I hope you enjoy your painting class and your visit with Harold. Good luck with Kevin and the barn!

Michele, isn't it funny how excited we can get over veggies? When I used to visit my parents in CA, I used to have a field day with veggies! They had all sorts of purple veggies--purple green beans, purple cauliflower, etc. It was so yummy! I'm a tea fanatic, too! I also love loose tea. I've picked up a ton of loose tea in France at Mariage Freres. They have the most amazing teas. I've also gotten a lot from little independent stores--the spice store in Pike Place Market in Seattle has wonderful teas too. I hope you like the Oolong!

Thin!

Schmoodle, enjoy the calm day! I have to "inventory" my Christmas shopping, too. One more thing to add to the list... Hope DD's throat isn't strep!

Hey, Jenn! I hear you on the dear partner sleeping away while *you* go to work! You'd think, considering your location, that the entire town would have the day off! about watching your auctions, though. Are they on ebay? I have so many things I need to put up on there, but haven't done yet... Hope you have a good day in spite of having to work. Lots of going your way!

Cyndi, enjoy wearing jeans! That would make me pretty excited, too.

Oh, Pacer, if only we could send our spouses to some kind of workshop/boot camp! That's just awful about your DH and the phone. Was the phone just way too heavy? I hope both your and Barb's DH's moods improve, and soon!

Me:
Had a fun, relaxing weekend. Didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but it was just what I needed after the last couple of crazy weeks! Did some running around, ran some errands, and figured out what we're making for our Christmas party. It's a good menu, but it looks a little too easy...isn't that a silly thing to complain about?

Work and then gym today. No plans for tonight, which is great! DH is making dinner--a recipe from Rachel Ray involving lots of balsamic vinegar, chicken, WW cheese ravioli, and a spinach salad (which we're making with turkey bacon instead of pancetta). Should be tasty!

Have a great day!

[jenne1017]

Morning Laurie - yep, on eBay. It took me a total of 7 hours to photograph everything then put it up. I started at 10-p and wasn't done until 4a!!! I am such a night owl though, I didn't mind.

Here's to hoping they go well (lots of clothes and misc. items up)

[cottagebythesea]

The house is back in order, and I've been to the bank and even filled up my car. $2.99 a gallon for gas! It's so fustrating that the oil companies are jerking us around, while trying to convince us that their prices are justified. If that's the case, why is gas always higher on weekends and holidays?

I called it Motivation Monday because I have to find my motivation again. All the sudden my jeans are getting a little snug, and that's scary! This is a really hard time to try and lose weight for me. With the colder weather I crave casseroles and comfort food, and now we have the holidays fast approaching! But I did it before, and I know I can do it again. I just have to gather up all my will-power!

It looks like most of us have to work today, so let's enjoy it!

[cottagebythesea]

Hi, Laurie! I hate to wrap gifts, so this year I vowed to wrap them as I buy them so it's not such a big chore for me. I'm glad you had a nice weekend. What are you making for your Christmas party that's so easy? I have to start thinking of my menu!

Jenn, I'm bidding on a few things on eBay right now. I've never tried to sell anything, though, although I've been tempted. Do you make much of a profit?

[beachgal]

Lots of for you, Cottage! I hear you...I tried on pairs of size 16 jeans yesterday and they were so snug and wouldn't button. At least I went down from an 18W to a 16W, but I want to be back in my regular 14s from last year! Let's get back to where we belong together!!! You only have 12 pounds to go, Sweetpea (to quote Ellis!), and you can totally do this!!! How about making Chicken Dijon, Chicken and Eggplant Casserole, and/or Taco Bake when the hot/comfort food bug hits you? Or the Broccoli Cheddar soup and some WW bread with smart balance?

Jenn, I'm with you on the night owl thing. But I no longer do very well with it if I have to get up the next morning at 6:30, like today. You are a stud for going to work after staying up so late--but I get you on ebay stuff taking forever. It's amazing how much time it can suck up! I hope you get tons of bids!