As you can see from the title, no work today. I've got 2 1/2 more hours and then I get to go home. We've been glued to the TV at work watching the Chilean miners rescue. Luckily, the citizens have been accommodating us by not calling too awful much tonight. It's nice to have quiet nights every once in a while...not too often, though, or the night just DRAGS by!!!

Got a busy day ahead of me. I'm getting up early to go by the bank I have my savings account at and check on my balance. I'm paying off a loan and thought my payroll deductions were going towards that...but according to the statement I got today my payroll deductions are going into savings and then they're also taking out my loan payment. I'm not complaining, if that's really the case, b/c I just found out I have $450 in my savings that I didn't know I had. LOL

After that I'm heading up to the next town over (my hometown) and getting fitted for some new uniform pants and a new belt. Then I've got to make a pot of vegetable soup for a co-worker who's having surgery in the morning and, after that, my mom and I are heading off to the fair (my first time going FOR PLEASURE instead of work this year) for the night. I like to go at night so I can see all the pretty lights. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to stay away from the funnel cake or indulge...I guess we'll see when the time comes. It'll be a little sad not getting my bag of cotton candy on the way out like I always do, but it'll be okay.

Somewhere in there I've got to squeeze in 2 trips to the gym. Might skip one of those trips if I do enough walking at the fair, though. So what's on your agenda for Wednesday??? Hope it's a great one!!!

Natasha, when will you sleep? You sound overbooked but sound like you have FUN planned. Enjoy!

I must still be jet-lagged because I was wide awake at 4 again. Having a cold is not helping. I ended up bailing on the pet therapy yesterday afternoon as I didn't want to pass the germs around at the nursing home. We're supposed to do the Day Away program at one today but we'll see. Old folks are pretty frail and I don't want to pass this on.

I sound crabby to myself so will get another coffee and start over!

Good Morning

Natasha, thanks for getting us started this morning! My day seems pretty wonderful, too. YaY!!! I wouldn't call it a day off, but it's pretty darn close. You help keep me motivated with SBD. Glad to hear you're getting some new work pants. It must feel just great! My first summer on SBD we got to the fair and DH wanted to share the funnel cake. I had committed to 6 months 100 percent OP and so it wasn't an option. I passed, and haven't looked back. I'm finding there are much more enjoyable ways to spend 700 + calories.

Ruth, I think you'd better stay home today and concentrate on getting rid of your cold. I think it would pass faster with a little TLC. My DH swears he always gets sick after being on an airplane.

Me, doing the happy dance. I spent the entire afternoon catching up on my rescue group paperwork. I think that means I'm off the hook and could start working on what I want to. I started yesterday by getting to the store for some SBD friendly food-I had been winging it for a few days and needed a veggie stock up.

Have a great OP day everyone! I just wanted to mention how important you all are in my continued success! Taking a moment to ponder how it would be if I were doing this on my own....not so much fun. You all are family to me and I always wish us all the best!

Good morning and please pass the coffee pot! It's still pitch dark outside and making me wonder what in the world I'm doing up. That's the only thing I don't like about Fall.

Natasha, your day does sound pretty wonderful, but I do hope you manage a few hours of sleep in there somewhere. I caved and shared a funnel cake with the girls when I took them to the circus a few weeks ago, and you know what? It wasn't as good as I remembered and sure wasn't worth the calories.

Ruth, I think you should make yourself comfy on the sofa in your back room and spend the day there nursing that cold.

Debbie, hurray for getting all caught up on that paperwork! Now you can have a little fun! Doesn't it feel good to know your kitchen is amply stocked with SBD foods? It really gives me a feeling of satisfaction to know I have a lot of healthy options to choose from. And I fully agree that it's through the sharing and support of everyone here that keeps me going and has made this plan so successful.

OK, I just heard that today is supposed to be full of sunshine. The leaves are just starting to reach their peak and my drive to work out in the country is just gorgeous. I'll be at Susie's this morning, and am taking an apple cake for her and Ramsay to enjoy. I can easily resist a piece of that while we have our tea since I've made so many of them and don't care for it. The girls only have guitar lessons at home after school today, so I think I'll be able to get home by 5:30.

Good morning Back home and heading out for another busy work day.

Natasha - My one word of caution about the funnel cake is to start with half if you decide to have one. My tummy does not tolerate fried foods anymore and I get wicked indigestion now. That could put a damper on the fun.

Ruth - Hope you found more coffee and the day is looking brighter. Bet the dogs are thrilled that you are home, My cat gets soooo needy when I've been away. He even sits outside the bathroom and waits for me.

Debbie - Happy "me" day and congratulations on clearing the deck. You are an inspiration and support for me too. I love this place

Cottage - I'm also not a fan of dark mornings. I definitely need extra coffee to get going. Happy leaf peeping

Okay, time to get rolling. I'm starting 2 14 hour days again. Should be interesting, fun and exhausting.

Happy hump day friends!

Good morning, Linda! I'm glad to hear you have a sunny day planned! Tonight is Survivor-I've been meaning to ask if you're watching this season. Enjoy the fall foliage while you're out. I've been too busy to mention this, but Sunday morning I decided to make an Apple Slab Pie, which intrigued me, but I wasn't willing to put in the cookbook without a try. I had found the recipe in Cooks Illustrated several years ago. It took 7 pounds of apples, which Kirk helped me slice, and it turned out spectacular. Fortunately, it was demolished at our church potluck. It wasn't SBD friendly, but really didn't have too much sugar for that many apples (1 c). It was just the evil pie crust. I did put it in the cookbook, and sure had fun making it. The recipe had a method of personalizing the Pillsbury roll out crusts and was quite easy.
Have fun today, and I hope you make it home early.

ETA-Hi, Cyndi...I knew you would sneak in. Good advice regarding the funnel cakes...it's easy to forget what a gut bomb that could really be...ouch! Take care with your long day...I hope it is bump free.

Good morning all

Natasha1534, that sounds like the wonderful kind of busy day!! I love days like that (when they run smoothly.) You can resist that cotton candy, and feel great about it.

Ruthxxx, Take good care of yourself, rest and get rid of the cold sooner. I hate colds (who likes them? hahaha) Were you able to get back to sleep?

Lexxiss, Yay! for catching up on paperwork! What a good feeling. Now get out there and enjoy yourself (your pie is making me hungry, haha)


cottage, that cake sounds delightful, yum. I think when I am through with P1, I will start to bake for others because I love baking so much, and it is a shame I can't eat most of the things.


CyndiM, You've gotta have energy to do those kinds of shifts, hopefully the time will pass quickly!


Me? I hope today is smoother than yesterday. I have a chiropractor appt, and PT for my shoulder. I don't feel like going to either. I may cancel PT. I just have so much work to do around the house. My DH is coming home today after being out of town for 2 nights. I also have dance class tonight. I don't want to go. I just want to stay home and be peaceful.

Debbie ~ Yes, I've been watching Survivor this season, but havent' bonded with anyone yet. The players are getting a lot more savvy about the game, don't you think? Apple Slab Pie? That sounds interesting. What makes it different from a regular pie?

Cyndi ~ I hope your next couple of days really ARE fun since they're going to be so long. It will be good to put your feet up with a glass of wine at the end of the day.

Beloved ~ I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder and hope it feels better soon. Have a happy reunion with your DH!

I just put a baking sheet of delicata squash, brussels sprouts, mushrooms & onions in the oven. Right before they're done, I'll add some pecans and dried cranberries. Yum, I'll have a delectable supper tonight!

Good morning ladies.

Natasha - Thanks for the news of the miners. I have hardly turned on the TV in days since the Tivo broke. I will turn on the basement set right now. You are busy today!

Ruth - My mother gets sick every time she leaves the country; always comes home with a cold or has one the next days. I hope you feel better soon.

Debbie - I can't imagine this without the chicks either! And my husband spent hours in the Boulder REI yesterday Looking for a new backpack to use today.

Linda - I hate the dark mornings too. But at least I can (sometimes) manage to sleep later that way! I tried brussel sprouts for the first time last week with great expectations. Didn't like them.

Cyndi - Long days. But interesting and fun beats makes exhausting more bearable.

Beloved - Sometimes peaceful is exactly what we need. My DH is gone all week and I miss him but am enjoying having the bed to myself.

I have a quiet day. While DH is out-of-town I am working on a photobook for him (of his surprise birthday trip last April) for a Christmas gift. Two days back on PH1 and it was so easy and I feel so much better already. Amazing how that works.

Have a great one all

Linda, an Apple Slab pie is huge...baked in on a 12 x17 sheet pan. It used 7 pounds of apples, but was beautiful. BTW-I haven't bonded, either.

BelovedK, I hope you feel better today. On P1, I really took it very easy. I recognized it was a great change for my body and I wanted to do it right-once. Peaceful sounds very nice right now.

Karen, Yay! for 2 days on P1 and feeling much better. The Boulder REI is pretty nice. I've been there alot lately. Photobook sounds fun! I think I'll pass on another project for awhile. hehe

Time to get the pups ready for their walkabout with their friends. Maybe I'll remember my camera today.

Good Morning ladies. With all this apple talk, I'm experimenting with a new apple crisp recipe today. It's in the oven right now! I'm hoping it comes out well, and if it does, I'll post it to the recipe section on the forum. Other craziness is that we have a odor emanating in our basement that smells a bit like burning... Ugh. We put in a different fridge a week ago, and when my husband brought the old one to the basement he knocked one of the light switches pretty bad. He switched it out, and we thought all was good. Now, we don't know if it messed up the electrical in the walls, or maybe our old house just can't handle the juice being pulled from a larger fridge. He's taking the afternoon off to see if he can figure it out, and if not, we'll be calling the electrician today. Yuck!

Lexxiss - we did a family cookbook a few years ago. We used familycookbookproject.com. I loved the site, and even considered "renewing" our membership after the cookbook was done. It was such fun! My cookbook issue is that I own them, I don't use them. The internet has become too convenient, because I love having reviews of recipes before I try them. I also have our family cookbook in .pdf form, so I don't use the physical copy, but just pull it up on the computer!

Good day all. A day of relaxation for me.

can i get some feedback? i feel so terrible right now.

a friend of mine asked me to watch her son today. I took him to a playdate that i already had scheduled (i asked her first) and then we came back to our house and were playing in the backyard. I was pushing DS2 on the swing while DS1 and my friend's son were playing soccer. All of a sudden, I hear him whimpering and I run around and he is sitting in the middle of an ant pile that must have just popped up (DH just scanned the yard for hills on Monday) and ants are crawling all over him biting him. I run him inside, strip him down and pop him in some cool water in the tub, dab vinegar on the bites to neutralize them and then put calamine lotion on them. I called his mom to get permission to give him some children's benadryl as well. I just feel so bad, he is so pitiful right now, so itchy and those ant bites hurt like crazy!

Well, bad car accident I was hit from the side and went down an embankment. I missed both appointments and will miss dancing tonight (I got my wish, but not in a good way)

I couldn't go to the grocery, so lunch was leftover cauliflower "mashed potatoes" with FF sour creme, and cashews.

OMG, we crossposted. How scary!!!! Good idea to give him Benedryl