Morning chicks the sun is shinning and it is beautiful here. I sat out on the deck from 6:30 til 7:00 having a coffee and reading my book. I understand now how this makes you feel Ruthie. I also got a present this morning, from one of my families that is done with me as of tomorrow. I got the cutes wooden chicken and the sutes watering can with a rooster and a plant ( a hen a chicken) because I am the mother hen with all her little chicks. Chicks I will be right back I need to get dd her breakfast before she goes off to school.

Little Chick, allowing for our time differences, we were both outside reading at the same time. Isn't it peaceful then? I'm reading "The Sandman" by Barbara Gowdy. What are you into? We should start a summer reading thread.

This will be a busy day. I'm meeting my friend Rob for breakfast at the local, Sarah comes at 9 to garden, Jane comes at noon to stay with Harry and I'll be off to Brockville to shop and run up my credit card bills again! I need to find something else to do with my 4 hours "off"!

Yesterday I got a big basket of the first local strawberries! Yum! Yum! I've not been OP lately because of all the other crap going on but eating berries is OP for Phase II. My black currants are ripening too. I wish I could figure out what to do with them. I pick and freeze them with intentions of making jam in the winter but........

Harry is up so I need to get him tested, medicated and fed so I can go to my "date" at 8. Rob is a good friend and really funny. We laugh almost all the time we are together and I need laughter these days.

Happy Thursday, newbies and oldbies!

Good morning Chicks~~

Tried to get on earlier, but was having ISP probs...all seems to be fixed now tho.


Little Chick...isn't it nice getting presents from kidlets? They're the best b/c they always come from the heart. I wish I could sit out on my deck and drink coffee and read in the mornings...but the mosquitoes would get me and my dh would find a dried up husk where his wife used to be! I try to sit out on fine mornings in April before the blasted things hatch and in the fall after we've had a couple hard freezes.

Another sleepless night...anyone want a couple of rotten dogs? I think we're going to have to teach them to sleep somewhere other than our room, much as I hate to toss them out. They just can't seem to settle down at night.

Braved the scales this morning. Still nothing. I think I'm holding onto some water weight. My hands and feet feel swollen and I think the culprit was the seasoned salt I put on my hard-boiled eggs yesterday...but doggone they taste yummy that way!

I'm so thankful it's Thursday...that means today is my last full workday. Yay!! Had a real breakthrough with one of my whiney patients. She's given me misery from day one. Complains about which needle I use, which vein I use, she had a bruise from the previous draw, blah, blah, blah... It got to the point where I was about ready to hand her the needle and tube and tell her to draw her own damned blood!
Something must have happened...(New psychotropic drug perhaps???) but she came in yesterday meek as a lamb, let me draw her blood without complaint, gave me a hug and said "I hope we can be friends now". My first thought..."Okay, who are you and what did you do with Lorraine?" LOL!! Anyway, whatever has changed, I hope it stays changed....the less stress for me the more I like it!

Ok, off to dry my mop and toddle off to work.

You chicks have a wonderful day on the beach!

Mamacita

Hello darlings!

Little Chick and Ruth, I envy you your reading time on your decks.
Ruth, have a wonderful time with Rob.

Mamacita, that is so bizarre about your patient. You must have an overwhelming urge to kill some of them sometimes.

I'm off to Mom and Dad's. Dad is doing quite well, and has actually regained some strength. He'd told us he wouldn't be able to drive anymore, but now he's feeling strong enough to go out and do a few errands with his car!
I'll be packing more stuff for the Sally Anne/dump/etc today. They're going to put the house on the market in the next few weeks.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!! Stay OP, girls!!

morning everyone,
work is crazy this week, i didn't even have time to say hi yesterday so i thought i would hop in early and give a quick wave i am still struggling to get back op i'm not doing bad eating wise and i lost .5 lb but i just can't get back into the swing all the way. i have good intentions everyday and know eventually it will kick in.

dh has a new hobby he is brewing his own beer, last night was the first tasting of his first attempt so that was my off plan indulgence for the day. we split a litre bottle, not sure what he put into the stuff but it gave me a good buzz just that little bit. he started a new batch last week it is a lite low carb variety in my honor so i guess i will be drinking more beer in the near future. oh well everything in moderation. (except cake that is)

the week has been a blur so far can't believe it is already thursday, i hope you all have a great day on the beach. be a dear and stay op for me (maybe it will rub off)

ellis glad dad is up and around!!

little chick- little ones are so sweet glad you enjoyed your present. i also go to the deck and relax what are you reading?? i'm totally into Dan Brown angels and demons really good book.

ruth have a good laugh today you need it!!!
all the rest of you chicks have a wonderful thursday!!!!

Jodi, did you read the da vinci code?? that is a Dan Brown and is one of the best books I have read in ages. I have Angels and Demons and am waiting until I have finished my current work to reward myself with it.

Mamacita, that woman must be on new meds. Sounds like good stuff, maybe I should get some??

Ruth, enjoy your 'date'.......laughing is always good. You could preserve the blackcurrants in brandy like they do in France. If you are interested I will see if I can look out a recipe for you?

Good news about your dad driving Ellis. I also need to do a 'tip run' at some point, especially as I have not cleaned out the car from the last one and it still has compost all over the back seat....

and little chick.....I dont have kids, but when I read a post like that itmakes me all broody.....! Enjoy your day.



I have been working all morning and had a lovely garden (home grown again) salad of lettuce, cucumber and some shelled peas. The pea crop is far too small (and precious) to use as a cooked veg, so I just shell them and either eat them while I am gardening, or put them on salads. Are peas allowed in phase one? I cant even remember. I dont think that half dozen will hurt too much..... Nicola is here doing the cleaning (I got told off for leaving too many linen shirts for the ironing......understandable I suppose). Off to work later, and until then I am toying with the idea of tackling my admin pile. Has to be done at some point.

have a good day ladies - it is so good to be back on the beach.
x

I've just discovered I have a free sauna! All I have to do is open my front door!

After my Curves workout, I made some scrambled eggs w/ salsa and took that and my coffee outside and spent a very pleasant hour before the heat gets unbearable. I love to be outside early in the morning and watch the birds and enjoy my flowers. It's very therapeutic and a great way to start the day.

My DD called last night, and she had just returned from her OB appt. and recorded the baby's heartbeat, so she played it for me over the phone. For her being just 13 wks along the baby has a really strong heartbeat! I can hardly wait to hold this new grandchild in my arms! I wished Caitie a happy 14th birthday, you would think after being an only child all this time she would be a little jealous, but she is really excited about having a sibling finally. She's fantastic with little ones, and she's going to make a great "big sister".

Ruth - Hope your breakfast with Rob was a lot of fun. Laughter is the best medicine.

Mamacita - my guesss is the look on your face must have said it all for that patient, and she knew you meant business!

Little Chick - so what are you going to do all summer with school out, do you still operate your daycare?

Ellis - So glad that your Dad is improving! Hope it is a continuing trend.

Hi, all!

LC: what a sweet gift! And perfect for you with all your littlest chicks! :

Ruth: enjoy your breakfast with Rob and the lovely shopping this afternoon! All that reading on the deck sounds wonderful but I'm with Mamacita, the darn mosquitos eat me alive. I got four or five bites just walking the dog outside to do her business last night. We're talking 20 feet from the house and back inside almost immediately. Darn bugs! Maybe I should get a mosquito charm for my bracelet? Could you dry the currants? I'm not very good with the whole directions for drying, but you can use dried currants in couscous...yum!

Mamacita: what a nutty patient! Glad she got nicer instead of the other way around! Are you going on summer hours or changing jobs?

Jodi, will this be the last week of work ****? So sorry you have so much going on! My DH is in the same world of pain...he woke up at 3:00 yesterday to go to work, and did not get home until after 11:00. Woke up at 4:45 today. Poor dear! The beer sounds lovely! My good girlfriend is brewing beer, too. Is it becoming a big hobby all of a sudden or am I just coming out from under a rock?

Ellis: Have a blast at your parents'. It must be tough cleaning everything out. Is this your childhood home? So glad to hear that your dad is up to driving! That is great! : He (and you) are in my prayers.

Has anyone else been watching Sex & the City on TBS? We're too cheap to have HBO, so I've never seen it. The darn show is hilarious and addictive!!! Last nights second show (I watched it as I sat dying on the living room floor after my workout) was about the difference between 30 somethings and 20 somethings. As someone on the cusp of 30, it was a great thing to see.

Have a big presentation for the board tomorrow. Need to finish up my handouts for that. We had gazpacho with grilled chicken and WW tortilla crisps last night (or I did...DH is having it for lunch today because he didn't get home until late). The tortillas did not really crisp up. Wonder if I did it wrong? Has anyone else had any success with that? The gazpacho was really good, though. Cooking Light recipe.

Tonight we're having chicken and broccoli stir fry with soba noodles (buckwheat). I hope they are OP...since buckwheat pancakes are, I figure the soba noodles must be. I think I'm having tuna salad for lunch, but I might have left over Taco bake instead. We'll see.

Yesterday I was a workout diva! I did the elliptical in the gym for 30 mins, a tiny bit of arm weights, then I went for a walk with the dog at lunch. At night, after making dinner, doing dishes, and cleaning the kitchen, I did a Yoga/Pilates tape. OMG!!!! That was really, really tough! I was sweating like crazy and my legs were soooo tired! But it was awesome! This morning I did a bunch of sit ups, I'll do a walk with the dog at lunch, and then this afternoon, I'm going to Jazzercise, which also kicks my butt! Tomorrow is gym and then a walk. I feel so much more fit! I was so excited to be able to bring my legs almost into my chest...my stomach is so much smaller now!!!

Hope everyone has a great OP beach day!

Hi Clovey, we were posting at the same time! Glad your doing well on the beach!

Jodi - Don't overdo it on the homemade beer! Thank goodness I don't care for the stuff.

I heard "The D'Vinci Code" is a really good book. I'll have to put it on my summer reading list. I'm on the laast book of the Nora Roberts "Key" trilogy.

clovey- i have not read the da vinci code yet but i have heard great things about it. i read somewhere that angels and demons is the pre-quel to da vinci so i thought i would start there. (i confuse easily so better to start at the beginning)

laurie- i'm afraid this is just the beginning of **** at work. we were rather slow the last few mos and now it has really picked up pace again. it is very hard to adjust to super busy after sitting here with almost nothing to do for so long. my dh has been looking for a hobby so the beer thing just happened i think it is getting more popular around here, i was looking through the recipes and they are endless, i never knew there were so many beers out there. btw i was wondering if you knew of a good recipe for broccoli rabe?? i never tried it before but i bought some last night at the store cause it looked interesting. i was thinking maybe with garlic and turkey sausage or something?? i'll start searching but if you think of a good use let me know. good luck with the presentation tomorrow. i love sex in the city it is a fab show enjoy!!!

cottage- i like nora roberts too.

I've heard the Da Vinci Code is great, but after reading several articles detailing that the information is not only not true, but also wildly inaccurate, I'm a bit turned off. We'll see...

I recently read "The Lady and the Unicorn" by Tracy Chevalier (the one who wrote "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "Falling Angels", both of which were fantastic and truly worth reading). It was really well written and very engaging. She really can take you back in time to the place she writes about. This one is about the "Unicorn Tapestries" and the characters in them, how they were conceived and made. Very interesting! Right now I'm in the middle of a trashy romance novel. I know this sounds stupid, but there are too many darn sex scenes! I'm ready to find out more about the mystery in the book, but everytime a clue is revealed, the darn characters spend five pages going at it! I'm about ready to toss this one and start another....

Good Morning Everyone!

Y'all must be east coast-ers because I started reading before 7 a.m. my time and you're all up and had breakfast already!

I haven't posted much for a few days because I've been busy and every time I sit down to write something else comes up and I forget... that's me: terminal wiffle head. *sigh*

Life has been a series of Same S^*t Differnt Day which I've been "Pollyanna-ing" my way through... if you've never read the BOOK (not the movie, the book... totally differnt experience) Pollyanna it really is worth a read. I credit it with helping me through nursing school ****. (I'm glad that I'll never be like some of those people!)

I've been OP with the excpetion of an extra serving of carb safe ice cream (mint chocolate chip) or an extra keto bar here and there... I know that I'm pms-ing. We had our 14th day on Phase one two days ago but decided to stay on Phase one through tomorrow just to make it easier on ourselves to switch... we can go grocery shopping Friday night. Woo Hoo! some date! I bought some toasted soybean butter to have with that bannana that I'm gonna get to eat... screw being allergic to bannanas! I'm gonna eat at least 1/2 of one! I'm a wild woman!

I'm glad to hear that your Dad is feeling so much better Ellis. Father's day will be special for you this year I'm guessing!

I saved my grocery receipt so that I can get those 3 free visits to curves and check it out... but I decided that I'm going to take a rock climbing class to meet my gym requirement for graduation. I'm also thinking of leasing a horse and getting out and riding again. I used to think that I couldn't ride anymore because I was too fat... but what the heck difference is there between me at 250 ish and some six foot guy at 250ish? So I'm gonna check it out. Besdies... I miss grooming and tacking up a horse as much as the riding.

You're doing a heck of a lot of working out Laurie! Don't over do it! There is a great book by a man named Covert Bailey called "Fit or Fat" He subscribes to a lot of the same stuff as SBD but his focus is exercise, I think that the two programs could be made to mesh nicely.

I'm finally starting to have some more energy... I think I've probably not been getting enough water and the right kind of calories for my metabolism, either that or whatever I was sick with really knocked me for a loop!

Anyway... I'm babbling WAY too much today.

We have mosquitos here too... I put on DEET every morning when I take the dogs out and am paranoid about leaving anything that isn't well screened opened what with pet birds and west nile having arrived out here. As much as I hate bites I'm more worried about one hitching a ride into the house on me.

For the first time in a while I guess I'm glad that I can't have alcohol (dosn't mix with my thyroid meds) since it resolves a temptation for me.

Ruth... hope your visit with your friend was delightful... and you come up with that less expensive hobby for your 4 hours

Oh... since I last posted (I think) we've made the taco bake twice... YUM!!!! I love it! I forgot who shared that recipe but you're a hero in my book!!! The first time DH cooked it and got a little carried away with cayanne pepper making his own chilli powder Last night I cooked and used a purchased chilli powder... much better, yum!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Lovingly,

I read the The DaVinci Code in one weekend I was so engrossed in the story. Even if it's not true (although it would be fascinating if some of it was) it's a very engaging story. There was a place in the book where I felt the story took a somewhat illogical leap... but I don't remember where it was.

I looked up some of it on the web... there are quite a few web pages and did a little research on the modern religious sect involved. Much of the book is fiction... it's a fictional novel... On the other hand I could see where people would want to decry the book as trash.

I want to read the book that came before it but haven't gotten around to doing it. I find that I have to buy books to read them becuase when I check them out from the library I wind up buying them in fines anyway... *heh*

Right now I'm reading The Great Influenza It starts out a little slow giving you history leading up to the events, but the book is completely non-fiction and well researched... I'm finding it fascinating and once you get past the introdution the story is hard to put down.

Lovingly,

I've finally got a break in work and can post. I'm reading Tom Clancy's The Bear and the Dragon. I'm only on page 441 of 1137 so I have a long way to go and I haven't had much time to read lately. I was really counting on working out last night but ended up having to work. A 14 hour day is too long but at least I got a short break to put my son to bed! I should have my evenings back for the next two nights so I WILL get my exercise in!

I've read all the Nora Roberts book that are out in paperback. She is one of my favorites.

Oh, I tried the Ginger Chicken recipe from the cookbook last night. Made it with Chicken tenders. Yummy with black beans/onions/garlic/salsa mixture. Even if I did have to eat while working it was an OP meal

Jodi, sorry to hear that things are going to be busy for a while! Hope you can deal well with the change. There are a ton of recipes out there for Broccoli Rabe...try searching www.cookinglight.com (you have to sign in as a member, free, but worth the time!) or www.allrecipes.com. I found one on Cooking Light while looking for bean recipes for MittenNKim. I'll post it in our forum under Phase 2 soups. It has WW toast in it, but you can omit that and make it Phase 1, if you need to. It's Broccoli Rabe and White Bean Soup.

Wow, a lot of people working overtime! I hope you enjoy the next two days, Barb! That ginger chicken sounds yummy...I'll have to try it!

Ooh, ADD, The Great Influenza looks great! I'll have to look into it! Have you read The Dress Lodger? I picked that one up in the new books section of the library. It's about a woman who wears a fancy dress to pick up a higher class of clientele as a prostitute. It takes place in Europe during the onslaught of the Cholera Morbis and discusses the fear of body snatching and surgery in that time. Very intriguing! I share your issues with book fines. However, our library just instituted an online renewal program, so I was able to renew my books quickly this morning before getting fined. I usually pay the library over $100 in fines each year, but at least I get dozens of books out of the deal. I just do not have enough money for all the books I would like to read! Thankfully we have a good library!

Does anyone belong to a book group? I am interested in getting one started and would love to know of any websites that you can recommend to help me out.