[carla49]

Just a quick drop-in to wish our Annie a
VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
and a terrific weekend with Delicious Dave.

Happy, didn't you know - they do have people food in cans! Potato chips in cans, cake frosting comes in cans, even baba au rum can be bought in cans!

Mel, happy shopping. Stay away from the goodies in cans!!!

Shad, has DS continued to keep things clean? Has he introduced the new lady to mom yet?

Gotta go, soon I'll be running late yet again and it's just too muggy out there to rush. to all the chicks I've missed.

[happy2bme]

Delicious Dave

Folks, I think we have a winner here. And I didn't even realize we were having a "give Annie's old BF a cool nickname" contest

I will never be able to look at Pringle's canned potato chips (crisps for you Shad) the same way again!

Then again there is canned potted meat (what duh heck is dat???) and the ever popular SPAM spiced ham. Think I'd rather eat Alpo or Fancy Feast but I think I'll stick on my course of eating what I can pull out of the ground

Nice morning talk, eh?

Now that I've ruined your appetite, happy shopping Mel. Sorry

Carry on fine ladies... Happy Birthday Annie - I'll skip the cake but save me a drink

[happy2bme]

Oh and Michelle - I REALLY like your new avatar!

Do you think the whole website developement bandwagon has sort of petered out? I have a relative that's into it commercially in NYC and even he's having a tough time.

[diyana]

Happy Thursday ladies --

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNIE!!

More big storms due today. Hopefully, they won't cause injuries or more property damage in the midwest. After work and exercising last night, I went to the library and got Jillian Michaels book "Winning by Losing". Of course, after I got it home, I realized that I need to open up my 100 Days book again as that book offers good suggestions/motivation. But it's good to have lots of reading material for when I'm on the treaddie or elliptical.

Patty - I'm so glad to hear that Blackie is doing better. What a relief that must be for you! The only "people" food we give our dogs now is lettuce. They are just fiends for it. Weird, huh? When we make salads they go crazy and won't stop pestering until they get some crunchy lettuce dropped their way.

Shad - You're right...$800 is a lot, but it's cheaper in the long run than $200/month car payments. Plus, it will last a long time now, probably another 100K miles. Sounds like you are definitely a pro at car shopping...I'll bet the salesmen realize quickly that you know your stuff! It's kind of ironic here...it seems like most of the contests that are giving away cars are giving away HUGE Hummers or gas guzzling Trucks or SUVs. Apparently those aren't selling (no surprise with the high cost of gas), so they're giving them away.

Happy - Unfortunately, it's not just Lake Delton. There are a lot more lakes and rivers that are threatening to breach their dams. A small section of Interstate 94 between Milwaukee and Madison has been closed in one direction due to a river that runs under it being close to cresting and going over the freeway. We did have a snowy winter, and a soggy spring/summer, but the farmers have still planted (as have we). It depends on where you live as to whether the crops/plants are okay. If you're in an area with good drainage (like me), everything is okay (knock on wood), but other places aren't faring as well. I don't think website development will ever be gone. Companies will always need websites, even if only very basic ones with descriptions of what they do and where they are located. But in today's economy, I think businesses might be getting their employees training on website development rather than contracting it out. Which essentially means they'll get what they pay for. Companies don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a quality website, but a company should be willing to spend more than a couple hundred to have a decent website. Otherwise, the website will look like they only spent a couple hundred. Just my opinion, of course. Okay. I'll get off my :soapbox:

Mel - I hope you have a good day food shopping and that it's not too hot today.

Carla - Great to hear from you! I hope you're doing well! Try and stay cool, despite the muggy weather.

Gotta go...busy day today.

A big and to all!

[upswife]

Morning ladies!

Happy Birthday Annie! Enjoy your weekend with Delicious Dave!

I never made it to the gym...I still get these weird stomach pains and nausea so I had to rest instead. The neighbor's grandkids came over, and my kids forgot about going swimming. We did go to the mall after dinner and walked around there for about an hour. Have to call mom and let her know that I found the pants she was looking for...at least the trip will save her from having to go thru all the stores to find one specific item.

Have to go eat...going to try to oatmeal, as cereal has not been sitting well.

[annie175]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the birthday wishes....

hmmmm, delicious Dave....how cute. I will let you know how delicious after he leaves. wink wink.

Still celebrating....had a mango margarita last night at Cancun. YUM.

Have a marvelous day everyone.

love and hugs.

[diyana]

Annie - the mango margarita sounds yummy. I hope Dave is yummy too. :wink:

Ellen - I hope you're feeling better today. Take it easy....don't overdo.

[ceejay52]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Annie, Hope you have a good week end.

[annie175]

Well, off to dinner with my dad. We share the same birthday!! He wants to go to Texas Roadhouse. So my mom said we will go to Red Lobster. How funny is she.

Have a great evening.

Love and Hugs

[MELODY525]

FROM COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE:

STRAWBERRY SOUP

This light, refreshing soup is a fine start (or end) to a meal.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups halved strawberries (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 cups pineapple juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cardamom (optional)
1 1/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind


Preparation
Place first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add yogurt; process just until blended. Chill for 3 hours. Sprinkle each serving with lemon rind.
Yield
5 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 124(10% from fat); FAT 1.4g (sat 0.7g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.2g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 4mg; CALCIUM 145mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g; SODIUM 47mg; PROTEIN 4.2g; FIBER 2.2g


NOW LET ME SEE....DID I BUY ANYTHING IN CANS? WITH CANS? HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH CANS? DID I EVEN FIND ANY CANS? NOT SURE...I'LL HAVE TO CHECK MY REGISTER LIST.
BUT I HAVE A PIMPLE ON MY CAN...DOES THAT COUNT?? TMI??
ANOTHER LONG DAY. SEEMS THERE AREN'T ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY FOR ME AND I WANT TO STAY OUT SO MUCH TOO! JEN HAD TO DROP THE CAR OFF FOR REPAIRS LOCALLY SO WE SPENT THE DAY TOGETHER. NICE QUIET TIME. I MIGHT BE OUT AGAIN TOMORROW SO I CAME HERE TO CHECK IN LEST YOU SEND THE HOUNDS OUT AFTER ME. :look:
HAVE A GREAT NIGHT AND A WONDERFUL FRIDAY!!
HERE COMES ANDOTHER FUN AND SUN WEEKEND

CARLA...DELICIOUS DAVE ONLY YOU!!!
SENDING GOOD THOUGHTS AND YOUR WAY!!!

ANNIE...DON'T FORGET TO TAKE NOTES! GOTTA GET MY JOLLIES SOMEHOW!! I REALLY DO NEED A LIFE OF MY OWN!!

MICHELLE~ ALL THESE STORMS ARE SO DANG FREAKY. ONE NEVER KNOWS WHERE THE NEXT ONE WILL HIT. STAY SAFE. WE JUST HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE BOY SCOUT CAMP.....SAT HERE CRYING. VERY SAD.
AND I MEANT TO TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOUR AVATAR THIS MORNING. I NOTICED IT RIGHT AWAY. MY DD WOULD LOVE IT...AND THE COLOR!!

ELLEN~ FEEL BETTER HUN AND TAKE IT EASY!!

HAPPY....POTTED MEAT IS LIKE THE CANS OF DEVILED HAM? CHICKEN? ETC...RIGHT? YOU COULD NEVER SPOIL MY APPETITE. MY TUMMY DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY!! HAVE A GREAT LAST DAY OF WORK!

TO SHAD WHO SHOULD BE HERE ANY MOMENT!!!

[happy2bme]

Ohhh Mel - that sounds yummy and with fresh strawberries at the Farmer's Market, I'll have to try that.

[Shad]

I'm here, I'm here. Had to go get Happy's exercise in. Hope she feels good about it. I just would like to sleep. Do we share the calorie workout or is Happy taking them all?

So I have been to gym, done the shopping and am now home to start work. Got a fair bit done yesterday and last night, but it doesn't help when you don't get answers from those who should know. So I will just do it by myself and hope it is not too far off the mark. You do what you can - right?

I need a shower and breakfast as well so this will be short and sweet and I'll come back for personals at lunch time.

Weather seems to have settled down and we are having some beautiful days. I do spend some time out there during the day. Shame to waste that beautiful blue sky and sunshine.

I'll be back

[upswife]

I am so tired of taking it easy...wishing I had some semblance of energy. I am wiped out after shopping with my mom and sister today, and we didn't even have to walk too much becuase I scouted the stores last night. Mom and Claire got some cute things, and I picked up some new workout pants...hopefully they will still fit after the baby.

On that note, I am the ONLY person I know who has to get pregnant to lose weight...and I am not talking 5 pounds. I weighed today on my scale and according to that I have lose 21 pounds in the last 10 weeks!!! How weird is that...I lost with my first two pregnancies, but I was much sicker with those...ending up in the hospital because of dehydration. Oh well...I guess I am just special. :wink: Anyways, I don't recommend losing the way I did, barely able to eat or drink anything.

Have to get moving, I have an OB appt tomorrow, and I am hoping to squeeze in a hair cut too in the morning. will have to feel my way to the bedroom, as I am sooo tired!

[happy2bme]

Good morning,

Ellen - thanks to unrelenting morning sickness, my niece gave birth weighing less than she did before she got pregnant. (she said that was of little comfort ) BUT the baby is an angel so she thinks that maybe she caught a break due to the most uncomfortable pregnancy - something to hold out hope for Besides, aren't you getting to the point where you are very tired all the time? Hope you feel better soon.

Thank you for exercising for me Shad - I do appreciate it and yes, I'm feeling a bit stiff today but nothing a good stretch won't remedy Glad to hear that you finally got a break in the weather - hope you can get out and enjoy it with the weekend upon us.

Mel - I thought Jen had taken off already. Did she decide she'd miss you too much and change her mind? Sometimes there's no place like home.

Hope you enjoyed the dual birthday Annie - did it wind up as steak or fish? Pretty neat to share a birthday with dad. Countdown to Dave begins... chicks await anxiously

Hope you're doing ok Michelle. Yesterday I heard random unexpected thunder at work (we had some pop up storms due to the heat). When looking at the radar I checked up your way and there were more nasty storms. The weather channel had a warning that a tornado HAD been sighted in the Milwaukee area and to take immediate cover. I don't ever remember such a long bout of bad weather that way -- and you're way past tornado season too. Everything is delayed this season. Hope all is well up your way. Good for you for digging out the 100 Days book again. I keep thinking about it

Did you get the house all spiffy Shy? I'll bet you did!

I'm very tired this morning. Was getting ready for bed last night and I heard what I thought was a gurgling in the toilet area (my loo and tub are in a separate room from the sink and vanity. I peeked around the door and was about to jiggle the handle when I noticed the floor was all wet and there was steady dripping from the shut off valve. I turned it as much as I could but it didn't do a thing for the drip. I laid some towels down and had to go wake up DH who was really getting his snore on. He was deeply asleep as I had a hard time waking him up but it was leaking too much to just leave it all night long. After much fussing, cussing, twisting and turning, we - well HE actually - got it stopped. Turns out the gasket in the aging toilet is breaking down. But I didn't get to sleep until well after 1am and had to get up early as I have an early morning presentation today. It's one of those "hard to keep your head upright and eyes open" kind of days. DH was going to try decaf coffee to see if it cures his ailments but this morning that gets shoved to the back burner and bring out the full strength I'm about to jump in the shower - might have to make a shot of that cold to open up the peepers Might even splurge and pick up a Starbucks on the way in. Gonna be a long day... At least I'm glad it's Friday.

Hellos to Carla, Madcat, Ruth and those I've missed. I'm off to try and wake up...

[MELODY525]

HAPPY FRIDAY! THE FASTEST WEEK I HAVE HAD IN A LONG TIME. MAYBE BECAUSE IT WAS CHOCK FULL OF CHIT!
TAKING THE DAY OFF. JEN IS STILL HERE AND WE WILL SPEND TIME WITH OUR FRIEND AND ENCOURAGE HER WITH HER NEW FOUND WEIGHTLOSS. SHE IS DOING SO WELL....I AM JEALOUS! NOTHING NEW WXCEPT IT LOOKS TO BE A VERY LOVELY WEEKEND AND LOTS OF TIME FOR GETTING OUT AND ABOUT. IF ANYONE WORKS IT WOULD ONLY BE BALA AND HE TAKES CARE OF HIMSELF!

SO LADIES...ENJOY THE WEEKEND

HAPPY....DID YOU SAY STARBUCKS???YUM YUM!!!!
TOO BAD ABOUT THE TOILET...WHY DO THESE THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN AT NIGHT?? THE WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE. GOOD LUCK WITH THE MEETING. WE JUST MISSED EACH OTHER! JEN CAME HOME BECAUSE THE CAR REPAIR SHOP IS NEARBY AND DAD DROPPED HER OFF HERE SO SHE COULD PICK IT BACK UP WHEN IT WAS READY. SHE WILL BE GONE AGAIN IF SHE ISN'T ALREADY.

SHAD....I'LL DO MY OWN EXERCISNG NOW I THINK OF IT AND YOU CAN WATCH MY CALORIES INSTEAD. I ALWAYS HATED THAT PART! HOPING YOU GET AT LEAST SOME OF YOUR WANTED ANSWERS!!!

ELLEN...SOON THE BABY WILL BE HERE AND YOU WILL BE DONE WITH RESTING. JUST HANG IN THERE. GUESS BY NOW YOU ARE USED TO THE "DRILL".