[Ruthxxx]

Good morning. It's beautifully cool on the deck so come and join me there as we watch the day unfold. It was a lovely cool night for sleeping but it appears we are back into heat again today.

Two cousins, Peter and Ian, are coming in for coffee and planning* this morning so I need to whip up some cookies. They visited this house when Grandma lived here and think she's still around to do baking. They will be here for lunch tomorrow and are expecting pie! (I'm using a frozen pie shell and will do a peach pie with a crumb topping.) *The planning is for my Aunt Rose's 100th birthday in Ottawa on Thursday. She really is 100 and in pretty decent shape although she says "The eighties were OK but the nineties suck!"

What's happening on your stretch of The Beach as we trot through Tuesday?

[jekel383]

Good morning am I the only one up for coffee today?

[Ruthxxx]

Joining Jeckel with my coffee. I checked "Who is online" and there are a few Beachers out there. I merged our threads. Did you feel it?

[jekel383]

Good morning Ruth, looks like we are on the same coffee schedule today. Have fun with your cousins. Feel free to delete my thread. Yesterday I stained the wishing well. Today I am going to paint the patio an all day project. I don't mind tackling projects while on vacation. it is nice to have uninterrupted time at home.

I tried my hand at zucchini chips in a dehydrator. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. I borrowed the dehydrator and my monster zucchini fit perfectly. I will definitely make them again as I couldn't help myself! I think I would really need to make at least 10 at a time to have a significant amount on hand for snacking.

Oh well, coffee in my cup and smoothie for breakfast. Have a great day

[CatMat]

Good morning. Just swinging by - I have to call a customer in 5 minutes, Off to the nursing home to do communion, then out to install yet another computer.
Jennifer- sounds like the dehydrator worked well? My kale chips turned out decently yesterday, but I still have to do some work to perfect them. I was going to do zucchini chips, but wound up just sauteeing some for dinner.
Hello to everyone else! The clock is ticking - gotta run!

[Lexxiss]

Good morning

We stayed up late last eve and now I'm on the run to get ready for work. My sis arrived and it's great to see her.

Have a great day everyone!

[WaistingTime]

Good morning.

Jekel - How long and at what temp? I'd like to try.

Life is too boring here so not much to say. Working today. Dentist and yoga yesterday. Eating OP.

Tried a very highly rated bean chili recipe from allrecipes and found it rather unexciting. If anyone has a good recipe that doesn't require me to chop jalapeno peppers, please share! Looking for vegetarian so DH will eat it too.

Off to catch up on last night's gymnastics before I see the results announced...

Have a great day, all.

[cottagebythesea]

I was lurking and catching up with threads earlier, but then my phone started ringing and things got crazy. Right now I'm sitting at the car dealership having my car checked out. RUTH, remember that ticking sound we heard? Well, Dustin checked it out last night and it turns out all the bolts on all the tires were very loose! It's a miracle that they didn't fall off while we were tooling down I95!!!!!! Apparently when I had my car inspected and serviced before we left, the mechanic forgot to tighten all the wheels. So I'm having them check the car to make sure no damage occured. Whew!

[Ruthxxx]

Oh my, Cottage! I guess we didn't hear it when we were driving fast. It seemed to happen when we were in slow traffic. Whew! I guess we did have angels with us. How about killing the mechanic for me?

[sophie]

good morning

Nice to see everyone here. Its been a very stressful summer for me. My daughter who is 5 1/2 months pregnant is staying with us and she is so sensitive. I am constantly trying to avoid a confrontation. Anyways there has been a slight weight gain but not changing my ticker because I am trying to get it down to what it says by the end of the month.
take care
Sophie

[CyndiM]

life has taken a very busy turn. Hope to get in this afternoon and do some serious catch-up around here. 5 days at my parents should be more relaxing, once I get there

[pandamom]

This is my first go-round to contribute to the chat; I previously have only read it, so I'm probably not savvy enought to tag you all by name.

Ruth: Congratulations on the 100th birthday of your aunt! That is fantastic.

Catmat: Let us know if you get the kale chips perfected.

Jekel: the zucchini chips sound interesting. I may have to try. I don't normally care for zucchini unless it is cooked in something, but maybe this way will be good and I'm getting tired of the same old vegetables.

I'm feeling rather nervous today. I have reached the end of phase 1 and am down 10 pounds (hooray!), but as luck would have it today is the day I am to start taking progesterone to try and fix some issues caused by hormonal imbalance. It has been known to cause weight gain in some women. I already informed DH that if I gain weight on it I'm not going to keep taking it and we'll have to go with the surgical route (it's just a same-day surgery, but certainly pricier than the pills). He was supportive of that. I guess I'd appreciate it if you kept your fingers crossed for me! It is not a done deal that I will gain weight.

Have a great day, all!

[jekel383]

Panda your health is always first and foremost. Watch how you feel and what you are eating while taking the prednisone. I've been under the knife too any times so I hope this works for you.

The dehydrator I borrowed did was not temperature controlled. I was nervous because I didn't have a clue about how to use it. I cooked them a good 12 hours and they were still a little flimsy. Tasty but flimsy lol. So I out them in the oven for less than 10 minutes at 200 to brown them up a little. Had some with lunch today. Wished I could just buy a big bag in the store as it would be quicker lol