Hi you guys,
Thanks, Aleka for the suggestion to get the Hunts. I've never even picked up a can of that brand. I've used Ragu all my life and I must need to branch out a little on my sauces.
I spent awhile yesterday daydreaming about my next years garden, while I ripped up the old one. I plan on having 30-36 tomato plants next year. I transplanted my little one from seed into another pot and the volunteer is really taking off, it has blooms on it. Did I meantion that already? I'm just so happy about it.
The weather is suppose to be in the 80's for the next week or so. I am really happy about that. Some years, we have big snow storms at this time of year. I have many things to do outside still, so this will really help. I am planting one package of bulbs a day and still have many packages left. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought all those bulbs. I know next year, it will sure look different in my rock garden.
I'm really enjoying Dr. Phils book. It's helped me to see some things clearer and to get myself to talk to myself in a more positive manner. I'm taking it slow, mainly because I just don't have the time to read it. When I do sit down and read it, I'm so tired I fall asleep. Not that it's boring, I just can't stay awake.
Well, daylights wasting. Hope your both having a great Sunday, Nikki

nikki, glad that the volunteer tomato plant has flowers on it. Let me know how the tomatoes are when you have them. Because things are a little tight with our business being so slow, I have to conserve a little bit when I buy groceries. I tried the Hunts, and it is very good. I get bored reading self-help books, even though Dr. Phil's book is very good, I find I can only read a few pages at a time, whereas if it's a mystery I can read a lot of pages. Reading makes me sleepy too and end up taking a little nap. That's fantastic it's going to be in the 80's this week where you are. We've got temps in the 60's to look forward to. But..then again it will seem more like fall. Have you gone into HSN's recipes yet? Suzanne really has quite a lot posted there.

Hi ANNE, hope you're having a good weekend.

Enjoy the rest of your day.
Aleka

Good Monday Morning All:

Busy week ahead. My mother's birthday is on Friday and this
weekend is our Thanksgiving. I will be having turkey and some
low carb veggies. It's not too hard for me to avoid dressing
and gravy because I have gallstones and have been doing so
for years

Nikkic, I fall asleep all the time when I try to read at night.
There is something so totally relaxing about reading in
bed

Aleka, it has been freezing here over the weekend. I feel like
its Christmas time

It is suppose to warm up to seasonal about mid week. I am
booked for a couple of days off this week. I hope doesn't
take my days away becaused I am due to move into the new
cash office in the hospital where I work. I have really been
lookforward to this time off.
I will also be on vacation from Oct 24-Oct 3l. Lots to do. I
need to do some major house cleaning. I have to go through
all my clothes see what fits and what needs to be given away.

Have a great day ladies.
Anne.

ANNE, when you move into your new office, will you be away from or will she still be your boss? Whatever happened in the evaluation that was done a few months back re: and how did it come out? Have you ever tried Suzanne's recipe for stuffing? A friend of mine made it and it was very good, and I'm not a mushroom person. Our temps have been below normal for the past few days and the heat is running all the time. Hope it warms up for you.

Hi nikki, hope you had a good Sunday.

Have a wonderful day.
Aleka

Hi,
Yes, I had a great day yesterday. Do you all have ladybugs, gnats and boxelder bugs now? We have so many, you can't open your mouth outside without one flying in. I vacuumed the house yesterday, just to get the bugs and when I turned around there were just as many back all over again, there were hundreds of them. You can't leave anything on the counter, or one of the critters will get into it. The suggestion is to spray your house, but that doesn't work so well. Last night I came home and there were gnats swarming all over the lights I left on, in the house. I've never seen them this bad before. The gnats and the lady bugs both bite.
I cleaned off one of my gardens yesterday and have one more to finish today. Then I'll start to put plastic up on the windows for winter, even though it's in the 80's now, it won't be forever.
Aleka, I have looked at some of SS recipes on the HSN site, I'll look again when I make my next menu. I have so many cookbooks, I collect them like diet books There are lots of good recipes in the Curves book. Low carb and lower fat.
I am still trying to get through Dr. Phils book. I will have to just forget the book club here, I just can't stay awake. I do find it interesting and I am learning new things about myself.
Anne, I've wondered the same thing about the evaluation. I figured it was like most places, they identified the situation, then blamed everyone else but the true cause of the problem. When people would complain about someone in management where I worked, the person that complained would be given classes in how to manage anger. Sometimes, that person was transferred to a different department and ended up with a better job.

nikki, we don't have a problem this year with ladybugs, but we did have an ant problem this summer. One year when we did have a hot dry summer, our porch was infested with ladybugs, but it being so cold out there they died over the winter so that the following spring I vacuumed up quite a lot of dead bugs. I don't recall having gnats, and I don't ever recall hearing about boxelder bugs. Maybe they aren't around here. We have a bug spray service come out during the summer months and spray for bugs. I don't know if that helps very much in the bug population or not. It must be nice having temps in the 80's. How long is that supposed to last?

Aleka

Aleka, the bugs are really thick in the air too, everywhere outside. I use to have a bug guy come, but it didn't do any good, too many cracks and holes in the foundation and the windows. We're working on getting them fixed and plugged up, but it's like trying to scoop the ocean up with a cup, it's going to take a long time Boxelder bugs crawl all over in the fall, but they are just a nusiance, I actually like them. Last winter I thought I would just let some of the ladybugs live in the house and see how long they could live. They lived for many months and I have no idea what they ate.
The weather man says the high will be 76 today and high 70's the rest of the week. Some years, we have major snow storms at this time and it storms all winter. Or it can stay nice like this for sometime and not even get below 50's during the day until the middle of December. Makes winter more bearable that way. I remember some January days it being in the 60's and I'd go out and prune bushes. That old saying, If you don't like the weather in Iowa, just wait a few days-that is so right.

nikki, I've heard that having ladybugs in your house is good luck. I haven't seen any this fall at all. Usually around the middle of Sept. they start to get into the house. They say the same thing about the weather in NH too...just wait a minute and it will change. It's a little too early yet to see snow in our area, north of us is another matter. We can see snow by Halloween, which I think we did see last year. It's supposed to be in the mid 50's here today, warming up into the 60's by the end of the week. We have had some Dec. where it's been in the 70's and it doesn't seem like we should be heading into Christmas. One Jan. it was so mild that the lake froze over twice. Enjoy your nice weather while you have it.
Aleka

I've heard that saying about finding a ladybug in the house is suppose to be good luck. Whoever said that saying first, probably thought finding a ladybug in the house was like finding a 4 leaf clover. For me, it's more like a Bibical plague.

So, I find out these are not ladybugs as we know them. They came to this country in 1988 from Asia by mistake. They have been in Iowa since 1995 and have proliferated as they have no enemies but birds and our birds are not as plentiful as they use to be. These are called Multi-spotted Asian Lady Beetles. I read an article in the Des Moines paper and they said that even new houses are full of them. One guy they interviewed, said he had carried out 4 dustpans full of them in one day. Another said he sealed his house up, like President Bush said for the terrorist attacks, putting tape around his windows and doors and plastic over his windows and he still had a house full. (So much for that plan to prevent gas from coming into a house). They do bite, but do eat aphids like regular ladybugs, so they are nothing but a nuisance. Well, that's what THEY said anyway. I knew that I'd never seen anything like this before.
Fortunately, this only happens in the fall and when we get a good snow and it stays cold, they will die. But, from what I saw on my trees, the leaves are covered with them. They are bad this year, but I can only imagine what next year will be like.

Usually this coming holiday weekend our foliage is at its peak, but we are nowhere near that yet. I wonder if all the damp humid weather has something to do with that.

I just came in from my walk with the dog. It was very invigorating, as it's only about 40 deg. out. It felt so good to come into the warm house, plus I have some sausage/corn chowder cooking in my slow cooker. I crave soups and chowders this time of year.

nikki, that's horrible about the newer version of ladybugs. Maybe you will have a cold winter this year and they will die. That is almost the same type of story about that beetle type bug that I found on my daylilies this summer. But, unlike your ladybugs, they have no idea where they came from, they just arrived unannounced Maybe if you go to your local garden center they might be able to tell you how to get rid of them. Our local garden center told me to use Sevin on my lilies and that seemed to to the trick. Good luck with getting rid of them.

ANNE, are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?

Have a good day.
Aleka

Hi,
It's just impossible to get rid of the ladybugs, they are everywhere. But, they won't last, so I'm not worried. In fact, they seem to be getting less everyday. I was out this morning and did have one get in my eyes, mouth or ears, so I think that is a big improvement. They said when they bite, they are only looking for moisture. It is just an irritation.
It's going to be 85 today and tomorrow, then start to get cooler. Our trees are looking very colorful and they aren't yet at their peak. I'm going to go to the lake and take a walk in the woods this afternoon for exercise. I need it and have been side tracked all day by things.
I must say, your chowder sounds great, Aleka. I bet you have lots of good chowder recipes, being from that part of the country. I never make it, mostly just soups. Is the definition of chowder, as you see it, a creamy soup? I do make a creamy potato soup, but haven't made that in a long time. I'll have to make it with some cauliflower. I got some Thick and thin NotStarch a long time ago on the internet when I first started to SS. It's for thickening things like soups and gravies and has 2.3 fiber carbs per serving. I've never tried it and that may be a good place to do so.
Stay warm, sending warm thoughts your way, Nikki

Glad that you're not seeing as many bugs as yesterday. It will make for a pleasant walk along the lake. That's where I walked this morning with the dog. There is a loop that I can walk and it takes about 1/2 hr. or so to do it, but with Lacee it takes a bit longer because she just has to stop and sniff at everything. I don't do that loop at all in the colder weather because it's so cold from the water.

This is the first chowder I've ever made from scratch. Usually I open up a can of Snows Clam or Corn chowder, add milk, and heat it. Usually chowders call for either cream or milk, but this one calls for water and a can of condensed golden mushroom soup, along with a can of creamed corn. I normally make soup in the slow cooker. Cream of Cauliflower soup sounds good, and the Thick and Thin No starch would be good in it. If you make it, let me know how it turns out.

You can tell me to stay warm, and I can tell you to stay cool But, I can still send warm wishes your way also (just stand in front of a fan) Aleka

I decided to plant bulbs and really try to get most of them in the ground today. I don't know if I'll get them all planted, but I'm going to be shot for the day after I get done. The walk will have to wait til tomorrow I guess. My foot is swollen and really starting to give me fits. Stupid foot.
I love my slowcooker. I did without one for almost 6 months and now with this new one, I'm cooking up a storm. It makes supper so easy.
I took all the fans to the basement last week when it dipped into the teens. That's what I get for being efficent, But, there is a nice breeze blowing, so we don't really need them.
Hi Anne, bet your busy with all the up coming festivities. Don't forget to take a break and be good to yourself.
I better get back out and dig some more holes. Later, Nikki

Good Morning Ladies!

Some great weather coming our way for the next few days
and over the holiday weekend. The temperatures will be
in the 70's It looks like Indian summer to me

Aleka, will still be my boss although we will be in two
separate buildings at least I don't have to always be looking
over my shoulder waiting for her to come creeping up behind
me

Nikkic, I have noticed a change in the dispostion of Sylvia
For sure she got repremanded. I had one of the people from
HR ask me if I had noticed an improvement and I had to
truthfully say yes. How long will this last..... anybodys
guess.

Nikkic, I have a crock pot. I should probably look for some
good recipes for the fall when everyone feels like something
hearty.

Have a great day ladies!!

Anne.