Good morning!! And Melanie! WOOHOO! Jump right in, girlie!

Well, I dropped off the last fairy surprise this morning. I was sort of sad to see it come to an end but I'm sure they're ready to have this baby! Tomorrow's supposed to be the day.

We have a work thing tonight and I'm not sure what the food is supposed to be so I'll have to edit my menu later on. I got here a little late though, so I'd better get crackalackin' before they get out the belt.

Melissa, I hope you have a very good boss-less day.

Welcome Melonie, you're at a very good space here.

Niki, I bet that the aquarium in NY is outstanding. Did you see The Squid and the Whale, The aquarium is a part of the movie. Hope you have lots of fun there.

Melissa, glad you're boss isn't there to bug you. Remember though, you've got to look into new employment. You're such a bright young woman.

Kathy, the figurine is lovely. We used to sell them at our store. It is perfect as the reveal gift. I can't wait for the reaction.

Frouf, I used to think that my middle guy would be PM material. He was on the Scool Reach team when they won Eastern Ontario and he won a trip to Japan which was sponsored by a large newspaper there. Low and behold he's a senior policy maker at Agriculture! Of course, his best achievement is Natan.

Vickie, hope you had a good night's sleep. You're probably on the board as a type.

Sandra, I heard a story on our public radio today about a wolf that went from Alberta to Montana, and though about you. Too late to look for him, he came back to Alberta.

Bernie is off today, so we're doing the out and about thing. Nice and sunny as we speak. Great day to all!

Good Morning Chicks! I'm a little late today. I got up early, again, but I've been surfing for shoes, purses, and bathing suits. I forced myself to try on some summer work dresses that I had left to see if any of them would be ok for me to wear to the christening. I was shocked that 3 of them fit. They are pretty classic syling so I think any one or them will be ok. So I need shoes and a purse. I ordered a pair of bone heels from Shoebuy.com. I had a 15% off coupon so I got them delivered, no shipping and no sales tax for less than $36.00. I don't mind if I only get a couple of wears out of them. http://www.shoebuy.com/sb/s.jsp/r_pr...1/sbstl_335597

I'm going out as soon as I shower to shop at Bath and Body Works/White Barn candle company and Lane Bryant. Both places are having huge sales. I have a gift certificate from my birthday for White Barn Candle company that I'm VERY excited about. Lane Bryant is having their semi-annual bra/panty sale which is buy 2 get 2 free. I don't know if you remember that I told you all that they have the MOST comfortable bras ever. My Sister had been telling me to buy them for years and I resisted. I almost cried in the dressing room when I tried them on and they were so comfortable. I love the seamless microfiber ones. Then it will be on to Fashion Bug Plus for me. I still need some capretties and some nightshirts. Maybe they'll even have a purse there. I have a $25 gift certificate from there too and a coupon that I got off the internet that will save me $20 if I make a $50 purchase and use my Visa card. NO problem! I could get $50 worth of stuff for only $5 out of my pocket. Woo Hoo! Too bad I don't like my body so much right now...but oh well!

Jim will be staying home to wait for the pool guy who still didn't show up yesterday because his truck is STILL broken. Hellooooooo.....the pool season is VERY short in Chicago especially when you don't have a heater.

Ok, let me see what's up with all of you!

Very pretty shoes Vickie, I am going to have to see if the Lane Bryant by me is having the same sell, I could really use some new bras.

I'm just trying this out, a picture of DS doing the 10K, his first race.

Vickie, the shoes are perfect. They look confy and dressy at the same time. I wound up finding a bra at Walmart (Warner's ) that I like. I bought one sable and one white. My sister is into getting fitted and spent over $100.00 for a special one.

Kathy, the statue is GREAT! I can't wait to hear what they say when they find out that you were the fairy.

Frouf, I'd buy your book too but I'd like to have an autographed copy please!

Oh Melissa, please don't apologize for venting! I do it ALL the time and never think twice about it. We are here to support and what you went through yesterday could well have derailed your eating plan. I can tell you that I'm filled with admiration for you that you stayed on program yesterday despite all the stress. I'm happy that your boss isn't in today. Do you have a plan for dinner? This would be one of those nights that it would be nice to have some lo's in the freezer.

Ok Angela, I don't even like to garden and you're getting ME excited! Maybe I could handle some square foot gardening. I have a raised bed but it doesn't have good soil in it. I think the former owners used it for a garden. It's probably at least 12 feet x 6 feet. I keep saying maybe next year when I'm thinner. Bending over right now isn't too comfortable.

Paula, I'm happy for you that Craig is going to go to meetings with you. I need to attend regularly as well. I haven't gone for a couple of weeks now and I miss the support. Jim won't go with me. He has no interest, probably because he's such an introvert. He doesn't sabotage me although he can be a bit of an enabler sometimes.

Niki, I think your life sounds JUST right for a young woman your age. Enjoy your kids now. I hear they grow up VERY fast.

Saundra, enjoy your day with Bernie! Jim and I like going out and doing stuff during the week when everyone else is working. I'm sad that he has to stay home today. I'm thinking he's happy that he won't get dragged through the mall by me. AND.....he won't have to answer the dreaded...."Does this make me look fat?" question.

Melanie, to our little corner of the world! These are the best bunch of supportive women around. I'd have given up long ago if it weren't for them.

Ok....so you know I'm on day 3 of weighing and measuring and I think I found a part of the problem. I've been serving myself what I always eat so I can see what I was eating as compared to what I should be eating. Does that make sense? Anyway, I've been eating about 1 1/2 cups of shredded wheat and bran (4 points); the serving size is 1 1/4 cups so not bad. And, I thought 8 ounces of milk but it was actually 12! I generally eat a medium banana on there which is another 2 points. So, when I eat my cold cereal it was costing me about 9 points. Alot more than my oatmeal and fruit which was costing me about 5.5 or 6 points. Hmmmmmm......

I guess I'll have to eat more oatmeal and less cold cereal. Maybe I could make do with less milk. I wish I could say that the cold cereal was keeping me way fuller than the oatmeal but I don't think it does. I'll have to pay more close attention. Sigh.

Bummer, Saundra! I wish we could see the picture better.

It seems to be a national sale, Niki. www.lanebryant.com.

Saundra the Aquarium is great we have been there quite a few times, they now have penquins which we have not seen yet. I am looking forward to going, my ds is soo excited that I am a class Chaperone, it will be alot of fun.

Thanks Vickie, I just registered to receive the coupon.

Vickie, there's a TV program that runs every now and then about square foot gardening. They say that ANYONE can do it...even those in wheelchairs. They suggest putting your square on top of a rotating restaurant-type table. That way, the garden is at a good height, and there's no bending over. I thought that was ingenious for people who have mobility problems. I don't imagine you have that much trouble bending over, but you could raise your bed up on a low table, so all you'd get is a nice calf stretch when you work on your garden. Plus, you can make it as small as you want - just big enough for a square of lettuce, a tomato plant or two, and some peppers. Or whatever fresh veggies you like. It's really the soil mix that I think is beautiful...it's 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost. Goregeous! The stuff is like gardening in butter.

Time to go grocery shopping, later ladies!
Angela

Vickie, I was looking for a pumpkin pie recipe, it is my ds favorite and I found yours. It calls for 12 ounces of ff evaporated milk, all I have is skim milk is that ok, should I use 12 ounces of skim or less. Thanks

Niki, I don't know the answer for sure, but I found this about evaporated milk:

Evaporated milk is fresh, homogenized milk from which 60 percent of the water has been removed. It is then chilled, fortified with vitamins and stabilizers, packaged, and finally sterilized. Standards require whole evaporated milk contain at least 7.9 percent milk fat and 25.5 percent milk solids. The high heat process gives it a bit of a caramelized flavor, and it is slightly darker in color than fresh milk. The evaporation process naturally concentrates the nutrients and the calories, so evaporated versions are more calorie filled and nutritious than their fresh counterparts. When mixed with an equal amount of water, it can be substituted for fresh milk in recipes.

It seems to me that you'd have to use less skim milk in order to keep the "liquidity" the same. But I don't know the ratio. If I were you, I'd get some evaporated milk before trying the recipe. But if you do get it to work with skim milk, let me know how you did it... I'd be interested to know.

Angela