I'm back. I went to visit Mom & Dad, and took Dad to drop his car off at the dealership for some servicing. I meant to stop at the grocery store, but now that I'm home I don't feel like running out again. I'm planning to make stuffed peppers for supper, and I think I have everything I need, anyway.

Cat, It sounds like the entire continent is suffering from this heat and humidity. I don't remember it being quite this bad last summer. So what are you making with the marinated chicken? You always make the yummiest sounding meals!

Ruth, Another busy day? Didn't you know there's no such thing as "retirement"? It's just renamed "redirecting". Try to stay cool today!

Kiko, Your classroom will be nicely organized by the time school starts! I saw, that you made the Chicken Divan yesterday, I made that yesterday, too, but I used ground turkey breast this time for something a little different. I made the Taco Bake, too, and I'm stashing both in the freezer for future meals. I'm trying to do that everyday so I'll have a nice stash in the freezer. I'm happy you didn't have to stress this month with TOM!

Weezle, I still keep you in my prayers, too. However things work out, at least you are trying hard and praying for guidance, so you'll end up doing the right thing.

Laurie, ! We're pleased that you decided to join us, and congratulations on your successful Phase 1!

BBetty, on your new "discoveries"!

bkstitch, congratulations on your 5 lb loss!

Pacergal everyone else, enjoy the day!

Hey Chicks,
This is a drive-by check-in. I never seem to have time to post anymore, so much preparations. I'm trying to take care of everything before DH leaves for school next month. The Army is only giving us a month after DH returns from school before sending us to Germany. Yikes! that gives us about two months this one and the one when he returns to take care of our affairs. DH gave me a POA to take care of things whiles he's gone but I still need him for passports. The Texas State Vital statistics finally sent us the affidavit to say we never received the birth certificate they said they sent. Of course, I had to harass our processing manager and after a month she finally sent it. uh!! headaches!!!

Anyway KIM hope you have a great day.
Everyone else

Just a quick fly by.

I'm feeling horrible today - I had my 2nd epidural for my back yesterday, and I'm in so much pain right now. The 1st one was a cake walk. This last one - I had to take a Vicodin for the pain caused by the shot! The weakness and dizziness is what's bothering me most. I hope is subsides soon!

Eating for me yesterday was a total disaster! I knew it would be. Had Wendy's for lunch, then a few chips/dip later, then a chocolate bar. I just wanted comfort food. I didn't know if I should scream or cry last night! I'm glad the pain isn't so intense today - but still much worse than what I was expecting.

Back on track with my eating today. DH is supposed to tell me what he wants for dinner - my brain isn't all together with me right now, so I'll probably push for some take out. It's too hot to be stuck in the kitchen cooking tonight, and honestly, I don't know if I can physically do it. DH isn't any help either. I love him to death, but he's a disaster in the kitchen! He'll use every single pot/pan/utensil I own just to make oatmeal! I don't know how he does it, but he does.

Hope everyone has a great day!!!!!

Hi everybody! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!!!!, Laurie!
IamMare

Sorry for all you folks suffering the extreme heat . It's been cool ( High 70's/low 80's) and windy here the last few days , overcast as well. But with all the wind, the rain clouds will probably pass us by...which really is a shame as this time of year we need all the monsoon rains we can get. Farmers crops depends on it, as do all that live in this area. It's a drought prone area I live in. A cyclone in the Indian Ocean dumped early rains in May... but since then zilch...

All around today for those who need it!

I'm doing great, people are coming upto me saying I look awesome. Makes me want to do a happy dance!

Come on everybody! do a rain dance for rural India! :rain :

I'm off to bed....Have a great day everybody!

Hi Good Day all!!!
Happy BDAY KIM! Yes you are totally supposed to still relish your birthday. People who don't, they confuse me.

So, my day is pretty calm. So far, the high point is that I took the 2-yr-old that I nanny to Bertucci's for a special lunch, forgetting that they have this basket of warm bread they put down, and I was STARVING. So when she came out with it I asked to to march it right back to the kitchen!! So proud. I am finding this diet so great -- I hardly miss the food I'm not eating! I also added in FiberOne cereal with strawberries and blueberries this morning, which will likely be my one Phase II meal for the day...salad for lunch, stuffed salmon for dinner...
Good luck to everyone today -- it sounds like there are some ups and downs on the boards...good wishes to everyone!!
Sonja

Happy birthday, Kim!!!

Good afternoon to everyone! I just got a chance to get on-line. I was reading the newest Harry Potter book that my oh-so-thoughtful brother got me for my birthday and just gave me the other day! So good!!!

LC, sorry the dentist didn't go well. I have to make appointments for myself and the kids. I'm glad you reminded me.

Lisa, are you allowed to crank up the music while you inventory? Too bad you don't have any kids. My dad always used to bring us into work when they did inventory. It was fun for us!!!

Kiko, have fun finishing up your classroom!

Ruth, hope the barn-raising goes well!

Jessie, I can't believe you're leaving so soon! Good luck getting everything done!

Betty, congrats on the ab showing itself!!! I wish I could whittle away enough of my bulge to show my muscles...

Welcome, Laurie! We love new friends!!!

Pacer, hope you stay cool today!

BK, congrats on your loss! Five pounds is terrific!

Kara

Enjoy your stuffed peppers, Linda! That's what I'm making for dinner, too!

Cat, hope your house is cool enough with the air on. We are worried about our August bill also, although we're only in the house for half the month since Tom is leaving on the 14th, so that should help! (As long as he doesn't accidentally leave the air on!)

Sonja, I LOVE Bertuccis! When Tom gets in town we already have planned a night out there. I think I might have a planned indulgence for just one or two pieces of bread because it is so very good!

Kitty, I'm hoping it rains for you. The rains in Korea have been quite mild this year as well. Must be a hot, dry one all around. I was wondering if you'd be able to post some Indian recipes. I just adore Indian food and I'd like to learn to make some good dishes.

Mare, I hope you feel better soon! Tom does that same trick with the pots and pans. And then leaves them in the sink stacked precariously. Actually, they're usually all over the counter and stove. And he claims he'll do them "later", which never happens.

Pohai, the passports were easy for us. We got ours before Tom left for Korea and it was just going to MPF (not sure what the Army called it, but in the Air Force it's Military Personnel Flight) and filled out the paperwork and they mailed it for us. Hope yours go as smoothly!

I'm off to get my second lunch of the day. I had inadvertently scheduled two small lunches so I had yogurt earlier this morning and now I'm having a salad and some cottage cheese with blueberries. Still fits into my calorie allowance, so I'm excited! LOVE BLUEBERRIES!

Kara

Oh, it WAS yummy. I marinated the chicken (a whole bag of chicken tendrloins) for a couple of hours using this marinade. Then I grilled them outside (sweat, sweat)
then I made a "ring" of butter lettuce around the rim of the plates and put grape tomatos and avocado on the lettuce and put the chicken in the middle of the plate. I made a dressing out of olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic paste, anchovy paste, red onion, dijon mustard and italian seasoning.
It was really good..husband loved it..great for such a hot day.

Ugh, inventory took allllll day, and I stirred up all the dust that was hiding in the store and sneezed my head off all day. Now my nose is stopped up. But it was done. Unfortunately, inventory is done while the store is open, so there's no music-cranking, no friends helping, no jeans-wearing, nothing. I was in uniform with people going "Can you help me find this movie?" while I'm in the middle of counting movies. I was pretty stressed but I have tomorrow off and am spending most of it with Abdul. Will let you know how my day goes tomorrow. Hope you all have a great night.

Lisa

Cat, Yummmmm, I'll have to try that. I really like combining chicken and avocado, delicious! I made stuffed peppers, using veggie crumbles, ricotta, brown rice, pesto, mozzarella, and an egg. Then I topped it all with 1/2 jar of Seeds of Change arrabiatta sauce and baked it for 1 1/2 hours. It was good, too, but what was I thinking, using the oven on a day like today?

Weezle, after your stress-filled day, I'm glad you'll have tomorrow to look forward to! Have fun with Abdul!

Cottage and Femme Your dinners sound good! I made stuffed bleu cheese burgers. I mixed extra lean ground beef, oatmeal, an egg, and Montreal Steak seasoning for the burger meat. Then I made thin patties and put about a tablespoon of bleu cheese between two patties and pinched the edges together. I ate mine bunless and it was delish!

Your dinner sounded pretty good, too, Kiko! When the kids were little, Jake used to make something similar, but he'd make one huge "burger" and stuff it with any cheese we had on hand. The kids always loved it!

Good Morning chicks, OOPS, force of habit, I mean good evening!
I have been running all day. I headed down the road to VA at 5:45 this morning and didn't get home until about 5PM. It was so hot, we headed straight for the pool. Got home around 7 and DH was kind enough to cook the steaks for dinner, which I just gobbled down, it was so good, and I was starving. Happily, the munitions test I was to attend tommorrow was cancelled, so I don't have to do the run again, unfortunately it was rescheduled for Friday, so if I go down, I will be stuck in brutal nasty traffic coming home on Friday afternoon and probably won't get home until midnight. So I'm seriously considering blowing it off. My presence will not affect the outcome whatsoever, and I can always read the report after!

littlechick, I love your graphics. Sorry about the dentist! I think we bought the dentist a new car with DD1, and I'm sure I'm headed that way with the other two as well.
Kim, hope you had a great birthday!
Jessie, hope you are feeling tiptop before you leave. Where did you find that tea? I'm a tea junky in the wintertime. My favorite last year was Tazo Chai Tea.
Lisa, glad to hear you are sleeping. That's one thing I can't deal with, sleep deprivation...
Laurie, welcome! I don't think we've chatted yet.
Great NSV Betty! My body hasn't changed enough yet to have that experience, but I am really looking forward to it.
Great job bkstitch!
pacer, think of me, we don't have ac in this old house (no ducting for it), except for a couple of window units, and in this heat, they just don't cut it! Thank goodness for the pool! I'm okay if I can chill my core temperature down, then sleep with the fan blowing on me.
mare, I'm so sorry about your back. I hope you are feeling better quickly!
WTG indigal, you are doing great! And I am dancing right now!
Good job staying strong Sonja!
Kara, hope you are having a great visit and enjoy that book - I loved it!
Yum, Cat, I am getting half of my dinner ideas from your posts. We had a good salad last night, I'll post the recipe for it later.
Oooh Kiko, that sounds yummy too, and I've still got some bleu cheese left...
Everyone else, hope you had a good day. Sleep tight!

Good Morning chicks, OOPS, force of habit, I mean good evening!
I have been running all day. I headed down the road to VA at 5:45 this morning and didn't get home until about 5PM. It was so hot, we headed straight for the pool. Got home around 7 and DH was kind enough to cook the steaks for dinner, which I just gobbled down, it was so good, and I was starving. Happily, the munitions test I was to attend tommorrow was cancelled, so I don't have to do the run again, unfortunately it was rescheduled for Friday, so if I go down, I will be stuck in brutal nasty traffic coming home on Friday afternoon and probably won't get home until midnight. So I'm seriously considering blowing it off. My presence will not affect the outcome whatsoever, and I can always read the report after!

littlechick, I love your graphics. Sorry about the dentist! I think we bought the dentist a new car with DD1, and I'm sure I'm headed that way with the other two as well.
Kim, hope you had a great birthday!
Jessie, hope you are feeling tiptop before you leave. Where did you find that tea? I'm a tea junky in the wintertime. My favorite last year was Tazo Chai Tea.
Lisa, glad to hear you are sleeping. That's one thing I can't deal with, sleep deprivation...
Laurie, welcome! I don't think we've chatted yet.
Great NSV Betty! My body hasn't changed enough yet to have that experience, but I am really looking forward to it.
Great job bkstitch!
pacer, think of me, we don't have ac in this old house (no ducting for it), except for a couple of window units, and in this heat, they just don't cut it! Thank goodness for the pool! I'm okay if I can chill my core temperature down, then sleep with the fan blowing on me.
mare, I'm so sorry about your back. I hope you are feeling better quickly!
WTG indigal, you are doing great! And I am dancing right now!
Good job staying strong Sonja!
Kara, hope you are having a great visit and enjoy that book - I loved it!
Yum, Cat, I am getting half of my dinner ideas from your posts. We had a good salad last night, I'll post the recipe for it later.
Oooh Kiko, that sounds yummy too, and I've still got some bleu cheese left...
Everyone else,