Good Morning Everyone

Ahh...Finally Friday! I'll be off within the hour for my dark drive through the Rockies. I've mapped out my first Starbucks stop (Vail) then can make it to our other house where I'll drop the doggies off. It would be far easier to take them but we're going to meet DD for brunch and I don't know how hot it will be.

Raspberry picking, pick up doggies and back tonight.

Have a great day everyone and I'll check in on my return. I am so glad to have Alaska 2009 be a done deal and am excited to have the family back together for fall frolics.

Debbie...be careful and have a fun trip!!!!

I've been VERY busy with the first full week of school, but so far, so good. Love the group of kids I have this year. A tad chatty, but they are sweet and have a good chemistry together!

So nice to be greeted by Debbie and Cat AND they put the coffee on! I think Cottage was up late last night but I'm sure she'll check in shortly.

Yesterday just disappeared down the drain - too much going on - so I did not even get the list made for today's baking marathon. I need a few things but can at least get started on pastry until the store opens at eight. I plan to make a chocolate zucchini loaf and am completely out of cocoa since I only use it in the winter. It's a rainy day so a good one to fill the house with baking smells! No, I don't nibble at all when I bake because I know that even a single chocolate chip will set off cravings and I'd be done in.

Plumbing is the focus this morning in the addition - sure hope the water can stay on! I am also expecting delivery of the drywall sheets because that will start Monday. The dogs and I are finding the constant traffic through the house a bit stressful but are learning to take a moment together with tea and petting.

Hope your Friday is full of peaceful moments. Sit and sip for a bit.

Thanks for the coffee, Deb & Cat! I surely need it this morning! I was up till the wee hours with insomnia and an aching arm. I was shocked to wake up and see that it was after 6!

Have a safe trip today, Deb. I bet that drive over the mountains is gorgeous!

Cat, I'm glad you have a great classroom of students and hope the school year is a good one!

Ruth, I know your house will smell good today. I love chocolate zucchini cake and haven't made one yet this year. That would really test my willpower!

The heat wave continues. We spent all day yesterday inside the house, but I have a few errands to run this morning, and we may go swimming again. Only 1 more week until school starts!

Good morning Wow, busy around here today!

Debbie - Hope the drive is lovely and the weather is perfect. Enjoy your day.

Cat - It's so nice to have a group of kids that work well together. I always enjoy seeing your name pop up in the morning

Ruth - I'm in awe of your ability to bake and stay away from the goodies. Good luck with the plumbing adventures, hope there isn't much adventure involved

Cottage - Nights like that are so frustrating. Hope the day is low stress.

We are leaving for our vacation tomorrow (just 4 days) and I am making myself crazy with the To Do list, of course. Yesterday I picked and froze blueberries (10 lbs ), dried squash, did laundry, grocery shopped, made dinner and a large salad to take camping, and did the usual organizing and around the house cleaning. The heat made it challenging. Today I've got to get to Staples (the computer we bought my Mom was on sale the day after I bought it!), pick up some vacation groceries, dry greens, and do a variety of cleaning related tasks. I'm glad we are staying in an efficiency rather than camping. Should be relaxing once I get there

Hope your Friday turns into the weekend with no bumps along the way

Happy Friday!!!

Debbie, I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip! I used to plan my trips to Louisiana by stops at the Cracker Barrell. Yummy treats and clean bathrooms. What more could you want?

Cat, Chatty isn't too bad! Auston has a boy named Seth in his class who seems to get in a lot of trouble. Apparently, Seth hit someone during naptime and 'pulled a red apple'. Auston was horrified!

Ruth, Not nibbling.... You are stronger than I am!

Cottage, I hope your arm feels better today! Enjoy your one more week!

Me: I am so ready for this weekend! The office has been wide open all week! But I really am enjoying this job. Jeff met my boss yesterday. They both did the same National Guard job, only 20 years apart. What's crazy is the people who were my boss's coworkers, were Jeff's supervisors! They hit it off. I'm so glad. When Jeff and I started dating, I worked for an Industrial Psychologist. Jeff hated that boss -- and for good reason. BUT, it made my life difficult and I ended up quitting because of it.

Hope you have a great Friday!

ETA: Cyndi, Enjoy your camping trip! I've already eaten all my frozen blueberries! Oops!

Chelby - that's why I've put up 20 lbs already, room for frozen berry eating Have a great weekend!

Hey everyone. Just a quick check-in. DH is at home sick and I cannot seem to get him to go to the doctor. I'm at the office right now, but I'm about to head out to get our office vehicle ready for our trip on Sunday. After that, I'll probably hang around for an hour or so and then head home to take care of DH.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

Hi everyone, quick checkin for me have a four hour meeting coming up.

Weezle go have some fun with your friends....know that we are thinking of you.

Tonight is DS first football game it is just exhibition but that is at 6 p.m. I went for a jog last night and that helped with the cold somewhat. DD2 was lifeguarding at the park I was running at, she said someone commented who is that lady she is running so slow. DD was like atleast she is attempting to run. Hey you gotta start somewhere hehe. That is why I prefer to run in the wee early hours when noone is out an about.

Have a great day everyone.

Put crazy island lady hair on that smilie and it's me today. Oscar and Sophie are not very compromising when it comes to sharing the bed, and it's 2 against 1. They also were ready to start the day at 5. Every time I moved after 5, two little heads popped up and they looked at me as if to say "Time to get up? Sumpinta eat? Gotta go outside? Who wants a treat?.... No? OK" and then they'd lie back down. Repeat every 3 minutes until 6:50.

Had dinner and drinks with Abdul last night. Tonight now includes several more of our friends. I told Abdul this morning that I haven't decided if I'm going tonight and he says that I am whether I want to or not. Sigh.

I just want to go to sleep today. And Eureka is on tonight. I don't want to miss that! It's finally Friday and I'm already looking forward to my life going back to "normal" on Monday.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Lisa

Hi chicks,
It's too hot to clean. Just sayin'... However I had the brilliant idea of inviting some moms over Monday morning after the kids get on the bus for coffee and mimosas (for the moms not the kids). If that doesn't get me off my butt soon, nothing will.

Godspeed to the travelers.
Chelby, your Auston story made me think of one of my favorite Shirley Jackson short stories. It's called "Charles" and it's about a kid in her son's kindergarten class. I know she is thought of as the queen of horror, but her family stories are just hysterical.

Dallas had storms last night with lots of thunder and lightening. I ended up getting up at 2:30 to shut down both laptops. I probably should have shut them down before I went to bed. It stormed nonstop for 5 hours. I usually sleep through storms but these were so loud and bright.

Brian's triglycerides are elevated. The nurse said the doctor wanted me to take him to see a cardiologist but then she agreed to let him try diet and exercise and retest in 3 months. He's not overweight but hasn't been eating the best this summer so I want to see what eating South Beach for breakfast and dinner will do to help him. I'll also help him choose good choices for school lunches but he wants to eat at school.

Schedule pickup took over 2 hours yesterday. Tables to turn in forms, pick up his schedule, pay for gym clothes, yearbook, spirit t-shirt, school pictures, get his id badge made, find his classes and try his locker (which didn't work so he'll have to get that dealt with on Monday). He got all the classes he wanted and his teachers seem nice. I'm not thrilled about the bus ride. Bus comes at 7:10 and he gets to school at 8:10 and then they give me no idea what time he will get back to the bus stop (which is over a mile from home so I'll have to pick him up). I'm sure it will work out. I'll just have to see the timing.

Hi Everyone

Checking in. We made it home-450 miles and a bunch of shopping and berry picking in 12 hours. Kirk is sleeping-so I have a few hours to putz around.

Thanks for all your good wishes! Traffic was good and the coldest was on top of Vail Pass-33 degrees.

I'm going to go unload groceries and make dinner. The swamp cooler is on the fritz-thank goodness it waited. It was 80 degrees in the house when we got home. Its working right now.

Deb, I'm happy to hear Kirk made it back safely and that you're both home safe and sound now.

Debbie, We had a swamp box when we lived in Colorado. I remember laying on the floor underneath it.

I wish you could see the sky here. It was greenish, now it's dark pinkish-brown. It's raining and lightning like crazy! If the wind were blowing, I'd have the family in the basement. It's eerie looking! Auston just said, "This is a hurricane night!" But, like I said, the wind isn't blowing.