Good morning from stinky Delta. A skunk perfumed the village around six and the smell woke me up! I'm hoping for a windy day to clear things out.

Not much on the schedule today although I'll manage to keep busy. The painter and his GF will be here and I'm anxious to see my paint choices on the wall - nothing spectacular as I'll be hanging quilts for colour. They are hoping to get it all done over the weekend so Paul can do flooring next week. The diningroom will be painted once the addition is done which means I don't have to pack all the china and crystal for a while. Good thing as the DR will be full of hardwood flooring on Monday. Apparently it has to "acclimatize" before it's installed.

I'm going to spend equal time in the garden, in the house and on the deck with the dogs today and try to restore some balance to our lives.

Wishing you a balanced weekend.

Good Morning!

Ruth, Auston called them "Stunks" when he was little. Appropriate, I think. Sounds like your project is in it's final stages. I know you are excited.

Jeff got up at 4:45 this morning -- LOUDLY. He left about 5:15. I've been up since. I've actually had a very nice, quiet morning, once he left. Auston and I are going to a craft show with my MIL this morning. Sounds fun to me. We are eating lunch at a place called Nicky's West, an old Birmingham establishment. It should be easy to stay on plan there.

Hope everyone has an exciting weekend on the Beach!

Good morning I am so glad there is coffee to start days like this!

Ruth - Enjoy your day of balance. I am so looking forward to pictures of the completed project.

Chelby - So nice of Jeff to share his wake up time with you. Sounds like a fun day

So the weekend is here - seems like it came very quickly and not fast enough. I think more time might have caused us to complicate things more, so this is good. The weather is less than perfect but I think it will be okay and tomorrow's party should see clear skies. It's too bad that my focus is so scattered now with family stuff but it's all okay. For us this day doesn't change anything about our relationship. Neither of us planned on going anywhere anytime soon It really helps to know that things like medical care will no longer have an added layer of stress though. That security is worth more than you realize when you're young. Of course it all only applies in a few states, but it's a start.

For now the To Do list is still a bit daunting - another salad to make, bean spread, veggie platter. Plus all the camping paraphernalia for tonight and getting everything in place to head out early Monday morning. This afternoon we will meet our closest friends, my DD and her bf (and an extra friend along for the ride) and the JP (also an old friend) by the river. We will exchange brief vows then head off to dinner together. After that it's off to the campground and a night of bonfires and wine. Our license will be dated the 13th, so it's all official at midnight. Yes, we really wanted a Friday the 13th anniversary (2013, how perfect is that).

Okay gals I better stop blabbing and get moving. A lot to get done before I leave the house! I'm sure I'll stop in tomorrow night when we get home

Cyndi, My wedding day was the only day in my life that I was truly beautiful. I hope you feel the same way today.

Ruth - poor you!! We have tons of skunks around here, I often smell them faintly in the morning, and quite often while driving! Getting close on the house...I'm excited for you!

Chelby - men are so RUDE sometimes! A craft show sounds lovely!

Cyndi - best wishes!! Hope you have an enjoyable day, I know you'll make the most of it no matter what the weather! We fully expect pictures! (and the bonfire and wine sounds fantastic! Gives me an idea....)

Me - nothing exciting planned for us. My life must be boring, because I am SO excited over the new fridge we ordered last night! Today I hope to take the kids to the theater, we'll see how that goes. Otherwise, same ole, same ole.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Good Morning Everyone

Seems like it's going to be a great weekend. Mine is off to a great start. Slept in a bit, managed to get back on DH's good side, dog walk, club & pool then spiff up Rudi for a therapy dog eval. He's the neutral dog. Not much phases him. Then the day is mine; I wonder what will appear that will be appealing?

Cyndi, I'm so happy for you. Kirks favorite numbers are 9 and 13 so he'll be celebrating tomorrow, too. I bought some RF Vermont Cheddar yesterday in your honor. Congrats! Thanks for sharing your life with us here.

Ruth, balance is so important in my life. Enjoy your day.

Twynn, I love my appliances. What refrig did you get? When we redid our kitchen I searched until I knew exactly what I wanted. To this day, when I open my dishwasher, I experience joy all over again. (could be the years in Alaska without running water, too) Hope you get to do exactly what you want to do today.

Sunshine, keep truckin'. I always look for you in the evening and I smile when I find you 'cause I know we're both still OP. You and Anne are my 3Fc gaming buddies!
Have a great day. See you later.

Chelby, great job staying OP. Keep it up!!!! Have fun at the craft fair and enjoy your OP lunch. I was really suprised to see you here so early.

Hi everyone yet to visit I'll check back and see what you are all up to when I get home.

Thanks for all your support!!

hi chickies
Good to see and read about everyones activities.
Best wishes to Cyndi and soon to be DW.
Well, I have been around so any provinces and states that I have to sit down and digest it all. Most eventful was a walk around the perimeter of Devils Tower in Wyoming and Presidential Trail around Mount Rushmore. We also took the highway around the Badlands in South Dakota. In Canada I visited the memorial to our modern hero, Terry Fox and its always emotional.
Got my summer heat this summer because when we got out West and all the way back home it was in the 90s.
So now I am jumping in with two feet into SB. Have made my menu and shopping for the week and am off to tackle the weeds in my garden.
take care
Sophie

just checking to see if I am successful with my tracker.
Sophie

Good almost afternoon.

I seem to be having trouble bouncing back after that gruelling trip to Maine. I was here earlier this morning, but just reading the posts and catching up. We did go out for a quick grocery shop, and Jake bought me a gorgeous hanging mum to perk me up.

I have some laundry that must be done today, and am going to put on a pot of split pea soup and make a loaf of whole grain bread to go with it, but then I'm getting back into my PJs and being a slug the rest of the day.

Have a happy wedding day, Cyndi and Julie!

Sounds good to me, Cottage. You need to re-charge those batteries. I'm going to take my coffee out onto the deck with the dogs and newspaper and contemplate my afternoon. I've done my garden time and will put some mums into the planters over at the Church this afternoon. There's an OB rally in the park this afternoon that is always a riot since everyone dresses in full biker regalia. Think Dog The Bounty Hunter. I may wander over to help with the food serving and get a few laughs. Maybe even a ride on a bike!

Cottage, The mums are just starting to show up here. Can't wait to get a big, beautiful yellow one.

Ruth, You'll have to wear your leather vest so you can show off your tattoos.

The craft show was last weekend. Bummer! I am going to take a nap!

Hey ladies, what's up.

Confession: I am guilty of eating terrible deep fried food last night and right in the middle of frying our second batch of french fries and onion rings, the deep fryer (a used one that we had just acquired from a in-law) quit on us. I think it was a sign.

Sent my hubby to the grocery store on the 4th instructing him to buy MEATS (meaning chicken breasts, lean pork chops, lean steaks, etc) because the Piggly Wiggly had a 5 for $20 deal going on in the butcher department. Instead he goes to the meat counter and buys breaded 'shrimp', onion rings, fries, breaded chicken wings, Mama Roses cardboard pizza which were all included in the 5 for $20 sale. There are no words to describe my abject fury... (lol). We have a limited budget and can't waste precious dollars on crap like that! He did get a huge bulk bag of okra though, but he thinks it's going to be breaded and deep fried. I think not! Sent him to the store yesterday to get some REAL meats so I think tonight I'll make seasoned chicken on the little Hamilton Beach countertop grill and see how the okra turns out if I steam it and season it. Think I'll head over to the recipe section to see if there are any for okra. Have a good day, guys!

Melanie --

Okra and Tomatoes:
Saute Okra and a chopped onion in a little healthy oil. Saute till not 'slimy'. Dice up a couple of tomatoes (or use canned tomatoes) and stew down till everything is tender.

It's one of my favorite sides. DH wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Chelby, that recipe sounds great and I have all of the ingredients to make it. I'm definitely doing that tonight. Thank you!

Cyndi, hope your tomorrow is perfect...it is so cool of you to get married on my birthday! It will be a wonderful day for you, I'm sure!


Had a nice day with friends today (2 other couples..one of the guys birtday is tuesday, so we did a double birthday celebration) went to a farmer's market and I got a lot of stuff...even a gagutsa squash (think the real name is trombone squash...an italian squash). Then we went to our favorite breakfast by the lake place and I had a wonderful Eggs Sardou. Then to a gift shop and a whole foods type market , then all came back here for coffee. A very nice day.

My son's girlfriend's birthday is also on tuesday, then my son's is on Friday and my Mom's next week....all of us New Years babies!