Hey....maybe I can add Chili's in a pinch. Thanks girls.

Anyone have any good broiler pans they can recommend? Mine is dead from overuse. I'm shopping now. I asked for a large one for my birthday and didn't get it. So now I'm looking forone online.

hi, chickies. curtis is soaking in the hot tub then he's going to take a nap. he's not feeling well at all. we're hoping this tlc will help.

vickie, i just use the broiler pan that came with the oven. sorry i'm no help to you on locating a good one.

kathy, we don't have a chili's here. the closest we have is an applebees. we don't even have a tgif. however, we're never at a loss for places to eat. :lol:

melissa, i'm bumming today, too. i am thinking of reading in a few minutes. i don't want to do anything. i love days like this.

Well, I ordered a nice big one from Chef's catalog. http://www.chefscatalog.com/catalog/...pan&item=20040 I hope I like it! For that much money it better be good.

I'm off to cook dinner.

Well, the family meeting idea was nixed this afternoon, so that makes me happy. I mean, what good could come of it?

It's still hot outside here, and we're leaving our thermostat at 78, so it's still hot inside too! :)

I'm going to bum around for the rest of the day, and try to get my girls to relax. We've been off our schedule for the last few days, and that always makes them antsy and grumpy and tired. Tomorrow's another big day, so we can use Sunday as our rest day. :lol:

Later all,
Angela

Vickie, the broiler looks nice. You know I have (an old) one of those, but rarely use it. I guess I just never think about it. Do you use it to bake chicken, etc? I had kind of forgotten about it, so thanks for the reminder!

Sandra, I'm glad that you are having a relaxing day. Is Curtis sick? I must have missed something. I ended up napping this afternoon after all! I don't know why I'm so tired, but I am.

Angela, glad to hear the meeting was cancelled, that would have to have been awkward! I hope that you all are enjoying your afternoon.

DH ran to Lowe's for some supplies to finish some shelves, and before he left he said he was going to mow tonight. :( I definitely don't want to do that, but I guess I should help! :) Or I could work on unpacking more boxes. There is just so much that I don't know what to do with.

Well I am just rambling. I guess I should get to doing something.

Hey Chicks! Niece called and asked us to go out to dinner with her, hubby, and Baby Sarah. Other Great Niece and Nephew are having a sleep over at Grandma's (my Sister). They'll bring the kids home tomorrow for the BBQ. My Niece has cabin fever. I was supposed to make cola chicken but I hopped in the shower instead and we went out to dinner. I threw my chicken in some lemon garlic marinade. I'll cook it in the broiler and use it for lunches for us instead.

Too bad dinner was nasty! The company was good though. So for sure, I'm having a piece of chocolate eclair cake tonight since I didn't have a good dinner or very much of it. Way to rationalize, huh?

Sandra, is Curtis feeling better? What's up?

Melissa, I hope you guys get to take it a little easy. I had unpacked boxes stacked in my kitchen for some time after the move. Some of them just ended up going in the garbage. I figured if I hadn't used it in a month, then maybe I didn't need it. I use my broiler pan for everything. I mostly cook my chicken on it under the broiler for many of the meals that I make (lemon garlic chicken, white chicken chili because I cut it up and throw it in the tomato mixture, cola chicken because I make the sauce thicken first, chicken fried rice is also cooked first and then cut up and stirred into the rice). We like it because it gets a little barbecued kind of dark singy edges. I hope the one I bought is good.

Angela, you sound relieved and I don't blame you. It's REALLY hot here too. I was surprised when I went out. It's supposed to be hotter tomorrow.

Ok, I'm off to watch TV with Honey Lamb!

curtis isn't exactly sick. he's been having a lot of aches. we aren't sure if it's his arthritis or chest pains. he's been under a lot of stress cuz of his mom this weekend. that always gets him down. he's better now after hot tubbing i'm watching him closely.

melissa, i know what you mean about mowing. it's one of those "never finished" jobs, isn't it? i hope you get some rest tonight.

vickie, i'm sorry your dinner wasn't good but i am glad you had a good time out with everyone. i envy your closeness with your family.

Vickie, sorry about dinner but I know you had a great time anyway. Sandra, I hope Curtis feels better soon -- I remember how his mom stresses him out. And Melissa, I already told you once to take it easy. Don't make me get the belt! ;)

I wasn't hungry for dinner so I made some jello. Actually, I haven't eaten anything today except for a small salad and a little square of cheese. I did have some tea this morning; not sure what's going on but I think I'm just tired and have LO grogginess from the pain meds. We were going somewhere tonight to watch the basketball game but decided not to. I took a little nap for about 30 minutes earlier and felt the tiniest bit better when I woke up but am still glad to stay home. I'll go in the FR and watch it with Judd in a few minutes.

Since tomorrow is a "landmark" day, I start all over ONCE AGAIN. Geezalou I'm tired of saying that. But it's a day I can remember! How much better to say "I've been OP since Memorial Day" than saying "I've been OP since Monday May 29th". :lol: If I can stay on track and drink all my water, I know I'll make July 4th goal and have a much better summer. Bigtime dreaming, I know, but still it's doable.

Angela, I'm glad the meeting was called off. You are so right -- nothing good would have come from it. I'm sure your SIL knows that even if she's a big part of the problem, she'll still have the support of her family when it's needed. Maybe not so much for her as for the baby and your MIL, but still it'll be there. Hopefully some day she'll get a clue and grow up.

I made a menu for tomorrow because I've planned my food already and have it all lined up in the fridge. I'm just not sure if we'll be home for lunch or not but if we go somewhere, I can still manage to stay good.

I hope everybody has a good night!

kathy, i'm with you on starting on memorial day. i had planned to restart tuesday cuz i was going to make a decadent chocolate cake. i just talked to my sil and am going to make a spinach dip. (it's core!!!!) so i'm good to go tomorrow.

i hope you're feeling better now and are able to eat. make sure you're getting in enough water especially with all the pain meds you're taking.

Here I am - after a long and tiring day!

Vickie - congrats on being such a computer whiz - love the idea of you patting yourself on the back - my dh used to sometimes say my head was so 'swelled' it was a wonder I could get thru the doorway! ha ha ha

Sorry the dinner wasn't delish? But i'm sure you lemon garlic chicken will be great for lunches!

sandra - I think that is it common for girls of that age to "rate' themselves and each other - I remember the same thing happening - I think it will pass- and of course boosting her self esteem won't hurt a bit! Hope Curtis had a nice relaxing time in the hot tub and is feeling better?

Kathy - I am assuming kate is on meds now and doing okay? I think it's great that Judd recognizes his feelings and discussed them with you. I'm sure he will get help if he needs it.

Saundra - very 'farclempt' - loved seeing all the girls dancing today. Especailly tearful at the end when they presented this award named after one of the mother's (one girl in emily's class) who passed away last year from breast cancer. They actually did a dance for her last year (knock, knock knocking on heaven's door) and all the girls just started crying during the dance! They are again doing this dance this year at "relay for life" which is a local fund raising event (I think it's overnight). I know I will be crying thru that one as well!

And there still might be a little girl in your future? I of course tell all parents of little girls to NEVER get them started in dancing!:D They don't know what they're in for (but if you insist there are some good local dance schools!)

Dd's leg was still a bit sore today but of course 'the show must go on!'. My SIL and nieces were there along w/4 of emily's friends - her dad never showed up??? and I guess I should try and find out why? Dh did attend and only fell asleep twice!:D Recital is very very long - started at noon (altho we were there at 10;45) and ended around 4 pm - but they all did a fabulous job! Now we can give it a bit of a rest - until the last performance in June - then nothing till dance camp at the end of August!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Rose the costumes are AMAZING (and don't we have a closet full already). They are very expensive tho - and I guess if you have a girl who wants to dance you better take sewing lessons first? (froufs don't sew by the way). It generally runs about $100 per costume (and dd is in five dances - you do the math!:o ). It is the rare occasion when they can wear something again (like a track suit - or jeans or t-shirts) and we moms love when that happens! Not much call to wear a black and white velvet rhinestone covered leotard with an attached skirt if you know what I mean!:dizzy:

Angela - sorry to hear about the divorce situation - it's never pretty and I'm so sorry for all the heartache it must be causing - i agree being supportive is what's needed right now!

Melissa - so did you get that last bag of clothes unpacked? Sounds like you are both settling in nicely - welcome to the world of lawn maintenance :)

Yes our air is now on (trust me kathy air is better than having to heat all the time!) and we are very comfortable! Dh even has to tape up the vents in the basement so it's not like a freezer down there.

Eating is definitely off track - had a very big breakfast knowing that I would not be having lunch (why do they plan a recital for 12 noon anyways?). Had some cookies and water at the recital and a handful of smarties. Got home ravenous - and well it wasn't pretty!

have not sold Chicago tickets yet - sent email to my gf as dh is STRONGLY encouraging me to go - but if she can't make it I have a friend who wants the tickets so I may sell them to her!

I can't believe it's Monday tomorrow - and I have to go back to work! Happy Memorial day to all my us chickie friends - hope you have a nice relaxing day to do as you please!

well, hello there, frouf. sounds like you had a wonderful time at the recital. i'm glad dd had so many supporters there watching even though her df didn't show up.

thank you for giving me some insight into little girls. it's been years since i taught elementary age. i'm not sure i really understood everything going on even then.

Frouf, sounds like a very exciting day! I'm sure Emily is glad it's nearly over for a while -- I'll bet she could use a break even though she might not realize it. Perhaps her moods will improve this summer if she's able to get a lot more rest? And the tribute to her friend's mom sounds beautiful.

I'm ready to get on with my day tomorrow! Judd's playing golf in the morning but should be back by noon so we can finally go to Home Depot to get those flowers! I suppose that while he's gone I should rip out the old stuff. It depends on how I feel in the morning.

We're starting to plan our backyard for the pool. I think we should go ahead and try to build one this year but he wants to wait until maybe next summer at the earliest. Spring of 2008 was when he had decided to do it, then we thought maybe we should move over to the country club instead and buy a house that already has one, and THEN we decided nah, let's just stay here. I'm actually in no mood to do all it would take to sell this one. All kids should be gone by then and upstairs should be sealed off unless Judd makes a study out of a bedroom. Who knows? This is something like the one he wants.

http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL564.../150726662.jpg

It would fit up in the corner of our yard, which is very large because we're on a cul-de-sac. The yard is actually about twice the size of an average yard (I think we have a little under 1/3 acre) so there would be lots of yard left. Who knows what we'll end up doing though.

Okay, medicine is starting to work so I should try to rest for a little while. Night, all!

Good morning Chicks! I'm just here slurping my morning coffee. I slept until almost 8:30 after going to bed at 11:00 so I got quite a bit of sleep. It feels good. I don't have long to sit around this morning, though, because we're going to the Niece's for a BBQ which will be fun. I'm bringing a strawberry torte and lo eclair cake.

Jim is watching season one of 24. We found it at the library and I guess that's how we are going to watch it since he wouldn't let me buy it for him as a recuperation present. It costs $1 a disc to rent as compared to $3 a disc at Blockbuster. I already saw season one so I won't start watching with him until he gets to Season 2.

What's up with all of you? I'm going to go read and fill out my menu more if I can.

Kathy, that pool is MAGNIFICIENT! Makes my little above ground one look small. Our pool and deck take up a large portion of our yard. The lot isn't quite as big as yours but we also have a ranch house which takes up alot of room on the lot. This would be great recreation for you. Would it make Judd stress about money more? If it were up to me, I'd find one with the pool already done. And, if I could, I'd buy a new house every time it needed to be remodeled. Jim and I absolutely hate the stress of doing this type of stuff. You put the pool in and then Jim and I will come and buy it! Good Luck on your fresh Core start today. I'm starting over too since it is the new challenge. I just met my goals so I'm going to try to exceed them this time.

Sandra, it sounds like Curtis' Mom is toxic for him. I don't spend my time with toxic people anymore but I don't know what I'd do if it was my Mother! Stress can cause chest pains. I had stress so bad one time I went to the ER thinking that I was having a heart attack. I hope he's feeling better this morning and that he doesn't have to see his Mom any more for a while. She isn't staying with you, is she? I need a Core spinach dip recipe! What do you dunk? I like one from Dominick's that has water chestnuts in it. It's not sweet though so I'm not sure that I'd like the Core version. FF mayo and FF cool whip are SO sweet. Can I just come over and try yours?

Frouf, what a great thing the girls did to honor their friend's Mom! I would have been bawling just at the introduction. It must make you feel happy to see Emily happy while she's dancing. It seems like the one of the few things that give her joy at the moment. You are a great Mom to make all those sacrifices for her so that she can continue to dance. My Niece has the 5 year old in tap/ballet combo but in a year or so she'll have to pick one. Niece says she's not going to let her do them all. I've been telling her how expensive it all is based on your experience. She didn't like all the stories about searching for certain barrettes, etc. Too bad you can't sell those costumes to the little ones coming behind her. Bummer that you are at work today. But then I feel sorry for any of you who have to work ANY day! :D

Now for my menu!

Melissa, Aaron mowed in that heat? Dear Lord, tell him to drink alot of water and rest. It's great exercise but deadly. I vote you put a gas mower on your Christmas list.

Yes - anyone who has girls who want to dance let them talk to me FIRST! I can give them the real lowdown! :D Honestly tho I"m glad she enjoys the dancing and would do everything in my power to make sure she can continue - it's just her 'entitlement attitude' that wears me down of course. The busier she is with dancing the less time to get into trouble in my opinion, and it's good exercise too!

To be quite honest I always wanted to dance (did jazz for a few years when I was younger) - I think I was influenced by all those old Shirley Temple movies I watched with my Mom when I was little - just LOVE that tap dancing. So as soon as I had a girl I knew I would 'vicariously' enjoy the tap thru her. Bad news was at first Emily just sat in the corner - NOT GOOD. But after a 'chat' she started trying tap and the rest is history. It is so much fun to watch the recital videos - of her at age 5 tapping to "lollipop" and then seeing somewhere around age 10 or 11 - the feet start flying- and the choreography gets complicated - and the curls are bouncing - so much fun (for me anyways! ha ha ha).

I do need to clean out the cupboard - I know many of the dance schools have dance camps in the summer and put on these mini-shows for the parents - and they use whatever costumes they can find - otherwise need to find girls that like to play dressup (assuming dd will part with the costumes even tho most of them no longer fit!).

Kathy - that pool looks amazing (kinda like my sil's) and would love to have something like that - altho we have a corner lot I would not say we have the space (altho they advertise it as a pool sized lot), and the maintenance would probably kill dh! I vote for putting it in as soon as possible and having us all over for a pool party!

Vickie - enjoy the bbq! and I sure wish I had the day off (despite the long four day weekend I had last week!).

Sandra - I agree that Curtis should stay FAR AWAY from his mom if she causes him such stress - no need for that at this stage in his life! Just sit on the porch and enjoy those hummingbirds!

I am at work today - and it is the longest day - for goodness sake! Just dragging and dragging (and of course it's nice and sunny outside).

I can't believe there is no dance class tonight! Whatever will I do with myself? lol. Actually only have a week off - 2 rehearsals next week (june 6/8) and then performance on the 9th - then off for the summer - YIPPEE

My garden is almost ready for planting - hopefully next weekend I can visit some nurseries and see what they have and what I like - I am just taking notes right now (unless I see something absolutely fabulous) and planning where I will put stuff!

Lunchtime!

Hey, all! Good grief, I just now got here!!! I woke up around 8:00 and Judd was nowhere in sight. The dogs were wanting to go out so I let them out of the bedroom and then heard the back door open (he put them in the yard) ... so I went to check on the situation and he is sick, sick, SICK. He thinks he has food poisoning or something! I went to the store and got him some Pepto and Gatorade, then went and got some groceries, came home and put them up, then went to do my "fairy" delivery, and went to Home Depot by myself to get flowers. I came home and planted a few in pots, but haven't gotten into the front flowerbeds to dig out pansies and replant with new stuff. It can wait a minute. Meanwhile, Judd is still in bed with his closed eyes and ashen skin. He looks bad.

Suppose after while I'll go outside and grill though. We still have to eat. I'll make potato salad and baked beans for the others, and I'll stick to the grilled portabellos and steamed squash, onion, peppers and broccoli. My eating is messed up for today so it looks like tomorrow is my "start over" day. After I found out he was sick, I didn't stick around long enough to eat breakfast but just left. Now it's lunchtime but I'm tired and hot from being outside so I think I'll just drink a big glass of water.

I hope everybody has a good day today! I'll be back later on.

I just wish I could find that Marzetti's FF dill dip, Vickie. I have been to every store in the area and nobody has it. I would eat it with carrots for every snack because I love it so much ... but didn't at all like when I tried to make it myself.

I just checked on Judd and he's sacked out. I feel really bad for him because he's hardly ever sick and so I know this much be something, especially for him to miss golf this morning. I just put the baked beans in the oven and will boil potatoes in a while for potato salad. I have 93/7 hamburger patties to grill, plus chicken breasts and hot dogs. Hopefully that'll hold us for the next few days ... especially since I won't be eating it and Judd will be back on his SlimFast plan with a shake for breakfast, Simply PB sandwich for lunch, and lean protein plus veggies for dinner.

My scale was 145 this morning so I feel a little better, but it should actually be around 142. However, I will not get upset about it now. Current maintenance is a bit more difficult than it was for the other weights where I took a six month plateau to "settle into it" ... my usual plan is to lose 5-10, maintain for several months, then lose more, maintain, etc. That's why it has taken me 3 years to lose 30 pounds but at least I haven't regained.

Quiet day today, huh?

kathy, the pool looks very inviting. we had a kidney shaped pool in my other life. you and judd are going to have many happy years with yours.

vickie, let me know how that works watching 24 on dvd. i rented it at hollywood but didn't watch it. (got it on mvp so i didn't have to pay) the word "toxic" is perfect. goodness no, she's not staying with us. she lives on the other side of town close to curtis' sister. i had a long phone conversation with my sil last night. mil is being toxic to her, too. something about a walmart scene the other day. we'll all be together this afternoon for a burgerfest and "dip"ity doo. speaking of which. my recipe is simple.

frozen pkg cut spinac nuked for 4 min then cooled and drained well
1 cup ff sour cream
1 cup ff mayo
1 pkg dry soup mix
refrigerate at least 2 hours. i am putting mine in a bread bowl but am taking carrots for dipping, too.

frouf, i'm living vicariously through your dd, too. i love reading about her dancing.

we're in for another mil venture this afternoon. hope our hummingbird is ready to give us a good dose of aerial sites when we get home.

kathy, i hope judd gets to feeling better.

Sandra, what sort of dry soup mix? Like Lipton Onion Soup? That sounds very good and also sounds like something I should make and take for our next potluck birthday party. There are so many people at work who are watching their intake ... I know it would be a huge hit.

this time i used "herb and garlic" cuz that's what i had. the recipe suggests knorr's veggie and then for you to add garlic.

Alrighty then. I'm writing it down for an idea of what to take next time. I never can think of anything good (or at least, good for me!).

Goodness, I just looked in on Judd and he's still asleep and looking bad. I just can't imagine what happened to him!

poor judd. give him a hug for me.

i hope this dip is good. we'll see. i'll post about it later.

The dip sounds good to me.:)

For lunch today, I mixed ff yogurt with ff cottage cheese and added chopped tomatoes with chopped yellow and green peppers. I added a shake of La Grill vegetable seasoning, and it was very good.

Kathy, I love the pool. I could use a dip right about now. I hope that Judd feels better soon. What did he eat that you didn't? Is Kate okay?

Sandra, I don't have mil problems but have a sil that makes up for it. Lucky for me, she's in Toronto and we maybe see her once a year. I'm close with her daughter, and even she has lots of problems with her mother.

Vickie, hope you have a good dinner. I checked out your fried chicken recipe and am going to give it a try. Aren't "special" nieces great? It makes us feel so good when we are loved!:hug:

Yesterday didn't turn out as planned as there were huge lineups and it was very hot. We went to a shopping mall fair instead, and Natan went on a few rides there. We came home, he had a nap and then we sat outside and blew bubbles. It was so much fun. Dil made a lovely dinner after that. Life is good. (What would I do without you, Sandra?);)

Frouf, sounds like yesterday was fun. I can understand why you'll be happy to see the season come to an end. It does keep you on the go. I wish that there was a nice "club" around here with a pool. I'd be willing to pay for the convenience of a quick dip.

I tried to read outside, but I wound up snoozing. When we're away, there's an ocean to get some relief! I shouldn't compain, at least it's nice and cool in here.

saundra, i wind up snoozing sometimes, too, when i'm reading. i don't think that's so bad.

well, girls, it's almost time for us to go to the bbq. i need to work on my attitude. i don't like having a lot of negative thoughts.

i think we should all get together and have a group hug. doesn't that sound good?

Glad you got some fresh air Saundra - even if you dozed off a bit - yes I agree nicer to do so by the beach or pool so you can take a dip (a la Kathy) when required to cool off.

I bet Natan loved the fair - we found one of those a couple of weeks ago in a Bells corners parking lot and of course little ds was just going nuts to go on the rides - he had a blast - but it turned out to be 2 for 1 ticket day so at least it was not super expensive!

I also like the cottage cheese thing- I mix ff cottage cheese with a bit of ff sour cream - then add finely chopped up tomato, shallot, radishes, cucumber and peppers (very colorful) and mix w/spices - very nice for a lunch dish.

Kathy - what the @#$#@ did Judd eat anyways? Poor thing - sounds pretty bad but sleeping it off is a good idea. Hopefully he will feel a bit better when he wakes up?

Sandra - that dip sounds really good and I for one would be willing to try it - await your taste test results.

So cancelled dd's orthodontist appt today (yes I told them she was not feeling well!) - as last night she tells me she was planning to go work on a project at gf's house right after school - like a little too late - so here we are at 11 pm having a 'spat' about who should have told whom about their plans! Told her to call me after school when she gets there to see if I was able to cancel (was afraid of being charged). So yes she calls me - but from HOME - turns out 2 of the other girls couldn't make it! - so I cancelled for nothing - no I am not happy about it!

And then of course gave her a list of 'things to do" - like clean up her bedroom floor so we could walk on it? and empty dishwasher (this is about when the whining began) or she would not get her Avon goodies! (I know I'm so mean!)

Also get a call from big ds all excited - seems he got a call from high school teacher re last year's school paper - which has won all these awards!!! (he was co-editor) and picture awards, anyhow he has been asked to go to Toronto on thursday to pick up the awards - and is very excited! (I think they are only going for the day which concerns me as it's like 4.5 hours each way??? need more info).

I am now feeling sluggish and can't wait to get home - what a long day! Wish I had a hot tub or pool or even a deck/patio to sit on! Dh going out drumming tonight so I am home w/2 kiddies - if I feel like getting outside I shall take ds to the park - I know he will love to do that!

LO chicken, potatoes and broccoli for supper!

frouf, congratulations to big ds. have fun with little ds at the park. wish you could come here and hot tub.

Frouf, congrats to big ds! What a great honor! I hope it all works out that he can go pick up the award, and that Emily's issues get worked out too. It's hot here but cloudy so I was happy to sit most of the day inside. I just went back to the store though for bread and Dr. Pepper for Erin.

I talked to Kate last night and she was feeling better; got her Rx filled and was off work yesterday and today so that was more opportunity to rest and get better. I have no idea what Judd ate yesterday -- all I know of for sure is meatballs and cake, which the others (not me) also ate. He's puzzled but maybe it was just a little bug. He was still in bed when I got home just now but was at least talking.

My baked beans and potato salad are both made; now it's a matter of getting outside to grill chicken, burgers and portabellos. "Soon" is the only answer I can give myself at the time. I am starting to wind down and get a little droopy.

Hey everyone,
Hope your all having a great Memorial day.. just a regular day here for us canadians. I didnt make my goal for this challenge but Im not getting discouraged. I need to buckle down and get serious..... I was in the city on friday. We had a great day buying flowers and pond plants, clothes, groceries..my kind of day. Didnt get home till real late (midnight) then spent saturday potting everything up. Im tempted to put them outside (in greenhouse now) but there is still a risk of frost here,,even though we hit 80 here today. Off to a jewellery party tonight at my SIL house. Planning on picking something up for my Dd's....
Saundra,,your lunch sounds delish! Going to try that soon. I like cottage cheese with fruit.
Kathy Im so jealous of that pool......your so lucky. Our summers arnt long enough to justify one here.
Frouf, remember the newspaper trick,,,,before you plant!
Vickie, glad you got a good night sleep last night, have fun today.
Sandra Ive made that dip with regular sour cream and mayo....its good with the knorrs veggie soup. Its great heated too...just wrap in tin foil and heat thru
Rose did you get to your cottage this weekend??
Well I better get ready for tonight....get some cash so I dont overspend haha
have a great one everyone!!
waving to everyone else.....

Patti -- that's what we say about winter. We don't have enough of a winter to even justify buying a coat. We have summer from March thru October or November. Heck, there have been lots of years where we were wearing shorts and tank tops at Christmas.

Well, darn it, it's back to work tomorrow. Judd said I might have drive him; he says he needs to go but still doesn't feel well. This is how bad he feels -- I made some jello and he said I might have to feed it to him because he didn't feel like holding the spoon. That is NOT like him at all.

I had to do the grilling myself so I nixed the hotdogs and mushrooms, and just made the hamburger patties and chicken breasts. I made another cake even though it isn't time yet (they ate the last one in two days). This one is devils food with white icing. Anyway, at least dinner is cooked for tomorrow night except that I'm going to throw a piece of fish in the oven for myself.

I have lost my favorite pair of denim capris and am starting to get a little ticked. I swear they must be upstairs but everyone says they aren't. I've thoroughly searched my room, dresser drawers, closet, dirty clothes closet, the washer and dryer, utility room hanging area, and everywhere in between. I guess we've had a recent visit from the pants fairy.

Oh and speaking of fairies, Judd says that baby is due sometime in the next two weeks so I have decided to step it up and do my deliveries every day instead of every other. I bought a hanging plant today while at Home Depot buying my own flowers that I'll take over in the morning, and then I'll have to get creative. I still have hair stuff and a candle but after that, I'll be looking (and begging??) for ideas. HELP! I have decided to take dinner over to them after she gets home from the hospital and will tell her at that time that it was me. That is, if I'm not found out beforehand. ;)

I hope you're all having big fun today and stayed cool. It was cloudy here today and I don't think it even got over 90. Rain is forecast for the next few days, but only a slight chance.

Time to go check on my dear sickie. I'll be back later to see if anyone else has surfaced!

Hope you fed Judd some jello? That sure sounds sick to me!!! But at least you got some grilling done. Is there anyway Judd can stay home if he's not well?

As for the baby surprises - is she laid up in bed? How about some books or magazines or word puzzles? Maybe a blank journal w/stickers and fancy pens? She can 'write' to the baby and/or keep a diary or something?

I have stuffed myself w/pizza tonight and am not proud of it - I just don't seem to care much anymore - but I know this has got to stop! (before nothing fits me!). Need to get a grip on myself and get serious (just like Melissa).

Patti - hope you had fun at the jewellery party - what did you get for your dds?

Pretty quiet here - dh drumming, dd actually kinda CLEANED her room (at least I can see carpet) so she got some of her avon goodies - and is now prancing around the house with a chocolate toning mask on her face (it smells good enuf to eat!). Big ds at work so can't get more details on the award thing yet!

Exciting news is little ds and his class going to parliament hill to sing for the Prime Minister tomorrow - he is very excited (told me I need to wish him 'good luck' before I go to work tomorrow!). Seems they are bringing their lunches with them which is a problem as my fussy little one does not like sandwiches - they have a microwave at school so he generally eats hot lunches and LO. He has agreed to a 'small' turkey sandwich (no lettuce) - I sure hope he eats something!

Hope not to stay up too late? Have to make it for 9 am meeting w/my Director.

Oh yay! The journal and pen thing is a great idea!!

Poor Judd is on the couch covered up with a blanket, feeling cold but he doesn't have fever. He is moaning though and I don't like this one bit.

Good luck to baby ds tomorrow -- it sounds like a very good time! I'm sure it's something he'll remember for a long while. Is school out soon there? Ours were out last week except for colleges, which were out the week before.

Go drink some water and flush that pizza out! Tomorrow's a new day.

You're right - I am thirsty and throat is dry!

Judd sounds like he's in a bad way? Do you think if he's not better maybe you should go see a dr? Is he able to drink water?

Little ds is very thrilled and I'm sure I'll hear all about it tomorrow! School here does not let out til end of June (23rd I think?) and we start right after Labour day in september. Which reminds me I MUST get all summer camp stuff in order - need to coordinate w/babysitter and dd's leadership training and all camps ds wants to attend (tennis, golf and aviation camp for our future astronaut - they actually go up in a cessna I think!) - and yes this will break the bank I'm sure (no summer vacation for this frouf :( )

nitey nite

haha no winter jacker.........that would be a dream for me Kathy!! There is a nasty virus going around here...putting people inthe hospital! Hope Judd is ok!
Frouf do what I did when my dd's went thru that stage...close their door!! If thats how they wanted to keep their rooms then I refused to clean them. I would make them clean them out every so often but I didnt stress about it. Now that they are on thier own...they clean thier rooms all the time!!!! There is some hope...sometimes you just have to pick your battles. ((hugs))
I bought all of us a new necklace...I can take pics but I dont know how to upload them here....I have to figure that out one day.

Judd now says he's going to the doctor in the morning, so this must be serious.

I am increasingly ticked about my missing pants. How the heck does a pair of pants just walk away??? GRRR! Tomorrow I will either go to Kohl's and buy another pair or will order some.

I'm getting very excited about my lunch tomorrow! I just made the guac and it is sooo good. I put extra onions and tomatoes in it so it's quite chunky.

just a quick report. the family get together was fabulous!!!!!! life is good.

i'm glad judd's going to the doctor. i hope he's all right.

Good Morning chicks! I had a bad night. I had bad nightmares about getting lost. I ALWAYS dream about getting lost or being abandoned. I think I have issues because I've had these dreams all my life. I woke up at 3:15 and couldn't go back to sleep. I told myself I'd get up at 4:15 if I was stil awake but I wasn't. I woke up when Jim got up at 5:30, so I got up with him. I've had PMS and cramps for a week. Time for TOM to come already or the cramps need to go away. I've been hungry and cranky. Is this menopause? Harumpf!

The party was GREAT! We had fabulous food and the last of the corn was on the grill when the sky opened up and poured! Rain blew from every direction and there was hail and lightening and thunder! The power stayed on and Niece and Nephew were quite smug that they planned their party for noon and not 3:00 like we usually do. Most everyone had to work or go to school today which is why they did it early. We got lucky! I ate Core all day. They even made a sweet potato for me on the grill. This was a nice treat because I'm not a huge fan of baked potatoes. They're just ok.

I'm going to post my menu and see what was up with all of you.

Frouf, those are some pretty sweet memories of Emily's dance years. I know you miss that sweet little girl. She'll be back someday, I promise! Sounds like DH has been working hard if you garden is now ready to plant. Have fun picking your plants. Congratulations to big DS for his awards! You must be very proud of him. I'm also glad that Emily actually cooperated a bit with the cleaning. Too bad it had to take bribery. :D I watched my 5 year old Great Niece give my Niece a hard time yesterday. It's only going to get less pretty! Ok GF, let's all get back on the wagon together. No more pizza for either of us! It's the time of wonderful fresh fruits and veggies. Let's all embrace the Core way of life and get skinny together. Rah Rah! :carrot: :carrot:

Kathy, that is REALLY scarey about Judd. I hope he goes to the Doctor this morning and finds out that it's nothing serious. I've heard of people getting seriously dehydrated with food posioning and viruses. I had an employee who needed to be on IV fluids! Thank goodness that Kate is feeling better. Those UTI's can be just viscious. You have such a great food plan that I'm sure you'll do great. Time for all of us to get the darn scales moving downward! I'm sorry that you can't find the Marzetti's. Darn....I forgot about it. I could have brought it with me yesterday. I was STARVING by the time they fed us. Have you tried talking to your store managers yet? I don't remember what you already bought for coworker. Would she enjoy giving herself a manicure? How about an audio book? Or a regular book....maybe something about babies? Have you checked out Erin's room for those capris? :devil: Maybe you should give Kate a call? :devil:

Sandra, how is Curtis feeling? You said the BBQ was good so maybe MIL kept a low profile? It's easier to stay away from the toxic people when they aren't related to us. :( How did the dip taste? It sounded great. I'd add waterchestnuts to it since they have them in the one from Dominick's and I love the crunch. And....they're Core!

Saundra, wow! You get creative with your FF cottage cheese. All I ever throw in there is fruit. My Sister warms it with noodles but when I tried that it got all runny and nasty. I hope you are making the cornmeal chicken on the George Foreman grill. That's great but the baked oatmeal was NOT good. I should take that recipe off of our board. I'm glad that you had fun with Natan despite the weather. I'm sure I have some bubble blowing in my future this summer.

Patti, we know winter coats here too! Usually from November until April. :( Uploading isn't hard. Poop you know us girls love to see pictures! :devil:

Yum, Kathy, made me have a taste for guacamole. I think we'll have Chipotle tonight. I'm off to do some other stuff. I'm sure to be back later.

Good morning ladies! Well, after this weekend of crazy fun, it's back to real life. I'm glad...I love a schedule. :) I did not eat well at all yesterday, despite my half-hearted efforts. When I weighed myself this morning, I was 130! I know some of that was water retention, etc, but this is ridiculous! Today, like many of you, will be my "get serious" day. I simply cannot let the weight back on.

So, here's my plan:
100% Core - if it ain't Core, I ain't eating it.
Exercise - I will go walk on my mom's treadmill each day while my girls are over there for piano lessons. I will shoot for 1/2 hour a day.
Fruits/Veggies - if I'm hungry and need a snack, a fruit or vegetable will be the first thing to cross my lips.

It's an ambitious plan for me, but it needs to be done. It's hard right now, because TOM is looming, but I will perservere.

Angela

Angela, you sound scared but you can do it. You just might have encouraged me to get on the treadmill too. I need to figure out what my Fourth of July exercise goal will be. I know I cannot do 200 minutes a week like Sandra is planning!

Good morning! Well, I was hoping my pants would have resurfaced overnight but no such luck. Erin swears she doesn't have them, Kate hasn't been over in more than a week (and I had them just 2-3 days ago) and Shaun says he hasn't touched laundry in a while ... which I believe. I'll just keep waiting.

Judd was able to get an appointment for 9:45 this morning, so I'll let you know after he gets back. He had a bad night which translates to *I* had a bad night. I don't think either of us slept more than an hour. I'm just working my regular 9 hours today and going home. It might rain later.

Sounds like everybody had good family times yesterday, so that's nice. Vickie, it's a good thing they planned an earlier party! I would SO love some rain right now but it should wait until around 5:30 so I can at least see it. That's one thing that stinks about being in a classifed area -- no windows. It sounds like you had a good eating day as well. Congratulations on that! As for the menopause thing, if cranky and hungry are signs of it I wouldn't know. More like cranky and hot! :lol: I've messed with it for 20 years and all I know is that if my hormones are off, I'm very uncomfortable and make sure everyone knows it.

Oh and I got dressed in the dark so that Judd wouldn't be disturbed. I was so proud of myself -- I decided to wear regular shoes today. All would have been fine except I got to work, looked down, and see one black shoe and one brown shoe. I think it's going to be a looooong 9 hours.