Up and at it, chickies! Dull and about to rain so coffee is indoors this morning - the AC ran all night and it's almost too cool in here.

I am off to Ottawa at 8 to introduce Disney to my dear friend Shirleyanne and her three rescue dogs. It should be interesting as all three are large and will be on their own territory. Hershey is staying home for the day with friend Claire coming in for her potty breaks. She'll just sleep and enjoy the silence. (I told her not to bother answering the phone. )

Lunch is going to happen in town but I know it'll be healthy and dinner is sitting in my fridge ready for my return so this will be another Winning Wednesday.

What's going on around your Beach towel?

Morning Ruth!!!
Hope you and Disney enjoy your trip...tell her to be sure and smile so she can impress everyone with her shiney teeth!!

I ended up with a housefull of my youngest sons friends last night and was happy I'd made a huge pot of shrimp/eggplant jambalaya so I could feed them all.

I also made some "fudge/candy" yesterday and want to share the recipe for those that didn't see it on another thread...it was really good, but obviously one or two pieces is enough (it's pretty rich anyway)...and for phase 2 and 3:


2 cups of prunes, about 3/4 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 1 cup of nuts...whir it all up in a food processor then add agave necter and a touch of vanilla extract or vanilla beans to taste for sweetness. I rolled it into balls using one teaspoon per "candy" and put it in a pan in the fridge for a bit....I loved em. It's kind of like a cross between fudge and stuffed dates. Whole family liked them.

I'm getting my work done now, so I can exercise and then meet a friend to drive to Baton Rouge. Jillian really kicked my butt yesterday with that new DVD and I am kind of sore this morning, but the good kind.

You're sounding pretty chipper this morning, Ruth. I hope you and Disney have a great day in the big city. Does Hershey get jealous when you take Disney and leave her behind, or does she just enjoy the break?

I have a consultation with a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy this morning, ugh. But my gynecologist jumped all over me for canceling my last appointment 2 years ago, so I must get this one done. After that, though, the rest of the day is mine. It's supposed to rain, so it may be a good day to go through my kitchen cabinets and get everything reorganized and throw some things out. I'll have to look through my cookbooks, too, to find something fabulous to make for supper. Jake was complaining yesterday that we have the "same old things" day after day. He's lucky that I cook dinner for him every night!

Good morning, Cat! I have a very similar recipe that I use to make truffles, and they're delicious! Brownies are sounding pretty good for today, I just may stop at the store for some prunes this morning.

Morning Cottage!!! Good luck with the "procedure"!!!

I'm back! We went for a drive Monday and came back to a totally messed up internet connection. We finally got back on last night. Grrrr

Ruth - Enjoy your doggie play date

Cat - The candy sounds a lot like the two bars I buy for snacks. I'll have to give it a try as they are super expensive.

Cottage - I'm a cookbook reader when I get stuck. I love the internet too - just google whatever you have in the fridge

Me - It's hot here. An advantage of losing weight is a much better ability to tolerate heat, so not as bad as it would have been last year. We won't talk about the cold weather.

I've been a little loose with my eating lately. I need to readjust my brain to maintenance and am not doing it as well as I'd hoped. Apparently my blood sugar is also playing havoc and causing me to eat more. Hmm, I wonder if a shorter P1 will help with that even though I don't need to lose more? I'm seeing the doc Friday for the dizzy thing so may experiment between now and then.

We are in zucchini heaven right now. The organic farm down the road is the featured producer at the Co-op and their squash is $.99/lb minus our 10% discount. Turns out we can eat it more than one meal a day. I'm sure that will get old eventually but it's really good right now!

We planned out our summer camping trips while on the road Monday so now I'm doing the research. I love camping

Have a good day Chicks! It's good to be back.

CyndiM, I have a hard time getting excited about zucchini - except deep fried with dip. Have you any recipes to share? I grill them and make a zucchini cake but that's my limit. Is Delta on your camping trip list?

Cottage, the appointment is for a consultation, right? I get a colonoscopy every few years and it certainly eases my mind. My Mother's whole family all died of colon cancer so I have this niggling worry all the time. By the way, Hershey doesn't mind too much when I go out with Disney but the reverse is certainly not true. D. gets very upset when I break up our "pack" of three if a car ride is involved.

Cat, you are such a party animal! Yum to jambalaya! Have fun at Baton Rouge. One of these years I'll get down to NO - been wanting to go since 1960 when I got married the first time. We ended up in Washington with the cherry blossoms but I wanted Spanish moss.

It's raining right now, dammit! I planned to pick berries to take to town but it's not to be. I'll take her salad greens and new potatoes plus a bottle of chocolate raspberry port. It was a gift after my operation and I don't dare sample it.

Oh well....that gives me time for another coffee before I get organized to leave. I'd go now but refuse to get involved in Ottawa rush-hour traffic ever again!

Cyndi, speaking of zucchini, I ordered one of those things yesterday that makes "spaghetti" out of zucchini. Spirooli or something like that. Can't wait for it to come in.

Ruth, come visit as soon as you can...the moss is waiting for you (October is the best month here weather wise!)

femmecreole, that sounds great! and I have all the ingredients except agave nectar. Tell me, because I'm ignorant, what is agave nectar and where do I find it?

Ruth, have fun with the doggies.

Cottage, it's not that bad. Or so people tell me. I don't go for mine till next year.

Cyndi, I haven't had zucchini yet this year - $1.69 a pound, when I know later in the year people will be giving it away!

I made it through my dd's birthday celebration.
Maybe now I'll actually set a date for starting P1.

Mmmm...zucchini. I love those suckers, DH hates them. I will eat them any which way but my favorite is just sauteed in olive oil with lots of garlic.

Well I had my glucose test yesterday so I guess I will know soon whether I will be forced to eat SB for the rest of the pregnancy! Not that it would be a bad thing, of course. And I am definitely back on it after the babe is born.

Zeff--I just read your post from yesterday. I had lost 5 lbs. in the last month despite feeling ravenous all the time. Might have to do with being sick and a little dehydrated lately though. Dec 31, huh. Yeah tax deduction! Will they let you have champagne in the hospital? Best of luck finding out the sex. They made me wait until past 20 weeks.

Happy Hump Day! so close to the weekend - I can't wait.

Ruth you and Hershey enjoy your day

Cat enjoy that workout

Cottage my thoughts and prayers are with you for all you have to go through

Cyndi dh and I love to go camping it's great for fishing and nature trails even though it's real hot and hummid here in Florida we still have to go a couple times during the summer

Rebel good luck with phase 1

So i did the preagnancy test like my doc office wanted me to do and it was negative just like i knew it would be - come on already whats the test results gonna call them today to see whats up.

Good morning.
i hate my scale but i'll live. up 3 pounds from the first and i'm NOT really sure why at this point.

already did 30 minutes on the Arc Trainer at the gym and then abs and arms this morning.

DH is home... girl child is home
work today
same old same old

Hi chicks, Happy Hump Day!
Summer and no DH are playing havoc with my schedule. We went to the pool last night before dinner, but it was so nice we ended up staying until after 7 so no dinner until about 8. Then DD was supposed to spend the night at a friend's but called at 10 and wanted to be picked up. She said they were watching something that reminded her of daddy and that made her think of home. DS has been staying up later and later, he has always been my no-sleeper. I woke up at 2:30 and he was in my room watching TV. He said he'd woken up and couldn't sleep. He had on the headphones but woke me anyway, Um... not something you really want to do, as he discovered! It was hot to sleep anyway, so I was already tossing and turning. I am an 8-hour-a-night-girl, so all this makes me very cranky! AND lack of sleep is not conducive to weight loss!
Today is cloudy and will probably storm, so probably no pool. I am going to work them hard today and maybe get them settled at a reasonable hour tonight.
Otherwise this has been a quiet week, which I appreciate.

Hi Nessa, condolences on your scale woes. Scales are so silly. Don't you hate it when everyone but you is home all day. At my house that means things get trashed.
Gonna, now that they know you aren't preggers, hope they can figure out what's going on. Assuming you didn't want to be, right?
Jessie, that's my favorite way too, with some thyme added and parmesan sprinkled over top - the South of France way.
Ruth, I found some cute eight-ball zukes at the farmer's market and stuffed them like green peppers. They were really good. I like them Jessie's way too, and really any old way. In ratatouille, grilled, steamed with vinaigrette over top, etc. DH's favorite so we eat alot of them. I've got a new recipe for guacamole made with zukes, called "zukamole", but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'll let you chicks know how it turns out. Have a good drive and visit today! We spent a week in Ottawa a couple of years ago. Fun place, good museums.
Cyndi, when I get tired of eating it, which takes a while, I grate it and freeze it in ziplocs. Glad you are back online! I've had problems with that this week too.
Rebel, glad the party went well. Good luck getting started on Ph1.
Cat, you and your kitchen toys! That recipe sounds fab, but scares me like the truffles I made at Christmas. Don't know if I can be trusted. Can I come in October with Ruth?
cottage, I'd hand him the spatula and tell him to go to it! Good for you getting your test done today. You deserve some kind of treat afterwards! Did you find anything good at the mall?

Have a good one chicks!

Good Morning ladies!!! Happy Hump Day!

Ruth - You're so good about getting out w/ your friends, I'm sorry that it started to rain. Chocolate Raspberry Port......oh.....that sounds decadent!

Cat - The truffles sound really yummy. I might have to get it a try. Have fun in Baton Rouge. Quick question....last night dh and I were watching a show called "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" and they featured a place in NO called "The Joint". It's a bbq place that looked fantastic. Have you heard of it?

Cottage - Good luck with the colonoscopy consult today and make sure you get that appointment with your gyno. That's SO IMPORTANT!!!! Hopefully the rest of the day will be quite peaceful.

Cyndi - Welcome back. Sorry to hear that your internet was on the fritz. Enjoy your zucchini, fresh from the vine is so yummy!!! Here's to hoping that a little p1 gets you back in the right frame of mind.

rebel - the sooner you set a date, the quicker the weight begins to fall off. Let's get going!

Jessie - I hope the test comes back positive.

Gonnabe - I hope the Drs. figure out what's going on for you...and soon!

Nessa - I hear you on the scale, I currently have such a love/hate relationship with it......drives me crazy!

Schmoodle - Cranky is not fun. I hope the day is smooth and the kids stay out from under your feet. Here's to a day that flies by and a bed that is welcoming.

Me - OK....if you haven't tried the Chicken Cheesesteak Saute' for dinner yet, you need to. It's SO YUMMY!!!! We had that for dinner last night and it was fantastic, I highly recommend it. Today I go to the DMV and get a new driver's license. I lost mine a couple weeks ago and this was the first time I could get an appointment. But at least I don't have to stand in forever lines. I'm so glad they started taking appointments! Laundry tonight, but other than that no much. Going out to Palm Springs for the weekend, so I might start packing as well.
Have a fantastic day, ladies!
ENJOY!!!!

Slept through my alarm this morning and missed my morning workout. I guess I will have to run to the gym after work now. I feel terrible when I don't start the day at the gym.
I am over that peanut butter cup I had last night and I will run to the store today to try some sugar free fudge pops.
Hope everyone has a great day.