I have an ear worm this morning and I never really liked Frank Sinatra! My Mother loved him and my Dad used to refer to him as Frank Snotra. the days grow short when you reach September.

Yup, it's Labour Day Weekend here - Labor Day Weekend in the USA! It always feels like New Year's Day to me after years of going to school, teaching and getting kids ready for school. Maybe I'll go out and buy myself a new lunch box and a pencil case.

Claire and I did The Big Preserve thing yesterday and the house still smells wonderful! After she left, I did a few things for the freezer and made that fabulous Taco Bake recipe too.

I'm planning a labourless weekend. I have a few odds and sods to clear today but tomorrow The Girls and I are going back to the Hyper Pyper Farm for another overnight. Lucy deserves a blow-out weekend and seems to be feeling OK. She's wheezing but the nose bleeds have stopped. We are just going to carry on until she tells me she's had enough.

This afternoon I plan to take in a concert over at the park - Eddie and the Stingrays is a local group who do 60's music. It should be fun. Shall I see if I can find a joint somewhere?

Time for another coffee and then tackle the odds and sods. I'll visit Harry later this morning.

May your weekend be Labourless or, failing that, productive!

Good Morning!

Ruth, it looks like it's just us two up this early today. I'm so glad to hear Lucy is content for now. I lost both a 21 year old cat and a 16 year old dog just last year, so I know how you feel. I now have a rowdy 1 year old collie and her "sister" a 1 year old tabby cat, but I still do miss my other two girls. Enjoy your time and then enjoy the memories.

Eddie and the Stingrays sound like fun! The name reminds me of Eddie and the Cruisers, a movie I loved and a soundtrack that was great as well. "Dark side's calling now nothing is real...." will be my earworm now.

Since this is just my third weekend in the new house, I have a lot of labour/labor ahead of me. It's fun though. I've always lived in very old houses before and it's so refreshing that everything is new, the wind doesn't whistle through any cracks and nothing rattles, groans or squeaks. It still feels like I'm in somebody else's house!

So, it's another coffee for me and then to work I must go. Getting the guest room ready for a visit Sunday from my best friend, the Martini Queen, is my first task. Staying beachy on Monday when the vodka starts flowing will be my second.

Happy holidays,
L

Happy long weekend chicks!

Ruth, I hope you and the girls have fun at the Hyper Pyper Farm! I'm glad to hear Lucy's bleeds have stopped. I have her blowout weekend is a great one!

Liannie, I'm sorry your Labor Day weekend will actually include some labor, but putting together a new place sounds exciting!

Me, I didn't win the Mega Millions last night...but I am going to go stomp some grapes today at an area vineyard and have a picnic by the river next to the winery.

Good morning ladies!

I've decided I want to be Ruth when I grow up. Your life is so FULL. My three day weekend is here and I have absolutely nothing planned except laundry, yardwork and a trip to the recycle bin. BTW- Tia sends Lucy some puppy kisses.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

Morning girls.

Well, I made it. I didn't even throw up once, although my appetite hasn't been the best. Have to force myself to eat. But I actually slept really well the first night in my new apartment.

DH was understandably not happy when he got home last night and found out I was gone. I'm praying that the initial anger of it will wear off and he'll sit down and think about really trying to get his anger under control and working on our marriage. Last night it was all talk of divorce.

So it was a really rough day yesterday, but I'm feeling a little better today, although still not hungry. My kitchen is almost put together and my bathroom is put together. We hung curtains at 9:30 last night and Dad's coming over to help me with the blinds today so I have a little privacy in my own home. Only problem so far is all the flies that we let in when I moved in. They're going to meet a rolled up newspaper pretty soon, since Walmart was completely out of flyswatters.

Thanks so much for all the prayers, girls. I couldn't do this without strength from God, and today I have so much more peace. Abdul is coming home just to be here for me this weekend, and I'm so blessed to have such a great support system, friends and family, helping me through. Abdul's son completely organized my kitchen yesterday out of the goodness of his heart, and then took me over to where he's staying to get me an end table and coffee table that was just sitting in storage. What great people I have surrounding me.

Better get in the shower. I need to run my rent check over soon and get a few things done. Thanks again girls.

Lisa

Good luck, Lisa. My thoughts and prayers are with you. In 1978, I struck out on my own after 3 years of a bad marriage and it gave me the courage to do a lot of other things that have since changed my life. Stay strong.

L

Ruth, you naughty girl, I had a feeling you had some hippie in you!
Lisa, now I get it! That had to be so hard. I'm sure you will stay strong and things will work out for the best for you in the end. Glad you have good support through this.
dixiedieter, I'm in the same boat, cleaning and laundry are the big plans for the weekend! My life is so glamorous.
Betty, what a gorgeous day for a picnic. Enjoy!
Liannie, hope you can stay strong in the face of the vodka. Have a great visit.

Me, just trying to get the bulk of the cleaning/laundry out of the way, so we can have some fun later. Not doing so well, since the phone keeps ringing and distracting me. We may go to the pool, if it's warm enough, if not, the Amish Market and fruit stand, then a visit to my grandmother. Later, we're going to go to the ball game and fireworks.

Lisa - It takes a lot of courage to do what you did. I know I was really scared when my first two marriages ended but I don't regret ending either. We're here for you whenever you need us.

schmoodle - It's still in the 90's here so certainly warm enough for the pool. Brian and I plan to go to the water park this weekend (probably this afternoon) to use up those tickets that expire on Monday.

Ruth - I love making preserves. I haven't done it in years especially since I can now get the sugarfree ones. Give Lucy a hug from me.

Lianne - You can stay strong. Make yourself a special smoothy or something frozen if you are on phase 2.

Betty - A picnic sounds like fun. Have a good time!

dixie - I really think staying busy is the key to staying young. Everyone I know that stays busy seems to live longer. At least I hope so, since it seems I'm usually really busy!

Me - Boss would have let us go at 2 yesterday since it was a long holiday but we had a teleconference with a customer and a lot of different groups to try to solve a problem. It was almost 7 when we gave up for the day. We'll have to try again on Tuesday when we can get some network people to help.
I'm bringing the refreshments to roundtable on the 13th and need to look for the bowls, cups etc this weekend plus I just got the supply list for Brian's talented/gifted program so I need to shop for that. Lots of odds and ends and I really hate to shop. I need to get the pack website updated to and I really should clean the house but as usual that is lower on the list of priorities.

Whew! I was all set to leave to visit Harry when Cousin Ian dropped in. That guy (my cousin's widower) always times it just before a meal! I gave him a bacon and tomato sandwich and told him the cake I'd just taken from the oven was for Church tomorrow and couldn't be cut until after 18 hours of cooling! (I'd tell you it was an old fashioned raisin cake but that would be )

Anyhow, I just came in from the garden with yet more tomatoes and peppers but they can just sit there in the pantry until I tackle them. The Girl's and I are going over to the Park for the first part of the concert and will go visit Harry later today.

Lisa, I wasn't sure quite what was happening but now I know. It was a hard decision, I'm sure, one that I made back in 1973. It was a great decision for me and I'm sure things will work out just as well for you.

Liannie, I live in a a 1925 house and know what you mean. Enjoy your new place! By the way, never let me know you have a guest room! I'm a real travel ho and have several friends in Indiana - hard to find them in the corn and watermelons but I manage.

Bahaus Betty, stomping wine sounds like fun. I love visiting vineyards in this area although Europe is even better!

Dixiedieter, my life is very full. As I get older, I become more and more aware of how little time is left so I just cram in as much as time and health allow. It's fun!

Schmoodle, of course I have some hippie in me! I even danced on the stage when Hair came to Toronto. I certainly could tell you some stories. I love Amish markets and visit them any time I get the chance.

Barb, so much for an early start to your long weekend! It sounds like it'll be a Labor Day weekend for you for sure.

Missmess, I hope your doing nothing plans work out this weekend.

Whoops! Concert starts at 2 so The Girls and I are outta here!

Have fun at the concert Ruth, but you and the girls stay off the stage!
By the way, I have a 1919 house surrounded by peaceful mountain views and with a guest room. And I would love to hear the stories!
missmess, stay cool in the pool! It is only about 80 degrees here today and our pool is fed by a mountain spring, so the water is always cold. We haven't decided if we're going to attempt it or not yet.
Barb, I've got a big shopping list too and I've been putting it off. I hate to get out in the traffic anymore. Anything I can get by pointing and clicking, I do. I always get "the look" at the post office when I pick up all my boxes. And if we ever get peapod out here, that'll be the end of my grocery shopping. I already can get my milk delivered to the house from a local dairy farm.

Hi Girls,

I woke up with Audrey's cold, and I'm feeling pretty miserable. First I'm freezing, then I'm roasting, my eyes hurt, and my nose is like a leaky faucet.
I'm just going to lay low today and try to rest as much as possible since we have around 25 people coming over tomorrow who expect to be fed and entertained.

I don't feel like commenting to each of you, so here's a big germ-free hug instead. And a special and to you, Lisa.

Afternoon gals!

I was just sitting here feeling lazy, then realized that I have grocery shopped, washed, dried, and folded 3 loads of laundry as well as delivered dinner to a friend who just brought their baby home from the NICU today. Not as bad as I thought.

DH and Meg have been napping the afternoon away- I need to wake them up in a bit as we have a 4:30 birthday party to attend. I am guessing they will be feeding us pizza for dinner, so I am going to eat a big snack and then eat something when I get home.

Lisa You KNOW we are here for you!!!!!

to all you to all you other beachers!!

Wow, Kiko! You have accomplished a lot. I'm a sucker for birthday party pizza even though it isn't usually that good. Good job at staying away from it.

I didn't manage any shopping (except gas for the car) today. I spent the morning working on paperwork for Brian's school and then after lunch we headed to the water park to use those tickets that we had left. I called my den leader on the way and left her a message on her cell since she and her son have season passes there. Brian and I rode the body slides 3 times and the tube slides 4 times and then we ran into them so at that point Brian and her son took off to ride the rides for hours while we got to laze in the lazy river and wave pool. I did climb the stairs to the tower 7 times so that does count as some exercise. She and I got to spend lots of time talking about scouts, our boys, school and our husbands. We rarely get that much time to talk and it was really nice.

I'm marinating steak for a wrap dinner from the Taste of Summer cookbook. I don't think I'll be patient enough to wait the hour it is supposed to marinate but it should still be good. I've never tried the recipe before but most from this cookbook have turned out to be good.

Greetings Ladies! Yes it's me, back from being MIA for too long...

I needed to go to Pune to help my father in the hospital. He had a minor operation that required hospitalization. When I came home my phone and DSL connection was down for about a week, so no internet.
I just got out of the habbit of my morning check in's.
For the last 2 weigh in's I neither lost or gained weight so that's great~
I'll weigh in in a while as today is my weigh day.
3 people yesterday commented on my body shape. One I hadn't seen in a long time was really amazed. She's like "You have a waistline!"
Though the numbers haven't changed, the fat is shifting around.
Well I just went to weigh myself and I AM down a few pounds! (I'll update ticker.)

Labor Day weekend...My mother was in labor with me for 24 hours on labor Day! Monday I am having a small dinner party for my birthday.
THursday I am going to India's Wine country, Nashik, for 2 days of wine tasting and fun with 3 friends. That'll be fun.

Well that's my news. I'll try not to go MIA for this long again!
Have a great Weekend!
kitty

Welcome back, Kitty! I was wondering where you were. I hope your father is feeling better.