Good Morning Chickies,

I just peeked outside, and it looks like it's going to be a rainy day. I'm going to take the girls to school this morning and run some errands for Cindy, but she's taking them shopping after school and I can come home early. That works for me since we're having a last-minute yardsale with our neighbors tomorrow, and I need to get ready for it. I hope the weather forecast is right, and that the rain will be out of here for tomorrow. In the afternoon, we're having a BBQ for the French exchange student who's staying with my DD's family. We're having good old American hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, corn-on-the-cob, deviled eggs, pasta salad, baked beans, apple pie and chocolate cake. She's getting a real "taste of America". I have a South Beach friendly meal all planned out for myself, I'm not even tempted to partake of the BBQ food.

So what's on your plate for today?

Cottage, that BBQ sounds fun! Hope the rain doesn't hinder it! We are supposed to clear up here by this evening too. Hope so, cause we also have outdoor plans

Want to wish everyone a great weekend. Will be a busy one for me and not sure I'll be around much. One week till my Mother and Sister get here and I have a tons of "to-do's" on my list.

Wanted to share a good dessert first. I saw this recipe and tried it out. (really good!) I added pumpkin spice to the recipe and since I didn't have any muffin pan liners, I just made it in a round torte pan (any round pan would do). It came out kind of thin like a pie crust. I had it in the fridge and wanted "something" last night, but not sure what and I spied it. I cut it in a pie wedge and put some all natural peanut butter on it and a little cool whip
....uh,,,yum!!!! It was good for both salty and sweet cravings. You could put fruit on top, no sugar jelly/jams and pumpkin etc..I am so thrilled she posted that recipe as it can be so versitile!

I need to go do some shopping after school..need a pair of jeans that fit desperately. Going to a gardening show put on by LSU tonight with 2 other couples. They will be serving brisket dinners at the show (dammit) so I guess I'll have to load up on a big salad or something before I go. I adore brisket, so it will be a real test.

I decided to give this soap making thing a try..thought it would be good little Christmas gifts if I'm caught without something or for co-workers at school, so I ordered a fleur de lis mold and a few different smells...bay rum, bergamot and apple jack.

Cat, I plan to try out that recipe, too. It sounds good! I wanted to get RockinRobin's permission to give out her Butternut Squash recipe before I posted it, and here it is -

Brown a cubed squash and a large onion in a Dutch oven sprayed with Pam, and you may want to add a little olive oil. Add water and a little chicken boullion to bring the level about an inch above the squash. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer until the squash is soft. Let cool, then puree it with an immersion blender, or blend in batches in a regular blender.

That's all there is to it, and it's absolutely delicious. I'm not sure how many servings it makes, it depends on the size of the squash. I cheated and bought a package of the pre-cut squash, and I estimate I have about four 1-1/2 cup servings. You could also substitute pumpkin or acorn squash for the butternut, and remember that this is a Phase 2 recipe.

Good morning all! I had another good day on SB but didn't walk. I house clean and yesterday was my big house and then the kids had football and cheerleading and I was exhausted!! I fell asleep on the couch at 9!! Today is so rainy, I won't be walking outdoors ( I love to walk the canal this time of year)!! I'm hoping to hop on my treadmill for a bit though. I'll start back weight lifting after I bring back carbs!! I'm feeling very good but I think I've been having too many nuts (better than too many chocolates) so I'll scale back on those. I made the wendy's chili recipe that I found on this site and I made enough to freeze but my whole family loved it so much, it's already gone. I plan on making more today and the cheescake too. How much chili can I have in a day? Are beans unlimited? I do hope so.

Shoot! I typed out a whole long response only to inadvertently hit 'enter' and lose it.

Cottage, I think you're amazing with all you do! Good going with the BBQ. My friend's host mother made an amazing home-cooked meal for several of us when I was an exchange student in Mexico and I remember that most of all my experiences.

Cat, I was trying to keep it short but you wrote so many fun things! The soap sounds great (love bergamot)--a friend of mine makes soap and candles for Christmas gifts and I look forward to them every year! Buying new jeans is such an NSV! YGG!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting your recipe in the forum and linking to it!!! Not only does it save the mods a lot of time, but it also makes it much easier for other members to find it later. Thanks! I had to laugh that you find brisket tempting. I've always thought of it as dry and tasteless...but the only kind I've had was that made by my Jewish Bobie (grandmother) and she only knew five spices: salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and ketchup. Well, at least that's what my Dad says. Her other cooking was fantastic, but brisket was not something to look forward to! Isn't it pretty lean meat? Do they cook it in a sugar sauce? If not, why not have a little? It'd be kind of like the "3 bite rule" for desserts!

Kristen, beans do have decent amounts of calories, so you are probably supposed to watch how much you eat, but I never did and have never had any trouble (other than the trouble you expect with beans... ). They are such a "super food," especially in P1, where their good carbs, fiber, and protein are even more helpful. Don't get too hard on yourself--exercising in P1 is optional and usually only accomplished regularly by those who have been doing it all the time for a long time. You do have less energy at first as your body detoxes, but as you move into P2 (as you know, I think?), you have a lot more energy.

Me:
Walked in this morning to read that I had an 8:15 appt...but the student hasn't shown up yet. I think sometimes they are a bit more optimistic about their wake up time... The guy is looking for help with creating a letter about an ad campaign for his application to a school of design. Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to give someone any help at all! I have no clue how to write a letter like that...but I'll do my best!

Looking forward to some quality time with DH tomorrow. He flies out Sunday morning to go to a conference in Florida. I'll fly out to join him next weekend. It's the first time either of us have been there...not a surprise to my friends back home in CA, but a total shocker (on par with never having been to a mall) around here, where going to Florida is at least a yearly trip. We're hoping to take in Epcot and Pleasure Island and maybe do some driving around. DH is hoping to see the Kennedy Space Center while he's there on his own.

A friend and I are heading up to a neighboring town to see a great comedienne, Suzanne Westenhoefer on Sunday night. I'm so excited! My student just arrived, so I have to go. Have a great day, chickies!

Guess I should have said BBQ brisket which is smoked for a long time and very juicy and yummy and heavenly...oh gawd, gotta stop that...major food porn...oh, the sauce and the almost burnt cripsy bites around the outside...
Ok, enough I quit, I will not think of nasty old dead cow.

Hello chicks,
Gray and rainy here, but desperately needed. I've got to get as much work done as I can early today. DS has three friends coming over this afternoon for his birthday dinner. They're going to play here for a while, then we'll take them all to Medieval Times for dinner tonight. I've never been there and it sounds fun, so I'm looking forward to it too. He has decided that he will be knighted. He's pretty shy, so I didn't think he'd want to go for that option.

cottage, your BBQ should be a hit. My DH is french and his niece spent some time with us this past summer. We've had MIL over a few times too. They all LOVE the corn. They don't eat corn in France, DH tells me it is food for farm animals, so they are a little unnerved at first but once they get a taste of some good sweet corn, they can't stop!
Cat, brisket that is cooked right is heaven! Good luck to you.
beachgal, I love FLA, love Disney. I just go with the kids because DH can't stand it. That's one vacation we take when he's away at sea.
kristen, I have nut issues too. So easy to overdo those little buggers.

You are right, Cat...that *is* major food porn! (you had me salivating over brisket...which takes some doing!) It sounds divine! But keep on thinking of it as "nasty old cow" and you'll get through just fine.

Schmoodle
That sounds so fun. Wonder if we have a place like that around here.

femme
Sounds so good. I have never been sure how to make brisket. Could you tell me how you make it?

Just a quick run-thru to say hi! For some reason the Project Managers expect me to work today, don't they know I have posts to read on 3FC???

Good morning all! I'm finally back - although I don't know how OP I'm going to be able to be.

My Dr. called me last night, and is still mucking with my meds. He's taking me off 1/2 the dose of Neurontin, and putting me on a combination of that and Cymbalta. Even though neither drug has been approved by the FDA for chronic pain, there are currently FMS studies being done, so... At the very least I'll be happy

I'm off to several meetings and more sitting here staring at my PC doing more testing... Sometimes I hate a desk job. I need to get more exercise, but it's hard when I sit for 12 hours a day because of work.

Hope everyone has a great day and weekend!

TGIF, indeed!

I am ready for the weekend, ladies. Are you?

Cottage: We're going to do a yard sale Nov. 3 in another town. I'm planning on getting the boxes out and tagging them tomorrow. Even when you just throw one together, it just seems to take a lot of work. I hope the rain clears up for you and your weekend activities. Maybe you could send it out here to West Texas!

Cat: Tonight's garden show sounds fun! Let me know how the soap-making works out. A friend and I have wanted to try it for a while and I think we may actually get it started early 2008. Good luck jean shopping!

Kristen: I limit my beans in P1 to 1/2 c. a day, especially if I'm eating a lot of nuts, but I'm not sure if there are actual limitations. Hope you have a great day!

beachgal: I love Florida, and Epcot is really a lot of fun. Sounds like a lot of laughing for you on Sunday; have a great time!

Schmoodle: Medieval Times is a great place. I'm sure your DS and friends will have a blast. You'll get a kick out of it as well.

Me: Not much going on today. Our office is closed to the public, so it is going to be quiet and borderline boring. We all need the break, though. Talking to boss-man, I found out that we should only have one more day with the state's rep and then I'll be able to start our required inspections. I'm dreading that a little, but am trying to be a good employee and not complain. Ask me how I feel about it in a month or two, though.

DH and I have a relaxing, but productive weekend planned. I've got to clean the house and do laundry and we're also going to finish with the Harvest decor. We bought a table at a city-wide flea market/yard sale for the 3rd of Nov., so DH is going to work on leather crafts as I work on some scarves and jewelry. I also need to get some of the "antiques" we have that have been in storage for years and tag all of it for sale. Time to clean out the closets again!!

Well, good employees don't spend ALL morning on the internet, so I'd better find some work. Have a great Friday!!

~Kim

, Shy, dixie, and mare! We were all simul-posting! Weird!

Kim
Isn't it funny when that happens. Sounds like you have a lot of enjoyable things going on. I love crafts but get tired of doing that stuff all by myself. No one around here does that stuff anymore. I am old school I guess lol.


iam
I would love to find a desk job lol. Just to darn old to run warehouses and carry weight anymore lol.

dixie
Now this is what you do. You march right into your bosses office. You tell that mean person you just can't work today. You have things to do like talk to us. I bet he will tell you that is fine. You now have all the time you want to chat with us lolol.

Hi Ladies:
You're all so busy!!! I need an energy donation! I go back to work on Monday and then Friday we fly to Ireland! so I'm still trip planning. Day 1 back OP for me focussing on Protien and water.
I'm in Pain today so once I wrap up the planning going to cuddle with the cat and some harry Potter!
I'll BBL
Kier