Weekend Chick Chat
 

Thinking of our Louisiana and Texas chickies this morning. I hope everyone is safe and will check in when they can.

"Free" day today with no company or meetings but I do have an horrendous list of things to get done. As soon as it gets bright, I'm going out to haul in more tomatoes for one last batch of salsa. I've decided the secret to growing tomatoes is to just leave them alone. The weeds are taller than the plants but the crop is huge! After this weekend, production should slow down - I hope. I still need to harvest my basil for winter pesto. Yum!

I won't bore you with my list but will just grab another coffee and get on with it. I hope your Saturday is fun and productive. Take a minute to come and chat first. :cofdate:

So, Ruth, when is the salsa party..?? I'm there!!

Still horrendously windy here 24 hours later. Debris all over the place...new debris along with the debris from gustav that was piled in front of the house. Guess I'll spend tomorrow raking and hauling limbs again.

When I got home from school, my MIL had arrived from Houston. We went out to eat at a really neat place that is in a hundred year old train station... when we were walking out, we heard a big boom, then another, then another and looked up and the new tin ceilling on the place had a sheet of tin loose and was banging up and down. We got out of there in a hurry in case it came lose and started flying. Can't believe we still have power and am so worred about the Texas chicks. I am on the very very outer bands of this thing and am a 6 hour drive from Houston, so this thing is a monster. What is happening here is nothing compared to what they are going through since it is so huge and came in in the dark. Twice as scary.

They have not canceled the workshop, so I have to go get ready to sit in a gym with a tin roof all day long trying to think about teaching reading. Some birthday, huh?

It has also blown some unreal mosquitos in. They are the size of love bugs and I am torn up with them. And of course out of mosquito spray.

The puppies are having a great morning though. One of them found a piece of newspaper and picked it up and they all hauled after him grabbing it, then each got a chunk and have destroyed it all over this room which luckily has tile floors. They are a mess, but so entertaining...except for the multitude of puddles. Spray wipe, spray wipe.

Save some salsa for me, girls! I'm stll working on my coffee. :coffee:

Cat, I'm glad your in-laws made it in alright, and, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :hb: I hope you do something fun after your workshop today!

Ruth, I bet your kitchen is going to smell really good! We discovered one of our eggplants survived and has 3 little eggplants growing on it. :) So that caused a bit of excitement for the girls, and they've been checking on the progress every day.

Monica and Carley are coming out today, and Jake wants to grill steaks on the BBQ. I'll see if I can find a salmon fillet for myself, or do up a shrimp kebab. It's Community Day in our town, so if the rain holds off we'll walk over to the park and check out the activities.

I'm sending up prayers for our chicks in the Texas area and hoping that they're all safe. The pictures they are showing on TV don't look too good.

((RUTH)) Good morning dear, hope you enjoy your day off!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAT! :bday2you: Glad your not getting the brunt of the storm. After the workshop go out for steak dinner!? ;).

Son was home last night with a friend. They BEGGED for a taco bake. Mind you, I had made one this week and had just polished it off yesterday morning. I made it for them because I knew it'd be gone. Guess what, the dish is empty in my sink! Yes, I had done dishes last night, but they left a piece during dinner, so went back a few hours later for the rest! I was too tired last night after dropping them off to bother! ;)

Called the plumber yesterday, he can't make it till monday morning. Thats alright, he said go ahead and shower, it's not going to do any more damage. ??

Got some of the list done yesterday, plan to get more done today. I'm so sore on my back, buttocks and legs and not sure why.

ETA: :wave: cottage, simulposting! have a great day!

Hi Ruthie!

G'morning cottage!

:bday2you: Cat!

Hello Lori! Hope your soreness goes away!

It's my day to sleep in, and Tommy got up at 6:00. I didn't hear him get up, but I woke up when he wasn't there at 6:09, so here I am. One of the early birds today!

Tommy's mom is taking Little Guy this afternoon and for tonight, so I don't know what Tommy and I are going to do. We haven't gone out together in eons, but not having gone out in forever, I feel like we'll probably just want to stay in and watch movies or something. Are we finally old?

I may run and find something to wear for my interview once the stores open. I just never know what to wear to these things. It's for an administrative position, so I'm guessing I want to look professional, but I also need to look trendy, as it's in the nicest area of town (multi-million dollar homes.) Tom also said I need to look "a little sexy" because it would give me an edge, since it's a man doing the hiring. Not quite sure how I feel about that. Tom is a man, though, and knows how their little brains work. What do you think?

Well, time to put some tea on, STAT. Hope you girls have a great day!

Lisa: Maybe thats why I'm not getting the jobs!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe my competition are coming in bearing a little cleavage???

Personally I'll stick to my beliefs and go in dressed in a suit or skirt with a blazer (dress outfit). And yes, I'm seeking a bookkeeping position. Whatever you decide, look professional!

Have fun tonight with time off from the wee one! Sometimes a night alone in the house is a lot more fun than going out!

Morning chicks, hope all is well with our Texas chicks also, glad to hear you are doing well Cat and still have power. That would sure be a bummer on your Birthday. Oh yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! :D

Not much on tap today, I think I am just going to let the day happen. I do want to get some "Nessa Bars" made, haven't had them in forever.

Coffee is done, I am off! Have a great weekend!

I don't think Tommy wants me going in there with my boobs falling out of my shirt, but I think he was saying to find a nice top that's a little more fitted, rather than hanging straight down off my boobs. I only have 1 button down shirt that is the right size, and it's green.

If I get/take the position, I've already warned Tom that I'm going to have to go buy a new wardrobe. I haven't worked in administration in 2 and a half years, and have lost some weight since then. I have a pair of black pants that fit, but otherwise I don't have a whole lot. May have to hit Kohls and possibly Old Navy or Gordmans. (I have 20% off at Old Navy starting the 19th.)

I guess we'll just have to see what happens!

Hey Steph! Have a great day!

what are nessa bars

:bday2you:

Happy Birthday, Cat!


Nothing new here. Feeling a bit better, so it's back to phase 1.5

Lori, here's the link:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...ght=nessa+bars

Thanks Lisa, but I'm confused. I thought old fashioned oats were a no no????

Loriann, Nessa Bars are Phase II Oatmeal Bars. Ladybugnessa introduced them to us so we always refer to them that way. Sorry for the confusion. Isn't Taco Bake the best recipe we have in here?

Weezle, good luck with the wardrobe replenishing search. I bet it will feel sexy to just buy smaller sizes. When is the interview?

Cottage, thanks for the reminder about eggplant. I'm sure I must have some out there in the weed patch. Can you smell future ratatouille? I know I have tons of tomatoes and there should also be peppers so.....

Cat, a very happy birthday to you. I'm glad you still have power.

Pacergal, thanks for mentioning Nessa bars. I must make some this weekend to pack as emergency for snacks.

Belle, glad some of that crud is disappearing. It does seem to take ages to adjust to new meds.

Raccoons were in my garbage last night! Grrr! I guess the smell of fruit peels and tomato was too much for them. I usually compost that stuff but didn't want to go out to the bin in the dark and rain last night. So I've added deck cleaning to my huge To Do List for today. The Church Bulletin is written and the printer is working away. I have load of pears in the dehydrator right now and will be doing some sweet potato slices for dog treats a bit later. Hershey managed to fully open the oven door and has helped me by "cleaning" the broiler pan from last night! The BBQ was out of fuel so I broiled and felt too lazy to deal with the pan.

OK - on with the day! The sun just came out for a while so I'm off to pick tomatoes.

UM.... NOOOOOOO it's EVIL! I make it and eat WAY too much, like three big pieces, in once setting (when I can eat that much). ;)

Good morning Chickies

Cottage enjoy your free day

Cat- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!

Lori- I have to watch my portions for Taco Bake as well, Old-Fashioned oat are okay only oats not okay I believe is just the instant or quick oatmeal have to get the slow cook version of oats.

Good morning BelleMar :wave:

Weezle- When I was in administration I always wore a suit- could be a skirt suit or a pant suit. I have a really nice belted black pant suit that made me feel sexy but still looked professional so maybe that is what Tom is talking about?

Ruth- good morning sorry to hear about the raccons getting into your garabage, yuck.

As for me- last night decided to go to the Macy sell- I had $50 gift card as well, so I picked up some pants and shirts that fit the new me for work as a reward for doing a great Phase 1-

Was watching the weather until really late last night, talked to BF in Houston yesterday, I will have to check back in today to see how their house fared, but I have a feeling they lost power. I was laying in bed watching and they were talking about gas going up to 5 and 7 dollars in some places yikes.

Have a great day everyone

I hope tkglen is okay. I'll feel better when we hear from her. In Dallas the rain just started a bit ago and is still light. It's coming this way but I think it will pass just to the east of us. I can't get over how huge Ike is. 600 miles across. Wow! My work has been sending updates every couple of hours giving the status of all the employees and companies we support in the affected areas. I hadn't realized how much we had in the area.

I'm hoping that my assistant scribe, Grace, and her family will still be able to come over this afternoon so we can get some work done. We'll play it by ear on the weather though. I'm going to try to finish up some of the printing this morning in case we lose power.

morning.... busy day today for me....

already did 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes wii fit

last night i ate evil wheat.... a roll some pretzels and birthday cake. should have skipped the cake
oh and wasabi peas... evil me.

off to shower go to the CRAB FEAST (no one ever got FAT eating CRABS) and play bingo.

Ruthie, the interview is Monday night to be the (only) Administrative Assistant at a Chiropractic office. The doctor is the one interviewing me. I do enjoy buying smaller sizes, just not the whole "spending money" thing.

Pearl, Tom just wants me to wear something form-fitting, which in the career clothes area, I don't have. He thinks that since it's a 30-something man that's doing the hiring, it'll help to flaunt what I got. I don't know how to feel about it. I guess there's nothing wrong with dressing to show off the parts God over-blessed me with, as long as those parts aren't falling out of a shirt, right?

I'm thinking of running to Kohl's this weekend and just buying 1 nice top for the interview. They're always having sales. What do you think about this top?

Weezle, that top is stylish and professional yet sexy at the same time. Just my 2 cents. It's nice!

Hope the chicks in the way of the storm are okay.

That's a cute top, Lisa. It would go great with a nice pair of dress slacks! Good luck on the interview!

I hope the hurricane doesn't affect you, Barb! We've been watching the reports on TWC off and on all morning. I hope TKGlenn and her family are safe and we hear from her soon. Let's hope this is the last of the hurricanes this year.

We just got back from running some errands and a stop at Trader Joe's. The sun is trying to poke through the clouds, and it's making it awfully humid. I had plans to make some chicken salad with grapes, cranberries, apricots and pecans for lunch on ww pitas, but now I sat down and don't feel like doing a darned thing. ;) I can hear the bands gearing up over in the park, so after lunch we may walk over to see what's happening. They usually have a big used book sale, so I'm eager to see what I can find.

I just ate an egg "muffin"... and feel aweful, and yesterday got the same feeling afterward. I think I'm switching this week to cold cereal (Kashi go lean) this week, with a banana and v8.

Mel, that's kind of what I was thinking. I may pick that one up at Kohl's.

Thanks Cottage! Keep me in your prayers!

Lisa, I may go get one myself!!!!!!!!!

Hey! Happy Saturday! Hope everyone is doing well in spite of the storm. Keep watching coverage on TV, scary stuff!

Can you cook steel cut oatmeal in the microwave? If so, how long?
I added 2TBS to my breakfast, along with my veggie packed eggs this morning. Felt good to eat a warm cereal again!! I tried cooking them in the microwave for 5 minutes, not all of them cooked, so it was still a bit crunchy, or is that normal??

Cute shirt! I say go with that one!!

it looks like most of Houston is w/o power...I think they said 3 mil. residents in the Houston area are without power.

We just got back from a little hurricane party. It was fun, although the people who hosted have a bratty 4 year old who is really mean to our 2 year old. She is just not a nice child whatsoever. I love the family to death, but she makes it really hard to be with them.

DH is passed out on the sofa, DS is lying with him and watching a snoopy movie.

Looks like it's going to be a low-key day. I might do some baking - I've been eying an orange marmalade yogurt bread lately. Also, I need to start figuring out what I'm making for Thanksgiving. I know that it's more than 2 months away, but I compile recipes for almost a month and then test recipes for about a month. I broke out every last old Bon Appetite and Epicurious magazine that I had.

I've never tried cooking it in the microwave...but I would think it would take more than 5 minutes. It takes about 25 on the stove.

Heads up to everyone out there, DH's uncle runs one of the local gas stations here in town, we just got a call saying they have a truck coming in with half a load of fuel and when it goes in price is jumping to 4.89!!!! Thank gosh we filled up lastnight at 3.75. I have been hearing about big prices in AK and FL but looks like even here in IN we are going to feel the pain. Fill up now if you haven't chicks!

Stay safe Barb, I am watching the Dallas area close, bosses mother is there and I am sure he is worried about her.

There goes the dryer, gotta run, hope eveyones day is going well.

pacer, post that in the gas thread in general chat! They'd want to hear it from you, not me!

Anyone experiencing that high of a gas price is experiencing a gouge. Google search an agency that deals with gouging. I have a friend who works in oil who said that the main reason why gas prices were going higher was speculation that the storm was going to destroy the rigs....it didn't. They are offline right now and will miss a few days of production, but nothing that would cause a spike that fast.

Stations that gouge during a time like this can be met with a hefty fine.....and they should be. It's horrible to take advantage of people like this.

I wouldn't be surprised to see gas prices go sky high. At a gas station on the way to Trader Joe's this morning, gas was $3.47 for regular, on the way back home less than 2 hours later it was $3.59 already! :dizzy:

Jensskihere, you can microwave steelcut oats. Just mix it as you normally would, and cook it in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir, then cook a further 2 minutes. I like to make a big pot of it on the stovetop, then take out what I need and heat it in the micowave each morning.

Zeff, I'm with you and that is why I came back to edit my post (I didn't want anyone to think I was trying to start a panic) LOL. I agree this is price gouging at it finest. It will be interesting to keep an eye on the rest of the area and see what happens. We had a few stations here that got in big trouble for gouging after 9/11, you would think they would learn. Of course DH's uncle is just the manager and following orders.

We get it around here too. The gas station a block from our house has gas at 4.52.....a half a block down, 3.69.

Our neighbor reported them for gouging.

I would just think they would look around the area and make it look a TEEEEENSY bit less obvious that they are gouging.

My mom found gas this morning in Minneapolis for 5.89 a gallon. what the ****? The price per barrel doesn't even have a chance to rise before they raise the **** out of their prices. Completely speculatory raises.

FYI for those that don't visit general chat.

Hey all, I just received a class action notice about Verizon... you can visit my thread in general chat... http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...38#post2359938

$4.15 was the normal price of gas here in Chicago BEFORE the storms hit! Please don't let them go up!!

Wow, Jenny. I thought that most everywhere in the country was below $4 already...

LoriAnn - I wonder if that early termination fee being illegal is applicable to all the cellular phone providers. We have Sprint, and I'm about to take the phone and shove it up their proverbial butts.

They say that south of here in Raymond, gas is over $5/gallon. That was yesterday, anyway. It was up to $3.99 when I filled up yesterday, trying to get there before ours skyrocketed.

Zeff, if it's illegal with one, it MUST be illegal with all??????? :shrug:

OK, GREAT NEWS then GREAT RECIPE to follow!

I took Jade for a walk at the lake then did my shopping. My blood pressure which is normally sky high, meaning last time it was checked was 171/110.... today was .....

Drum roll please.....

135/83 !!!!!!!!!!!!! GO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I BOUGHT for the first time this year, strawberries... I got home and decided to try something, and I think it's a new favorite, but might be a "red" dish for me! LOL

Chopped strawberries, I used 3, worked perfectly, but they are medium sized.

1 nsa fudgesicle! mixed in.

Topped with whipped cream (but was delicious without it!)

:balloons::woo: Happy happy birthday Cat!

That's all for me folks - we decided to go to the coast today and just got home. I'm making dinner then falling down :)

Those that pray... pray for Bagel. He can't walk at all tonite. we plan to take him to the vet tomorrow morning, if it's nothing simple, we will have to put him down..... he's 9. this is hard.