Mooooving on to better pastures
 

Peachy, I'm sorry. :( Even tho you couldn't stand the boss lady, a job is a job. I'll join everyone else in saying that a better job is just around the corner for you. And until then, we're here for you to vent and rant with.

Kiwi, I work with all men. My DH and DS are gearheads. Cars R us. Sounds like you had a good shopping time. DD knows how to stretch a buck. It always works best to tell them what you will spend and then let them budget it. Score on the leather coat. Hope you get your dream puppy.

Sugar, are your boys fluent in Spanish too? Get some rest, girl, you've earned it.

I've been thinking about what triggered my 6 month food binge and 17 pound gain. It started when I took my trip to Arizona, where I stayed w/ my SIL and then drove 200 miles to see my parents who I had been estranged from for 2 years. I was feeling all alone and out of place and then when I got the chance, I stuffed my feelings about my Dad and went to their house anyway. I think I've been furious with myself ever since. And that is my psycho-babble excuse. Can anyone come up with a better theory?

Sounds like a good Food Psychology theory to me, Wabs. There has to be some way to make food totally uninteresting from an emotional standpoint.

Naah, my kids can't speak Spanish at all. That's what made it extra fun. The little Spanish kids (who have a German dad) can understand quite a lot of German and they speak a teeny bit so everyone just waved their arms a lot and got by just fine.

I won't even mention how faaaaaaat I am. Weeble with an apron gut describes it pretty well. Whatever I gain goes straight to the belly. Normal size butt and hips but no waist to speak of. Like a barrel with legs. Bleh. And ptooey.

We're going to see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" tomorrow. The way they dressed up Johnny Depp is really scaring me.

DH has been grumpy. He has been impatient. He has been slightly snippy. Today he brought me flowers with an "I'm sorry for being a grump" note. He can be exasperatingly sweet when he's not grumpy.

Instead of the usual fast food for lunch I bought a baked chicken leg and thigh at the grocery store deli. Probably basted w/ butter, but better than a greasy cheeseburger & fries. I'm gonna pull outta this slump. I really am. Sugar, I'm ready to eat better. Let's do it. I have a barrel belly too. I want to have a waist again.

DS has still not closed on his house loan. His gf works for Starbucks and they are impossible to get employment info out of. The underwriter wants a statement saying that when she was laid off for 5 months it was unpaid. That is the only thing holding up the loan. The automated HR telephone line says that any info will be mailed out within 3 weeks. 3 weeks and the sellers will be finding another buyer. Do not buy any more Starbucks coffee until they start co-operating.

everyone go to DS's website and play his new game.

Librarian/Ralph Nader clone-self kicked in
You can get info on Starbucks at Starbucks.com.
US. President is: Jim Alling
Chief Information Officer = Brian Crynes
VP of Corporate Social Responsibility = Sandra Taylor

I'd be writing some hot letters to them about what HR (or whoever) is doing to foul up the lives of employees. 3 weeks and real estate deals DO NOT MIX... and they should know that considering all the locations they've got!

I read Woman's Day about how to get rid of your belly. Bad news: It actually involves moving your body. Mostly lifting your legs while lying down. Don't they know how much my legs weigh?

In the meantime I'm having another pitcher of crystal lite. Will probably be up all night.

Next to last chemo is Thursday. I could probably get "back on track" in the morning... but I'm giving myself till after final Chemo. Unless, of course, I change my mind.

Wabby.. I'm definitely a believer in that psycho babble..I was a 134 pounds when I visited my sister.. that kicked it off.. and her progressively down hill descent into paranoia and mental illness over a 4 year period had me reacting in part by stuffing myself up to 200 pounds.
There's got to be a way around those maddening Infobot recordings! Can't she or a manager get through to a live person at HR? Can the local manager write the letter? UGH! Buying a house is stressful enough without having to deal with ridiculous red tape!.. What a darling grump you have! I can't remember the last time I got flowers from mine.. although he did bring me a chocolate kiss when I had a stress cry pity party when the movers left and I was overwhelmed with yet more crap to unpack.

Painty, how is your chemo going? Do you still have your hair? Are you feeling ok?

Cowie: I don't know what the website URL is... lest I would play....

Sug: I'm on the south Beach diet.. seems to be working for me and dare I say it's not been a hard diet to follow at all.

Yesterday I read the NC Drivers Manual.. TALK ABOUT A SNORE FEST :blah: .. Then we went to DMV to get our licenses.. The test was designed so that any moron could pass it.. example of a multiple choice:
When merging onto the highway do you A) go to the end of the acceleration ramp and come to a complete stop..b) put your hazards on or c) increase your speed to enter the highway.. :doh: .. Anyhoo, us to morons got our NC driver licenses after providing birthcerts, old driver licenses, proof of residency, proof of NC insurance, info on the bank that holds the deeds to my SUV.. Sigh, what a rigamarole! Today we are off to get the vehicles registered and to find the nearest $200. Club (Sams)...
Yesterday: B=Sourdough english muffin.. with SF Jelly and Smart balance spread
Dinner - Grilled London Broil, Salad with red leaf lettuce, celery, tomato and feta cheese, and smashed cauliflower.. Dessert: 10 Dark Chocolate kisses.

Didn't I post yesterday? I thought I did. Apparently I had a brain far* instead. DD has her senior photo session today. She is taking both of her guitars to pose with. I hope she plans to have a couple of, ahem, regular poses too. My girl. Gotta love her.

Yeah, he kinda creeped me out in that movie. Very funny and fascinating movie overall, though.
No problem :lol: The nearest :coffee: is 75 miles away.

I'm reading The South Beach Diet and I'm not going to actually start the diet until I'm done reading the book. I'm just stubborn that way. I have been noticing some things that fit in with the SB diet philosophy, though -- if I eat sweet snacks, I get pretty uncomfortable and bloated.

Well, I've got to go eat something and get some housework accomplished today. You know, just for the novelty of it...

Kiwi

Kiwi, DAHLINK , no, no post from you yesterday,sigh, and you were missed!
How Appropo that DD would get pics with gee-tar .. What does she play? forgive the new cow here... is it classical, folk, classic rock /blues? Where does she get the musical gift from?
Back from Sams 357.42 poorer but well stocked up.. GAWD there's only 2 of us! Got the cars registered with NC plates.. so another step to become a true Nerth Carolinian! DH is making friends at the local sports bar this afternoon.. as I sit here in (I kid u Not) blue plaid comfy loungy pants, and a green purple blue and white ancient tie-dyed shirt from a grateful Dead concert back in oooooh maybe 1989? Pretty! NOT...
Havent seen the new Charlie Choco Factory.. will now wait till video.. KIWI, thankfully you have a movie plex ... starbucks is 75 MILES AWAY!! EGADS! what are you like Little house on the prairie or northern exposure up there?
Yes, I fully understand the need to finish reading an instructional book before attempting to embrace the lesson...Seriously, it's the best "diet" I've ever been on, very sane, doable and "makes sense". and Holy almighty Bob, I've tried WW (ooh lost count..just like on counting points) , LA Weightloss.. scam... Trimsa, Hydrocut, meridian, hmm, letsee, Jenny Craig... now I use SB as a guide and count my calories too. Anyway hope you give it a go.
anyhoo, just wanted to pop in to say how now my little cows
later!

Well, Ms Schatzi, you ask a lotta questions for someone from New Jersey..... :lol:

DD plays mostly acoustic versions of songs that she likes -- and she likes heavy metal and alternative rock. She arranges these songs to sound pretty durn good. She also plays classical guitar pieces, and she plays jazz with her electric guitar in the school jazz band. I believe she hopes to be in a rock band when she's in college. You can hear some of her music at MySpace.com. There are some songs on there and a few more on another site that she links from there; some of them are her own compositions.

As far as where her musical gifts come from? A hotly debated issue, I assure you.
Sounds perfectly lovely. I just picked up a pair of loungy pants at The Jockey Store --- they are a dark orange with little black ink-drawing flowers on them. Sounds strange, no? I almost bought the multi-color stripe pair, but decided that they were too much like circus pants.
Au contraire, m'dear -- the movie plex is also 75 miles away! In fact, I saw Charlie in NC while we were beachin'. Think Northern Exposure, multiply by 10, add disgruntled seniors and large quantities of people on welfare (go figure) and you have the local community. I thankfully live a few miles out of town with no neighbors, on the lake.

Later, gators
Kiwi

circus pants rule!!
 

Thanks for reminding me of the need to get some comfy pants for haning around the house. All the ones I have are defective somehow but I never get around to throwing them out.

My kids went back to school today!!! :cb: :dance: :flow1: :twirly:

But dh is still here cramping my style. :lol: He goes back to work tomorrow.

Our town is more like Walnut Grove with all the pious church goers and Mrs. Olsen givin' you the evil eye.

I may just break down and invest in the SB book but I dunno. I'm sure not getting anywhere by eating what I'm eating now. And the fact that I haven't exercised in 6 weeks isn't helping much.

I think I've been wearing circus pants and didn't know it.

Kiwi-- I still love the photo of my son at the local concert hall in Tuxedo with his bassoon. Longhaired nerdy nice boy. Of course, he thinks it is horribly geeky now... I hope your DD gets great photos that you'll both enjoy for years to come.

I'm painting more and more!! Whee. Show and tell within a week or so.

Oh my, for a second I thought you said you were panting more and more, Painty! I was worried about you! I hope today goes well and you don't have icky side effects.

Sugar, I can't believe those poor tots are once again confined to school. What did they have, one month of vacation? I'm telling. :s: My dd just headed out with her notebook, beach towel and a paddle to canoe the lake. Rough life, eh?

I'm fixing photos of nephew's wedding so I can make up a CD of them for my inlaws. What a tedious process. I really need a new computer -- I can edit about 5 photos and then the software crumps out. I'm sure it's lack of operating memory. And I had to move half of my photo archive onto a different drive because the other one was chock full. Oy.

Here's what a small town this is: Yesterday while DD was having her photo session, I was watching the woman at the photo studio touch up some photos from another girl's session. Of course I knew the girl; I used to take DD over to their house to play when she was a toddler. Meanwhile the photographer was talking about the previous photo session that day, and how the girl's boyfriend was trying on her dance costume (a tutu, I believe) while she was have her pictures taken. Except he called them by name, because of course everyone knows M and P. Yeah -- that's DD's friend we take to the beach every year.

Anyway, the woman who was touching up pics was using Photoshop. It still looked tedious, but easy. I need that. I usually use PaintShopPro, which is good, but overly technical -- nothing automatic. Since that's too hard for simple photo fixing, I use the very limited software that came with my camera. It's not perfect but it does the job. For 5 photos at a time... And then you get reboot the computer.

Everboddy have a good day now, y'hear?

Ta
Kiwi

I'm bored and boring. I have no plans for the weekend. We were invited to a bbq but DH doesn't want to go to it, and I forgot to RSVP by the 22nd (who requires RSVP's at bbq's????) DH doesn't want to go because it's a person who didn't come to DH's birthday bash and we heard later he didn't come because "he didn't feel like it". Would you say that DH is being petty? Oh well.

We'll be cooking salmon tonight. DH caught a big'un yesterday. Yes, he had the day off while I slaved. No wonder I'm bored. This entire post is about the DH.

Sugar, congrats on getting the little duffers back to school. :cb:

i just came home to change my clothes---i was taking a blueberry pie that mom just made over to the parents of my brother in law { my sweet bil who we lost THREE years ago this week}ANYWAY i was walking through the park with it {it was in a box} and a man said " awww ma'am somethings dripping from that box" --- THE DAMN BLUEBERRY JUICE FROM THE PIE {STILL WARM NO LESS} WAS DRIPPING ALL OVER MY NEW BABY BLUE ROOTS SWEATSHIRT AND MY NEW WOOLRICH KHAKI CAPRIS!!!!!!-------BLUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BERRY---STAINS LIKE CRAZY---- sooooooooooo here i am back at home with my stuff in the washer praying it will wash out--------WHAT AN EFFIN MESS------- now i have to go back to work----------have a nice day!!! :dizzy: :dizzy: :dizzy: :dizzy:

Not so much -- I would feel the same way. Maybe you should go without him, and when they ask where DH is, you could tell them "he didn't feel like coming." :lol:

MMM fresh caught salmon. Sounds great. I had "fresh caught salmon" for dinner last night. But I got it from the grocery store, so I'm not sure how much they stretched that "fresh" bit.

Honestly, Bagz, no good deed goes unpunished, does it? Hope your (way classier than any of my) clothes recover. At the moment I'm wearing Target denim shorts and a ridiculous blue t-shirt with an orange star on the front with a yellow computer mouse and the letters IT on it. I have no idea where it came from or why... I am jealous of your Roots and Woolrich duds even if they are all blueberries. :D

I am making progress on my photo fixing, but I'm still not done. Did some great red-eye fixing on one photo, but I can't remember the color of one of my nephew's eyes. Hope he likes blue.

Later cowsies,
Kiwi

Bagzie, being a nice pie delivering person is dangerous. My friend's mom was taking a pie to her neighbors and she fell down and gave herself a black eye. She saved the pie, though. Hope your duds come clean. I'm wearing a purple and green striped denim skirt and a green shortsleeved sweater. I want to know what everyone else is wearing right now. I like Target clothes, Kiwonker. Especially stuff like their denim shorts. Now don't go telling me that you have a Target store in your outback.

I've been TIVO'ing episodes of "I Lost It!" on the Discovery Health channel. I'm hoping it will inspire me. Can't hurt. Oh really? sitting on the couch watching tv isn't helping matters????!!!!

One of the guys brought in some fresh picked corn on the cob. Grilled salmon and corn on the cob. mmmmmmm. Now I need some fried zuchinni and I'd be in heaven. That's some summertime eatin' thar.

Yeehaw, I'll have me summa that fried zucchini, mmm-hmmm. I'm sure that watching diet shows is excellent exercise. Much like reading diet books... I will say that I can't do much eating while typing on the computer, and I've been on it almost all day today. Finally finished touching up the photos, am about to burn them onto a cd. You guys are so lucky to hear my blow-by-blow activities every day, you have no idea... :blah:

We do have a Target: 75 miles away like everything else! The only thing in town is food: Subway, McDonalds, 2 grocery stores, numerous other restaurants and little markets. And lots of places to buy snowmobiles and get hunting licenses. Can't buy shoes or books or cds or wearable clothes or underwear though. And we have a Curves. Conveniently located next door to the best pizza shop.

Gotta go burn.

Kiwi

I'm wearing light blue loungie pants and dark blue tank top (fat girls with huge boobs should not wear tank tops in public!) At least I am matching today.
Kiwi: Your DD music is divine! There is something to be said for living in Northern Exposure, but alas, I'm too dependent on having the creature comforts of suburbia.
Painty - are you exhibiting your work?
Wabby: hmmm never heard of RSVP to a BBQ.. WTF, isn't it suppose to be just burgers, corn and watermelon? That denim skirt sounds pretty!
Bagz: did the blueberry stains come out? How AGGERVATIN'

Sug: the kids here went back to school yesterday too. Where I come from, we always went back the wednesday after labor day, and ended mid-end of june... personally I think kids should go year round with 2-3 weeks of personal days ..just like the real working world.. easy for me to say..I'm sure if a kid heard me say that I would be shot on site.

Peachy: Come out to play, we miss you..Are you going to be hit by Katrina ? UGH I hope not darlin
Well, I finally got up the nerve to unpack the Altar to the Weight Gods! Did the "One legged Stork Pose" a "flying Fig Newton", and offered up a HO HO...!
Wheeeeeee! 2 more pounds down!!!! Yay for me! :dance:

I only have 2 pairs of shorts that fit.. Mayhap I must go to our nearest TarShay to see what is on sale...I hear that they have a Super Target here.. What ever that means.

Congrats on the 2 lbs, Schatzi!

I've got nada to say today. Hope Katrina doesn't creep up on Peachcow; they've had enough walloping lately.

Kiwi

In spite of living in a metropolitan area with more shopping than anyplace else in the whole U.S., I am wearing Target knit shorts and a Dressbarn T shirt in what might be called a cross between mint and sage. Oh, and I'm still bald. And barefoot.

Had salmon for early dinner... with spinach and breadcrumbs on top. Yummy.

Kiwi-- Is there a Fry's within iditerod distance? Today's advert said they were selling 3 GIG of memory for $100. Remember when memory was expensive? I adore photoshop. Expensive to purchase the "Big" package... but they've come out with a "home" version that I hear is pretty good.

Baggz... I hope the blueberry stains vamoose. I had a new blue and yellow t-shirt that tried to mate with something unexpectedly RED in my washer. Waaaaaaaaaah.
I've washed it about 10 times... the whole thing is fading.

Shatzi-- contrats!!!

Do any of you do Yoga? I love the articles saying middle aged people can loose 10 lbs by doing yoga instead of gaining 13.5. And that's without changing other exercise or diet habits. I must admit that if I breathed deep and paid attention to my body more often, I might avoid the umpteenth serving of most anything. My portions are out of control. Even had some reflux this morning. (I tend to eat with mucho anxiety the night before my chemo....) Who said I wasn't an emotional eater. Drat.

Peachy... I've crossed my fingers to keep Katrina out to sea. Hope you are well.

I am briefly here but have no read what y'all said so forgive me. I am reporting that DS is a licensed driver. Now, he needs a car and a job. I am telling him that people with hair in their eyes do not get jobs. He is paying no attention.

Yesterday, I applied for a job that I realllllllllllllllllly want and was told that the only thing that could stop me from getting it is some people in another town who get to decide if my degree is in the wrong field. It's wrong but the minor is right. Cross yer fingers.

Katrina (what a cute name!) is heading west last I heard. yay. May she simmer down to a pleasant breeze.

Painty -- I had good luck with some stuff I bought at the grocery store made just for removing dye bleeds/ruboff from the wash.

Goodluck on the job, Peachie. I lost a job that way shortly after college -- they wanted an English major and I was a Sociology major. Silly, really, considering I aced their qualifying test. Your experience and ability ought to trump what you majored in in college -- hope you get it!!

Kiwi

Peacharina! Gooood Luck with the job... One door closes and another opens..or so "they" say! And Bravo on DS getting his license.. I'm sure he will be motivated to get a job now that he can drive. I kept watching Katrina, hope she was just a whisp where you are!

Painty: I tried Yoga years ago, I really liked it .. then the instructor hurt her back and that was that..

I'm on the last box today.. must arrange the chachka, and next week we hang the pictures.. and then we start looking for land to buy and build our "real" home.. DH is out golfing today (apparently living in NC this is what men do).

minor shminor!
 

You WILL get that job, Peachy!!! Since when does education have anything to do with real life anyway?

I have been unable to post because I spent all morning handing out Baldwin Bookworm bookmarks to the first graders at the welcoming ceremony down at the elementary school. They are just such itty bitty little kids - so cute. We also got 9 brand new books donated to the library, which was nice.

Did I ever tell yas about the "Schultüte" custom they have here? Every first grader gets a giant decorated carboard cone with sweets, school supplies and little presents in it from his or her parents. Some of them were awesome with fairies and princesses and pirates on them. I tried to attach a pic. Let's see if it works.

German kids get 6 weeks summer holidays, 2 weeks in October, 2 weeks at Christmas and Easter so I guess it all evens out. It does seem pretty short. Our Spanish friends' kids have something like 10 weeks.

Painty - yes, I have heard that yoga can lead to weight loss what with the breathing and the metabolism boosting and the chakra clearing. I tried to join a course here once but they wouldn't have me. May try again some time soon. I have an "abs yoga" DVD that I quite enjoy. It's very relaxing, but you really feel like you did something.

No time to read the rest of yer posts in detail, Cowies, but I will later. Have to go clean something now.

Aw that must have been fun, Sug! That's sweet about the 1st graders' gifts.

We're going waterskiing/tubing this afternoon. Yeeha... I don't waterski; maybe I'll try tubing.

Kiwi

Sug : What a lovely tradition!
Kiwi: TUBING ... my absolute favorite XTreme Schlubbing Sport! Ah to float my fat in a tube, with a brew.. laughing and not have to even get out of the tube to pee.. Heavenly!
The Box has been unpacked, the bubble wrap popped, and it's beginning to look like a real home..Today we're off to Lowes and Tarshay to buy more unnecessary crap... Friday we officially closed on the house in Joisey.. and got the check yesterday WHOO HOO... now we can pay off some bills and still have a nice little nest egg to begin the hunt for a new house or build one... DH is still out of work but has a few nibbles ..so fingers crossed that something comes through for him..

I am digging into my memory and I KNOW I got no such gift when I began 1st grade in Germany. I began K-2 in Germany and all I recall is when they lined us all up against the wall (in chairs), took one shoe and said they'd either bring it back with candy or coal. We really feared the coal and carefully looked to see who got it and couldn't find anybody. Still, I thought somebody had managed to hide the stuff.

Also, we were regularly entertained with WONDERFUL puppet shows and made to sing a song about a boy who did not cut his hair or nails. They grew straight out and prevented him from performing normal tasks or being accepted into the country club. He had strong nails.

Shots, I had not realized you moved to NC without DH having a JB. How nice of DH to do that for ME. I need company. Others I know who have recently lost jobs include a man who had an affair at work and was fired. He did not tell his wife either fact. Said he was taking vacation early. I don't know if he was surprised when she filed for divorce. Also, a man who has held a high-profile high-paying job here for years and years and who, in no one's memory, has accomplished one single thing (the job had one specific task) has stepped down after his salary was cut out of the government budget. He made $79K a year.

I am being very careful what I eat. I mean I eat nutritious meals because I believe it's a very important factor in handling stress. However, yesterday I added root beer floats to my diet and now have bags of lard hanging over my waistband.

I feel so bad for New Orleans. I do not see why hurricanes can not be calmed down.

Here's one of my recipes from yesterday in case you, too, want to be fatter. Chop an eggplant, sprinkle with salt and let it sit while you watch a couple of scenes from Flight of the Phoenix. Put the eggplant in a kitchen towel and have DS sqeeze the water from it. Brown it in a little oil while DS grates a potato. You must tell him to grate faster several times. Put the potato in a towel and have him sqeeze that. Brown that with a little onion or bell pepper or something then mixed an egg in it. In a nice buttery glass dish layer eggplant, potato, more eggplant and bake it at 375 for 30 minutes. That's the same temp and time it takes to make chicken parmesan so do both. Delish. Spread sour cream over the tater/eggplant dish when it's on the plate.

I want a masters degree. Where's the best online place to get one?

fried in lard
 

Hmm. Maybe they didn't do the Schultütething in all parts of Germany back then. Was it a German school or a U.S.military school? The thing with the shoes happens on Dec. 6 - St. Nikolaus Day. They still do that but you only get coal if you were really, really naughty.

That's the Kasperle Theater. They still do that too.

Yes! That's Struwwlpeter, pictured below.

Mmmm! I LOVE eggplant. I'll have to try that recipe and eat it all myself so I too can have even bigger bags of lard hanging over my pants.

I get fascinating e mail all the time telling me how to get a masters degree in a week. I'll look into it for you. But seriously, you should talk to Cherry. I think she did her on line studies at U of Maryland? Not quite sure though.

I am horrified that that hurricane is now hitting poor New Orleans. Not nice at all and they have so much water there. Cookie doesn't live near there, does she?

Doesn't that just give you a great feeling of accomplishment--getting all that bubble wrap popped? :lol:
Holy cow! Good thing you were just a tot at the time and didn't have the image "firing squad" in the back of your mind...
Well, don't forget mine is maintaining his unemployment for your benefit as well. And he didn't do anything underhanded to get laid off, either.Why, I get offers all the time to get a degree in 2 weeks! The problem is you don't get enough spam in your email.

Well, we never did any waterskiing or tubing yesterday, but we did have a very nice boat ride all the way up to the end of the lake, and stopped at a little island where've we camped on the beach years ago. It was just a gorgeous day to swim and hang out on the beach, so that's all we did. It was lovely.

Kiwi

Not sure how I managed it, but it apparently took me about 3 hours to post that message...

Thank you KiwiDH.

Thank you Sugar. In my day ... when computers still ran on coal ... the boy's hair stood straight up and out. This one has a "weave" I think. Funny how his toenails never enter the story.

It's raining here. Katrina approaches.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: How you ladies make me LAUGH!

Strudleroof...looks like a voodoo doll to me.. with a weave...
What's with taking your smelly shoes off to get filled with coal or candy.. Candy in a smelly shoe.. now that's a diet tip for ya.

Peachy, you can thank me too.. I've been unemployed since I think March? Up and Quit I did I did... and with a unemployed husband..No health insurance, no unemployment benefits...Yes we did the unthinkable and lived off credit all these months... and the big pioneers we are, we went ahead and moved to here...hopefully for better quality of life and heck a job would be nice...

I believe I'm the most under educated one here... PHD in hard knocks I tell ya!
Hmmm, perhaps one day I will peruse the on line offerings of the Jimmie Dean Universities out there..

Oh I don't know about undereducated -- at least you can string together a few coherent words. But hey, Jimmie Dean U sounds yummy.

Guess what? Here's a hint:
PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just made the call, and I'm on the list, and I'm sending a deposit tomorrow! Whoowhee!

Kiwi

Don't know yet which puppy we'll be getting, but it will either be Diva with the grey leg who is very smart or Yellow with the calm disposition who likes to climb up on other puppies who are fighting and sit on them or Pink who is a big-boned girl or Light Blue who is pretty perfect I think. It will not be the puppy below, but I had to post this photo anyway. This is Blue, one of the boys, who eats a lot and sleeps a lot and the rest of the time fights with his brother.

Good thing I'm not excited, eh?

Kiwi

Kiwi, do we not get to pick the puppy? Is it a lottery? I'm glad we're not getting the upside down one as he not perky looking.

peel the purple skin off and throw it out. Chop up the rest.

It's Think Tank time. DS's aunt knows of a Toyota in Miami for a GREAT PRICE. She doesn't seem to know the year or kind of Toyota but if it's interesting, how can we get it up to Dogpatch? Think Think. It's 600 miles I believe. Not the next county.

all the restaurants in Dogpatch have the same menu and all have fried green tomatoes. i have never considered making them. Slice them, flour them, throw them in hot oil I would guess. Salt and pepper in the flour or something. They make sandwiches out of them.

On the TV it's saying Katrina is potentially CATISTROPHIC and EXTENSVIE DAMAGE is expected. It's so scary and sad. There are a million people there who can't leave. They're gonna stick them in the Astrodome like that's safe.

I am so glad that girl is headed to vet school. I am so proud of her!!!

The puppy breed is Belgian Waffle.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm---i love belgian waffles--------now tell me the real name!!---we love our toyota camry and it's a 98 and still works great----200000 kms on it!! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF YOU SOUTHERN PEOPLE---------EFFIN HURRICANE!

free flea treatments! yay!
 

I went to Oscar Mayer U. Can you tell? :D

Wow, a PUPPY!!!! How cute is that going to be? You'll be in heaven, Kiwi.

The purple eggplant skin can be eaten if you want - if you slice the whole thing in rounds you can grill it and it's divine. Last night we grilled Greek Halloumi cheese. It was all squeaky between the teeth. Very strange sensation.

Ooh, Schatzi - I thought you guys were moving 'cause the dh got a new job in NC or something. Didn't realize it was such a big adventure. Nothing like that would ever happen around here. My dh likes 100% security at all times. Zzzzz!

Bagzie - way to go on the blueberry duds! A friend of my mum's had a Blackberry Pie Incident once in the back of her (the friend's) car and it was NOT pretty.

I do!!!! Because we just cleaned out the office and I found my long lost copy of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe"!!

(recipe reprinted with permission from absolutely no one)

Fried Green Tomatoes

1 medium green tomato per person
salt
pepper
white cornmeal
bacon drippings [Ed: no wonder they're good!]

Slice tomatoes about a 1/4 in. thick, season with salt and pepper and then coat both sides with cornmeal. In a large skillet, heat enough bacon drippings to coat the bottom of the pan and fry tomatoes until lightly browned on both sides.

Hmm...there's also one in there for fried green tomatoes with milk gravy that's even fattier.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Milk Gravy

3 T. bacon fat
4 firm green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 in. thick
beaten eggs
dry bread crumbs

flour
milk
salt
pepper

Heat yer bacon fat in heavy frying pan. Dip tomatoes in eggs, then in bread crumbs. Slowly fry them in the bacon fat until golden brown on both sides. Put yer tomatoes on a plate. For each tablespoon of fat left in the pan, stir in 1 T. of flour and blend well; then stir in 1 cup warm milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the tomatoes and serve hot.