OMG !!! YOU ARE SO CUTE ! ! ! ! !

The palace and the landscape are beautiful pictures but YOU are darling. I am so unhappy now. There are more and more people who I should never stand next to.

I actually spent a summer in the Blue Ridge mountains when I was in college. That middle picture brings back that beautiful place. Amazingly gorgeous. You could look far far far far down into a valley and see one little shack/house. How did people get to it and how did they get anywhere else? Wish I was there now. Thanks for the sweet memory. You cutie pie!

The cutie patootie Schatzie is revealed!!!! You're even cuter than I suspected and that's pretty darn cute! It's so good to see your smiling face!

Dear Miss Peach, I'm so happy you got a job that you'll love - 4 year olds are about the sweetest creatures on earth.

hey shatz!!! thanks for the pics!!! it's great to be able to put a face on a voice---and a friendly ,pretty face you have!!! Don't let Peachers fool you---she is a hottie who wears Pop Tops!!! {and has recently had a lovely haircut} SO PEACHBAG----SPILL THE BEANS---IS THIS a primary school,is this kindergarten??? what are the DEETS????? ------do tell!!!!!-----oh,and thank you america for sending a generous cruise ship by the harbour today---they finally spent some CASH!!!!!----the Queen Mary is coming twice in October and some of the cabins are fifty thousand for the trip so i hope they need some new trinkets!!!!!

i like that "reason" box you can fill in for "editing"---it's just the kind of thing we cows can have fun with---i must see if it takes swearing.........

guess not

Wow, sounds to me like he needed some "home". Not that he'd ever let on, I suppose. When DD was home for the weekend, she pretty much physically crashed. I think it's a freshman symptom. The only thing that perked her up was when BF came over for the evening.

Speaking of DD and BF (right, I know, you weren't), they are coming up on their one year anniversary Holy crap, eh?

Wow, love the photos, Schatzi! So gorgeous and scenic! And the ones of the Biltmore and the mountains are good too. Actually that one of the mountains is really spectacular. How come my photos don't come out like that? You should see the dreck I took the other day. So crummy they're not worth uploading.

What did you do in the Blue Ridge during college, Peachie? I used to spend a lot of time there. When I was a freshman, I spent the 3 week winter intercession there, slept on the floor in my friend's dorm at Appalachian State U and worked in a horrible fast food restaurant. Then that summer we both got jobs at Sugar Mountain babysitting the Spoiled Kids Program at the resort. Actually my other memories of the mountains are better. Spent a weekend with DH gallivanting in mountain streams shortly after we met... Had my first drag of illegal substances at my friend's weekend house on "Gay Mountain". Spent many many long weekends in junior hi and high school on church retreats at various beautiful locations. Did a lot of skiing too, and rock sliding.

Wow, must stop reminiscing. Bagz, glad to hear you are getting some nice bidness from the touristas. Wabbit, I made brined chicken last week and DH liked it so much he wants more more more. So I'm going to go brine a whole bunch more. Hi Sugar. Later, kids.

Oh, Congrats on the job, Peach. 4 year olds are a trip.

Kiwi

Schatzi, you're so cute!

Peachie, congrats on your new job. Sounds like it will be fun. I love four-year-olds... they're so surprising.

I'm supposed to be cleaning... in-laws here this weekend and all. I just can't get motivated. I have WORK to do!

I've uploaded a picture of me taken this summer. I'm still not used to how my face looks at this weight. It's weird. But this is me.

Cherry is adorable---there are no two ways about it---now it's time for everyone to find their best pictures and show them---i will be looking in the 1970's for mine-----like those OLD men who die ----in our papers,they always have a picture of them in their WWII regalia- all clean cut and dapper--they were all very handsome back in the day---------------however,most of them wouldn't look so great up the parlours. i will have to look for a long time to find a picture that presents an inaccurate image of me in THIS decade. It's hard to believe how TERRIBLE one begins to appear on celluloid {must have something to do with the cellulite---there must be a connection}

I'm completely bowled over by the cuuuuuteness of you two, Schatzi and Cherry!!!

Nothing new here. Kids had sports day yesterday and it rained after being scorching hot for the past two weeks. They didn't mind much.

Get this: in Germany they have an absolute FIT if you try to take your kid out of school a couple days early for vacation or something and you have to put in some application to the Ministry of Education or something, BUT, the school turned 50 yrs old this week so they've been having celebrations every day and the kids have done NOTHING. They also get Friday off for unknown reasons and THEN, Tuesday, Oct 3 is German Unity Day (you know, the fall of the Berlin Wall and all that) so they get Tuesday off AND Monday to go with it. After that, ds10 is going on a week-long field trip from Oct 9-13 where they will also do nothing and to top it off, the kids have the last two weeks of October off for fall break! Can we see why the German education system isn't so hot these days? Sheesh.

That's SO sad about the nephew, Kiwi. It's always the nice ones that get the short end of the stick. Or something. Hopefully he'll be able to find someone who's serious about a relationship.

I am still fat. Must go buy chicken breasts and make another cake with the rest of those freakin' plums.

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh! post pictures???? Fine if you are the fresh faced young Cherry with the gawgeous amber hair. Lord, woman how many hours does it take to dry beeeuuuteeeful thick hair like that? I need to go find someone with lots of uplighting and one of those soft filters on their camera.

Kiwi, isn't that brined chicken yummy? The thing that's great about it is that you can cook up a bunch ahead of time, freeze it and use it in all kinds of recipes. Try chicken fajitas made w/ it --- delish.

We are having an indian summer here. It's been downright hot this past week - in the mid to upper 80's (30 cel) and no rain in sight. It's crazy b/c a week ago I was wearing sweaters.

I can't wait to take Kayden to the punkin patch this year.

Pictures, huh? I like to think of myself as about 22, but occasionally I can face reality enough to dig up a current photo.... I'd rather post pictures of Jet or DD, but I'll try.

I'm posting this of Jet anyway, because for one thing it shows our back yard in a state I'm not embarrassed of, and secondly it is practically the same shot as the puppy shot I use as my avatar, except for the tennis ball in her mouth. Wow, you should feel her coat these days. As the days have gotten cooler, it's thickening up and it is getting quite luxurious. Go ahead, run your hands through it. Oh, gee, sorry, you can't.

I'll look for one of me later. DH just went into town and picked up DD's yearbook. Yeah, from last year. Only took them 6 months to get it out. Oy.

Kiwi

Yup, Wab, that brined chicken is very yummy. I did it with chicken pieces (bone in) because that's what I had. And then I broiled them with a seasoned salt mixture. I thought it was a bit too salty, but DH thought it was divine. Yesterday when I did the same thing I left out the salt and just did a light seasoning. Came out very well. I also brined a whole bunch more and plan to cook them for the freezer today. DH went to the big city for the afternoon/evening so maybe I'll experiment with a few different recipes.

Here is a recent photo of me. I am squeezed in between DH and my FIL, taking inches off my girth...

Kiwi

Check out this website - http://www.hungry-girl.com/ Lots of good weight loss recipes, food reviews, diet info, etc.

That was my on topic post for the day.

Aaaaah. Kiwi of the taffy colored hair. You're another of those women with the thick, gorgeous hair. I really can't come up w/ any recent pictures b/c I've become an expert at avoiding photographers.

Feeling blue today for no apparent reason - must the mental pause. I can blame just about anything on that.

Very cute site.

I've been to the dentist and McDonald's today so far. Also I think I'm gaining weight, not losing it. I'm blaming all of it on menopause too.

Kiwi