Good MONDAY morning!

Suzanne, I have lots of sweet basil, curly & flat parsley, sage, oregano, chives, and thyme. Last Friday I threw huge handfuls of sage and parsley on the grill and placed chicken over it. I saw someone do it on one of the food channels, and it worked really nicely.

The squirrels are fighting with me over the tomatoes. Yesterday, I added coffee grounds to the soil and sprayed lightly with dish detergent and water. Let's see if it keeps them away long enough for us to get a few more. The one we ate last night in our salads was delish!

What's up this week?

Later..........
D

Dee what was delish? The squirrel or the tomato?

Suzanne, I'm glad that you and Sweet Pea are back in the swing of things!

I just came back from the dentist for a crown prep. It took 2 novacaines to numb my jaw. Now I can say that I am really numb!!

WW is going great. I am down 14.8! It feels really good.

Not much else in new. Check in everyone.

Love, Besh

Besh, I would LOVE to report that the squirrel was mighty tasty, but it was the tomato! LOL!!!

CONGRATS on the 14.8 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!

Suzanne - I am so happy to hear that Ms P and you did so well on your outing - the two of you are so connected. Happy Anniversary, sounds like it was perfect.

Dee - have you ever added a bunch of fresh basil to your salad. It is delicious and so refreshing to me. I have been basiling up everything. I put a layer of basil in my lasagna this weekend. I wonder how squirrel with basil is?

Besh - WTG on your loss. You are on a roll and it must feel so good.

I pulled off a surprise party for my DH this weekend. He turns 60 next month and I had his entire family come this weekend, including his sister from GA. We had a blast and he had absolutely no idea. I nearly had a break-down in the process - the keeping a surprise is way too much pressure for me LOL. They left this morning and I need a good nights sleep. Unfortunately my CA girl couldn't make it home. She already has a plane ticket to come home on his real birthday to surprise him - that is her gift to him.

WTG Raeanne on the surprise! That is so sweet of DD to surprise her Dad. I'll bet that will be one of his best presents ever!

I am working this morning and then DS is starting his Eagle project this afternoon. He is painting and repairing park benches and picnic tables in a large city owned park here in town. It is only supposed to be about 90 degrees today. Today we are just scraping paint!

Have a great day.

Love, Besh

Good morning all,

What a wild, violent night we had here with thunderstorms and driving rain. Lots of damage yet again. We were given some amazing statistics on the lightning strikes here yesterday. Something like 1,800 per hour! It was wild and frightening.

Raeanne, good for you for pulling off that surprise party. Either you are good of DH is clueless LOL. Glad it went well.

I add herbs of all kinds to salads. I love basil but really fresh Italian parsely is great too. Last night I baked a piece of sole and I made a butter of parsley, shallot, capers, salt, pepper and lemon juice to go on after it was baked. It was divine. There is nothing like fresh things from the garden. I am getting hungry just thinking about it!

Dee,I am at war with Red Squirrels right now. I have two young ones who have taken to helping themselves to my chicken feed to the tune of about a pound a day!! They can get into the tiniest spaces and are so quick. I caught my first one yesterday in a Hav-a-Hart trap and we went for a long ride in the storm. He will be fine - now for the other one!! I love gray squirrels and chippys but those reds are really destructive and annoying.

BESH, I forgot to say CONGRATS on your weight loss. That is great and you must feel like a new woman! Keep up the good work......I am jealous! Scraping paint is so much fun!

Hi All!

Raeanne, I hope you have pictures of DH and his party. Would love to know how you can live and work with someone and pull off a surprise. You are amazing!

FYI, tonight I am off to an (expensive) steakhouse with my director who is visiting from the UK. But tomorow, I"m going to consider filet of squirrel with Suzanne's parsley butter! Everyone is invited, and I'll make a lovely TOMATO salad to go along with it. The size of the TOMATO salad is dependent upon how many squirrels are filet'd! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm certain now that the PITA folks are out for me now.

Well, we have extreme heat here and are awaiting some showers, but not until perhaps tomorrow. Our central air was pumping all night. We have it set on 78, but at about 3am it was still 85 degrees out, according to the radio I left on. YIKES!!!!!

Today I had my interim review and I was a bit nervous because some of my larger projects have been delayed. Nothing I did, just contracts weren't signed because corporation is looking to spend in Qtr 3 instead of Qtr 2. Well, I was surprised because my Director told me that I was the rock of the worldwide department and that he would have "no clue what to do" without me! I asked him to write that down in his comments and remember it when bonus time comes around! lol!!

Gotta run and live up to my reputation! haha
Take care, eat healthfully, and NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!
DeeMarie

DeeMarie - I'll bring the squirrel condiments! And by the way, you will never be able to say the word "squirrel" without laughing after you read Lean Mean Thirteen! That's all I'll say for now. If you want me to mail you my copy, let me know.
And your bosses' comment doesn't surprise me. You have always seemed rock solid to me! Congrats on the great review.

Raeanne - How clever to hold the party before his birthday. I know I could plan a party and hide it from my DH, as he doesn't even pay attention when I AM talking to him! LOL And how nice that your other DD is going to come home for the actual birthday. I remember one Easter that my DS walked in unannounced and I was so surprised and happy. Nothing like an unexpected, but welcome, visit from a loved one!

NHSuzanne - We are getting the storms tomorrow, so hoping it will cool down after that. We had a cell stopped right over us last week and the thunder and lightening were awful. I can't remember another storm like it. I actually put in earplugs!

Besh - Hope you survive working outside in this heat! I weeded my perennial garden the other day and thought I would faint. (Imagine me doing a Scarlett impression here). I am putting together some quilt tops for the church ladies to finish and enjoying the AC very much, thank you! LOL

I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and it was excellent! I highly recommend it. Now I am listening to The Murder Room by P.D. James while I am sewing and loving the British accent of the reader as well as the story. I told DH that I want an MP3 player for Christmas so I can download audio books from the library. Modern technology is great!

Stay cool everyone and dont' forget to drink extra water on these hot days.

Later,
Marci

Marci, I would love to read Lean Mean Thirteen. I was going to order it today from amazon, but had nothing else to buy for free shipment! Thanks!

Hi goils!

Besh--WTG! 14 pounds is awesome!

Raeanne--what fun! I pulled something like that on Rog on his 30th, 600 miles away, and with people I'd never met. I also got him at Turner Field (Atlanta Braves)--I talked (begged and whined actually)the administration office into putting "Happy 30th Birthday Roger ******" on the scoreboard during the 7th inning stretch. We had a blast on that trip!

It's nice here--we have had some rain today, and it's cooled things down considerably. I think Thursday's high is 81.

I'm reading Marly & Me. Has anyone read it?

Hugs,

Maddie

Hot and humid - yuck with humid (I don't mind hot). AC won't stop running. I thought we were ready for storms but it cleared then got foggy at dusk.

Raeanne - WTG on that surprise! It's not easy pulling one of those off. What a great gift your DH will get when your DD arrives for his actual birthday.

Suzanne - Glad you and SP are back on track. I like chippies too but gray squirrels drive me nuts with my bird feeder. They destroyed the last one - pulled it apart and threw pieces into the woods - never did find them.

Dee - Call me and I will gladly drive up north for some fillet of squirrel. Congrats on that review - we knew you were great, glad your boss does!

Marci - I just recently read a Hot Flash Club book, first one for me and really enjoyed it - very light reading. The author is Nancy Thayer. I just got a Jodi Picoult book out yesterday called Vanishing Acts. Not a new one but one I haven't read, I really like her books.

Maddie - I haven't read that one...who is the author? That was pretty cool what you pulled on your DH - who would expect something out of town where you know no one???

Besh - WTG on the weight loss!!! Congrats!! My first WW weigh in is Thursday after work - keep your fingers crossed.

Did anyone watch H3ll's Kitchen last night? I was glad to see Melissa finally go!! Her superior attitude really irritated me. My Waffle House girl Julia is still hanging in. Jen bugged me for a while but I think I am warming up to her. The guys are all a bunch of losers.

Enjoy your evening....Donna

Happy WEDNESDAY!

Donna, I watched H3ll's Kitchen and was more than happy to see that little snob go. What an attitude! Jen looks like she could make it all the way, but I'm still pulling for Julia. She has to be the fan favorite, I would think. Would love to see her hit the big time!

Got through a worldwide staff meeting early this morning, even though I had less than 5 hours' sleep. DH and I chatted for a bit when I got home from dinner with my director. We watched BB8 and Pirate Master (yeah, you read that right...we are insane about reality TV!). Anywho, I had HGTV on later and was about to put my head down onto the pillow at 11:30 when I heard the announcer say "Hidden Potential" was on....in our town! Well, of course I woke up DH because we had to see where these people were moving. We knew where 2 of the 3 homes were, and they picked the home which is in our neighborhood on the lake. We are going to have to look for it!!

later.......

DH knew that his mother and 2 brothers were coming to visit her. So that is how I got around any near slips and with extra cleaning and cooking. He really doesn't have a clue either. I guess I can be a pretty good actress when I need to be LOL.

I don't watch H_lls Kit but I caught an episode lat week and couldn't believe Melissa - I am glad that she is gone too.

Maddie - I read Marley & Me and I loved it, just have some tissues handy.

Marci - I am half way through with A Thousand Splendid Suns and have a hard time putting it down.

Dee - of course you are the rock. You certainly rock around here.

Donna - it has been hot and humid around here since Sunday - I feel your pain.

Suzanne - I am not crazy about oregano normally, but give it to me fresh and I love it. I had oregano infused dipping oil the other night - it was great.

Besh - How did your DS do with the park benches - what a big job, especially in this heat.

We were without power from 7 last night till 11:45 this morning. Combine that with my MIL visiting and my day was near perfect - not. Aside from that life is good.

Good Morning Ladies,
Nice and cool here today and I am loving it. No humidity!

Well, every park bench and picnic table at Forest River Park is scraped! What a crew DS had, these kids were great. All I had to do was provide drinks and snacks! The painting won't begin until the beginning of August.

Donna I will keep my fingers crossed for you for your weigh in tonight. I weigh on Friday mornings during the summer, so I will keep my fingers crossed for me as well. Keep us posted!

I am so happy that everyone is reading!

Have a great day everyone. I'll check back later.

Love, Besh

Tonight was my first weigh in (this time around) and I am proud to report that I am down 4.4 lbs - yay!!! Besh, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you tomorrow morning.

Raeanne, that's a long time without power, I can now feel your pain. Glad every thing is up and running again. Now I love oregano, one of my favorite herbs.

Dee, I really enjoy H3ll's Kitchen. I'm still pulling for Julia too and agree with you, I'd bet she is a fan favorite.

It turned out to be a gorgeous day but I was stuck inside :(
The good news is I am off next week, hope for good weather. I am not going away this time, have lots to get done around the house but don't want to be all work and no play!!

Have a good evening - thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!!!

Donna

Good Friday all!

Donna, WTG on your loss! Keep up the good work. Have a fun time off check in with us if you can.

Raeanne, I don't use oregano much but I might try the infusing of EEOO with it and see what it's like.

Besh, good luck at your weigh in.

Marci, I hope you are enjoying your summer. I am picturing you on the porch with a good book and a glass of tea.

Good morning!

NHSuzanne - On days like today, I usually am on my porch with a good book and a glass of mint tea! Reading is my summer pleasure, as I don't have much free time during the school year.

DeeMarie - Look for a surprise in your mailbox, hopefully eary next week.

I have my annual GYN visit today. Yea! NOT! But I always feel better after I get it out of the way. One of the evil but necessary chores.

I am going to head out early and run some errands and then head to the docs.

Have a great Friday!
Marci

TGIF!!!!

Marci, enjoy your day, especially after your doctor appointment. I sometimes wonder what it's like to work in an office where most of the patients are not happy campers. Dentist also comes to mind! Thanks for the heads-up on my surprise! YIPPEEEE

Suzanne, I have a large amount oregano growing and may do the infusion thing too. Last evening, I made a big green bean salad with thinly slice onions and lots of fresh herbs...basil, oregano, parsley, and chives. It was wonderful!

QOD: What's on the agenda for this weekend?

Tonight we are meeting some friends for dinner to say goodbye (they are moving the South Carolina). We need to pick a nice place to take them. We've already decided that we will meet halfway for dinner at least once or twice a year. Should be an interesting 4-hour (one way) drive when that happens! lol!!!

Did not make any other plans, but I want to go to the semi-pro baseball game tomorrow night because there are fireworks again. DH and I make it into a date. They have the very best buffalo chicken fingers there (surprising not greasy). They also serve low-fat salads, so I share the chicken with DH (who can eat twice his weight in food at one sitting with no additional poundage on his bod!)

Please check in all you MIAs!
DeeMarie

QOD: DH is on his way to Wisconsin so I am having a friend over for dinner on Saturday night. We serve together on the Board of my driving club - she is my VP. We see each other at meetings and see each other at our drives but we never seem to get time without others around so this will be nice. She is coming early and she may bring her own horse and we will both go out for a drive or she may come without horse, go for a drive with me and Pea which will probably be nicer and more relaxing. Or maybe we put the horses in the pasture, sit on the porch drinking wine and watching them!!! LOL

Sunday I am going riding with my friend Linda who just lost her father to lung cancer. It will be good for her to get a horse fix.

Dee, I am making a corn salad for this dinner and I will use lots of fresh basil, chives and parsley. I don't have any oregano to try but I will get some. Another favorite of mine is Tarragon. Yum.

We have fresh corn from Massachusetts now. It takes forever where we live to get fresh corn and tomatoes. Our growing season is so short. You can never appreciate them until you have to wait until August to start eating them!!

Good Afternoon ladies,
Well the weigh in was not great, as I went up .8 pounds! I was hoping to at least lose .2 so it would be an even 15# lost, so now it is an even 14#. I really knew I didn't lose because I could feel it.

Donna, congrats. You are off to a great start! Vanishing Acts is a good book!

Suzanne, I got some fresh corn the other day at the farm. It is so delicious (maybe that is where the .8 # came from, LOL). Enjoy your girly weekend!

QOD: DH starts his vacation today. We are going to VA next week and the second week will be day stuff. This weekend we have to go to a wake. DH best friend's Mom died, a little unexpectedly, so it will be a tough one. Sunday we are going sailing with some friends. That is it for now.

The weather is gorgeous here. I am heading out to take advantage of it.

Enjoy!

Love, Besh

Oh Besh don't get discouraged you are doing so well!! Stay away from that corn!! LOL

Have a great a vacation.

Donna - I have a lot of confidence that you will find some time to "play" next week, enjoy the time off!

Besh - I agree, don't get frustrated, we have all been there and if you keep behaving it will only be a temporary gain.

Suzanne - I love tarragon too, also rosemary.

Dee - one of our closest friends is a dentist. I always ask him how it feels to have so many people afraid of you. He is one of the nicest men I know and I can only imagine that he is very gentle and compassionate as a dentist. He lives over an hour away or I would go to him.

Marci - I have my gyn appointment in a couple of weeks - I dread it too, but necessary. How is DD doing (and you)? I can't wait to see DD#1 in a few weeks!

Patti - if you are reading, we miss you, hope you are having fun being a grandma LOL.

My MIL had been visiting since Sunday, she was suppose to leave on Sunday but became very bored and left today. I guess my BIL's house is more exciting (thank goodness). You can't even believe all the things we did with her and she is still bored. She had her hair done, we took her shopping, out on the boat, out to breakfast twice, out to lunch another day and out to dinner one night. DH went into work late so they could spend time together and 20 family members were with us Sunday and Monday. I wish I had time to get bored.

QOD - No agenda and I hope it stays that way. I haven't had my house to myself since last Friday and it feels good to just be home. As much as I go out I am really a homebody at heart. Friends are coming up from FL tomorrow evening, so we will probably go boating if the weather permits.

Enjoy your weekend.

Happy Saturday - a beautiful day!! AC is off, windows are open.

Besh - don't be discouraged - you are doing great. Just wait until your next weigh in when you pass that 15# mark. Enjoy VA.

Raeanne - glad your MIL is gone but don't know either how she could be bored? If I was visiting you I would have loved everything you did with and for her.

Suzanne - you are a good friend. ((Hugs)) to your friend Linda, I know exactly how she feels. A great weekend for you to get her out riding.

Marci - glad you got all the docs out of the way. I have to schedule my GYN for August.

Dee - great idea meeting your friends half way between NJ and SC. A very good friend of mine moved to GA 2 years ago and we talk but it's not the same as seeing, I miss her. One of these days I will get there or she will come here.

QOD: No agenda either and I like that. Probably will get some cleaning done tomorrow morning and then, if weather cooperates, to the pool. Today is errand day as usual. Beyond that no idea!!

Enjoy your day - Donna