I've never posted on a TGIF thread before but I played hookie today so I could have a nice 4 day weekend. My weekend started last night. I bought that 5 minute artisan bread book and made a batch of the dough for today. I have only made bread in a bread machine prior to this. It mixed up easily in the mixer. Today I pulled it out and touched dough for the first time ever. It was a sticky mess. LOL I couldn't get it round so I plopped it on the peel. Then I decided it was way too flat so I picked it up and kept adding flour trying to get it round. What an amusing experience. I had flour all over my slippers and the dog by the time I was done. It wound up being the height off a ciabatta in the middle. We ate it for lunch even though it looked a little silly. The good news is I have a bowl full of dough in the fridge to keep trying. Any tips? Today must be a day of firsts. I have never had chili before because I am not a big fan of beans and I have only recently started liking spicy foods. I just made the RR chicken chorizo chili and it is simmering away. I can't wait to taste it. Clinking with an amaretto on the rocks from sunny S Florida. I may have to hit the hot tub ater dinner. Don't worry, I will be thinking of you freezing people the whole time. :-> I remember what zero felt like. Brrrr!!!

Linda, congratulations on the "pre-exam"! I got my Property/Casualty License in CO & remember stressing over the tests. Relax...you'll do great! Congrats to Erin, as well! What a wonderful Mother's Day present...can't do better than watching a child graduate! Enjoy the perennial sale. Annie, WOW! Your first anniversary already...I'm going to go back & look at the pixs again. It was a wonderful wedding & Annie, I'm so glad your Dad lived to see the smile on your face that day. Enjoy the Elvis concert. What a hoot. I think it's a fun present! Judy, another graduation! Congratulations to both your son & his finance. My DDIL also has her degree in music. She's a very cultured SAHM...rofl. Actually, DDIL's done something fun with her degree (if not profitable!)...she teaches a community music class to pre-schoolers. She's a pianist but since the third child was born she's not playing as frequently. :( I love listening to her play. We're going on our annual Mother's Day excursion to Newbury Perennials followed by lunch in Newburyport tomorrow. This will be our 9th year. This will be my first Mother's Day without any of the kids coming for a visit. Jobs have scattered our little family. BUT, our oldest daughter's DH is a diver on the oil rigs in the Gulf. They live in Houston & he ships out of LA. He's not been getting as much work & has just accepted an assignment in Norfolk for the next four months. After that, it seems likely he'll be offered a permanent job diving either in Norfolk or in Boston. We're trying not to get too excited but it sure would be great having them closer! Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers. And, for Heaven's Sake, let's hope the rain finally stops! My white garden fence has turned almost totally green this week...enough already! /tricia

Linda, I'm glad to hear the pup is doing better, hang in there. (Get it? Drapes? Hang in there? Oh never mind...) The Other Linda: Only a couple of weeks? Are you ready? does the celebration have anything to do with Leopards? LOL Congratulations to Erin, her fiancee passed the CF test and we approve! Jo, have a great time at the wedding. At least he's old enough to know what he wants, LOL. I just kind of shake my head when I see these 18 year olds wandering blindly and happily into marriage, and wish they'd get a couple of years under their belt first. Of course, I did the same thing at 18, so go figure. Here we need rain. It's supposed to rain, but it doesn't. Like Doucanoe, I think I'm in the Sahara here. A couple of weeks ago we had flash floods, federal disaster areas, things were washing away. Now nothing. Nada. The pasture is too big to sprinkle. So, it looks like I'll spend the weekend doing a rain dance, LOL. I want to pick some more sweet cherries, they're prolific this year and sweet and good. The apple trees need spraying, the garden needs tilling, I need to work on the duck pen so I can let the little ducks out of their coop. I need to walk the fenceline and make sure that rental bull stays right where he belongs, with my two redheaded ladies. And I want to bake Jojoco's summer torte, maybe Sunday if I pick cherries again tomorrow. Elery is on his 12 hour weekend shifts, so he won't be back here until Sunday evening, I'm on my own. Oh, and the pool needs cleaning too! Annie

Linda, Time is marching on for me too although I caught myself saying dogs instead of dog the other day and broke down, Other than that I've been staying strong. I really like your spooky village! Did you get it at Michaels?? I have 2 buildings from the Michaels line but I don't really decorate for halloween so much. We don't get too many kids here anymore...mostly big obnoxious kids who barely wear a costume LOL!! Annie, Happy Birthday to Amanda and The Princess!! I love the ketchup/mustard idea!! Too cute!! Giane, I love apple butter with pretzels! Enjoy the craft fair-didn't you say there were several craft fairs over the next couple weekends?? Katie, OUCH!! Poor hubby-Poor you!! I will send extra healing thoughts your way!! Rhome, Sorry about your friend...I will join you with that cider! Shaun, every year sometime between Christmas and New Years my friend host a "bring all your grub" party where everyone bring all those little bits of cheese trays, lunch meats, casseroles, sweets ectleft over from Christmas...its really a lot of fun!! Barnmom, Costume changes?? LOL What fun!! Hope you have fun dishing out treats to the wee ones at your friends house!! Sharon, Have fun at the pub...I already made soup so I am staying in!! Gina...that is some devil dog LOL!! Today was fun fun fun!! I took Helenes advice and went over to our target area very early to see what the traffic was like. It took me 19 minutes to get there from my job!! Of course there was NO TRAFFIC since EVERYBODY and their brother was heading INTO Philly for the parade LOL!!! My target area is nearby NJ. So I did see the house from the outside. Very cute!! We'll see if we like it from the inside when we tour it on Sunday. I walked around a bit...even took my mail to the post office there in town and mailed some cards LOL! Then I drove to the battlefield on the river, which is now a National Park (hence the town name National Park). I sat there and read thru some home books. Its really nice to have such a lovely park right there in town!! Tonight I am having one special trick or treater stopping by...dear great neice Alexia!! I don't know what they are dressing her as so it should be fun!! I got her some books and animal crackers!! She is 10 months now and just starting to walk/wobble!! Drew is still at the parade with his girlfriend and her family. Both of us have to work tomorrow-jeez its funny saying that LOL! Sunday we are going on house tours. I hope everyone has a fun Halloween!! Cheers! Susie