Thank you both for the warm wishes. I wished Brian a happy birthday from everyone. We really didn't have a lot of plans made. It's so rare that we get time together that we sort of lived it up the last time the kids went away for a few days. We basically spent the entire day sleeping and watching TV. We did grill some nice fat steaks though which sure did beat eating out. Little did we know how much we would need that rest come Saturday. We actually ended up having to drive to Georgia to go pick the kids up. It's supposed to be a 3.5 hour drive but apparently there was a wreck on our way there. I never saw evidence of a wreck but needless to say we left at 1pm and didn't get there until almost 8pm. There were people all along the road overheated and broke down from waiting in the traffic. Our car has a radiator leak in it and I was certain we were next. BLAH? Anyway, fortunately we got through it with the heat blaring uneventfully and at least we got to laze around the Chattahoochee for a while afterward and I officially saw my sister off. She will be going to China in a week so this will be the last time I see her for at least six months. As far as kids and school goes, I home school so we just finished testing and I have to send their tests in this week. Not quite uneventful this time of year but I am happy to not have to attend open houses and all of the other complexities of starting public school. I think I would go into sensory overload. I admire those who can deal with it heh. ANYWAY..(babble babble) I went ahead and dug up a few of those sunflowers tonight and I'll get that dusty miller out of the ground tomorrow sometime. They will be in the dirt they were planted in which is our marvelous Carolina clay but they both grow magnificently in it. I'll have to go through my emails. I think I am suppose to bring you some other stuff and I'll make sure to get that together as well. Fran - They are calling for it to rain all week.. not that what they call for makes a difference here lately but... whenever you'd like to stop by and get a piece you are welcome. I'm best after 5pm haha. You are close enough to me though that you'd probably do better getting some in the spring. I have little pieces to share here and there right now but in the spring I usually ditch a whole bunch of it while thinning it out and moving it around. With as big as my yard is, it really isn't cultivated enough to move much around and I don't want it in the big flower bed anymore so I pass it along in huge clumps to anyone who will take it.

Jessy, that's the same web site where I learned how to do it, too! It's a bit more time consuming but it's fun. loves2cook, wow! That is gorgeous and looks so yummy. My Litvak family would rebel against challa that sweet, though (can't put chopped liver or herring on it) -- or more likely would scarf it up for snacks and breakfast like babka or coffee cake. I don't even like raisins in challa -- I only make it this one time of year under protest -- but THIS I would definitely eat!

Thank you all for the very kind birthday wishes. And thank you Jessy, for starting this thread and for emailing me to let me know it was here! I miss this place very much, but once I get started, I'm here for hours, so for the time being I must stay away or get sucking in to the great CF time warp! I am 1/4 of the way through my last year of schoolwork/supervised practice to become a Registered Dietitian. I'm at a large hospital/university school of medicine and to say that the program is competitive and challenging is an understatement. I'm in the hospital 4 days a week, in class 1 day a week and have hours of homework every night. I'm learning a lot and really, really enjoying the work. I could live without the homework though! Ironically, since I've been studying nutrition, I haven't had much time to cook for my family! It will get better though. Next August. Thanks again for the kind birthday wishes. I hope to be back in the mix one day! AM

Hey, AM, happy birthday, let me be the second to post here. I hope you have a wonderful time with the kids and the hubs and they do something very special for you. Annie