Whew! Dee~I didn't think I was going to get in in time to wish you a Happy Birthday on here either. I didn't realize that others were having the same problem. I had been reading on here today though. I hope you enjoyed your day. NH Suzanne~I am pretty sure I know what the sign means. Milkdud~Good to see you are still staying busy. Tikanis~Not 100% about the dating thing but I didn't read exactly what you are doing except on this page. My sis is about to marry someone she met on one of those & I'm very leary of him. My DBIL & DSIL met on one & they have been married a couple of years. Not certain how that is going either. Seems fine except for one thing. They are living in 2 different parts of the world. For the next 3 years I guess??? Marci~Good to see you here. I knew you would be here today. Maddie~Good to see you here too. Donna~I'd love to see your pics. Wodka~Glad to see you are doing so well too. Raeanne~Will have to catch up with all of you soon. I am still doing lots of quilting. Making lots of purses right now. It is great practice before tackling the big project of a quilt. Everyone will be leaving for back north soon. I really dread it again this year. We moved in December & love, love, love our new location even though it wasn't far at all. The neighbors are much friendlier. I made such good friends last year when new people moved in that we stay busy when we can. I try to move & stay busy in between dr visits. ;-) Take care Dear Friends. I miss each & every one of you. Patti

I made it! I swam a mile! March 22, 2004! I'm over 50 and over 200 lbs, so that is a triumph for me! I've been swimming since late January. I worked up to a half mile and now I'm up to a mile! It took me 40 minutes, but not bad for someone who quit smoking in June. Also to burn fat, you don't want to be in a fast heart-target range. I was at 195lbs. when I first quit smoking and I want to get down below 200 as a goal for the time being-then work on losing more. Being over 200 is no fun. I 5'4", but have always been solid and muscular, medium boned. Still, I need to be thinner for my highth. I swim 3 nights and one weekend day a week. I work 2 jobs, so every night I'm not working the 2nd job, I have made it part of my routine to spend an hour in the water! I keep reading more and more that exercise is a key to almost everything...less cancer, less heart problems, better everything...just MOVE and SWEAT at least 3 or more times a week. So my lungs are getting stronger, my stamina is increasing and my muscle mass is increasing to help my metabolism burn more fat! I sure do sleep good - I go to sleep earlier too! ha ha! You guys have helped to keep me motivated! I really appreciate hearing all your feedback and reading what keeps you motivated!! June

Hi ya! Belated b-day wishes to Amy! Nice to see you again. I've been 'offline' here because I have been consumed working on products and writing my website (learning on the fly) to launch an on-line business. I've registered for a vendor permit etc etc etc - trying to balance my 'work' time between producing products and doing administrative work. WOW! Love the internet for learning about writing web pages - in the process I have found a 'new box of crayons' and I have SUBMITTED FOR COLLEGE - keeping my fingers crossed. I want to learn about web design. My husband has told me repeatedly over the last few years he honestly believed I would be good at this since I found doing network support extremely difficult. Taking care of servers was mind boggling to me and I never made it past first level of computer support (one level up from help desk). Cannot keep up with the software updates (microsoft releases new operating systems like candy). Keeping on top of everything is financially demanding - your talking about $500 learning on your own and taking an exam per 'book' on the new systems. Since I was not 'getting it' like Dave (it's his box of crayons. I swear he just has to hold a book and write the microsoft certification and he's done). I am a creative person and I've learned so much about writing web pages on my own from the internet tutorials - to a point where I can't sleep because I want to learn more - I talked to Dave and decided college would be a good investment. We are lucking - it's one bus ride and only a 10 minute ride from our house. So I'm waiting to hear back from the college. I think my Mom would be pleased that I am using some of my inheritance as an investment towards future employment. And my online business is for my 'mental' health venting my creative side. I've used some of Mom's gift in this area too. So I've not been posting much but I am with everyone in spirit. It's still a challenge because I'm so excited about everything. So part time school on weekends to start if I can get accepted - I plan to enrol full time for next fall semester and do the 2 year program full time. Dave has secured a contract for the next 18 months and told me to get back to school. I feel so blessed right now...2009 is MY YEAR. Thank you God for helping me find the right path and having all of my friends. Please forgive me if I only post every other day - I am here in spirit - holding your hand and needing your help to stay focused too! Lots of love to everyone - I have to get back to working in my 'studiio' - cleared corner of our rec room.... I love all of you so much! Happy 2009! Peggy

Man did I ever start something with the Indonesian Peanut Butter Chicken. :) Too funny! Here is my recipe in case anyone wants to try it: INDONESIAN CHICKEN SATE WITH PEANUT SAUCE 2 whole chicken breasts (I usually triple the recipe) 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsps soy sauce 4 tbsp chicken bouillon broth Mix everything but the chicken breasts in a bowl. Use this as a marinade over the chicken. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade (reservind the marinade). Bake in oven 350F (I use clay pieces to cook my chicken on - really good results). If on clay, no need to turn. PEANUT SAUCE (If you triple the recipe for the chicken/marinade, then triple the peanut sauce. 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 shallots (I don't use this) 1 tbsp brown sugar 1/3 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter 2/3 cup water 3 tbsp whipping cream (I use 2% milk) Pour the reserved marinade in a pan, add the peanut sauce ingredients and thicken. Serve marinade over chicken and rice. I like to saute some nuts. It's good to put sauted peppers on top. It's delicious. Tell me if you try it. ---------------------------- Jess, that was a good website. Carol