Saoirse Daily

Saturday

2007-11-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

PhotoHunt

The theme for this week is I love______________

The one and only Sam Elliot

The sexy, wonderful Tom Selleck

And the ageless, totally cool Robert Duvall

Girls night out last night was so much fun. We laughed and chatted and gossiped. We decided that the next get together will be to get a psychic reading.

We have made plans for next Sunday to have dinner with Debbie and Pat. I am looking forward to that.

I am truly going to enjoy my 3 day weekend!

Today Lorna is coming over to teach me how to make beaded braceletts. She called to confirm yesterday. So alot of dusting, sweeping and puttting away will be going on before she gets here.

Friday

2007-11-16T14:18:00.001-08:00

Friday Feast One Hundred and Sixty Nine

Appetizer
What was your first “real” job?

I was a long distance telephone operator for Pacific Bell in Sunnyvale, CA.

Soup
Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?

Several places come to mind, but, first Joann's Fabrics and Crafts. Then Michael's Crafts and then to Pacific Crescent Quilting My favorite motto has always been the one who dies with the most craft supplies and fabric stash WINS!

Salad
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…

when I think of how I squandered my inheritance.

Main Course
What values did your parents instill in you?

A good work ethic and a strong sense of right and wrong.

Dessert
Name 3 fads from your teenage years.

This is really dating me. Mini skirts, Peace marches/hippie-San Francisco culture of Haight/Ashbury and platform shoes are the first things I can think of.

Thursday

2007-11-15T19:39:00.001-08:00

The day went by pretty smoothly. No really bad calls where I wanted to bang my head on the desk and scream Why Me?

After work I had to go and buy gas. I was running on fumes. I wish every republican voter when they gas up their cars just kicks themselves in the ass! Even with my Safeway 10 cent discount I had to pay $3.07 per gallon.

I went to Bath & Body but they were out of the twisted peppermint lotion. So off I went to Northtown to try the Bath & Body store there. I bought two lotions for anniversary gifts and the twisted peppermint shampoo for me. I drove over to the Accupuncture place on Northwest Blvd. I sort of figured out that she mostly does animals. So tomorrow I will contact the 2 other accupuncture places.

I didn't feel like cooking, so, I stopped at KFC for the leg & thigh special. That gives us dinner tonight, M's lunch for tomorrow and dinner for him for tomorrow night.

Thirteen Things about Saoirse

My favorite Shopping Places

1…. C. J. Banks This is my favorite place to shop for upscale clothes. They have unique styles and excellent sales. I especially like that they wrap your purchases in tissue and always give you a shopping bag.

2. Claires - I am an earring freak.

3. Icing - I love to shop for earrings here too.

4. Borders Books and Music - Great selection. I can spend hours looking at everything. They have a great coffee stand there too.

5. Target - They have lots of fun stuff. I buy alot of gifts there.

6. Circuit City - I buy most of our electronics here.

7. Linens and Things - I could go crazy here. I want every kitchen gadget I see. Great place to buy candles and wedding gifts.

8. Bath and Body Love lotions and potions. I look forward to new smells for every season.

9. Costco - We call it the $200 store. I cannot get out of there until you have at least $200 or more of stuff in the cart.

10. Cost Plus World Market Terrific imported items. I can find everything from accessories, dishware, exotic foods, wines and jewelry.

11. Joann's Fabrics - Sewing and crafts - I believe the one who dies with the most craft supplies and fabric WINS!

12. Value Village - Especially for their 1/2 sale days.

13. Walmart - If you need it - they have it.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Tuesday

2007-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

The first part of today was like Hell. I either could not hear them, could not understand them or could not for the life of me figure out how to solve their issue. I had a headache and a back ache. I finally took 2 aspirin and started to feel better around 11:00.

I stopped at the store and got the few things I needed for the stir fry. My Zooba selection came today. I had ordered the book, Love From Baghdad, about a soldier who adopts a stray dog and smuggles him back to the US. I know M will love this book. I went to the library and returned most of the books I had checked out last time. This visit I checked out some books about Spokane history. I also drove out to Post Net and picked up my bracelet I had ordered last weekend.

I called Comcast and changed our service to the platinum package, along with the phone service. No more qwest and i get to keep my same phone number. They are coming next Monday to do the installation. We will have all the channels again. More to choose from.

The stir fry turned out so good. It had shrimp, mushrooms, onion, snow peas, mandarin oranges and garlic and slivered almonds. Tangy and a little sweet. I hope M will like it when he gets home.

It was bright and sunny today. On the cool side. Rain is coming later in the week.

Monday

2007-11-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

We are in for a cold and wet week up here in Spokane. Makes my mind think of stews and soups. I hope everyone has a great week with alot of meals made up of warm comfort foods.

Monday - Beef Stew and cornbread

Tuesday - Garlic Almond Shrimp, White Rice and hot tea

Wednesday - Smoked Sausage Primavera

Thursday - Pizza Sandwiches

Friday - Girls Night Out to Azteca Mexican Restaurant

Saturday - Minute Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Onions, Green Beans

Sunday - Cha Cha Pork Chops, Green Salad with homemade ranch dressing, Sweet Potatoes

Big wind storm outside. I hope my trees and house survive. Last year we had quite a few wind storms. I hope we do not repeat those this year. We need to replace our garage roof.

Work was very busy today. I didn't think it was going to be so busy being a holiday and all. No really bad calls today. Joanna and Melissa are still on for Friday's Girls Night Out. I am looking forward to that.

No mail today because of the holiday. I still have not received the patterns I sent for. It's been quite awhile and I'm starting to get a little worried. If I do not get them by tomorrow I'm going to send her an email and see if she has shipped or mailed them yet.

Sunday

2007-11-11T17:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Veterans Day.

It's been a great weekend. Yesterday I went to 2 craft shows. One was at SCC. Saw Lorna. We made plans for her to come over next Saturday so we can do the bead thing we talked about. Did not see anything at the craft shows that was unique or different.

Today we stayed around home all day. I did laundry. I made beef stew and it was the perfect meal to have on a cold and breezy fall day. They say we may even have some snow this week. We watched the movie, Wild Hogs. It was so funny. What a great cast!

This weekend just flew by so fast. I can't believe I already have to go back to work tomorrow.

Saturday

2007-11-10T06:55:00.001-08:00

PhotoHunt

This week's theme is Flexible. First thing that comes to mind is yoga.

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Friday

2007-11-09T15:41:00.001-08:00

Feast One Hundred and Sixty Eight

Appetizer

Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?

I love a big ol' tub of buttery salty popcorn. Before I knew I was diabetic I liked getting a box of Goobers. Now I just stick with the popcorn.

Soup
What year did you start using the internet?

We started back in 1993. It was dialup and we had to use a phone number that was long distance. And it was sooooo s-l-o-w! Not very many sites were available back then. We are so spoiled now with our wireless laptops and cable modem. We are definitely light years from where we began.

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin? (Here’s how to speak it if you don’t already know!)

indalay

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.

I am so picky when it comes to how my shampoo smells. I like unique wonderful fragrances when it comes to washing my hair. I have had lemon, pineapple, raspberry, rootbeer, banana smoothie just to name a few. One of my favorites was pecan pie. I just hate to wash my hair with soap smelling shampoos and conditioners.

Dessert

Fill in the blanks: I was so worried about my little dog Sammie yesterday and I am so happy is feeling better and back to normal today.

Thursday

2007-11-08T15:14:00.001-08:00

Thirteen Things about Saoirse

13 Crochet Projects I Would Like To Learn How To Complete

1. Granny Square Afghan

2. Crochet Flower Purse

3. Ripple Stitch Afghan

4. Crochet Flowered Hat

5. Crochet Slippers

6. Crochet Sprite

7. Crochet Monkeys

8. Granny Square Purse

9. Shamrock Pattern Afghan

10. Crochet Towel Topper

11. Puff Stitch Afghan

12. Hairpin Lace Skirt

13. Crochet
Jiffy
Slippers

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

saoirsedaily

2007-11-07T17:03:00.001-08:00

Wednesday

2007-11-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a cloudy-rainy day today. It was raining pretty good on my way to work. I ordered 2 poinsettia plants from Amanda. One for mom and one for me. One is called a jingle bell color and the other is a marble color.

I talked to someone today who is as big a cookbook fan as me. I always notice she is reading cookbooks between calls just as I do. I am going to bring in my newest cookbook to share. It will be nice to have a book kindred spirit to talk with.

I stopped at the dollar store and bought some dish scrubbies and a grater and a ladle. I also stopped for a mocha because it is so cold and damp. I thought that would warm me up and it did.

I signed up for my first crochet class. I am going to A Grand Yarn up on south hill. I'm getting a one on one lesson and it includes the supplies and a discount card for any supplies I purchase. I am so excited. I cannot wait to get started.

Tuesday

2007-11-06T17:33:00.001-08:00

My productivity was nice and high today. Average is 13.3 and I was at 16.4. Amazing. I did find out that my friend Cynthia was let go on Friday. So sad. I really liked her. Maybe her productivity wasn't so high but she came to work everyday. Better than the rest of my training class.

M started his new hours today. Just me and the pups in the afternoon and evening. I went by and returned a book to the library. Lots of people were dropping off their ballots in the drop box they have set up there. It seems strange not to go to the polls to vote. We have to vote by mail now.

They announced the Fred Russell verdict this afternoon. This guy back in 2001 was drunk and was driving his SUV recklessly and hit and killed several college students. While on bail he skipped and ran to Ireland and hid out for 6 years. The US Marshalls (my heros) caught him and he was extradited back to the US. Today he was found guilty on all 3 counts. Justice served. I hope they send him directly to prision. You know he will skip again if they give him bail.

Monday

2007-11-05T18:34:00.001-08:00

I should make this list when I am hungry. But here we go...

Monday: Pancakes

Tuesday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Wednesday: Shrimp Salad & Crescent Rolls

Thrursday: Fried Chicken and Fries

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Sandwiches & Macaroni Salad

Sunday: Sausage & Peppers

Today at work I got an email that made my day. We can now transfer provider calls to India. Provider calls are easy but take so long. Our productivity is based on how fast we can get through the calls. I am sure the providers are not going to like this turn of event but it sure is great for us.

M put a new drive in my desktop computer. He hurt his back in doing so. The Banner Fuel tech came out and worked on the furnace. Of course once he showed up it would not make the sqeeking noise. Just like taking your car to the mechanic. Oh well since he left it has not made the noise. After he left I took M to Dr Phil's to have him work on his back.

Came home and made pancakes. Something very easy. I paid a few bills. Now i can relax and play on my computer or read my new book from the library. I'm currently reading The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini.

Sunday

2007-11-04T14:26:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone remembered to change their clocks and to fall back 1 hour. It's been a nice day today. We decided to get out and take a drive. We stopped at Milliways and got a mocha from Laurie, since she works on Sunday. We then drove south. Went up White Road. There sure alot of beautiful homes and ranches out there. Saw one that had live pink flamingos in a corral. I wonder how they fare during the cold months. They also had camels too. Next time we drive out that way I will have to take some pictures.

Someone sent some questions to answer so I decided to post them here on my blog:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following… They have to be real places, names, things… nothing made up! You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name:
Linda

Famous Artist/Band/Musician:
Lyle Lovett

4 letter word:
Love

Vehicle:
Lincoln

TV Show:
Law & Order

City:
Leavenworth, WA

Boy Name:
Liam

Girl Name:
Loreena

Alcoholic drink:
Long Island iced Tea

Occupation:
Longshoreman

Celebrity:
Lance Armstrong

Food:
Lemon Chicken

Something found in a kitchen:
Ladel

Reason for Being Late:
Lingering Dream

Please let me know if you answered them too so i can come and visit.

Saturday

2007-11-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

PhotoHunt

This week's theme is Classic I have chose a
picture of classic books. I love the feel of old leather bound books.
Stories you can read again and again that can transport you to another
time and place without leaving the comforts of your easy chair.

Took the dogs to the groomer today. I wish my groomer, Karen, would find
a new place. I do not care for the woman who owns the shop. She is the
ex wife of our across the street neighbor. She buts into every conversation
I try to have with Karen and she is one of those know-it-alls and has an
opinion on everything. I told Karen about the new shop that opened at
the end of our street and M gave her the name of the owner who runs The
Yuppie Puppy. The only reason I will continue to go to that shop is
I am loyal to Karen.

We went and got mochas and a quick take away breakfast and headed for
the library. M was looking for books about customer service. I checked
out alot of really neat books.

We drove up and looked at a new modular housing track up off of Francis.
For retirement this is what we are looking for. But this one was not
adult only and we did not care for the area.

In the afternoon I went to a church craft bazaar off Wellesley. I bought
a really pretty colorful afghan for only $10. It will be a nice addition
to my collection.

It was a very nice Saturday. We were both pretty tired so went to bed quite
early. Tomorrow will be a busy houskeeping day.

Day of the Dead

2007-11-02T14:04:00.001-07:00

Friday's Feast One Hundred & Sixty Seven

Appetizer
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?

I think we will spend around $350. Gift cards for everyone. I always go to the after Thanksgiving day sales and buy goodies for just the 2 of us. Love seeing my friends and making a day of it. I look forward to this day each year.

Soup
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?

I go to bed so early because I go to work so early that I record most
television shows I want to watch. So the last one I watched was My Name Is
Earl. It was funny as always. My favorite show is Big Love, mainly because
I love Bill Paxton. It is on hiatus right now. I'm looking forward to when
the new season will begin again. I also got hooked on the tv show Saving
Grace starring Holly Hunter. Very quirky and cool.

Salad
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what
color would you choose?

I would choose a soft light moss green. I find that color soothing and would
go well with out brown leather furniture.

Main Course
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet.

I would like to invent a way to fix a torn hole in my earlobe so i can wear
my heavy earrings again. I do use ear lifts and they help, but it would be
great if there was some kind of epoxy that could bond the skin together to
heal the tear.

Dessert
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season.

This is an easy one.

1. From QVC I would like a Safekeeper Mirrored Jewlery Cabinet by Lori

2. A Metal Detector

3. A Serger Sewing Machine

Welcome!
Pull up a chair and dig in! Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions
cooked up by the chef each and every week. Enjoy

To visit other Friday's Feasters click on this link: Friday's Feast

When M got home we left and drove out to the Bottoms Up Bar and Grill to
have dinner with Shirley and Jim. My new kindred spirit Angie came and
joined us. I was amazed how much we had in common. We talked like old friends
even though we just met. I am looking forward to our next get together
at the White House in Post Falls. We had a fun evening.

Thursday

2007-11-01T16:33:00.001-07:00

Thirteen Things about Saoirse

13 Favorite Things That Begin With "A"

1…. Apples - Red Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith I love them all. Fall is best time for baking apple desserts.

2. Autumn Leaves - After the long hot days of summer I enjoy when the weather gets cooler and leaves start to turn such beautiful colors. It is sad when the leaves fall from the tree and leave the branches bare.

3. Anchovies - I am one of those crazy people who order anchovies on their pizza. I love them. I think I love alot of food that most people don't care for.

4. Alison Krauss - Voice of an angel. She makes music I never tire of. I definitely want to buy her new cd that just came out.

5. Automatic Transmission that Jiffy has. After driving
the stick shift in the truck those few days it made me appreciate the
automatic drive in my little black street machine.

6. Azure - the color of a beautiful ocean
Driftin' Dreamin'
In an Azure mood,
Stardust gleamin'
Thru my solitude:
Here in my seclusion,
You're a blue illusion
While I'm in this Azure interlude.
I'm not wanted
I'm so all alone;
Always haunted
By the dreams I own;
But, though
I'm tormented
I must be contented
Driftin' Dreamin'
In an Azure mood!
Driftin' Dreamin'
In an Azure mood,
Star dust gleamin'
Thru my solitude:
Here in my seclusion,
You're a blue illusion
While I'm in this Azure interlude!

7. Adornments - It would be hard to live without all
my earrings, necklaces, bracelets, headbands and pins. I am not attracted to one certain style. I like tham all and want them all.
I better pick those 6 perfect numbers! LOL

8.Arabian Horses - So majestic and so enchanting.

9. Afghans Especially granny squares. I love collecting them. I have many
colorful crocheted afghans and they are all so special to me.

10. Accordians In my music collection I have
lots of accordian music. The oomph pah pahs, polkas, cajun, gypsy
and paris sidewalk cafe music all include or feature the accordian.

11. Absolute Martinis - I cannot drink them any longer but I sure
loved them when i could. Maybe someday if I ever kick these disease
I can enjoy one again.

12. Ashokan Farewell - This haunting melody is one
of my favorite instrumentals. One of the best renditions is done
by Fiddle Fever. If you saw the PBS series The Civil War
it the song that played as Shelby Foot read the letter written
by Sullivan Bellou.

13. Acorn Squash - Another one of my favorite
fall treats. A little butter, brown sugar and lemon pepper and then
bake. Oh my it is so good!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T16:50:00.001-07:00

I awoke from a bad dream this morning. After waking from that I had a fitful sleep when I finally got back to sleep. I think it put me in a blue funk for most of the day. We had our Halloween potluck today. Some people came in wearing some pretty cool costumes. I just wore my pirate tshirt. I could not find my Halloween Shihtzu tshirt. Maybe I will wear it next year.

I stopped for a mocha on my way home. That made my afternoon better. I got a few things done and helped M's mom out a little.

My friend, Lorna, called. I haven't seen her in so long. We plan on getting together soon. She has promised she is going to teach me how to make beaded bracelets. I'm excited at the prospect about learning how to do that. It was really nice catching up with her.

I made grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup for dinner. It hit the spot. Not sure how many trick or treaters we may get but I have the candy ready.

Tuesday

2007-10-30T20:00:00.001-07:00

Its the night before Halloween and all is calm for now. After work I went and bought the Halloween candy. Last year we got a few trick or treaters, Not very many. Where we lived before buying the house we live in now we never got any trick or treaters. Its just not safe anymore. I don't blame parents for keeping their kids from going door to door.

I tried to make the stuff for the potluck, but the pumpkin fudge bars did not turn out. I may try and make the salad in the morning. I am too tired to try and do it tonight.

Monday

2007-10-29T15:46:00.001-07:00

Monday - Leftover spaghetti

Tuesday - Nachos

Wednesday - Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Happy Halloween)

Thursday - Chicken Stir Fry (Something healthy)

Friday - Dinner out with friends at the Bottom's Up Bar and Grill

Saturday - Breakfast - fried eggs, bacon and blueberry pancakes dripping in butter and maple syrup. Oh yeah!

Sunday - Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots - (we're talking comfort food here.)

I have to say making up this list and sticking to it has really saved us money by not going out because we could not decide what to have for supper.

After a nice weekend, it was back to work. After work I went to my doctor appointment. I guess I am doing okay. He put me on another medication. He must have gotten a free lunch. I say that because one time when I was sitting in a waiting room waiting for M, who was having a procedure done, I witnessed a pharmaceutical salesman at work. He asked the nurse if he could have time with the doctor to discuss his latest and greatest wonder pill. The nurse said the doctor is busy now but if he brought in lunch then he could have the doctor's full attention for an hour. The salesman asked how many would he need to bring lunch in for. She said about 30. He also asked what kind of food would she like him to bring in. She said he could bring anything as long as it was good, they just all like to eat. Then and there I saw how it all works. The salesman brings lunch, he asks the doctor to push the prescription of the week, the doctor starts prescribing the drug that paid for the free lunch of the week until the next salesman brings the next free lunch in.

It is cold and cloudy outside tonight. We will need to keep a drip going down the drain. Halloween is just around the corner.

Sunday

2007-10-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Just a nice relaxing Sunday at home. We didn't go anywhere all day. I made sour cream raisin muffins for breakfast.

Spent most of the day putting stuff away around the house, surfing on my computer and watching tv. I watched the movie Frank and Jessie starring Rob Lowe and Bill Paxton. Cleaned off my desk so I can actually see space.

M's Mom came over for a visit and she looked really good. She says she is feeling pretty good.

I made spaghetti for dinner tonight and will have it again tomorrow night. Since I have to go to the doctor after work tomorrow, I will probably not feel like cooking.

I got a surprise phone call from my Aunt Glea. She wanted to check if she had my address correct so she can send me an invitation for the family reunion this year being held in Vermont around the 4th of July. I am really going to try and go this year. First step is to request vacation time.

If you want to find out all about your dates and numbers and more about YOU check out this site:

Birthdate calculator

Mine read like this:

1 October 1952
Your date of conception was on or about 9 January 1952 which was a Wednesday.
You were born on a Wednesday
under the astrological sign Libra.
Your Life path number is 1.

Your fortune cookie reads:
You will spend old age in comfort and material wealth.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 3 & 9.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 8.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 6, 11 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2434286.5.
The golden number for 1952 is 15.
The epact number for 1952 is 3.
The year 1952 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 1/27/1952 and ending 2/13/1953.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Dragon.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Raven; your plant is Ivy.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Choiach, the fourth month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 13 Tishri 5713.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 14 Tishri 5713.
The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.16.18.16.2 which is
12 baktun 16 katun 18 tun 16 uinal 2 kin
The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Wednsday, 11 Muharram 1372 (1372-1-11).
The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 13 April 1952.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 20 April 1952.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 27 February 1952.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 1 June 1952.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 8 June 1952.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 20 September 1952.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 10 April 1952.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 26 February 1952.

As of 10/27/2007 9:18:36 PM EDT
You are 55 years old.
You are 660 months old.
You are 2,873 weeks old.
You are 20,114 days old.
You are 482,757 hours old.
You are 28,965,438 minutes old.

Saturday

2007-10-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Weekend! It is chilly here with a bright full moon in view at night it really feels like Samhain season.

This week the theme is pink. I chose a picture of the cutest pink house. Wouldn't you love to live in a cute pink house?

I have decided what I am going to being to work's Halloween potluck on Wednesday. Special Sesame Chicken Salad. Recipe follows:

1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
2/3 Cup White Wine Vinegar
2/3 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Pepper
3 Cans (11 ounces each) Mandarin Oranges, drained
2 Cans (8 ounces each) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 Cups Cubed Cooked Chicken
1 1/3 Cups honey roasted peanuts
1 Package (9 ounces) Fresh Spinach, torn
1 Package (6 ounces) Dried Cranberries
6 Green Onions, chopped
1/2 Cup Minced Parsley
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds, toasted

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and place in a very large bowl. In a small bowl combine oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, sugar and pepper. Pour over pasta and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Just before serving add remaining ingredients and gently toss. Yields 22 servings (1 cup each) Sound yummy and spooktacular?

We finally got out of the house to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine. We drove to what is becomming our favorite coffee stand, Dutch Brothers and ordered mochas. We drove on to downtown. Went to Boo Radley's, a funky gift shop that has very unique items. We went there looking for the South Park dolls but ended up buying a South Park calendar for M's new office and a pirate headband for me. The manager was so friendly and helpful. I love going to this store. Last time we were in we bought cat butt magnets for a gal M worked with at Premera. They also have a whole array of crazy knitting, needlework and crochet books. I bought the book Subversive Cross Stitch there last summer. Too funny.

Just for me we drove out to the Bigelow Gulch Grange Hall and went to Tolefest. They were having a tole painting crafts bazaar. I didn't find anything that I could not live without so I bought 3 raffle tickets to win the beautiful quilt that they were raffling off. Got my fingers crossed.

On the way out to Bigelow Gulch we were driving down Maple behind a sgt's cop car. A plain red crown victoria. You know instantly when you see that model of car it's a cop or could be. This little Toyota goes zipping past us and the cop doing about 50 mph. Made this cop's day. Sure enough the cop jumped behind them and turned on his lights. The Toyota pulls across the other lane of traffic, turns on the next street and parks on the wrong side of the street. Nice - now the cop knows you're crazy too! Speaking of cops and crazy - it should be an excellent night for scanner listening. Seems every bar and tavern in town is having their Halloween parties and with a full moon - Can you say Full Moon Craziness Abounds? I would not want to be a cop or work in any retail business that has cash on a night like this.

Friday

2007-10-26T14:43:00.001-07:00

Friday's Feast One Hundred & Sixty Six

Pull up a chair and dig in! Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions cooked up by the chef each and every week. Enjoy!

Appetizer

Name a great website you would recommend to others.

zooba.com (I buy most of books from them - all books $9.95 and NO SHIPPING!)

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?

10 (I dream everynight, sometimes in color. I have many reoccurring dreams that I visit regularly)

Salad

Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?

One Christmas my parents gave me a Bedlington Terrier named Happy Christmas. His litter had all Christmas themed names.

Main Course

If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?

I wrote a jingle for the Pizza Hut chain once. Or maybe a public service announcement to support your local animal shelter.

Dessert

What is your favorite kind of hard candy?

A&W Root Beer Barrels

*****************************************

I am again so happy it is Friday. We had our team meeting today which broke the day up. At 1:00 they had a fire drill, so I was able to logout 15 minutes early. Nice.

Stopped at the store and bought stuff for the weekend and lunch stuff for next week for M. Now I'm just looking forward to a nice weekend. Nothing really planned, just going to play by ear.

Thursday

2007-10-25T19:24:00.001-07:00

Thirteen Things about Saoirse
13 Favorite Trees

1…. Wisteria

2. Cherry

3. Willow

4. Dogwood

5. Aspens

6. Redwood

7. Maple

8. Crape Myrtle

9. Sassafrass ...aah the origins of root beer!

10. Birch

11. Eucalyptus

12. Cypress

13. olive

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Wednesday

2007-10-25T02:43:00.001-07:00

I completed my training on the new provider lookup today. I am running behind in my paperwork. I stayed 15 minutes after work trying to catch up a little. I will go in a little bit early tomorrow and try to catch up more. James came by to get M's phone # and he gave his number to give to M.

The weather was nice when I got off work. Need to enjoy all the nice days before winter gets here. My Hallmark magazine came today. I watched the tv show Big Shots It is like a male version of Desperate Housewives.

Going to bed really early. For some crazy reason I am really tired.

Tuesday

2007-10-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

I stopped for gas on the way to work today. I swear the price of gas has risen 7 to 8 cents in just the last few days. Can anyone saying price gouging? Had my flu shot today. Hopefully that will keep me from getting sick all year. I didn't get the flu all last year after getting my shot. (knock on wood)I did get a cold, but no flu. I stopped by and said hi to Lori after getting the shot.

After work I went to the library and returned some books and cds and checked out some new books for me and M. I did check out a cookbook that has 250 muffin recipes. That should be fun.

Came home and finished watching the movie Claire. It starred Valerie Bertinelli as a psychic. It was an okay Hallmark type movie.

I made the cornbread to go with the beans. M came home right on time and we had a nice dinner together. He is really enjoying the new job.

I'm tired so it is going to be an early evening for me.

Monday

2007-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Monday Tostadas

Tuesday Pot of Beans and cornbread (made in my cast iron skillet)

Wednesday Leftover Beans (They are always better the next day)

Thursday Homemade pizza (With pepperoni, salami, black olives and just for me anchovies on my side only - M swears they swim to his side of the pizza)

Friday Breakfast (I love breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, kilbasa and sour dough toast.

Saturday Spaghetti and meatballs, green salad with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing and garlic bread.

Sunday Leftover spaghetti (Another meal that is always better the next day)
For more Menu Plan Monday participants visit Organized Junkie's blog here
***
Work went by quick today because we were busy. I did get my purse cleaned out between calls. It is amazing all the useless stuff that lands up in my purse. After work I went to the post office and mailed the cards to the kids, the pattern order off to canada and a Halloween card to Karen.

Mail Call: BJ sent us a card with Jacob's new school pictures. He such a handsome guy and getting taller each year. Thanks BJ!

Sunday

2007-10-21T18:12:00.001-07:00

Today was a lazy day. We didn't go anywhere or really do anything. I made jalapeno poppers which we snacked on. M's Mom made artichokes and they were wonderful. We watched the movie, "The Man" starring Samuel Jackson and Eugene Levy. It was pretty funny.

M starts his new job tomorrow. No more days of freedom and money for nothing. We both are excited about his new opportunity. I guess I am ready to go back to work also.

Not much to say today.

Saturday

2007-10-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

PhotoHunt

This week is Practical. I picked this photo of a statue that overlooks Wall Street. Practical to me would be having investments and a savings plan.

Started out the morning doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen. After showers and getting dressed we went to The Crossroads for breakfast. You always get a good breakfast there. We tried it one time for dinner and it was totally awful. But it is consistently good for breakfast. We sat at our favorite table in the back that overlooks Sharp Shooting, the indoor gun range and gun shop where I bought my glock and where we sometimes go and shoot.

We then drove around a little and went to Walmart. We bought basic things we needed and a new pillow for M.

Came home for a bit before venturing to the quilt festival. So many beautful quilts to see. M left me there to wander while he went to get his hair cut. I visited all the vendors and wanted to buy everything. I did buy a book I've been wanting called Darling Little Dogs by Darcy Ashton.

I also bought a quilt pattern that had a heart design edging that I fell in love with, 2 fat squares (one of bluebirds and one of dogs) and a fabric panel of dog sayings. The harp musician Bronn Journey was there just as he was in years past. This year I bought his cd Celtic Garden.

I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to going again next year.

We stopped for mochas at Dutch Brothers on Ruby on our way home. When we got home I looked through the newspaper, that I picked up at the festival, The Country Register looking at all the ads and visiting a few of the websites. We started to get hungry so we decided on the new Kentucky Fried Chicken on Nortwest Blvd. It was okay but they messed up our order.

18 days till Halloween...

Friday

2007-10-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY FEAST #165 - A Buffet For Your Brain

Appetizer

If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?

I would be a Shihtzu. Originally the shihtzu was raised to lay on satin pillows in palaces in China to be loyal companions. I would love to be a loyal, loved companion that would be groomed and pampered to look my best.

Soup

What does the color purple make you think of?

Jewels. Glorious sparkling deep colored amethyst stones

Salad

Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning?

I wake up at 3:00 and I am out the door by 4:05 each morning to head for work.

Main Course

How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them?

I have 7 cousins that I know. They live in different states. I would love to be closer to them all. I need to make an effort to email or write to them more often.
Their names are: Gregg, Larry, Mike, Brian, David, Sue and Jeff.

Dessert

Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter)

LSF - Liberal, Stylish, Free-spirited

Pull up a chair and dig in! Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions cooked up by the chef each and every week. Enjoy!

I left early from work this morning. I wasn't feeling well, or maybe I just didn't want to be at work on M's last day of freedom. Whichever I went home.

I started feeling better once I was home. Did laundry and played on my computer most of the morning. Went to Zips for lunch and got fishwichs. In the afternoon I rode with M to his appointment with Dr. Phil. After he was done we went for a little drive. Drove around Audobon Park and looked at the houses. This afternoon was cold and blustery.

This weekend is the quilt festival and Bead Stampede at the fairgrounds. The Ferris Arts and Craft Fair is going on also. So much to do, so little money.

Thursday

2007-10-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Saoirse
13 Places Where I have Lived

1…. Fort Wayne, Indiana - This is where it all began

2. Sunnyvale, California

3. Gilroy, California

4. Bloomington, Indiana

5. Lodi, California

6. Hammond, Louisiana

7. Pocahontas, Tennessee

8. Murray, Kentucky

9. Bowling Green, Kentucky

10. Woods Cross, Utah

11. Winnemmucca, Nevada

12. Liberty Lake, Washington

13. Spokane, Washington - This will be the last stop.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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Wednesday

2007-10-17T19:53:00.001-07:00

Samhain Night

The night is coming the veil is thin.
Hear their voices within the winds.

Light the fires and chant out loud,
Feel them walk within the crowd.

The summer is gone and winter draws near,
The veil will open, welcome them without fear.

Our loved ones past will soon be among our place,
See the veil thinning and you will see their face.

Embrace the night and let your magic be known,
The truth that is here will soon be shown.

Enjoy this time celebrate the worlds within your rites,
The veil is once again thinning, it is again Samhain Night.

It's almost Halloween. I love this time a year. I love the halloween decorations, the leaves turning color, the colder weather and everything to do with fall.

I have decided to make an effort to keep in touch with my friends. I am afraid I am losing touch with most of them. Last night a person I worked with from Travelers called and told me my good friend Linda was quitting and moving to Sante Fe. I had to think, how long has it been since we last spoke? Too long I'm afraid. I called Linda and she kind of blew me off saying she had company and could not talk and would call me back. I knew she wouldn't. It is sad because at one time we were pretty close. But doesn't the phone work both ways? She could have just as easily picked up the phone. I feel bad, but I only wish her the best on her new adventure.

So with that said, on my break today I left a voicemail for Sharma, asking for her to call. She called me this afternoon and we agreed its been too long since we talked. We are going to try and get together and go to the quilt festival this weekend. We do plan on getting together the day after Thanksgiving as we have for the past few years for shopping and breakfast. She said Lorna would not be able to make it this year because she will have company from out of town for the holiday.

M's Mom came home from the hospital this afternoon. She seems to be doing pretty good. Now she can recooperate in the comfort of her own home.

Tuesday

2007-10-16T20:45:00.001-07:00

It was boss's day. I signed the card at Nancy's desk and donated to the gift. Again I did not feel like working overtime. One of these days they are going to ask me why I haven't been doing the manadatory 3 hours.

I went to Safeway after work and did my weekly shopping and picked up my prescriptions.

Mail Call: I got the cookbook I requested from Taste of Home. Very cool. It's a nice $20 book for only $3.00.

TV Watching:I watched the reality show Better Half. I hate the host of the show. She is loud and obnoxious and trys to hard to create drama that is not there. I will probably not go out of my way to watch it again.

M worked down at the shop all day. Here's an interesting dinner: bowl of Cheerios with a banana and an orange on the side.

Watched the Larry Craig interview. He sure rehearsed what he was going to say. I say if you were innocent you would have never pleaded guilty. I think if he said he was going to resign, he should just do it. Speaking of politics, I got my first campaign call for the mayor race. The call was from a volunteer that was calling for the gal I am voting for. We have not received our ballot yet. Hopefully it will be here soon.

Monday

2007-10-15T18:17:00.001-07:00

M's mom had a heart attack this morning. She had been suffering off and on all weekend with chest pains and other symptoms. I am not sure why they did not go to the doctor sooner, like when she first had the pains in her chest. They cleared a blockage and did some other things. Thank heavens she is going to be okay. She will be in the hospital until Wednesday.

They took out 3 weeks of health insurance premiums out of my paycheck, but then they paid me my referral bonus for referring Lori so it was a wash. I will keep M on my insurance until he gets his own in 90 days.

I came straight home from work. Cleaned the kitchen and then made steak & bake for dinner. We watched Oprah because Jerry Seinfeld was on promoting his new movie Bee.

This was the last nice weather day of the week. Rain coming in overnight and will rain off and on the rest of the week. I need to plant the bulbs before a freeze happens. So by this weekend I hope to have them all planted.

Mail Call Lots of bills today. I did receive the latest Celtic Women cd from the music club and some free pair of tights that I sent away for.

I am so tired. I got up way too early this morning.

Sunday

2007-10-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

It was another beautful fall day. We went for mochas this morning at Milliways. Drove up past South Hill. The houses are beautiful up there and the views are gorgeous, especially with all the trees in their full color.

Spent the rest of the day playing on the computer and cleaning up around the house. I did make chocolate banana muffins. We had the leftover tamale pie for dinner. It was even better tonight.

We watched Kitchen Nightmares and My Name is Earl. Enjoyed both.

Here are a few meme questions, since I forgot to list Friday questions:

BIOLOGY
Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. Mostly righ handed, but do alot of things with my left as well.

Q. What’s your best feature?
A. My small nose

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. My teeth

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Definitely my sense of smell

Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. 20 years ago

Q. What is the heaviest item you lifted last?
A. Groceries this weekend, I am not to lift anything over 10 lbs

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. Only for surgery several times

Saturday

2007-10-13T18:08:00.001-07:00

It is grooming day for the dogs. Left them off and then thought we would go to the flea market. Stopped for coffee at Dutch Brothers. Stopped at Safeway to get cash and bought some Halloween cards. I am going to send them to friends that I seemed to have lost touch with. I am going to send an invite to each one to meet for lunch or dinner, movie or bingo, shopping or something. At least they will know that I am thinking of them. We found the flea market is no longer happening for the year. So we decided to go on our usual Saturday drive. We drove over where M will be working. Then from there we drove around a historic district called Brown's Addition. This little area of our city is full of victorian styled houses and apartment buildings, with small restaurants mixed in. There is a nice park in the center of the district. We once wanted to live here, but, decided on a different part of town instead because at the time we had a convertible and there is very little off street parking. I did not want to park that car on the street. We also drove out to Airway Heights. They are building a new Walmart supercenter out there. It is really growing.

In the afternoon after we picked up the pups I went to the library and returned the book I finished and other materials I had checked out. I got a Mary Higgins Clark novel and a couple of cookbooks and craft books. I also went to Walmart and got dog food and the stuff I needed to make dinner. When I got home Gordon stopped by for a visit.

I made tamale pie for dinner. It was good and quite filling. Tonight we are just going to kick back and enjoy being home together.

Friday

2007-10-12T20:49:00.001-07:00

Let's just call it stupid people friday! I was so happy to see 1:15 come. Freedom! When I got home I rode with M to his appointment with Dr Phil. After his appointment we came home and relaxed before getting ready to go out. I found a new website that I want to explore more. It's full of crafts, recipes and lots of other stuff. The website is kattitudes

We drove out to Rockford to meet M's friends Shirley and Jim. The drive was beautiful. The trees are in their full glorious color. We stopped for gas and got Jiffy washed. We met Shirley and Jim at Fredneck's Bar and Grill in Rockford for dinner. M and Jim had huge burgers and Shirley and I had the fish and chips. They are really nice people. After dinner they headed down the road to Worley to the casino and we headed for home.

I am ready and looking forward to the weekend.

Thursday

2007-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Saoirse
13 CD's I need to burn that I downloaded from Emusic.com

1…. David and Steve Gordon - Soothing Sancuary

2. David Arkenstone - Myths and Legends

3. Eliza McCarthy - Rice

4. Face 2 Face - Pistols and Pickup Trucks

5. Jennifer Rose - Morning Will Come

6. John Stewart - The Day The River Sang

7. John Serrie - Century Seasons (The Space Music of John Serrie)

8. Kris Kristofferson - Broken Freedom Song - Live from San Francisco

9. Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and Mirror

10. Ottmar Liebert - One Guitar

11. Paul McCartney - memory Almost Full

12. Paul Reisler - Birth of a River

13. Pam Tillis - Rhinestoned

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I drove the truck today. It was an okay day at work. M went to lunch today at Applebees with all his old pals from premera. He had a good time. When he got home he got the call he's been waiting for from AAA. They offered him the job, which he accepted. He goes in tomorrow to sign all the paperwork.

We decided to go our to Jose's (Rancho Chico) to celebrate. It was wonderful as ever. Now I'm going to finish this blog and then finish reading my book and then off to dream land.

Wednesday

2007-10-10T18:26:00.001-07:00

Just as forecasted it turned colder today with rain. So different from yesterday. My mentor buddy Erick is moving to Phoenix. We had our potluck for him today. Baked the poppers before going to work. They were so good.

When I got home today I did not feel like watching tv. I mostly played on my computer. I found a couple of really cool sites. I know where I am going to order next year's calendar from. 7th House and the other site is Spirit Veil I cannot wait to order one of their perfumes.

I also found the lyrics to one of my favorite Donovan songs: Season of the Witch

When I look out my window
Many sites to see
When I look in my window
So many different people to be
It's strange
So very strange
You got to pick up every stitch
You got to pick up every stitch
Must be the season
The season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch

When I look over my shoulder
What do you think I see
Some other cat looking over
His shoulder right at me
And it's strange
Surely strange
You got to pick up every stitch
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Oh, no
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch

When I look out my window
So many sites to see
When I look into my window
So many different people to be
You got to pick up every stitch
Rabbit's runnin' in the ditch
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Oh, no
Oh, no
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch...

Just sing along and you will feel like you are back in the 60's.

In the mail today I received my monthly Zooba selection. This month they sent me a Martha Stewart cookbook of her classic recipes. It is chocked full of really cool recipes that I cannot wait to try.

I made breakfast for dinner. M's Mom came over for a short visit and she brought us a jar of homemade relish that her and Kay made. It is the best tasting relish I have ever had. It makes the best tarter sauce ever!

Tuesday

2007-10-09T18:43:00.001-07:00

It was like the the last gasp of summer today. I think the high reached 76 degrees. The weather folk are predicting cooler temps and rain for tomorrow. But it sure was beautiful today. A day to remember when the days get icy and dreary.

Made tacos for dinner when I got home. We watched an episode of Vegas. Now that Tom Selleck is on the show it's worth watching. I love all his movies. Monte Walsh and Quigley Down Under are a few of his movies I could watch over and over. I think Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck and of course Robert Duvall are my favorite actors.

I seeded all the jalepeno peppers for the poppers. I still need to stuff them with the cream cheese and then wrap them with bacon. I will bake them in the morning before I go to work.

Not much else is going on here at the Spotted Moose Cafe.

Monday

2007-10-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful week of vacation it was back to work. On my desk was all the giveaways they gave to all the reps during Customer Appreciation Week. I also found my Avon order and candle party order was also waiting for my return. I had ordered a really cool polished brass buddah candle holder. I love it! Part of my Avon order included lip gloss in a butterscotch flavor. I love that too. I guess because it was Columbus Day it was a little slower than normal for a Monday. Good thing because I was not ready for the usual monday onslaught. My mentor buddy, Erik has given his notice. He called off today. We are having a Mexican themed potluck for his goodbye on Wednesday. I'm thinking of making jalepeno poppers.

After work I stopped at Safeway and got the alpine lace cheese we needed for tonight's ruben sandwiches. I also stopped and got us 2 mochas from Dutch Brothers.

TV Watching: Finished watching the Rock of Love reunion. It left off with Jess kind of dumping Bret and saying he should have picked Heather. He was kind of agreeing with her. So now I want to know did he hook up with Heather?
I started to watch the show The Most Smartest Model. It's okay but I hope it gets more interesting.

No mail today due to the holiday. I met a neighbor today. Her name is Elizabeth Ann. She lives behind and over from us. She said she is having problems of people dumping trash in her backyard from the alley and asked if we would keep an eye out for any suspious people. We do have a house on the street behind us which a couple years back was busted for drugs. The guy went to prison, but I've noticed he is back and I guess the house has become busy again. It's nice to get to know the people who live around us. Other than that house, it's a nice neighborhood.

I noticed on my ride home today, alot of the trees are starting to turn into their beautiful fall colors. At work too the trees are turning and the bushes just over the weekend have turned bright red. So pretty. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 70's. How did that happen? Then the rest of the week it cools back down to the 60's and then back to the 50's. Crazy fall weather.

Sunday

2007-10-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Slept in till 9:00 this morning. I guess after having the coffee late last night I stayed up alot later than usual.

Took M's Mom to Costco. That took about 2 hours. Makes you wish you were rich and could buy everything you wanted to. But even if I could I would not have the room to put it all. I hadn't planned on buying that much, but ended up spending a little over $200. I did buy alot of meat and that adds up.

When we got home M and I helped her unload her purchases and then also ours. It took awhile to separate and freezer bag all the meat and carry the rest of the dry goods and canned goods downstairs to the pantry.

Watched the NASCAR race and was disgusted that Jeff Gordon won. Tony and even Michael Waltrip led for quite a few laps and I had hoped they would be victorious, but, that did not happen.

M left for his interview. While he was gone I cleaned the kitchen and read my book. I started to watch the next episode of Cane. I got half way through, but needed to start dinner. Tonight is the follow up reunion show of Rock of Love. I am going to try and stay up and watch, but if I can't I will DVR it.

M said the interview went well but we will have to see what happens. Either way - he has a job.

Tomorrow morning it's back to work for me. No more vacation. No more coming and going as I please. Holly, my team lead, will be on a one week vacation starting tomorrow. I'm hoping there isn't too much catch up that I will have to do.

Saturday

2007-10-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today felt like Sunday all day. I guess because we did not go anywhere all day. Usually Saturday is our running around day. We either take a drive or go shopping. We just loafed around the house all day.

I made corned beef and cabbage for dinner. The chili pepper vinegar M's Mom gave me gave it that little zing that made it all the better. I did go out and went to Safeway for the cabbage and some other things like the rest of our prescription order. I went on UHC's website and was able to print my id card and view my benefits. I took the pharmacist a copy of our ID card to have on file.

M got the call from Clinton with AAA. He has an interview with his boss tomorrow at 3:00 who is flying over from the west. We got our fingers crossed. This would be a much better opportunity than the other job he accepted. We are both very excited about his prospects.

I watched an episode of My Name Is Earl. I have not watched this show for a while. Why is he in prison? The show is still funny and the characters are rich. I also watched some shows on HGTV and Food Network. I spent alot of the day reading my book and playing on my computer. I looked up the 2 bingo parlors in town to see when I can go with Lori and her sister to play bingo some Saturday or Sunday. I also surfed craigs list. That's an interesting site. Found some interesting upcoming events to go to.

After dinner we went out and got coffee. Had enough punches on our Dutch Brothers card to get a free one. I saw alot more Halloween displays going up in front of people's houses. I'm going to get my pumpkins this week. For so many years I have always wanted to carve little houses like the ones featured by Martha Stewart.

I don't know if I will have the time, but maybe. I always wanted to do the spooky window silouettes. If I can find the pattern I will definitely do that. I love Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays.

Friday

2007-10-05T18:02:00.001-07:00

M had an interview today at AAA (The automobile club). I rode with him and waited out in the car while he went in for the interview. I have started a new book. Round Robin by Jennifer Chiaverini.

She has a whole series of books. This book is so good that now I want to read them all. So while I was waiting for M I read and I also listed to a cd by Eric Church called Sinners Like Me.

When he finished with the interview it was close to lunch time. I chose Round Table Pizza for their luncheon buffet special. They have the best and freshest salad bar in Spokane.

When we finished lunch we headed for Walmart to pick up a few things like aspirin, laundry soap and dog treats. You know, real exciting stuff. After shopping we cut across town to M's doctor's appointment. While he was with the doc I went and got us some mochas. We drove by Corbin Park on our way home and the leaves are really turning now. By the end of this week they should be in full riot of color.

We were definitely ready to come home after being gone most of the day. The manager M interviewed with at AAA called back and told him he has arranged with his boss to fly in on Sunday to interview him. This is kind of exciting. How funny how things change in just a day.

Friday's Questions:

1. What apple dessert would you choose? Pie, Crisp or Dumpling?
I would choose pie, with a nice flaky crust

2. What tree do you think gives the best fall color show?
Sugar Maple

3. What is your most current craft or creative project?
Fabric Pins

Looking forward to the weekend. My last two days of vacation before heading back to my normal schedule and routine.

Thursday

2007-10-04T17:43:00.001-07:00

M had to go and take his drug test for his new job this morning. I rode with him. It was cold and damp with rain off and on all day. We went to Swinging Doors for lunch. They gave us a free scratch off ticket for ordering the lunch special. We won $3.00.

Thirteen Things about Saoirse
13 Things I Believe In

1…. Leprechauns and the sparkling pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the 3 wishes you get if you catch one.

2. Witches on brooms that fly across the moon.

3. Ghosts and the mysterious Spirits that walk among us.

4. Fairies

5. Guardian Angels who watch over us.

6. UFO's and aliens who have been here before.

7. Psychics, Mystics, Fortune Tellers and Palm Readers

8. Magic 8 Ball answers

9. Vampires, Werewolves and Boogeymen

10. Crystal Balls, Tarot Cards and the power of crystals

11. Peace, Zen and Nirvana

12. Women's Intuition

13. Laughter is the Best Medicine.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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Wednesday

2007-10-03T17:55:00.001-07:00

My vacation days are slipping away like sands in an hour glass. I got up early and made an apple pie and did a load of laundry. This morning we gathered all the garbage bags from all corners of the house, including everything that seemed past its prime from the refridgerator. M had a follow up appointment with Dr. Phil this morning. After that we went to Dutch Bros again for coffee. Too late for breakfast and too early for lunch we weren't sure what to do next. We went to Safeway and filled Jiffy up with gas.

Came home and wasted time on the computer. DK called and he is going to order my UHC ID card for me (since he works for them). M then went to meet up with Eric and his boss at Met Life. I went to Hancock Fabrics. Their customer service still sucks. I had some questions about my sewing machine I bought there. I wish I had bought it somewhere else. Their fabrics looked old and dated. I would much rather shop for fabrics at Joann's or the local owned fabric stores. Better selection and a much more helpful staff. I did buy some fabric stiffener for the fabric pins I'm going to make.

After M's meeting at Met Life we went to King Yen (our favorite Chinese restaurant) for lunch. We ordered my favorite Pan Fried Chicken in garlic sauce and M's favorite Sweet and Sour Shrimp along with Chef's Special Fried Rice and Fried Won Tons. There is alot left over that we took home for dinner.

When we got home M got the call from Medco and they offered him the job, which he accepted. He starts on the 15th. Now he can relax and enjoy himself for the next week and 1/2.

I went to the library and renewed my library card. Checked out some books and 2 cd's. I then went to Joann's. I love looking at all the fall and holiday stuff that is the stores now. More and more people are starting to decorate their homes as much for Halloween as they do for Christmas.

It was a busy day. We are both tired and will probably take a nap and get up later on.

Tuesday

2007-10-02T20:53:00.001-07:00

Just another day in vacation paradise. Did not sleep well last night. I was up for most of the night.

Went with M to get his beard and hair trimmed by Des. I bought an Entertainment Discount Book for this coming year. On the way home we stopped at DeLeon's for lunch.

In the afternoon I rode with M out to Liberty Lake for his 3rd interview. He thinks it went very well. Time will tell. On the way home we stopped at Dutch's and had a mocha.

This evening he had to go to the open house at Office Team downtown. I cleaned the kitchen and watched tv while he was gone. It has now started to rain. It is suppose to rain through the night. It's cold too. When he got home I made minute steaks and mac n cheese for dinner.

TV Watching: Watched LA Ink and the new show Cane with Jimmy Smits. It actually has a fantastic cast. It is a really good show. I hope they can keep it up.

I am really getting used to not working.

Monday - My Birthday

2007-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe I am 55 years old today. I don't feel 55. I guess everyone says that when they reach this age. When we were young this age seemed ancient.

We went out for our morning coffee. M had an appointment with Dr Phil first. We decided to stop at Victoria's (the new one on Ruby) The mocha was so bitter that you could not even taste the chocolate. It was totally undrinkable. We did not want to go through the hassle of taking it back, but, still wanted a mocha so we stopped at Dutch Brothers which was around the corner on Division. We gave the cute blonde out 2 still hot mochas and asked her to toss them and ordered 2 double chocolate mochas - one being sugar-free. She said the mochas were on her because she felt we should not have to buy coffee twice. We tried to resist but she insisted. Talk about outstanding customer service! Our new coffees were sweet and yummy. Now she has our business over the other 100 or so coffee stands in Spokane. When I got home I emailed a commendation to their home office. From there we went to Sonic and had the breakfast burrito.

The weather was damp and overcast with an occasional peek of sun. Perfect morning for a drive on my 3rd day of vacation. We drove up the Palouse Highway. Such beautiful scenery. Alot of the trees are now beginning to turn. I wish I had remembered to bring my camera.

When we got home I called Eric our insurance agent to tell him of a referral I was sending his way. He talked about an offer of employment to M, who is considering it. I also called UHC and they our sending me a benefits packet along with ID cards. I also called Rene, our Dr's nurse to ask Dr to send a certificate to UHC so they will fill M's prescription. So I did get a few things accomplished.

We decided to visit our mortgage person Shirley to pick up some of her new business cards. She is now with Golf Savings Bank. She told us real estate is really slow and she hardly has any loans to process. It was a nice visit and she looked great as ever.

We went over to the folks for my b'day dinner. She served grilled steaks with ceasar salad, baked sweet potatoes and corn. I'm as full as a tick. She gave me some really nice crystal Irish coffee mugs and some Halloween earrings. I love the card because it plays MC Hammer singing Can't Touch This.

Testing and Weight: First time I have tested in over a week after running out of supplies. Tested at 142. Weight was at 14. It was the double chocolate mocha - I know it! I also walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes this morning.

Mail Call: Received 3 catalogs: Gael Song - this is one of my all time favorites full of beautiful Celtic treasures; Gardener's Supply Company (lots of cool garden supplies, birding goodies and unusual lights for the garden) and a Roaman's clothing catalog. Also got the Lowes bill.

TV Watching: While walking on the treadmill I watched the finale of Rock of Love. I was happy that he picked Jess. I thought she was the best choice. Heather, even though she was older, was too immature. I hope they do a followup on his website so we know if it worked out, if they are still together and what they are up to now. We also watched Kitchen Nightmares. This episode was where Gordon Ramsey totally re-vamps an Indian restaurant that was drowning in bugs and rotten food and weird sheets tacked on the wall. He got the incompetent general manager fired too. And we watched Big Bang Theory. It was pretty funny and light hearted. Geeks rule!

Now I am ready to call it a day. Tomorrow is already shaping up to be a busy day.

Sunday

2007-10-01T00:29:00.001-07:00

We both woke up hungry so I made apple spice pancakes and bacon. After breakfast and dishes we were in no hurry to go or do anything. M and Chris took the air conditioners out of the windows. Summer is officially over.

I decided to go to the mall. I used my $15 coupon to buy some really nice Posturepedic queen sized pillows from JC Penney. It was fun walking around the mall stopping and looking at whatever I felt like looking at. I went to Icing and bought some earrings and to my favorite store CJ Banks and bought a couple of tops that were on sale. I also went to the As Seen On TV store and bought a product called Ear Lifts to help with wearing earrings. I tore the hole in my left ear, so I cannot wear any of my heavy earrings anymore. I'm hoping this will help. This store has all the cool things you see advertized on tv.

On my way home I stopped at Safeway and picked up the prescriptions. She won't have the lancets until tomorrow, but gave me a few to get by until then.

When I got home from the mall I made potato soup. It's been raining most of the day and it is chilly, so soup sounded perfect. While we were eating 2 women came to the door and asked for a price if they could clean out our flower beds. We struck a deal and within 2 hours they had it all cleaned out. Seemed funny that they would want to do this on such a cold damp day, but I guess they needed the money.

The rest of the afternoon we watched the Grand Prix from Japan. It was a good race finish. I am always amazed that they drive in any weather. It was pouring rain and they kept their foot in it the whole race. The fans stayed throughout the whole race also. The announcers were saying the cost of tickets for a family of 4 is $1000. I guess they were staying to get their money's worth - rain or shine. When we flipped the channel to watch the NASCAR race it was being held due to rain.

We both went to bed really early and that could be why I am up in the middle of the night. But I am on vacation and do not have to get up at 3:00 am to get ready to go to work.

Saturday

2007-09-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Slept in this morning. What a treat! I even walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes while I watched the finale of Hells Kitchen that I had DVR'd. We headed out for a drive. Stopped for coffee at Hold Your Grounds on Ash & Boone. I ordered a sugar free hazelnut mocha. It was so good. Their punch card is actually an electronic card, a very inventive idea. More stands should go to that kind of system. From there we stopped at mcDonalds for a biscuit breakfast. It's right across from this slum apartment building. We watched a dope deal go down. They thought they were so slick. If they only knew how obvious they looked.

We decided to drive out to Liberty Lake. It was a nice cool crisp fall day. I was amazed to see how many companies are still out there. We drove by our old rental. Looked the same but maybe a little worse for wear. We thought we might go to Cabellas, but they have not opened yet. We took the long way home down Trent. Stopped at Albertson's.

Came home and played on the computer for awhile. Decided to go to Safeway and talk to the pharmacist. Hooray, Kellie the pharmacist found my benefits online and I was able to order all our prescriptions. I will pick them up tomorrow. She made it so easy.

Made hamburgers for dinner.

Mail Call: JC Penney's sent me a coupon for $15 for my birthday. I need new pillows so that will come in handy. My Diabetic Forecast magazine also came today. They featured one of the American Idol hopefuls on the front cover this month.

Looking forward to day 2 of my vacation.

Friday

2007-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

What a freaky Friday! They installed the new system on my computer Thursday night. I came in early so I would have plenty of time to log onto my computer the "new way". Except I kept getting an error message saying my computer failed to connect to the server. So with no system, I could not take calls. For 3 hours. Finally the IT guy, Dale, shows up and we find out it is not a software problem but a hardware issue. 45 minutes later when Holly finally shows up she asked if I would work at Guy's desk. Took just a few calls, before it was time for our team meeting. Another hour wasted.
After the meeting I finally could go back to my desk and took calls until end of shift.

The start of my vacation begins! M took me Olive Garden for lunch. We still had the gift card he won when he worked at Travelers. So lunch was free! The best kind. I had the never ending pasta bowl with salad and breadsticks and M had the never ending soup with same. It was such a nice relaxing lunch. Our server, Kathy, took very good care of us, and the food was excellent. Olive Garden's website has alot of their recipes listed. I plan on making a couple of their soups this fall and winter.

It rained off and on today and it was definitely colder. Medco called M when we got back from lunch to set up a 3rd interview for Tuesday.

Tomorrow we plan on exploring our little world. Coffee at a new place first and then off to see what we can see. And take pictures! I do have to exchange M's pants (they are way too big in the legs) for a nice dress long sleeved shirt. I also need to go by the pharmacy and get some supplies. Other than that it will be fun.

Friday's Questions:

1. What is your best time of day?
Early in the morning

2. What is the one entree you cannot resist to order at an Italian restaurant?
Chicken Marsalla

3. If you were an ice cream flavor what flavor would you be?
Rocky Road

Thursday

2007-09-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Saoirse
My Favorite All Time Television Shows

1. Seinfeld
2. Ally Mcbeal
3. Big Brother
4. Big Love
5. Sopranos
6. Northern Exposure
7. Hill Street Blues
8. West Wing
9. Hells Kitchen/Top Chef/Food Network Star
10. Oprah
11. Saving Grace
12. LA Ink
13. House Hunters

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One more day before vacation. I am so excited about having the whole week off. We don't really have anything planned yet, but it will be nice not to have to be there for a week.

I called Celine in benefits. I got her voicemail which was full and could not leave a message. Laura in HR gave me the group # and the web site address, but no where on the site does it tell me my effective date. I will try again tomorrow. Very frustrating.

We made meatloaf sandwiches for dinner.

TV Watching: We watched the second to the last episode of Top Chef. Goodbye Brian. He was cute, but hyper. My gal Casey is going for the win. I like Dale too. Hung I could take or leave. He's too arrogant. Next show is the finale in Aspen where they will crown the Top Chef.

Wednesday

2007-09-27T02:45:00.001-07:00

I woke up an earlier than I normally do. I guess because last night I was so tired we went to bed so early.

It was hard coming back to work after such a great day off the day before. It was moderately busy. Lori came by and brought me 2 jalapeno poppers. They were so good. I need to make those real soon. I think I will add that recipe to my personal cookbook I'm compiling.

When I got home I made meatloaf for dinner.

TV Watching: I finished waching the end of Kitchen Nightmares. Gordon Ramsey saves the day once again. I watched a new show called Reaper. It was pretty funny. It is about a kid that his parents sold his soul to the devil when he became 21. Now he must be a bounty hunter for the devil. His sidekick cracks me up.

Thursday looks like the last semi warm day for awhile. It will be around 75 degrees and then Friday it is only going to be in the 50's with rain. Good sweater wearing weather. Most of my vacation is going to be on the cool side. Time to pull out the crockpot cookbooks. It is starting to get dark earlier too. I love fall.

Tuesday

2007-09-25T18:38:00.001-07:00

We dropped Lady off a little after 7 am for her surgery. From there we stopped for coffee at Victoria's. I had their special meximocha. Very hot and very yummy. Then off to Roger's to get my tooth fixed. I left my teeth and drove to Gordon's so M could finish helping him with his computer issues. While he was doing that I went and gased up Jiffy at Safeway. Only got a 10 cent discount this time.

This afternoon M went to some manditory orientation at the unemployment office. I went to Walmart. Got some dogfood. I also picked up some little pumpkins to decorate the house with. I also picked up a bag of white and pink daffodil bulbs and a variety of pink tulip bulbs. We will be planting them the week I am off from work.

Finally it was time to go and pick up lady at the vet's. She made it through the surgery like the lil trooper that she is. She came out wagging her tail saying "Let's go home Mom. I'm tired of this place." You bet, Ol' dog, let's go home. I am so relieved that she is going to be okay.

I made hamburgers and homemade potato chips for dinner.

TV Watching: I watched the end of 1 vs 100. The guy lost $96,000 to the smart kids. I also watched Kitchen Nightmares with Chef Ramsey from Hell's Kitchen. This is a show where he has a week to turn around a failing restaurant. I watched the english version on the BBC network. He is as nasty and mean on this show as he is on Hell's Kitchen. Love it!

Testing and Weight: I haven't tested because I ran out of supplies. I will need to call the benefits girl who emailed me and get the group # so I can go and refill my script. Weight was at 13.

It was so nice being off today, but, it's back to work for the next 3 days, Then it will be VACATION time!! A whole week - I bet that will zip by.

Monday

2007-09-24T18:45:00.001-07:00

I got some things accomplished this morning. I took the Premera HIPPA letter down to HR and had Laura fax it to the benefits person. With that done we should be able to start using our benefits. Good thing because M needs to refill his prescriptions and I need to refill my diabetic supplies. I also called Peggy to make an appointment tomorrow to get my tooth fixed. I went and asked Jim if I could have tomorrow off as a vacation day. He okay'd it. I finally mailed all the post cards I had filled out and were sitting in my purse.

When I got home I found that Lady's swelling has turned worse and is now bleeding. So I called the vet (Garland Animal Clinic) and they said to bring her right down. M came home from his interview at Aspen and we took her to the doc's. Found that she has an abscessed tooth that will need to come out. So tomorrow morning we need to bring her back to have that done. They have put her on 2 different medications which she started tonight.

On our way home from the vet's we stopped at Zipps and brought home dinner. I got the fish.

TV Watching: I watched Rock of Love. It was a show made up of unseen clips from the past shows. I guess the finale will be next week. I also watched 1 vs 100. I didn't get to see the end and know if the guy beat all the smart kids. Pretty soon all the new fall shows will be starting. I am taping Kville tonight. That looks promising. Also going to record The Big Bang Theory. It might turn out to be dumb, but, lets give it a chance.

Tomorrow is going to be busy day.

Sunday

2007-09-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

It was a nice Sunday. I didn't go anywhere all day. Just hung around home all day. Our friend and old neighbor from where we used to live, came by for a visit. It is always nice seeing Gordon. He looked good today. Gordon is 84 and still gets around great and he also still mows his own lawn. M went over to his house this afternoon to help him with his internet connection.

I caught up on the laundry. I made an apple crisp. I also watched the movie Sisters of the Traveling Pants. What a cute movie, I bet it was even a better book. I made a pork chop dinner tonight.

My dog Lady has not been feeling well the last few days. She banged her cheek on something and it has been swollen. She likes to use her face to move the fence board between the two houses and we are thinking it might have fell back and hit her in the face. Seems to be getting better today. She has been coughing more lately. We may need to take her to the vet. I hate that she is getting old. We have had Lady for quite a few years now. She was thrown out of a car along side Loon Lake where my in-laws have a cabin. She was pregnant and was just a puppy herself. She fell into the lake and Chris and their neighbor at the time, Jim, rescued her. Jim kept her while she had her puppies and he found homes for them. When he decided he did not want to keep her I jumped at the chance for her to come and spend her life with us. It was challenging that first year. It took alot of love to bring her out of her shell because she had been abused so bad. But you sure wouldn't know that now. She is very special and we adore her.

I chipped the enamel on my front tooth. I will need to go to Peerless and get it fixed. Hope they can get me in tomorrow. I also need to remember to give Celina a ride to work tomorrow morning.

It rained a little bit tonight. Our lawn said thank you. Tomorrow is going to be another beautiful fall day.

Saturday - M's Birthday

2007-09-22T20:25:00.001-07:00

Today is M's birthday. He hit the big 60. Nothing major planned except for dinner tonight. We started the day off taking the dogs to the groomer. The owner of the shop, who we both do not care for, is gone for a couple of weeks because she is having surgery. It was nice that I could talk to Karen without the owner there commenting on everything we talk about. And she thinks she knows it all. Karen says she tends to runs off most of the customers. So I think Karen is enjoying her not being there also.

From there we tried the coffee stand across the street, Nevada Brew Street. I had a sugar free Mounds Mocha. We drove over to our favorite part of town, Corbin Park to see if any of trees are starting to turn. Just a few are barely showing signs of color. Give it about 2 weeks and they will be ablaze with color. From there we drove out to where Keytronics is and turned around and came back via Bigelow Gulch. It was such a lovely fall day. When we got back into town we went to Office Depot. They were having a $1.00 sale. I got alot of little stuff and I bought the game Bejeweled 2. I love this game. They did not have the ink cartridge M needed for his printer so we ventured on to Staples. He found the ones he was looking for there. By then the dogs were ready to pick up.

We went next door and had homemade beef vegetable soup at M's mom's house. Came back and watched the movie Waterboy on Stars. Spent most of the afternoon watching that and playing Bejeweled.

We went to Rancho Chico for M's birthday with the folks. It is always good there. He was a good sport when lil' Jose plunked the sombrero on his head and all the staff sang Happy Birthday in Spanish and then in English. I'm taking the picture to work to add to my desk collection of pictures. The picture below is not Rancho Chico, but I love all the wall colors and the pretty table cloths.

I am very full now and I think we are both done for the night.

Friday

2007-09-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Another week finished. It was very foggy this morning. The fog didn't burn off until around 11:00.

After work I went and bought M's birthday gift. I was very practical this year. I bought him a pair of relaxed jeans and 2 nice belts. From there I went to the bank and deposited M's check and then to Safeway and bought the week's groceries.

M went for an interview at Office Team this afternoon.

Test and Weight: Test was still a little higher than I like. Weight was at 12.

Mail Call: The letter came from premera so I can finish getting benefits through Guardian.

TV Watching: While M was gone at his interview I watched Top Chef. I think the next show will be the finale. My girl Casey is still in it and doing great.

Friday's 3 Questions:

1. What was your most memorable birthday gift?
*** A pair of dress up shoes with sparkly heels (I was about 6 or 7 years old)

2. Bath or Shower?
*** Shower - Very hot and with as much spray as I can get (I also like 2 or 3 kinds of shampoo at the ready)

3. Favorite Pizza topping?
*** Anchovies

I made breakfast for dinner. I think it will be an early evening. I'm ready for a fun weekend.

Thursday

2007-09-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

I stopped at Walgreens on my way to work and bought the October issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. I love her Halloween issues. Browsing through the pages today I see where she has a special issue out about just Halloween. I will need to go to Borders and pick up a copy.

I saw my boss as I was leaving. Hardly ever see her anymore. We work such different hours and she is always in meetings. She is a good boss and I like her alot.

It was raining when I left work today. It was actually chilly too. Stayed in the 50 degree range all afternoon. I nice damp almost Fall day. When I got home I made chili mac for dinner. It is one of our favorite comfort foods. It is a mixture of mac n cheese, fried up hamburger meat, onion and tomato soup. It's very filling, which is good when you are eating one meal a day.

Testing and Weight: Testing was just a tad high this morning but weight was down to 11.

TV Watching: We watched the finale of Saving Grace. I think I will buy season one when it comes out on DVD. Survivor China starts tonight. I will have to record it. No way can I stay up that late.

I am starting this new thing called Thursday 13:

Thirteen Things about Saoirse

Things I love about Fall!
1. Cooler Weather
2. Pumpkins
3. Apples
4. Seeing all the trees leaves turn color
5. Wearing all my beautiful sweaters
6. New fall tv shows
7. Taking the air conditioners down and being able to open up the windows and let in the nice fresh air
8. Local Harvest Festivals
9. Spokane's Annual Fall Quilt Festival
10. My annual vacation from work
11. Crockpot meals
12. Watching the Canadian geese return
13. Mum flowers blooming in local gardens
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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Wednesday - Talk Like A Pirate Day

2007-09-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Jim was running around work talking like a pirate all day. I finally had to tell him he is way too conservative and way too republican to ever be a pirate, but I admired his attitude. I worked 1 hour overtime today. One more hour to go this week to fulfill the promise of 3 hours. Long way from the 8 I had planned.

When I got home M had done the dishes. Such luxury! I made tacos for dinner.

Testing and Weight: Test this morning was normal and weight was back down to 13.

TV Watching: I watched the Big Brother finale and watched Dick win it all. We watched Oprah because Reba was on it. She looks so great at 52! Watched the second to the last episode of Saving Grace. I'm hoping they renew the series. It is so great. But it seems if I really like a show it either gets cancelled or non-renewed.

I didn't make it to Best Buy like I had planned. Maybe tomorrow. M has changed his mind about going out for dinner for his birthday. He would rather do I steak dinner here at home. I said whatever he wants to do is fine with me.

We did make a plan to make our backyard into a bird feeding sanctuary this winter. I'm going to put up feeders and shelters everywhere for the little birds. Need to keep my eye open for sales on all that stuff.

Since it is Talk Like a Pirate Day.... (I will always think of the people who invented this special day when they were on that show Wife Swap) my favorite pirate song is by my favorite pirate Jimmy Buffett:

Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
You've seen it all, you've seen it all

Watched the men who rode you switch from sails to steam
And in your belly you hold the treasures few have ever seen
Most of 'em dream, most of 'em dream

Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too late
The cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder
I'm an over-forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late

I've done a bit of smugglin', I've run my share of grass
I made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast
Never meant to last, never meant to last

And I have been drunk now for over two weeks
I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks
But I got stop wishin', got to go fishin'
Down to rock bottom again
Just a few friends, just a few friends

.................
Pirate Looks at Forty, by Jimmy Buffett

ps: C&R &JTD - M wants to know more about the hot spot and do you really know Dean and Theresa?

Tuesday

2007-09-18T19:12:00.001-07:00

Today at work was so much better than yesterday. No bad calls today. I guess I filled my quota of terrible calls yesterday. I was really going to work overtime today, but, I didn't. You know, when they asked me in the interview what my weakness was I said "I hate working overtime". They said "No problem, we don't work overtime" Yeah right. I will need to work 2 more OT hours this week to fulfill my commitment. I talked to my friend Joanna and she agreed to meet with M's friend Jim. Will need to set something up.

Driving home today it was actually 54 degrees. Hello Fall. Welcome back! Soon the trees will be turning color. I am so looking forward to my vacation coming up on October 1st.

We made hot meatloaf sandwiches with the leftovers from last night.

TV Watching: I watched the second to the last episode of Rock of Love. He finally kicked out Lacey. Her dad was her undoing. I'm hoping he will pick Jess. Tonight is the finale of Big Brother. I already know that Dick wins, but, I might stay up and watch it. It is amazing that Dick actually won it. I would have never guessed that from that first show that he would outlast all those other people. Hope he enjoys his trip around the world.

DK called tonight. He is all hot to move to New Orleans. He is so much like me. He has gypsy feet and wanderlust in his soul. Of course I would be bored in Chico and looking for escape too. Too dang hot there for me.

Tomorrow after work I need to stop at Best Buy and get M's birthday gift. Also need to stop somewhere and buy him a belt. The one he has been wearing is past being worn out. The new reversible one we had bought him was stolen in the burglary. I'm planning on making him a pineapple upside down cake for his special day. We are still planning on going to Rancho Chico for dinner. Still trying to decide if we are going Friday or Saturday night.

That is about all for today.

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain so yellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a young and a callow fellow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow--follow, oh-oh
- Try to Remember, Lyrics by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

Monday

2007-09-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

This was the Monday from hell. It started out okay but progressively got worse as the day went by. It seemed like every call was long and involved, or the callers would be so scattered that you had to explain something over and over. I only worked 1 hour overtime. That was all I could take. Maybe I will try for 2 hours tomorrow. Charisma quit today, like we all knew she would. We all knew she took the job so she could have benefits to have the baby with. It's sad because she kept someone who might have really wanted the job from getting it.

M has a second interview at Keytronics tomorrow. When I got home he already had the meatloaf that I made last night in the oven. We had that and baked potatoes for dinner.

Testing & Weight: Testing in the normal range. Weight was at 12 most of the weekend but when I weighed this morning it was 15.

Mail Call: Bills and bills. Never seems to be an end to those.

TV Watching: We watched Oprah because Dr. Oz was on today. We need more fiber and more fruits and vegetables in our daily diet.

I'm pretty tired to tonight so it looks like it will be an early evening.

Sunday

2007-09-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

A touch of fall in the air today. Love it. I made apple spice pancakes with bacon for breakfast this morning. We lounged around most of the morning. I went to Kmart, but, didn't find what they had adveritised on sale. Then I went to Michael's and bought the shadowbox for the bathroom project. It was 40% off. I then went to Walmart and bought some household stuff we needed. I also bought the computer game Jewel Quest.

Really didn't do much all day. I watched an episode of Saving Grace. Only 2 more episodes left till the end of its season.

We had a nice steak dinner. After I cleaned the kitchen I played on the computer and watched what M was watching on tv off and on. Paid bills. And now I'm ready for the brutal week ahead of me.

Saturday

2007-09-15T20:53:00.001-07:00

Woke up early as usual. I got quite a bit accomplished. Kitchen all cleaned, 3 loads of laundry and shower taken. We decided to go out to breakfast. We went to a small cafe in the Hillyard called Ma Barker's. It's a small family owned cafe. We had never been there before. It was somewhat dissapointing. It was clean enough but back in the kitchen the cook was pounding on something that made me unintentionally irratated. But they did have the Jeff Foxworthy radio show on which was fun to listen to. We both ordered the chicken fried steak breakfast. It was okay, but, we both agreed we have had better other places. The waitress was nice. After breakfast we browsed through the antique store next door to the restaurant.

We left the Hillyard and headed south this time. We drove out Hwy 95 to Rockford. It was such a beautiful day. The leaves have not started to turn yet. We passed an elk farm. I took pictures that I hope will turn out. We then drove a back road around Lake Coeur d'Alene. Took the long way home through Post Falls. Stopped at The Trading Stores and bought steaks from the meat counter. Since we were in Idaho I bought a Powerball ticket. I'm always hopeful.

When we got home we treated ourselves to chips and pico de gallo and iced tea. We watched an episode of LA Ink and Feasting on Asphalt. By then I was so tired I decided to take a nap. Such luxury! I slept till M woke me up at 7:00. I must have been really tired.

The folks invited us over for BBQ crab legs and salad. Just a perfect night under the waxing moon to eat outside and share stories and laughs.

I guess after taking that nice nap I can stay up late tonight. We are listening to my new Michael Buble cd. Such good music.

I found this fun questionnaire on another blog. If you play, please link back to me and leave me a comment letting me know you played, so I can come visit!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)

Rex Optima

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

Rocky Road Macaroon

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)

Lfos

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)

Brown Shihtzu

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Saoirse Ft Wayne

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)

Fos-Li

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)

The Green Tom Collins

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)

King Carper

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy),

Maja Rocky Road

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),

Jane Donald

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),

Latrelle Lincoln

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)

Autumn Hollyhock

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)

Melon Paisley

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),

Ma Barker Aspen

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),

The Collage Tornado Tour

Hope you had fun!

Friday

2007-09-14T20:27:00.001-07:00

As always I am so happy it is Friday and I can start the weekend. Monday I will start working overtime everyday. We do need the money and I got clarification. It is not manditory and you can work as much or as little as you want. I am going to try about 2 hours a day. At least till it kills me. Kendra finally quit today. She might as well she never came to work. Another one gone and more calls for us to take. We had our team meeting today. We watched a video townhall meeting presented by 3 of our bigwigs who thanked us for helping the company make a 45 million dollar profit. Your welcome. Lori came down on her break and we are both happy Dick and Danielle are the final 2 on Big Brother. I told her to keep an eye out for an opening down in her department.

When I got home I made tacos. I have a goal now not to eat anything after 5:30. My new saying is the kitchen of the Spotted Moose Cafe (the name of the restaurant I always wanted to open) closes at 5:30.

Testing & Weight: Testing normal and I didn't weigh today.

Mail Call: yourmusic.com sent me my pick of the month. This month I got Michael Buble's self titled cd. I had a burned copy but I think it got stolen in the burglary. They stole so many, around 300 cd's, that I don't know which ones I have and ones that are gone. I haven't been able to find this one so I put it on the top of my list to replace it. I also received Office Scapes Direct catalog filled with silk flowers, plants and trees, a $10 off certificate from JC Penney's next time I use my card and a subscription offer from McCalls Quilting Magazine.

TV Watching: I watched Oprah today because one of my favorite designers, Vera Wang, was on the show. In the 70's I used to buy her scarves. She also spotlighted a must see movie called Across the Universe, a musical with nothing but Beatles music! The previews looked fantastic. I will definitely go and see this and buy it when released on DVD.

We also watched an episode of Top Chef. Goodbye CJ. Hated to see him go, but, my favorite, Casey, won on this episode.

Friday's 3 Questions:
1.) What was your favorite vacation?

2.) Have you ever made a sand castle?

3.) What musical would you watch over and over?

Not much planned for this weekend. The weather is going to be perfect now that it is at the end of summer and the beginning of fall peeking around the bend. Won't be long before it is apple season up here in the northwest.

Thursday

2007-09-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

We got an email today that they would like us to "dedicate" 3 hours of overtime a week starting next week. What in the hell does "dedicate" mean. Are they afraid to say manditory? I am not looking forward to 3 more hours tacked onto an already dreadfully long week as it is. They also sent an email saying they are revising the holiday schedule that they just sent out 2 days ago. They took away in 2008 our days off for Martin Luther King's Birthday and President's Day and are replacing them with 2 floating holidays. Okay then, I will take St Patrick's Day and Halloween. Isn't corporate life wonderful?

After work I stopped at Fred Meyers for a few things. M went to his 2nd interview at Medco. After his interview he went down to the shop and helped out. He got a call from Keytronics for an interview tomorrow morning and an interview with Office Team for tomorrow afternoon. I spent the afternoon cleaning the kitchen, looking for M's DD214 form, playing jewel quest and watching tv. I did call Living Water and cancelled their service.

Testing & Weight: Testing was low when I got home. Weight is still at 14. I think it went up for the couple of days I didn't weigh.

Mail Call: Just bills.

TV Watching: I watched an episode of Simply Delicioso. It is becoming my favorite Food Network show. I also watched Oprah. The show was about OJ's book. I still say he did it! I won't buy or read the book. I'm still surprised he is still walking around.

That's all for today...I guess we should enjoy these last few days of summer. Fall is heading here soon and then it will be winter.

Wednesday

2007-09-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

I have to remind my self that one bad call with an ego maniac idiot does not make a bad day. After that call the rest of the day went pretty smoothly.

I stopped at the post office on my way home and mailed an application for M and bought some stamps. When I got home we had some of the left over Texas Hash. And yes, it was so much better than yesterday. It had time to meld all the flavors together. I took a bowl over to M's mom so she wouldn't have to make dinner.

Testing & Weight: Testing was normal in the morning but a little high this afternoon. I did eat a small bag of white cheddar cheezits. Less than 1 gram of sugar, but, I guess that pushed the ol' sugar up to 138. I didn't weigh today.

TV Watching: Watched the latest episode of Big Brother. Its coming down to the end soon. I'm still not sure who is going to be the final 2. I also watched Oprah. She had the gal from Selmer, TN, who shot her minister husband, on the show for an interview. My inlaws (M's dad and his wife Virgina, who works as a professional psychic) used to live in Selmer. We also lived there for a short time. So this case spiked my interest from the get go. After hearing more of her story I guess her husband was one of those religious wacko perverts who behind doors was a monster but presented a hypocritical squeaky clean family man minister for his congregation. Was justice served? Yes, he's in the ground. I think she should get her kids back and go on and live their lives in peace and happiness.

My memories of Selmer include the friendly people, pit barbeque, the loss of my loved Westie Tooter, all you can eat catfish fiddlers at the Dixie Cafe, the blue laws, the corrupt cops, the civil war cementary out behind our house where the "twins" were laid to rest, shooting guns on New Years Eve, M's daddy shooting his gun as a doorbell at our house in the woods and especially Virginia, who I loved most of all.

Mail Call: Today the mailman delivered one of my favorite catalogs, Collections Etc (Absolutely Nothin' over $20). I also got this month's Country Living Magazine and by mistake a copy of Bon Appetit magazine. I had entered a contest on HGTV's site and the next day I get an email thanking me for subscribing to their magazine. I sent an email saying this was a mistake and they sent an email back saying they would cancel the order and for me not to worry. I'm not worried yet, but if I get another copy I may start to worry.

M was called back for a second interview for tomorrow. I will need to iron a nice blue shirt for him to wear. Looks like I drive the truck tomorrow.

Tuesday

2007-09-11T18:56:00.001-07:00

Another uneventful day at work. We sure have alot of people off. Either on disability or out sick, which makes it really busy. I guess they are hiring a new class, but they won't hit the floor until 2 more months.

After work I went to Safeway. Needed dog food and some other things. I made Texas Hash for dinner. Enough to last a few days. It was so good but way too filling.

Testing & Weight: Only tested this morning and it was normal. Weight remained at 14.

Mail Call: It was book bonanza day! I received 2 books from members of Paperback Swap. They sent me The Pampered Chef Main Dishes by Doris Christopher and Stamp Magic by Stewart & Sally Walton. I also received my Zooba selection of the month: Not In Kansas Anymore, A Curious Tale of How Magic Is Transforming America by Christine Wicker.

It got pretty warm today. High was 85 degrees. What happened to that taste of fall? It will be back in a few days they say.I am burned out this evening. I'm ready to call it an early evening and just read before going to sleep.

Monday

2007-09-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

The day at work was uneventful. It was very busy and the day flew by. I did get confirmation that our benefits department received my health insurance paperwork and I need to get one form to them. The effective date is 09/01/07 so we won't have a lapse in coverage.

Came home and made BLT's for lunch. Visited with Carol and Roger. They are leaving tomorrow. Have a safe journey and we will see you next time.

Testing & Weight: Testing was low this morning and really low this afternoon. It was down to 84. Weight has eased down to 14. Hope it keeps following that trend.

Mail Call: I got my issue of Home Companion Magazine. This month had some cute ways to decorate the porch for halloween. Also got 2 bills and lots of catalogs.

TV Watching: I watched this week's episode of Rock of Love. He needs to kick Lacey to the curb. If he doesn't pick Jess, he's an idiot. I also watched the season premier of Oprah. It's going to be another great season. David Letterman was on her show. I used to love watching his show late at night. Back when he would hang out the window of his building and just talk to people and when he spotlighted Stupid Pet Tricks. I still want to buy his mom's cookbook. Lots of good ol' Indiana recipes.

M took me for a smoothie. I used my coupon from the entertainment book at Cold Stone. I had the Lemony Berry flavor. Enjoyed the ride home because the weather is just perfect.

Sunday

2007-09-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

It was so beautiful today, we just had to get out and enjoy some of it. Took a nice drive up around a recreational area by the river called Riverside State Park, also know as Bowl & Pitcher. It was the first time I have seen this area. It was so pretty. The campground was full. We stopped for lunch at McDonalds on Market. Had a coupon for free food. Then drove by our favorite park, Corbin Park. The trees are always so pretty. We then drove out to see if we could find the place M has an interview, never could find the company. We did see some trees that had started to turn color. A definite sign that fall is around the corner.

We got home just when Carol and Roger were arriving from the lake. They are heading back home to California from a summer spent in Alaska. Thank you again for the really nice gifts and for the fish.

Testing & Weight: Testing was normal but how did my weight sneak up to 15?

TV Watching: Watched Guy's Big Bite. It was not my favorite episode. It was an Asian themed show featuring dungeonous crab and noodle salad.

I made baked chicken legs that were coated with butter, garlic, parmesean cheese and mashed potato flakes. I thought it was good but M did not care for it. He doesn't really care for baked chicken.

Did some searching on the net and found a few sources for the miniature canoe for my shadow box project and also looked for clip art of koi fish for the wall hanging project for the bedroom downstairs. But now I'm ready to call it a night because 3:00 AM comes so darn early.

It is no longer good enough to Cry Peace,
We must Act peace, Live peace and Live In Peace.
-Shenandoah

Saturday

2007-09-09T07:03:00.001-07:00

It felt so good to sleep in. We took the dogs to the groomer. After we left there we went and bought coffee from Milliways. I had a sugar free cinnamon mocha breve. From there we drove up to South Hill. Stopped at McDonalds and had breakfast. I went to Joann's Fabrics. I bought some green gingham fabric for my bear/shadow box project and some Halloween fabric which I want to make felt backed pins. On our way back down the hill we stopped at the $1.00 store. It is fun to see all the Halloween stuff in the stores. Karen called while we were shopping and said the pups were ready. After we picked them up we came home for a nice relaxing day.

For dinner I went and bought a Papa Murphy's pizza. We watched the NASCAR race. I was hoping Tony Stewart would win, or even Dale Jr. But that was not to be. I hate the "Chase". I think all the drivers should have a shot at winning the championship. I secretly wish that from here on out till the end of the season a driver not in the chase will win each and every race!

We ended the night looking up at stars as we soaked in warm bubbles of the hot tub.

Friday

2007-09-08T05:32:00.001-07:00

I am really looking forward to this weekend. The weather is going to be much cooler and I am feeling much more alive. I am going to make a commitment to start excercising everyday again. And also start using my gym membership again, especially now that school has started back up and it is not overrun by kids.

After work I went to the bank and deposited the on line bank check that was returned. I love my credit union, STCU. They are the best. They made what I thought was going to be a nightmare so easy. When I got home I called Robin at the downtown branch and asked for a lower interest rate on my car loan. She did it. Not as low as I had hoped, but a little saved is better than none. When I was talking to her on the phone I noticed that their website has a classified page. I might list some things I have for sale there.

In passing: The marquee sign outside Marci's Bail Bonds:
"Get to marci's, before your cell mate gets to you"

Testing & Weight: Testing was low but weight went up to 13. Damn free lunch! Definitely need to excercise.

TV Watching: I watched an episode of LA Ink. We were both glad Kat decided not to get the fake boobs. Her show is so much better than Miami Ink which we no longer watch because he fired Kat. I was watching Oprah the other day ago and it was about how getting older is great and she spotlighted the Dove Ad campaign where they are usuing average normal women in their ads. Love that. I need to send them a letter letting them know I think they are on the right track and I intend to buy their products from now on.

Friday's 3 Questions:
1. Who was your worst boss ever?
2. What is your favorite fruit?
3. If you were a bird, what bird would you be?

When I got home we made sausage and peppers. It is so fun when we cook together. And it was so good. After dinner I played on my computer til I couldn't see anymore and went to bed early.

"Use the talents you possess for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best." Unknown

Thursday

2007-09-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

The day went by pretty fast. I had my one on one with Holly. I scored mostly 100%'s except for 2 HIPPA boo boos. Will I ever get that right? It's doubtful. After that I went to the Employee Appreciation Luncheon with Celina. They had quite a buffet set up in the lunch room. Huge bowls of perfectly made Ceasar salad, 3 kinds of bread, 4 or 5 kinds of pasta, every drink you could imagine including Italian sodas and for dessert they had a portable freezer full of little cartons of Dibs ice cream bites. All the bad things a diabetic shouldn't eat. I will definitely need to exercise and be good for the next few days. Because I took a half hour lunch I was suppose to leave at 1:30 instead of my usual 1:15. But without even thinking out of habit I left at 1:15. Looks like tomorrow I skip lunch to make up the time.

When I got home I cleaned the downstairs and the kitchen. The Banner Fuel tech came by to service the furnace. We are all set for winter.

TV Watching: I watched an episode of Saving Grace. I love that series. I also watched the movie 40 Year Old Virgin. Everyone was saying how good it was and they were right. It was hilarious.

Chris came by on his way back to the lake. The weather is beyond wonderful. This weekend is going to be bitchin for sure.

Wednesday

2007-09-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

Ascension

And if I go
while you're still here...
Know that I live on
vibrating to a different measure
behind a thin veil you cannot see through
You will not see me
so you must have faith
I wait for the time when we can soar together again
both aware of each other
Until then live your life to its fullest
And when you need me
Just whisper my name in your heart
...I will be there.

Colleen Hitchcock

I thought this poem would go with the picture I picked for today. I made it through Hump Day Wednesday. Nothing exciting went on at work. I did get an email from my supervisor that tomorrow is my one on one. It is only scheduled for 15 minutes, so I figure there isn't much she wants to talk about. But we will see. Tomorrow is also our Employee Appreciation Luncheon. I did fill out the medical insurance paperwork and turned it into Laura in HR.

Testing & Weight:Testing was normal for both tests. Weight has ping pong back to 11.

Mail Call: It was mail order catalog bonanza today. I received 4 or 5 catalogs. Something to browse through during the slow times at work.

TV Watching: Caught up on the Big Brother espisodes.

I made tacos for dinner tonight. I stopped at our Mexican deli Deleon's and picked up fresh made tortillas and 4 kinds of salsa. Even their guacamole is spicy. M has an interview tomorrow morning in Liberty Lake, so I will driving the truck tomorrow. Not much else going on here at Casa Foster.

"We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse."

Tuesday

2007-09-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Back to work Tuesday. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. Thank goodness. Kim, who is on my team, came by and gave me an invitation to her candle party. The day went by pretty quickly.

When I got home M had already heated up the leftovers and we had chili verde burritos. It had time for all the flavors to meld together so it tasted so much more yummier.

Testing & Weight: Testing was normal for both tests. M updated my spreadsheet for September. Weight was still at 12.

Mail Call: I got my first issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. I love collage and this magazine is full of wonderful ideas for new projects. The Fashion Bug bill also came.

TV Watching: We watched the latest episode of Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt. I would love to take the same trip up the Mississippi River and just stop where and whenever I felt like it.

The rest of the evening we just played games on our computers. The weather has cooled off and fall is just around the corner. It will be in the 70's for the rest of the week. So nice!

I found this writing when I was going through my old files:

No one will ever get out of this world alive. Resolve
therefore to maintain a resonable sense of values.

Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone's
major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible.

Resolve to be cheerful & helpful. People will repay you in kind.

Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful.

Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.

Resolve to listen more & talk less. No one ever
learns anything by talking.

Be chary of giving advise. Wise men don't need it &
fools won't heed it.

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with
the aged, sympathetic with the striving & tolerant of the
weak & the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all
of these.

Do not equate money with success. There are many successful
moneymakers who are miserable failures as human beings.
What counts most about success is how a person achieves it.

Peace

Monday - Happy Labor Day

2007-09-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a nice, quiet and relaxing day. Did not go anywhere or do much of anything.

I played on my computer, watched tv and enjoyed the calmness of being home. I love 3 day weekends. I made chili verde for dinner. We have enough to have leftovers for tomorrow.

TV Watching: We watched several programs I had recorded on the upstairs DVR. LA Ink, the 2nd episode and NASCAR Primetime.

For a day which I did almost nothing, I cannot stop yawning. I'm heading for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a hellish busy day.

Sunday

2007-09-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

We both woke up and decided to go for coffee at Milliways. To our suprise our favorite barista, Lori, who quit some time back has returned. Only on Sundays and Mondays. But it was great seeing her and my sugar-free mocha was perfect. From there we went to McDonalds and got M an egg mcmuffin and then to the car wash to get the bird poo washed off Jiffy. It was such a beautiful day we decided to take a drive. He asked what direction and I said East.

We headed east to Idaho, driving through Rathdrum, Silver Lake and Oldtown. Since we were in Idaho I bought a Powerball ticket when we stopped for gas. 29 million for the next drawing. When we got to Newport we turned back and drove down Hwy 2 back to Spokane. Stopped at the Humble Earth Farmers Market that was set up in front of the feed store. I bought some really pretty chili peppers to make pico de gallo this week.

We did accomplish cleaning out the office closet. Lots of my craft supplies was in there and all my files of stuff I have collected off the internet. Plus I found my family genology papers. I was so happy those were not lost.

This afternoon we ate dinner early. We BBQ'd steaks and had the usual trimmings. Watched tv and played Bookworm on my upstairs computer until Big Brother came on. After seeing Jessica and Jameka be put on the block I watched Rock of Love and watched Bret send Sam out the door. I cannot believe Lacey is still in this thing. She is downright evil.

It was a great day and I am so happy I do not have to go to work tomorrow. Seems funny to stay up so late on a Sunday night. It's 10:30 and usually I am long gone by this time.

Saturday

2007-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

M went to work with Chris all day today. I took the truck to the emissions place and the truck passed. Then I went and paid for this year's tabs.

Came home and did some laundry and cleaned house a little. Went to Safeway to get a few things. A very nice relaxing day.

Testing: My test was real low for me this morning. Down to 112. I forgot to weigh.

Mail Call: I got an offer for free tights. A Roaman's catalog and a Terry's Village catalog. I also got the EOB that McKenna's bill was paid. Bill from Ray and a bill from Banner Fuel.

TV Watching: I watched episodes of Psych and Wife Swap (the one with the Pirate family) Why do people put themselves through this?

I made baked chicken with a balsamic & honey glaze with scalloped potatoes and green beans for dinner. It is a beautiful night. We plan on soaking in the hot tub this evening under the stars.

Friday

2007-09-01T08:02:00.001-07:00

Work was surprisingly busy for a Friday before the holiday weekend. They are starting to let more people off on Fridays, so I guess that increases the call volume. Lori came by to say hi. It is always nice to see her. We caught up on some gossip from where we used to work. We had our team meeting. Only 3 of us, everyone else was off or on vacation.

When I left work I went over and registered Jiffy. Found out the truck needs to go through emissions before I can register it. Always something.

Came home and relaxed before heading out for M's goodbye party at O'Doherty's. The party was fun. I really enjoyed all of M's ex-co-workers. I know he will miss them tremendously. I really do hope he will keep in touch with them. Pig out in the Park (our city's Labor Day Weekend Festival) was in full swing last night and there were so many people downtown. It was a perfect night. Warm but with a nice breeze.

We came home happy and exhausted.

Testing & Weight: Test scores were normal and weight remained at 12.

Mail Call: Nothing fun.

TV Watching: I did squeeze in watching Thursday night's episode of Big Brother. Goodbye Wamber. I was sick of her all the time crying. Zach put up Jameka and Jessica. I hope Jameka goes next.

I will need to find how to fix all the things on this blog I broke on Thursday night. I'm hoping their help link will do the trick.

Thursday

2007-08-31T03:18:00.001-07:00

On Thursday when I was way too tired to be messing with my computer I screwed up my blog by uploading a gif that went wacko. So I am going to try a new post for Friday.

Wednesday

2007-08-29T20:33:00.001-07:00

Someone turned up the temperatures today, but, not too bad.

Vic fell and broke his hip and wrist early this morning. M went with Chris over to his house to try and help him get up. They called 911 and they came and back boarded him into the ambulance and took him to the hospital. I feel so bad for him. It will be a long and tedious recovery process for him.

M got off early and watched Angel while his Mom was at the hospital with the family.

When I came home I made dinner. Cube steaks, beans & fries. We really didn't do very much all afternoon. I didn't even watch any tv. We did watch some Youtube videos of Foster Brooks (if anyone remembers him) on the old Dean Martin tv show. So funny. I need to learn how I can post Youtube videos here on my blog. I would appreciate any advise on how to do that.

Testing & Weight: Both tests were low again. Hooray! Weight was at 12. Ugh!

Mail Call: Only 2 ads to toss.

TV Watching: Tonight I watched last night's Power of Ten because Amber and Danielle from Big Brother were on the show. Too bad Amber. I wish she could have won the big money. Speaking of Big Money, WA Mega Millions is up to $325 million. I'm definitely going to buy a couple of tickets.

Tonight I made a lemon cake with lemon frosting for Erik's potluck for tomorrow. It smells really good. I hope it tastes as good as it smells.

Tuesday

2007-08-28T20:42:00.001-07:00

Woke up and saw the moon eclipse. It was awesome. Watched it for as long as I could before heading off into work. Where I work is like a park all around our building with lots and lots of trees. This morning I heard an owl hooting.

I always like talking to the guard we have at our front desk every morning. He is an interesting guy. Today we were kind of skirting around the subject of religion. And he printed me a verse from a song by Edie Brickell who Paul Simon's wife. Now I want to get her cd.

I'm not aware of too many things,

but I know what i know if you know what I mean.

Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box,

Religion is the smile on a dog.

Choke me in the shallow water before I get too deep

What I am is what I am

Are you what your are - or what?

Philosophy is a walk on the slippery rocks.

Religion is a light in the fog

I'm not aware of too many things,

but I know what I knowif you know what I mean

Nothing much else exciting happened the rest of the day. Our team lead was off today, along with my pals Cynthia (vacation day) and Kendra (off sick).

Stopped at Safeway and picked up a few things before heading home. M got off early.

Testing & Weight: Testing was low both times today and weight is back to 11.

Mail Call: Just ads and junk mail - nothing of any value,

TV Watching: Watched Rock of Love. He kicked off the boring Mia. I wish it had been Lacy.

I made BLT's for dinner tonight. Played the computer game Bookworm. There's a life waster for sure, but fun. Till tomorrow, may all the republicans follow the footsteps of Idaho's Larry Craig. What a total idiot!

Monday

2007-08-27T17:59:00.001-07:00

A nice cool day here in the Northwest. I am loving this weather. It was even too cool to open the sun roof on my way to work this morning. I listened to my Danielle Peck cd to and from work. I forgot how good that one is. It stayed busy all day at work so time flew by.

Came straight home and cleaned the kitchen. I didn't return the office manager's call from McKenna's office. They have resubmitted the claim and I saw no use getting upset on such a nice day. I did call Rockwood Clinic and they said I would need to transfer all my records to Dr Didier, then next year when I am ready to make my yearly appointment they will have my records. I did call DK and left a voicemail on his cell letting him know I was thinking of him.

Testing & Weight: Again testing was normal for both tests. Weight was back up to 13. I enjoyed myself way too much this weekend. I really need to go back to going to the gym. I'm paying for it every month, so, I might as well get some use out of it.

Mail Call: I got a recent issue of Papercrafts magazine. Lots of cute Fall and Halloween ideas in this issue. I also got a Roamans catalog. I think I get one every two weeks along with the Lane Bryant catalog. Fashion Bug also sent me an updated premier credit card. I think they sent me one before and I accidently shredded it thinking it was the old card. I also got another cookbook offer from Taste of Home.

TV Watching: I watched Sunday night's episode of Big Brother. I wonder after Jessica gets out of the house if she will feel played by "America's Player" Eric. It will also be interesting when Jen gets to the sequester house. Won't Dustin be pleased? LOL That was the only thing I watched. I played music instead. Nanci Griffith Greatest Hits and Maeve (from Celtic Women). I was sorry to read where Hulk Hogan's boy was in that car wreck. I was happy to hear he was going to be okay.

I made fish and chips for dinner. Just could not face leftovers tonight. It's going to be an early evening for me.

Sunday

2007-08-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

The weather was perfect all day. It stayed on the cool side with a breeze all day.

I finally pulled my new crockpot out of the box. I came up with a new recipe.

Linda's Stoop

Place all ingredients in crockpot: Left over beef meat (cut in pieces), 1 large can diced tomatoes, 1 can of pinto beans, 1 can beef broth, 2 heaping Tbsps brown gravy mix, 7 splashes of hot sauce, 2 or 3 diced fresh chili peppers, 1 Tbsp minced onion, 3 cloves chopped fresh garlic and your favorite spicy spices. Cook on high until meat is tender. Add 3 Cups small shell macaroni and 1 Cup water. Cook until macaroni is cooked. It will be thick and very filling.

Worked on laundry all day. Even washed all the linens.

TV Watching: I watched quite a bit of tv today. I guess I made up for yesterday. I watched Top Chef, Saving Grace (the new Holly Hunter show) and the movie Rumor Has it with Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner. I also watched I Caught (a show about internet videos like utube) I am going to look up this thing they showed called Phroggin. It's where people break into your house and try to live in your house unnoticed while you are living there also. Weird!

Tonight was the season finale of Big Love. Just left me wanting more! I'm already looking forward to next season.

M went to the lake with Chris for the afternoon. When they got back the folks came over to share my new recipe I concocted. I cannot believe the weekend is almost over.

Saturday

2007-08-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

I slept in till 6:30. So decadent! We took both dogs to the groomer for their 8:00 appointment. My groomer, Karen, has moved to Classie Pets over on Nevada Street.

From there we went for a ride. Stopped for coffee at The Grand Finale on Trent. From there we drove out behind Felts Field. A mix of residential, commercial and country. It was such a nice day. A perfect temperature with a nice breeze all day.

When we got home Karen called to say the pups were ready. So off we went. I started to tell M about my goal of becomming an engraver. He thought it would be a terrific idea. We spent most of the day looking up engraving machines, pet id tags and also pet shampoos that can be custom labeled. Our first task is to name the company.

I also worked at cleaning the kitchen and house. M worked to get the bathroom to sparkle. I went to Safeway and got the few things we needed for dinner.

Invited the folks over for dinner. We barbequed boneless country style beef ribs. Along side we had french fries, corn on the cob and garlic bread. I also made a Marion Blackberry cobbler for dessert. Made with splenda of course. Everything turned out great and I didn't even burn the bread.

Testing & Weight: Only tested this morning and it was normal. My weight was at 10.

Mail Call: We got the sad letter we had been anticipating. I also got this month's copy of Diabetes Forecast. The rest was junk mail which was tossed.

Can you believe I didn't watch tv all day? Listened to cd's instead. I did register 3 more books at Paperback Swap which earned me a credit so I could order a book. I ordered a book titled "Stamp Magic: Inspired Effects With the Easiest New Decorating Technique" by Stewart and Sally Walton. Pretty cool.

Its a full moon. Today we heard alot of sirens - now we know why. Full Moon Madness which will mean a perfect night to listen to the scanner. Stay safe out there.

Friday

2007-08-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

All I can say is Yeah its Friday!! Not too bad a day at work. Just a few bad attitude callers to put up with.

We anxiously waited all day for the call that did not come.

M got off early. We had the leftover pizza from last night for dinner. Just watched tv, played games on my computer and did some laundry.

Testing & Weight: Test was a little high this morning, maybe from all the cheese on the pizza we had last night and this afternoon it was just a smidge higher than the last few days. Tomorrow I walk on the treadmill first thing. That will bring the sugar levels down.

Mail Call: Two more catalogs today. The Celt Croft filled with all kinds of Celtic goodies, a bulb catalog from Roozen Gaarde. Bills from HP and Comp USA. I also got my first issue of Papercrafts Magazine. M got his Victory At Sea video he ordered off Ebay. A pretty fun mail day.

TV Watching: I watched Thursday night's episode of Big Brother and saw Jen finally get evicted. She is so weird. I'm glad she is finally gone. When M got home we watched the 2nd episode of LA Ink. Made me want to get a tattoo. This one girl got a peacock tattoo on one of her arms and it was totally awesome.

Not much planned for the weekend. We are in between paydays. So plan on getting some things done around the house and watch some of the movies I have recorded. The weather will be gorgeous. Dogs go to the groomer tomorrow. Maybe we will get some pictures of them to post here on the blog while they are clean and cute.

Thursday

2007-08-23T19:59:00.001-07:00

Just a normal day at work. The weather was a little warmer today, but still pleasant. I made home made pepperoni pizza for dinner tonight.

Testing & Weight: Same as the last couple of days - normal in the morning and then low when I get home. Weight was still at 10.

Mail Call: The fall catalog from Creative Irish Gifts and a home interiors catalog from 21 Mallory Lane came today and also the Target bill.

TV Watching: I watched Tuesday night's episode of Big Brother and an episode of Top Chef. I watched a little of Oprah. Her show was about happiness. Am I happy? I think I am. I'd be really happy if I won the lottery. It's funny how wealthy people always say money isn't important... but take that money away and I bet it would get real important in a hurry.

Not a very exciting day, but, tomorrow is Friday.

Wednesday

2007-08-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

M's 2nd interview went very well. We will know the results by Friday.

Went by on my break and said hi to Lori. We decided we are going to go and play Bingo some Friday night. Not sure when yet. I found out today my friend Cindy is leaving at the end of the month. I am so sad to see her go. She is one of the nicest people at work I know.

Went to Walmart after work. I needed dog food and teeth supplies. And alot more unnecessary stuff it seems. When I got home I got an overdue bill from my doctor. This is the bill that they submitted with the wrong insurance information. I called and they have submitted with the correct information from the card I had taken by their office.

Testing and Weight: Testing was in the normal range this morning and was low this afternoon. Weight is back down to 10.

Mail Call: Besides the bill from the Dr's office I also got a Coldwater Creek catalog and a cookbook offer from Taste of Home. I also got a book from Paperback Swap, Aleene's Craft Quickies.

We barbequed hamburgers tonight. Again we tried to eat outside because the weather is still so nice, but the yellow jackets ran us back inside. We have caught quite a few in our trap.

I am headed off to dreamland.

Tuesday

2007-08-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

It rained really hard last night. I hope that helps all the firefighters who are battling all the fires around Spokane and the state. It is still nice and cool today.

We got an email from the company inviting us to an Employee Appreciation Luncheon in early September. I went down to HR and talked with Laura and asked for our benefits information.

I enjoyed my ride home today because the weather was so nice. I had all the windows down and the sun roof open and Alison Krauss' cd Lonely Runs Both Ways cranked up. But with no where except home to head for the drive was sweet but short.

Testing & Weight: Both tests for morning and afternoon were low again. Nice! Weight on the other hand was at 12.

Mail Call: All junk mail which was promptly tossed.

TV Watching: I watched the most recent episode of Big Medicine.

When M got home we went to the mall looking for a shirt for him to wear to his 2nd interview tomorrow. We tried JC Penney and they only had long sleeved shirts. We then went to Sears and they did not have any dress shirts in his size. We left the mall and went to Casual Male and found the perfect blue, short sleeve, oxford cloth shirt to wear with his lucky tie.

When we got home I made breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs, country potatoes, sausage patties and biscuits. Totally full now. The rest of the evening I plan to play on my computer, maybe a little Blasterball, and pay a few bills.

Monday

2007-08-20T20:13:00.001-07:00

As always a busy Monday. Not much happened except call after call.

The weather is still nice and cool and rainy off and on. Love this weather! Maybe one more day of it, then it will start warming up.

When I got home I cleaned house and finished up 2 loads of laundry.

I made parmesian-lemon baked chicken with sweet potatoes and whole grain herbed rice for dinner. We watched tv most of the evening and now with tummies full we are headed for bed.

Testing and Weight: Both morning and afternoon tests were in the low range. Weight this morning was 11 and for grins this afternoon I weighed and it was at 10.

Mail Call: Lots of catalogs. I was happy to see the Terry's Village catalog filled with all the cute Halloween and fall stuff. A letter came from the WA Insurance Comissioner's office to see if I want to renew my license. I guess I am not going to renew. It's kind of sad because the license was so hard to get. I don't plan on working as a property casualty agent ever again, so no use spending the money to renew the license. Also received one more bill for the pile.

TV Watching: I watched another episode of Rock of Love and Big Brother. M and I watched the episodes of Alton Brown's Feasting On Asphalt. It is so fun to see the places we have traveled to before.

Last night I burned 2 more cd's of one of my favorite Irish singers, Cathie Ryan. Her self titled cd and Farthest Wave. I love her voice and all the songs are wonderful.

Sunday

2007-08-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

I slept in till 8:00 this morning. That is unusual for me. I made oatmeal for breakfast. I had put a pork roast in the oven earlier and the house smelled so good.

It rained off and on all day. The weather was nice and cool. Absolutely loved it.

Spent most of the day doing laundry, playing on the computer and watching tv. Just a nice relaxing day.

Testing & Weight: Tested this morning and it was lower than it has been in awhile, down to 114. That is low for a morning reading for me. Weight inched back up to 12.

TV Watching: Watched cooking shows and then watched the democratic presidential debate. I really wasn't too impressed with any of them. At this time I am leaning towards John Edwards, but I also liked Bill Richardson. I still keep hoping Evan Bayh will run, but I guess it almost too late now. The NASCAR race was rained out. We watched alot of the weather channel to see what was going on with Hurricane Dean. I also remembered to watch Big Love tonight. Next Sunday is the season finale. It's so good I hate to see the season end.

A very uneventful day - but nice. The weather is suppose to stay cool and rainy for tomorrow and then start to heat up over the week. I will enjoy it while it is here and look forward to its return. Fall is just around the corner.

Saturday

2007-08-18T20:55:00.001-07:00

I got up and took my shower and had my bowl of Cheerios. We took the truck to Alton's on Holland to have the brakes and other things fixed on the truck. Might as well get it done while we have the money.

After dropping off the truck we headed for the valley. I wanted to go to this used bookstore we both like but it didn't open till 10:00. So we headed out further on Sprague and went to Hastings Entertainment. I found a book by Judy Collins in the 99 cent rack. I also purchased the movie Wild Hogs and the book The Secret. M bought himself 2 video tapes from the 99 cent rack - Victory at Sea and Living In The Shadows of Motown. We again drove by the used bookstore but they still were not open. Some other time for them.

We came home and we watched tv and had some hot dogs for lunch. We got the call to pick up the truck and headed back to Alton's. I left M off there and I went to Fashion Bug and bought a new top that was on sale and the to Lotion store and bought some new shampoo. Banana Smoothie scent this time. Stopped at the quick mart and bought hamburger buns and a $5.00 quick pick for Mega Millions. Jackpot for Tuesday is $160,00 million.

Eric called to ask if he could borrow the truck to pick up some bookshelves he bought at Cost Plus. He brought Mary with him when he picked up the truck.

We made bbq'd hamburgers with fried potato rounds and corn on the cob. Eric and Mary came back just when dinner was almost ready, but, they said they had already eaten. Mom and Chris came over and we ate dinner out on the deck. The weather has cooled off and is just downright perfect. It really may rain tomorrow.

Testing & Weight: I tested this morning and it was normal and weight was 11.

Mail Call: Received a Current catalog and a Roamans catalog and assorted junk mail.

TV Watching: Watched Guy's Big Bite but kept falling asleep on the couch so I will need to watch it again. I caught the last of a classic movie, Adam's Rib, with Kathern Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

It's 9:30 and I'm about done.

Friday

2007-08-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

This was a great Friday. I got up early and made the tuna salad and made the croissant sandwiches. At work I finished my secure email training. We had more HIPPA training and to be honest I could use even more. There are so many gray areas. The team meeting lasted for about 5 minutes. Just long enough for Erik to smash a pie in Holly's, our team lead, face. Here's the picture:

We all thought it was pretty funny. I didn't understand why he felt the need to do this, but it's on his karma.

The weather has turned beautiful again and to be even better tomorrow and maybe heavenly rain by Sunday.

M got a call back and has a second interview for next Wednesday. Very cool, indeed. We may buy him a new shirt to wear for the interview with his lucky tie this weekend.

Testing & Weight: I only tested this morning and it was normal. My weight was down to 10.

Mail Call: The Comcast bill and a bill from Rockwood Clinic for one of M's visits.

TV Watching: Watched last night's episode of Big Brother. You know what always happens to the person they put up as the pawn - that's right - gone. Dustin will be the first houseguest in the sequestered house. I wonder if that will be in Mexico or the place they went to last year. I watched a BBC show Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. He is so different away from Hell's Kitchen. Still stern but in a nicer way. Watching this show you tend to like him.

M's mom and Chris came over and sat on the porch and had a few beers. She brought me some tomatoes she cooked and vacuumed sealed for the freezer and some peaches too. I lent her my Once Upon A Tart cookbook. She has a whole box of magazines for me to bring over.

I made fried minute steaks, potato rounds, beans and corn on the cob for dinner. We are both really stuffed. We plan on sitting in the hottub for a little while tonight. I want to play Blasterball, my new favorite game, for a while too. I love Friday nights - no going to bed early.

We have no plans for the weekend except to take M's truck to get the brakes done and pick up a new filter for the hottub at Pool World. We are going to try and work around the house.

Thursday

2007-08-16T19:57:00.001-07:00

It was a good day at work. Just a few cranky calls, but, got through them and my productivity was above average by the end of the day. Erik came up with an idea to bring food to our team meeting tomorrow. I am bringing tuna salad on croissants for everyone.

After work I drove over to Dr. McKenna's office and had them make a copy of my new medical card so they can resubmit the claim. I then went to Safeway and bought our weekly groceries.

Came home and put the groceries away. It was very hot again today. I am looking forward to cooler weather. I made BLT's for dinner. I wanted to use up the beautiful tomatoes we bought up in Green Bluff. They tasted like they were fresh picked out of someone's garden.

Testing & Weight: Testing was a little high this morning but by afternoon I tested in the low numbers. Weight remained at 11.

Mail Call: I got my first issue of Hallmark Magazine. I will take it to work with me tomorrow and read it from cover to cover. We also got a coupon book and a mayor candidate flyer.

TV Watching: Before dinner we watched a show I DVR'd from TLC about Lottery winners. It was really inspiring. Made me want to win the Lotto even more than ever! After dinner we watched Pinks All Out. I love car racing. Almost every kind of racing. My first experience of going to the races was back in high school at the old San Jose Speedway watching the hardtops. My friend Deb, who was the biggest Elvis fan I have ever met, and her family would let me tag along. We would cheer on Al Pombo, our favorite driver at the time. I always smile when I think back of those Saturday nights. My friend Rene, also from high school got me hooked on drag racing. Her brother in-law was the funny car driver, Jungle Jim Liberman. I got a real kick at going to Fremont Drags. Those places are gone now. It's kind of sad.

We started watching The Secret tonight. It is pretty interesting. M and I are going to try and follow the steps so we can obtain the secret.

Things I am grateful for:

My loving relationship and friendship with my husband.

My son and step-daughter and her son.

M's family that has become my family.

My two dogs Lady and Sammie.

My wonderful house, the first we have ever owned.

My job, which improves everyday.

My health, which I want to keep improving.

Last night I burned a few cd's from my emusic downloads. I burned a new age cd called Spirit of the Canyon, a Celtic-New Age cd called Twilight Realm by Aine Minogue and a Celtic cd by Anuna (who was featured on Riverdance) called The Essential Anuna.

Wednesday

2007-08-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Payday is always good. The calls were alot easier today. I don't know if it was that I was feeling better or just people were nicer.

Afterwork I went to Walgreens and picked up a few things that were on sale. I finished filling out my ballot and mailed it. I also stopped at Rosauers and bought some groceries that were on sale.

Testing and Weight: Only tested this morning and was about the normal reading for me. Weight was at 11.

Mail Call: Very boring mail day. Only received 2 bills. Nothing fun.

TV Watching: Caught up on Big Brother. Also watched the other half of what I was watching on Judge Judy.

I made tomato beef stir fry with rice for dinner. I am so full. We finished off the peach cobbler for dessert. It is so hot today. They keep saying it will cool off by this weekend. Some lucky person won the $9 million last night playing Lotto. I should have bought a ticket. Missed my chance. The jackpot is back to $1 million.

Tuesday

2007-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today was busier than yesterday with more obnoxious people. Our team leads came around with bags of chips and sodas for a thank you gratuity.

M had an interview today. He is really excited about how it went. It was hot today. I came home and made another peach cobbler with the remaining peaches from Green Bluff. We also did the tacos and corn on the cob dinner again.

Last night I downloaded my 90 downloads for the month from emusic.com I will be burning some awesome cd's this month.

Testing & Weight: Only tested this morning and it was a little high. Weight was down to 10.

Mail Call: I received my monthly selection from yourmusic.com They sent me Michael Buble - Totally Buble. I also got the JC Penneys bill and a whole bunch of junk mail.

TV Watching: I watched the latest episode of Big Medicine and Hogan Knows Best. I read where HBO is cancelling John from Cincinnati. That's too bad because it is a really good show. It's quirky and different. I also watched Judge Judy which was a cliff hanger and we won't see the verdict until tomorrow.

I didn't sleep so well last night. I'm ready to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is another day as I like to say.

Monday

2007-08-13T19:50:00.001-07:00

Another Monday under my belt. It was so busy. They were asking people to work overtime this afternoon. I thought about it for a second or two, but home won out and I headed out the door at 1:15.

The next few days it is going to get back in the nineties. Told you so. They are saying it won't last long, which is okay with me.

Testing & Weight: Both tests were low. Weight was at 11.

Mail Call: Got a bill from Best Buy and my Zooba selection for the month: Wild Tiles by Chrissie Grace.

TV Watching: I watched Big Brother and tonight's HBO episode of Big Love. I am so sad there is only 2 episodes left for the season.

We had tacos and corn on the cob for dinner. DK called and we caught up on what he is up to. It's always nice to hear from him.

I'm very tired tonight so I'm calling it an early night.

Sunday

2007-08-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe the weekend is almost over already. What a nice weekend it was too.

I made a peach cobbler this morning. It made the house smell so good. This is my favorite cobbler recipe. It never fails.

Cobbler Recipe:

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 Cup Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 Cups Sugar (I used Splenda)

1 1/2 Cup Milk

3 to 4 Cups Fresh or Frozen Fruit

Melt butter in baking dish, Sift flour, salt and baking powder together then mix with sugar. Pour batter over melted butter. Do not stir. Add fruit over batter, Again do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold.

This morning we went with the folks back up to Green Bluff. At the Harvest House I bought the cookbook, "Peaches and Other Juicy Fruits" by Olwen Woodier. I also bought some Hot & Spicy pickle relish. At High Country Market I bought the perfect oil & vinegar cruet and another cookbook, "Salsas and Tacos" by The Santa Fe School of Cooking.

It was very pretty up there as usual and the weather was again perfect. We are definitely getting to used to this nice weather.

When we got home I made BLT's for lunch. The rest of the afternoon we just hung around the house and enjoyed the day.

Testing & Weight: Testing was a little high this morning, which was not surprising after all what I ate yesterday. But I was really surprised to see my weight was at 11.

TV Watching: I didn't watch much tv. I did watch Guy's Big Bite and an episode of Dateline's To Catch a Predator. I am amazed how many of those idiots they are still catching. One guy more than once. Creepy!

Another week of work. I don't think I have anymore time scheduled off until October, which seems like years aways instead of only months.

Saturday

2007-08-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful Northwest day. I wish they could all be this nice. We got up early. I got a few loads of laundry finished. We took the dogs to the groomer for baths and haircuts..

Went to Denny's for breakfast. From there we went home and grabbed the camera. We took a drive up to Arbor Crest Winery. We found that they do not open until 12:00 noon, so we ventured on to Green Bluff. This weekend they were having their peach festival. Stopped and bought 10 huge, ripe peaches, 4 tomatoes, 6 corn on the cob and some Green Bluff honey. We also had fresh peach smoothies. The drive in the country was wonderful.

When we got home I watched a little tv and played on my computer a little bit. Karen, our dog's groomer called and said the dogs were ready. Outside the shop when we got there to pick them up, a guy from out of town had set up a playpen of little black and white shihtzu puppies. He also had another playpen full of cute black colored mixed puppies. It was hard walking away from these cute lil guys. But I just bought a new leather couch and loveseat. Do I really want those to become big chew toys? Plus these are puppy mill puppies. When we took Lady and Sammie out to see how they would react to the puppies, Sammie didn't want anything to do with them at all. And Lady sniffed them and said no way. So no new puppy for us. But they sure were cute.

Went to Safeway and did my weekly grocery shopping. I was thinking of making chicken for dinner when all of a sudden I felt completely exhausted. I decided to take a nap. I woke up well rested.

I made pico de gallo with all the fresh vegetables I had from M's mom's garden. This is what I put in my pico:

All chopped and diced in small pieces: sweet onion, 3 green onions, 1 large tomato, 1/2 yellow pepper, 1 anaheim chilie pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper (and any other kind of peppers I might have on hand) Spices: garlic salt, pepper, 1/2 lime or lemon sqeezed, mexican seasonings. Mix all together, the longer it sits the hotter and better it tastes.

We shared the pico with chips, corn and a tomato with M's mom and Chris. They were BBQ'ing steak so we brought over the chicken I had marinated and threw those on the grill. Ate outside on their patio. It was one of those perfect weather nights. They have a nice private backyard with flowers and vegetables growing all around.

Tonight we are going to be able to see a meteor shower. The peak time is 1:00 AM. I'm hoping the few clouds will blow away and if I can wake up early enough I will be able to see the shower this time. I have missed it the last few times it was viewable from the northwest.

Testing & Weight: I only tested this morning. Weight was still at 12.

TV Watching: I watched Giada's Weekend Getaway. This episode she was in Santa Barbara. Such a pretty place. Sometimes I miss California. I also watched an episode of Dateline, but I kept falling asleep through it so I will probably have to re-watch it.

Mail Call: M got a package, another flight game he ordered from Ebay. I got my first Paperback Swap book, titled Irish Cream: A Nuala Anne McGrail Novel.

It's been a pretty nice day. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Friday

2007-08-10T18:38:00.001-07:00

I am always happy it is Friday when it rolls around at the end of every week, but, today its almost a blessing. It was a brutal week at work and need 2 days off to relax and not think about anything dental.

The weather is fabulous. If only it would stay this way till the end of summer, but we know this won't happen.

M took me out to lunch at The Swinging Doors to start out our weekend. The food is always good there. I had the broasted chicken and M had the Doors burger. Too full to move after that we went home and relaxed. We will start getting busy with all our projects we have planned for around the house tomorrow.

Testing & Weight: Testing was normal this morning. Weight stayed at 12.

Mail Call: M got a package. He had ordered some flight games through Ebay. I got a thank you for subscribing to Papercrafts Magazine and a notice from Banner Fuel that their service plan is raising its price.

TV Watching: Last night I watched the latest episode of Rock of Love. These women get more desperate as the show continues. If this rock star guy is a Type 1 diabetic should he be getting drunk drinking gin? This afternoon I watched the latest Top Chef. They should have gotten rid of the bully Howie. I also watched Oprah. The show was updates on people who had been featured on previous shows. The 500 lb woman who lost 400 lbs was amazing.

Besides working around the house I have not decided what to do this weekend. There is alot going on around town. Unity in the Community, the Garland Street Festival and the Green Bluff Peach festival just to name a few. I will play it by ear and see what happens.