Thursday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Thursday

The butterfly is a flying flower,

The flower a tethered butterfly.

*Ponce Denis Ecouchard Lebrun

It was another busy day. The calls were fine till about the last hour, then they just got stupid. If you are calling about a claim don't you think you should have at least the doctor's name, or maybe the date you saw the dentist, or maybe even the amount of the charges you are calling about. Anyway, I survived. I had my 6 month review with my supervisor, Holly. It lasted only 10 minutes and she said everything was going great.

The weather was a little warmer today than yesterday, but, not by much. Tomorrow is going to be close to perfect. M has the day off and is going down to Chris' shop to work on their computers.

Testing & Weight: Testing was high this morning but it was a more normal low this afternoon. Weight was at 12 but when I got home this afternoon it had dropped back down to 11.

Mail Call: A Shopko advertising flyer and 2 envelopes of junk mail to be shredded. I did get an email from Paperback Swap that they are shipping a book I had requested. And my monthly selection from Zooba.com is on its way.

TV Watching: I got caught up watching the Big Brother episodes I had DVR'd. I am already for tonight's eviction episode. I guess Eric will remain safe. I think Big Brother really worked their magic in the diary room and convinced Amber and others to save Eric (America's Choice). I also have quite a few movies recorded. Maybe this weekend I will watch a few.

We had BLT's for dinner tonight. Needed to use up the tomatoes and lettuce before they went south.

We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever. ~Carl Sagan

Wednesday

Today was a busy uneventful day at work. I kept daydreaming about being outside. I put the castle gift bag full of back to school goodies for Jade, Joanna's little girl, on her desk. I hope she enjoys everything I picked out.

The weather today was the kind of summer day you dream about. High seventies with a nice breeze and lots of clouds to shade the sun. When I got home I turned off the air conditioners and opened the doors and let the house air out.

Testing & Weight: Weight was back down to 10. It seems like I am on this plateau and can't start to slide down the other side. But I will keep trying. Nice lower numbers for both tests today.

Mail Call: Bills from Mor Furniture, Furniture Row and Rockwood Clinic. I also received my Taste of Home Simply Delicious Magazine and this month's Country Living Magazine. And lots of junk mail that was promptly thrown away.

TV Watching: I watched shows I had DVR'd: One of my favorites, Big Medicine. I watched a new one called The Pickup Artist shown on VH1. Some cuties but mostly losers trying to learn how to pick up women. I am so excited the long awaited show LA Ink finally premiered. The first show was as good as I expected. I will definitely DVR the series.

We BBQ'd small steaks for dinner tonight. The weather was perfect for cooking outside. It always does this - gives us a little taste of fall and then BAM! Hot Summer returns to fry us to a crisp.

Favorite Ben Franklin quotes:

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the Sunlight.

Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.

Tuesday

Since it was a vacation day for me, I slept in until 7:30. Walked on my treadmill when I got up. It's amazing how that lowers the blood sugar numbers.

We decided to go out to lunch. It was such a beautiful day. We decided on O'Doherty's Irish Pub and Grill for fish and chips. We had about a 1/2 hr before they opened so we went and walked around Boo Radley's and 4 Seasons Coffee Gift Shop which is always interesting. Lunch was delicious as always. It is definitely one of my favorite places.

After lunch we decided to take a drive because the weather was so perfect. We headed east and drove through Medical Lake up to Silver Lake. If I had known they had a photo contest going on I would have taken some pictures to enter.

When we got home I went to the Dollar Store and to Walmart and bought school supplies for my friend Joanna's daughter. My work is having a school supply drive for people I don't know, so I decided if I am going to buy school supplies I would rather give them to someone I know who needs the help.

Testing & Weight: Testing like I said above was low due to the walking. I was still at 11 this morning.

Mail Call: A very boring mail day. Only a letter from Banner Fuel about their keep fill program and a mayor candidate flyer.

TV Watching: I watched Hell's Kitchen while I was walking. I hope Bonnie wins. She should have picked Julia before picking the redhead. That will probably prove to have been a big error on her part. It will be interesting to see who finally wins. Tonight I watched last night's episode of Big Love. I know I've said it before, but, I love this show. It just gets better and better.

Big Brother update: I hope they send Kail home and not Eric. I cannot believe Jen keeps winning the POV to save herself or has someone else save her. All I can say is LUCKY!

I made hamburgers and macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. It's too bad we both have to go back to work tomorrow. We both really enjoyed having the day off.