Lose It!

I mentioned in my weekly check in I was going to evaluate my participation in Weight Watchers.  I love the program.  It works when I work it, but I haven't been working it for the last year or so.  It's like paying money for a gym membership and not using it, so I decided to look into alternatives. 

I've been tracking my points since the beginning of the year, but I'm not taking the program seriously.  I think there may be a better use of my $50 per quarter.  As a result of that, I checked my iPhone apps and decided to give Lose It! a try (they have a good website, too).  Their basic services and apps are free.  A Premium membership is $40 a year.

I had just discovered Weight Watcher's barcode scanner, but I hadn't used it yet.  Lose It's barcode scanner is wonderful (I imagine WW's would be, too).  Instead of looking up individual food items, scan the package -- I don't think this works for fresh fruits and veggies, but maybe if you have a bag of apples...  This is where the smart phone app shines, but the site works fine with their look up lists as well.  It's simple and uncluttered. 

Also, they appear to have privacy enabled by default.  I don't remember setting up any privacy when I activated my app on the phone, but when I checked settings on the website, they were locked down pretty tightly.  I can choose to open my information up to the world, but I have to go out of my way to do it.  That's important to me.  At the moment, I don't think they even have my name.  I used my pbbs address, and that's what it's calling me.

You can have friends, and you can choose to post to Facebook and Twitter (I'm sure you've all seen some people's posts), but by default, none of that is enabled.  I mention this, because if anyone decides to use the site or is already using the site and wants to use the friends capability, I'll open it up.

As a result of this finding, I plan to deactivate my WW membership before the renewal period at the end of the month.  From my previous experience, my account remains and I can participate in the forums if I want, but I can't use the tools.  At some later date, if I want to reactivate, WW makes it very easy.  I do appreciate this about them.

I looked at Sparkpeople, but they charge for the app now, and when it was free, it didn't work very well at all.  For now, I'm checking alternatives.  One thing I'm noticing from my Lose It! tracking -- I need to get more protein in my diet.  I think if I spring for the premium membership, I can get more detailed nutrient tracking, something that's available free on the SparkPeople site.

Here I am!

Busy weekend. I seem to be saying that a lot lately. Fortunately it's been a lot of fun stuff.

Good Stuff:
- I saw my bard mentor twice this week--once at a meeting for the St Louis Scottish Games (he's on the board, too), and again yesterday to talk bard stuff. He helped me flesh out my warrior queens. At some point (maybe at the St Louis Games) we're going to do a tag team story telling. I'll do my warrior queens and he'll do the men in their lives. Well, some of the men. We don't have time for all of them.
- Got some house work done. I'm always so glad to have it done. Never so glad to do it.
- Did some work on the embryo, and then decided to put it aside for a few days to work on King Or Country a little bit. Sort of a busman's holiday, plus I think I'm at the point on the embryo that things are going to change when I get to the retreat and start brainstorming with Rachel (Hauck) and Susie May (Warren). Why spend time staring at the blank page when what I come up with is likely to be replaced with something better? The embryo already has a LOT of white-out in it!
- Turned in my paperwork for taxes to my preparer (Eric).
- Printed receipts and stuff for taxes for next year, and they're already filed. I know, it's so efficient! Let's hope that lasts.
- Yesterday Eric met a Yorkshire Terrier he liked. There might be hope yet that I'll eventually get a little dog. We might still have to get a big one (he's thinking Irish Wolfhound) to balance it out, though, and probably not while Chloe is still around.

Not So Good Stuff:
- We're still eating out too much. However, we did discuss some strategies for healthier eating for Lent which will hopefully carry on past Easter. Neither of us has been eating as well as we should. I see a variety of salads in our future.
- Still have plenty of housework to do.
- Our re-ordered cabinets are supposed to get to the store this week. There's no telling how long it will take to have them installed. I wish I could nail down a timeline so I could at least know how done things would be before I go to the retreat, but until they come in there's no way to do that. They don't have a regular delivery day; they just bring stuff when it comes. Unfortunately it's shipped from Chicago. If the warehouse was in St Louis, I'd go pick them up myself.
- I'm having the worst time keeping the timetable for the retreat in my brain. For my own edification, I leave Thursday the 21st, where I'll spend the night in Huntsville AL and have dinner with my writing partner, Suzy. The retreat starts at 5 p.m. on the 22nd and goes until the evening of the 26th. The 27th I'll head back to Huntsville to pester Suzy and come home March 1. Maybe now I can keep it straight. Probably not. For some reason it was easier last year when I flew down.

This Week:
- Do the newsletter for the Scottish society.
- Try not to call Lowe's twice a day to see if my cabinets are in yet.
- Do March Powerpoints for church.
- Start a packing list for the retreat. (I can take more since I'm driving. Not sure that's a good thing.)
- Clean out Eric's car.

This and that

Fought with my back all week. Battle is still going on, but it is better. I just have to be very, very, very careful, and that gets old.

Haven't worked on MBTM as much as I hoped. It hurts to sit in my chair very long. Of course, it hurts to do just about anything. But it is better. No, really, it is. I'm just worn out.

Had writers group meeting Saturday. It went well. They are moving from being a social group that writes to being a writing group that socializes, if you get the difference. I'm excited that more of them are writing between meetings. It's been a lot of work so far, but I'm seeing results, so the effort is worth it.

Thought a lot about Jean this week and her trip home. Glad to hear from her. Glad the trip, while sad, was good. Some families behave badly at funerals. I'm glad hers doesn't.

This week:

-- Baby my back.
-- Household chores as I can.
-- Murder by the Mile.
-- Set up a new display and author of the month at the store downtown.
-- Stay on top of the various blogs.
-- Count my blessings one by one.

I hope y'all have a great week. Talk to you later.

And The Angels Sing

I think you all know my grandmother is no longer in pain.  Her youngest child got there last Saturday morning, and by that evening, grandma was gone.  At peace with her God and the world.  I can't feel bad.  She led a full and complete life, and she wasn't able to do anything she liked to do anymore. She will be missed, but it was wrong to try to keep her in this world at this point in her life.  I'm thankful my family knows how to do a funeral.  I'm thankful for the Gunderson Funeral Home in Middleton, WI.  For as long as I know, they have handled our family's burial needs, and they have always done a wonderful job.  It's important to have someone you can trust at times like this.  If I were in in East Liverpool, Ohio, Dawson Funeral Home would be where I would turn.  Alas, in Central Texas, I have no clue. 

We had scrapbooks, Grandma's paintings, one of her quilts and Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls made by her adorned her casket for the visitation.  Dad built a photo slide show of her life (he does a wonderful job of this).  We asked people to write down their memories of grandma and send them to us, and my dad compiled those and printed them for people to read.

Great Grandchildren were the pall bearers -- all between 11 and 24.  They remained composed through the service and until they discharged their duties loading the casket into the hearse.  The moment they came back inside the church doors, they burst into tears and clung to their family members.  It was an emotional moment for everyone.

I still have my Raggedy Ann doll that Grandma made for me when I was young.  I have the quilt she made for my bed when I was a teenager.  I have several of her wonderful water color paintings.  I have a few other things Grandma gave me through the years.  She was blessed with many creative gifts, and she shared the fruits of her creativity with all who wanted them.

I got some of Mom's crocheted dishrags while I was there this time (she mentioned she had some last time I was there, but I hadn't gotten around to getting them before I left), and I got a microwave potato pocket.  Never seen them before, but you wrap your potatoes in damp paper towels and nuke them inside the pocket. It would also work as a trivet if you needed one.

I'm on the train headed home.  I got about three-quarters of a short story written on the way up for the FM Anthology Collection -- prompt is Cat Eyes.  I'll get ready to resume work on it shortly.  I love the train as a writing retreat. 

The Week Ahead:

• Resume work on PBOTL
• Resume work on crepe myrtle trimmings
• Plan when to go to San Antonio again, because I was supposed to be there this week
• Ride the bike, read, write morning pages (I wrote them every day this week, usually before going to bed)
• Decide if I want to continue with Weight Watchers (it's time to renew my plan) or if I want to take a break from it for a little while while still working with myself on a healthier lifestyle.
• Make sure I scheduled bill payments before I left, because I don't remember.
• Take Lady and Tarzan to vet for their annual exams and shots.
• Reorient myself to life. 

It's been a week. {{huggs}}

Good things, bad things, and this coming Monday looks like it's gonna be a corker.

First, the bad. ;)

Kinda got into a Facebook 'discussion' today with a person who can best be described as unbalanced. A friend posted an article about the posty office mess, and she added a comment expressing frustration over the P.O. pre-funding 75 years worth of retirement, then this unbalanced person went off in a caps-peppered rant about wasting money and politics and I honestly could barely make sense of it all. Now, I'm the first to admit there's a lot of screwy, unsound-financial stuff with the posty office, but seeing as hubby's job keeps us housed and fed, we kinda have some skin in the game. I made a nicely worded comment about small towns and people on social security who need their mail, how small businesses often rely on it, then he comes back telling me I wasn't giving him the proper respect nor keeping my place.

Yup. My. Place. Nor properly respecting a ranting asshat. Oh yes.

In my place.

Does that mean I wasn't properly cowering before he backhanded me upside the head or I wasn't scrambling to bring him his beer and supper the moment he entered the conversation?

I have no idea, but my jaw about hit the floor.

As I type my still polite but much less kind response that included saying I had politely disagreed yet his comments were offensive and misogynist, Bill was right there looking over my shoulder. He was LIVID. There was a little back and forth and the whole thread ran pretty long - unlike some of the other folks in the thread I posted three times total and was consistently polite - but the guy kept ranting and finally wandered off.

It upset me a little (asshats are everywhere and far too many seem to be irate men wanting to keep women under their powerful thumbs), but it upset my husband a LOT. Hours later, he was still cheesed that someone talked to me that way. While I know a hater's gotta hate and some people live to be nasty online, I don't see the merit in it. Even when I'm furious - and God knows that happens - I can remain polite. I don't personally attack people, especially strangers, and never on someone else's feed. It's just rude, ya know? What's up with being rude?!?

Nutters are far too common anymore, but it made me wonder what's happened to polite disagreements. Screaming at people and trying to bully them accomplishes nothing. At best, it makes the screamer side of the argument distrusted and ignored, at most it just makes two sides screaming, neither taking a moment to see the other's point of view. Either way, once the screaming starts - and this guy came out screaming and disjointed - there's no possibility for progress.

That's something to keep in mind as my dice get rolled (probably twice) on Monday.

I don't think that I'm mean, angry, rude or a troublemaker (am I???), yet these folks seem to find me and try to pounce. Maybe since I'm 'nice' they think I'm weak? I dunno. My friend kept apologizing, the guy was a friend of a friend, but I told her not to worry, I'm a big girl and no one's gonna win a typed-debate against a writer. ;)

Okay, the meh.

Surely you've all heard about my stupid foot. I have intermittent pain on the outside at the bone, usually when it's jarred or wrenched, and I went in to have it checked out. Doc thought it was a stress fracture with a ganglion cyst, but the xray was inconclusive, so I had to go in for an MRI, all this while wearing a Boot of DOOM for about a week (said boot sucks, btw). Turns out I have some fluid around the joint. Dunno why, not sure how, but these anti-inflamatories should take care of it. Whee. Meds. I hate taking meds, but I'll be on them for a month. I'm supposed to wear the boot for another week, but I'm not. Can't stand the boot and my foot doesn't hurt. I really need to get back on the exercise horse, tho, because a week off has ruined my habit. Grr!

Got taxes done. We're getting a refund. Also did The Daughter's taxes. She, too, is getting a refund. My calculator is tired and thankful that's over for another year.

We all have colds. Sinusy colds. But we're otherwise great. :)

And, finally, the good!

Most of the good is kinda sprinkled with I'm-not-sure-what-I-think-about-all-this, but here we go.

I heard back from The Agent on Tuesday. His assistant actually emailed me on Monday asking if it was okay to call, but I was out and about and not able to check email until after 5pm NYC time. Anyway, we chatted - briefly - on Tuesday. He loved a lot about the book but had three major areas, and a couple of smaller things, he wanted to see fixed. Two of those things are actually really easy to fix. Have the spores come out of something that's not corn, and not a pod. Easy peasy. My mishandling of the media/spectator circus/hysteria, however, is gonna take quite a lot of work. He wanted to hear back from me in a few days.

I've written up three ideas for each problem (corn, pods, media) and sent an email to his assistant Friday morning (going on the assumption that 'a few days' mean later this week, not 'sometime next week'), but I received no response or call. This is probably because of the weather on the east coast, but it still leaves me sitting and fretting all weekend. So yay, but AAACK!!

(Btw, he compared my work to Stephen King, with it being about regular, relatable people in incredible situations. Rather exciting, that!)

I may be on the city council starting Monday.

There are two people leaving - a retirement and a move - so they're two warm bodies short and our City clerk asked if I'd be willing to do the job. I said yes - I mean, why wouldn't I? I'm a big believer in getting involved - but there are 5 people in the pool, so I guess I have a 2/5 chance? Anyway, the city council meeting is Monday and I'm supposed to be there so if I'm chosen I can get sworn in right away and get to work. I'm assuming the other 4 will be there too, otherwise it'll change my odds. ;)  I'd like to serve, I actually ran for a seat a couple of years ago (came in third of five for two open seats) but with SPORE looming and Bill's job nonsense, I don't know if it's the best time. But when would be? Life is always its own brand of wackydoodle.

Anyway, Monday should be interesting. ;)

Oh! I'm down 25.2 lbs. Woot!

Have a great mid February, everyone!!  {{hugs}}

Getting back into the routine

Sort of. Trying to, anyway.

Good Stuff:
- You've likely seen the kitchen pictures to date. We're still on track to have the re-ordered cabinets arrive the week of the 11th. I'm really hoping they can get them installed and the last piece of counter templated before I leave for the retreat on the 21st. So ready to have this done, although it's been a lot less painful than I thought it would be.
- Made some progress on the book prep. I've started referring to the binder of prep material as my book embryo. It sounds better than fetus. Not sure why. TMI, Stephen? ;-)
- Rendezvous laundry is done. Regular laundry is not, but when does it ever stay done?
- The dusting of snow we were supposed to get this weekend showed up last night after I went to bed. It dusted about 3". Not complaining; we need all the moisture we can get to try to bust the drought. Besides, it's pretty.
- The new dishwasher is so quiet! It's like the pitter patter of rain on the roof, as opposed to the old one, which was more like a 747 taking off in my kitchen.

Not So Good Stuff:
- Lots of housework to do. That never stops, and I never seem to get more efficient. Whatever happened to practice makes perfect? Isn't that supposed to kick in eventually? Do any of you clean on a schedule? Does it work for you?
- I'm losing weight at the rate of 1/3 to 1/2 pound per week. I'm about to pack up the smaller size jeans, buy another pair of the bigger size, and call it a day. I'm still within the healthy BMI range, but I am at the top of the scale. Eric seems to like my muffin top anyway.

Ambivalent Stuff:
- I have to renew my website with Go Daddy in April. I'm not particularly happy with them. I don't find them especially user friendly in terms of building or maintaining. I'm open to suggestions for a new host through which to renew my domain. No idea where to start with this, and I'm completely overwhelmed just thinking about it. Makes me want to go take a nap.

This Week:
- Get the kitchen as finished as I can at this point.
- Give the kitchen floor and bathrooms a good scrub.
- Keep working on the embryo.
- Vacuum. Everywhere.

Gotta believe there's something more

That's the lyric of a song by A Great Big World, my new favorite group. I already posted a video from them. They're upbeat and optimist in their music. Not a lot of groups recording music like that.

Last week, I
- worked on Murder by the Mile,
- went to lunch with a friend,
- picked up another client for my blog service,
- renewed an ad for my blogs,
- babied my back, which is determined to put me into therapy again. I'm just as determined that won't happen.
- did the household chores that I could,
- continued to straighten the house now that the holiday decorations are out in the garage,
- paid bills,
- played with my train,
- and talked to two people who might hire me to publish their books.

This week, I will
- continue to baby my back,
- work on Murder by the Mile,
- do the household chores I can,
- try to make it back the gym, depending on how my back is,
- work on my entries for the writers group anthology for this year,
- work on the family newsletter in a (probably vain) attempt to have its publication be more timely,
- prepare for the writers group meeting on Saturday,
- and generally try to keep my head above water and a smile on my face -- or at least not a frown.

Hope your week goes well!

Chase the Clouds Away

It's been an interesting week.  Kind of topsy turvey. 

The Good Stuff:

• I'm reading, doing my morning pages, riding the bike, and recording my points.
• I got some work done on the crepe myrtles this week
• Grandma's still hanging in there
• Floyd is back home after being neutered.  Delta went into heat, and I figured the other girls would soon follow.  The safest approach seemed to be to get Floyd away from them and neutered.
• I created a flier for the four of them at the vet, and they're going to list them on Craig's List, too.
• Our neighbor's son has his Eagle Scout Court of Honor on March 2.
• We got a little bit of rain this week
• I had fresh off the tree oranges.  Good.

The Not So Good Stuff:

• Staying ready to travel isn't very conducive to accomplishing other things.  It's not that I can't get anything done, I'm just constantly mentally distracted.
• I tried a couple of new recipes and I wasn't wild about either one.
• Hubby went to San Antonio and his truck got broken into with a smash and grab for his suitcase.  It could have been worse, but that meant he spent the week dealing with that.  The truck is fixed and he's replaced the critical things stolen (medication).
• I worked an extended period (for me) on PBOTL one day this week.  That's sort of good stuff, but I only did it the one day.
• I tried locking Rossie in the bedroom with me for a couple nights (as suggested by Tash's foster mommy).  In this case, it didn't seem to help.  I'm pretty sure they'll be coming home with me after getting spayed.  I'll give them the run of the house then (well, with the same access as the other cats have), and Rossie will socialize at her pace or spend a lot of time in hiding. She's a good litter box user, and she knows where the food and water is.  I think she wants to come around, but, mostly, she's choosing not to.  If she's on the rocker, she's willing to be approached, petted, and handled.  If she's not, you're not going to do it.  We have an agreement, when I get the crate ready for bed, she sneaks inside to the carrier while the other kittens are winding around me feet for their food bowl.  She spends time around four feet from me.  As long as I don't reach for her, she'll relax there.  I guess that's just her comfort level at this time.

The Week Ahead:

• Maintain the standard morning pages, bike rides, points tracking, and reading.
• Work on PBOTL
• Remain ready to travel
• If nothing happens between now and then, I'm heading to SA for a week on Thursday.  I have some hedges to cut way back there, and February is the time to do it.
• My truck is due for it's 18,000 mile service, so I'll try to get that done while I'm down there.

A Great Big World - This Is the New Year!

Wish I had found this on New Year's Day, but every day can be a new year. Especially for us!

Back!

Just a quick post to let you know I'm safely home, but you probably knew that from Facebook already. Laundry is in process. The fencing foil I picked up at the rendezvous should be here tomorrow. I spent almost as much to UPS it home (it was too long for my suitcase) as it did to buy it. That's fine--it's still a deal.

It was a good trip. It's always fun to hang out with Dad and Linda. We walked into the rendezvous again this year because Dad is rehabbing from neck surgery. His weight restrictions would allow him to set up camp. It worked in my favor because sometime when we were out there I evidently ate something that wasn't quite right and ended up with a mild case of food poisoning. At least I assume that's what it was. I didn't have a fever, but I was VERY glad to have indoor plumbing! It passed quickly and I was fine coming home. It was a good shopping trip, and I've got my Grace O'Malley costume just about put together. I need to sew buttons on the waistcoat.

On the home front, the kitchen will be functional tomorrow. We still have some cabinets to go in and a small piece of counter to order and have installed, but most of it is done and tomorrow the plumbing will be finished. Good thing, too. I missed my kitchen sink.

So that's what's been going on here. Now I'm prepping to go back to Florida next month for the writing retreat. Hopefully I'll have my new project plotted by the time I get there. More on that later.

Final 2012 Christmas

Had my final 2012 Christmas gathering this weekend. It started Saturday and ended today about 4:30 p.m. as the guests departed. I immediately started taking down the decorations. I finished five minutes ago. Everything is down and ready to be moved into the storage building except for the dismantled tree. I'll get out the box for it tomorrow morning and then my living room will be Christmas tree. Even the village is put up.

I love Christmas. I love Christmas cards, the carols, the midnight church services, and the cold clear nights. I love the decorations and my Christmas village. I also love seeing all my family and friends, even if the noise and sheer volume of emotions threatens to tear my head off.

But this looooong Christmas has worn me thin. I'm ready to withdraw into my cave with my characters and stories and not come out until spring. I just want to be alone in my house.

This will pass. Always does when I have an overload and need some quiet time. I don't understand people who live for parties and party all the time. I would go crazy.

Last week:
- Worked on Murder by the Mile.
- Finished, published, and mailed January newsletter.
- Wrote a letter to the editor and a ten-minute timed writing for the writer's group meeting yesterday. As part of my efforts to move the group toward more "writerly" meetings, we've been giving optional assignments at the meeting. Just quick prompts to prime their wells.
- Cleaned house in preparation for visitors.
- Household chores and errands.
- Lunch with a friend Wednesday.
- Writers group meeting Saturday morning. Good meeting about "Archetypes in Writing" by one of our best writers and poets.
- Roomie's grandsons spent Saturday night and today with us. Roomie drove them back home this evening.
- Took down Christmas village, tree, nativity, and boxed everything up except the tree.

This week:
- Finish putting away the tree.
- Household chores.
- MBTM. MBTM. MBTM.

Hope you have a great week!

I really need to post something.

Things are going pretty decent here, even though I still haven't written anything. I did get a copy of Blackbirds - and enjoyed it very much even though it was really dark, darker than what I'm used to - and I've picked up Nicholas Sparks' Safe Haven which I haven't started yet. Maybe tomorrow. :) I've been making a point to read fiction, and it's nice. :)

Weight loss is going well. I was up a little on Thursday at my weigh in (.6lbs) but I wasn't surprised since we attended a postal union a party on Saturday and I ate waaaaay too many hors devours (was 27 points OVER my daily regular points, WHAM!! That's a lot for one 'meal'), plus I was kinda achy/cranky/sleepy/sick all week and barely exercised at all. I perked back up on Thursday (water, fresh stuff, exercise), and by Friday I was down more than a pound. Today (yeah, I'm back to weighing myself before my shower, we all have our compulsions, I guess) I was down to one. pound. above. my. 20. year. low.

One more pound and I'm lighter than I've been since 1992. Twenty one years. Is that crazy or what?!?

Anyway, I'm pretty excited about that! My official weight loss is 20.6 lbs, but I really want to hit a 25lb loss in February. Or more, that'd be cool too. :)

I'm noticing that I'm different. My hands are different. I move different. My face and neck and upper body look different. I sleep different. Weird, but good. :)

The quilt I sent to my old editor for her new baby was very much appreciated - yay!! - and at her urging I sent her a short conceptual paragraph about what I'm thinking for a novel that might work for after SPORE. Maybe. It's about telepathy (among other things) and is a traveling buddy kind of story, sort of like a really twisted Thelma and Louise.  With super powers. Kinda. Anyway, I'm interested to see what she has to say because I'm floating around kind of lost here as I wait to hear back from the agent. I need some solid concepts so I can work. Dubric... his stuff just sits and ignores me when I poke at it. Blah. So maybe something else.

I've injured myself with Richard - kept having some pretty uncomfortable upper back and shoulder pain (I think it's too much upper body work all at once) and I *may* have a stress fracture in my foot (gonna make an appointment to get that checked out next week) so I've switched to Walk Away The Pounds with Leslie Sansone since it's a lot more calm that Richard. Bill was teasing me about needing to do Sit and Be Fit instead, but I'm not that sore. Since I'm no longer flailing my arms around for half an hour like a crazy person, my back/shoulders aren't hurting and my foot really isn't that bad, even tho it's lumpy/swollen on the side and tender to the touch. Might just be some kind of tendonitis or sprain or something, I dunno. I can't afford to be off my feet so whatever it is had better be easy to fix.

Been sewing - the quilting I've done this week is on FB - and I think some is good, some is meh, and some...  Sigh. I seem to be pretty good and semi-random all over patterns (like the curliques on the red flower centers) but more structured quilting (the curved lines on the squares) just isn't working for me. I don't know why I can't get any consistency or even do them straight and smooth. I know how to operate my sewing machine! Part of me wants to rip out all the quilting in the table runner and start over, but it's almost a whole bobbin's worth! That's a LOT of ripping out. But it was a cute table runner until I started quilting it, so I just don't know what to do. It's all part of a learning process, I know that, but I don't want to make less-than-adequate quilts either, so round and round I go. Do I rip out and do over, bind it and decide it's okay to finish something that's not acceptable to me, or just toss it in the trash? Mutter mutter.

That's about it. We're all fine, pets are fine, most things are fine. Just wish I was writing. {{huggs}} and have a great week!

Truckin'

Yep.  Just truckin' along.  Getting stuff done.  Or not.  That's just how it goes. 

The Good Stuff:

• I did a little more this week than last week on PBOTL (not hard to do)
• Rode the bike, tracked points, and did morning pages as planned.
• Made good progress on the crepe myrtles. 
• Rossie likes Swiss Cheese.  She's taken to sitting about 3-4 feet behind my computer chair.  She won't come closer while I'm in it, and I can't approach her, but she sits there -- and not just when I have cheese either.  I think she wants to be a relaxed house kitty but can't let herself relax enough to do it.
• Hubby and I have still been getting along mostly well. 
• I thought I'd misplaced a weapon, but after some semi-frantic searching, a re-look in the safe revealed it was hiding. Whew!
• Got a haircut this week.  First time with a Central TX hairdresser (also one of the two town barbers), and I like how she did it.  I'll be going back to her. (One more step in completing the move here.)

The Not So Good Stuff:

• I'm stubbornly ignoring the changes I know I need to make to effectively lose weight. 
• I'm still not working on PBOTL as effectively as I believe I want to work on it.  It's sitting right behind me.  I could work on it at any time, yet, when I turn to do so, my mind says, "Oh! I need to do this!" And my body wanders off to do it.  I think it's the "Oh!  Butterfly" syndrome Wendy's referred to a time or two.  
• My 95 year-old grandmother is being set up for hospice.  This could mean I'll be making a trip to WI at any time over the next six months.  I've known this was likely for some time, but it became more likely last October when she moved into a nursing home.  Presumably, she's been in a steady decline since then.  She's okay with that.  She's done everything and been everywhere she wants to have been, and she's ready to move on. I can't argue with her about that. Thankfully, my family doesn't do the hysterics, prolong life at all costs approach to things.  Grandma has handled her life very capably, and she continues to do so.  I hope I can do as well with these things as she has when the time comes for me.

The Week Ahead:

• Continue working on the crepe myrtles
• Continue working on PBOTL
• Continue riding bike, tracking points, and doing morning pages
• Hubby heads to San Antonio on Monday morning, so I'm going to try to do a better job of staying within points.  I can't blame him, so let's see how I do. (Yes, it's my fault even when he's here -- I make my own choices)
• I'm going to try a couple of new recipes and make some personal favorites (that hubby won't eat).  I need to get pictures, because I'll be blogging about them in April.
• Try to get a handle on a few troubling problems with FM.

A couple things

1. Happy St Francis de Sales Day, a day late. I'm in Florida with no Internet except on my phone or I'd have been on time.

2. Ignore the email you got a bit ago about the site. That was me. So many passwords, so little brain power.

Back with a full update mid-week.

Crazy Dreams

Had a couple of odd early morning dreams this week, but I guess that's fairly normal.  It's a little disturbing to dream you've removed your cat's paw for some reason and forgot to put it back on, so he'll have to have surgery to repair it.  I have no idea why.

The Good Stuff:

• Rode the bike and tracked points appropriately this week
• Wrote morning pages every day
• Did preliminary planning for April A-Z Blog Challenge for two blogs -- one official participant and one unofficial participant
• Participated in Firearm Appreciation Day today by giving The Great Texas Gun Company some business.  Seems to be a family-owned and operated shop.  The owner and his son were behind the counter.  The son couldn't have been more than 14-15 max, and I really think he was younger, but that young man knew his stuff.  While I was deliberating over my purchase, he juggled at least four or five other people making ammunition purchases and looking at shotguns.  When I decided what I wanted, he handled all the paperwork, provided available options, and checked my paperwork for completeness -- finding one box I forgot to check -- before turning it over to his dad to finalize.
• Down to a stuffed up head and a few coughs here and there, so I think I'm on a path to putting this crud behind me.
• Hubby got his tool cage assembled and set up.  That corner of the shop is really shaping up well.  One part of hubby's crane shipment arrived this week -- on an 18 wheeler.  The driver left us around two and still had two more stops that day, ending in Laredo.  Poor guy.  We off-loaded our part onto a trailer at the shop and sent the guy on his way.  The other half the shipment should arrive next week.
• I began winter trimming work around the bases of the crepe myrtles this week.  If I do the work now, they tend to be pretty manageable over the summer. 
• Doctor did blood tests to check levels, and they came back and said I'm definitely on heading for menopause.  (I guess that's good.)  I could have told them that, but it's good to have that confirmed.
• Reading is way ahead for this year.  I'm finishing a lot of books I started last year.

The Not So Good Stuff:

• Only worked on PBOTL one day again.  I'd say I need to do it.  I'd turn around and shuffle the pages, but I simply wouldn't work on it, so I'm moving it from Good Stuff to Not So Good Stuff, because a token session to say I did it just isn't good.
• Rossie is just not interested in interacting with us.  If she were, these kittens could have the run of the house, but as long as she avoids me, I have to restrict them to these two rooms.  I don't understand why we're so scary to her, but, apparently, we are.  It's troubling.
• I didn't get any parlor decluttering done this week
• I eat way too much, and it's not the good stuff. 

The Week Ahead:

• PBOTL
• Crepe Myrtles
• Work with kittens
• Continue tracking and begin evaluating for changes I want to make
• Continue reading
• Begin extending my work on the bike.  My resting heart rate is way higher than I'd like, so I think more cardio is needed to help that.

I know it's mid week...

but I'm sitting here, a bit after 11:30 PM Wednesday evening, doing some meal/grocery planning and calculating my daily points and otherwise reflecting on my previous week as per the new Weight Watchers 360˚ Tracker. Which I think is helping.

Anyway, I've begun to realize some things and thought they might help you too. Maybe.

This week, as I've reset my WW habits and tracked more than just my food I've noticed (again) that after I eat carbs, especially wheat based carbs of more than a couple of points, I become both HONGRY and cranky/blue a few hours later and it continues all through the next day. All I want to do is eat and grumble. I don't like either of those things, so I haven't really had any pasta or bread, other than a couple of 2 point wraps, since my 'carby meal' (one measly cup of spaghetti that screwed me up for about 30 hours) on Monday.

Holy moley, what a DIFFERENCE, in just two days. Energetic, feeling some creativity, chatty, happy... HUGE difference. Don't really like it - oh, bread, how I adore thee - but it's obviously not good for me to eat that kinda thing at all. This coming week I am going to make a point to look for non-wheat bread sources so I can still have my shaved smoked turkey sammich once in a while, but hopefully without the growly munchies. Maybe I can cut wheat completely out? I know that even whole grain pasta messes me up so I think that's just done. Alas.

Eating more points seems to be helping too - I'm much less hungry overall, less tired and listless (maybe that, too, is related to the bread and pasta??) as has almost daily exercise. I've missed one day this week, simply because we were busy and I just wanted one day off, but after increasing my time with Richard Simmons from 20 min to 40 I can really feel a difference in how I'm moving overall, how I carry myself, and I feel... snug. Not saggy. If that makes sense. Yay!

Lastly, I've switched my week around to start on Thursday and end on Wednesday (instead of Friday/Thursday) because after I weighed in on Thursday (hungry because I had barely eaten pre-meeting to keep my weight a little lower), I considered any remaining plus points to be 'free eating points!!!' and tended to, well, eat stuff I shouldn't. Like fast food, pizza, etc. I know that they're there for life's  events and happenings, but using them to binge... probably not a good idea, especially since I really didn't keep track, I just ATE. But, since I'll be weighing in tomorrow, my unused plus points for this week will remain unused. I think that'll work out well as I continue on this road to wellness.

Maybe these little tweaks can help you too? Is there some thing you're doing that you know you maybe shouldn't but will make a huge difference if you just stop or at least realize it's a problem for you? A little change you can make that will get you back on track?

I hope so, because we all deserve to be healthy and happy.  {{huggs}}

Late but here

I should have done this Sunday or even Monday, but I caught a cold ... or something nasty ... and it sucked all my energy away. I've done nothing except work on Murder by the Mile the past couple of days and not much of that. But one of my resolutions was to work on it daily, even if it was just a bit, and I've done that.

Last week:
- Household chores. I'm supposed to have guests this weekend and next weekend, and as a result, my house has stayed in a state of hyper clean. Well, hyper clean for my house. I'll be glad when I can let things slip a bit.
- Worked on MBTM every single day. A couple of days, I was very productive. Cutting the words that I have has really helped the story. I'm excited about writing it again, but ... well, hard to make myself put my butt in the chair. Which is funny since I just did an online presentation for a writing group in which I said Discipline is the most important thing. Do as I say; not as I do. Still, I did work on it every single day. Scenes are being written, paragraphs are being edited. Word by word, sentence by sentence, it's going to lead me to a book this year.
- Had a video chat with Jean. I really enjoyed it. Apparently more than she did. :) I liked seeing her face while we spoke. Facial expressions add a lot to a conversation, I think. She has a marvelous laugh.
- Took down the outside Christmas decorations and some of the inside. Since grandkids will be arriving next week, the tree, village, nativity, and train are still out. But Sunday afternoon, Jan. 27th, I'm putting Christmas up. But maybe not the train. Yeah, not the train. I like the train.
- Also took down the decorations on my bookcase at the store downtown that's selling the Many Rivers Harbor books and put up some generic decorations. I'll have to take a photo sometime and share it.
- Had my first meeting as president of the writing group. It went well. I had an agenda that I shared with everyone and made sure I asked for plenty of input on everything we discussed. I also had them vote a lot, but I want to increase their participation and take personal responsibility for our projects.

This week:
- Continue to work on MBTM every day.
- Keep house clean.
- Get well.
- Guests on Friday and Saturday.
- Rest on Sunday.

And that's it for now.

If I only had a brain...

(Sung like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz lol)

Some days, I'd swear my brain has left the building. I just can't seem to THINK, to focus, to hold a thought more than a moment or two. I can't even remember something as simple as a single recipe ingredient long enough to grab it and put it in without having to read it several times. Very aggravating.

Enough grumbling. Here's the update. It's all a mixed bag of good and meh, nothing really 'bad', mostly meh. ;)

Was up .4lbs at WW this week - also aggravating ha ha, as I'm still more than a pound above my low - and I'm trying to refocus on what works and do all the nuts and boltsy things that I might have gotten lazy with. Also, my leader has told me to eat MORE of my plus points, eat less fruit, add more exercise, and not weigh myself at home. So I'm doing that. I have weighed myself every morning before my shower since we had the girls. Six years. I've not done well with not-weighing since my meeting Thurs. Yesterday, I was in the shower when I went 'oh crap!', today I was actually on the scale. Maybe tomorrow I can not step onto it. lol It's weird how ingrained habits, especially routines, can become.

Wrote a couple of saggy paragraphs for the opening of the current WIP - working title is MOTH, but that'll surely change. I don't know how viable of a story it is, I'm just not seeing it in my head. I blame that on my inability to focus. I like my MC, tho. Says his name is Jaime.

Had a lovely time with my friend Shirley but ate waaaay too much lasagna and bread, which probably contributed to my gain last week, even tho I stayed well within my plus points. I just can't eat much carbs and lose, especially wheat based ones. It's all another thing to learn, another habit to take on.

Sewing room is still in shambles, but I've started sorting fabric. Writing 'good things' for the jar is going fairly well, but not as habitual as I'd intended.

Bill is sick and I woke up today full of snot but otherwise feeling all right. Hopefully I can nip it in the bud and not get sick too.

Been trying to find Chuck Wendig's BLACKBIRDS to buy from a local retailer since I don't buy anything online, but it's proving elusive. Not only have they never heard of the book, it's also not available from their distributor because they don't work with his publisher. Hoping it's a small town limitations issue, but even the county library cant get it. Laura is going to go to B&N on Tuesday, maybe she'll have better luck, but this really brings home the added difficulties of working with a non-big-six publisher. Dangit.

That's about it for me. I hope you all have a great and healthy week!!  {{hugs}}

Not much new

Except the kitchen, and you all know about that. If you don't, go look at my blog. All the pictures to date are there.

Good Stuff:
- Besides the obvious?
- My cold is almost gone. I have no voice, which is a good sign. I should be back to normal this week.
- We had some good quality time with Alex, and he had some good quality time with his girlfriend. Looks like things are getting more serious. Yeah, I'm okay with that. A year ago, I wasn't so much. We've known her for years, and she's done a lot of growing up lately.
- Got some book work done, both on King Or Country and Tim. Not enough, but I'll take it. I need to be working harder on this. Tim is what I'll be working on next month when I go to a writer's retreat. The better prepared I am, the more I'll get out of it. OTOH, I want to enter King Or Country in a contest, but it has to be done first. The deadline is March 15. This is a blessing in disguise. It's experience in juggling projects with deadlines. We should all have this problem for real, right?
- A new Chick-Fil-A opened a few miles away. Actually it's about two blocks from the Y. I see lots of chicken sammiches in my future. Now if we could get a Starbucks in that shopping center...
- One of my band kids (from the praise band at church) was accepted to a good college with a scholarship. As the band mom, I'm proud!

Not So Good Stuff:
- It was 60* this morning. It's much colder now, and we should have sleet and ice by morning. Normally I'd be okay with that. My fridge and pantry stay pretty well stocked. But Alex goes back to school tomorrow, and he drove through less than optimal conditions to get here.
- Started a bible study on Monday and I'm already behind on my homework.

This Week:
- Call the clinic to make follow-up appointments.
- Figure out what to pack for my trip to Florida, and what to pack it in. (I leave the 22nd, which I just realized is a week from Tuesday.)
- Figure out the big parts of Tim for the retreat, or I'll have to take it with me on vacation.
- Keep up on dishes. The good news it, there will be just two of us. It takes a little longer when I have to heat the water to wash them in!

I think that about covers it. Have a good week!

Oh, What A Feeling

I said I started coming down with whatever hubby had last Friday, and it's still here.  Cough. Feverish feeling. Ears stopped up. Feeling out of sorts.  The cough interferes with my CPAP, so I can't sleep with it on.  And I can't sleep with it off. I may switch back to my nasal mask for a few nights to see if being able to cough without having to re-breathe helps.  I think I have an old one around here somewhere.  I can't use it at all when I'm stuffed up, but I'm not really stuffed up, so I need to do something.

Fine.  That's enough of that.  The Good Stuff:

• I managed to get laundry and dishes done this week in addition to a few minor piddly things around the house
• I rode the bike twice
• I working on PBOTL once -- mostly so I could say I did
• I did a lot of reading.  Mostly I finished some books I'd started last year, but I have five books read for this year so far.
• I've done Morning Pages every day this year so far.
• I got the Siamese to the vet for their annual exams (Natasha has another ear infection) and got the kittens scheduled for their spaying/neutering and adoption viewing opportunities at the vet clinic.
• Did a couple of test video conferences with Stephen to prove it could be done.  We're set for Google Hangouts now if we ever want to gather and work or gab or both.  Wendy or Tammy, are either of you game?  It's not something I'm wild about, but it can help sometimes.
• I tracked points this week. Weight showed a very slight loss, but I really remained constant.
• Kittens are doing pretty well.  Rossie is still coming along ever so incrementally.  Vet didn't seem too worried about it. The wild kittens they had at the same time Delta was there all settled in and were eventually adopted, and they were wilder than these have ever been.

The Not So Good Stuff:

• This cold/flu whatever is not going away.  I have a doctor's appointment at the VA on Tuesday.  I guess I'll ask him about it, even though it isn't his specialty.  Mostly, I think it just has to run it's course.  As I recall, I was pretty worried about hubby when he was this far in, but he kept telling me, "I'm getting better."  Well, I'm not getting better, but I'm not really getting any worse.  There.  I went and whined again.  Sorry.
• My night guard needs to be replaced.  I made an appointment with my dentist to start that process on Monday.
• Sneaky walked into and out of the trap again on Monday.  I've since tied a string to the release mechanism, so I can trip it from inside the house.  She walked into the trap on Friday, but I triggered it just a little too early, and she was able to dart out before the door locked in place.  I'll try again starting on Monday, but I'm not sure how anxious she'll be to walk in again.  

The Week Ahead:

• Dentist on Monday and GYN on Tuesday.
• Continue to try to shake this crud
• Work on PBOTL -- do more than a perfunctory pass 
• Continue morning pages, reading, bike riding
• Focus on decluttering in the parlor this week
• Continue staying ahead on laundry and dishes (really, these are two things I usually don't have much trouble with, so they are easy wins when I don't feel well)
• Continue working with the kittens.

Already?

What? Already time for another post? Of course, I posted late last week. Speaking of which, I didn't do a lot. Household chores, two Christmas celebrations, New Year's Eve dinner with friends, plotting my year, a few errands, paying bills, etc. Not much to tell. I did finally on Friday get a day to myself in which to withdraw a bit from the world.

This week:
- My first writing group meeting as president this Saturday morning.
- Learn if the last 2012 Christmas celebration (which had to be postponed ) will be Saturday, also. No big deal if it is. I will just be gone during that time.
- Household chores.
- Begin final (I hope) rewrite of Murder by the Mile. Been rereading the first two books and the 70,000 words already written to get the town, characters, and murders back in my mind map.
- Several errands Monday: Take down my Christmas decorations at the shop that sells my books, go to the library, go to the post office and mail some bills, go to the water department and pay a bill, and wash the car. Also, need to update all my blogs.
- Tuesday, I'm planning to spend on MBTM. All day. We'll see how that goes.
- Wednesday, lunch with a friend, more time on MBTM.
- Thursday, all day on MBTM.
- Friday, MBTM, and preparation for the first meeting.
- Saturday, writer's group meeting and maybe final Christmas gathering.

Reads like a busy week. I hope you have a great one!

Anniversary

Today is the 27th anniversary of the day I left for basic training. I don't remember a lot about that day, mostly sitting around and waiting.

Good Stuff:
- Our cabinets were delivered Friday. They'll install Thursday, Friday, and possibly Monday.
- Met with my bard mentor yesterday and fleshed out the set I'm doing at Tartan Days in April. I have some more writing and research to do for one more queen, but it's going to be good.
- Learned some cool stuff in fencing yesterday. Yes, I feel battered again today, but it's nothing I can't manage. For some reason my pain threshold is much higher below the neck.
- Got my office rearranged and cleaned. It's more functional now, and I have a reading chair by the window. Ironically, moving away from the window has improved my view. I don't have to lean around the monitor to look out.
- We started our blessing jar, too, much like Tammy has done. I think we're going to read ours at Christmas next year, though, because we'll all be together. Time enough to decide on that.
- Thinking about starting Judo. It's closely related, strategy-wise, to fencing and would be another thing in my self-defense arsenal. The mere thought scares the crap out of me, which is another reason to do it, and there is a dojo sort of near my church. My friend (who is a Highland Dancer and does MMA) suggest Krav Maga (an Israeli hand to hand style) but that's way too intense to start with, not to mention I'd probably have to go to St. Louis to learn it. I have to go to St. Louis to fence, but he teaches free, and the people in the class are becoming friends, so that makes it worthwhile.

Not So Good Stuff:
- I'm with Jean on germ sharing with the hubby. His has mostly been a cough and scratchy throat, and that's really all mine has been. I'm a little more tired than usual today, but that could be because I had a big day yesterday.
- My weight has come down a little, but not enough for my jeans to be comfortable all day yet. Tracking on Spark People has helped a lot. I had no idea how much fat I was eating and have scaled that back.
- It's our last week with Alex home. Not sure if that's Good or Not So Good. :-) Of course, his leaving means I'll be doing a Sam's run this week.

This Week:
- Pack up the kitchen.
- Set up my temporary cooking/washing area.
- Get a handle on laundry.
- Research and write my last warrior queen.
- Contact the band I'll be tag-teaming with.
- Don't get any sicker than I already am.
- Arrange appliance delivery.
- Oversee kitchen demo and installation of new cabinets. Pictures soon.

Old Days New

Hubby's been sick all week. I woke up Friday morning with a a sore throat -- how his started.  Just what I wanted before a four hour drive.  Three hours straight north and one hour east.  I had to stop at Fort Hood to pick up prescriptions, so I couldn't take the hypotenuse. 

Taking the hypotenuse is a phrase I picked up from a co-worker back in 1985 when he was taking a college algebra class.  We were walking into work one night, and he decided to walk up the handicapped ramp, which was shaped like a triangle, and he said, "I'm going to take the hypotenuse."  I've been saying that for taking the shortest distance between two points ever since.

The Good Stuff:
    •    I tracked points all week.  Don't ask.  It was horrendous, but I still lost weight -- probably dehydration. 
    •    All kitties made the transition back to Central TX.  For now, I've set up a single crate in the parlor and am having kittens out and about in the parlor and kitchen as much of the day as possible, just tucking them into the crate at night.  They are doing well with this setup.
    •    My heart is warmed!  I just saw Little Orange.  For the first time since I had her spayed, I'm seeing both orange kitties together, so I know she's okay.  What a relief! (Little Orange and Peaches look a lot alike -- I'm sure I've seen her before and mistaken her for Peaches)
    •    I got more than a very little done on PBOTL this week, but that's not saying much.
    •    I've read every day.  I finished The Federalist Papers (I was reading them via email from The Daily Lit -- a good resource for classics and the like).  I've been reading My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass on Sunday mornings.  I just signed up for Alexis de Toqueville's, Democracy in America, Part 1.
    •    Rossie is out and trying to play more.  She's chasing her tail now (until she sees me watching her).

The Not So Good Stuff:
    •    Both hubby and I are sick this weekend.  That's not a pretty sight.  No, nothing unpleasant on the disgusting side.  It's a head and chest cold that, on me, feels like it ranges from the heart to the ears and everything in between.  We're both kind of stumbling around like zombies saying, "I can't focus on anything."
    •    My goal was five pages or 500 words on PBOTL per day.  My current pace is more like 100 words or one page a day.  And I didn't get anything the last two days due to transitioning and being sick.  I'm going to need to improve on that.
    •    My grandmother is not happy in her new living arrangement, but she'd reached the point where Mom couldn't take care of her anymore, and she won't do her physical therapy, which may have helped eventually.  Or not, but it would give her something to do.
    •    I know I'm running a temperature but have misplaced my thermometer here in Central TX.  It's a low-grade fever, so maybe that's not a big deal.  Just one more thing I can't find.  Couple that with hubby's constantly losing things that he simply must find NOW, and it's an annoyance.
    •    Rossie is so jumpy and hesitant.  This is one unconfident kitty.  I don't know how to or if I even can help her.
    •    Didn't get on the bike this week, because we delayed a day returning from SA, and, of course, illness.

The Week Ahead:
    •    Shake this cold by getting plenty of rest and drinking plenty of water.
    •    Work on PBOTL
    •    Read and do morning pages
    •    Ride the bike at least twice
    •    Putter around the house getting caught up on some little things.

New Year, New Day

Been a good week. I've started writing 'positive notes' to myself and putting them in a jar to list good things that happen each and every day. Food plan is back on track after a holiday week stumble, and I've lost most of what I regained last week. Only 1.4 lbs above my all time low of the past decade - pretty sure I'm gonna pass that - and 30lbs above when we got married. Been exercising - Richard Simmons is leaving me achy and exhausted, but I can feel things tightening up. Haven't written anything, but I'm almost done reading Valley of the Soul so I need to find another book to read once it's done. I'm trying to take a book everywhere I go and read at least a little every single day.

I have my book-brainstorming session with my friend Shirley tomorrow, but today it's Menards, football, and cooking. Remainder of the week it'll be continuing to clean my sewing room - it's bad, oh so bad - and flesh out whatever viable story I can come up with on Monday. Plus exercising, tracking, smooching my sweetie, and playing with my granddaughter who is All Kinds of Awesome.

That's it for me, I hope you all have had a great opening to the new year. {{huggs}}

Old and New

Well, I said I'd be back. Supposed to be back yesterday, but my guests stayed longer than I expected, and by the time they left, I was ready to crawl into a dark corner and snarl at the world. Not that the visit was bad; no, it was good, but there seems to be limits on how long I can endure constant company. I need to work on that, I guess.

Anyway, I should look at my goals from 2012, but I'm afraid they will blind me with their arrogance. Perhaps I will take a peek later, but for right now, let's talk about what I accomplished.

- Published and promoted Tales from Bethlehem. That is one of the best things I did last year. There were more headaches with the publishing and writing process than I expected or planned for, but overall, I'm quite proud of it. And while it hasn't outsold any of my mysteries, it's holding a comfortable third position on my sales chart. Since it's seasonal -- and I can update it -- I hope for more sales next year. 

Tales was my fifth book. Murder by Dewey Decimal, Murder by the Acre, EndlesS, Floozy & Other Stories, and now Tales from Bethlehem. I've read that you have to have 11 books published (in the self-publishing world) before you can start making a decent living from your writing. I guess I'll see if that's true.

- Published Creations 2012 by Ada Writers. Although it doesn't carry my imprint, this truly was the first Many Rivers Harbor book. It's the one that gave me the idea of publishing other people's books.

- Published Secret of the Pack Rat's Nest by Martha Rhynes. The first official Many Rivers Harbor book. I learned so much contracts, deadlines, working with authors, etc., and even made a little money to boot. A definite win.

- Published On Target: Devotions for Modern Life. The second Many Rivers Harbor book. Still learned a lot, but the process went much smoother, and it's a lovely book. 

- Was elected president of the Ada Writers writing group. My term started January 1. We'll see how this goes. I'm to guide them through the publishing process for Creations 2013. Looking forward to that.

- Continued to publish the monthly family newsletters. The subscribers continue to support its publication. It's even grown a bit. And I'm no longer losing money on it. That's a win.

- Read 119 books. I'm counting this is a win because I wanted to read 100, but still, I should watch that. When I consider the number of magazines, newspapers, websites, and posts I read ... Reading has always been my drug. Maybe I need to try to interact with the Real World more. No, I should. Really.

Well, let's look at my goals from last year and see how I did.

Writing

1. I will finish and publish Murder by the Mile. To this end, I have committed to writing one page per day five days a week. I hope to do write more, but that's the baseline. Did not do.

2. I will publish Tales from Bethlehem. Mostly I just have to be pull it together, write two more Tales for it, and create a cover. Did.

3. I will continue to work on Debt Free At Last! A Beginner's Guide to Money Management. I'd like to publish it this year, but it's not as high a priority as the other two are. Did not and abandoned the project.

4. I will continue to add Christmas cards to Oakleaf Harbor on Cafepress.com. I'd like to have 50 card designs available before November next year. Did not do.

5. I will add a birthday card selection to Oakleaf Harbor on Cafepress.com. I'd like to have 50 card designs available this year. Did not do.

6. I will continue to send Dragons Gather and Darkness, Oklahoma to agents and publishers. Because each rejection moves me closer to an acceptance. Did. Garnered two more rejections for Dragons and one for Darkness.

Health

7. I will walk at the gym 4-5 days a week, depending on health and holidays. Did although stopped walking at the end of October because I hurt my ankle. And I only walked three days a week.

8. I will improve my diet and eat more veggies and low carb foods. Did and did't.

9. I will arrange for a colonoscopy. I have to figure out how to pay for it, but with the cancer history in my family, I need to do this this year. Did not due to lack of money, but have plans for it this year.

10. I will continue to look at holistic health solutions and ways of life. Did.

Declutter

11. I will remove 50 books from my book collection and sell or donate to the local library. Did.

12. I will have two garage sales. Had one.

13. I will remove 50 items from my closets and sell or donate them or trash them. Did.

14. I will try to remove an item when I add an item to my house. Tried.

Misc.

15. I will continue to seek a job, full time or part time, even though I'm very discouraged about this. However, as my health improves, other jobs that I can't physically do now will be possible. I can do this and will. Did and suffered some crushing rejections. This one just about sunk me.

16. I will read 75 books this year. Oh, I thought the goal was 100. Well, did.

17. I will continue to read the New Testament and finish it this year. I will also read Psalms and Proverbs. Did. Read all three and most of the Old Testament.

18. I will pray daily and give thanks for my blessings. Mostly did.

19. I will remember that honesty can cause pain and remember that I can never completely know what another person is going through and thus should not judge. In other words, I will keep my mouth shut when my opinion hasn't been asked for -- and sometimes even when it has been. Slipped a few times, but mostly I did much better.

20. I will try to be more forgiving of myself and others. We're human and frail in many many ways. We all need a break. Did as best as I could.

Really, I did better on the list than I expected. Surprising. And pleasing.

GOALS FOR 2013

Writing

1. Finish and publish Murder by the Mile. It's past time.

2. Take up daily walking again. Got to do this for my health.

3. Participate in the 2013 National Novel Writing Month.

4. Blog at least one a week on three of my blogs.

Health

1. Walk at least three times a week.

2. Watch the diet and concentrate on more veggies and low carb foods, even when I eat out.

3. Go to the doctor for a check up and schedule a scope. Also, go to a dentist.

4. Seek more holistic information.

Declutter

1. Give 50 books to the local library or to friends.

2. Remove 50 items from my closets and donate or discard as needed.

3. Organize my files and discard and shred old financial records as needed.

4. Donate or discard kitchen pots never used.

Employment

1. Keep my eyes open for possibilities.

2. Look into going back to college.

3. See if Continuing Education would let me teach some poetry classes again.

4. Pursue more contacts on Linked In.

Publishing

1. Publish three books from Many Rivers Harbor.

2. Publish Many Rivers Harbor's first traditional book. Probably a poetry book. More on this as it develops.

3. Continue to seek new clients.

4. Purchase ISBNs for MRH so that it shows as the publisher rather than Lulu or Amazon.

Misc.

1. Pray daily and give thanks for my blessings.

2. Remember that honesty can cause pain and I can never completely know what another person is going through and thus should not judge. 

3. I will try to be more forgiving of myself and others. We all need a break.

4. Battle the black dog until it whimpers to see me. 

Well, that seems to be a good lists of goals. I hope we all reach our goals,or if not, we achieve other things that are even better. Happy New Year and Many Blessings on You and Yours!

Buh bye 2012

I'm late again. I know. I'd blame life insanity, but it's mostly me being scatter brainy.

This has been a meh year. A bit trying in some ways, but really great in others. That said, I'm glad it's done and we're moving on to the new. I need some new.

This past week, I went up in weight ( even tho my points were fine, I definitely blame Christmas travel which included going off the 'fresh food' plan, too much sodium, and not getting enough water) but I should be down again this week, at least to where I was. I haven't written a thing other than chats, posts and tweets, but I've read two books (The Bellwether by Connie Willis was especially enjoyable, even tho it really didn't have a plot). I've completed one quilt, will likely finish another before I get to bed tonight, sinus crud is improving, family is fine, house is - slowly - shaping up, and truly, other than me sidelined by distractions, all is well.

But the new year will be here in a mere couple of hours (as I type this) and Changes Must Be Made. Some I have ultimate control over, some I don't at all, but, nevertheless, Changes Must Be Made so here goes.

First on my stack is an agent. I am expecting a phone call sometime next week or the week after, say around the 10th, ish, from an agency I've been in contact with for months. They're the only ones who've read SPORE (initial comments were great plus they loved Morgan's Run. Yay!). I am hopeful it will go well. If not, I have backup plans laid out, but I am very, very hopeful for good news from New York in mid January. After the agent, I intend to do whatever I can to get SPORE sold well plus get it to Hollywood. I think it'd make an awesome film, especially the Ghoulie parts.

Next up, I have at least two books to write. Finish Dubric #4 (currently titled Stain of Corruption) and one other book, as yet undecided. I'm brainstorming with my friend Shirley next Monday to come up with ideas for both, so that'll be fun. Hopefully we can come up with something workable. I mostly just need a concept. Once I have that, the rest is just typing. The idea, tho, is always tough for me. I've never understood how so many writers have gazillions of ideas. I never have.

I have a LOT of sewing to do. I owe so, so many people quilts or other items, and I have waaaaay too much fabric. So I must sew. I'm thinking a finished project every three weeks, ish, which comes to 17 in 2013. I have one bed sized quilt on deck, but everything else will be wallhangings or table runners or other smaller things, especially since I have to send the big projects out to be quilted but I quilt the smaller ones myself. In that area of things to do, I also will trim down my fabric to a more manageable level (17 projects ought to help with that!!), weed out my mountain of patterns, and learn how to quilt feathers on my machine as well as circles (I bought the circle foot last year but haven't used it yet). Plus sew some clothes for my granddaughter. :)

Weight Watchers is going well. I intend to ensure it continues to go well. So far, I haven't had much trouble keeping on plan, mostly for me it's a matter of tracking like I should and drinking enough water. If I can do that, I usually do well at weekly weigh in. Want to increase exercising and remove even more processed foods (like the baked crisps I like oh so much for my salty/crunchy fix).

I'm also going to do baby steps into being more frugal, FlyLady, and general organization. Mostly, I want less STUFF.

Lastly, and perhaps most important, I want to spend more time with my family, especially my husband. Because he's awesome. :)

So, I guess that's it. Work. Creativity. Health. Organization. And, most important, Family.

2013 is gonna be a great year!!

{{huggs}} for you all and I'm so glad to have you in my life.

Placeholder

This is a placeholder post. Not quite ready to talk about my goals for 2013 or review my goals for 2012. I will say that it was a harder year than I had hoped for, but I'm still here, still writing, still selling books, still getting by. And that is something to be thankful for.

Right now, I am worn out. Too many gatherings. Traveled six hours today (to and back) for one gathering. I have three more "Christmases" before Christmas 2012 is officially over. Love Christmas. Not sure about the people, though. I'm not good with crowds, noise, etc. Puts a strain on me. And one Christmas just got moved to New Year's Day, which frankly I'm not pleased about. I wanted that day to myself. Instead, grandchildren will be arriving. Love them, but wanted some space. Well, that's life. I'll enjoy them. I know I will. And there will come a time when they're teenagers and it won't be cool or fun to come. Need to enjoy these times while they last. That's what I tell myself. And it's the truth.

Anyway, I hope you had a good Christmas. And if you're still in the middle of them ... well, I'm thinking of you and rooting for you.

My plan is to be back here New Year's Day. Then I'll talk about my goals, my failures and successes, and a few other things. See you then.

Wendy's Last Week

Apparently I didn't have any concrete 2012 goals. That explains a lot.

Good Stuff:
- We've had some good family time.
- Made some progress packing stuff from kitchen cabinets. The new cabinets will be here Friday. Not sure when they'll be installed, but I'd imagine it won't be too long after that.
- Set some concrete goals for 2013. We'll see how that works out.
- I've felt like shaking things up lately, like I don't want to waste any more time. It's not something I can really put my finger on, but it makes me wonder if this is how a caterpillar feels when it spins its cocoon.
- I'm rearranging my office to set up a reading area by the window. I'm really hoping the new configuration will lead to greater productivity.

Not So Good Stuff:
- Once again I spent too much time watching TV. I almost overdosed on HGTV.
- I'm having a hard time plotting the new book. I'm trying to dig deeper, but I seem to be digging in the wrong places because it hasn't clicked yet.
- The kid I was fencing with today whacked the crap out of my knuckle. It's really tender but not bruised. Yet. I got him back, the little bugger. ;-) All part of the process.

For 2013:

·     Make enough money to pay at least half my professional expenses.

·   Keep the new kitchen clean.

·   Give to the food bank at least three times.

·   Keep five notes in the car for people standing on the corners.

·   Seriously declutter. I have no idea how to measure this.

·   Do at least 1 bible study.

·   Learn more ways to defend myself.

o  Practice the ways I already know.

·   Write 150,000 book words.

Have a great new year! See you on the flip side!

The End of the Year as We Know It

I think next year I'll pick a random song lyric for a title--maybe modify it for relevance.

The Good Stuff:

• Two San Antonio bathroom problems are resolved or abated.  The sink drain is repaired, including the leaky hot water supply line. The toilet tank has been rebuilt, stopping a troublesome leak.
• Kittens are doing well, as are the big cats
• A very little work done on PBOTL
• Made progress on a few household hot spots
• Raked some more leaves; trimmed a few bushes

The Not So Good Stuff:

• Hubby is still avoiding the tub drain repair.  He has it mapped out, but he just has to convince himself to go under the house. I do understand this.  Sigh.
• Just as our Christmas ham finished cooking, the rotisserie motor on the stove went out.  We have a year to get it fixed, but I'll need to remind hubby about it early in the year.  I imagine he'll be scrambling at the last minute get it fixed, though.

The Week Ahead:

• Prepare to return to Central TX
• Bring in the New Year (because you know it won't arrive without our assistance)

Speaking of New Year, here are the goals for the coming year.

Relationship: Seems like we're in a mostly good place right now, and we'd like to keep it that way.

Pets:

• Continue care, feeding, and attention for inside (big) cats.  
• Decide what will be best for the feral kittens.  They will be ready for spay/neuter around the beginning of February.  Until then, where do we keep them?  In the crate in the garage (it will be difficult for me to clean the crate that way, but it will be better preparation if I'm to release them to outside after their spay/neuter) or set up in the parlor (where hubby says we don't have the space).  
• I plan to ask the vet if she'll keep them for a week or so to see if they can be adopted out of her office -- or I'll ask if a home they'd find from her office would be better than living outside at my place.  
• Of course, the temptation to keep them all inside is a strong one, but that would cause problems.  For our four, we can leave for a four-day weekend, and the litter boxes and food and water towers work fine.  Doubling the number of cats would be problematic.  And, of course, boarding that many for a couple of weeks while we travel would be, gasp!, prohibitive.
• If I put them outside, I'm feeding six cats, so I'd probably need two more feeders.  That would be easy.  I could probably treat these four monthly with the all in one flea and worm preventative to keep them safe from parasites -- assuming they will allow themselves to be handled once I release them.
• Continue trying to trap Sneaky to get her spayed.

Properties:

• San Antonio: This year I want to work on interior cleanliness, yard, help hubby with renovations in preparation for putting it on the market (not this year).
• Central TX House: Declutter, yard, exterior paint
• Shop: help hubby with projects (maybe bathroom repair and cleaning behind the building
• Store: Move bikes to shop, inventory glass, keep it mowed
• Ranch: Trim road edge back

Health and Fitness:

• Rededicate to WW and Fitness.  No, this is not a broken record.  I began the year at 263 and currently have a net gain of six pounds.  My next goal of 261 has been waiting impatiently for me to meet it.  A reasonable goal would be to be at or below 245 at year's end.
• Riding the bike helps keep my knees mobile and helps cardiac fitness (but I'll need to add more resistance to achieve better heart benefits)
• Resume my exercises for my knees.  My right hip is bothering me, and that's directly attributable to not doing my stretching exercises
• My blood pressure is giving me problems.  If I can't get it lowered with diet and exercise, the doc is going to have to put me on another medication.  I don't want that. 

Family:

• This is always troublesome for me.  I care for my family -- even love them, of course, but I've been away from them so long, I don't really know them.  Mom and I play Lexulous, so we chat back and forth in the course of the game.  My younger brother and his family are on Facebook, so we have some communication that way. My sister has a Facebook account, but she hasn't been on for several months.  My older brother will communicate via text, so maybe I better text him more than an annual Christmas and birthday text.
• My folks are coming to OK for my nephew's high school graduation in May, and we plan to attend as well.  So I suggested they might want to ride down on the train, and we'd pick them up in Dallas.  Then I suggested they come spend a couple of days with us in Central TX (Dad hasn't seen the house yet), and they accepted.

Writing: PBOTL revision and completion of How To Revise Your Novel are my top writing priority.  I also plan to participate in NaNoWriMo again this year.

Reading: I always have a goal of reading 50 books a year.  2012 has probably been my worst year for reading, and I doubt 2013 will be much better, but the goal remains 50 books.

FM: I'm more active behind the scenes than I was at the beginning of the year.  I'm not much more active on the front end than I was before. With the transition to Joomla!, I've become the primary backend person.  I've created the test site but still haven't found the best way to get it configured to match the live site.  I plan to redo the FAQ. We need to figure out how to get chat logins integrated with the site login.  There are a few other problems people are complaining about that I have no idea how to resolve.

Blogging and Internet Presence:  I'm mostly comfortable with my current blog schedule.  I skip a few days now and then.  I see few new readers and nearly no commenters.  I understand what they meant when they said blogging was dead, but I have no interest in making Facebook a blogging platform.  In fact, I refuse to do so.  I still value what we have here at Createslate as we begin our third year.

Merry Christmas!

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