I've done nothing except work on Tales from Bethlehem this week. It should be published next week. I think. It's went through four proof readings by various people. Each time, they found new errors. Admittedly the errors were fewer each time -- the fourth proofer only found four -- but it still makes me cautious. I'm going to do another line edit myself, but I'm doubting my ability to catch anything else since I had already missed all those other errors. (I confess I'm very tired of working on it. And sitting at my computer.)
Sigh.
Well, what else? I'm reading Spore by our talented Tammy. It's a great read. I'm not proofing, just enjoying it. This book is going to be big, big, big! I was trying to proof, but I kept being caught up by the story and having to stop and go back and then read again and finally decided to heck with proofing! I'm a better reader than proofer, if that makes sense. I'm about two-thirds through the story. It's gone a different direction that I expected, and I like that. I'm having real difficulty in keeping from skipping to the end and seeing how it all turns out. NO SPOILERS!
I've stopped exercising the way I should. No excuses. Got to get going again. My blood sugar is creeping up on me. It's just ... well, all my friends stopped. Now, it's just me, and I have all the willpower of a French king.
Hate the fall. Not because of the weather. The lack of sunlight. I feel like I'm living in a cave. It gets dark so early, and once the time change takes place, it will be dark at noon! Okay, maybe not noon.
Went to the writers group meeting today. It was enjoyable, although I'm not sure how much writing info is exchanged. Well, yes, I am. Precious little, but maybe that will improve. We did have cookies and coffee. HmmMmm.
Attended a book signing Tuesday afternoon. Poorly attended. Author did sell 14 books, and that's not bad for my town, but only 10 people showed up. I felt bad for the author.
Black dog is back.
This week, I will:
- Finish and submit Tales.
- Household chores.
- Start publicity for Tales.
- Get a flu shot.
- Catch blog up.
Hope y'all have a great week!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Wendy's Week
Lots of things marked off my list this week.
Good Stuff:
- Vicky's room has been converted to a guest room. The paint has been touched up, furniture rearranged, new curtains hung. I did think about moving my office in there, but it's a fairly large room with only one vent, so the temperature is harder to regulate. I spend a lot of time in my office; best to leave it in a more comfortable room.
- I have about 50 pictures to use as writing prompts for NaNo. A collection of short stories isn't exactly a novel, so I'm stretching the parameters, but it's not like the NaNo Police are going to arrest me.
- Got more cleaning done than I expected to. Still a long way to go, though. The Boys will be here in 3 weeks.
- Made check-up appointments and ordered new contacts. Doesn't look like much on paper, but I procrastinate phone calls. My years of spending hours of my work days on the phone over-rode the pleasurable hours I spent on the phone as a teenager.
- Encased the garden in plastic so I can see how long my tomatoes will keep producing, and to increase the possibility of a Brussels sprout harvest.
- Kicked around the possibility of a kitchen remodel. It's something Eric does periodically. Went so far as to go to Lowes to scope out new cabinets and flooring. After taking measurements, we estimated the flooring (porcelain tile) alone would be close to $3,000 with installation and tabled it again. Phew! I am going to encourage him to take the measurements back to Lowes, though, to get an estimate for the rest of the kitchen. Maybe the sticker shock will last a little longer. Yes, I would like a more functional kitchen. The builder cut a lot of corners, and a few changes would increase work space and storage, but kitchens are so daggone expensive!
Not So Good Stuff:
- The 'green house' design is leaving a lot to be desired thanks to the wind. Why does it have to be so darned windy? I'll need to do some research over the winter, I think, for a better design.
- I lost connectivity with the wireless printer, and the laser printer in my office has been on the fritz for months. Eric found a great deal online for a new printer, but now I have to clean my office and move the old laser out. I should maybe just donate it right away, but where would I donate a printer that doesn't work?
- The warrior queens are still elusive, but I think I'm close to being able to write Grace O'Malley (Irish pirate in the late 1500's). I have some fun ideas for her.
This Week:
- Clean my office.
- Finish getting guest rooms ready for Thanksgiving. I think it's maybe not even too early to make the beds.
- NaNo.
- Finish Spore and send it back to Tammy. Really enjoying it, but I can't read as long at a stretch on the computer screen, so it's a little slow going.
- Keep cleaning. I'm assuming it will all get done eventually.
Good Stuff:
- Vicky's room has been converted to a guest room. The paint has been touched up, furniture rearranged, new curtains hung. I did think about moving my office in there, but it's a fairly large room with only one vent, so the temperature is harder to regulate. I spend a lot of time in my office; best to leave it in a more comfortable room.
- I have about 50 pictures to use as writing prompts for NaNo. A collection of short stories isn't exactly a novel, so I'm stretching the parameters, but it's not like the NaNo Police are going to arrest me.
- Got more cleaning done than I expected to. Still a long way to go, though. The Boys will be here in 3 weeks.
- Made check-up appointments and ordered new contacts. Doesn't look like much on paper, but I procrastinate phone calls. My years of spending hours of my work days on the phone over-rode the pleasurable hours I spent on the phone as a teenager.
- Encased the garden in plastic so I can see how long my tomatoes will keep producing, and to increase the possibility of a Brussels sprout harvest.
- Kicked around the possibility of a kitchen remodel. It's something Eric does periodically. Went so far as to go to Lowes to scope out new cabinets and flooring. After taking measurements, we estimated the flooring (porcelain tile) alone would be close to $3,000 with installation and tabled it again. Phew! I am going to encourage him to take the measurements back to Lowes, though, to get an estimate for the rest of the kitchen. Maybe the sticker shock will last a little longer. Yes, I would like a more functional kitchen. The builder cut a lot of corners, and a few changes would increase work space and storage, but kitchens are so daggone expensive!
Not So Good Stuff:
- The 'green house' design is leaving a lot to be desired thanks to the wind. Why does it have to be so darned windy? I'll need to do some research over the winter, I think, for a better design.
- I lost connectivity with the wireless printer, and the laser printer in my office has been on the fritz for months. Eric found a great deal online for a new printer, but now I have to clean my office and move the old laser out. I should maybe just donate it right away, but where would I donate a printer that doesn't work?
- The warrior queens are still elusive, but I think I'm close to being able to write Grace O'Malley (Irish pirate in the late 1500's). I have some fun ideas for her.
This Week:
- Clean my office.
- Finish getting guest rooms ready for Thanksgiving. I think it's maybe not even too early to make the beds.
- NaNo.
- Finish Spore and send it back to Tammy. Really enjoying it, but I can't read as long at a stretch on the computer screen, so it's a little slow going.
- Keep cleaning. I'm assuming it will all get done eventually.
Ten Months Down. Two to Go.
But I'm in no hurry. It's been an interesting week. On the edge of being "may you live in interesting times" but not quite that bad.
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- I have three and a half of six characters with a little more meat on their bones.
- I rode the bike this morning for the first time in three weeks, and I noticed no problems with my joints while doing so.
- I helped proof Tales from Bethlehem for Stephen. Inspired. I loved the way he retold the well-known story from fresh eyes of the characters from Bethlehem. I will be buying several copies.
- Then, I read Tammy's Spore. Also inspired. If you think about it, the message of both books is very similar. On the surface, they are nothing alike, yet the stories are about new beginnings. And Tammy's is told true to her brand -- as is Stephen's. When available, I'll be buying this one, too.
- I printed my sample ballot and am researching a plethora of judge candidates in preparation for early voting this week.
- We got rain this week. And cold. And sun. Yay.
- I'm using the beta version of Scrapple for brainstorming for REUNION. I have a very powerful brainstorming program, but this one is interesting. It will integrate with Scrivener and is anticipated to sell for about ten dollars when it's released around the first of the year.
- The first two weeks of Forward Motion on the new site have gone well. Still working on how to get Chat integrated (Margaret more than me). For now, chat remains linked to the old site logins. That is the most critical thing we have to figure out. The rest is more low key.
- The kitten I mentioned so enthusiastically last week? Vanished. I know there will be others, but I can't help feeling as if I somehow let this one down. I know that's not real rational. I'll be okay.
- Had my mammogram appointment week before last. They take digital photos, and they have us wait while the radiologist reads them. If he wants more pictures, they get them right then. He wanted more pictures this time. Essentially re-shot the whole set. Said he thought everything was okay but wanted an ultrasound just to be sure. So, I'm not sure why I was mildly surprised to get the usual letter except instead of "no problems see you next year" checked, the "your results were abnormal, we need an ultrasound" was checked. Waiting for that appointment to arrive in the mail. Hopefully, no big deal.
- Hubby's schedule didn't go as planned, so there was no sanding this week.
- Too much inertia on my part this week. Not much accomplished. Some of it kitten. Some of it other things.
- Finish character generation
- Spend M-R in San Antonio with Monday and Thursday being travel days. Vote. Hopefully, hubby will get the tub drain under house fix trip made so we can use the shower. Deliver beer to a Twitter acquaintance (and meet him and his wife).
- Begin NaNo
Friday, October 26, 2012
The last weekend in October...
I don't know where to start.
I finished the first draft of SPORE and it's out to pre-readers for good or ill. Due to an effort to avoid upsetting people we know, I had to change two character names at the last minute and screwed it up, since both names also happened to be parts of words and silly, rushed, me forgot to check 'whole words only'. Oh well, at least it wasn't sent that way to an editor. I truly hope the book doesn't stink, and that any tweaks are achievable. Keeping fingers crossed it'll be sell worthy soon.
I have 3 more chapter graphics to get done, but life, as usual, keeps getting in my way. Plus I have to read my friend Sammie's book she'd recently finished and I'm struggling to find time and mental focus.
Partly because I had strep throat last week - ended up in the weekend walk in emergency care clinic at the hospital because I was hacking up bloodclots. Since (again, silly me) I was trying to self treat a nasty sinus infection with OTC decongestants, I'd taken too many too often for too long, spiking my blood pressure seriously high and I received a Very Stern Talking To about taking too much sudafed. I am now forbidden from taking any decongestants without doctor approval. ANY. Which really sucks since I'm a chronic allergy sufferer and about the only help are little red magic pills.
Apparently the doc would rather I had sinus issues instead of a stroke. Whee.
I have been 100% decongestant free since Saturday. Feels like my forehead wants to slide off, but otherwise I'm all right. Least my throat doesn't hurt. I'm seeing my regular doc next week and I'll talk it over with her, as well as stuff about the weight loss.
That's going pretty well - down 6.8 lbs total since starting. Would have been more, but the antibiotics they gave me for the strep made me bloaty and constipated, and I went up .8lbs this week. It'll go down next week for sure!
Tracking has showed me that I pretty much avoid dairy (mildly lactose intolerant) and oils (a lifetime of watching fats) and this week I've been making a concerted effort to INCLUDE THEM. It's hard. Harder than tracking, harder than keeping at my point totals. I just don't do dairy and oil. But I'm trying. The check off boxes help.
Anyway, that's about it for me, I guess. I hope you all had a good week and are looking forward to a great weekend. {{hugs}}
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Mad, I tell you, MAD!
I'm going mad. Just thought you should know. I've spent just about every waking hour working on Tales from Bethlehem. I've been trying to make up the time I lost during my two and a half week illness. Well, now I'm about a week behind. And I am so SICK of being in front of this computer. That's why I'm going mad, mad, MAD!
Anyway, not much else to tell you about last week because of that. And that's what I'm going to be doing this week, too.
Let's see what I have planned:
- Enter in corrections as they arrive.
- Tuesday afternoon, book signing for Kelley Benson's "On Target: Devotions for Modern Life." This is the first signing any of "my" authors have had. I'm supplying the table and tablecloth and table sign. He's supposed to supply the rest. We've mailed postcards, emailed local people, and (I hope) will have a story in the local newspaper. Sometimes they run stories; sometimes they do not.
- Household chores.
- Hope to get a pumpkin and some mums this week and decorate my porch.
- Clean my desk and get some organization in the piles of paper publishing a book seems to generate.
- Writers group meeting Saturday morning. In which they will each take a Tale and do some proofing for me.
I hope your week is going WONDERFULLY! And if not, you can always go MAD with me!
Anyway, not much else to tell you about last week because of that. And that's what I'm going to be doing this week, too.
Let's see what I have planned:
- Enter in corrections as they arrive.
- Tuesday afternoon, book signing for Kelley Benson's "On Target: Devotions for Modern Life." This is the first signing any of "my" authors have had. I'm supplying the table and tablecloth and table sign. He's supposed to supply the rest. We've mailed postcards, emailed local people, and (I hope) will have a story in the local newspaper. Sometimes they run stories; sometimes they do not.
- Household chores.
- Hope to get a pumpkin and some mums this week and decorate my porch.
- Clean my desk and get some organization in the piles of paper publishing a book seems to generate.
- Writers group meeting Saturday morning. In which they will each take a Tale and do some proofing for me.
I hope your week is going WONDERFULLY! And if not, you can always go MAD with me!
Wendy's week
The number of things not crossed off on my list for this week is more than the things crossed off. It's only one page. Some of the not-crossed-off things are partly done but not completed. Either this means I've been flitting too much, or I need to be more specific when I make my list so I can mark more things off. You guys always help me find epiphanies. ;-)
Good Stuff:
- THE BATHROOM IS PAINTED! Not done, completely. I need to do some cleaning and put stuff back in, but the worst is done. It looks so much better.
- Church Powerpoints are done for this month.
- Canned 7 more pints of tomatoes, 4 pints of chicken stock, and 3 pints of turkey stock. I'm still getting tomatoes from the garden, so I'm not done canning yet.
- Bought PVC pipe and had it cut to make a small greenhouse frame. Eric was putting it in for me this afternoon and discovered some of the fittings are the wrong kind, so it's back to the hardware store before we get it installed. We're going to look for an electric fireplace for our bedroom, too.
- I got the Brussels sprouts planted. Finally.
- The dining room looks big and empty. I have my camp table up in there, at least until after Thanksgiving. I'm kicking around ways to make the room more useable instead of a space that we just walk past and store holiday dishes in.
- Edited a romance for a friend.
- Collected some pictures to use for writing prompts for NaNo. That's all the prep I'm doing.
- Eric and I made a good start on converting Vicky's room to a guest room. Her stuff is all packed up and stored in the closet, her desk is in the garage awaiting pick-up. Now I need to touch up paint and hang curtains, maybe move some pictures from downstairs so the walls aren't naked.
- Took advantage of Eric's grad school to hit the Webster Univ library for warrior queen research. They file using the Library of Congress numbers instead of Dewey Decimal. Similar, but not the same, and not as browsing friendly. I found one book. That's the way of it with those elusive warrior queens.
Meh stuff:
- I still don't know when, or if, my mom is coming. Worst case, I'll be ready way ahead of time for the Boys. (We now have 3 coming for Thanksgiving, BTW.)
- I bought a CD and book set to learn Gaelic, but it's not very user friendly. They use native speakers, but they rush through the lessons. I've done the first five or so pages three times already.
This Week:
- Do the cleaning I've been putting off.
- More warrior queen research.
- Find the rest of my pictures.
- Practice fencing.
- Read Timothy. Stop putting that off.
Good Stuff:
- THE BATHROOM IS PAINTED! Not done, completely. I need to do some cleaning and put stuff back in, but the worst is done. It looks so much better.
- Church Powerpoints are done for this month.
- Canned 7 more pints of tomatoes, 4 pints of chicken stock, and 3 pints of turkey stock. I'm still getting tomatoes from the garden, so I'm not done canning yet.
- Bought PVC pipe and had it cut to make a small greenhouse frame. Eric was putting it in for me this afternoon and discovered some of the fittings are the wrong kind, so it's back to the hardware store before we get it installed. We're going to look for an electric fireplace for our bedroom, too.
- I got the Brussels sprouts planted. Finally.
- The dining room looks big and empty. I have my camp table up in there, at least until after Thanksgiving. I'm kicking around ways to make the room more useable instead of a space that we just walk past and store holiday dishes in.
- Edited a romance for a friend.
- Collected some pictures to use for writing prompts for NaNo. That's all the prep I'm doing.
- Eric and I made a good start on converting Vicky's room to a guest room. Her stuff is all packed up and stored in the closet, her desk is in the garage awaiting pick-up. Now I need to touch up paint and hang curtains, maybe move some pictures from downstairs so the walls aren't naked.
- Took advantage of Eric's grad school to hit the Webster Univ library for warrior queen research. They file using the Library of Congress numbers instead of Dewey Decimal. Similar, but not the same, and not as browsing friendly. I found one book. That's the way of it with those elusive warrior queens.
Meh stuff:
- I still don't know when, or if, my mom is coming. Worst case, I'll be ready way ahead of time for the Boys. (We now have 3 coming for Thanksgiving, BTW.)
- I bought a CD and book set to learn Gaelic, but it's not very user friendly. They use native speakers, but they rush through the lessons. I've done the first five or so pages three times already.
This Week:
- Do the cleaning I've been putting off.
- More warrior queen research.
- Find the rest of my pictures.
- Practice fencing.
- Read Timothy. Stop putting that off.
Vacation Aftermath
We're home.
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- For Library Thing's Early Reader's Program, I won a digital copy of a book about Kent State. I moved to East Liverpool, Ohio, in 1975, and Kent State was always a big deal, and I didn't get why it was a big deal. As I understood it, college kid protesters (kind of like Occupy Wall Streeters today but with a little better understanding of what they were protesting) got out of line, National Guard was called in, something triggered shooting, and when all was said and done, there were dead and injured. I was never particularly impressed with hippy college protestors (which may explain why I've been even less impressed with OWSers), and yeah, it's not good that people died, but get over it already. That's been my attitude about this event that happened when I was ten years old living in Iowa for most of my life. I'm glad to get the book, because maybe I'll get a more enlightened view of what happened.
- We're home. Laundry is caught up. Cats are home. The feral kitten we're seeing now is nothing like the little orange screamer we saw when we left. I believe they are two different kitties. I'm not sure if the little orange guy is still with us or not. The young lady (I say young lady, because she's orange, black and white, so I surmise she's a calico coloring, even though I'd call the coloring diffused. She's gorgeous in her own way--see top of post for picture.) we're seeing all over the yard looks nothing like the other one, even though she looks approximately the same age (but it grew a lot in two weeks!). She's watching us watch her. She's drinking water from the water tower. I believe she's eating the food I put out for her (and her brother if he's still around but not making an appearance). She was under the side porch this morning, and I dropped a ball on a string. She pounced on it (one quick kitty), then she got shy and wouldn't play. Outdoor kitties, even young ones, are a lot more serious than indoor kitties who don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
- No sign of the skunk.
- Scaffolding is set up to do scraping, sanding, priming, and painting on the dining room bump out on the west wall.
- I'm going to call this a win -- weight was down .2 from when we left on vacation until when we returned (essentially stayed the same). Once again, I stayed steady while traveling.
- Water drained from the downspouts at the shop and didn't find its way into the building when we had rain over the weekend. We haven't installed the new downspouts yet, but we have tried to keep the existing ones clear, and they allowed a huge volume of water to come off the roof, and it stayed outside.
- Doing some character development for NaNo2012, Reunion.
- Hubby's been wiped out since we got home. Traveling takes a toll on him that he doesn't notice until he gets home, then he gets made because he's tired and has no energy.
- Slow getting stuff put away from the trip. Hubby complains when too much stuff is laying about, but if I put anything away, he complains because he can't find anything (is this a familiar no-win situation, or is it just me?). Right now, he has lanterns sitting on PBOTL. Fortunately, I need to focus on Reunion through the end of November.
- I'm not going to finish the revision of PBOTL this year. I'll reset the goal for next year. It is coming along, though, so I can only complain about my pacing with working on the project. Too inconsistent in effort expended. Something to strive for improving.
- Way behind on blog posts, but I doubt too many people are concerned about it.
- Gain some traction in getting things done. I managed to motivate myself to vacuum the downstairs this morning. I need to do the upstairs and the stairs. None of this stuff takes long. I just need to overcome inertia.
- Do character creation for Reunion this week.
- Begin putting yard stuff away in the shed in preparation for winter
- Do sanding on bump out when hubby is ready
- Ride the bike. My plan is to walk to the shop (about half a mile), ride the bike for 20 minutes, and walk home.
Monday, October 15, 2012
My week
I spent it on Tales from Bethlehem. I was two and a half weeks behind due to illness. Now I'm about a week behind where I wanted to be. I should finish it this week.
Besides that, I did household chores, attended and conducted the writers group meeting Saturday, and worked on the new writers group website, which went live today. Here's the link to it: Ada Writers. It needs more useful content, but that will come.
Oh, mustn't forget this exciting thing. Holly Lisle chose me (and about 24 other people) to proof and review her book Hunting the Corrigan's Blood. It's a great story. I've found about 30 typos so far; I feel useful. I will finish the proofing this week when I'm not working on Tales.
This week, I will work on Tales and do chores and generally keep body and soul together. Hope you have a great week!
Besides that, I did household chores, attended and conducted the writers group meeting Saturday, and worked on the new writers group website, which went live today. Here's the link to it: Ada Writers. It needs more useful content, but that will come.
Oh, mustn't forget this exciting thing. Holly Lisle chose me (and about 24 other people) to proof and review her book Hunting the Corrigan's Blood. It's a great story. I've found about 30 typos so far; I feel useful. I will finish the proofing this week when I'm not working on Tales.
This week, I will work on Tales and do chores and generally keep body and soul together. Hope you have a great week!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Wendy's Week
And it's only Saturday!
Good stuff:
- Eric helped me finish the garage Monday on his extra day off. All I had to do was cook him breakfast. :-)
- The camp kitchen is stained and put away. So is the rest of the camp gear. Finally. My dining room looks so big! I'll try to get a new pic of the kitchen all put together.
- The upstairs bathroom is primed. I'm going to give it another coat of white, mostly for the sake of the ceiling, before I break out the new color. Well, not new. It's in the other bathrooms, too, but it's new to that bathroom.
- Set up a story telling tag team gig with a Celtic band we like. I'm going to tell warrior queen stories and they'll play appropriate music at Tartan Days in St. Charles in April. Should be a lot of fun. And a lot of research. Those warrior queens are hard to find in the library stacks.
- Went over the first 5 pages of King Or Country (again) to enter it into a contest. I think it opens next week. Need to check the date. I can't decide if the changes I've made make the characters sound more English. I might need to drop some dialect words in.
- Had dinner with friends on Thursday and beer with Eric's co-workers yesterday. I actually found a beer I like. It's raspberry and tastes nothing like beer.
- Canned 8 pints of tomatoes today. The canner works a lot more efficiently with a new seal.
- Started learning Gaelic. I don't know why I feel like I have to try everything different all at the same time. Go big or go home? Yeah. That's it. (Oh, wait, I am home.)
Ambivalent with a side of potential stress:
- Mom called the other day. My stepdad has a 55 Chevy on consignment about an hour from here, and he wants to come get it before winter weather sets in. Of course they'll stay with us, and it will only be a night or two sometime this month. He hasn't decided when, but not this week. Maybe next week or the following. Nothing like having my timetable crunched to motivate me to get the house put back together!
Not So Good:
- I'm impatient to get the house done. I keep reminding myself that it's about the process as much as the result, but of course the little ADD girl inside me is whining about not being there yet.
- No writing. I skyped with my partner about weaving a symbol into KOC but I haven't done it yet. I seem to remember doing this last October, too.
This Week:
- Paint the bathroom and put it back together.
- Pack up the rest of Vicky's stuff and store it in the closet. Rearrange her furniture. If possible, do some painting in there, too. That'll depend partly on when Mom and Stepdad come. It might get put off, and I won't shed crocodile tears.
- Put a green house thingy over the back raised bed and plant the brussels sprouts out there. It would be nice to get a harvest this year, but I don't know if I will because I think I started the seeds too late.
- Read 1 and 2 Timothy for theme. I'm basing the novel I did research for in Newport on those books.
- Powerpoints for church.
- Get the contest entry finished.
Good stuff:
- Eric helped me finish the garage Monday on his extra day off. All I had to do was cook him breakfast. :-)
- The camp kitchen is stained and put away. So is the rest of the camp gear. Finally. My dining room looks so big! I'll try to get a new pic of the kitchen all put together.
- The upstairs bathroom is primed. I'm going to give it another coat of white, mostly for the sake of the ceiling, before I break out the new color. Well, not new. It's in the other bathrooms, too, but it's new to that bathroom.
- Set up a story telling tag team gig with a Celtic band we like. I'm going to tell warrior queen stories and they'll play appropriate music at Tartan Days in St. Charles in April. Should be a lot of fun. And a lot of research. Those warrior queens are hard to find in the library stacks.
- Went over the first 5 pages of King Or Country (again) to enter it into a contest. I think it opens next week. Need to check the date. I can't decide if the changes I've made make the characters sound more English. I might need to drop some dialect words in.
- Had dinner with friends on Thursday and beer with Eric's co-workers yesterday. I actually found a beer I like. It's raspberry and tastes nothing like beer.
- Canned 8 pints of tomatoes today. The canner works a lot more efficiently with a new seal.
- Started learning Gaelic. I don't know why I feel like I have to try everything different all at the same time. Go big or go home? Yeah. That's it. (Oh, wait, I am home.)
Ambivalent with a side of potential stress:
- Mom called the other day. My stepdad has a 55 Chevy on consignment about an hour from here, and he wants to come get it before winter weather sets in. Of course they'll stay with us, and it will only be a night or two sometime this month. He hasn't decided when, but not this week. Maybe next week or the following. Nothing like having my timetable crunched to motivate me to get the house put back together!
Not So Good:
- I'm impatient to get the house done. I keep reminding myself that it's about the process as much as the result, but of course the little ADD girl inside me is whining about not being there yet.
- No writing. I skyped with my partner about weaving a symbol into KOC but I haven't done it yet. I seem to remember doing this last October, too.
This Week:
- Paint the bathroom and put it back together.
- Pack up the rest of Vicky's stuff and store it in the closet. Rearrange her furniture. If possible, do some painting in there, too. That'll depend partly on when Mom and Stepdad come. It might get put off, and I won't shed crocodile tears.
- Put a green house thingy over the back raised bed and plant the brussels sprouts out there. It would be nice to get a harvest this year, but I don't know if I will because I think I started the seeds too late.
- Read 1 and 2 Timothy for theme. I'm basing the novel I did research for in Newport on those books.
- Powerpoints for church.
- Get the contest entry finished.
Tis the season for seasonal allergies.
Actually, I don't think that season ever really ends. There's always something around to aggravate my sinuses. My problems worsen every year during harvest, especially soybeans. While the crops are all in, today the farmers are 'shaving' (I don't know what it's actually called, but the fields look shaved) their soybean fields and baling the stuff for animal feed. It makes a LOT of dust and, yep, my sinuses LOVE that.
Otherwise, things are pretty darn good.
Was down 2lbs this week at Weight Watchers. Have lost another pound since then, at least according to my home scale. I think the trick for me, currently at least, is water, water, water, and staying away from bread and pasta. Point appropriate or not, wheaty carbs make me bloaty.
Spore is excellent. I am truly almost done. All of the characters are in really tough places (scared and helpless but in completely different ways) and I will finish the book tomorrow or Monday. Seriously. It's awesome. Just have to finish the climactic explosion then write the aftermath and it's DONE. One agency in particular is very excited to see it, plus they loved Morgan and have stated they don't want me snatched up by anyone else. Woot!! If/when I can give more details, I will but I am very, VERY excited. I'll be sending it to pre-readers for critique next weekend (Jean's already in, so Wendy and Stephen, if you want to rip into my prose let me know) and I'm telling folks I need comments back in about 2 weeks, so by election day. That'll get the book to the agency mid November. I'm actually excited about it! Can't you tell??
The family's fine and it's possible that Bill might maybe be getting some more finalized answers about his job. It seems like it'll land one of two ways, neither of which will mean a reduction in pay or a forced move, so we're both really hopeful about that, too. Nothing's certain yet, of course, but still, it's the best postal news we've had in a long, long time.
About the only bump this week was with a very dear family member in Des Moines who just got diagnosed w/ diabetes. We know he'd been pretty sick for a long, long time and while this isn't great news for anyone, at least now he'll get treatment.
{{huggs}} all around. Have a great week!
Otherwise, things are pretty darn good.
Was down 2lbs this week at Weight Watchers. Have lost another pound since then, at least according to my home scale. I think the trick for me, currently at least, is water, water, water, and staying away from bread and pasta. Point appropriate or not, wheaty carbs make me bloaty.
Spore is excellent. I am truly almost done. All of the characters are in really tough places (scared and helpless but in completely different ways) and I will finish the book tomorrow or Monday. Seriously. It's awesome. Just have to finish the climactic explosion then write the aftermath and it's DONE. One agency in particular is very excited to see it, plus they loved Morgan and have stated they don't want me snatched up by anyone else. Woot!! If/when I can give more details, I will but I am very, VERY excited. I'll be sending it to pre-readers for critique next weekend (Jean's already in, so Wendy and Stephen, if you want to rip into my prose let me know) and I'm telling folks I need comments back in about 2 weeks, so by election day. That'll get the book to the agency mid November. I'm actually excited about it! Can't you tell??
The family's fine and it's possible that Bill might maybe be getting some more finalized answers about his job. It seems like it'll land one of two ways, neither of which will mean a reduction in pay or a forced move, so we're both really hopeful about that, too. Nothing's certain yet, of course, but still, it's the best postal news we've had in a long, long time.
About the only bump this week was with a very dear family member in Des Moines who just got diagnosed w/ diabetes. We know he'd been pretty sick for a long, long time and while this isn't great news for anyone, at least now he'll get treatment.
{{huggs}} all around. Have a great week!
More Errors
I'm thinking Blogger doesn't like the iPad. I'm sitting here doing laundry in preparation for beginning the trip home tomorrow. Hubby seems to have have had a good trip. We're preparing for getting togetherness with the lantern group tonight. Hubby has checked with the hotel, and they are ready for us. Our event is on the hotel schedule for today. We had dinner last night with one other couple attending, so we won't be alone with our sandwiches and fruit and veggie tray tonight.
We spread Hershey over three days instead of the usual two, and that seemed to work pretty well. Hubby found a few things. He's happy with the bounty from the trip. I'm pleased to have not found too much -- a pair of Fenton Thumbprint pattern tall candlesticks in Colonial Green. It's a common color, but for some reason, I don't think I have a pair in my collection. My other find was an antique metal adjustable swivel stool.
The week ahead brings the trip home, picking up the cats, getting my annual mammogram, and seeing what's happened with the feral kitten under the house and determining if we need to deal with the skunk I saw -- hopefully, it has moved on. Hubby hopes the feral kitten has moved on, but I'm less certain of that (we haven't discussed it, but I know that's his hope).
I'm looking at a beta version of a modified mind-mapping software by the Scrivener folks. It looks pretty cool. Playing with my NaNo ideas on it.
We spread Hershey over three days instead of the usual two, and that seemed to work pretty well. Hubby found a few things. He's happy with the bounty from the trip. I'm pleased to have not found too much -- a pair of Fenton Thumbprint pattern tall candlesticks in Colonial Green. It's a common color, but for some reason, I don't think I have a pair in my collection. My other find was an antique metal adjustable swivel stool.
The week ahead brings the trip home, picking up the cats, getting my annual mammogram, and seeing what's happened with the feral kitten under the house and determining if we need to deal with the skunk I saw -- hopefully, it has moved on. Hubby hopes the feral kitten has moved on, but I'm less certain of that (we haven't discussed it, but I know that's his hope).
I'm looking at a beta version of a modified mind-mapping software by the Scrivener folks. It looks pretty cool. Playing with my NaNo ideas on it.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Error
On the iPad. Blogger is erroring out when I try to post. Maybe it's okay now We'll see. We're on the road. I'm achey and mildly grumpy. Words aren't typing right. Loved seeing Wendy and Eric Thursday night. Thanks so much for the cookies. Really tough to believe such a small cookie packs so much satisfaction into it. (Yes, we still have some left.)
We're on the annual Hershey trek. Today, we're in Auburn, Indiana, for the eight automotive museums in town. Not sure how many he plans to hit--I'm just the driver. Should be interesting. Cats were not happy to be dumped unceremoniously from their crates into the cage at the vet. Left worries about the feral kitten and skunk under the house aside until we return. I did leave the dog water tower full of water out near where the kitten is hiding.
Got a little work done on PBOTL before we left. Had an idea for NaNo come to me the other day, and I'm working it around in my head now.
For the week ahead, I'll see if I can further flesh out the NaNo idea, tentatively titled, REUNION, try not to wreck the truck, and see if I can get to feeling a little better -- nothing specific wrong, just not everything right.
We're on the annual Hershey trek. Today, we're in Auburn, Indiana, for the eight automotive museums in town. Not sure how many he plans to hit--I'm just the driver. Should be interesting. Cats were not happy to be dumped unceremoniously from their crates into the cage at the vet. Left worries about the feral kitten and skunk under the house aside until we return. I did leave the dog water tower full of water out near where the kitten is hiding.
Got a little work done on PBOTL before we left. Had an idea for NaNo come to me the other day, and I'm working it around in my head now.
For the week ahead, I'll see if I can further flesh out the NaNo idea, tentatively titled, REUNION, try not to wreck the truck, and see if I can get to feeling a little better -- nothing specific wrong, just not everything right.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Scarped
This week was more of last week's cold with a healthy dose of drama as close friends decided to implode their lives and attempted to bring me into the inferno. I learned a long time ago to back away from crazy, so I was only singed, but it left me feeling scarped raw. I've always been an emotional mirror, reflecting what goes down around me. It was ... unpleasant.
Anyway, I'm feeling better physically. The cold still has a hand on me, but it's a light touch, and as long as I'm careful, I think it will be gone completely in the next couple of days.
I did update the various blogs I watch over: Kelley Benson's Books, The Books of Martha E. Rhynes, and Creations 2012. The only blog I neglected was mine! But I'm going to update Harbor Street as soon as I'm done here.
And I found some royalty free artwork for Tales from Bethlehem and for Oakleaf Harbor Cards. Dover Publications supplied the art for both projects. Dover has started a new -- cheaper -- site to download art. It's called DoverPictura and worth checking out if you're a crafter.
And I got some more keeper words on Tales. I had to discard one Tale so I'm writing another one to take its place. The discarded Tale just didn't bring anything new to the Nativity and was only repeating information and events from the other Tales. I do like the main character (Dora Ruth) and maybe she will get her Tale told yet, but not in that Tale.
"The Cook's Tale" turned out to be a story of self-sacrifice, which I hadn't expected. Currently, I'm adding words to "The Clerk's Tale," one of my favorites and one that needed length. I'm trying to keep the book to around 100 pages. That way I can price it about $12 and still have room for a discount at various book signings.
This week, health permitting, I'm going to catch up on chores and write more on Tales from Bethlehem. One of my authors (Kelley Benson) has his first book signing Tuesday, Oct. 23, so I'll help him with that. He's doing great with sales, well on his way to breaking even and moving into the profit margin. It's been exciting to watch his enthusiasm, and he's been grand to work with. I wish all my authors were like him.
Anyway, that's my story. Hope you have a great week!
Anyway, I'm feeling better physically. The cold still has a hand on me, but it's a light touch, and as long as I'm careful, I think it will be gone completely in the next couple of days.
I did update the various blogs I watch over: Kelley Benson's Books, The Books of Martha E. Rhynes, and Creations 2012. The only blog I neglected was mine! But I'm going to update Harbor Street as soon as I'm done here.
And I found some royalty free artwork for Tales from Bethlehem and for Oakleaf Harbor Cards. Dover Publications supplied the art for both projects. Dover has started a new -- cheaper -- site to download art. It's called DoverPictura and worth checking out if you're a crafter.
And I got some more keeper words on Tales. I had to discard one Tale so I'm writing another one to take its place. The discarded Tale just didn't bring anything new to the Nativity and was only repeating information and events from the other Tales. I do like the main character (Dora Ruth) and maybe she will get her Tale told yet, but not in that Tale.
"The Cook's Tale" turned out to be a story of self-sacrifice, which I hadn't expected. Currently, I'm adding words to "The Clerk's Tale," one of my favorites and one that needed length. I'm trying to keep the book to around 100 pages. That way I can price it about $12 and still have room for a discount at various book signings.
This week, health permitting, I'm going to catch up on chores and write more on Tales from Bethlehem. One of my authors (Kelley Benson) has his first book signing Tuesday, Oct. 23, so I'll help him with that. He's doing great with sales, well on his way to breaking even and moving into the profit margin. It's been exciting to watch his enthusiasm, and he's been grand to work with. I wish all my authors were like him.
Anyway, that's my story. Hope you have a great week!
Wendy's weird weather week
It started off warm, almost got hot, then rained just shy of 2". Today, if it gets to 55, I'll be amazed. It was supposed to be sunny. I saw the sun for a minute before it got cloudy again.
Good Stuff:
- Had dinner with Jean and Alan the other night. It was great to meet him, and we enjoyed getting caught up with Jean in person again. There's a bit of a strange dynamic, meeting face to face, with on-line friends, but it's a lot of fun!
- Met with Jeff, my bard mentor, and we talked about research and the business end of story telling over Highlander Grog coffee. (Decaf for me, of course.) I still haven't seen him wearing pants.
- Did a few Scrivener lessons. That program does a lot!
- Worked on the garage and moved some gear out of the dining room. Not done yet.
- Started priming the upstairs bathroom. Long way to go on that, but it doesn't have to be done for another month. I can afford to peck away at it for now.
- Started fencing lessons today. It was FUN! I met the teacher at the Scottish Games last weekend, and it's only costing me gas money. Of course, I'm at the mercy of his schedule, which means I don't get another lesson until November.
- Refrained from cutting my own hair, although I was getting pretty desperate when I did get it cut.
Not So Good Stuff:
- The gloomy weather has not been helping my motivation level.
- It's allergy season again, but then, when isn't it allergy season here?
- There's so much to do, most days I don't know where to start. I just want it all done, but it's going so slowly.
This Week:
- Work on the bathroom.
- Finish the garage.
- Get gear out of the house and stain the camp kitchen.
- Find a practice sword.
OH! I almost forgot! Here's a high protein cookie recipe that Jean and I like. I shared the recipe with her, and y'all might like it too. Some of the ingredients are unorthodox, but they taste like chocolate chip cookies with a hint of coconut. You can get a bunch of them on the cookie sheet because they don't spread. Tammy, they're 1 point each or 3 points for 2, and I got about 75 out of the batch by using a small cookie scoop.
-->
Good Stuff:
- Had dinner with Jean and Alan the other night. It was great to meet him, and we enjoyed getting caught up with Jean in person again. There's a bit of a strange dynamic, meeting face to face, with on-line friends, but it's a lot of fun!
- Met with Jeff, my bard mentor, and we talked about research and the business end of story telling over Highlander Grog coffee. (Decaf for me, of course.) I still haven't seen him wearing pants.
- Did a few Scrivener lessons. That program does a lot!
- Worked on the garage and moved some gear out of the dining room. Not done yet.
- Started priming the upstairs bathroom. Long way to go on that, but it doesn't have to be done for another month. I can afford to peck away at it for now.
- Started fencing lessons today. It was FUN! I met the teacher at the Scottish Games last weekend, and it's only costing me gas money. Of course, I'm at the mercy of his schedule, which means I don't get another lesson until November.
- Refrained from cutting my own hair, although I was getting pretty desperate when I did get it cut.
Not So Good Stuff:
- The gloomy weather has not been helping my motivation level.
- It's allergy season again, but then, when isn't it allergy season here?
- There's so much to do, most days I don't know where to start. I just want it all done, but it's going so slowly.
This Week:
- Work on the bathroom.
- Finish the garage.
- Get gear out of the house and stain the camp kitchen.
- Find a practice sword.
OH! I almost forgot! Here's a high protein cookie recipe that Jean and I like. I shared the recipe with her, and y'all might like it too. Some of the ingredients are unorthodox, but they taste like chocolate chip cookies with a hint of coconut. You can get a bunch of them on the cookie sheet because they don't spread. Tammy, they're 1 point each or 3 points for 2, and I got about 75 out of the batch by using a small cookie scoop.
-->
Fat-Burning
Cookies
Ready
in 45 minutes – makes 38 servings
1
½ cups whole wheat flour
2
cups whey protein powder (I got mine at GNC, but I've seen it in some grocery stores since then)
1
tsp baking powder
2
tsp ground cinnamon
1
½ cups low-fat cottage cheese
½
cup honey
¼
cup canola oil
1
egg
2
tsp vanilla extract
1
cup rolled oats
½
cup semi sweet chocolate chips
½
cup walnuts, chopped
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl and blend with a fork
- In a separate bowl, combine next 5 ingredients and whisk together with a fork, or use an electric mixer or food processor.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix with a fork. Mix in oats, chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an oiled or parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Bake 12 mins until the cookies are slightly brown on top.
It's October!
Nothing too interesting to report here. Just look at last week's entry and add a few thousand more words to SPORE. Need to get it DONE. Arrgh.
I want to grumble a bit about Weight Watchers, tho. I have SmartOnes frozen dinners on hand (they're usually what I have for lunch, so there's 6 points). I have some 2 and 3 point snacks, both sweet and crunchy/salty. I have fruits and veggies up the wazoo in my fridge. I don't even like fruit but I'm eating some, oh, four times a day and my salad of choice is spinach based. Getting plenty of water. I'm weighing and measuring everything, calculating points on everything, being super careful and I'm keeping track on a paper tracker and a point calculator. I've attended all three meetings since I joined, I'm participating in the discussions. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do.
But I'm up. UP. Yeah, it was 'only' .6 lbs, but it was my second weigh in after joining. What the crap?!? My family is scarfing spaghetti and I have salad. Haven't touched bread or butter or anything even close to bad. And I go UP. I'm bloated and uncomfortable and trying not to cry. I made curried chicken and rice last night (brown rice, chicken, some veggies, dried cranberries, chopped almonds, greek yogurt and spices, that's it) thinking it was something we all could eat, yet it calculated to a whopping eighteen points for a bowlful (Damn almonds, rice, and cranberries! But what's left? Chicken, carrots and celery?!?!). That blew out any hope for a writing time snack (had a 2 pointer anyway and took the hit to my weekly points, grr) but after my bowl of curried rice I was still hungry. Sure, I could have had less than a full bowl but I'd had salad for lunch, a banana and microwaved egg for breakfast, and I was HUNGRY. It's astounding how fast these points disappear. I'm not eating anything greasy or 'bad', I really don't feel like I'm getting enough meat/protein, and all this fruit is just plain gross. I'm being just about perfect here, and still I go UP. On week two!
Please tell me this lack-of-feeling-satisfied goes away. That this is just some adjustment quirk. On their FB page a woman posted about losing 21 lbs in 5 weeks and I started bawling.
Fruit's nasty, but it's free. Beans and brown rice, tho, cost points.
Sigh.
I want to grumble a bit about Weight Watchers, tho. I have SmartOnes frozen dinners on hand (they're usually what I have for lunch, so there's 6 points). I have some 2 and 3 point snacks, both sweet and crunchy/salty. I have fruits and veggies up the wazoo in my fridge. I don't even like fruit but I'm eating some, oh, four times a day and my salad of choice is spinach based. Getting plenty of water. I'm weighing and measuring everything, calculating points on everything, being super careful and I'm keeping track on a paper tracker and a point calculator. I've attended all three meetings since I joined, I'm participating in the discussions. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do.
But I'm up. UP. Yeah, it was 'only' .6 lbs, but it was my second weigh in after joining. What the crap?!? My family is scarfing spaghetti and I have salad. Haven't touched bread or butter or anything even close to bad. And I go UP. I'm bloated and uncomfortable and trying not to cry. I made curried chicken and rice last night (brown rice, chicken, some veggies, dried cranberries, chopped almonds, greek yogurt and spices, that's it) thinking it was something we all could eat, yet it calculated to a whopping eighteen points for a bowlful (Damn almonds, rice, and cranberries! But what's left? Chicken, carrots and celery?!?!). That blew out any hope for a writing time snack (had a 2 pointer anyway and took the hit to my weekly points, grr) but after my bowl of curried rice I was still hungry. Sure, I could have had less than a full bowl but I'd had salad for lunch, a banana and microwaved egg for breakfast, and I was HUNGRY. It's astounding how fast these points disappear. I'm not eating anything greasy or 'bad', I really don't feel like I'm getting enough meat/protein, and all this fruit is just plain gross. I'm being just about perfect here, and still I go UP. On week two!
Please tell me this lack-of-feeling-satisfied goes away. That this is just some adjustment quirk. On their FB page a woman posted about losing 21 lbs in 5 weeks and I started bawling.
Fruit's nasty, but it's free. Beans and brown rice, tho, cost points.
Sigh.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Nothing
That's what I did last week: nothing other than being sick, taking meds, going to doctors, sleeping, coughing, wheezing, sneezing, and other unpleasant things I won't mention. I had hoped I'd be over it all by now, but the cold lingers on, my IBD flared due to the meds, and I threw my back out while doing my best impression of a possessed Linda Blair. Well, that's life sometimes.
This week, I intend to make more progress on Tales from Bethlehem. At least when I was sick, I did a lot of writing in my head and solved a huge problem in "The Cook's Tale." Otherwise, not much else is planned other than doing what chores I can and what marketing I can. And doing my best to get healthy.
Hope y'all have a great week.
This week, I intend to make more progress on Tales from Bethlehem. At least when I was sick, I did a lot of writing in my head and solved a huge problem in "The Cook's Tale." Otherwise, not much else is planned other than doing what chores I can and what marketing I can. And doing my best to get healthy.
Hope y'all have a great week.
How the heck did another weekend slip past???
Somehow, it's Monday again. The weekend must have been busier than I thought.
Good stuff:
- The Scottish Games are done for the year. It wasn't without hiccups, but it all worked out and I know what I'm doing for next year.
- I told my two stories multiple times and worked on a couple more to have as back-up. My mentor had to step into the role of Ceremonies at the last second when the lady who does it fell ill. She's a good friend of Jeff's (my mentor) and frankly, there aren't many people she would have trusted to do a good job. Long story short, I thought I might have to take on more of the story telling, but as it turned out, I didn't need to, although our last half hour session ran an hour and a half, and I wrapped it up. It was a lot of fun and, two days later, I find myself falling into the Highland lilt when I talk. :-) The best part is that the lady that fell ill is fine and has agreed that Jeff should take it over permanently, which means he'll be coming from Kansas City once a month or so to attend board meetings, so we'll have more opportunities to get together and talk shop.
- I mentioned to Jeff that I want to learn sword fighting so I can write fight scenes more effectively, and he referred me to one of the pipers. Turns out, he teaches on Saturday mornings somewhere in St Louis, which is not an ideal location for me, but it's free, so that makes it more than ideal! One of my Highland Dancer friends may be joining us.
- Got the garage partially done. Hopefully most of the gear will go out there next week (it's still in my dining room), which will give me the space to varnish my kitchen.
- Taped almost all of the upstairs bathroom (aka the Manson bathroom) before I ran out of tape.
Not So Good Stuff:
- We're getting into the gloomy season and my energy is already waning. Looking into some dietary changes that might help with that, as well as new activities.
- The cats have been Velcro since we got back. I can't sit on the couch without at least one of the tabbies joining me. Both of them slept on me when I napped yesterday. I'm starting to be grateful that Tess isn't a snuggler.
- I haven't starting NaNo plotting yet, although this year most of that will be collecting pictures for writing prompts.
- I'm signed up for the Scrivener class, but I'm SO far behind.
This Week:
- Meet with Jeff tomorrow. Maybe finally see him in pants.
- Finish the garage and move when I can outside.
- Run/swim 4 days minimum.
- Catch up on Scrivener.
Good stuff:
- The Scottish Games are done for the year. It wasn't without hiccups, but it all worked out and I know what I'm doing for next year.
- I told my two stories multiple times and worked on a couple more to have as back-up. My mentor had to step into the role of Ceremonies at the last second when the lady who does it fell ill. She's a good friend of Jeff's (my mentor) and frankly, there aren't many people she would have trusted to do a good job. Long story short, I thought I might have to take on more of the story telling, but as it turned out, I didn't need to, although our last half hour session ran an hour and a half, and I wrapped it up. It was a lot of fun and, two days later, I find myself falling into the Highland lilt when I talk. :-) The best part is that the lady that fell ill is fine and has agreed that Jeff should take it over permanently, which means he'll be coming from Kansas City once a month or so to attend board meetings, so we'll have more opportunities to get together and talk shop.
- I mentioned to Jeff that I want to learn sword fighting so I can write fight scenes more effectively, and he referred me to one of the pipers. Turns out, he teaches on Saturday mornings somewhere in St Louis, which is not an ideal location for me, but it's free, so that makes it more than ideal! One of my Highland Dancer friends may be joining us.
- Got the garage partially done. Hopefully most of the gear will go out there next week (it's still in my dining room), which will give me the space to varnish my kitchen.
- Taped almost all of the upstairs bathroom (aka the Manson bathroom) before I ran out of tape.
Not So Good Stuff:
- We're getting into the gloomy season and my energy is already waning. Looking into some dietary changes that might help with that, as well as new activities.
- The cats have been Velcro since we got back. I can't sit on the couch without at least one of the tabbies joining me. Both of them slept on me when I napped yesterday. I'm starting to be grateful that Tess isn't a snuggler.
- I haven't starting NaNo plotting yet, although this year most of that will be collecting pictures for writing prompts.
- I'm signed up for the Scrivener class, but I'm SO far behind.
This Week:
- Meet with Jeff tomorrow. Maybe finally see him in pants.
- Finish the garage and move when I can outside.
- Run/swim 4 days minimum.
- Catch up on Scrivener.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
3/4 done with the year. How is that possible?!?
Nothing much has changed here other than SPORE's word counts are climbing. I'm nearing the 85/90% mark and I think I have about 12k to go, and it'll be DONE.
I can see the end!! YAY!!
Then I have to tighten, proofread, revise, get pre-reader input... y'all know the drill, so it's not done-done, but at least the first draft is closing in. :)
I was down about 2.5 lbs at Weight Watchers this past week, but I think I'll do better this coming week's weigh-in as long as I avoid pasta the day or two before. Pasta always makes me bloaty - I'm a bit gluten sensitive. But, still, that's pretty good. As of this morning, I was one pound from the lowest I've been since we lived up here. So that's good, too. What's even better is I went out to get some new shirts - my wintery wardrobe is simply too big and, frankly, old and ragged - and about half of what I bought came from the 'regular sizes' section of the store. How cool is that?!?!
Bill and I saw LOOPER today (it's a Sci-Fi Time Travel Hired Killers kinda movie) and we liked it quite a lot. :) Two thumbs up from the Jones'!
That's it for me. Have a great week, everyone!
I can see the end!! YAY!!
Then I have to tighten, proofread, revise, get pre-reader input... y'all know the drill, so it's not done-done, but at least the first draft is closing in. :)
I was down about 2.5 lbs at Weight Watchers this past week, but I think I'll do better this coming week's weigh-in as long as I avoid pasta the day or two before. Pasta always makes me bloaty - I'm a bit gluten sensitive. But, still, that's pretty good. As of this morning, I was one pound from the lowest I've been since we lived up here. So that's good, too. What's even better is I went out to get some new shirts - my wintery wardrobe is simply too big and, frankly, old and ragged - and about half of what I bought came from the 'regular sizes' section of the store. How cool is that?!?!
Bill and I saw LOOPER today (it's a Sci-Fi Time Travel Hired Killers kinda movie) and we liked it quite a lot. :) Two thumbs up from the Jones'!
That's it for me. Have a great week, everyone!
Fiscal Year Closeout
It doesn't mean much to me anymore, but military and other government financial people are burning the midnight oil today to make sure everything evens out as they close out FY2012. Me? We're packing our suitcases and finalizing plans for the "The Big Trip." Or whatever I can call it to differentiate it from previous other October trips to Mecca Hershey, PA. I don't particularly care for this trip. This highlight this year will be getting to see Wendy (insert heartfelt "Yay!" here) and Eric as we zip by their neck of the woods. I'm trying to stay positive and approach this year's trip with a lighter heart and more enthusiasm.
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- Making good progress figuring out Joomla! It's a pretty powerful platform, which makes WordPress look like child's play.
- I hesitate to say this, but I feel as if I can more easily get down on my knees. I don't feel like I have to stop and spend five minutes figuring out how to make the transition like I used to. Must keep doing these exercises.
- I'm putting this under good stuff, because the sense is we're going to have a good outcome from it. Grandma went in the hospital Thursday night after going to her doctor in the afternoon and enduring a battery of blood tests and a chest X-ray. The word we got was severe anemia, modified to be a severe infection (white count way high as opposed to a low red count), and then congestive heart failure. Latest word is a blood infection caused by infected fluid on her knee. She's resting comfortably and we hope the IV antibiotics they put her on when she got there are doing their work. I believe the infection could cause congestive heart failure or at least the symptoms of it, so I suspect they'll continue treating the infection and monitor her heart performance (which I imagine will improve). The question I have (and I'm sure we'll hear more on it) is whether there is any damage to the heart and if so, what the appropriate treatment will be for a 94 year old. She was walking and taking basic care of herself before this brought her down last week, so I would hope she'll be able to do that again. I think it's a matter of how much bounce she has. She's always been remarkably healthy, so we'll see.
- I put it off a long time -- all week, actually, but I've gotten a fair amount of work done on PBOTL today. I felt inspired and have been putting out fresh words the seem to be working.
- Did I mention I subscribed to a six month access to a website containing HTML, CSS, PHP, WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal training? I had a coupon code I'd paid $37 for but goofed upon registering for the site and wound up paying the full $99 subscription fee in addition to the $37 for the coupon. Tech support was very helpful and supposedly corrected that, but I haven't seen the credit come to my credit card yet, so I'm putting it in not so good for now. If the $99 credit show up in my account, this is definitely a good stuff entry, because the training is broken down into very basic steps and seems almost too easy. But I'm learning stuff, so I think that's a good thing.
- My weight has ballooned the last two weeks (up nine pounds). I'm not happy at the moment.
- Hubby is still finalizing the route for the trip, and I think he's doing a good job of it, but we both feel as if we're behind the curve on this trip.
- I heard a cat crying outside yesterday and went out to look, and it was a 4-6 week kitten screaming by the heat pump. As soon as it saw me as I came around the corner (we saw each other at the same time), it hightailed itself under the house under the A/C ductwork. Now I keep hearing what I think is a kitten crying under my feet (that's where the ductwork goes). I'm sure the kitten will be fine -- it looks like it's mama is trying to wean it. I've seen a big orange cat in the yard lately, which I believe is probably the daddy. There's a neighborhood gray tabby who I believe if the mama, because she's thin, indicative of a cat who has litter after litter of kittens without adequate time to rebuild her health. She was lounging on the front porch last night. She usually hangs out at the house behind us. Hubby, of course, groans when I tell him this, because he doesn't want me adopting another cat. I don't want to either, but I hate to see the critters suffer. I'm thinking about becoming the neighborhood catch, neuter/spay, and release lady. I don't mind the stray cats hanging around, but I don't want them reproducing either. Hubby will not be happy if he finds out, but I put a bowl under the ductwork last night and three a handful of catfood in it. It was empty this morning (I suspect mama and not the baby ate it). I put more in today, and it hasn't been touched. Either mama moved the baby, or something will eat it later tonight. This is only temporary, because we won't be around for a couple of weeks.
- Finish getting ready for the trip
- Dinner with Wendy and Eric later this week (sorry, we're not driving by anybody else's house on this trip)
- Begin brainstorming for NaNo -- so far I'm bombing out on my efforts
- Have safe travels.
- Happy New Year!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Camp kitchen
| Because you asked so nicely, here are pictures of the kitchen. I thought I had a photo of it assembled, but apparently I don't, so you'll have to see it in pieces for now. I have it set up in the dining room so I can put a coat of varnish on it. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the whole thing when it's done so I can post what it looks like assembled. |
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| This is the base part closed, |
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| and open. The white pot is actually my new chamber pot. Trust me, rain makes it less than preferable to have to leave to use the facilities! |
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| Next section, which doesn't look like much, |
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| until you open it. The dividers are removable. |
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| The main "pantry" section |
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| partially unpacked. It was crammed full of food, and I had cups and a small jar of peanut butter in the small bottom cubbies. |
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| And the bread box with a basket on top. Two, actually. |
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| Also pretty empty now that I've taken out the bread. Sorry, we needed it for breakfast this morning! |
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I'm home!
We got in a little before midnight last night. This morning, Eric cooked breakfast, and then we unloaded the van and trailer, returned the trailer (we rented a U-Haul) and ran some errands. Now my van is clean inside and out and all the seats are back in. Still a LOT of work left to do. We'll get to that in a minute.
Good Stuff:
- No travel incidents, but we did see a lot of police on the highway on our way to Ohio, which was odd because it was Thursday afternoon. Since we were hauling the trailer, we were going slow enough that it didn't even get our heart rates up!
- The weather mostly cooperated. More on that below.
- We had a nice day and a good turn-out for our renewal ceremony. In addition to the family that came ( Dad and Linda, Mom, Aunt Shirley, Vicky and Justin), Greg (of The Boys) and his mom flew in from South Carolina, and several of my dad's old friends (who have known me since I was little) showed up.
- We had more than enough food for everyone. I still have fruit and veggies left. Thank goodness because it's time to get back on the food wagon!
- Ate reasonably well, but we did have fry bread for lunch three times so that doesn't help the waistline. The good part is when we went grocery shopping, we stayed away from the cookies and chips, so I didn't have that temptation.
- Eric bought the last big pieces for our camp kit--a prep/dishwashing table (counter space) and a kitchen, which consists of 4 boxes that stack. They have cubbies and dividers inside for storing food and dishes and all the little fiddly bits that we need. (Matches, fire starters, dice to play Farkle, all those little things that tend to get forgotten until we're an hour from home!) It's going to be a lot more efficient to pack and use since I'll pack dishes and a good bit of food in the kitchen, eliminating at least a couple of boxes.
- No plague, scurvy, wild animals, or Methodist zombies, but there was a drunk guy the other night walking through camp yelling at Rod that he was going to kick his a$$. I never did find out if he found Rod, but he did get arrested. :-) Always an interesting crowd, but drunk and disorderlies are rare.
- Set up and tear down were a lot less dramatic than they could have been. A couple hours each for the most part, which I'm impressed with, given the amount of crap we had with us. This is not a cheap, low-maintenance hobby!
Not So Good Stuff:
- It stormed Friday night. Like, severe thunderstorm stormed. We almost lost our fly, but we heard the canvas pop when the wind got it and went out to save it. It spent the rest of the night crammed under the table inside the tent. It was scary for an hour or so.
- We decided to come home early because it's supposed to start raining this afternoon and continue on and off through Saturday. We didn't want to bring home wet canvas. It's so much more work to get it dried out. The upside is Eric can have two days off to recover and still go back to work a day early.
- I need a haircut. Desperately. I let it grow out because I thought it might not be so crazy under my kirtch, but enough is enough. I might be making an emergency call to the hairdresser this week.
- I'm pretty stiff. More so, I think, than I usually am after camping. I'm chalking it up to the firmness of the bed more than the work of building fires and hauling water.
This Week:
- Varnish the camp kitchen.
- Clean out the garage to better organize camp gear and increase accessibility.
- Wash and store clothing and dishes.
- Don't forget out the Highland Games this weekend. Friday and Saturday are shot.
- Celebrate our anniversary tomorrow with dinner and a movie.
- Write.
Good Stuff:
- No travel incidents, but we did see a lot of police on the highway on our way to Ohio, which was odd because it was Thursday afternoon. Since we were hauling the trailer, we were going slow enough that it didn't even get our heart rates up!
- The weather mostly cooperated. More on that below.
- We had a nice day and a good turn-out for our renewal ceremony. In addition to the family that came ( Dad and Linda, Mom, Aunt Shirley, Vicky and Justin), Greg (of The Boys) and his mom flew in from South Carolina, and several of my dad's old friends (who have known me since I was little) showed up.
- We had more than enough food for everyone. I still have fruit and veggies left. Thank goodness because it's time to get back on the food wagon!
- Ate reasonably well, but we did have fry bread for lunch three times so that doesn't help the waistline. The good part is when we went grocery shopping, we stayed away from the cookies and chips, so I didn't have that temptation.
- Eric bought the last big pieces for our camp kit--a prep/dishwashing table (counter space) and a kitchen, which consists of 4 boxes that stack. They have cubbies and dividers inside for storing food and dishes and all the little fiddly bits that we need. (Matches, fire starters, dice to play Farkle, all those little things that tend to get forgotten until we're an hour from home!) It's going to be a lot more efficient to pack and use since I'll pack dishes and a good bit of food in the kitchen, eliminating at least a couple of boxes.
- No plague, scurvy, wild animals, or Methodist zombies, but there was a drunk guy the other night walking through camp yelling at Rod that he was going to kick his a$$. I never did find out if he found Rod, but he did get arrested. :-) Always an interesting crowd, but drunk and disorderlies are rare.
- Set up and tear down were a lot less dramatic than they could have been. A couple hours each for the most part, which I'm impressed with, given the amount of crap we had with us. This is not a cheap, low-maintenance hobby!
Not So Good Stuff:
- It stormed Friday night. Like, severe thunderstorm stormed. We almost lost our fly, but we heard the canvas pop when the wind got it and went out to save it. It spent the rest of the night crammed under the table inside the tent. It was scary for an hour or so.
- We decided to come home early because it's supposed to start raining this afternoon and continue on and off through Saturday. We didn't want to bring home wet canvas. It's so much more work to get it dried out. The upside is Eric can have two days off to recover and still go back to work a day early.
- I need a haircut. Desperately. I let it grow out because I thought it might not be so crazy under my kirtch, but enough is enough. I might be making an emergency call to the hairdresser this week.
- I'm pretty stiff. More so, I think, than I usually am after camping. I'm chalking it up to the firmness of the bed more than the work of building fires and hauling water.
This Week:
- Varnish the camp kitchen.
- Clean out the garage to better organize camp gear and increase accessibility.
- Wash and store clothing and dishes.
- Don't forget out the Highland Games this weekend. Friday and Saturday are shot.
- Celebrate our anniversary tomorrow with dinner and a movie.
- Write.
Monday, September 24, 2012
While Wendy's Away, Part 2...
I am incredibly awed and encouraged by not only her pluckiness and determination to become traditionally published, but by the incredible success of her journey to get healthy.
Dahling, you look MARVELOUS!!
{{huggs}}
Dahling, you look MARVELOUS!!
{{huggs}}
While Wendy's away ...
Since Wendy's not here, I say we talk about her behind her back and tell all her secrets. I'll go first.
I think one of my favorite things about Wendy is how supportive she is. And I like her writing. She's a very good writer. And her red hair is the bomb!
Your turn!
I think one of my favorite things about Wendy is how supportive she is. And I like her writing. She's a very good writer. And her red hair is the bomb!
Your turn!
Received an email, I did, I did!
I just received an email from Wendy who is trekking through the wilderness braving the elements and wild animals and scurvy and the plague and perhaps Methodist zombies ... That's not exactly what it said, but you can read between the lines.
The email reads:
"Camping! On my way home. Updates tomorrow. Maybe. Not even sure what day it is today..."
The email reads:
"Camping! On my way home. Updates tomorrow. Maybe. Not even sure what day it is today..."
September is Winding Down
Time is zipping by, but it's been doing that for so many years. It took a long time to get to fifty, and it will take a long time to get to one hundred, but it seems so much more futile. No, that's not the right word. Final, maybe? Ominous. Yes, I think ominous is the word I was looking for. I'm not depressed, but ominous thoughts keep busting in on me at odd times.
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- What a transition, eh?
- Osteopath says he doesn't need to see me again unless I need him for something, and I'm to keep doing what I'm doing.
- A very little work done on PBOTL.
- Sorted the four boxes, but they aren't put away yet. I did get some good trash from them, and that's out of the house. Hubby found a few more.
- Chuck's children did a nice memorial gathering for him where people could share memories of their dad.
- Hershey route planning is nearly complete. Hubby has put together a good route.
- Got the refrigerator and freezer cleaned and refreshed after the power outage fiasco from last month.
- Hubby wasn't feeling up to under house work this weekend, so we didn't get that part of the weekend plans done. He did say he's feeling a little recharged, so a down weekend was probably what he needed. He'll be back up here on Thursday.
- After a really good weight week last week, this week has been really bad.
- My grandmother is having a tough week, and her doctor thinks she needs to be in a nursing home. Mom says they have a doctor appointment on Thursday. We'll see how things go. She'll be 95 in December (Grandma, not Mom).
- Work on PBOTL.
- Begin gathering what we need to take to Hershey.
- Continue work on the boxes in the blue room.
Where oh where have our Jean and Wendy gone?
Where oh where have our Jean and Wendy gone?
Oh where oh where can they be?
With them not here, our faces are long,
Oh where oh where can they be?
Oh where oh where can they be?
With them not here, our faces are long,
Oh where oh where can they be?
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Pool Table
Seems I get my thoughts organized like the balls on a pool table, and then wham! Another thought comes along and knocks all the other thoughts various ways, and I start the process of putting them in order again.
Here's a few thoughts:
I can't make anyone buy anything. All I can do is offer them a product, talk about the value of a product,and hope the customers see it's worth their money. This is true for books, cards, cars, etc. Advertising agencies talk about "creating" a need in a customer, and I do believe you can influence a customer to think that they need a particular item, but it takes time and many ad impressions.
For self-published books, authors are the best salesmen. If the author doesn't sell, sell, sell, the book will die, die, die. Don't expect e-books to change that.
I don't like e-books. Oh, I can see their attractions and uses, but the best e-books seem to be the ones that were ported over from print books by the major publishing houses. The majority of self-produced ones are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors and simply bad writing. I have read several good self-produced e-books and a hundred or so bad ones. It's all well and good to say the gates are down and information flows free, but there's a lot of merit in having discriminating gatekeepers. I guess the consumers are the gatekeepers now. And maybe the technology.
And now some pertinent info.
Last week I mostly worked on Tales from Bethlehem. It's now in the hands in my first proofreader. He's found several errors so far, which I always appreciate. After he's finished (by the end of this week, I hope) then it will go to Jean to catch everything he missed. (No pressure, Jean!)
Saturday, I attended writers group and gave a very short program on the various rights authors can sell.
This week, I will
- Work on Tales from Bethlehem. Entering corrections and lengthening one of the final Tales and finishing another new Tale.
- Continue to help my two authors promote their books.
- Chores.
- Walk at least three times.
That's a bit vague, I know, but those are what I have lined up ... until another thought comes along.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Still a book, still a stick
SPORE is coming along a bit better - I will definitely finish chapter 19 tonight - but it's not moving as fast as I'd like, especially since there is one agent in particular who's ready to read it, and it's just not yet done.
So it must get done!
I joined Weight Watchers on Thursday. The meeting was all right, and everyone was super nice. So far so good on all of that, but it's only been two days of the eating (Fri and Sat). Managed to walk a little on both days, which surely helped. I can do this, but, dang, I'm already craving carby-cheesy things. ;)
Otherwise, it's all the same-o same-o here. I have two baby quilts I need to get going on as soon as I finish SPORE (picked up fabric for one today) but nothing else is really happening.
{{huggs}} to everyone. Have a great week!
So it must get done!
I joined Weight Watchers on Thursday. The meeting was all right, and everyone was super nice. So far so good on all of that, but it's only been two days of the eating (Fri and Sat). Managed to walk a little on both days, which surely helped. I can do this, but, dang, I'm already craving carby-cheesy things. ;)
Otherwise, it's all the same-o same-o here. I have two baby quilts I need to get going on as soon as I finish SPORE (picked up fabric for one today) but nothing else is really happening.
{{huggs}} to everyone. Have a great week!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Poking the book with a stick.
Pretty much the same-o, same-o here. Still struggling to get past the big hurdle before the rush to the end in SPORE - oh, why does this book fight me so?? - but I did finish all of my chapter graphics. Need to make a small word change to one - change an Arkansas town to one in northern Missouri - but otherwise, they're good. I'm on Chapter 19 and of course Sean is being a poo-head and not wanting to play. Oh well, I'll poke him with a stick long enough and he'll start moving forward again.
Life is mostly pretty good. Still so thankful that Laura's working. Woot! She worked every day this week, and is scheduled for Tues-Fri next week. Double woot! This was supposed to be just a 2-3 day a week job, but apparently they really like her and she's doing awesome. Least that's how it sounds on Laura's end. :)
Bill rewired the upstairs lights today, was a mess he'd been putting off for months, but we really wanted it done before winter. They were wired with the old cloth-wrapped wiring and some of the connections were crappy - Laura could only have a 40 wat bulb in her room or she'd blow her circuit - but it's all fixed now. :) Let's just say he cussed a lot crawling around in attic insulation and fishing wires through the walls. But it's done! Yay!!
I have decided I'm sick and tired of being fat and tired so I went to a Weight Watchers open house yesterday (Saturday) in Ames. Was the closest to our house, even tho it was more than an hour away. I could have driven up to Minnesota instead, there are so few options up here for that, but there are local Weight Watcher chapters, only they almost all meet on Tuesday evening, which I absolutely cannot do. One place has meetings on Thursday evenings, and I'll visit them this week to see if I like it and think it'll help me. I really need a meeting, I think. I spend pretty much all of my time essentially alone (or with a 10 month old) since Bill, Laura and I all have our own computer activities. I'm freaking LONELY and I need to not be such a hermit. I'm also going to try to root out a TOPS meeting and see how that goes. So I guess we'll see.
I sent out 10 more queries last weekend, one rejection has come back but no word from the rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that the right agent will love my work.
{{huggs}} all around and have a great week!
Life is mostly pretty good. Still so thankful that Laura's working. Woot! She worked every day this week, and is scheduled for Tues-Fri next week. Double woot! This was supposed to be just a 2-3 day a week job, but apparently they really like her and she's doing awesome. Least that's how it sounds on Laura's end. :)
Bill rewired the upstairs lights today, was a mess he'd been putting off for months, but we really wanted it done before winter. They were wired with the old cloth-wrapped wiring and some of the connections were crappy - Laura could only have a 40 wat bulb in her room or she'd blow her circuit - but it's all fixed now. :) Let's just say he cussed a lot crawling around in attic insulation and fishing wires through the walls. But it's done! Yay!!
I have decided I'm sick and tired of being fat and tired so I went to a Weight Watchers open house yesterday (Saturday) in Ames. Was the closest to our house, even tho it was more than an hour away. I could have driven up to Minnesota instead, there are so few options up here for that, but there are local Weight Watcher chapters, only they almost all meet on Tuesday evening, which I absolutely cannot do. One place has meetings on Thursday evenings, and I'll visit them this week to see if I like it and think it'll help me. I really need a meeting, I think. I spend pretty much all of my time essentially alone (or with a 10 month old) since Bill, Laura and I all have our own computer activities. I'm freaking LONELY and I need to not be such a hermit. I'm also going to try to root out a TOPS meeting and see how that goes. So I guess we'll see.
I sent out 10 more queries last weekend, one rejection has come back but no word from the rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that the right agent will love my work.
{{huggs}} all around and have a great week!
Ahhhhhh....
Rain. Steady, comfortable rain. We've been getting it all day, and it's so welcome. The front stretches from Dallas to below San Antonio, so thanks to Mother Nature, we've gotten a wonderful amount of watering done on the yards today at all the properties. The rain has moved out of San Antonio now, but we're due to get some light drizzle for the next two hours or so. For once, we got the wide part of the rain band.
The Good Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
- Got to see the kids this weekend. Had a nice visit with them. Delivered a bicycle hubby refurbished for our granddaughter to use at college.
- We got a bonus excitement. Wednesday night, I learned my brother and his family were going to be at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine for the weekend. My sister-in-law's boss had gotten box seats at the Rangers game and rooms at the lodge for his employees, so it was an office outing for them. I said, "Hey! We'll be in town too, any chance we can get together?" We arranged to meet for breakfast Sunday morning. Loved seeing them after two years. Brother, sister-in-law, three kids, sister-in-law's mother, sister-in-law's sister, and nephew's girlfriend.
- I got a very little done on PBOTL
- I did get some research done on EBay
- Did some sorting -- made a good sized bag of trash
- I didn't ride the bike at the motel this weekend. I did exercises two out of three days.
- I should have done more work on PBOTL than I did
- Followup appointment with my osteopath on Monday. Adjust my stretching per his direction
- Of course more work on PBOTL
- Finish sorting the four boxes in the blue room and get them put away
- Go to San Antonio for the weekend for the memorial celebration for hubby's friend who died in August
- While there, finish the tub drain repair and make progress on the new support bracing for the toilet. (These are under house jobs hubby needs me present for as a safety observer.)
- Ensure Hershey preparations are put in motion.