2014? Well, we've just about put that sucker to bed.
January: I started the year out in a funk, wondering whether I was going to keep writing. Shortly thereafter, I got over myself and got back to work. I began the total rewrite Wrongful Termination. (The book I'm actually supposed to be editing while I wait for Edits: Round Two on Dying Embers.) I got the rejection letter I'd been waiting on for 16 months, which kinda put me in another funk but then I got mad and lit a fire under my own ass.
February: I actually listed my resolutions for 2014 - Take my writing more seriously. Reduce the irritation in my life. Accept myself for who I am. (I think I did pretty well on all three. Yay.) I spent a lot of time watching the Olympics. And baking. Meanwhile, I finished the rewrite and sent loads of queries out. Also, I began writing Djinn 3.
March: First off, I got our taxes done. Yay me. Baked some stuff. Sat down and figured out what I do on an average day. OMG, and this was the month I not only rearranged the office, but got the world's most tragic haircut. (If you go back, you'll see where I'm trying to be positive about it, but it was so bad.) March was also the month when Hubs and I finally took a vacation and I met the family members I hadn't met in the 10 years we'd been married. Also, and most importantly, I met my friend, JB Lynn, for the first time in real life. Too cool. Hubs began the re-plumbing project.
April: Wow, April was a busy month on the homefront. We got the electric up to code. We contracted some dude to come spray for bugs, but he never showed. We each got eyeglasses! (Scary world now that we can both see. LOL) The squirrels found a new way to live in our eaves, and the silly git had a litter of pups up there. Tragic Hairdo Part 2 occurred and made March's gaff look like a supermodel's hair. Also, Hubs started re-insulating the house.
May: Hubs finished the insulation project. The planting I did the previous fall finally started showing its glory. Then Hubs did the plumbing project. (That was a bear, but it's done and it's done right.) I found my antique typewriter. And we celebrated our 10th Anniversary. I got really rolling on Djinn 3 and met my goal of 44K words in 30 days (cuz it was my 44th birthday that month). We also started the vapor barrier project under the house.
June: We had to put off the vapor barrier project because it was raining like a bad devil, but Hubs got it done. I finally finished the first draft of Djinn3, and started working on editing a suspense manuscript Bloodflow. June was a pretty lazy month, though.
July: This month saw a brown recluse invasion which had me scrambling to de-clutter. We also dug out the remainder of the foundation so we could seal it and then fill it back in again. Hubs also starting sanding the orange off the house. Yay! I killed a copperhead snake I found while I was weeding the wildflower bed, which led to me removing the rock border of said bed and pearocking the damn thing. Hide in there, you slippery bastards. Additionally, I discovered - with the help of a friend - the joys of using vinegar and dish washing liquid as a weed killer.
August: I spent a lot of time on work in August - editing things and researching things and tweezing things so I could submit things. This was the month I really took the business of writing by the short hairs. This was the month we lost ShortStop the fawn. I completed the peagravel project and the driveway drainage project. August was also the month where I broke my butt.
September: Another month where I started out totally angsting over something stupid. (Hey, it's a writer thing.) But I fixed it up quick. Yay! I got the tweezing done that needed doing and submitted WIOH to a publisher. (Still waiting...) I motored right along on the Bloodflow rewrite and got it done. And my mums started to bloom. I finally got sick of tragic haircuts I had to pay for and cut my own hair. I'm not winning any awards, but at least I kinda look like me again.
October: Max's teeth really began giving him fits - not in the usual way, more like full blown. I talked about a new book I wanted to write for NaNo, and then decided to work on finishing a book I never finished instead. This was also the month where I realized I needed to stop beating my head against the rock of traditional publishing. I finished the edit notes to myself for Wrongful Termination (the notes I'm now procrastinating about inputting) and I did edit notes on a dystopian I never finished. And Hubs and I whacked walnuts into the woods with some old used golf clubs I bought.
November: I did it. I finally contacted an editor and a cover artist, and took the first steps to controlling my own writerly destiny. To that end, I cleaned up my other blog and began posting over there again. I also participated in NaNo and managed to rewrite that old novel all the way to the place I stopped last time - where I am still stuck. But I won NaNo, and that counts for something, right?
December: It being December, we started out the month by chowing down on leftover turkey and decorating the house for Christmas. I got my edits back from the editor, and took the majority of this month to get the manuscript whipped into shape. I cleared the trails in the woods because it finally got cold enough to make the snakes and ticks go dormant. This month, we also had Max's remaining teeth pulled and we're still dealing with the eating issues of toothless cat. And we got Hubs a car for Christmas.
For those of you who're still with me on this post, thanks. For those of you who've stayed with me all year, THANKS! I really appreciate you all. And for the ones who'll come to visit me in 2015, I look forward to meeting you all.
2014 was pretty awesome, but here's to an even better 2015 - for us all.
:HUGS:
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Sunday Update - Week 52
Last week was the 52nd week of 2014, and therefore, the last whole week - even though the year doesn't officially end until Wednesday night. (So, would that make next Sunday's Update week 52.5 for 2014 and week .5 for 2015? I'm confused.)
The 52nd week was a busy one here at Casa Sanderson.
We bought a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited for Hubs. That took up the entire day on Monday, but that's cool. We needed another car and he deserves his own set of wheels. I tell you one thing - based on this car buying experience vs buying the Cavalier back in '03, I'm totally over buying cars from dealers. Sure, the guy we bought this from was a talker, but that was all conversational. No hard sell, no badgering, no hassle.
I got the first round of edits done for Dying Embers. It's now sitting at just over 80K words - which means even though I cleaned and tightened, I also added almost 3K by better describing certain things and chucking out a boatload of was (such an easy little throw-off word and the bane of my existence). My editor has it now* and I should see the next round of edits by 1/15.
I touched base with my cover artist and he's hoping to get me sample covers by the new year. Yay. I can't wait.
On the cat front, Max is still not eating like we expect he should. I suspect he's been in pain so long that now he's food shy. Which for us means that basically the food has to be really awesome or he doesn't want to bother. That left me sitting out there the other night hand feeding him bits from slices of lunchmeat turkey. And now Kira has decided she doesn't like her kibbles anymore. Oh, she'll still eat canned food (Fancy Feast - pate varieties only, and no tuna unless it's people tuna). I mean it's not like she can't stand to go without a few meals, but it's a pain in the butt. Personally, I think the two of them had a late night conversation through the garage door and decided to stage a revolt for tastier food options.
Friday I finished the trail system in the woods behind the house. I wish I could draw a diagram to show you, but how the land looks while I'm out there doesn't seem to translate well into how it looks from a satellite. :shrug: Suffice it to say, I have three trails going from top to bottom and three going from one side to the other as you go down the hill. Max appreciates it - because it means he can be all jungle cat without having to put his precious paws in fallen leaves. (He hates stepping on leaves unless he's picking out a spot to do his business.)
I also continued the task of sawing through the fallen tree. It's delimbed now to the point where we'll be able to roll it off the trail. That last big limb was a killer, and I paid for sawing through it. Man, that stuff will give your shoulders a workout. Lemme tell ya. Aleve was my friend yesterday.
How are things in your world?
The 52nd week was a busy one here at Casa Sanderson.
We bought a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited for Hubs. That took up the entire day on Monday, but that's cool. We needed another car and he deserves his own set of wheels. I tell you one thing - based on this car buying experience vs buying the Cavalier back in '03, I'm totally over buying cars from dealers. Sure, the guy we bought this from was a talker, but that was all conversational. No hard sell, no badgering, no hassle.
I got the first round of edits done for Dying Embers. It's now sitting at just over 80K words - which means even though I cleaned and tightened, I also added almost 3K by better describing certain things and chucking out a boatload of was (such an easy little throw-off word and the bane of my existence). My editor has it now* and I should see the next round of edits by 1/15.
I touched base with my cover artist and he's hoping to get me sample covers by the new year. Yay. I can't wait.
On the cat front, Max is still not eating like we expect he should. I suspect he's been in pain so long that now he's food shy. Which for us means that basically the food has to be really awesome or he doesn't want to bother. That left me sitting out there the other night hand feeding him bits from slices of lunchmeat turkey. And now Kira has decided she doesn't like her kibbles anymore. Oh, she'll still eat canned food (Fancy Feast - pate varieties only, and no tuna unless it's people tuna). I mean it's not like she can't stand to go without a few meals, but it's a pain in the butt. Personally, I think the two of them had a late night conversation through the garage door and decided to stage a revolt for tastier food options.
Friday I finished the trail system in the woods behind the house. I wish I could draw a diagram to show you, but how the land looks while I'm out there doesn't seem to translate well into how it looks from a satellite. :shrug: Suffice it to say, I have three trails going from top to bottom and three going from one side to the other as you go down the hill. Max appreciates it - because it means he can be all jungle cat without having to put his precious paws in fallen leaves. (He hates stepping on leaves unless he's picking out a spot to do his business.)
I also continued the task of sawing through the fallen tree. It's delimbed now to the point where we'll be able to roll it off the trail. That last big limb was a killer, and I paid for sawing through it. Man, that stuff will give your shoulders a workout. Lemme tell ya. Aleve was my friend yesterday.
How are things in your world?
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And...
:HUGS:
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
A Car For Christmas
You know those commercials where someone buys someone else a car for Christmas? Well, the other day I told my husband that I had never seen or known or even heard of anyone who gave a car as a gift.
Yesterday, I made a liar out of myself. Kinda.
You see, since Hubs retired, we've been a one car family. It's the same car I've had since before we got married. It's seen me through a move from Utah to Colorado. It saw both of through the move from Colorado to Missouri. But, let's face it, the old girl is getting old. And while she's still reliable, the chance of her breaking down somewhere out here in the middle of nowhere is always on the back on my mind.
One car. It breaks down or even gets a flat tire, and what the hell would I do. (I know how to change a tire, but I'm not physically capable of it anymore, and out here, the shoulders of the roads are more like drop offs.) Call him and then he'd have to call a neighbor and ask a favor and... Well, we're not favor asking people.
Anyway, we've been talking since we moved about getting a truck of some kind. Someday, Hubs would like to have a small boat and he'd need something to tow it with. So, he's been casually looking--doing research on various models, scoping out the used car sites, etc. And I've been letting him know when I see a car for sale that looks worth investigating.
Last week, I saw an SUV with a nice price in the window along my route to Walmart, and I mentioned it to him. Saturday, he drove over to look at it, but the owners weren't home, and there was only a price with no phone number on the vehicle. I told him to check the paper, just in case. There was an SUV for sale at a lower price, but it had an Arkansas number. I nudged him to call anyway. I mean, what the heck? Can't hurt, right?
So he did. And it was the car beside the road. Together, we went to look at it. We test drove it. Kicked the tires. Talked to the owner, who assured us of his diligence in maintaining the car (with the paperwork to back it up - this ain't our first rodeo), and while we were talking, he dropped the price again. Cha-ching.
It's a sweet vehicle--top of the line when it rolled out of Michigan way back when--and the price was something we just couldn't pass up. So as of yesterday morning, we are a two car family again. We spent yesterday buying the car, getting it inspected, driving up to the nearest licensing office, going from one office to the other to get all the paperwork in line, and then getting our license and registration and tags. And we took the new car. It rides like a dream. Don't know how it drives yet, but it's Hubs car and even though he insists that I can drive it, too, I want this to be special for him - at least for a little while. ;o)
Now, we joke that I got him a car for Christmas. Ho Ho Ho.
(And now if I see a really awesome piece of furniture at the thrift store, we don't have to tie it into the trunk of my Cavalier and hope it doesn't fall out on the way home. So it's a win-win.)
((Best part of the experience for me? The old guy's dog. What a cool dog. So cool I almost asked the man if he'd throw the dog in with the car. LOL))
(((Okay, really the best part was getting Hubs what he wanted and getting one hell of a deal, too. I'm all about the deals, baby.)))
Yesterday, I made a liar out of myself. Kinda.
You see, since Hubs retired, we've been a one car family. It's the same car I've had since before we got married. It's seen me through a move from Utah to Colorado. It saw both of through the move from Colorado to Missouri. But, let's face it, the old girl is getting old. And while she's still reliable, the chance of her breaking down somewhere out here in the middle of nowhere is always on the back on my mind.
One car. It breaks down or even gets a flat tire, and what the hell would I do. (I know how to change a tire, but I'm not physically capable of it anymore, and out here, the shoulders of the roads are more like drop offs.) Call him and then he'd have to call a neighbor and ask a favor and... Well, we're not favor asking people.
Anyway, we've been talking since we moved about getting a truck of some kind. Someday, Hubs would like to have a small boat and he'd need something to tow it with. So, he's been casually looking--doing research on various models, scoping out the used car sites, etc. And I've been letting him know when I see a car for sale that looks worth investigating.
Last week, I saw an SUV with a nice price in the window along my route to Walmart, and I mentioned it to him. Saturday, he drove over to look at it, but the owners weren't home, and there was only a price with no phone number on the vehicle. I told him to check the paper, just in case. There was an SUV for sale at a lower price, but it had an Arkansas number. I nudged him to call anyway. I mean, what the heck? Can't hurt, right?
So he did. And it was the car beside the road. Together, we went to look at it. We test drove it. Kicked the tires. Talked to the owner, who assured us of his diligence in maintaining the car (with the paperwork to back it up - this ain't our first rodeo), and while we were talking, he dropped the price again. Cha-ching.
It's a sweet vehicle--top of the line when it rolled out of Michigan way back when--and the price was something we just couldn't pass up. So as of yesterday morning, we are a two car family again. We spent yesterday buying the car, getting it inspected, driving up to the nearest licensing office, going from one office to the other to get all the paperwork in line, and then getting our license and registration and tags. And we took the new car. It rides like a dream. Don't know how it drives yet, but it's Hubs car and even though he insists that I can drive it, too, I want this to be special for him - at least for a little while. ;o)
Now, we joke that I got him a car for Christmas. Ho Ho Ho.
(And now if I see a really awesome piece of furniture at the thrift store, we don't have to tie it into the trunk of my Cavalier and hope it doesn't fall out on the way home. So it's a win-win.)
((Best part of the experience for me? The old guy's dog. What a cool dog. So cool I almost asked the man if he'd throw the dog in with the car. LOL))
(((Okay, really the best part was getting Hubs what he wanted and getting one hell of a deal, too. I'm all about the deals, baby.)))
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Sunday Update - Week 51
Well, folks, we're almost done with 2014. Release the 2015!
Heh.
Anyway, last week saw some gains in the editing sphere. I am now done through Chapter 24. Which means I have 6 chapters left to go. I had hoped to get them done this weekend, but that ain't happenin'. I ended up taking yesterday off...
Because we spent a couple hours yesterday afternoon looking at used car. Well, actually went spent most of that time talking to the private sellers of said car. He was a hoot. She was really nice. And their dog was amazing. So there we are looking at this vehicle and another car pulls up to look at the car, which made the whole process take longer. Still, it was good to get out of the house and chat with new people. (Hermits like us don't get to do that often.) I think we made new friends. LOL Whether or not we get the car will be the subject of another post.
Last week, I made cookies. And crabmeat crescent puffs.
I also read a bit. Three books and a screenplay. All good reads. So yay.
The big news of last week, though, was Max. After fighting his recurring infections - stomatitis, actually - we had his last four teeth pulled. Only it wasn't just four teeth. It was four visible teeth and about 6-8 broken teeth that we didn't know were there. Poor boy still couldn't eat well Thursday when we brought him home, but he's slowly getting back to normal as the pain and swelling abate. Once he's all healed, I'll get a pic of him. It's strange looking at him without his one tooth sticking out past his lips - he lost the snaggle-tooth look - but I'm glad if it means no more steroid shots and no more pain. And no more infections. And no more drooling. And no more wondering if he's going to eat today. He's still playing like a champ. In fact, I'd venture that he's more playful now than he has been in the 4.5 years we've had him.
So it's all good.
How are things in your world?
Heh.
Anyway, last week saw some gains in the editing sphere. I am now done through Chapter 24. Which means I have 6 chapters left to go. I had hoped to get them done this weekend, but that ain't happenin'. I ended up taking yesterday off...
Because we spent a couple hours yesterday afternoon looking at used car. Well, actually went spent most of that time talking to the private sellers of said car. He was a hoot. She was really nice. And their dog was amazing. So there we are looking at this vehicle and another car pulls up to look at the car, which made the whole process take longer. Still, it was good to get out of the house and chat with new people. (Hermits like us don't get to do that often.) I think we made new friends. LOL Whether or not we get the car will be the subject of another post.
Last week, I made cookies. And crabmeat crescent puffs.
I also read a bit. Three books and a screenplay. All good reads. So yay.
The big news of last week, though, was Max. After fighting his recurring infections - stomatitis, actually - we had his last four teeth pulled. Only it wasn't just four teeth. It was four visible teeth and about 6-8 broken teeth that we didn't know were there. Poor boy still couldn't eat well Thursday when we brought him home, but he's slowly getting back to normal as the pain and swelling abate. Once he's all healed, I'll get a pic of him. It's strange looking at him without his one tooth sticking out past his lips - he lost the snaggle-tooth look - but I'm glad if it means no more steroid shots and no more pain. And no more infections. And no more drooling. And no more wondering if he's going to eat today. He's still playing like a champ. In fact, I'd venture that he's more playful now than he has been in the 4.5 years we've had him.
So it's all good.
How are things in your world?
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Crabmeat Crescent Puffs
I mentioned earlier on Facebook that I was making Crabmeat Crescent Puffs for dinner, and that I'd post the recipe if they turned out good. They were awesome, but the recipe seemed too long for a FB status, so I thought I'd throw it out here (the blog updates to FB anyway) and now all of you can try it, too. It's really pretty yummy.
Crabmeat Crescent Puffs
1 6oz can crabmeat
1 8os pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded colby/jack cheese
1 tsp chives
dash pepper
dash onion powder
1 rolls refrigerator crescent rolls
Additional shredded cheese for topping
Drain all the liquid from the crabmeat. Put brick of cream cheese and crabmeat into microwave safe bowl and nuke for 60 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in shredded cheese until well combined. Stir in seasonings (use my measurements or add to your taste). Unroll crescent rolls. Using a rounded spoonful, place crab-cheese mixture on wide end of each roll, roll the roll - crimping at the seams, until the mixture is enveloped by the crescent dough. Place all 8 rolls on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle each with additional shredded cheese to your taste. (Might have to pat it on to keep it from falling off.) You will have more filling that will fit in the rolls. (Frankly, I filled mine too full, but hey, I'm a glutton.) The extra filling tastes great on crackers... or probably on a roll. Hey, there's lunch tomorrow! Should feed four for dinner*. There are two of us and we had two each. Leftovers!
Next time I'm going to use lump crab instead of shredded. I guess you could also use imitation crab if you have that handy instead.
Personally, we're not spicy people, so this recipe might be a bit bland - which is why I said 'to taste'. You can probably also use different seasonings depending on your tastes. Might be good with garlic powder, chili powder, etc. Spice it up a bit if you like. Just make sure you have crackers nearby for frequent tastings until you get the filling just right. (No one has to know how much filling you ate beforehand.)
*This was supposed to be an appetizer recipe, but like I said, I'm a glutton - especially when cheese and crab is involved. If you make them smaller, and use 2 cans of rolls, you should have 16 appetizers for guests and stuff. (We never have guests, so these are all mine! Bwa ha ha.)
Crabmeat Crescent Puffs
1 6oz can crabmeat
1 8os pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded colby/jack cheese
1 tsp chives
dash pepper
dash onion powder
1 rolls refrigerator crescent rolls
Additional shredded cheese for topping
Drain all the liquid from the crabmeat. Put brick of cream cheese and crabmeat into microwave safe bowl and nuke for 60 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in shredded cheese until well combined. Stir in seasonings (use my measurements or add to your taste). Unroll crescent rolls. Using a rounded spoonful, place crab-cheese mixture on wide end of each roll, roll the roll - crimping at the seams, until the mixture is enveloped by the crescent dough. Place all 8 rolls on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle each with additional shredded cheese to your taste. (Might have to pat it on to keep it from falling off.) You will have more filling that will fit in the rolls. (Frankly, I filled mine too full, but hey, I'm a glutton.) The extra filling tastes great on crackers... or probably on a roll. Hey, there's lunch tomorrow! Should feed four for dinner*. There are two of us and we had two each. Leftovers!
Next time I'm going to use lump crab instead of shredded. I guess you could also use imitation crab if you have that handy instead.
Personally, we're not spicy people, so this recipe might be a bit bland - which is why I said 'to taste'. You can probably also use different seasonings depending on your tastes. Might be good with garlic powder, chili powder, etc. Spice it up a bit if you like. Just make sure you have crackers nearby for frequent tastings until you get the filling just right. (No one has to know how much filling you ate beforehand.)
*This was supposed to be an appetizer recipe, but like I said, I'm a glutton - especially when cheese and crab is involved. If you make them smaller, and use 2 cans of rolls, you should have 16 appetizers for guests and stuff. (We never have guests, so these are all mine! Bwa ha ha.)
Friday, December 19, 2014
Life at the Sanderson Toothless Cat Rehabilitation Clinic
Well, Max is toothless now. Unfortunately, he's so sore and swollen that he still doesn't want to eat. And I tried everything we have in the house.
So, today I went down to the Wallyworld and picked up a vast array of food items for him to try.
Sardines
Salmon in a pouch
Tuna in a pouch
Canned Chicken
Grilled Chicken
Canned Crab
Frozen Flounder
Frozen Swai (wth is that? some kind of fish)
five different types of cat foods in a variety of flavors
cat appetizers (yes, they make cat appetizers)
kitten pate (until this morning, the only food he would eat)
And a mini food processor to turn anything we try into a paste for Monsieur Gummer.
First up, the appetizers - shredded chicken in chicken broth. I took the container out there and he went wild trying to eat it. But he failed and gave up quickly. I then took the stuff into the kitchen, threw it into the food processor and made paste. He ate almost all of that. Score!
On the upside, we humans can eat the variety of human foods if he doesn't. (Thank goodness Hubs likes sardines. Blech.) And Kira can eat the cat foods he won't. So nothing will go to waste.
Yes, it seems insane. It may in fact be insane. But he's such a sweet boo-baby, he deserves whatever we have to do to make him feel better.
What's the weirdest, sorta-insane thing you've done for one of your furbabies?
So, today I went down to the Wallyworld and picked up a vast array of food items for him to try.
Sardines
Salmon in a pouch
Tuna in a pouch
Canned Chicken
Grilled Chicken
Canned Crab
Frozen Flounder
Frozen Swai (wth is that? some kind of fish)
five different types of cat foods in a variety of flavors
cat appetizers (yes, they make cat appetizers)
kitten pate (until this morning, the only food he would eat)
And a mini food processor to turn anything we try into a paste for Monsieur Gummer.
First up, the appetizers - shredded chicken in chicken broth. I took the container out there and he went wild trying to eat it. But he failed and gave up quickly. I then took the stuff into the kitchen, threw it into the food processor and made paste. He ate almost all of that. Score!
On the upside, we humans can eat the variety of human foods if he doesn't. (Thank goodness Hubs likes sardines. Blech.) And Kira can eat the cat foods he won't. So nothing will go to waste.
Yes, it seems insane. It may in fact be insane. But he's such a sweet boo-baby, he deserves whatever we have to do to make him feel better.
What's the weirdest, sorta-insane thing you've done for one of your furbabies?
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Cookies!
If all y'all haven't already gotten my cake mix cookie recipe, here it is...
One box cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Empty the cake mix into a large bowl. Stir out the big lumps. Add eggs and oil. Stir until combined. Drop rounded spoonfuls about an inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges start to brown.
Now that you have that, you can play with what kind of cookies you want to make. Today I made mint patty chocolate cookies and snickerdoodles.
For the mint patty cookies, you'll need - natch - a bag of mint patties in addition to the above ingredients. Follow the recipe above using your favorite type of chocolate cake mix, but after you take the cookies out of the oven, wait a couple minutes and then press one mint patty into the center of each cookie. Transfer to a paper towel (or a baking rack for you fancy folks) and allow to cool.
For the snickerdoodles, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with one teaspoon of cinnamon. Take about a tablespoon full of the mixture and add it to the above cookie recipe. Then, instead of dropping the cookies, make 1" balls with it. Then take the balls and roll them in the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Set those on the baking sheet about 1 1/2" apart, then press them done with the bottom of a glass. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown and centers are set.
Yum.
One box cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Empty the cake mix into a large bowl. Stir out the big lumps. Add eggs and oil. Stir until combined. Drop rounded spoonfuls about an inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges start to brown.
Now that you have that, you can play with what kind of cookies you want to make. Today I made mint patty chocolate cookies and snickerdoodles.
For the mint patty cookies, you'll need - natch - a bag of mint patties in addition to the above ingredients. Follow the recipe above using your favorite type of chocolate cake mix, but after you take the cookies out of the oven, wait a couple minutes and then press one mint patty into the center of each cookie. Transfer to a paper towel (or a baking rack for you fancy folks) and allow to cool.
For the snickerdoodles, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with one teaspoon of cinnamon. Take about a tablespoon full of the mixture and add it to the above cookie recipe. Then, instead of dropping the cookies, make 1" balls with it. Then take the balls and roll them in the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Set those on the baking sheet about 1 1/2" apart, then press them done with the bottom of a glass. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown and centers are set.
Yum.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Sunday Update - Week 50
Two and a half weeks left. Argghh!! Is it just me, or did this year slip by way too fast? And these last six weeks?? Where the hell did November go? How is it halfway through December already??
:panics a little:
Okay, now that THAT is over, here's what I did last week:
As of last night, I had edited and polished through Chapter 13. It doesn't seem like much, but that was a lot of work. (Update: After I wrote this, I couldn't sleep. I got the edits done through Chapter 15 and have polished through mid-14.)
Meanwhile, the weather was nice enough that I got out in the woods and started cleaning the trails I made last year. My guess is if you looked at it from above, my trails would look like a funky upside down capital Q. I mean, it ain't round by any stretch of the imagination, but it does make a loop with one central trail out, so I guess it could be a Q.
I also got caught up on my reading yesterday. I'm now at 95 books for the year, with 5 more to go to reach my goal of 100. Some of them were novellas, but then again, some of them were big, fat tomes, so it all evens out.
We made the decision to have the remainder of Max's teeth pulled. He's got something called stomatitis - which pretty much is like an autoimmune reaction (i.e. his body is actually fighting to kill his teeth - or rather the plaque on his teeth) and ever present as long as there are teeth, so out they come. It's his best hope for being pain free. There's a slight chance it won't work and he'll still need steroids for the rest of his life. There's also a slight chance the anesthesia will kill him, so if I'm a weeping loon on Thursday, you'll know why. He'll be my little gummer. Everything I've read says he should lead a normal rest of his life without teeth - including being able to still kill shrews.
Other than that, got my Christmas shopping done. Hubs and I have already received our gifts. The Kid got her Christmas box and was thrilled. The Moms' gifts have shipped and should arrive shortly. Yay.
How are things in your little part of the universe?
:panics a little:
Okay, now that THAT is over, here's what I did last week:
As of last night, I had edited and polished through Chapter 13. It doesn't seem like much, but that was a lot of work. (Update: After I wrote this, I couldn't sleep. I got the edits done through Chapter 15 and have polished through mid-14.)
Meanwhile, the weather was nice enough that I got out in the woods and started cleaning the trails I made last year. My guess is if you looked at it from above, my trails would look like a funky upside down capital Q. I mean, it ain't round by any stretch of the imagination, but it does make a loop with one central trail out, so I guess it could be a Q.
I also got caught up on my reading yesterday. I'm now at 95 books for the year, with 5 more to go to reach my goal of 100. Some of them were novellas, but then again, some of them were big, fat tomes, so it all evens out.
We made the decision to have the remainder of Max's teeth pulled. He's got something called stomatitis - which pretty much is like an autoimmune reaction (i.e. his body is actually fighting to kill his teeth - or rather the plaque on his teeth) and ever present as long as there are teeth, so out they come. It's his best hope for being pain free. There's a slight chance it won't work and he'll still need steroids for the rest of his life. There's also a slight chance the anesthesia will kill him, so if I'm a weeping loon on Thursday, you'll know why. He'll be my little gummer. Everything I've read says he should lead a normal rest of his life without teeth - including being able to still kill shrews.
Other than that, got my Christmas shopping done. Hubs and I have already received our gifts. The Kid got her Christmas box and was thrilled. The Moms' gifts have shipped and should arrive shortly. Yay.
How are things in your little part of the universe?
Friday, December 12, 2014
Things That Confuse Me
Not that confusing me is all that hard - depending on the day and the amount of caffeine in my system - but here are some things I find confusing:
A news headline that states they found water on a comet, but it's not like water here on Earth. So, what? It's not H2O? Would that be NOT water then? So I clicked on the article link to get some clarity, and read where they're pretty sure now that it was an asteroid and not a comet that brought water to Earth. What? Because hydrogen and oxygen and the necessary factors to combine them into water weren't already here? I'm confused.
How people who want to get paid for their work scream when someone else even suggests that they might want to be paid for their work, too.
Hairless cats.
People who would never give out their personal information to some dude that walks up to them on the street but happily give it to someone who calls them out of the blue.
Rude people. Is it really that hard to hold the door when you see me walking up behind you?
Dietary information on the menus at fast food restaurants. The big M should automatically tell you that it's full of fat and calories, and if it doesn't, the information on the menu ain't gonna help. Sometimes a gal just wants a quarter-pounder with cheese, fries and a large chocolate shake. I know it's not 'good for me', so why rub it in?
The fact that MS Word would like me to change quarter-pounder to something like quarter-ponder or quarter-sounder or quarter-plunder. Now at McD's... The Quarter-Plunder!
People who complain about a certain business to the point of insanity, but then continue to use that business. (It's okay to kvetch every once in a while, but there's a limit there somewhere.)
Humorless people. (Note: I call my daughter 'the humorless troll' on occasion, but she laughs at that, so she's not actually humorless.) Life's a funny place, people. Laugh at it. It'll all go so much smoother. Trust me.
A news headline that states they found water on a comet, but it's not like water here on Earth. So, what? It's not H2O? Would that be NOT water then? So I clicked on the article link to get some clarity, and read where they're pretty sure now that it was an asteroid and not a comet that brought water to Earth. What? Because hydrogen and oxygen and the necessary factors to combine them into water weren't already here? I'm confused.
How people who want to get paid for their work scream when someone else even suggests that they might want to be paid for their work, too.
Hairless cats.
People who would never give out their personal information to some dude that walks up to them on the street but happily give it to someone who calls them out of the blue.
Rude people. Is it really that hard to hold the door when you see me walking up behind you?
Dietary information on the menus at fast food restaurants. The big M should automatically tell you that it's full of fat and calories, and if it doesn't, the information on the menu ain't gonna help. Sometimes a gal just wants a quarter-pounder with cheese, fries and a large chocolate shake. I know it's not 'good for me', so why rub it in?
The fact that MS Word would like me to change quarter-pounder to something like quarter-ponder or quarter-sounder or quarter-plunder. Now at McD's... The Quarter-Plunder!
People who complain about a certain business to the point of insanity, but then continue to use that business. (It's okay to kvetch every once in a while, but there's a limit there somewhere.)
Humorless people. (Note: I call my daughter 'the humorless troll' on occasion, but she laughs at that, so she's not actually humorless.) Life's a funny place, people. Laugh at it. It'll all go so much smoother. Trust me.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday Update - Week 49
Hey All.
We're creeping up on the end of the year and I don't know if I should continue these updates in 2015, or just let it go. Time will tell.
And I'm kind of in a funk this morning, which makes it harder to see anything I accomplished in the past week. But here goes:
I started the edits for Dying Embers this week. I may have said this here or somewhere else, but as I was beginning to attend to the notes my editor had given me, I noticed a bunch of other stuff that was bothering the heck out of me. So, to that end, I'm taking her notes and fixing them chapter by chapter. After I finish each chapter of her notes, I go back to the beginning and polish the hell out of the manuscript to fix all the little things that are bugging me. So far, I have 5 chapters done and I think they're way better. We'll see what she thinks when she gets the manuscript for the next round of edits.
And it sort of makes me want to send a huge apology letter for sending her the dreck I sent her to edit in the first place. That she made any sense out of that steamy pile is amazing.
It's also giving me edit brain. How many ways can I reword a simple sentence?? I don't know, but apparently, I'm attempting to find out.
I ended up freezing a bunch of turkey leftovers because by Wednesday, we just couldn't stand eating turkey anymore.
I made pumpkin muffins this past week. They turned out really good, and I posted the recipe yesterday, if anyone's interested.
Also, I decorated the house for Christmas.
Now we're playing the fun game of 'what do you want for Christmas?' Laying in bed last night, we talked about the subject and ended up laughing because I don't want anything and neither does he. We've already given each other everything we need, and anything else on the list are things we don't have the fundage for right now. (Like a second car, or a fishing boat, or junk like that.) So, most likely, the space under the tree will end up like it did last year - with Christmas cards all around and no presents. Works for me.
How were things in your world last week? Anything looking good for the week ahead?
We're creeping up on the end of the year and I don't know if I should continue these updates in 2015, or just let it go. Time will tell.
And I'm kind of in a funk this morning, which makes it harder to see anything I accomplished in the past week. But here goes:
I started the edits for Dying Embers this week. I may have said this here or somewhere else, but as I was beginning to attend to the notes my editor had given me, I noticed a bunch of other stuff that was bothering the heck out of me. So, to that end, I'm taking her notes and fixing them chapter by chapter. After I finish each chapter of her notes, I go back to the beginning and polish the hell out of the manuscript to fix all the little things that are bugging me. So far, I have 5 chapters done and I think they're way better. We'll see what she thinks when she gets the manuscript for the next round of edits.
And it sort of makes me want to send a huge apology letter for sending her the dreck I sent her to edit in the first place. That she made any sense out of that steamy pile is amazing.
It's also giving me edit brain. How many ways can I reword a simple sentence?? I don't know, but apparently, I'm attempting to find out.
I ended up freezing a bunch of turkey leftovers because by Wednesday, we just couldn't stand eating turkey anymore.
I made pumpkin muffins this past week. They turned out really good, and I posted the recipe yesterday, if anyone's interested.
Also, I decorated the house for Christmas.
Now we're playing the fun game of 'what do you want for Christmas?' Laying in bed last night, we talked about the subject and ended up laughing because I don't want anything and neither does he. We've already given each other everything we need, and anything else on the list are things we don't have the fundage for right now. (Like a second car, or a fishing boat, or junk like that.) So, most likely, the space under the tree will end up like it did last year - with Christmas cards all around and no presents. Works for me.
How were things in your world last week? Anything looking good for the week ahead?
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Super Pumpkiny Muffins
I made these a couple days ago, and if you're looking for something with super pumpkiny flavor, these are it.
Super Pumpkiny Muffins
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, water and eggs until smooth. Gradually stir dry mixture into wet mixture until combined. Fill muffin cups to about 1/2 inch below the tops. (Muffins will not puff up much, so don't worry.) Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centers of several different muffins comes out clean. Cool and serve, or store in an airtight container. (Mine are in a big Ziploc baggie.)
Super Pumpkiny Muffins
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, water and eggs until smooth. Gradually stir dry mixture into wet mixture until combined. Fill muffin cups to about 1/2 inch below the tops. (Muffins will not puff up much, so don't worry.) Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centers of several different muffins comes out clean. Cool and serve, or store in an airtight container. (Mine are in a big Ziploc baggie.)
Thursday, December 4, 2014
All Gone
The mashed potatoes went first, and it was all downhill from there. The pumpkin cheesecake is gone. The cranberry sauce is kaput. The stuffing went bye-bye. The turkey has been reduced to two piddlin', mostly-empty bags of white and dark.
A lot of the turkey ended up as something new - turkey and dumplings, turkey potpie, turkey in gravy. In that respect, we still have a bunch of that left. Leftovers of leftovers.
It's all very sad.
Today, for the first time in a week, we will have beef. Hamburgers. Maybe spaghetti.
And with that, it's time to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Until the next holiday - in three weeks.
Do you have any Thanksgiving leftovers left? Are you sick of turkey yet? What's for dinner tonight?
A lot of the turkey ended up as something new - turkey and dumplings, turkey potpie, turkey in gravy. In that respect, we still have a bunch of that left. Leftovers of leftovers.
It's all very sad.
Today, for the first time in a week, we will have beef. Hamburgers. Maybe spaghetti.
And with that, it's time to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Until the next holiday - in three weeks.
Do you have any Thanksgiving leftovers left? Are you sick of turkey yet? What's for dinner tonight?
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
NaNoWriMo is Over. What now?
I've been seeing a lot of posts around the interwebs yesterday and this morning talking about the end of Nano and what to do now. Most of them talk about this time as though the people who participated in NaNo actually have a novel from 'Once upon a time...' to 'THE END'. They talk about the editing that's ahead, and taking time away to gain perspective, and stuff like that.
For me, that's not a NOW thing. That might be a January thing - depending on whether I have a cohesive 50K words to actually finish in December (sometimes yes, sometimes no).
I've been doing the NaNo thing formally and informally since 2006, and I don't think that even once, I've had a complete novel in 50K words. Even at a bare-bones minimum, my first drafts end up around 65-70K. (Well, except for that first novel that topped the scales at 147K, but that took me 9 months to write. Never again.)*
Nope. My problem right now isn't editing or waiting or synopsizing or anything of the after-book things. It's how to finish the book I spent the last 30 days typing away at. And you know what? I have no freakin' clue. Not a one. Oh, sure, it'll end like all good suspense novels - with the bad guy getting what's coming to him and the good guys winning. But the details of that are lost to me right now.
So, what's a gal to do?
Part of me wants to set this aside because I have edits I need to be doing. Another part of me knows that's how this project got derailed in the past - because I set it aside. The second part and the first part spent yesterday waging war against each other while I sat and read a book I never should've ordered until after I was done with my chores. (Yes, I ate my dessert before I finished dinner.)
I don't know what the decision is on this manuscript. I do know that I can't spend another day sitting around waiting for a clear winner in the battle. I have too much work to do. So, the plan is to edit today, and then tonight, see how the writing is feeling.
*Wouldn't you know it. I talked about the damn first novel and one way to fix it into something people might actually want to read popped into my head. I do not have time to play with that right now. Arrgghh. (Make the hero the MC instead of the heroine, and tighten the perspective all the way around. :cue shining light from above and inspiring music:)
For me, that's not a NOW thing. That might be a January thing - depending on whether I have a cohesive 50K words to actually finish in December (sometimes yes, sometimes no).
I've been doing the NaNo thing formally and informally since 2006, and I don't think that even once, I've had a complete novel in 50K words. Even at a bare-bones minimum, my first drafts end up around 65-70K. (Well, except for that first novel that topped the scales at 147K, but that took me 9 months to write. Never again.)*
Nope. My problem right now isn't editing or waiting or synopsizing or anything of the after-book things. It's how to finish the book I spent the last 30 days typing away at. And you know what? I have no freakin' clue. Not a one. Oh, sure, it'll end like all good suspense novels - with the bad guy getting what's coming to him and the good guys winning. But the details of that are lost to me right now.
So, what's a gal to do?
Part of me wants to set this aside because I have edits I need to be doing. Another part of me knows that's how this project got derailed in the past - because I set it aside. The second part and the first part spent yesterday waging war against each other while I sat and read a book I never should've ordered until after I was done with my chores. (Yes, I ate my dessert before I finished dinner.)
I don't know what the decision is on this manuscript. I do know that I can't spend another day sitting around waiting for a clear winner in the battle. I have too much work to do. So, the plan is to edit today, and then tonight, see how the writing is feeling.
*Wouldn't you know it. I talked about the damn first novel and one way to fix it into something people might actually want to read popped into my head. I do not have time to play with that right now. Arrgghh. (Make the hero the MC instead of the heroine, and tighten the perspective all the way around. :cue shining light from above and inspiring music:)
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