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?
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