Category: Life Happens

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Happy Thanksgiving

…to everyone in the United States!  Something That Man got via e-mail today:

 

I AM THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT’S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND I AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE crazy people I work (and blog) with
BECAUSE they make work interesting and fun!

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Thanksgiving Prep

My to-do list today is insane.

  • get the monsters to school
  • run by the bank
  • take the dog to the groomer’s
  • run by Wal-Mart for thyme and a few decorative items
  • unload and reload dishwasher
  • throw a load of sheets in the washer
  • change the filter in the heater
  • make pie crust for 2 pies:  while making the crust, I realized I’d bought Eagle Brand (sweetened condensed milk) instead of Carnation (evaporated milk), so add:
  • trip to the store to buy Carnation evaporated milk
  • pick up the dog from the groomer’s
  • pick up the monsters (early dismissal)
  • continue making the pumpkin filling and bake the pies
  • get Flarp out of Middle Monster’s hair
  • wash Middle Monster’s hair to get out the rest
  • referee my monsters and their two friends from school
  • keep starving kids from eating each other as snacks
  • throw sheets in the dryer
  • peel 10 pounds of potatoes for Granny’s “heavy potatoes” including sour cream and real butter to be twice baked tomorrow
  • dice celery, onion and saute for stuffing
  • dice 13 cups of bread for stuffing
  • make fudge
  • make 2 loaves of chocolate Amish Friendship bread
  • what’s for dinner again? (chinese takeout)
  • make second kind of stuffing (cornbread)
  • bake ham for the turkey haters
  • strip our bed and wash another load of sheets
  • fold 2 loads of laundry from last night (Princess Monster helped!)
  • clean dorm-sized fridge in garage for overflow (That Man did this for me)
  • WRITE!
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NaNo Catch Up

We’re hosting Thanksgiving this year.  Last count was 14 guests.  We just moved here in July.  The kitchen is the size of a matchbox and we still can’t park the van in the garage.

Needless to say, we’ve been a little busy this weekend trying to whip things into shape.  We found some inexpensive put together storage cabinets that are helping my kitchen situation.  The monsters found the carpet in their playroom.  I emptied the refrigerator yesterday and cleaned it.  Now it’s almost ready to be stuffed with thawing turkey and all the other goodies I need to pick up this week.

I’m so thankful that I already hit 50K for the month, because even though I have this next week off (except possibly Friday), I’m going to be busier than a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest.  Which only reminds me of a different kind of arse contest from Road to Shanhasson.   *falls over laughing*

I have touched Return both Friday and yesterday.  I’m still in the dream sequence.  I think I’ve made 500 words in two days.  But I’m hoping to finish this section today while football is on.  (Football implies holiday from cleaning the garage as far as That Man is concerned.)  I still need to make another trip to Wal-Mart for drip pans for the stove, and then clean it; I need to pick up all the school and meal essential food items for us; and then make a master Thanksgiving grocery list that I won’t pick up until Monday, Tuesday at the latest.  I also need to write out a schedule for preparing as much ahead as possible, leaving only the turkey for Thursday and reheating the other items.

But someway, somehow, I will write today.

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The Plague

I thought Middle Monster was mostly better, but she was up at 4:00 a.m. throwing up again, now joined by Princess Monster and That Man.  Of course, it was one of those nights for me where I simply could not get my brain to shut up, where I wasn’t even sure I ever fell asleep (I know I did, but I was awake every 20-30 minutes).

Needless to say, it was a hot tea morning Dark & Early instead of coffee.  I don’t think the plague is getting to me, rather just a long sleepless night.

I didn’t title this “Revision Xibalba” even though I was up writing, because I didn’t work on the Mayan story.  I finally got a bit of an idea for a short story set in the Beautiful Death Mythomorphoses world.  Well, short story may be stretching the truth a bit.  It’s a “scene” at least.  I have characters and I know their goals.  Whether it makes a satisfying short story, or morphs into something else entirely, I don’t know yet. 

I also began plotting (loosely) the beginning of Return to Shanhasson for NaNoWriMo.  Although I began second guessing myself and wondering if I should try to write Charon’s story instead.  I *know* Return very well, except for the beginning.  I know only a vague beginning to Charon’s story and nothing after.  So Return will definitely be easiest to write fast.  I do need to get the next book done in the other world, though, or Sis is going to hunt me down…  (Charon is her favorite character)

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Fun Day Gone Wrong

The monsters are out of school today, so That Man and I both took the day off.  We had a whole slew of stuff planned:  zoo, maybe a haunted house trip for Princess Monster, shopping, you name it.

However, someone woke me up Dark & Early this morning (when I planned to sleep in) because she’d thrown up in her bed.  She threw up again later, and then started running at both ends.  She didn’t make it to the toilet for one of those either.  Poor little monster is not feeling well at all, and our fun trip day has turned into smelly laundry day.

P.S. As if there was any doubt, the monster in question is Middle Monster.

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Unplanned Trip

We got a call this week about That Man’s Grandma K.  She’s been in a nursing home for four years and slipping a little further away every year.  This has been a very tough year for her.  She’s asking for the grandkids.  She says she’s ready to go home.  She might have many more weeks/months/even a year, or she might leave us any minute, so we’re likely heading over to the Lake of the Ozarks this afternoon to get a quick visit in. 

Just in case.

I was pregnant with Middle Monster when we lost Grandpa K.  Princess Monster doesn’t remember him (she was only 3).  However, we’re very lucky that they all know Grandma “in the hospital” — unfortunately she has been in the nursing home as long as they can remember.

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Recharge

I didn’t do much writing this weekend at all, and I’m pretty much exhausted.

Yesterday, we drove over hill and dale to Granny’s house, where we picked apples and got a refresher course on crochet.  Molly made an adorable little hat and I stole a copy of the pattern, while Granny taught Princess Monster how to chain.  She worked with Middle Monster too, but I don’t think she quite got it.  Did I say that Granny has the patience of a saint???

We stopped by Papa from Mexico’s house and he just so happened to have two horses saddled.  All three monsters took a few turns on horseback, and before we knew it, we had us a bonfire going.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned on such an outing, so I didn’t bring anything, and Papa’s two packs of hotdogs didn’t go very far.  However, the kids had a blast and we didn’t burn anything important down.

We got home rather late and decided to sleep in this morning instead of heading to church.  We washed a MOUTAIN of laundry.  That Man folded while I went through the kids’ closet and dressers to pack away all their summer stuff.  Then we dragged all the clothes we’d been storing in the garage (which is still a mess from our move months ago) into the house and I went through all of them.  Now the monsters have warm stuff to wear, their clothes are temporarily organized and put away neatly, and I’ve got two large bags of outgrown items to donate.

Then I crocheted my first hat.  I didn’t use the right sized hook, though, so it’s way too small for any of the monsters.  However, I think it’ll make a nice gift for a friend’s two-year-old.  I started another hat tonight with the appropriate hook and made good headway on it.

I forgot how much I love these other crafts.  I get so wrapped up in writing every single free moment…and didn’t realize how much I missed the other handsy things I used to do.  I’ve decided to make a hat for each monster, and then I’ll make another small hat for my friend’s new baby boy, and then who knows.  Maybe I’ll make a few to give away to other friends, including the blogosphere!

So I’m off to bed soon to better enable Dark & Early tomorrow.  I have a lot of catching up to do.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

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Internet Difficulties

Our high speed cable is down again.  The repairman is supposed to come by tomorrow morning (10-12).  I keep hoping it’ll just magically come back up — no one else in our neighborhood is affected — but no luck.  I’ve reset the #&*#& thing at least a dozen times.

Dial up for the Evil Day Job will not be fun!   :twisted:

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Cooking Insanity Continues

Thanks to Bethanie’s comment about canning, and Suzanne’s terrific post on how to make apple butter, I’ve got a pot of apples cooking on the stove too.  I don’t think this will make so much I’ll have to worry about canning–I’ve had the apples a couple of weeks and had to throw a few out.  I’ve never really cared for apple butter before, but I’m thinking a bit on some of my homemade bread may be to die for.

Oh, and the monsters went next door to play with a neighbor, That Man is glued to football, and I’m caught up on dishes…

So I’m going to work on finishing my Day Sheet for the MF.

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A Cooking Fool

I’m sick and tired.

I let everyone in this family tell me what they want for dinner.  Of course, nobody can agree.  Since I’m an amiable (people pleaser), this puts me under stress.  Sounds ridiculous to be stressed over dinner, but I am, because it’s impossible to please everyone.  One person upset makes me upset.

I’m tired of trying to make healthy dishes for myself and whatever the monsters/That Man want.  Basically cooking two dinners a night.

I’m tired of being tired after a long day at the Evil Day Job and That Man or the monsters putting up for takeout.

I’m certainly extremely sick and tired of seeing how much we spend on said eating out.

All because I don’t have a plan and I don’t stand firm to that plan.

So this weekend, we made a trip to Sam’s Club, I renewed my expired membership, and I bought a ton of food.  Today, I threw two chickens in the oven to slow-roast while we were at church.  We ate one chicken for lunch.  We tore apart the other one:  legs, etc. in a bag for later in the fridge, and all the breast meat in another.  I’ve got both carcasses boiling away on the stove with veggies, and later today I’ll make chicken and dumplings for dinner.  I thought that was too much chicken in one day, but everybody begged for dumplings.  If I play that right, I’ll get two meals out of the broth/white meat and a quick meal for the kids tomorrow night (That Man is going to be away for business and I don’t eat dark meat, so there’s plenty left).

I’ve got a roast I’ll throw in the crock pot Tuesday.  I’ll get at least two meals of it by using the leftovers for stroganoff.

In the oven right now, I have a huge pan of meatballs and another pan of meatloaf, both made with extra lean hamburger.  I’ll freeze them both once they’re cool.

I have homemade bread rising on the counter, and another batch bubbling in the big bowl that I’ll store in the fridge for up to two weeks (but it won’t last NEAR that long–I seem to make bread about every couple of days).

It may not all be “diet” food, but it’s homecooked and I’m making smart substitutions where possible.  And if anyone dares whine and moan about having to eat at home, why, they can make their own @#&*$ dinner.

Now, of course, I have a buttload of dishes to do.

Unfortunately, between the website move, a lovely visit from My Beloved SIs and Papa from Mexico yesterday, and all this cooking today, I haven’t even thought about the Mayan Fantasy.  Back to Dark & Early tomorrow.