Finishing November

Deck the Halls!

November 24 - 30, 2013

Adjusting and Decorating

I got my hamster last weekend.  My husky is jealous of her.  "You put her in a ball!  You don't put me in balls!  Give me pets!"  We're all adjusting to the new member of our house and I'm slowly bonding with her.  Additionally, my house is now holiday-fied.  Artwork from holidays past is on the walls.  The tree is trimmed and the light of candy canes are in the yard.  I'm tempted to draw red and green lights with dry erase marker on Queenie's tank.  

My Main Blog Posts

Writing Music: Love Blossom - This video is made of the same old turned unexpected.  I also like this song a lot.

ROW80 11/27 Check-In: Queenie Rules My Mind - A bad week for goals, but no worries!  There was cute!  Check out the video of my new hamster in this post.

WIPpet Wednesday : Snotty - My main character, Lizzie, is going upstairs in messy not-glory.

A Morning in the Life of Me - Ever wonder about the morning routines of other writers?  Well, here's my morning.

Recipe of the Week
Thursdays are my new recipe day.  I'm American and live in Ohio, which means I was having turkey feast that day.  So, in preparation for the holidays, I want to share with you a recipe I made last year that was fast and super simple.

2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Foolproof Fudge

Tank Links Doritos

November 17 - 23, 2013

The Tank Riddle
I started obsessing about the tank that was leaking last week and what can go in it.  Obviously, the answer is "not water."  I found a spot to put it, which isn't my basement, and this spot is on an outlet-less wall, because those are very common in my house due to its age.  So, that imposed more constrictions on my answer.  You've been looking at the picture to right, haven't you?  Yeah.  Later today, I'll be getting a hamster.

The Links of the Week
Writing Music: Tried to Walk - I give the plot of the video a new spin involving fairies.

ROW80 11/20 Check-In: Busy, Imperfect Week - I talk about the big moments of my week and the pursuit of my goals.

WIPpet Wednesday: Defining Moment - I am a WIPpeteer once more! And I'm back with a chunk from GRANDMA.

Reading: Museum of Thieves - I enjoyed this book.  Click the link to find out why.

Recipe of the Week
Chicken Dorito Casserole

To quote my husband, "This tastes like a chicken taco."  We loooooove tacos, so that's high praise.  It was super easy and fast to make.

Notes on how I prepared it: Since the recipe called for half a packet of taco seasoning, I used the other half to cook the chicken.  I put the optional lettuce and diced tomatoes on top.  Though, I think it is better to serve then to use the toppings straight onto the casserole.

Magic Butter Chicken

November 10 - 16, 2013

Losing Magic
This morning my daughter said, "I think the Santa at the mall is a fake."  Yeah.  I've been bracing myself.  This year is probably the last Santa picture.  It is probably the last one the magic of reindeer and a fat man fitting down a chimney.  And they write tons of books for kids about it.  But, where are the books for us parents?  The ones that reassure us and help us through witnessing this loss of innocence.  Where's the movie for that?

Girl Butter Stuff
Writing Music: Smoky Girl - Repeating words may not be good for manuscripts, but they make some songs easier to sing.

ROW80 11/6 Check-In: Chunky Peanut Butter - The good, the bad, and the writing plans.

Reading: The Other Stuff I Read In Summer - My opinions on five books.

Recipe of the Week
Chicken Taquitos
I made double the recipe.  Somehow, instead of 24, I ended up with 28 and leftover filling.  (I ate two tortillas before making it, or it would have been 30 and leftovers.)  This is not a complaint.  Everyone loved.  The lime is the most prevalent flavor and that made it taste bright and fresh.

Don't make my mistake.  Make sure there is space between the taquitos.  If they touch they stay soft on the sides, which didn't taste bad.  Though, I'm sure it would have been more awesome if they were crunchier all over.

I'm Far From Smooth

November 3 - 9, 2013

OKAMI Back
At this moment, I love my xBox 360 because it has a wireless controller.  My PS2 does not.  But, I thought I had it figured out.  I could use the exercise ball as a chair so I'm closer and the dogs couldn't get caught in the cord.  My genius was not genius.  I was not sitting still and got in some weird positions while playing.  One of those poses wrecked my back.  Was it worth it?  Yeah.  Because, I was playing OKAMI.

Don't Busy Summer
Writing Music: Hate, Don't Hate - This music video has two versions and the produce version is my favorite. More writing tunes.

ROW80 11/8 Check-In: Before I Get Busy - This explains why I decided to play OKAMI.

Reading: Summer MG - I talk about the middle grade titles I read this summer.

Tastes like this...

Recipe of the Week
Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Bake
The flavor is close to that of lasagna.  It seems to be fairly simple to make (back issues kept me from personally making this one).

Cutting People in the Woods

October 27 - November 2, 2013

No NaNoWriMo
I'm not against NaNoWriMo.  I think it is a great thing for seasoned writers and those interested in writing.  At the very least, it gives "non-writers" an appreciation for what writers do.

Unlike many other professions, writing is one anyone can try do.  We can't get surgeons tools and go to a cabin in the woods and start doing open heart surgery.  But, just because a surgeon tries to write, doesn't mean they will finish or that the end product will be good.

Honestly, like this blog intro, it is a weird situation.

What I mean by "No NaNoWriMo" is that I'm not doing it.  Tempted and could (got TJ already to go).  Just not going to.  I need to edit GRANDMA and write TJ at the same time, so there's no way I could concentrate on the 50k goal properly.

Links of the Week
Writing Music: Jeon Won Diary - No endearing characters in this music video, but there's an excellent song to write to.

ROW80 10/30 Check-In: Transitioning into November - I finish up my October goals and start pecking at my November list.

Happy Halloween - My post that celebrates 10/31!

Experiment: The Mini Series - The last post discussing my writing experiments.

Recipe of the Week
Bubble Up Pizza
This recipe is quick and easy. I was testing my son on his spelling words as I made it.  It tasted great.  It reminded mt of Pizza Hut pizza crust, without it being crispy.  My husband compared it to pizza bread.

Note: I doubled the cheese and slammed it with Canadian bacon and pepperoni. That maybe why I required almost double the suggested cooking time.  However, double cooking time or not, it was worth it.