The Wildly Eclectic Me

So this story bears a little bit of introduction. We have a turkey.  Having a turkey was not a plan of ours.  She just sort of happened. I was driving home from Dollar Tree one day and on the side of the road is a big white turkey. I assumed at first that she belonged to someone nearby so I took her home and put a message in our Local Lost and Found Pets page.  Apparently, she had shown up a couple of weeks earlier and had been wandering the neighborhood. After I got a better look at her it seemed likely that she came from a big commercial farm because she had only half of a top beak and the last joint of her toes were clipped off.  That's apparently how they know the difference between the girls and boys on the big farms. Our theory is that she somehow jumped off of one of the giant turkey trucks that drive through town to the processing plant. We had planned on giving her to my friend who has lots of chickens and a turkey, but the kids (yeah, just...

So in an effort to make cooking low carb easier and faster, ( See Plan #2 ) I've been simplifying and deep cleaning my kitchen. That effort is going well.  I'm nearly complete.  Have you ever looked at something and realized it was so dirty that throwing it out and buying a new one would be way easier.  Yeah, that's where me and my ventahood are.  I cleaned it for half an hour last night, and it's STILL filthy!  I realllly wanted to just disconnect it and toss that sucker out of the backdoor.  Sadly I had to think about Plan #1 . As I was cleaning my canisters, I noticed all the nicks and chips in them.  It didn't make me love them any less, mind you.  It actually just made me worry a bit what might happen if they broke. I flipped over the cookie jar and there was a URL. I got these from my mom and dad about 20 years ago before I got married.  In terms of the internet that's a LONG time ago.  That's almost pre-Google for heaven's sak...

2019 (Not) Resolutions: These are not resolutions because resolutions almost always fail. Let's call them plans instead. 2019 Plans: Spend Less Money Last year my resolution was to write down every single transaction in my budget. I succeeded in that, but I still spent way more money than I should have on food and random stuff. Action Plan: a.  Weekly Grocery List: Yesterday, I made a weekly purchase list for groceries. b.  Monthly Toiletries and House Supplies List: Yesterday, I made a VERY detailed supply list and did price comparisons between Grocery.Walmart.com (I HATE going into the store) and Amazon/Amazon Subscribe and Save. I discovered that a very large number of our household supplies and things are much cheaper when bought in large packs on Amazon Subscribe and Save. So I now have like 26 subscriptions. I had about 7 before. c. Stick to it   That's the hardest part!    Eat Healthie...

I believe that it is our responsibility to raise, educate, and develop self-sufficient young adults who can make a difference in the world in whatever field they choose.  We are living in a changing world where technology dominates our lives.  Many people fear what that technology is doing to our children's attention spans and ability to relate to peers and leadership.  I, on the other hand, am not afraid of technology. I love technology and all the ways that it has added to our lives.  I grew up in a very small town in southeastern Arkansas.  My graduating class consisted of about eighty-five students of which approximately 15% were African American and the rest Caucasian.  The ethnic diversity was virtually non-existent.  If your religion was anything other than Baptist or Methodist it was best just not to mention it, and if your sexual or gender identity would not one day land you in a happy, little nuclear family then you took a deep breat...

Nicky is totally into Five Nights at Freddy's.  Actually Avalon kinda loves it too.  Which is weird for a 4 year old girl...but whatever floats her boat. I've been totally into making things with Perler beads lately.  You know those melty beads?  I couldn't find a good pattern for Purple Freddy so I made one for him, and I don't think it's half bad.  I did the eyes in glow in the dark white. (which really looks more yellow) It's kinda huge so you're going to need several of the interlocking square boards. And here is the finished product!

The Science of The Dress

Okay, I started this as a Facebook post and it grew too big for that. So I read this article...  I think that this article and maybe the whole liberal arts based core curriculum of college educations places too much emphasis on the learning of what you need to be a "good citizen" at a college level.  Only 33.5% of 25-29 year olds have at least a bachelor's degree.  So that's only 1/3 of students (if they learned and retained everything they should have haha) that have what it takes to be a "good citizen." This stuff needs to be taught at a high school level and not just as part of the college prep. They need to understand the basis for our government and the history behind it's creation.  No high school graduate should not be able to tell you why we have a balance of power between the three branches of federal government.   They need to be taught how to read an article and recognize if it's sources are worth listening to, and they need to f...

So I've discovered something. I think I like to bake just for the sake of baking.  I made 42 or so cupcakes, iced them, and sprinkled them without so much as licking the icing off my fingers.  I also made about 42 Pumpkin muffins without eating any. (I did taste a bite and spit it out to make sure it was the right recipe.)  I thought it was going to be a nightmare to be on Atkins, because I wouldn't be able to safely bake.  Apparently, however, I'm totally good with baking and feeding stuff to others.  I'm not saying I don't want to taste it...but the urge is not so great that I can't resist it. Next baking experiment? BTW I LOVE that girl! She's perfectly adorable! So instead of the Tetris design, I'm going to do MARIO! Since Finny is obsessed!

Wrap it in BACON!!! Yes, that's right! Bacon! I like venison steaks fried. They are yummy. I'm not wild about the baked. However if you take a venison steak and wrap that puppy in bacon and bake it. We are talking SHAZAM!!!! I enjoy salmon. It's quite good. Lots of Omega Fatty Acids. But wrap that salmon filet in bacon! Ohhhh yes! Then to trick yourself into thinking you are getting pasta, sauté some shredded Zuke in butter and olive oil, drain it really well in a colander, put your bacon wrapped salmon on top of it, and then...   Wait for it... Drench it all in Alfredo sauce! Then. Just sit back and enjoy your Atkins friendly dinner!

I'm not going to post on more than one blog about my various interests. There just isn't that much extra time in my life. So here comes a diet post! The hubby and I just started the Atkins diet. We both have a good chunk of weight to lose. I've been reading the 1991 book by Dr. Atkins himself and while it is probably a little outdated in the most recent scientific research, I started reading this one and loved his kind but firm style of convincing you to do the diet. He simultaneously makes you feel less guilty about your weight problem while still making it clear that you have to make changes. Now I'll be honest, I was REALLY skeptical about even trying it. I LOVE bread and well you have probably seen my cake posts. It's really not as bad as I thought it would be. I've been taking the L Glutamine supplements he recommends for cravings, and I think they really help. Coffee is an obstacle. Did you know that coconut milk in coffee is vile? Like gag...

Tips for Enjoying the Holidays More: Shop Early - Nothing spoils the happy holiday mood like last minute shopping.   Don't expect it to be like a holiday movie - Accept perhaps National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ;) Don't expect it to be like a Christmas Card - Expectations ruin the beauty of the experience you're having. Sure the kids throw clumps of icicles all over the tree, dump sprinkles in 3 inch high piles in the middle of the cookies, and decide halfway through that they're not remotely interested in making ornaments with you, but who cares. Enjoy what it is instead of mourning what it could have been. It's the thought that counts - This applies to receiving as well as giving. If you get a gift you don't like, be happy that the person thought of you enough to spend their hard earned money or time on it. Same goes for giving, put some thought into the gift you give someone and if they don't like it well they can just suck it...

Okay, so I don't know about you... But with all the Christmas presents I just bought, I'm broke! So...New Game!!! The zombie apocalypse is about to start!  There are signs.  Scattered reports of people attacking others and eating their flesh.  Bath salts? Or impending doom? For the sake of safety you better stock up!  For at least the rest of the month!  (Trust me...it's the holidays so shopping in this mess is just like shopping in a real impending apocalypse.) Once you make your stock up trip, society falls.  Don't worry. At least the power and water are still on and we have tv! Okay, that's it! Don't buy anything else for the rest of the month! What? Your kids need fresh milk, and you don't wanna bake your own bread? Hmm OK.  I guess then you can go out on the occasional salvage run.  But you're not allowed to buy more than a bag worth of groceries.  After all with anymore than that, you're going to be too weighed down to run f...

I know I promised to be better about posting here, but I've been so busy that I haven't been able to manage. There is something about this time of year! I swear I get SO overwhelmed by everything. Work has been crazy! And I just had Nicky's birthday party last weekend. He had a Halloween birthday party. I built a little haunted house in our barn. It was epic! And on top of all that, I've finished up publishing all the Women of Sithein books and Blood and Violets in print and Kindle editions. So here you have them! In suggested reading order, even!   Kindle Print   Kindle Print Kindle Print Kindle Print So that's why I've kinda had my hands full! I'm working on Dark Waters right now again.  The sequel to Blood and Violets.  

In celebration of the release of Dana of the Whispering Wood in both Kindle and Print formats, I'm giving away a Slay Your Own Dragons necklace! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Okay, so I finished my edits of Dana of the Whispering Wood! Go me! And now it's available on the Kindle store. Buy it now for only $2.99! Not only that! You can also buy a print copy of it!!! $13.99 for that.    Buy on the Kindle Store Buy it in Print  Blood and Violets is also available on the Kindle still for 99 cents and now in print for $12.99! Yes, I've been a busy girl! Buy on the Kindle Store Buy in Print Big thanks to my amazingly awesome hubby for the super cover art!

  Since tomorrow's my birthday, I'm giving you all a present. Blood and Violets is free today, tomorrow, and the 21st! Enjoy!

  This is my very first giveaway EVER so you'll have to bear with me!    You can win this gorgeous necklace just by following the instructions below.  If you've read Blood and Violets please review it to earn more points!   a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Buy Me!   Marie doesn’t know how she managed to get herself kidnapped by a vampire or how she can possibly be having such uncomfortably lusty feelings for him when he’s holding her a prisoner. Alexander wants a protégé, and this snarky, obnoxious young woman is absolutely perfect. He just has to manage his growing attraction to his feisty prisoner and keep her out of the way long enough to complete a vital business arrangement before proceeding with his plan. Meanwhile, a shadowy group known as Carpe Sanguis is out to not only stop Alexander’s plans but take his very life. 

Notice the shocking difference in the picture quality of the birds vs the piggies... The birds were photographed with an iphone 4S the piggies with a 3G.