Thursday Thunks and Miscellanea

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. ~John Lennon

I had planned on doing Booking it Through Thursday, but they are having an "on blog" discussion this week, so that doesn't really give me much fodder for HERE, lol. It's about eBooks and the digital era of publishing, so feel free to hop over and either read folks opinions or give one of your own.

In the meantime....



1. Have you ever felt alone, but yet there are people around you?

All the time, and especially when there are people around me. Sounds odd, I suppose, but I am not the kind of person who makes friends easily -- not REAL friends. I can talk to anyone, but I'm quite reserved and a bit shy (yes, really) -- two personality traits that got me called "stuck up" more than once in school.

2. Do you have any video game consoles? Which ones?

Nope. Nada. None. Wouldn't mind a Wii for the Wii Fit, but otherwise we really don't miss them.

3. Do you freak out at food warnings/outbreaks, such as the recent peanut butter salmonella scare?

"Freak out"? Nah. Why? I'll usually research it a bit, but I won't go crazy. If anything I have falls into the suspicious category, I'll consider giving it the heave-ho, but if not... there are plenty of things to freak out about. That isn't one of them. At least not for me.

4. What color/pattern is your beds' comforter/bedspread?

It's called "Naturewood" and it's pale green and cream. It now has a crocheted afghan over the top (and quite frequently, a dog as well):



5. How many windows do you have in your house?

Dear heavens... a LOT. Okay, let me count...

Nineteen.

I love sunlight. If I could, realistically, I would live in a glass house.

6. Name six things that are in your bathroom.

Hmmm... I have a pretty sparse bathroom, so it's the usual culprits: towel, shampoo, razor, toothbrush, vitamins, bath salts... OH... and a cross stitch picture that my mom did. See:



7. How big is your garage? Should it be bigger?

We have a large, three-car garage. We built it that big so the room over (which used to be my mom's apartment) would be large enough. Now... it's stuffed full of stuff, and we really could use more room. And, no, not boxes or junk (heaven forbid!) -- my DH's toys, mostly, or things we need for the property: the boat, the lawn tractor, the snowblower, the snowmobile and so on. We also park two of the vehicles inside. The poor commuter car gets stuck out in the driveway.

8. Got your taxes done yet?

Not yet. We have one place that doesn't have to report until the end of February, which really ticks me off, cuz I'M READY. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

9. Think of a mental disorder..... why did you think of that particular one?

OCD -- because I'm pretty sure my DH has it. LOL... just kidding, but he is an over-the-top neat freak.

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I redid my website. I like the new colors. I like the new set-up. I love the covers Judy made for my free reads. I think the bookshelf page is far neater. I'm tickled that all the stuff for each book is on one page. Oh, and I added a deleted scene for "One Love For Liv", if you're interested.

Go check it out and see what you think!

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YAY.... just got this from Reuters:

"Dawn Treader" lands at Fox 2000

Tentatively scheduled for a holiday 2010 release... .that's a long way away, but I guess it's better than "NEVER".

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We got a lot of snow yesterday. And sleet. And now, there is a thick crust of ice on top of the snow... poor Dd is having a horrible time going potty. She's just heavy enough to break through now and then. So, she'll be walking along on the crust...lalalalalala... and then WHAM!, she'll fall through.

Speaking of Dd, she goes in for her blood test today to ascertain whether she is missing a particular digestive enzyme and if that is what's causing all her tummy troubles.

Have a great day!

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Tightwad Tidbit: Where's the Beef?

Save money on cooking with meat without becoming a vegetarian

I eat a *mostly* meat free diet, but my DH is a carnivore, through-and-through. Because meat is so expensive, even when you get it on sale, I look for ways to cut back on use without DH missing it.

Here are a few tips to help you do the same.

* Check to see when your area supermarket puts their nearly-expired meats on sale. Here, it's typically on Tuesday and Thursday. I'll go and stock my freezer about once every 4-6 months on one of these days.

* Grind your own burger. I have a grinder attachment on my KitchenAid mixer that I'll use for this. I can buy inexpensive roasts or steaks on sale, grind it up and freeze it. I'll do the same when boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (they'll go on sale for less than a dollar a pound, now and then). When's the last time you got ground beef or turkey for less than a dollar a pound?

* Don't serve meat as the main part of the meal. Instead of baked chicken breasts and rice with peas, try using half as much chicken, chopped, and added to the same rice.

* Find ways to extend your meat. I buy TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and boil it in beef bouillon and toss it into lasagna or other casseroles in place of, or in addition to, ground beef. My DH has yet to notice (and, as a side benefit, I can make a small dish of my own, completely meat free). You can also use things like oatmeal or bread crumbs.

* Go meat free for at least one meal a week. If you have a family of four, and you each eat 1/2 lb of meat, you save 2 lbs a week (or at least $4-6 a week, possibly more, depending on what meats you typically buy).

* Cut back on how much meat you serve in your meals. Do you really need a full pound of burger for your spaghetti? One chicken breast is usually more than enough for a person -- if you consider a serving of chicken is the size of the palm of your hand (or about 3 oz), you probably eat far more than you should.

If you save only $10 a week on meat by using these tips, you'll have $520 more a year. What would YOU do with an extra $500?

Anyone else have ideas on saving on your meat budget?

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In other news, I just discovered that Disney is opting to NOT produce "Voyage of the Dawn Treader"... can I tell you how truly distraught I am? What are they THINKING???

**sniff**

I can only hope that another studio picks it up before the original actors aren't too old to play their parts.

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