Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

This post brought to you by Kapotas Designs . The content and opinions expressed below are that of Random Thoughts. I'm always looking for new wallets, probably because I overfill mine with cards I rarely use, and then complain when they fall apart in a few months. Seriously, how many times have I used my California Tortilla loyalty card? The closest location is 40 minutes away, and if you forget your card, they can look up your account by phone number. Most days, I only ever need my debit card, my driver's license, and my concealed carry permit, if all of those. On a good day, I have a few dollars in cash too. This is where Kapotas Designs and their leather, minimalist wallet enters the picture. Handmade, minimalist wallets that attach to the back of a cell phone, or really, any flat surface you'd like. They attach via micro-suction backs, and you can remove/reapply many times, without damage. Get a new phone? Peel it off and stick it to your new phone! Did I menti...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Oregon Beach Vacation Rentals . All opinions are 100% mine. Looking to take a break from work and spend some time relaxing at the beach? Why not spend some time along Oregon's gorgeous coast? Consider Lincoln City! If you're like me, when you go to the beach, you want more than a hotel room. I like being able to cook meals and have some space in which to relax. This is where Oregon vacation beach rentals by A1 Beach Rentals enters the picture. They have some amazing deals for the fall. If you book 2 nights, you get a 3rd night for free in November. This also applies to weekdays during October. That's like saving 1/3 on the cost of your lodging! Who doesn't like saving money? It's not too late to book one last vacation for 2014, and you can take advantage of some great rates and deals, while enjoying a gorgeous fall season along the Oregon coast! Check it out! beach vacation rentals oregon oregon beach...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Overnight Reputation for IZEA . All opinions are 100% mine. A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to spend a weekend in Los Angeles. I arrived on Friday morning, and returned home on Sunday evening! Talk about a crazy weekend, and oh, the jet lag!!! I drove the employees at the hotel crazy, because I wanted to know why, at 3 AM, the internet wasn't working! Then, by 7 PM, I was ready for bed! Even with those issues, I loved my stay! Sunshine, warm weather, gorgeous skies, and gorgeous views! When I travel, I sometimes have a tough time not having every second of every day planned out in advance. I want to do touristy things, but I also realize that the "locals" know far more about the good places to eat (the ones that stay in business because their food is amazing, not just because the tourists frequent it), the neat sights to see, etc. This is where Justin Sather enters the picture ( http://www.justinsath...

Thank goodness, at least as of when I left for work this morning, both of mine were still alive and kicking, so I'll reassure everyone that my two are fine! I've mentioned before that Mac and I drive a lot of dogs on rescue transports. We drive because we know we're helping these dogs reach loving, welcoming homes. I also monitor some of these transports, so drivers know if we're on time, behind schedule, etc. In one instance, many of us came together to drive several dogs from North Carolina to Pennsylvania and Maine, and the transport was featured on the Weekend TODAY Show. http://www.today.com/pets/rides-rescues-mutt-movers-transport-dogs-hundreds-miles-happy-homes-8C11097186 (If you pay attention, you can see a certain blogger's legs and hands while playing with Cole, the boxer around 2:50 of the video). Occasionally, the rescue will send an email a while after the transport with an update on the dog(s) and their new home(s). Sometimes, the update isn'...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Erik Pitoniak for IZEA . All opinions are 100% mine. Do you like to travel? Does the cost of travel prohibit your wanderlust? Do you have responsibilities at home, and you can’t leave for long? If you are like me, and can’t afford to travel the globe, or you have family responsibilities like I do, you need to live vicariously through someone else to satisfy your wanderlust! I have the perfect solution for that! Visit this website, and read about someone else’s journeys across the globe! Snuggle up with a cup of coffee or an adult beverage, and read all about Erik Pitoniak ’s travels! Travel along with him while avoiding all of the hassles of TSA lines, flight delays, being crammed into a metal tube with 200 of your closest friends, and having someone’s seat-back in your lap as they recline! Visit far-off destinations with Erik Pitoniak , all while staying in the comfort of your own home! I love hitting the road, or flying the ...

On Sunday, Mac and I transported four puppies, a pug, and a border collie mix that was supposed to be about a year old, but looked more like 6 months, if that! We did our usual Harrisburg to Hamburg run, as Mac was eyeing up a gun at Cabela’s, and it worked well to go scope it out and decide if we were buying it. He sold one of his old rifles that he’s never shot, and fronted his overtime money from working last week, and left with the rifle. It’s his new antelope/mule deer hunting rifle. We save aluminum cans, and rather than throw them in our recycling bin, he saves those and takes them to a scrap dealer occasionally. That’s his baby, and typically, he spends that money however he wants. He took those on Friday, and received $90, so he put that, plus a little extra cash towards it as well. Net out-of-pocket cost=$275. Of that, $200 is his overtime money that we’ll see next payday (yes, I fronted him the money, as we could do it, and I really didn’t want to deal with a trip up th...

It's been so long since I've found the time to write a blog entry! I apologize, but lately, I've been so exhausted that the thought of adding one more thing to my to do list causes me to shudder! My mother is coming to visit this weekend, for the Best Kept Secrets of Berks County Tour. I feel like the house is a disaster (it isn't, but it isn't as clean as I'd like it for company), I'm sure I forgot something when packing my bags for tonight, and I know I'm running on less sleep than I'd like for having to drive and be awake until 10 or 11 tonight! I guess this is where coffee will be welcome! I'm looking forward to having my mother visit, even if I'm stressing about the house! It'll be nice for her to have a weekend away from home, and we'll have a blast! We're staying in Reading tonight, so we can get an early start tomorrow without having to wake up at some horribly early hour! We'll head back home tomorrow, after shopp...

I had my Dream Dinners session tonight. Mac was going to come with me, and then we were going to do some shopping nearby. We arrived, and there were so many people there that Mac opted to do the shopping while I prepared the Dream Dinners order. It was really busy, but I was only preparing four meals, although I was preparing two each of two of them (Chicken and Pasta with Lemon and Artichoke Sauce and Southwest Pork Carnitas with Chipotle Maple Corn) and three each of two of them (Cattleman's Pie and Creamy Chicken Florentine Tortellini). My other two were Fast Lane meals (Central Park Garlic Chicken with Roasted Heirloom Potatoes and Sage and Parmesan Boneless Pork Chops with Toasted Onion Potato Wedges). In preparing the Cattleman's Pie, one adds the onions and carrots in one bag, and the peas and parsley in another. However, the peas and carrots are next to each other in the back, and the onions are in front of the peas, with the parsley in front of the carrots. To me, ...

Mac came with me to my Dream Dinners session on Friday. We had other errands to run out that way, so he agreed to join me. We arrived at 9 AM, which was the start time for the flex session. Mac jumped into preparing the Cattleman's Pie, while I prepared the Crispy French Onion Chicken. As we discussed later, we should have swapped meals! While we were preparing the cooking instructions cards and getting our drawer and freezer space, I was asked if I wanted to try a test recipe. Mac agreed that we should try it, so that was placed on our shelf. I won't spill on that quite yet, as I'll wait until we try it! I love the test recipes, as they are so unexpected, and it really made my day! We'll have that next week, once Mac is back in town. Preparing the meals was easy, as usual, and the session wasn't very busy, so it was nice. Mac and I could work together to prepare the meals. I love that he'll be working on assembling part of a recipe while I'll be working o...

Last week was rather crazy for me. I had a few deadlines at work and then I also had to prepare for the Dress for Success Professional Women's Group Success Summit. That was this past weekend, in Miami. We stayed at EPIC - A Kimpton Hotel, and it was amazing! Due to how crazy my week was going to be, I opted for very quick and easy meals last week for dinner. One of those was the Savannah Grill Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries. Mac is not a fan of sweet potatoes, so I knew the fries might not appeal to him, but I figured we'd try the chicken anyway. It was very easy to prepare, as I simply cooked the chicken in a skillet, then added the sauce, and baked the fries. I really enjoyed the flavor of the chicken and sauce, and I didn't mind the sweet potato fries. Mac said the fries were edible, although we both found that they were more enjoyable if we added a bit of the sauce to them. We did discuss that, with side items like that included with the entree, it would be nice...

I had my May Dream Dinners session on Friday. I attended the flex session, and had finished preparing my 72 servings by the time Amber arrived. I helped her prepare her meals, and then headed out, as I needed to drop off my meals at home, gather any venison I couldn't fit in the freezer, and meet the department secretary before doing a home visit for a family looking to adopt a dog. The department secretary ended up with three packages of antelope and mule deer, and I ended up having to place a few of my Dream Dinners in the freezer upstairs. I also cleaned out a few packages of freezer burnt steaks and a few packages of Omaha Steaks. We took the Omaha Steaks with us on Saturday, when we headed to visit with my parents. Saturday morning, we grabbed breakfast, then headed home. I wanted to pack, then leave as soon as the mail was delivered. I was waiting on a check, and didn't want to leave it sitting in the mailbox over the weekend. We didn't leave until 3:30--Mac decid...

Mac and I spent the weekend in Philadelphia. Well, outside of Philadelphia, technically. We arrived around dinnertime on Friday, and checked in to a very pet-friendly hotel, the Hampton Inn in Downingtown/Exton, PA. It was probably one of the least painful hotel check-ins with the dogs for a few reasons: It was self-parking, so Mac and the dogs could stay in the car while I checked into the hotel. No pet fees No pet agreements to sign Since it was self-parking, we could park, take the dogs to the room, then get the luggage. I'd guess our experiences when traveling with the dogs at a hotel with valet parking probably resemble those from people who travel with kids to those locations. You have to pull the dogs out of the car, plus the luggage, and it's never just one or two bags. The dogs share a bag, then Mac and I each generally have a bag each, plus our laptop bags. If we each only end up carrying two bags, plus managing a dog, we're lucky! So, this was nice. It w...

I recently wrote an article for Yahoo on why I'm happy without kids. You can find it here .

Mac and I headed out to Ambler, PA for a Czech/Slovak cooking class on Saturday. We both have at least a little Czech or Slovak in our ancestry, and we both are interested in learning how to prepare some of that type of cuisine. He found the cooking class, I took care of registering us, and for $50 total, we both were able to learn to prepare a Czech meal, plus we both were able to sample additional main courses and soups. The meal we learned how to prepare was Svíčková, Polish Dumplings, and Cabbage. Wow, was it amazing! The cabbage was like a cooked, sweet and sour version of sauerkraut, with cranberries! The Svíčková was unbelievable. It was topped with cranberry sauce and whipped cream, and served with dumplings to soak up the gravy. I am trying this for Easter this year! We used beef roast, marinated in veggies and injected with bacon. As if I wasn't already hungry, as I'm writing this, I'm salivating with the thought of this dish!!! Mac and I were asked why we wer...

I had to take Geno to the vet last week. He's been drinking a lot of water, and I was concerned. He has a UTI, plus crystals, so he's on two different medications--an antibiotic and something to reduce the pH in his urine, with hopes of eliminating the crystals. Geno tends to be difficult when trying to give him meds, so Wednesday night was interesting. I basically pried open his jaws, shoved the meds down his throat, and then held his mouth shut until he swallowed. He did try to cheek the one, but eventually took it. Thursday morning was very similar, and Thursday night was a bit easier, as Mac covered them in peanut butter, and he took it a bit warily, but without the typical struggle I have with him. On Friday, Mac tried something new. Since we had leftover mashed potatoes from dinner on Thursday, Mac rolled the pills in mashed potatoes. Geno loved it! He swallowed both without any hesitation! This is how we've been giving him his meds ever since! Friday was a bad da...

Dinner on Thursday  night was Dream Dinners Meatloaf Milano with Mashed Potatoes. Mac got home around lunchtime on Thursday, and we were both exhausted. I had my PWG conference call at 4, so as soon as that was over, I vegged for a bit. About 6 PM, I started dinner. We debated going out to eat, but decided that it would be quicker to cook the meatloaf. One of the vacuum-sealed bags of meat leaked, so the directions were soaked, and the juices were on the outside of the other bags. I combined everything and prepared the meatloaf, placing the Gorgonzola in the middle of the meatloaf. I baked it, as directed, and while that was cooking, decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes for dessert. I made snowman cupcakes--vanilla cupcakes, vanilla icing, topped with a marshmallow decorated to look like a snowman face. That is held onto the cupcake by a toothpick. The only problem with making cupcakes was that I can't find my muffin pans, and had returned Tiff's to her on Monday. Oops!...

After girls night, Tiff and I skimmed through the freezer meal cookbooks, and selected 6 recipes. They are: Caribbean Pork Tenderloin Mariachi Chicken Rolls Beef Barley Soup Dave’s Swamp Blues BBQ Chicken Chicken in Herbed Mustard Sauce Beef Stir-Fry (no peanut butter) The bottom two are from Dream Dinners , while the others are from Fix, Freeze, Feast . Tiff is going to tackle the Chicken in Herbed Mustard Sauce and the Beef Stir-Fry, while I’m going to tackle the Beef Barley Soup and BBQ Chicken for my meals, and then Amber is going to tackle the Caribbean Pork Tenderloin and Mariachi Chicken Rolls. We're planning to have them ready by February 9th, so we can exchange at Dream Dinners, well, outside of Dream Dinners, and I'm going to get to work on at least the BBQ Chicken this weekend. Mac's flight from Albany leaves at 6 AM tomorrow morning, so he'll miss breakfast at the hotel. I called and asked them if they could possibly leave a grab and go bag in h...

We had lousy weather on Monday. It started as snow, then turned to freezing rain, then just rain. Mac headed to Albany, Georgia yesterday. I honestly don't mind the time alone, as it's nice to not have to compromise on what we watch on TV, and it's nice to not have any pressure to cook dinner. I will admit that often, when he is out of town, dinner for me consists of cereal, a grilled cheese, or cookies and milk. However, the day he leaves is always the tough part for me. I don't know if it's watching him say goodbye to the dogs, or dropping him off at the airport, but whatever it is, the day he leaves is the tough part. It's a short trip--he'll be back on Thursday, so it's not like I won't see him for weeks. I'll see him in just a few days. Yesterday's weather didn't help things though, since it was extra dreary already! The good news is that I'll have Geno snuggling with me while Mac is gone, as the typical dog routine is that...

It's been a while since I've shared some of my random thoughts, so now is probably a good time. I've lost 13.4 pounds on Weight Watchers, which while it isn't much, I should explain that for quite a while, I've not been following it, and have just really recommitted to it. I've found that if I plan my meals in advance, I do much better at following it. Yes, it gets boring, yes, it frustrates Mac, considering that on Saturday, I had 4 points left for dinner. He had a reuben, I had a grilled chicken salad with fat-free Italian dressing. I've even found that I can eat out at places like Buffalo Wild Wings. I can't always get what I really want there, but I can compromise. I tried something different for breakfast this morning. Typically, breakfast is a McDonald's Egg McMuffin. While it fits into my daily points, I know it's not the healthiest option. Likewise, since we're on a quest to save money this year, spending $2.50/weekday for break...

I'm big into trying to snag extra cash any possible way. After all, extra cash is always good, right? For quite a while now, I've been a member of Grodo. You join, register your credit/debit cards, and they automatically track your spending at certain grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations. If you spend more than your typical monthly spending at one of those, you get a percentage of that back. The only negatives are that their participating merchants are limited, and that you need a minimum of $100 before they'll send you a check. In my area, the participating merchants are Weis, Rite-Aid, and Sunoco. It does encourage me to spend more at Weis and less at Giant, but all within reason. If you care to join, you can click here . Fair warning, if you use the link to join, I receive a percentage of what you spend as well, but that doesn't affect what you earn. If you earn points, miles, or cash from your credit/debit cards that you already use, Grodo does not impac...