Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

Yes, you read that correctly... I'm now unemployed, as of Tuesday. That said, I'm now working on writing a book, and have launched a kickstarter campaign to cover publishing costs. If you want to donate, here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/287148108/wendy-writes-a-book. I've been wanting to write a book for years, and so I'm taking this as a reason to do so! That said, if you have any leads for marketing, corporate communications, or proposal preparation, feel free to let me know!

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...

This one for those last-minute graduation gifts! http://voices.yahoo.com/help-last-minute-graduation-gifters-12667114.html

This one on not having kids! http://voices.yahoo.com/article/10066091/no-children-no-problem-12653438.html

I know I don’t spend enough time praising Mac, or thanking him, as in the day-to-day efforts of being DINKS, maintaining the house, taking care of the dogs, and doing rescue transports, things like saying thank you often fall to the wayside. I try to always thank him, but I know I can do better. Likewise, I know far too often, I don’t sing his praises!  He starts his workday before I start mine, as he works four, ten-hour days, yet since we’ve been married, I’ll wake up with him, and I’ll take care of getting coffee ready and packing his lunch. I’m a light sleeper, so it’s not a huge issue that I take care of the coffee and his lunch. I feel like I’m sending him off with a solid meal and his daily coffee, and I know he appreciates it. He routinely thanks me, but lately, he’s taken to cleaning out the coffeemaker before bed, rinsing it out, throwing out the old coffee, and placing a new filter into the basket. He never tells me that he took care of it, so it’s always a ...

I wrote another article for Yahoo: http://voices.yahoo.com/selecting-ncaa-brackets-easy-12579051.html

We currently have about 14 inches of snow since last night, and we are expecting another 3-5 according to the latest weather report. Mac knew by 4 PM yesterday that he'd be home today. My employer first sent an email at 6:15 reporting that we'd have a 2 hour delay, and then at 7:45 sent an email telling everyone to stay home. I've been up since about 7:30, and Mac and I enjoyed a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and coffee, after the dogs enjoyed a frolic outside. Well, Cobaka enjoyed a frolic outside, while Geno ran out, took care of business, and immediately high-tailed it back to the porch. Not a surprise, as Geno loves snuggling in blankets while Cobaka loves colder spots in the house! Around noon, I started working on the Hatch Valley Green Chili with Chicken that's our dinner tonight. I chopped up the chicken and tossed it in the crock pot with the chili starter. We're just having grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. It's perfect winter weather com...

Since the end of August, I've really been trying to follow Weight Watchers online. I've had some rough weekends, but lately, have been pretty good about sticking to it. Weekends have always been tough, because I don't have a set plan and schedule most weekends, but trying to empty out the freezer has helped, because I know the nutritional information for my Dream Dinners meals. I'd set an unofficial goal of wanting to lose 20 pounds by the middle of October, and assuming I can keep at it, I only need to lose another 2.4 pounds to hit that. I'm hoping that I can then lose another 10 pounds by the end of the year! I'd love to start next year a few sizes and 30 pounds down! I wanted to share this somewhere, so why not here?!?

Another Yahoo article , this one about how I love my sister. We may not always agree, but I do love her.

Gettysburg Stories: John Pickel, from Chancellorsville to Gettysburg and Beyond I guess I'm building up a decent portfolio of articles...

Enjoy... Remembering a Great Uncle -- and Military Hero -- We Never Met Mr. Wrong : Definitely the Wrong Movie

I'm participating in an online focus group concerning foods, and I'm having a blast. I've also referenced Dream Dinners a lot in my answers, and have raved about it to a lot of the other participants! No, I don't enjoy Dream Dinners at all, do I? I explained how it's really allowed Mac and I to reconnect over dinner, and how now, he feels involved in dinner, because he gets to help select the menu.

I've written a few more articles for Yahoo. :) Yes, some of them are dated, but shameless plug anyway! :) First Person: Living the Sequester with 22 Furlough Days Ahead First Person: Why I’m at Peace With Not Having Children Movin' on Up in the Housing Market Peyton Manning Not Able to Return to Football? Save a Life--Adopt a Shelter Dog Summer Vacation of a LIfetime--Hawaii, Here I Come!

My CNN iReport on Firearms http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-820044

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