The latest

The latest recipe:  Scotch Eggs (no link or pic.  Google it!)

The latest fun:  Hanging out with my friend Kara for the night and making wine

The latest holiday:

Valentines day!

 The latest presents: 

Someone knows me!

 My latest view:



Early morning light in the forest

The latest thing to make me smile:

When a 4 year old gives you temporary tattoos - you can't say no!  (if you can't see it's a rainbow and a peace sign)

 My latest FAIL:

The latest snow:

Last week.  2 inches.  Melted in a day.

The latest animal I'm trying to be friends with:

Daisy

"For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice. To make an end is to make a beginning."
~ T.S. Eliot

The beginning of more-self-sufficiency

I've been learning a lot....

Like how to change a tire.  On a Ford F250.  I got to use an airgun and torque wrench.  What this picture doesn't show is I don't have 140 pounds of pressure to properly do this more than once, and my feet kept sliding everywhere.

No, I'm not 300 pounds.  I'm wearing a huge coat and it was snowing outside.

 And how to chop kindling! 

I'm kind of a chopping fool.  It's way more fun than it should be.

 

Also, how to build a fire in a woodstove.  How to operate a pellet stove. 

 

And I occasionally get to feed horses.  

You didn't think I'd make a post without an Atticus picture, did you?

Yet I still cannot figure out windows 8 and how to print from PDF. 

Strong women don't play victim, don't make themselves look pitiful, and don't point fingers.  They stand and they deal.
~ Mandy Hale

Well, hello, end of January

Obviously blogging hasn't been on my mind too much as this is only my second post for January.  New year does not mean more blogging.  Apparently in 2014 it means less.

This can only mean good things though, I think.  I'm keeping busy.  Trying to remain positive.  Keeping busy.

I have a super cool re-do project in the works.  I hope it turns out.  I'm just having trouble finding time to finish it.  Plus, this is the first time I'm re-painting metal, and so I want to make sure I do it right. 

Work is work.  7 OT shifts in 12 work shifts in the last 2/upcoming week.  My goal for this year is to remain positive at work and not let the little things bug me.  I know that doesn't sound like much, but believe me, it is...especially when I spend entire 12 hour shifts with people I can barely tolerate. 

Jonathan and I have been cooking a bunch, crossing off recipes to try on my pinterest board, and making stuff from cook books.  I haven't been taking a ton of pictures lately (my phone is on it's last leg - using it for anything but texting drains the battery a lot), but here's some links:

Mustard crusted pork chops
Stuffed sweet potatoes
Soft Pretzels
Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies

Atticus and I got to see horses being shod for the first time! 

 

 

 

We've had super mild weather all of January so far.  Very rare. I think I heard we're 3/4 behind our normal rainfall.  It gets pretty warm during the day (50's), but cold at night, and the roadways get kinda icy.  I've seen some people already have green poking through the ground in their gardens - even the flowers are confused. 

 

 



I hope the end of January finds you all warm and happy.

Be helpful.  When you see a person without a smile, give them yours.
~Zig Ziglar

Some minor musings

Do you ever wander what motivates people?  I took a training a long time ago about what motivates people to work:  it usually falls into several categories - the need to be needed, the need for money, the need for time off, the need for power.

But what motivates people in life?  The same things I guess.  What motivates people to be so mean and nasty to one another?  Again, I think it's the same things.  I know people are not so simple, but when I am looking for answers, a simple response like this is the best.  I just need to remember that what motivates me is not what motivates someone else, and to stop looking for the "why".  But after that, what do I do?  Do I just let people continue with their mean and nasty actions, who are being spurred on by selfish motivations?  Do I let it roll off my back and essentially ignore it?  Do I fight back?  Do I hope that Karma will rear her lovely head and take over?  I'm not sure what to do.  I just don't like sitting back and watching one person tear another down.  I alternate between sadness, and sickness, and rage. 

And as always, without these helpless and lost feelings, the good times, and the happiness, would not shine so brightly. 

It's a trade-off, really.  Maybe?  Are the hard times worth it so the good times will seem that much sweeter?  I wish I knew. 

Our recent emergency vet stop.

I want to say it will all be worth it.  One year from now, we will look back and breathe a sigh of relief that this trouble is no longer in our lives.  I wish I wish I wish I could find some solace in that.  Right now, it's pretty darn hard.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon.
~ Charles M. Schulz

Vacation mode

In vacation mode!!!! 

Ready to take time and do whatever I want...

Dinner and movies with Mariah....

 And spend a lot of time with these two guys...

A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it's built for.
~ Albert Einstein

Girl day

I'm having a girl day.  And not in the good way.  It's one of those days where real or imagined, everything sucks.  And the small things are suddenly big things...

- my whoopie pies didn't turn out right.  They're kinda undercooked in the middle.  And they're my contribution to a party I'm heading to in less than 30 minutes.  *Sigh*

- I accidentally got pureed pumpkin on my vacuum.  Don't ask.

- There's a hole in the toe of my socks.

- I haven't been to the gym more than once in 2 weeks.  I feel like a tub of lard.

- I'm out of laundry soap, so that means 20 minutes of grating a bar of castile soap to make my own.

- It is so frigidly freaking cold here, I actually turned up both my thermostat heat and my fireplace.  I'm tired of being cold inside.  So much for keeping my heating bills down.

- I have 3 days of dayshift at the Academy starting tomorrow.  I don't want to go.  I don't want to dress up in my stupid monkey suit with shiny shoes (which are falling apart), and make nice and be friendly for 3 days with people I've never met before.  Did I mention I don't want to go?

- My 3 day weekend, which ends today, was not enough to make up for working 10 days in a row.  Not nearly enough.

I know this is such a pitiful list.  There are far more important things that people are worrying about. Well, selfishly, I don't currently care. 

Common sense is not so common.
~ Voltaire

An apology and a half hearted explanation

No posts for 3 weeks.  Oi!  But here's some excuses....

Biggest excuse:  my computer died.  And it died slowly....losing features bit by bit.  Each day I'd say to myself "well, I can live without that part of my computer..."....until it finally just wouldn't turn on.  It would sit and think.  It took about 4 days of it sitting and thinking for me to finally admit I needed a new computer. 

I hate technology.  I really do.  I think it's cool, but it scares me and I'm not good with it.  My smartphone is the extent of my knowledge and even then, I know there are  a lot of features on it I don't use.  Luckily, a coworker had just bought a laptop and told me about it - it was simple, big screen, and most importantly - cheap. 

So, I headed off to Best Buy with the SKU #.  Had to order the computer as it was not stocked in the store.  Although they said I'd receive it in a few days, it was over a week as it came to the store on Black Friday. 

Then came the internet.  I have not paid for internet in about 5 years, instead using the unlimited data package on my phone and tethering my phone to my computer.  I estimate I've saved roughly $1000-$1500 over the years by using what I already have.  I'm not about to pay for internet now.  But, upon looking at the computer, I was utterly lost.  Have you seen Windows 8? 

So, after 2 days of trying to figure out my phone and sending emails to the tethering app tech support, I called Comcast.  And what did Comcast tell me?  My house isn't on their service list.  In fact, after looking outside of my house and in each room, there is not a single cable coming out of the wall.  Who doesn't have cable?  (Other than me of course)  But yes, Comcast said they'd have to do a survey, and they'd get back to me in a week if they could even put cable internet here.  A WEEK!?!?

I was *this close* to taking my laptop to Starbucks, buying a ridiculously overpriced drink, and using their Wi-Fi for a couple of hours. 

Now, I could be doing all this internet stuff on my phone.  But have you tried to look up plane tickets on your phone?  Do financial transactions, etc?  I didn't like it. 

After I had a minor meltdown and lamenting to Atticus how much I hate technology, I took a deep breath and looked at my tethering app again, and then realized there was a button on there that took me step by step through the installation process.  So, starting from scratch, I re-did everything.  AND IT FINALLY WORKED.  I have internet!!!!!!! 

That was a long and boring story, so here is a picture to distract you....

Atticus Thanksgiving morning.  He was in dog-heaven with all the attention he was getting.

Second excuse:  I've been busy.  Yeah, I say that all the time, but I have.  For example:  right now, I'm in the middle of a 10 day stretch of work, with 4 12 hour overtime shifts sprinkled in for funsies.  Between work and the holidays, I haven't even been to the gym in over a week.  WHAT?  I know.  Absolutely ridiculous. 

Although this is not an excuse, because I've only used it once, I finally bought a TV.  It was brand new, but I bought it from the brother of a friend, because apparently this brother bought a 65inch TV and it came with a free 20 inch TV.  So, I scored the 20 inch TV, and was gifted an old DVD player.  Score! 

Isn't it pretty?

Once again, I hate technology, so someone else set this up for me. 

And last excuse.  I have a new person in my life.  Well, he's been there for awhile, but I'm just telling you about him now, so he's new.  I'll tell you about him some day.  Just not today.



It takes 3 of us to cook.  One cook, one picture taker, and one dog getting in the way looking for things to fall on the floor.

"Nothing haunts us like the things we don't say."
~ Mitch Albom