(work) Mondays...

Yep, in to work. Got up at 5:15 am to shovel - argus7hills came out and helped, even though he's on vacation this week! What a nice guy!

In other news, you know it snowed a LOT when the only way to clean off the car is with your snow shovel.

I can't find snow totals for Concord (my Google-fu is not strong this morning) but I'd say we had about 15-18 inches over the entire weekend. I'll take some more pictures this week at some point.

My Christmas cards (the remainder) will be going out tomorrow at the latest - I know, I suck. I just forgot!

(I also forgot that Hannukah started last night. Bad me! I'll stop and buy candles tonight and just keep going.)

We start the phones tomorrow. I think it will be fine. I'm not worried. Call flows rock! (Yes, I said that. Startled? Really, these call flows are AWESOME. Completely integrated and everything. They make it soooo easy)

Today, I need to do Christmas cards and make a grocery list. And finally finish balancing my checkbook. Bleah.

(meme) Happiness Day 3

Waking up at 10 am to find my Bear curled up next to me, purring in his sleep.

And not having to go anywhere.

(food) Possible Tea Bread Recipe (courtesy of epicurious.com)

I'm thinking of using this for the peach-raspberry bread. It's a mango tea bread, but I can do some substitutions.

Mango Tea Bread

Ingrediants
1 cup golden raisins (1 cup dried raspberries)
1/4 cup brandy (peach schnapps)


2 large mangoes, peeled, pitted, diced (1 cup peach preserves)


1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (maybe not this - just ginger and nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Mix raisins and brandy in small bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.

Puree mangoes in processor until smooth. Measure 1 cup puree for bread (reserve remainder for another use).

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and 1 cup mango puree. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating just until blended. Fold in raisins and brandy. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in pan on rack. Turn bread out; cool completely. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap bread in foil and store at room temperature.)


We'll see - I'll let you all know how it comes out!

(writing/goals) Goals for 2009

Because everyone's doing it... :p

Seriously, I needed to sit and take stock of what I want to do next year. I'll do this year's roundup in a bit.

Goals for 2009/Writing
- Finish Belladonna Dreams and query it
- Finish the rough draft of Last Rites and submit it to my editor
- Finish the worldbuilding and outlining for Mirrors
- Start exploring some short story ideas/prompts

Goals for 2009/Marketing
- Redesign the website
- Launch the Cafe Press store
- SnowCon (Bangor, ME January 17-18)
- RavenCon (Richmond, VA April 24-26)
- Possibly Readercon, AstronomiCon, BaltiCon
- Start the Horseman Podcast
- Figure out con freebies and send out

Goals for 2009/Personal
- Learn to relax more!!!
- Write letters
- Continue to redefine my eating habits
- Fence more
- Sew more - especially with beads!
- See the ocean in all four seasons

I think it's all doable. I'm not going nuts next year. I refuse.

(snow) My first review!

llwheeler reviews Snow.

(writing) More craft stuff.

So, as the icon denotes, tonight I am working on Belladonna Dreams. I'm having to go back and fix stuff, as all my crits have come back with one major point, which I will now share with you.

"So, if Sapph is so rich and famous, why is she waltzing around with only one bodyguard?"

The snarky answer is, because the author didn't want to write more than one bodyguard. However, this is not the right answer for the story. She WOULD have more than one, and seriously, Maggie doesn't act like a bodyguard. So we rewrite.

I need to come up with four bodyguards, and some annoying "friends" that Sapph can snark at. And Maggie morphs to a personal assistant. And then I have to fix the outline, because this adds another level to it.

Will it make the book better? Yes.

Is it more work for the author? Yes.

*sigh*