I was just notified that my book, Consent to the Cowboy, is up for book of the month at Happily Ever After Review.
If you loved, liked, enjoyed this book…I’d really appreciate the vote.
Weeks worth of dinners
Posted: July 28, 2010 by Abby Wood in UncategorizedTags: meals, cooking, dinner
I find it interesting how other people decide what to eat for dinner. Those of you who live close to restaurants might decide which restaurant to choose. Other people might fix whatever sounds good at the moment. I have a friend who does meals for a month. That’s where you take one day a month to cook all your meals that last for thirty days. You keep them in the freezer and when it is time for dinner all you have to do is pop them in the microwave. Granted, it is only her and her hubby she cooks for. I can’t imagine doing that for the six of us in my family. Living on the farm, our meals tend toward “old-fashioned” cooking. I can’t run to the store for a missing ingredient every time I need something and calling for pizza isn’t an option. Yet, I wanted to become more organized. I hated the rushed feeling of not knowing what to cook.
I decided to start planning a weeks worth of meals on Saturday. That way I knew what I needed to buy at the store, I knew what kind of meat to get out of the freezer every morning, and I hoped to cut down on our grocery bill with a permanent menu. This is only my second week doing this, but I have to say, as the cook in the family, I’m less stressed. I no longer have to answer the question, “What’s for dinner?” Everyone can look on the fridge and see what we’re having.
The only thing negative about it is, I’m lazy. There are some nights were I don’t want to peel all those potatoes for the scalloped potato dish I said I’d make. lol
Tonight’s menu is fish tacos with steak fries on the side. Since I don’t buy very many processed foods, that means I have to cut potatoes, spice them, and bake them. My cod (why does that seem nasty? lol Must be because I’m an erotic author, huh?) needs to be breaded and deep fried. The cabbage needs to be put through the shredder. I made Salsa a few months ago, so I already have that made. To feed a family of six (that includes 3 teenaged boys) it’ll take me almost 2 hours of my day to prep. This brings me back to the once-a-month cooking my friend does and I am so jealous. I’d gain, at least, two hours of my day. Better yet, I could drive to the local pub 40 minutes away and grab takeout! Plus, I wouldn’t have dirty dishes to deal with. lol
I’m not giving up on doing the weekly meal planning. I think in the long run it will be better than my usual chaos. How do you plan your dinners? How much time out of the day does it take you to cook?
Plans, chitchat, and news!
Posted: July 26, 2010 by Abby Wood in UncategorizedTags: Abby Wood, shapeshifters, Breathless Press, Werewolves, etopia press, prizes, Gina Gordon
Werewolves!
How does that sound? My muse got to jabberin’ last week, and I listened. I’m already deep into chapter three and falling more in love with this story every minute. Ethan Tolene, a legend werewolf hardened by life’s decisions he was forced to make years ago. Danielle, the innocent she-wolf set on vengeance. Yeah, I’m a tease…that’s all you’ll get until I’m finished with the story.
I had a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect. Saturday, I washed all the lower level windows on the outside, scrubbed the deck, and cleaned the bbq. Of course, the wind then sprinkled everything with fir needles. I can’t win when I live in the middle of the forest. lol Hubs came home from work that night and thought Chinese food sounded good. No way was I going to argue over that. I’m weird though, because the only part of Chinese food that I like is Fried Shrimp. No rice, chow mein, sub gum for me. Actually, Fried Shrimp is my all time favorite food. All I needed was a tub of hot mustard and sesame seeds, and I was a very happy girl. On Sunday, I did some work on the computer and played lazy. All the kids stayed home on Sunday, so it was a nice family day.
If you have time tomorrow, you should stop by my good friend and author, Gina Gordon’s blog. She asked me why I love romance. Come on over and see if you agree. 
Did you guys hear the news? There’s a new epublisher in town. They opened for submissions. You can check out Etopia Press here. I wish them the best of luck!
Are you ready to party? Breathless Press turns one years old in August…and my how it has grown! From the news going around, you should get ready for some fun. Lots of prizes!
Speaking of August. I can’t believe how fast summer is going. Around here, August is our whole summer. Fall starts showing up in early September. I’m going to try and make the most of the remaining time. What do you have planned for the rest of summer? Anyone going on vacation? Maybe enjoy some of those warm summer nights sitting outside…
A funny attempt at romance
Posted: July 23, 2010 by Abby Wood in UncategorizedTags: Funny, patchouli, romance
While looking through my jewelry box this morning for a silver bracelet…well, not real silver. All my jewelry is of the faux kind. I lose jewelry all the time and refuse to spend anything over $20 for something that will probably fall off me into the river or at the store. Anyhoo, I found a small vial of Patchouli oil. You know, hippy perfume. I was too young during the 70′s to be aware of this fad, but a few years ago, I came across an article saying that Patchouli is a scent that drives men crazy with lust. Bingo! That got my attention. It took a couple weeks for me to find the oil in the small coastal town I shop in, but I was determined. The day I brought it home, I planned to act normal when hubs got home to put it to the test. I dabbed a little behind my ears, a little on my cleavage, and just for good measure I even dabbed behind both knees.
Honestly, it smelled funny to me, but what do I know? I’m a female, not a male. I could certainly put up with the scent if it caused my hubs to go out of control with lust, right?
Just for good measure, I dabbed some more on my wrists right before he walked through the door after work. I stood in front of the stove cooking and trying to contain the giggles. I was so excited. I imagined him sweeping me off my feet, throwing me on the bed, and showing me his lustful side. Instead, he kissed the side of my neck, asked what was for dinner, and said, “Hm, that smells kind of funky.”
*heartdrop*
I did not give up though, because maybe the scent of Patchouli mixed with chili wasn’t a good combination. Once the dishes were washed, I dabbed another spot of the oil on my neck and walked into the living room. Snuggling up beside hubs to make sure he could catch a whiff, I waited.
He lifted his arm, sniffed, and asked me if I smelled that odor.
*heartdrop*
This was not going well. Apparently, he thought our house smelled moldy, and then he thought maybe a mouse had climbed into the air ducts and died. It was time to come clean. I confessed my two week adventure over trying to drive him crazy with lust. While he was laughing, I jumped in the shower. lol
Today, I can look at the bottle of oil and laugh. It was funny. In fact, my whole marriage has been a learning experience. I try to keep things fresh and new. More often than not, it ends up being a laughable situation, but you know what? That’s romance! Those times we both crack up and spend more time laughing over our silly attempts to impress the other one keeps our relationship a good one.
