OH MY! Thanks for the tip! Will do! I'm gagging thinking about the spectacle I'd make of myself! 😏

Thank you, @lulalu, @GailV, @SusanC! I had never heard of convertible tights--that started me down a rabbit trail..... Turns out I don't need them, but one thing led to another and I discovered that No Nonsense makes leggings. Since I've had good success with their pantyhose (for the price), I went with them--Black Friday Sale and all! 40% off + Free Shipping! Now to get a top or two.... 😉 Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

What, exactly, is the difference between leggings and old-fashioned tights? I want these for dancing practice so not expensive but with good movability. Any suggestions? Does Wal-Mart or Amazon or Target carry this stuff for a short (5'2"), middle-aged, slightly overweight lady? Are they sized like pants or panty hose? Note: Expat Living overseas (hence my ignorance) who will be in the States for just 8 days--I need to get on this ASAP. TIA, O legging experts!

Thanks, Ladies. Fortunately, not a medical emergency but my MIL (mid-80s, lives alone), needs some help with practical life matters. Thanks for prayers; I suspect they will be needed.

Ugh! Family emergency is definitely gonna derail me. Unexpected 10 days away starting next week (plus having to put everything into order/prepare for our transatlantic trip). New Stretch Goal: Make it to 35,000 (by using that airport lounge time wisely!) But keep on ladies! I'm rooting for you!

At the last steal-a-new-but-not-much-money-gift exchange I went to, two things which got stolen repeatedly were: a cute apron, and a novelty timer (this one was an adorable red&white mushroom-shaped dial-up-to-1-hour timer).

Well, I did it. Reached 2000 today, just a tad over 24,000 total. I think my weekend goal of 3000/day is unrealistic now that I cranked out 2000. An extra 1000 on top of that is at least double the work and thought process! Still seriously impressed, @Nemom with your 25,000 and counting. Hope you feel better soon!

Congrats @Nemom for making over the halfway point! And your writing challenge sounds fun! Good luck with it! Between final day with guests, having to do some writing for work, and generally just not feeling it, I only added a measly 500 words or so to my NaNo count yesterday. Next goal: 2000 today, 3000 each day over the weekend.

If I was in a position that I needed to say something, I would tell them "I wish you every happiness" and leave it at that.

I wonder if we are not just going through a slough of despond and we just have to keep going, knowing it won't last. I managed to get another 1000 words but I I'm not particularly pleased with the writing. It's more that I now have written down what I'm going to have to go back and shape up into enjoyable, readable prose. I can say that this NaNoWriMo push is (slowly) shaping my mental image of "being a writer." A writer writes even when inspiration is low, is not particularly exciting, and feels like work. It IS work. Just like pretty much everything else in life. Now to decide (after NaNo) if I actually "want to be a writer." Well, Ladies, I hope you do get an overflow of words, and hope you feel better soon @Pen.

Thanks, Ladies, for the encouragement. It is now almost 10pm here and I managed (barely) to get my 1000 words done. Whew! And @Seasider too, how does one follow NaNo on Instagram? I thought that was for pictures? Sorry, super old-school MAL (Middle-Aged Lady) who still thinks E-mail is hot new tech. ?

As I wrote earlier, I overestimated just how much I could write while hosting guests this week. Ah well. I decided to not just skip it, though, but to aim for at a 1000 words per day. I don't think I'm writing good prose, but I'm hopeful that by at least putting the kernel of an idea down on paper NOW, I'll have something to work with later.

Thanks @Pen! I will definitely take a look. I sadly overestimated how much I could get done with having guests.... I did add a paragraph or two. But, with needing (and wanting!) to interact with our guests, I can't get in my head and stay there long enough to come up with something worth writing down....

Wrapping up over here. Only made it to 1400 words but that is 1400 more than I thought I'd get when our guest due to arrive tomorrow unexpectedly arrived today. @Pen When you wrote you had some "text to speech" did you mean that or the reverse, you say something and it gets typed? If the latter, could you tell me more about how it works, how well it works, and what program(s) you use? TIA. @Nemom 10 words. You can do it.

I can't "like" this because poor dd, but glad you may get some extra time in the morning. @Pen A 4000-word goal is seriously impressive! I've wrapped up my day over here, getting my 2000 in. I can (usually) easily get about 1500 and have to stretch myself for the last 500. But it seems to be a good exercise for me, to push myself just a little bit more, to reach goal....

Good luck with getting to 15,000, @Nemom! I've wrapped up my writing time here, made it to 14,000 so still tracking at 2000/day. How's it going for you, @Pen? And another shout-out to @Ravin @forty-two @Seasider too @CindyH in NC @Petrichor @happi duck. If NaNo's suggested goal of 50,000 doesn't work for you, make one that will! We're rooting for you!

I made it to 12,000 today; I probably spent more time than I should have in rereading/revising. Sigh. For now, 2000 words, give-or-take, works for me. But my kids are grown, so I'm not in the homeschooling trenches anymore. I just hangout cause I've been around a long time.... before even the first edition of TWTM was printed. ?

I can't "like" this, but how about a challenge? 100 words. A Convo with your Main Character. Two characters saving a third. Not saying these are good ideas, but they (or other prompts) might get the creative juices flowing and if they don't. Well, just sit and write because that's what writers DO. And you can do it.

My day is winding down, and I made it to a tad over 10,000 words today. Besides jumping around as enthusiasm and writing flow carry me, I'm ALSO following the advice to not delete when wanting to rewrite/edit a previously written passage. Use a strikethrough on the words/paragraph or if larger, bracket them in a distinctive manner. For one, you don't lose any words on your word count (which you rightfully earned), and two, you might, on later reflection, actually prefer what you wrote the first time or find a way to use that material elsewhere.

Yes, we are! I'm VickiMNE over there. (I used to be that here in the forums but with board change, my user name never got properly restored, despite help from the powers-that-be.

I agree. It is easier for me to connect here. After dragging my feet about writing yesterday (Sunday, a day of rest, right?), I decided to put fingers to the keyboard last night and cranked out a 1000 words which brings my 4 day total to 8000, so still on track with my 2000 words/day target. Now I'm finding that my biggest nemesis is not giving in to the temptation to chuck it knowing how much of what I actually write NOW will have to be rewritten/discarded/massaged. It seemed like my first day's writing was absolutely brilliant, but since then lackluster. However, I know there are good seeds of ideas getting out of my head and down on paper, so I will slog away and hope for another burst of brilliance!

I bought my grown daughter this It's Different Every Day Desk Calendar last year and it has been a big hit all year for her---and her fellow workers. News of its fun quirkiness spread throughout her company and she has people from other departments dropping by just to see what silliness there is that day. Not for the serious-minded but light-of-heart.

I don't have the option of buying, so I make 2 kinds of sausage, Italian and Breakfast, and I never bother with casings. Basic recipe: 3 pounds meat (pork butt for us usually), chilled and ground to desired "fineness" + seasonings (see below). Mix seasonings together before adding to meat. I spread the meat out and then sprinkle the seasonings all over and working them in. If freezing, shape and freeze immediately. If planning to cook, let flavors marry an hour or two in the frig if possible. Italian: 2-3tsp salt (I prefer the lesser amount, the full 1 tsp/pound is more traditional) 1 T paprika 1/2t-1T crushed re pepper--depends on if you want hot or mild sausage 1/2 T crushed fennel seed (can sub ground anise--half the amount) 1 tsp. thyme or Italian seasonings 2 cloves garlic, crushed, or garlic powder fresh ground pepper. About 15 grinds. Breakfast Sage: 1 egg white, beaten 1 T ground sage or crumbled sage leaf. Chopped fresh if you have it (we do-- we like lots.) 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. paprika (mild or hot) or crushed red to your liking. 1/2 t. thyme. Assuming you are not planning to smoke/dry the sausages, you can freely adjust the spices. Use these ideas (or others) as a starting point and you'll quickly come up with your own preferred blend!

Yes, but that's because I'm in Europe! It is evening here (6:30pm) and I've got an event to go to tonight!

This is the key, is it not? I got another 2000 down today and am taking a break. ? If I get a few more hundred or not, we'll see. I AM finding it helpful to feel to skip around from one event to another. Like so many things, I should easily get 80% of what's in my head down, and it will be the last 20% that takes 80% of the effort. I'm working on leaving the tough 20% for AFTER NaNoWriMo.