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I agree. I am a writer, not a cartographer! I'll admit to having drawn a few of my characters and done a layout of the interior and exterior of some of the spaces in my story, just so nobody is walking into a wall or a rosebush unless I want them to, but that's about it.

 

 

Hopefully you won't need much in the way of pretty maps before a publisher picks you up, and they will likely know some people who can do such work.

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I'll say one thing though. This writing business? The amount of work that goes into planning, preparing, writing, editing and pulling your hair out is substantial. So tell that to all those aspiring little writers. It's fun. A whole lot of fun. But it's a bunch of work that people will look at and say, "Um, why didn't you make this character do that?" or "That magic system would be so much better if you would do this?" or "Your description is so marvelous. Now go throw all of it away." They follow that one by saying, "Now I don't have a clear picture of this place. Could you describe it better?"  :cursing:

And all that for a big stack of rejections with which you can wallpaper your room. 

 

Yeah, feeling a little down today. But there's a lot of truth in that. Having a day job and being able to manage your time and energy to maximize your writing time are important for writers. Even if some of that time looks like you are staring off into space and getting nothing done? Book that in your daily plan! There are a bunch of things I don't do so that I can write. 

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Critter, I thought you had a map so you know where everything is? It wouldn't be too hard to have someone schmancy it up, would it?

I do. It's in my head. I also have a real map of the region with roads, streams and topographical features when I need to consult it. I have to alter some of that in the story, but no, I'm not a fantasy map drawing type. Just not my style, I guess.

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I once got lost in the woods in my own backyard. My sense of direction is somewhat...challenged. I can seriously go east when I think I'm going west.

 

 

Sounds like the beginnings of a beautiful alternate coordinate system!

 

Hmm, maybe I should talk to MIL when she gets back from her trip.  She used to work with maps, too, and she has the left vs right directional issue.  DD12 recently admitted to some difficulty remembering which was which, too.

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It is already going, but boss wants to rachet it up from "try to come in a few hours on Saturday in addition to coming in early and working through lunch" to "everybody needs to come in all day sarurday until we're caught up."

A non complicated way to start since you're so busy is just doubling everything. We had shepherds pie this week but potatoes don't freeze well so I doubled the meat and veggies, put it in a freezer bag and now when I want to make it all I have to do is make mashed potatoes.
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I liked it. It wasn't craziness. Just took organization.

 

 

I can never seem to pull off a big bulk cooking day when planned.  However, I can (sometimes) manage to cook up a vat of Scratchy Soup or something and then portion it out to freeze for later.  I'm trying to gradually reorganize (actually, organize) my fridge and freezer so I can find things more easily.  I have hopes of cooking some soup this weekend, and would like to get it to fit after it cools down.

 

DH gleefully tells people that I end up using two pots when I make soup (only sometimes!).  If I start with the dutch oven I migrate over to the 12-qt stock pot.  A couple of times (only a couple!) I started with the stock pot and had to ALSO use the dutch oven because the volume just kept growing.  Usually I can start with the stock pot and keep it confined to that, though I do either have DH smoke the meat on the smoker grill first or I sear it in a hot cast iron skillet.

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I was well into adulthood before I could tell my left from my right without picking up a pencil. To this day, if I'm trying to remember which side of an animal a lesion, lameness or injury is on, I will wave my hand as I picture the animal to make sure I document it correctly. 

 

 

Hmm, maybe I should talk to MIL when she gets back from her trip.  She used to work with maps, too, and she has the left vs right directional issue.  DD12 recently admitted to some difficulty remembering which was which, too.

 

 

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I'll say one thing though. This writing business? The amount of work that goes into planning, preparing, writing, editing and pulling your hair out is substantial. So tell that to all those aspiring little writers. It's fun. A whole lot of fun. But it's a bunch of work that people will look at and say, "Um, why didn't you make this character do that?" or "That magic system would be so much better if you would do this?" or "Your description is so marvelous. Now go throw all of it away." They follow that one by saying, "Now I don't have a clear picture of this place. Could you describe it better?"  :cursing:

And all that for a big stack of rejections with which you can wallpaper your room. 

 

Yeah, feeling a little down today. But there's a lot of truth in that. Having a day job and being able to manage your time and energy to maximize your writing time are important for writers. Even if some of that time looks like you are staring off into space and getting nothing done? Book that in your daily plan! There are a bunch of things I don't do so that I can write. 

 

 

Crafting good reading takes a lot of time and effort and SKILL.  The reading is the easy part, especially if the writing is done well.  Just as the cooking so often takes longer than the eating.

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I was well into adulthood before I could tell my left from my right without picking up a pencil. To this day, if I'm trying to remember which side of an animal a lesion, lameness or injury is on, I will wave my hand as I picture the animal to make sure I document it correctly. 

 

 

When riding with MIL and giving directions I would say "turn to driver's side" or "turn to passenger side".

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Crafting good reading takes a lot of time and effort and SKILL.  The reading is the easy part, especially if the writing is done well.  Just as the cooking so often takes longer than the eating.

 

A good analogy. The cooking and clean-up is always a lot of work for what gets either gobbled, or rejected often as not. And somebody is always going to be unhappy about something.

So you have to develop the mentality to take the criticism from all angles and still go on cooking every day. 

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A good analogy. The cooking and clean-up is always a lot of work for what gets either gobbled, or rejected often as not. And somebody is always going to be unhappy about something.

So you have to develop the mentality to take the criticism from all angles and still go on cooking every day. 

 

 

And you decide that even if you are preparing food for others to eat you are cooking for YOURSELF, and maybe the small audience who really like your food.  

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And you decide that even if you are preparing food for others to eat you are cooking for YOURSELF, and maybe the small audience who really like your food.  

 

Yes, but you also try to figure out what you can do to make as much of what you are cooking sold, because you don't want to be cleaning leftovers out of the refrigerator all the time!

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Ok, I'm up, breakfasted, did my devotions finally, will walk down to the mail box and stick VBS volunteer forms in the mail and then start school. Y'all have no idea how good it feels this year to just be a volunteer and not have to direct the whole thing. I just do what I am told - whether it is help with crafts or registration or whatever. This summer is going to be awesome.

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Yes, but you also try to figure out what you can do to make as much of what you are cooking sold, because you don't want to be cleaning leftovers out of the refrigerator all the time!

 

 

Yes indeed.  While finding your motivation to cook from within brings satisfaction, said satisfaction can be undermined when tossing out uneaten leftovers!

 

 

 

 

An I-haven't-cooked-booya-yet-booya(h)!

Edited by AMJ
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I don't know...😦Does it turn that one day a month into awful craziness? Because then I'd be worrying about it for at least a week in advance.

Yup.

 

Plus, I can't decide what I want to eat even 5 minutes before dinner. I really couldn't fathom having to decide a month in advance. And then still being hungry for it on the correct day.

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Potato, I'd like to post some simple recipes. What are your dietary restrictions? What appliances do you have (slow cooker, IP)?

 

My OAMC post:

 

Once a month cooking. It’s actually more like once a month prep work. I like my meals fresh. Our menu plan is based on the purchase of meat because it is the most expensive and we purchase it in bulk at discount pricing, usually from New Seasons and Costco.

DAY ONE

1. Decide on meat purchase.

2. Find recipes, usually a combination of old favorites and new ones I found on Pinterest.

3. Decide on menu plan. We plan 4 meals a week that I cook, one of which is vegetarian, and live on leftovers the rest of the week. We always have taco soup and burgers on standby. We do not eat this on Monday, this on Tuesday, and this on Wednesday, we eat this, then this, then this. The food runs out when it runs out.

4. Create the shopping list. Buy EVERYTHING except for fresh fruits and veggies. We go to Costco once a month and get apples, oranges, salad stuff, carrots, etc. To make the shopping list I have 2 pieces of paper, one for Winco and one for Costco, divided by a giant cross. The 4 areas represent the 4 areas of the store. Add things by recipe so you buy as much in bulk as possible.

DAY TWO

5. Go shopping.

Once-A-Month-Cooking-300x147.jpg

Because we’re out of EVERYTHING!!!

DAY THREE

6. Prepare food. I do not cook anything except for casseroles I plan to freeze, and meat for certain soups. All of my meat, veggies, soup etc. goes in freezer bags or Pyrex dishes uncooked so that it is as freshly made as possible. Everything that is reserved for a recipe, but was not opened gets a sticker on it to show that it’s off limits. If we bought an 8 pack of cream of mushroom soup but only need six then only six get stickers and the other two are available for days when my husband wants to do something creative. This way we always have what we need and never need to run to the store.

It’s easier than most people make it. You don’t have to cook everything twice, you don’t have to go to 7 different stores and you don’t have to have it all down to a science. We’ve made mistakes and had chicken for 2 weeks. Matt’s had to stop at the store for a can of tomato paste. It’s OK. It’s still a much better lifestyle than cooking everyday, unless you love cooking. We eat better and cheaper than most, with less effort.

 

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I ordered groceries via curbside pickup. I wish home delivery was available, because today I would pay big bucks for it.

 

 

Have you done much produce through curbside?  If so, how have they done?  Are they picking things that are ripe or close to ripe but can last more than a day before going bad?

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My computer is having a seizure.  I've tried reloading but everything keeps quivering.

 

  

I find lying down always helps me. Try that.

Or maybe another cup of COFFEE☕ï¸â˜•ï¸â˜•ï¸!! But right now I am going to go cuddle a kitten before I crack the whip and get Latin going.
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I never plan what day to eat what. I just keep a list of what's available, written on my kitchen whiteboard. Erase as each item is used.

 

I'm not sure I even know what is in my fridge right now... :leaving:

 

 

Question for those of you who do cook in advance: do you throw out a lot of food?

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I find lying down always helps me. Try that.

My computer is always lying down.  If it got up and walked, I would be freaked out.

 

   Or maybe another cup of COFFEE☕ï¸â˜•ï¸â˜•ï¸!! But right now I am going to go cuddle a kitten before I crack the whip and get Latin going.

I'm pretty sure if I gave coffee to my computer that it would fizzle and pop and would never work again. . .

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We throw out less food when we plan and/or prep and/or cook in advance.

 

My husband shops.  We rarely throw out food.  Stuff isn't in the fridge long enough to go bad or the freezer long enough to get burned.  We don't buy in bulk.

 

My sister, on the other hand, always has too much food in her fridge and freezer, stuff gets pushed to the back and forgotten about, and then they throw it out.  (Or at least she used to when she lived by near enough for me to notice.)  My mother was also always throwing stuff away, it seemed.

 

So I just wondered. 

 

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Yikes, that is a very specific skill set to ask of you! Are they going to let an illustrator pretty it up later?

 

 

I agree. I am a writer, not a cartographer! I'll admit to having drawn a few of my characters and done a layout of the interior and exterior of some of the spaces in my story, just so nobody is walking into a wall or a rosebush unless I want them to, but that's about it.

 

 

Spudz, don't let Critter's modesty fool you as to her drawn layouts. Her avatar is a watercolor she did of one of the scenes in her book.

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Yup.

 

Plus, I can't decide what I want to eat even 5 minutes before dinner. I really couldn't fathom having to decide a month in advance. And then still being hungry for it on the correct day.

 

Can't you just pull out the meal you feel like eating that day? I don't think it needs to be limiting. Note, I've never actually done this, but I've planned weekly meals and switched things around due to whatever circumstances.

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I think that everyone should cook or not cook in the way it works for them.  Once a month cooking sounds nice but would not work for me for a couple of reasons that I'm not going to list because I don't want suggestions on how to make them work instead.  :)  My daily shopping/cooking works for me.  I do cook one dish for ds' lunch that he eats all week. 

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Dentist trip was successful! No meltdowns of terror! No cavities! And miracle of miracles, Dd8 was actually praised for her dental hygiene!

 

We stopped at Aldi on the way home and bought 6 dozen eggs and 18 lbs of strawberries (from California!). We ate one pound for lunch, I'm sending another pound home with ds21 (who is leaving in a few minutes, sniff sniffle) and 16 pounds that will be de-greened and put into the freezer until I have times to make jam. What is that green thing called.

 

I felt bad for not buying ds21 groceries to send home with him so I made him go shopping in the pantry. Plus eggs and strawberries. At least some food to keep him eating until he can get to the grocery store himself.

 

Story time!

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Have you done much produce through curbside?  If so, how have they done?  Are they picking things that are ripe or close to ripe but can last more than a day before going bad?

 

The produce selection has been AWESOME. I got a text last time that xyz looked bad---did I want to cancel that part of my order or substitute?  Most of what I'm getting seems to be just on the cusp of ripeness---good for a few days before going bad (strawberries, raspberries, other stuff quick to turn). 

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We (some of us) went to park day.  It is an absolutely beautiful day!  80 degrees.  Coolish in the shade.  Low humidity.  Beautiful.  A fun time was had by all.

 

We are home now.  We also bought an ice cream pie for my Dad's birthday tonight (and of course ice cream cones for us!  Because park day!)  

 

I am tired.  

 

I agree with Jean that everyone should cook in the way that works best for them.  That's why I don't cook.   :laugh:   (much).   :lol:

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We (some of us) went to park day. It is an absolutely beautiful day! 80 degrees. Coolish in the shade. Low humidity. Beautiful. A fun time was had by all.

 

We are home now. We also bought an ice cream pie for my Dad's birthday tonight (and of course ice cream cones for us! Because park day!)

 

I am tired.

 

I agree with Jean that everyone should cook in the way that works best for them. That's why I don't cook. :laugh: (much). :lol:

Park day and ice cream?? It doesn't get any better than that!!ðŸ¦ðŸ¦ðŸŒ³
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I think that everyone should cook or not cook in the way it works for them. .

That is a very diplomatic answer, Jeannie!! You should run for office!! This would be one of the planks in our Party Platform!!

Jeannie for President!! Vote ITT!! The only party that Makes Sense!!🇺🇸

Edited by KrissiK
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