by Tish MacWebber | Nov 1, 2017 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Happy Halloween Treasure Seekers! I am writing at the end of my day. I got up and put on my costume and makeup. I came home and handed out treats. It is so much fun to open the door in costume and see the reactions of the kids, and even some parents. I got a few compliments and was swarmed by a mob of little, costumed people as they didn’t want to miss out on their treats. It was not scary, most of that crowd was under 5 years old. Their parents had a small bit of panic that they were being rude, but I am from a small rural community (this is a hint about my trilogy-the location-not a real place, but a familiar one) and we used to go into people’s homes for our treats when we were kids. It was how things used to be, in a small, rural community.
Halloween is full of fun, adventure and maybe a scare or two. Some costumes are scary. Some are fun! I like the creative ones, and one boy liked my costume. He was wearing all black, and used glow-sticks to decorate himself, had them as glasses and different parts of his outfit. I returned the sentiment. Being dressed as a leopard, I was more tired tonight than I have been in other years. I know this because when the kid in the Scream mask asked, “Whassup?” My reply was a cranky sounding “Me-yow.” I listened to music, asked preferences of chips or cheesies, and ate the bag of microwave popcorn I got at work today so I didn’t get too hungry before supper.
Before I washed my face, I made a short facebook live video to say hello to people and show that my makeup lasted for the whole day. I was glad to be able to wash my face. I never noticed how many times a day I wanted to scratch my nose before. LOL. Then I made some sandwiches, and I am preparing to go to bed. On the Eve of NaNoWriMo.
I am going to be writing a book in November, with a lot of other people. I am going to need to edit after because I don’t think slamming 50,000 words in 30 days will be the kind of writing that is ready for publishing. I do want to write 1,667 or more words every day in November to win and get to the 50,000 word goal for the month. I have tried before, but I have not won. This year, I have the inspiration generated from thinking about the loss of a friend, who regularly participated in NaNoWriMo. She will be featured. I was originally going to write the whole book about her, but it is less pressure and research if I write about what I know. So the concept has its origins but has evolved. That is how I roll.
This week I am writing about writing. I am preparing to embark on a journey to test my skills in a new format with goals and ideas. As I wrote this I had to stop and make a note. The thoughts are percolating. The ideas are coming out in bits and pieces. This year I am going to win!
I have also made an arbitrary decision that November is MY month. It is the month when I get things together, make changes, try new things, and move forward in my life. It happened last year, and although I am not launching my new website yet, I am getting ready to do it. A year ago I started blogging. This year I am writing books, and building a website. ME! By myself, with coaching and guidance from friends I know or have met on this journey.
What are you going to try this November? Let’s make it a winning month together. I told you what I am doing. How can I help you? Let me know below. Have a great week!
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
Treasure Seeker Tuesday: Photo by Tish MacWebber; Photo Edited by Noa Price
by Tish MacWebber | Oct 31, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
I was so busy this past weekend that I am writing this on Monday after work. It was totally another Hulk Smash weekend win for me! Super busy, unable to attend everything I wanted to do and lots of fun!
I had company Friday night. As they are not fans of Halloween, I spent the evening with them instead of attending my friend’s annual Birthday Halloween Bash. I am a fan of Halloween, and I made up for that Saturday. My company was more rarely able to visit with me, so I spent a quiet night at home, entertaining. We made supper and shared a bottle of wine. It was nice.
Saturday. Oh my goodness, Saturday was a little messed up and a lot of fun! My time management skills were a little off. My guests had a 5 AM wake up call, and I went back to bed after they hit the road. I slept in as long as I could and got up to run errands. I needed to buy ingredients for the One-Eyed Deviled Eggs I was making for the parties. I made regular deviled eggs, sprinkled some smoked paprika on top, and then garnished them with a slice of pimento stuffed green olive and red pepper pieces. They were supposed to look like One-Eyed Devil…ed Eggs. I will share a pic, and you can tell me how I did. I thought I did a good job.
One-Eyed Deviled Eggs
There was a NaNoWriMo kick-off event that I just could not swing. I had two other parties on Saturday, so I had to pick the ones I needed to go to. For social obligatory reasons. As I will be mostly an author/hermit for the month of November, writing my NaNo book. I will have NaNoWriMo friend time in November. As it should be.
I went to the first party late. It took more time than expected to make almost 2 dozen One Eyed Deviled Eggs. Then I had to get into costume and do my makeup. I will let the cat out of the bag, now. I am dressing up as a Leopard this year. I have a nice leopard print two-piece outfit, that can be worn anytime, and in fact, I wear it as an outfit or separately off and on. Paired with other clothes, of course. The top goes with jeans or dressier pants, and the skirt can be worn with usually a black solid dressy top. For Haloween, I am wearing the outfit. I did not manage to find or make a tail, so I am just not going to talk about it. That is what I will say if I am asked, “I don’t want to talk about it.” It should make it awkward if someone pushes the issue, and I am planning to make it that way. Like there was a terrible accident, and I don’t want to talk about it. I do, however, have my own cat toy. 😉 Just for fun!
I use a product by Lise Watier called Magnifix that is a makeup fixative spray. It is made with white tea, it is also paraben and alcohol-free. I was told to get it for my wedding, and it is a wonderful spray to have. I spray it on after finishing my makeup and use the cool air low setting of my hair dryer to dry my face after spraying it on. It does a wonderful job of keeping my makeup on, except for my lips, and well, there isn’t a lipstick I have tried that doesn’t wear off over time. I am getting brave enough to look into some lip staining products.
The second party was with colleagues that are friends. By then Roy & I were hungry, so we showed up with One-Eyed Deviled Eggs and pizza to share. Roy didn’t stay long after the pizza was gone, but he came back for me at the end of the party. It was fun to hang out with friends from work outside of work. 🙂 I had a great time. I learned that Tequila doesn’t make my clothes fall off and that I have a stop signal when drinking it. I was drinking it for the first time as the only alcohol for the evening. My last drink didn’t taste good anymore, so I sadly dumped it down the sink before leaving. I switched to water at that point in the evening. I was tired yesterday, but no headache as I had managed enough water to chase. It is important for a Diabetic to snack when drinking, and for everyone to rehydrate when drinking. And check with your doctor first if you are on any medications before having drinks, just to be sure that there are no side effects. Better safe than sorry.
It’s time to let the cat out of the bag. I am facing Halloween 2017 as a Leopard. I went online for makeup ideas and then bought the supplies. The first run was a blast! I will be in the same costume tomorrow. I may change it up a bit, but the foundation of it will be the same. Time to settle in for the night. I am going to have to be up early to recreate the same kind of look for the day tomorrow.
Happy Halloween!
by Tish MacWebber | Oct 17, 2017 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Hi. I am so glad that you took a few minutes out of your busy day to read my blog. I am humbled and honoured every single time I get feedback and new statistics. Every time you take time to read one of my stories, you impact my dreams. You reinforce my beliefs to follow my dreams and make them into a reality. I am discovering my purpose here on this Earth. I am so glad that I am making it happen, and I am just as happy that you are sharing my journey with me.
I have always had a creative spark within. It was not enough. I have worked on cross stitches, embroidery, drawing, painting, beadwork, knitting and crocheting, and now I have rediscovered my love for writing. I didn’t work on my writing very much since high school. When I was in English classes, it turned me off writing as a career. I had to read books I never would have chosen to read, then I was forced to find hidden meanings that were a stretch for me to believe. I like things to be at face value. I also like to be funny, punny and clever. Dissection belongs in science class, not in English class.
After high school, I chose a path to science. I started a pre-vet program. I never made it to vet school. I did finish my Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, with an Animal Science Degree. It was an honours degree. It took me longer than the average four years to complete it, but that makes me all the more proud to hang it on my wall.
I met my husband while studying for that degree. We met through a group of mutual friends. When we decided to start dating, things clicked. We are happily married, and that is something that I can wish for all of you to find. Love. It is an adventure that we all need to grab onto and hold tight when it happens.
If you are not in that kind of relationship at the moment, please do not despair. It is not your time yet. Things happen for a reason, and I truly believe that. Your story is not yet finished, and it is up to you to get up every day and see where it takes you.
I did not find a job with my Bachelor of Science. I went back to school and trained to be a Pharmacy Technician, who currently earns her living by working in a call center. Is this the career path I would have chosen for myself ? No. Would I jump at the chance to go back into the world of pharmacy? Absolutely. I enjoyed using the scientific side of my mind. It was a satisfying career choice. But it was not the reason I ended up taking that course.
I believe that I was sent in that direction for another reason. I learned how to mix IV medications and prepare chemotherapy drugs in a sterile hood. My familiarity with working with needles helped me to adapt to having to learn how to give myself insulin. Sometimes you need to figure out what led you to the path you are on, so you can decide if you want to keep on that journey, or find a new branch and follow another trail.
No matter what path you are on, it is up to you to learn what you can while you are there. When you have finished learning all that you can, if you are not still inspired to continue learning, it is time to try something different. Even if it scares you. When you do this you are pushing boundaries, and that is when the magic happens.
Now I am going to plant some seeds. Something to think about for the week, to help you on your own journey. What choices did you make to lead you to where you are today? If it was difficult, it was to make you stronger. How did it do that? If it was easy, why was that easy for you? What things do you love doing so much that you lose track of time when you are working on them? Those are the things you need to investigate further, to see where they will take you. Maybe when you do, you will find that you surprise yourself like I do when I am writing.
One last thought. When you find yourself going two steps forward, and three or even five steps back, go with it. Dance within the ebbs and flows of life. Join me, and together we will make our own paths in this world. One step at a time.
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
Treasure Seeker Tuesday: Photo by Tish MacWebber; Photo Edited by Noa Price
by Tish MacWebber | Oct 16, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
As another weekend comes to a close, I am going to spend a few moments with a quick summary for you. I had the Lobster and Gouda Grilled Cheese with the crock of Lobster Poutine in good company at Claudine’s Eatery Friday evening. We had family visiting this past weekend, and it was very nice to spend time together.
Saturday started slowly with a visit to Sweet Belgian Desire for a late brunch. I had the Omelet Florentine with a side Greek salad and coffee. It was delicious and on plan. We then ran a few errands, and I bought a stability ball. I will let you know how I make out with that purchase once it is assembled and I get a chance to try it out.
We then had a BBQ Saturday evening. My guests were quite happily entertained with 2 back to back live stream concerts from home. I also enjoyed watching them. The Celtic Colours International Festival is well known for the music and concerts held yearly in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. If you love traditional Cape Breton music and want to experience it firsthand, I highly recommend planning a trip to see some of the shows live. If you can’t be there in person, like us, they pick one concert per night of the Festival and live stream it online. They don’t reveal which one until the day of the broadcast. It is available for 24 hours after the live stream is ended. I started the Friday show and the Grand Finale was able to be watched also last night. I am glad we found it, it was a pleasant way to spend time together. I am able to use the tv and stereo for my computer, so it was a full-sized concert with surround sound that we watched from my living room. It is nice to be able to watch events like that on my TV with excellent sound quality.
This morning started with coffee and tea at my kitchen table. My family left for the next visit after that. It wasn’t a rushed morning. Roy and I watched a couple of TV shows together, and then we went to get a few groceries. After this, I took a nap. Sometimes, Sunday afternoon is meant for taking a nap. Today was one of those days. When I woke up, a friend had delivered some coffee K-cups for my Keurig. I will gladly add them to my stash, and enjoy them. We then went out to supper. I was craving Chinese food. Since we were planning to go to Oromocto for Kingsman: The Golden Circle to see it in the early show, we chose to eat supper at Diamond House Chinese Restaurant, also in Oromocto. We had combos and enjoyed the meal. We had to hurry for the movie, it had just started when we got there. We met up with our friends, chatted a bit in the parking lot after, and came home.
We ate out more than usual this weekend. However, it was not an ordinary weekend. I am going to be cooking tomorrow as I am not going to make it to Zumba, and I have things that need to be made. I have leftover tossed salad saved in 2 mason jars to help start the week’s lunches off in the right direction. I still have my picnic lunch ingredients too. All was not lost in the planning this weekend. I can also say that the cleaning is progressing nicely. The dishes are being kept up and I still have a lot of organizing to do. I made progress throughout the week like I needed to do. The trick will be to start back at it right away this week. Today, I needed to rest for the upcoming week. And that is a wrap for this week. I think I won again. 🙂
by Tish MacWebber | Oct 8, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Happy Thanksgiving from Canada! I am indeed going to stuff myself full to the brim of turkey dinner at a friend’s house today. I am thankful that I don’t have to cook a turkey this weekend, as it is still warmer than seasonal temperatures here and I would absolutely melt. I did see a turkey roasting pot at Walmart yesterday that looks like a crock pot for turkeys and claims to be self-basting while the turkey cooks. If that works it might be something that goes on my wish list. If you have tried this out, let me know if you like it.
I am cleaning this week. I realized that I need to get into the cleaning again, before November. I have been inspired to participate in NaNoWriMo after I decided not to do it this year. I am going to write about cats and Susan, and the theme is superpowers, not superheroes like I thought, but I will make it work. I have asked friends to send me cat stories for research. I have an idea of what I want to write, and how, but was worried that I may not have enough information to write it all from the original idea. I will use my own superpowers to win this year, I know it!
I have yet to complete the website setup. I am working on it this month, but I now have more going on than I did before. Since I started this blog in November last year, it seems fitting to make my move a year later. I wanted to test my writing abilities before making this leap. I think I can safely assume that it is not a passing fancy and that I am totally committed to keeping it going. I am about to add my new third category this week, and I am really excited about it. It is also going to have a few surprises, in terms of nerdy author geeky things.
Along with working on concepts and ideas for my NaNoWriMo novel, I have taken up the fantasy trilogy project. I do not want to fall too far behind on it and am working on it every few days. I am happy to say that a challenge I am in (are you surprised that I started another one? No? I am in two right now, with one to catch up on when I finish these two) has fired up my writing for the book one of the trilogy. I started a little bit of free writing and got some plot and character ideas going. That was all I needed to pick it up again. Who knew? I didn’t. I told you that I even surprise myself sometimes.
Weekends are supposed to be fun filled. It was. I also went to the Northside Market on Saturday, and am now as I write re-organizing furniture in my mind in the Master Bedroom/Craft Room. I have made some progress, and want to finish it tomorrow so that I can move more craft supplies back out of the living room and into the neatly organized space in my Master Bedroom. I hope to get this done because I am on a deadline. I have to push through this week and work at work and clean at home so that I can really focus on the writing. What do I need to finish before then? After the cleaning is done, then I move on to website building, including an online store (exciting and terrifying at the same time) and moving the Blog to the website. If I am going to get this all done before November, I need to be focused on progress and getting things finished.
By the end of the week, on Friday, I want to kick back and relax after a week of doing double duty. Then I can implement the maintenance cleaning schedule and have a monthly and weekly chore list that keeps things from reversing into chaos again. I know that chaos is a true sign of a creative mind and that it is not always a bad thing, but I am trying to change my ways for the better, and fight my way to be able to feel like I can spend more time creating and be happy about it. Not feeling guilty and not doing anything because what I want to do can’t be done until I do what I need to do, which I don’t want to do, and then I fall into the nasty non-productive loop of living in chaos and getting nothing done at all. I have a plan for tomorrow, and I have to set myself up to succeed before I give up on it all. I know what I have to do, and it is up to me to do it.
What did you do this weekend?
