Welcome to RoseBud, the site where inquiring minds can find out what's new with me, Susan Rose.
I started this site to keep my friends and family up-to-date on the progress of my novel, Confessions of a Frog Kisser. Since publishing the book, this site has morphed into whatever I feel like making it at any given time! To find out a little more about me and my goings on, take a look through the site. I'd love to hear from you, especially if I say something in the blog that strikes a chord. So drop me a line anytime.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Let it Snow...I've got a book to write
The DC area is going nuts. We're about to get hit with a very major snow storm. I say bring it on! I've stocked up on TP, popcorn, and coffee. My Christmas presents are wrapped. I welcome the opportunity to spend the weekend curled up on the couch with the first draft of "The Hunting Widow's Guide to Great Venison Cooking, Volume 1." In fact, I need a weekend to do that.
I'm getting so excited about this cookbook. I can't wait to have everything pulled together and to hand it off to my very talented sister to design.
Wow. It's December 12 already. How time flies. I'm sitting here on my couch thinking I should wrap some presents, trying to resist the urge to go out and buy more.
Reflecting on this year, I realized how good 2009 was. We certainly had some ups and downs, but overall, it's been great. So much is going on; it seems my life is ever evolving and changing. That's a good thing, I think.
Most recently, Rick and I launched the American Pregnancy Massage Association. Very exciting stuff. We're looking forward to the coming months and gathering important research and information to help women understand the benefits of pregnancy massage. I love helping people in that way.
I feel so accomplished! My cooking web site is live. I'm soliciting recipes for my cookbook, so if you have some venison recipes...or anything yummy using lamb or beef...upload it here. I'm going to draw 10 names of people who submit recipes and give them a cookbook when it's published.
Mostly I feel accomplished because I taught myself how to use joomla and joomla extensions to build the site. Not easy (not hard as web development goes, but not easy for a novice). If a real web developer designed the site, it'd look much prettier. But I'm happy with it. Check it out and let me know what you think!
So, I'm building a web site for my Venison Cookbook and am learning the Joomla content management system in the process. I am having a blast! It has been very time consuming, and I've only learned a tiny bit of what is out there to know. But it's made me realize how much I like learning new things. Every time I get an extension to work I just want to dance around the house. (The recipe feature, for example. I'm still figuring it out, but how cool is it?).
My point is, go out there and learn something today. It will make you feel so alive!
I saw "Julie and Julia" the other night. What a wonderful, wonderful movie. I think everyone should see it. It's such a great tale of seizing life...making lemonade out of your lemons (or venison burgers out of your venison). I came out of that movie feeling very energized about my venison cookbook, or cooking web site rather. So, now I'm busily at work making that a reality. It's will be a work in progress for a long time, but I'm hoping to have something launched by early October. I have a lot to learn, but I'm excited about it!
I really, really need recipes...I want this to be a good resource. So, if you're out there in the blogsphere and have a great venison recipe, send it to me!
I'm typing this from the keyboard of my beautiful new MacBook Pro. Yep, I've officially made the switch (well, I'm in process...it's going to take a few days to get all essentials off my PC and onto this). I've been working from two computers for years and I finally decided that's a pain. Actually, both old computers are, well, old and tired. They kind of decided this for me.
Wish me luck with the migration. Some stuff is going smoothly, and some isn't. I'm hoping the software that makes it possible to run Windows programs on Mac really works. That will save me so much time and money!
Poor little Happy Dawg suffers from horrible allergies. It's hard to watch her scratching and itching all the time. In addition to her allergy meds, the vet suggested using medicated allergy shampoos for her. So, we've been trying them out, and they work! I honestly didn't think it'd make a difference, but it does. Happy still hates bath time, but she feels so much better after.
One great shampoo is Allermyl. I like it because it doesn't have any dyes or fragrances (Happy prefers to smell like a hound). Best of all, it lasts a long time and it works. You can't beat that!
You can find it (along with a lot of other great products) here:
My best friend has recently decided to have a healthy relationship with Ass...that part of her body that has vexed her for years. (Read about it in her blog, GirlfriendWalkingandTalking).
I'd like to think I'm that mature about Belly, but I'm not. I don't care much for Belly and I'd like her to go away. Fortunately, there are great resources out there to help me out. I think one of the best is Weight Watchers. I've known so many people who have changed their lives because of the programs Weight Watchers offers. Maybe it's time for me too. I'm sure if Belly was just a little smaller we'd get along much better!
Reston is beautiful, and a great place to live. One of its greatest assets is the open space with parks and paths that make outdoor recreation viable. My favorite park is Brown's Chapel, in part because I got married in the chapel. Now Reston Association and RCC have a plan to destroy the park and build a sports complex on the site. I hate this idea. Reston doesn't need an indoor sports complex. Please help stop this development project! Visit www.savebrownschapel.com
I'm so excited...I've decided to channel my passion for writing into developing web sites with articles and links to great products and all sorts of great things. My first one is a continuation of my book, "Confessions of a Frog Kisser." It's called DateYourTrueLove.com, and is full of dating advice, quizzes, and more.
Tuesday, December 30 was the 10th anniversary of my mother's death. I expected to be very sad, especially since this big day came so soon after my father's death. I was not disappointed.
I miss her so much. I can't believe that she's been gone for 10 years. Sometimes it seems like yesterday, and sometimes it seems like more than 10 years. I've also had a very stoic attitude about losing her, but not this year. This year I feel cheated. It's not fair that I haven't had a mom to talk to and guide me, especially since our relationship was getting so much better the older I got. I know if she were around today we'd be very close.
I spent the morning having coffee with her best friend and my sister. It is so great to spend time with someone who knew her well and loved her as much as I did. I do feel fortunate to have Ellen around. Then I walked down to the art gallery at Lake Anne that is dedicated to her. That's when I lost it. I felt the loss so profoundly standing in that space. The cry was very cathartic.
Mom would be 73 now. She'd still be painting and being the ring leader of all her friends. She'd probably have lots of advice on how to raise step children that I wouldn't want to hear. She would have gone crazy over the election. That would have been fun to watch.
It's good to remember her--the good and the annoying. I'll always love her.
I've been neglecting this blog in favor of my new blog where I share the life of being married to a hunter. I'm sharing the recipes I make with the venison he brings home, with the goal of writing a cookbook. Come check that one out!
Meanwhile, I'm sitting on my couch with my lovely step daughter, husband, and handsome step son. The dog is sleeping at our feet. We've been having a wonderful Christmas, and are looking forward to a New Years. The kids are especially looking forward to the fact they get to eat the junk food of their choice all night (so far we have bugels with cheese whiz and chocolate chip cookies on the menu).
Not even the poor little mouse that my cat brought me late last night. Or I guess it was late last night. It was in the bed with me this morning at 6:30.
My cat was very disappointed that I wasn't thrilled with this gift. She's right. I'm very ungrateful. After all, what says love more than a bloody, mangled rodent? She usually keeps the mice for herself, so this was a big step in our relationship for her to give it to me.
And she really wanted me to keep it safe for her. She didn't just drop it on my pillow. No. She buried it underneath me. I remember her jumping on the bed at some point and pawing and digging around by my stomach. But I ignored her. That will teach me! She was getting the mouse in there all snug and tight.
At least the mouse kept me from crawling back under the covers after I turned off the alarm. Instead, I'm doing an early Monday load of laundry. I wonder if the rest of my day will be as exciting as the start.
This week, writer Rebecca Benston interviewed me for her blog (check it out here). Naturally, I had to read it as soon as it came out (thank you Rebecca for a wonderful article). And naturally, I read her other posts while I was there. That's what has me thinking about the bucket list.
She had watched the movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson about two men who make a list of all the things they want to do before they "kick the bucket." It got Rebecca thinking, which got me thinking.
Have I don't everything I want to do? Not by a long shot. I've done a lot: I wrote a book and published it. I met the man of my dreams and was smart enough to marry him. I started my own company. Those are all good, big things.
But, I have yet to go to Australia...a dream I've had forever. I haven't gone on a safari yet either. There's more, but I don't even know what they are. I plan to find out this weekend...hubby and I are going SCUBA diving, and after that we're going to snuggle up at the B&B and make our lists. I can't wait to see what we come up with.
Me on my wedding day. I was just a little bit happy.
Rejuvenations Massage Therapy, my fabulous hubby's massage center, was voted Best of Fairfax. If you're in the Northern VA area, come visit. Visit Rejuvenations Massage Therapy to learn more.
