tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:49:42 +0000sillysolitudeadminfffrandomlentquotesabbathprojectgratitudejoyweekendcommunionsummer listprayeradventdaybook"I hope you haven't been talking about anything too serious with this one."http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)Blogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-6903643453887603176Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:19:00 +00002012-01-30T14:21:28.150-08:00randomweekendSo. I learned a couple food things this week. First, for me, it is not wise to buy a Giant Cabbage and a Giant Bag of Kale in the same week. Trying to manage all this produce (The stuff just expands when you shred it. Yowza!) into our meals a clear game plan was not so good. A cabbage yields a lot of food for just the two of us, so if I buy one, I need to know what I'm going to do with it, or http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-like-invasion-of-body-snatchers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/sRejo2DHn6E" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-8346365265746464459Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:25:00 +00002012-01-26T14:25:20.575-08:00joyrandomgratitudeprayerdaybookFor today I am:Seeing... The pale, blue and silver light of a misty winter day... candles flickering... a fire in the hearth.... steam rising from freshly poured coffee and ginger banana bread just pulled from the oven, a pat of butter sliding across a slice...Hearing... The crackle of the hearth fire... Classical music. Winter and spring make me want to listen to lots of classical music.Tasting.http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/thursdaybook-quiet-moment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/VOzWR1AiCu4" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-4138023239655000026Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:17:00 +00002012-01-19T10:19:53.841-08:00gratitudedaybookFor today I am Seeing... Cloudy skies, heavy with rain. At last!... Candles flickering in mason jars... Bright yellow and orange gerbera daisies that practically glow in this new, overcast light... Hearing... The kitchen clock ticking... a faucet dripping somewhere (gotta go see to that)... Blackie the Space Heater clinking and hissing... distant freeway noise... soon, rain, I hope... http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/thursdaybook-undone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/weR3LO6HKnk" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-1851478595956551783Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:20:00 +00002012-01-17T14:23:06.086-08:00randomgratitudeI swear I will get back to the advent/Christmas posts. Also, hello! It's 2012. Time to talk about this year's word. Oh, and I have some rants saved up about how our culture uses fear to get women to buy products that don't help/harm themselves. (The people who sell your bras do not care if they fit you and support your health. The people who make your moisturizer will be happy to dry out your http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-fun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/cGRZZU3Wb3I" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-8053388025528566571Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:15:00 +00002012-01-13T14:15:26.223-08:00fff1 - I made an amazing dinner the other night. There. I said it. It's true though. I made Pioneer Woman's porkchops and Smitten Kitchen's brussel sprouts, and quinoa using homemade turkey broth. Served it with a green salad and a cheap red wine. Delicioso! 2 - The adventure to see the beautiful moon. I still see the shimmer of the city lights and the glowing moon over the water. Delight! 3 - http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/fake-friday-fave-five-research.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/_QJtEshWRks" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-6397135109515902086Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:32:00 +00002012-01-11T10:32:13.642-08:00randomgratitudeI'll get back to the "what we did for" series soon, but its the beginning of the year, and my mind is full of thoughts and plans and observations, so today seems like a good day to just throw up some random.So. We used part of MM's Christmas Bonus (which always makes me think of Chevy Chase) to get a portable dishwasher. Cue angel chorus. Holy mackeral, does that make a huge difference in our http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/stuff-and-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/MN58k0OFxxw" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-623073907929007147Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:02:00 +00002012-01-06T14:02:00.436-08:00gratitudeadventHey! I'm only a month behind with holidays. Today, we're celebrating Epiphany (January 6) and a belated Twelfth Night. I'm trying to catch up, but all this partying is rough on an old girl! This has been a fun season. We got to try out lots of new things, and learned a ton. But I am very ready to pack it up, clean it out, scrub it down, and then put on a pot of beans to simmer while I hunker downhttp://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-we-did-for-advent-part-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/Saf8ltvg_Lk" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-8129512009615841529Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:45:00 +00002012-01-05T13:46:06.840-08:00adventHappy New Year! We got our deposit on the old house, so we splurged on a fancy hotel party package for New Years Eve. We got to get all dressed up in our fancy duds. (MM looks so fabulous in a suit!) We ate, drank, and made merry. We got down with our bad selves on the dance floor. (We knew we'd chosen the correct band for us, when we walked in to them playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'") http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-we-got-our-deposit-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/gKBcKPUISk4" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-4585645197682739929Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:26:00 +00002011-12-29T15:29:20.200-08:00joygratitudeadventSo. I have had a little time to unscramble my brain. Let's try a post with more than just random lists of things. ~ We are enjoying our Christmastide, on the heals of a rich Advent season this year. It felt full, but not too full. We had a nice mix of sacred and silly of quiet and noisy. We got to try out some things that may become traditions for our family, and see how that worked. And I http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-we-did-for-advent-part-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/P1AbdXe23FA" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-5987146801285132323Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:04:00 +00002011-12-27T11:04:02.352-08:00This Christmas... I don't even have words. Well, I do. They're just tangled up in my heart at the moment. And we're still Christmasing! We're partying for all 12 days, finishing with an Epiphany party with our church on the 6th. (French toast and peach bellinis and a last hoorah.) And its a new year. A new beginning. Yes. Words swirl. They'll land soon. This time of year sends me burrowing into http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmasing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/A98cN_vnN_Y" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-3060345960538721858Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:13:00 +00002011-12-15T10:13:18.198-08:00joysillygratitudeadvent Hi! Thanks for stopping by. This is my first Tour of Homes. I'd offer you a gingersnap (I made them for the first time the other day), but I ate them all. Sorry.So - if you are new here, the first thing you need to know is that our rental house is pink. I mean really pink. Pepto Bismol Barbie Pink. The second thing is tht I don't have a camera. Or an iphone. I have a blackberry, which I love b/http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-at-pink-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)6<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/U_BPHLT9ytk" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-7440923135907802428Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:12:00 +00002011-12-13T10:22:32.079-08:00gratitudeSomething's different in the light today. Its amber and gold and slanting "just so". The kind of light I usually gush about in October. My gift today is how the light bathes the giant pile of leaves in front of my house. I wanted to dive in and swim in that caramel and honey beauty. MM and I both noticed it when I walked him to the door. "Wow. It's beautiful today. You should take a picture of http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/12/caramel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/PhEp-4h8Cio" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-664390504432909281Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:39:00 +00002011-12-11T10:43:33.934-08:00solitudejoygratitudeadventweekendsabbathWhat was going to be a quiet afternoon after attending my father-in-law's concert turned into "lets have folks come back to our place for a couple appetizers" turned into a houseful of loved ones nibbling, sipping, chatting, laughing, and connecting. The last of our guests took their weary selves home at 11 pm or so, and MM and I smiled our way to sleep. The week of Peace turned into the week of http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/12/peacejoy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/m2G48tqWsAM" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-4689205261066437249Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:08:00 +00002011-12-04T11:34:20.644-08:00adventI have written so many posts this week. Random, silly ones to tell you that our comfortor covered in tiny flowers makes me feel like I live in Kathleen Kelly's apartment. Or that, though, our plan for now is to not have kids, if we do, and they are boys, MM wants to name them Beowolf and Zebedee, and refer to them as the Sons of Dawn. "That's so, freakin' metal!" :) Serious ones, where I talk http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/12/thoughts-on-week-of-hope.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/4ge0vqrqz7A" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-314979626195601939Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:15:00 +00002011-11-28T11:20:06.252-08:00adventSo, in the midst of still wrestling with how to buy Christmas presents in a consumerist culture that tends to go a little crazy this time of year, we have more things making me think and ask questions.NOTE: These posts are not meant as a criticism of how anyone else "does" Christmas, or a boast of how we're doing it all right. They are just a way for me to process what's going on in me as we http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/hanging-of-greens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/-4sU8UV0Mc8" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-7801191153725326935Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:22:00 +00002011-11-26T11:35:32.582-08:00adventNOTE: These posts are not meant as a criticism of how anyone else "does" Christmas, or a boast of how we're doing it all right. They are just a way for me to process what's going on in me as we practice these disciplines. It's not even Advent, and I can already feel a change, in just these few days. The garish frenzy of CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! BUY! BUY! BUY! all around us - the lights, noise, http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/advent-black-friday-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/nirv2ulW8KE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-1263482938988209951Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:03:00 +00002011-11-23T08:03:52.828-08:00joygratitudeadventIt's 7:30 am, and I'm supposed to be ironing my husband's shirt. Or at least having my Official Evangelical Quiet Time. Or running out to the curb to chase the garbage truck with our recycling. (We forgot again.) But I had to take a couple of minutes to say Happy Thanksgiving. I'm excited.For the first time in years I have that excited-for-the-holidays feeling that I used to get. In little http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/good-things-are-coming.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/MqDDmANIzOA" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-7678093399379584150Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:30:00 +00002011-11-21T18:37:27.083-08:00randomgratitudequoteSome random stuff on a Monday: ~ ~ ~ Got my mammogram today. Girls, take care of your girls. Don't put it off. Someone loves you too much for you to wait. ~ ~ ~ All week the trees flash fire into impossibly blue skies. The reds and oranges break my heart with beauty every time we drive down the street. I try to take pictures, but there's just no way to capture this. Thank you, Lord, for eyeshttp://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/it-smells-like-mushrooms.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/0B_WpiYkBDs" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-2431381266442503753Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:12:00 +00002011-11-17T12:16:19.920-08:00joygratitudedaybookFor today I amSeeing... Bright leaves spiral, swirl, and swoop past my writing window. Fluffs of cloud drift low through sky so blue it hurts. Bushes bob and bend and dip in the wind... Mason jars filled with colored pens and rows of crayons, a sprig of dried lavender, pretty papers and a pile of pictures for my inspiration wall... I made a start on the office this week, and my desk is ready for http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/thursdaybook-all-things-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/CVwkE59dQwI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-857256545437803788Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:44:00 +00002011-11-11T10:15:40.746-08:00gratitudequotefffIt's been a while since I've done a fake friday fave five, so here goes: 1 I cleaned our old house this week. Several 8 hour days. My dishpan hands and sore shoulder and tired self are all happy at the result: a cleaner-than-when-we-moved-in house when MM handed in the keys yesterday. I don't know why, but I just feel good about that. I think some of it is that with all the transitions this yearhttp://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/ffff-its-been-awhile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/W9wl38jQIac" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-876122813380545377Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:32:00 +00002011-11-10T11:33:52.665-08:00gratitudesabbathWell, it certainly IS a quiet neighborhood. The folks from the property management company and the few neighbors we've met all say, "Its a really quiet neighborhood." We thought maybe it was a commentary on MM's tattoo and earring and me and my gangsta vibe, but no, it really is just a quiet neighborhood. Other than the occasional rumble when our neighbor and his buddies tinker with their http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/bit-of-nothing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/VcNucgpUeFI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-1297145343233588504Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:21:00 +00002011-11-04T13:21:49.988-07:00randomgratitudequoteYesterday's grey bluster has turned to liquid gold, and overnight all the trees in my new neighborhood have started turning color. I hosted this month's Girlfriend Breakfast* with my dear Jovie this morning, and after stuffing ourselves silly we went for a walk in this glorious autumn weather. So, so good for my soul. I'm telling you - almost nothing beats deep conversation with a heart-friend http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/lumpy-lawns-and-apple-pie-cookies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/p0gSH3v7y-Y" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-532468184257995453Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:55:00 +00002011-11-03T16:55:12.712-07:00gratitudedaybookFor today I amSeeing... The view of the back yard out the window above my desk. Oh, how I have missed having a window above my desk! I see layers of oak and pecan trees sweeping their branches across a pearl grey sky. Before them, more layers: fruit tries, rosebushes, hydrangeas, butterfly bushes, an overgrown rosemary plant, and a squatty palm of some sort. Our lumpy lawn of crabgrass and weeds http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/11/thursdaybook-swirling-leaves-and-placid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/6TjTNJ0NosY" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-318591685264064369Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:34:00 +00002011-10-31T11:34:34.521-07:00randomSo. We moved. We now live in The Pink House. (Seriously, its Pepto Bismol pink.) Just a bit of cleaning to do, and a few pieces of furniture to buy, and we'll be all settled in. I worked like mad to get the kitchen and living room set up, so at least one corner of our house would feel like home. I shelved the books, set out the plants, found a stack of coasters, and swapped my couch's summer http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/10/houses-and-homes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/N4zCk5LpqKg" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239252.post-3764917152617116173Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:35:00 +00002011-10-13T18:35:29.851-07:00daybookFor today I amSeeing... The completely empty counter in the sink room for the first time in a month. Hallelujah. In fact, I'm drinking my celebratory coffee from a paper cup and getting dinner at IKEA just to keep things pristine for a few more hours.Hearing... My awesome Donna Summer Pandora station. Disco is fabulous cleaning music.Tasting... Pete's Major Dickason's Decaf. MmmmmWorking... http://justabitofsilliness.blogspot.com/2011/10/thursdaybook-moving-on-my-mind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Silly Doodah)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/JustABitOfSilliness/~4/EMNWBOslr1g" height="1" width="1"/>