Meet Claudette and this week's special

I'm sure nobody could tell at all, but this morning I suffered from severe writer's block. I sat down at my computer and had no. idea. what. to. write. at. all.

At 6:36 I began to panic. I've been trying so hard to post by 7:00 a.m. for my six readers who are up at that time anxiously waiting for what I have to say. I don't know who you are, but I know there are about six of you joining me for my morning coffee. It would be nice if y'all said "howdy" some time!

Tonight I thought I'd introduce those of you who haven't met her to Claudette. She's feeling very Ansel Adams-y here in her black-and-whiteness.

But introducing Claudette is not the real reason I decided to write again tonight, though. It's to announce this week's special. You thought I gave up, didn't you!?!

The cookies from our first week have been delivered to Hulk and Elizabeth. I've made contact with Anonymous and we'll be having a pie-baking lesson soon. This week I thought I'd do something completely different. Ready? I have picked out something very special - and calorie-free - that I will award to someone who comments here or on Tuna on Wheatley by Saturday, Dec. 5. All comments will be entered in my drawing, so comment early and often to increase your chances! Tell me a story. Share something shiny. Give me some constructive criticism. Just talk to me.

All righty. Sweet dreams, friends. I'll see some of you bright and early.

Infinite Possibility

Aren't babies great? Beyond being little snuggly bundles of cuteness, I love how the potential to change the world is wrapped up in each little package.

This is my dad being shown off to the world by my grandma about 79 years ago. It would have been around this time of year since he was born on Nov. 19. Perhaps this was my grandparents' Christmas card photo. I wonder what they did when they went back in the house. After the photo shoot ... what did they do next?

Well, here we are at that beginning of another Christmas season. I just heard on NPR that retail sales from this weekend are up over last year. (I don't read the paper but I do listen to NPR.) Today is Cyber Monday - the biggest online shopping day of the year. I'm seeing Christmas lights popping up all over town, and know many people spent time this past weekend decorating their homes for the holidays. Lizz took down the petrified pomegranates, so my house is decoration-free at the moment. Perhaps I'll work on it next weekend.

But beginnings. I think that's what I'm trying to reflect upon. Whether it's getting ready to face a new work week, start a new project, prepare for a busy holiday season, welcome a baby ... right at this moment, the paper is blank. What will we find written on it tomorrow?

Perfect Design

Look at the way the sand, sea and sky blend so beautifully and harmoniously in this photo of one of my Florida bird friends gazing out over the Gulf of Mexico. What do you think it is thinking ... (other than "I wish the crazy lady with the camera would go away")? I'm not sure, but I think this one may be a young Great Blue Heron. Kind of tough to tell from this angle.

When I pulled out this photo this morning, I saw in it the enormity of God and the perfection of His design. The placement of elements is not symmetrical, but the overall effect is perfect. Every piece of this image contains both history and untold stories. I see hope and infinite possibility. Do  you see it?

Today marks the beginning of Advent - when we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace into our world. An event that fit perfectly in God's design more than 2,000 years ago and still does today.

Pie for Breakfast

I know this is not a photo of pie. Or breakfast. I need to work on my photo gallery. But I love this pic from a writers retreat I helped chaperone (high school) a few years ago.

This is how I'd like to feel today. I just finished my post-Thanksgiving pie breakfast and wish very much that I could be in that chair.

I don't have anything illuminating to share today. There's a pretty substantial "should do" list I'll need to prioritize. I'm not ready to tackle that yet, but know I can't put it off too long longer.

Oh! But yesterday was lovely. We slept in. Deliciously late. Then, y'know, had a little bit of pie for breakfast. But not too much since we were going to go out to lunch with my sister and nieces. Did a bit of laundry, homework (Lizz) and paperwork (me) in the afternoon, had leftovers for dinner (yum!) and then went to the youth program I've been attending a couple of Fridays a month. One of the leaders was going to conduct a Bible study in Spanish and I knew Lizz would like that. After the study, there was pizza, volleyball and a few rounds of Cranium until about 11:00. And then? When we got home it was time for our matching monkey pants, a movie and popcorn.

Ever since I was a kid, we always enjoyed pie for breakfast in the days after Thanksgiving. Like the  slivers of pumpkin-nut, apple and pecan combining in my mouth, I just love that easy, unhurried feeling of each moment gently unfolding into the next. Why can't every day be like that?

Tryptophan Overload

Not shopping.

Not making lists.

Not drinking coffee - not yet.

I love long post-holiday weekends. It's still dark outside. I'm way too cozy in my monkey pants and fuzzy socks. Claudette says it's OK for me to go back to bed.

Oh, almost forgot ... Anonymous is our pie winner! We'll work out logistics later when I get up, all righty?

An Abundance of Blessings

I promised to share more thankful thoughts today. Here they are ... and may you be blessed and thankful to the One who bestowed the blessings -  today and always, my dear readers.


This photo shows just a portion of the feast our Japanese exchange student and her sister prepared for our family a few years ago. Being a host family was such a lovely opportunity to extend our blessings to a young woman who ventured across the world from Japan to experience America. In so many ways, she knew more about our country and customs than we did! Midori experienced the full spectrum while she was here - school, sports, welcoming new babies into the world and saying good-bye to loved ones. Holidays. Birthdays. Weekends. Life. She truly became a part of our family. Seeing our lives and the little piece of our world through the eyes of someone from another country helped me to appreciate the abundance of blessings we're surrounded with here. For example, Midori was continually astounded at the wide-open spaces. I could go on, but I'll let others take a turn now ...


I am thankful that my daughter survived her parents' divorce without too much crap to deal with. She is still a very happy child, doing great in school, with lots of friends. I am thankful for her happiness. Anything else is icing on the cookies...
- Hulk 2.0


Oh my. What am I NOT thankful for. I am blessed beyond measure. Healthy children. Loving husband. A few dear friends (including one of whom might teach me how to make a decent pie crust?). Home. Food. Clothing. Not just enough, but plenty.
- Anonymous


I am really thankful that I get to spend the day at home relaxing. However, there will be many men and women in foreign countries, fighting so that we may continue to have freedom to stay at home and relax, that won't have this luxury. I am thankful to all of the service men and women---past and present---who so proudly represent the USA.
- CP

1. I am thankful for the many memories of my childhood - especially when I lived with my grandparents (Mama and Papa Darkey) in Virginia, and   with my Aunt Linda and Uncle Norman.

2. I am thankful for a brother that would have done anything in the world for me when I was young. He was and is still one of the kindest guys I have ever known.

3. I am thankful for a sister that is 14 years younger than me and has been a special part of my life since I was 14.Her intelligence and imagination has always amazed me. ( She got the brains and the creativity in the family)

4. I am thankful for her daughter lizzie that is in her second year at U of M. She is so smart and such a hard worker. I was thrilled to have them live so close to us fo so many years. Lizzie  and Nancy taught me so much.

5. I am thankful for my husband  John of almost 37 years that truly has loved me unconditionally and puts up with my crazy work schedule

6. I am thankful for the blessing of our three children that mean everything to us. And I truly was blessed when my daughter and son met their mates. Not only am I lucky I am extremely thankful. Their love has given us the most precious, normal and healthy  grandchildren that we have.

7. I am thankful for our three wonderful and beautiful grandchildren that are truly gifts from God.

8. I am thankful for a job that I love and for the people that Iwork with.

9. I am thankful for the gift of all my friends that had over the years.

10. I am thankful for the gift of each new day that I am given. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to live in a country like ours and to be me.

- SrShare

Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the river and ...

... through the woods, to grandmother's house we go!

We used to always sing that on the way to our grandparents' house in Bancroft, which you can partly see in this family photo. Even though I'm not in the circa 1964 picture, I love this photo. It reminds me of Sunday dinners - and other Thanksgiving-like food fests ...

Watching Grams make pie crust and biscuits in her kitchen with the slanted floor and the built-in flour bins ...

Naps on the davenport ...

Ernie Harwell's voice, heard throughout the house, commentating on the Detroit Tigers ...

Watching Gramps or Dad or Uncle Lee carve the turkey ...

Eating apple pie with slices of cheddar cheese ...

Playing with all the little doo-dads and knick-knacks in the curio cabinets ...

Frolicking in the yard or running through the small town with my Maryland cousins ...

Listening to stories from the recent and distant past, not realizing new stories were being written in those moments ...

Gratitudinous Tuesday

Last week was Snoozeday Tuesday ... Gratitudinous is a word, isn't it? Oh my cow. Go Google it. It IS a word! It's officially my word of the day now.

This photo must have been taken about five or six years ago. I can tell because it's in our old house (we moved into our new old house four years ago) with our very old oatmeal sofa. My dad is there, holding the pillow Lizz made him for Christmas. (That's not Sparty, that's Butch, right, Hulk?) I know it's Christmas morning in this photo, probably just before my sister's family trooped over for sticky buns and presents. We lived in my sister's back yard (hey, Scott! one word or two?) for about 15 years. Well, not literally in the back yard. In a tiny house behind her house. There's so much to be thankful for in this whole memory - I'll just mention a few things right now. I am thankful for my sister and brother-in-law, who provided a home for us for so many years. I'm thankful that we had a warm, safe place to live, but most of all, for the nearness and love of family.

That old house was about 800 square feet. That's about the area of our entire second floor now. Maybe less. It was enough. I am thankful to have always been blessed with enough.

Right now, the second floor is serving as the Something Shiny B&B. Claudette and I got a wonderful surprise last night! My dear friend Ardeth Frangipani was in the area and spent the night. I hope she's sleeping comfortably up there. We had a nice evening drinking tea and chatting. We've been friends for just about forever. And even if we go weeks or a month or more without communicating ... we're able to just jump in and start in the middle of the conversation. I am thankful for Ardeth, and I could take decades of posts sharing all of the ways her steadfast friendship has sustained me over the years. I am thankful that I have ample space here at the B&B to be her "port in a storm."

Hulk has told me he doesn't "need" any pie, although he's enjoying his cookies. Seems he's quite the pie chef himself. I'm still waiting for his sour cream apple pie recipe. Ahem. In any event, I'd love to share some more thankful thoughts here on Thursday. So I'll extend the deadline for this week's special to Wednesday (tomorrow) night. When I wake up Thursday morning, I'll run all the thankful thoughts here ... and I'll randomly select a pie recipient. We can work out logistics on Friday.

Which reminds me: I'm thankful for short work weeks! I'm thankful for my work family. I'm thankful for ...

The Write Word

When I first started my job as a copywriter about nine years ago, I learned early the lesson that my writing didn't need to be Pulitzer-prize-worthy ... just appropriate to the job at hand. I had to adopt a "just do it" mentality - just put some words on paper. Get them out there and then deal with them. I've become braver and braver as time goes on - allowing clients to sometimes experience a bit of the creative process and see some of my early drafts. I throw some combinations of words out there - like tracer bullets, as Scott used to say - and see if I'm headed in the right direction. Or if I even have the right target in my sights.

When I began blogging early this year, believe it or not, I took a little more time with each post. Drafting, writing, editing ... and sometimes I'd go back after I posted and change a word or fix line spacing. But part of the global appeal of this genre - the Web Log (aka blog) is its authenticity. I'm just writing from my own perspective, of course, but I think it's partly the fun of being part of a conversation. Creating community and making connections. 

I'm sure all of the Internet has been waiting anxiously for me to announce the winners of Cookie for Your Thoughts. Let's give a round of applause to Elizabeth and Hulk! I delivered Hulk's cookies yesterday (remember we went to elementary school together?) and Elizabeth will get hers when she comes home this weekend. 

(Can you believe Hulk didn't think I was seriously going to bake him cookies? As if. Cookies are no joking matter.)

I had no idea what responses - if any - I'd get when I offered up the challenge nine days ago ... but I applaud these two brave souls both for their perseverance in commenting (I've discovered it's not easy and I'm still working on it!) and for getting their words out there.

An acrostic from Elizabeth:

Mmmmm

Obviously

My favorite!

Scrumptiousss

College

Often

Offers opportunities for missing your cooking

Kisses (and hugs) are your return for baking

It's as

Easy as that

Say yes

! <3

And from Hulk 2.0:

There was a blog-er from the 'Naw

Who wanted comments from Y'all

She offered a prize

Chocolate chip would be nize

For a snack on which I would chaw.

This week's offer: High Time for Pie

Happy Monday!

Paying Attention

For a lot of my life, I think I forgot to pay attention. Life just kept zipping and zooming along and happening to me. But a little over seven years ago, I took a deep breath. And I stopped. And closed my eyes. And prayed. And made a conscious decision to pay closer attention to the blessings in my life. To find ways I can be a blessing to others. To appreciate the small, simple things of life. And to be thankful.

Every day presents new challenges. There are those yucky grown-up to-do lists. (Or in my case, should-have-done lists.) And I miss the mark so many times it's just not even funny. But every day presents another chance to do it right. That's one of the ways grace works.

But if I have a choice between dusting the living room or putting away the clean laundry (and finding matching socks in the process) or raking the leaves ... and getting all chalk-covered creating a giant hockey-rink-basketball-court-waterfall with a great nephew ... guess which one I'm going to choose?

My Sunday morning prayer for my dear readers: That you remain open to slight course changes in your plans to make room for the most important things. And that you remember to pay attention.

High Time for Pie

Pie is the typical birthday treat of choice in my family. This is a photo from my dad's 76th birthday. I think this was right after a small boy blew out Great Grandpa's candle because he was thinking too long about the wish he wanted to make. For my whole life, we knew we'd have chocolate pie on Nov. 19. Dad would have turned 79 this year.

Dad liked chocolate pie - with real pudding from scratch (not a box). That's DJ's favorite, too. My sister loves key lime. Julie's fav was always apple. Mary asks for pistachio ice cream pie on her birthday. I'm not sure if John has a favorite - maybe sour cherry? Rhubarb? Pecan? Depends on the season? David loves pumpkin with all the "gooey nutty goodness on top." Lisa likes the raspberry-chocolate concoction we got from Murrrrriel. Actually, everyone likes that one. Ruh roh, Rizzu, which one is your favorite?

Yesterday I promised I was not going to award anyone with my petrified pomegranates, knowing I'd have to come up with something equally appealing to offer. Plus, they're serving nicely as my holiday decorations on the bannister upstairs there.

To bake or not to bake? That is the question for what is typically one of my biggest baking weeks of the year. So I asked myself: Self? What's one more pie?

Now I have thought of the logistics of this week's offer ... what if the winning entry is long distance? And I have to ship a pie? Well, I'll burn that bridge (what an awful expression) when and if I come to it. That'd be a good problem to have, I think. I will send a frozen pie to Virginia or elsewhere if I have to. I know it can be done. We have the technology.

So here is how to get a pie - your choice (within ship-ability limits of course) - of your very own that you could potentially have in time to share with others on Turkey Day:

Please tell me - by commenting below or by e-mail - something for which you are particularly thankful. That's it! So easy! Anyone can win a pie! Please send your thankful thoughts to me by end of day Monday, Nov. 23. I'll randomly select, notify, consult with and bake a pie for the winner on Tuesday (or Wednesday) and then share all of the blessings here next Thursday.

Petrified Pomegranates for Your Ponderings?

One more day for Cookie for Your Thoughts ... I'm wondering if this offer would have elicited more responses if it wasn't so close to Thanksgiving?

So now I'm baking for Elizabeth (is it OK if I give you your cookies when you come home?) and Hulk, who has been such a good sport with commenting and with responding to my first weekly special in such a timely manner. I'm accepting entries until end of day tomorrow for one more cookie recipient. End of day means midnight EST. Whatever I find when I wake up Sunday morning when I have to get ready to bake. But this is your last reminder because tomorrow there will be a new special!

You know, November is National Pomegranate Month. I bought these lovely specimens back in October. And now they're petrified. Oh, don't worry. That won't be the special tomorrow. But if you have a hankering for petrified pomegranates, just let me know.

Happy Friday! Two weeks of posting daily! Are you more informed, inspired, enlightened or is your life otherwise positively impacted?

P.S. If you've been reading comments below the posts or in the right margin, nobody is swearing. I swear. At least not here. Or there.

Vital Information

I was just skimming through an older issue of Smithsonian magazine in, uh, "the library," and saw that Pete Seeger was turning 90 in May.

It's a good thing we don't count on magazines as a vital source of up-to-the-second news. But this little example is a good illustration of why I am personally responsible for the downfall of the newspaper industry.

I admit it. It's all my fault. And I'm really really sorry. Now, please take a moment to appreciate how shiny our dearly departed cat, Pierre, is. Was.

When I used to get the Sunday paper, you know what I'd do? Dump all the ads into the recycling bin. Or put them in the vicinity of my current painting project. Move them out of the way so I could read THE NEWS.

I also do not watch TV. At home, that is. If I am in a place with a TV ... I will watch it. And very soon, drool will begin oozing out of the corner of my mouth because of all the shiny things to be found. And the clicking. And I ignore everyone around me ... "Shhh! Watch this! Just a second! Shhh!" Until they thwack me on the head and drag me back.

Somehow, though, the television folks are doing just fine without me. Why is that? But back to the newspaper ... I really think we will see a return - in a new form, to be sure - of the local newspaper. There's that wide-eyed optimism Ann always accuses me of being afflicted with. What do you think? How do get your vital information ... other than from my pithy posts, of course? (I just love the word "pithy" and was looking for a place to insert it today!)

A peek at my office

At lunch on Monday I felt inspired to take pictures of my office. And Sabrina, my wandering Israelite plant. Isn't she pretty and purple? I gave her a trim a while back so she's kind of fluffy instead of long and pendulous like her sister Wanda, who lives on a high shelf in my kitchen. The youngest sister, Bernice,  is at college getting smart with Lizz. The other siblings wandered off.

In case you were worried, I did find matching socks on Monday. It's kind of hard to tell, but these are my very special butterfly socks. You can sort of see a full butterfly shape there on the little piece of my left leg.

As you can tell, I like to surround myself with all sorts of important things at work. Like the Bill Ding guys, the words to the Lumberjack Song, photos of special people and baby Claudette in basket (there's a glare so it's tough to tell), formulas to calculate RSI and roof slopes just in case ... all my stuff.

I think the piling and clutteredness is a family trait. Like having a little turntable with spoons and spices and knicknacks in the middle of the breakfast table. After my last visit to my family in Virginia I realized I needed to get back here and put that thing in the middle of the table. I'd reached a certain age, and it was time.

Remember how sleepy I was yesterday morning? It just got worse through the day. I had that odd feeling I used to get when I pulled all-nighters in college. Where my skin felt funny ... like it didn't fit right.

I stayed up as late as I could, which was 9:30. I kept looking at the clock thinking it must be at least 11:00 ... and it was 8:15. Ugh. I knew if I went to bed too early I'd wake up in the middle of the night again. But I slept until 6:00 and am feeling better in my skin today. Thanks for asking.

Don't forget ... cookie for your thoughts ... so far I'm making cookies for Elizabeth and Hulk!

Tuesday Snoozeday

I woke up at 2:44 this morning. And as I flopped around in my bed thinking this extra-early waking up thing is just not funny anymore - in fact, it's for the birds - I remembered "I like birds!" So I figured I'd be quiet today and share some of my Florida vacation photos. From June. My favorite thing was stalking the pretty birds at the beach and collecting shells. OK. This is me shutting up now. Enjoy.

Sock it to me

A typical Monday morning at the Something Shiny Café. I'm reflecting on the past few days and wanting a weekend do-over. Partly to do some of the things I didn't do, but also because every square inch was filled - with good things, to be sure - but those goofy lists of mine continue to grow. 


And to top it off, there seems to be a sock-eating monster around here and the situation is getting pretty serious. How can I build my outfit around a favorite pair of socks if I can't find two that match???!


I just sneezed (nope, didn't dust this weekend either) and Claudette cackled "enh enh enh enh." Does anyone else have a cat who says, "Bless you" this way?


I've added a new feature below each post. You can now click on a little bubble that best describes your reaction to what you just read - when you don't feel like commenting, that is. And you can even send me an e-mail. See how desperate I am for feedback? Three ways to sock it to me! 


Don't forget ... cookie for your thoughts! Did everyone read Elizabeth's wonderful acrostic? Go see! Go see! Of course I'll send her cookies just because. I'll bake TWO batches - one for her and one for another lucky winner.

Chalk it up to good planning

As Ashton and I were creating a giant hockey-rink-basketball-court-waterfall with all the blue sidewalk chalk we could find this afternoon I told him that was exactly what I wanted to do today.

He said, "Really? Coloring in the driveway is exactly what you wanted to do?"

And I said, "Yup."

Sunday Thoughts

Listening to the plinkety plink of the rain dripping from the hole in the gutter to the drainpipe below outside my window

Contented Claudette making muffins; tickling my arm with her whiskers

Reflecting on yesterday, which was filled to overflowing

Church bazaar

Breaking bread with faithful friends

Songs of faith and hope

Later, a birthday party

Wagon rides, scavenger hunt, jumping in leaves

Stories and games

Magical quiet moments amidst the chaos

Sticky fingers

Monkey rides

Today?

Rest

Soul tending

Sabbath

Cookie for Your Thoughts

What do you see in this jar?

I'll bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies for the commenter whose response I deem to be the best (most creative, clever, thoughtful, funny ...). Since I know Saturdays are typically low readership days, you have until next Saturday, Nov. 21, to comment on this post. I'll announce the winner Monday, Nov. 23.

Happy Saturday!

Two ways to comment:
1. Directly below the post, click where it says "xx comments" in the blue type right after the time of the post. Enter your comment in the box. Click the Post Comment button. Check to be sure your comment is accepted. (It will say in red if it is not.) Try again. I don't know why it doesn't always do this the first time, but a box with some squiggly letters will pop up that second time - it's protection against spam. Type those letters in the box and click the Post Comment button again. The IT here is working on that glitch but I appreciate your persistence!

2. You may also send me an e-mail.

Shamelessly Seeking Memories

After I made my promise to post daily just one week ago, I groveled and begged a friend to come on over and comment on my blog ... to kind of help me keep things interactive, fresh and interesting. I'd been reading some of his comments on the blog of a fellow Lumberjack, and only recently discovered his true identity. Imagine my surprise when through a series of clues I discovered he was someone I'd known since elementary school! So since he's a professional blog critic and commenter and all, I thought maybe he could stir things up over here at the Something Shiny Café.

(If you're curious about that other blog and want to see what all the excitement's about, go on over and visit ByeByePie ... but please come back.)

Anyway, as I was working on dredging up material for Tuna on Wheatley, I was reminded of how much I've forgotten about my life. So I'm shamelessly seeking memories - about me, about you, about others - funny, touching, bizarre - just not tooooo humiliating, OK? Please be nice. And don't give full names.

Oh! Happy Friday! I made it a full week of posting daily! Woo-hoo! Thank you to everyone who's been reading, and especially to those of you brave enough to CLICK on the ads!

WITH Abandon

Two things: Apparently I don't read my post before I push "publish." I meant WITH abandon down there in that last one.

And also: THANK YOU to whoever clicked today. I'm not positive but I think every click (on an AdSense ad) is worth at least a buck. I say that because I'm seeing >300 impressions and 8 clicks just since last Friday.

Woo-hoo!

Click-o-Rama

Welcome to the large-print edition of Shiny Things. I'm still playing with the type faces here. Is it more readable today?


I spend a good deal of time every day pointing and clicking. Clickety click click click. Even beyond my job, my interests have me searching the Internet and clicking away here and there and everywhere, going down rabbit trails ... clickety click click click ... oh! Look what I found!


Is clicking behavior - that is, a willingness to click without abandon - generational or gender-based? Are some people afraid that if they click on a link or an ad or anything else on a page that someone will steal their cookies? Or that they'll get a virus? (My sister raised the virus concern. I really don't know what to say.)


I'll admit the wide-open Web can be scary. Kind of a Pandora's Box of knowledge and possibility. (Did you know it was really a jar and not a box? Go ahead and click that wiki link. You'll also see that hope was a big part of the Pandora myth.) 


I like most things "e." Not just for the shiny-ness. Largely for the connectional possibilities. Just like any technology, the Internet can be used for good and for bad. But I've seen so many good applications, and I support them as much as I can. 


Take for example The Hunger Site. Now you can click on the link in the text back there or you can just key www.thehungersite.com in your address bar. Your choice. Lizz showed me this one a year or so ago. I now have it as my home page (on both work and home computers) when I open my browser. So the first thing I do is click on the big orange button and thanks to my click, sponsors pay for cups of food. And now and then when I'm taking the time for rabbit trails, I spend some time clicking around and looking at all the nifty Fair Trade stuff I can buy and the other worthy efforts I can support when budget allows. I'm just looking ... clicking costs me nothing but it benefits the causes. And if I'm sharing my cookies at the same time? I don't really mind. I like cookies.

Look! I'm practically invisible!

I just found some photos I'd completely forgotten. This was right after we moved into our house - early October 2005. In this first one, I love how my all-black outfit against the refrigerator makes me look practically invisible (except for my head and hands, of course). I forgot all about that cute little dumpling-shaped pumpkin.

And here I am making soup for the masses. I tend to do that. Can you see how it's really really close to the top of the pot? I just kept chopping and slicing and dicing and adding broth and then I realized I needed to find 47 people to eat all the soup I just made.

I like soup. Especially this time of year. Soup and I go way back. I love how it fills in all the nooks and crannies and warms you up from head to toe. Soup and bread make the perfect meal. I carry around in my purse a little thing Lizz wrote about me and soup.

I think the soup in the photo above is a multi-bean concoction. Last night, at Soup Group (the Tuesday night prayer gathering I host at my house) we had a simplified version of avgolemeno -Greek lemon chicken soup. Squash soup is one of my very favorites. I'm quite fond of tomato basil and enjoy preparing the real deal with fresh tomatoes and basil - but in a pinch, I've discovered popping a couple of frozen cubes of pesto in some canned soup will do the trick! Trader Joe's has wonderful little packages of pesto and cilantro in the freezer section. Our closest Trader Joe's is in Ann Arbor.

I'm the holder of the traveling Silver Ladle award for our church's annual Soup Cook-Off fundraiser. My winning soup this year was white chicken chili. I couldn't believe this open-jar-and-dump-in-a-slow-cooker recipe won against some of the other, much more creative and inspired entries. Of course, every soup eater is eligible to vote with their dollars and I did bring several soup eaters with me. And, I'm reminded that one of the top virtues of soup is its simplicity.

What's your favorite soup? Should I post some recipes?

[Headline Goes Here]

As I was sitting here thinking of what to say this morning, I sniffed the air periodically for that telltale aroma alerting me that the coffee was ready. I was starting to get a little twitchy ... so just went to check ... couldn't figure out why the coffee was clear. Oops. Forgot to pour the water in the reservoir.

So ... it's ... almost ... done ... now ...

There. Got it. Phew. I was afraid I had a little equipment breakdown. It was just operator error. Again.

Things are off to a slow start this morning here at the Something Shiny Café. Maybe I'll just share a little report and then go work on that sell sheet I need to finish editing.

The promise I made just a few days ago is helping me be more disciplined about writing every day. I really appreciate all of you - whoever you are - visiting, reading, clicking - I really wanted to click on that OxyClean ad with the $1 off coupon. But I can't. I promised not to. I am excited to see that traffic is up. I still have much to learn with all the analytics tools, though I'd rather someone else figured that part out and I could just work on making the content more interesting. Maybe play with the layout a bit.

I'd love some more comments. I've been told that sometimes blogger won't let you comment. All I can say is: Be persistent. I've found that if you try twice (I know, annoying) it brings up one of those little boxes with the squiggly letters you need to type in to verify you're not spam.

Spam. That makes me think of Spamalot: the Musical. I'm sure I'd love it. I haven't seen a Monty Python movie in a long time ... used to be a weekend must. I insisted Lizz watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail with me when she was ... what? 9 or 10? Oh, she was so angry at the time, but now that she's in college she appreciates that we included that in her education.

Huh. That's not at all where I intended to go this morning. See what happens when you I don't have a plan? And now I have to get ready for work. Sigh. Guess it's time to hang up the monkey pants.

Peanut Gallery

A couple of months ago a co-worker shared her daughter's art project with me. I was so impressed with the art and the copy I immediately put it on the Writers' Block bulletin board. I was reminded today that I'd promised Gina I would post this on my blog for all the world - or all six of my subscribers - to see. Which reminds me: Thank you thank you to everyone who has been viewing and clicking! In the past few days, I've recorded 200 impressions and 6 clicks!

Here's the caption, which is a tad blurry in my very professional photo:

There's a few things that these are. The black and brown one is a butterfly. See how the brown is the wings and the black is the body? The pink blob is just a pink blob. There's a fairy book on some grass. The brown scrunchies of paper are trampolines.

Other Benefits of Dogs

Remember the growing, transmogrifying list here and here?

I tackled a few things before heading off for wine and whine with a friend Saturday evening. But yesterday after church, as I was loading boxes into the car to head over to my dad's house, a woman walking her dog passed by the house. The dog wanted to say "howdy," and as I was petting him, I looked up and realized his owner and I went to high school together. And it occurred to me I'd seen somewhere she was in real estate. And she lives in my neighborhood! Who knew?

So of course I invited her over to give the house a look and give me her thoughts ...

She arrived just as I was packing up to head over to my niece's house for dinner. I'm not supposed to tell Sharon that we had steak and it was prepared to perfection.

I need to go get ready for work now, so will revisit the dog-lady-dad's-house part of the story later ...

Packing up more books was my chief activity on this visit to the house. I finally got to the boxes and piles in the cupboards at the top of the stairs. And I discovered three complete series of art and history books in what looks like pristine condition. So that was a find. Packaged up all the miscellaneous, non-family-memento Christmas items for the church bazaar ... and I also organized mom's art supplies and packaged them up.

Speaking of talented artists, guess who's coming back to work tomorrow?

Not a Turkey

Don't look now: There's a reindeer in golf attire up there. It is not a turkey. I repeat: It is not a turkey. It absolutely would not taste good with cranberries, gravy and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.

Reading Material

Just stopping in the Something Shiny Café here before running out to pick up donuts and juice for coffee fellowship time.

No profound thoughts to share right now ... just the weather report: It's foggy. Very foggy. I'm sure there are spiritual implications there. And on that note - I just realized six of the titles on my Library Thing list to the right there are on the subject of faith. At least as I'm posting - the list randomly cycles.

Interesting.

Wide-Open Saturday

I love Saturday mornings. Especially when I don't have a fully packed schedule ahead. My sister wants me to help with a Polish dinner/dance thing at 5:00 at her church. (I'm thinking about it, OK?) And I have plans to share a glass or two of wine with a dear friend later in the evening after her kiddies are in bed. And I have to figure out what to take for fellowship time at church tomorrow because it's my turn ...

But other than that? I have a day full of potential ahead. Woo-hoo!

Be right back. First things first. Gotta go grind the coffee beans and get the coffee brewing. And feed Claudette. She's asking nicely.

There. Claudette's been fed and watered. Oh! She fell off the bathroom sink again. That's at least the third time in the last few days. I hope she's not developing some sort of issue that will require expensive medical attention.

Oh ... speaking of pet care ... um, Lizz? The fish died this week. I'm so sorry. And I hope you will forgive me for telling you here. I didn't want to bother you with sad news of a piscine nature when you were so busy at school. But remember when I told you it was acting kind of sluggish before I cleaned the tank a couple of weeks ago? It/he/she got more sluggish after the cleaning and then when I got home from work on Tuesday, it/he/she was ... gone. Odd that it didn't float to the top. I thought they always floated? Claudette and I said a few words (I could tell she was distressed) and then, well, fishy went the way of all deceased fishies ...

So back to our wide-open day. The danger for someone like me is that when I don't have an agenda planning out every moment, the list continues and the lavender still calls ...

The problem with The List is that it keeps growing and transmogrifying. And a lot of those pesky things have to be done more than once. Go figure!

I know the other grownups out there have known that all along and are dutiful and disciplined with their to-do lists.

The theme of this year for me has been introspection and discernment. I know I have certain talents (still figuring them out) and other areas where I am not gifted - and in which I do not aspire to greatness (or even mere adequacy). Of course, there are tasks I don't want to do but have to find a better, saner way to do because really, only I can or should do them.

All of my THINKING flies in the face of the whole "Just do it" mentality. Probably drives some people nuts.

So ... the question is ... do I heed the call of the lavender today (so to speak, it's a bit beyond its season) or tackle the list or do a bit of both? It's shiny outside - sunny and blue and bright - so I think I'll do a bit of both. I'd still like it if someone else could be the grownup for me and do all this other stuff:

• Mail the correspondence (I seem unable to keep track of envelopes and stamps; I have a collection of never-mailed letters and thank you cards)
• Upload and organize the photos
• Make the phone calls (why can’t everyone just check their e-mail?)
• Balance the checkbook (and pay the bills)
• Put away the dishes ... and the laundry (seriously, why can't you do this once and just be done with it?)
• Clean out the dryer vent (how do you DO that, anyway?)
• Back up the computer
• Make the beds
• Sell dad's house - or figure out how to be a landlord
• Start an exercise plan – and then stick to it
• Caulk the tub and shower
• Change the light bulbs ... oh crap – there goes another one
• Watch the news and read the paper (but please tell me the highlights)
• Weatherstrip the doors
• Repair the tile
• Simplify my life!

One more cup of coffee. Then we'll see what happens.

Promises

Thousands of Michigan college students, my daughter among them, are asking how they can call it a Promise ... and then take it away. (I tried, really tried, to find unbiased news reports/web content/editorial. Yikes. You try to Google Michigan Promise Scholarship.)

In any event, it’s this loss of critical funding that’s in part responsible for me signing up for AdSense and enabling ads here ... to attempt to generate additional revenue to help my college student. Since she’s brilliant and had some good scholarships, I’ve been way too complacent about helping her fund college. Also feeling guilty that I’m still paying off my own student loans from my second time through the university. Yes, that time I thought I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. A topic for another day.

When I first set up Something Shiny and Tuna on Wheatley earlier this year, I was brand new to the blogosphere. I was dabbling. Looking for a creative outlet. Exploring social media. Doing “research.” Now, I have dozens of favorite bloggers I regularly follow. And I’ve seen that ads can be placed tastefully and add value to the experience. I’m kind of intrigued by the “magic” of it all also – to see how ad content is based on key words or phrases in my posts.

In my contract I promised not to click on the ads because that messes up the tracking. I’m still playing with the placement and content. I don’t want them to be extra intrusive and obnoxious. Those are just pesky details. Mostly, I know that if I want this to work, I need to make this an interesting, perhaps helpful, destination. Perhaps we should call it the Something Shiny Café ... bring your cup of java and come hang out with me for a little bit every day. We can chat about lots of lovely shiny things. I’m open to suggestions.

I changed majors about as often as I changed jobs in college. I’m so glad I didn’t stick with the major in political science (which lasted about 2.3 seconds). Because I never could get the hang of Econ ... or things like why politicians can fund wars and give giant tax breaks (and bailout money) to big corporations ... but funding basics like food, health care, housing ... and education is just so very very difficult.

I know all of that is very complex. So I’m doing something simple. I promise to be here every day. I hope you’ll join me.

Not My Type

What is UP with all the different type sizes and styles in that last post? Geesh.

Re-Onion

Oh my cow! (As Sammy would say)

It's been more than two months now since my 25th high school reunion. And I'm still reminded how all the little layers of drama and relationship ... and more drama are not unlike an onion.

The best part of the weekend was re-connecting with old friends. The girls, now wonderful women, with whom I used to share pints of Häagen-Dazs. And dreams. And gossip. I hope we stay in touch now that the miles are shortened by the magic of technology. Our lives have all taken such interesting twists and turns. And still, we're connected by our shared history.

And that lovely gossipy gossipy gossip. See? Onion.

WANTED

Someone to:

• Finish painting the storm windows ... then hang them
• Pay the bills
• Organize the paperwork
• Clean the litter box
• Do the laundry
• Rake the leaves
• Dust and vacuum
• Clean the gutters
• Paint the house
• Throw out the nasty stuff in the fridge
• Hang the light fixtures
• Install the doorknob
• Re-hang the closet door
• Finish the church website
• Strip/refinish the woodwork
• Clean the basement
• Take boxes and boxes and boxes of books ... somewhere
• Be the grownup

So I can read and putter and frolic and play and visit and explore ... guilt-free.

Thank you.