MISTY'S MORNINGS

For Christmas my amazingly generous sister gifted me with a fancy food processor.  The one I was using was a 1980s relic of my mother's that made more noise than it should. I almost hated to say goodbye to it but as soon as I started using the new processor I forgot all about the old one. One favorite way it has come in handy is in grating blocks of cheddar cheese. We also love it for making roasted red pepper hummus and lots and lots of salsa. Thanks Mariah! You're the best sister a girl could have. XO Playing along at 52 Photos : Orange

Sometimes I have to pinch myself that where we live, day after day, is actually a vacation destination for many people who come from far away to spend a weekend on the beach. They may have saved money for months to afford a few days splashing around in the waves and relaxing on the san that makes up our neighborhood. I feel such gratitude that I can zip down the beach road on a whim, as we did yesterday, with less than two hours to spare; we simply needed to swim in the sea. It was almost 100 degrees outside and the sun gleamed in a brilliant blue sky. So off we went, while Kai was at camp, to the beach.  The older two boys swam gleefully as I read Bread and Wine and dreamed of delicious meals to make my sun-kissed family for dinner. At one point I looked up and snapped this photo of my view. Then I pinched myself. This really is our home , our daily vacation spot, the place my boys have now lived for longer than anywhere else in their lives. We are living this beachy ...

Fire   52 Photos Gallery 1

Where I live the Bradford Pears have bloomed and blown and the Cherry Blossoms are in full blossom.  Even though that means our allergy season is now officially underway, I cannot help opening our windows every morning in hopes of hearing the birds singing to greet the day.  Springtime has conveniently coincided with my personal recovery process from knee surgery.  As I am slowly re-gaining mobility on crutches it seems an added encouragement that the weather is also improving and the trees are welcoming my return with their flowers. What a treat it would be to be able to put down my crutches in time for Easter Sunday and walk again on my own! (I am doubtful but one can hope.) Sharing with 52 Photos Project :: Petals

Something small for 52 Photos Project

It's official.  Soccer season has begun - again.  And this year holds a whole new weight to it as RW and ZJ are each on an academy travel team.  When tryouts came up last Spring we wrestled and wrestled with the decision.  It seemed we were at the end of the "little leagues" of soccer and it was either go big or go home - literally.  With much trepidation we went ahead and let them try out.  They each made a team.  RW in the U12 and ZJ in the U11.  They each have three nights of practice a week and games on the weekends - most likely in different cities.  Add the fact that our five year old, KC, wanted to start soccer as well and now we have more practices and an additional game somewhere else on Saturday.   This was a huge decision for me and my husband.  He travels a lot so the idea of then going in separate directions on the weekend seemed like a ridiculous sacrifice.  Then the idea of me hauling all three boys to...

I have a weakness for costume jewelry.  I don't require real diamonds or 14karat gold to make me a happy wife.  Instead I have a tendency to pick up a necklace here, a pair of earrings there, while out and about running mundane errands.  But my favorite item to pick up at any time is a new stack of bracelets. Two or three heavy circles layered on my wrist seem to complete any outfit, their subtle clinking keeping me aware of their sparkly presence.  People often ask me if I am wearing expensive Lia Sophia jewelry and I love surprising them with the fact that I find most of my jewelry at Target! Next time you are there stop in and see their collections . You might be surprised at what you find. It's much more fun unpacking your laundry detergent and paper towels when you know there is something glittery and feminine tucked inside that Target bag just for you. Layers/Stacks Gallery @52 Photos Project

Check out the rest of the patriotic gallery here . Never fear ~ Captain America is here! *  Happy 4th of July !  * 

Mid-way through my morning coffee yesterday I looked up from the book I was reading on my deck and my gaze fell upon my new potted hibiscus tree.  There were no open blooms but three buds that were clearly beginning to open. I wondered how long that process would take. By the time I finished my coffee (and had a second cup), the blooms were only partially opened, like a vase, flaring gently at the top, a glimpse of invitation to passing pollinators. Later that evening my boys tumbled outside to run through the sprinklers and create a new type of tag ~ water tag. Iced coffee in hand I stepped outside to supervise and prevent the need for (another) trip to the ER. Glancing across to the hibiscus I was rewarded with three wide-open palms of variegated blossoms. And there at the center, like a bumble bee bullseye, was a mini bloom of crimson . sharing with   52 Photos Project

Sometimes you have to slow way down, lean in closer and really look at the magic that exists all around you.  Every bead of rain left clinging to a petal or a windowpane can become a mini-microscope revealing an entire world within. People are like that, too.  Each one a world unto him or herself with so much to teach us if we would only slow down, lean in and really see them for who they are within. Sharing at 52 Photos Gallery

I've been allowing 2012 to vaporize and float away. Fading out and filling in.  That's what I've been doing over the past new days of the new year.  I found this marvelous FREE  printable workbook   from magical Susannah Conway to help me reflect on 2012 and peer gently into 2013. I highly recommend it.   Here's a bit of what I have realized was significant about 2012. ~All three boys are in school everyday (even though KC is only half days it was a significant change) ~We spent a memorable month in North Dakota during the summer with family. ~We did not fly to ND for Christmas and had our first family Christmas at our own home .  ~The boys got Xbox live accounts and began chatting incessantly with friends on headsets. (argh) ~I was able to let go of ideals and embrace running the boys to seven different practices a week in the evenings. ~I learned to bake breads , make jam , and take better photos (still learning!) ~Mr. Mornings...

This week's prompt is to share what's cooking.  The truth is this photo is from a recipe I made a while back and shared here .  These are the cinnamon brioche rolls just before they go into the oven.  I haven't made them in a long time but will be doing so again for Christmas breakfast during our vacation. My middle son often requests them and I want to give him his treat for the holidays. What has actually been cooking lately in my kitchen are Christmas cookies.  I went to my first Christmas cookie exchange party last weekend and snapped this photo of the table of goodies which I shared via Instagram . There were dark chocolate snowflakes, pecan butter balls, linzer jam cookies, Oreo bon bons and more. I brought our family's classic soft toffee bars which I plan to post here to the blog sometime in the next week.  They are so easy and always a hit.  Keep an eye out! 52 Photos Project

                                    MORNING                                                                    EVENING             steaming espresso                                                          smooth red wine Christmas mug                                                               delicate glass sunlight                       ...

My mother turned 70 the day after my birthday a few weeks ago.  Part of her milestone birthday is to totally repaint the interior of her home and to purge as many unnecessary items as possible along the way.  Mind you, her home is the same home in which I was raised from age one and in all those years it has never, ever been painted or re-decorated. After my Dad died suddenly when I was two and a half, she turned her attention to working and keeping our family together.  How many people could say that over nearly 40 years their mother spent not one dime to fancy up their perpetually 1970s home and instead self-lessly spent every available cent on her daughters' educations and futures?  Not that our home was unattractive. Quite the contrary.  My mom has the knack for making everything feel clean, tidy, lovely and cozy.  In all my years I was never ashamed to bring friends over to hang out in our home and Mom never mentioned her desire for upgrades or n...

Still life is the theme this week over at  52 Photos Project .  My post should be called "still alive" since I have been MIA since the end of September! Actually, that is quite the appropriate title after the milestone birthday I celebrated last week.  I turned 40 and I am still alive! Now, I am truly not upset or depressed that I am officially a member of the 40s club. Rather, this whole process of turning 40 has magically unlocked tons of memories I had long forgotten (or blocked) from my past and the beauty is that because those events are now so long ago, I find I can look at my younger self with more tenderness and understanding .  The guilt and shame for past mistakes has finally lifted.  I can look back and see how many amazing people have influenced my life, how many blessings have resulted from my hard work and the graces given me by God.  What a birthday gift that has been.   (There is more to be said about this but I am still mining.)...

52 Photos Project

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus 52 Photos :: Season's Beginning

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  Stepping cautiously down cracked concrete steps dusted with cobwebs, mouse droppings and rich North Dakota soil, I was the first to enter the underground cellar at my father-in-law's abandoned  family farmstead.   Looking into the blackness of a place I had never been before was intimidating.   I am no  farm girl and had no idea what my fly into my face as I descended.  Once inside the room my eyes began to adjust to the dimness and I peered into the corners and around the rugged wooden door.   "It's safe," I called back up the stairs to my children who had wondered if there would be snakes, bats or worse, a ghost, hiding down there.   Despite the 90 degree heat aboveground, the interior of the cellar was cooler as if air-conditioned  by some unseen window unit.  The floor had warped over time and was uneven but to my surprise there was very little evidence of animal intrusion.  This fortified room would c...

Recently we attended a major political rally. We stood in line for over an hour, inching closer to the entrance, past the heckling protesters  yelling at our family to "Wake up!" (Our ten year old simply looked back at them and yawned.) Finally we passed through metal detectors and were flung into a jumble of people jostling to find their best view of the stage. Our spot was close enough  but all the adults were so tall. We had a lot more waiting to do. The boys were tired and hot. They sat down right on the pavement surrounded by shoes oblivious to it all. I was grateful in that moment for the experience and especially for the technology.