MISTY'S MORNINGS

Today is my 41st birthday!  Forty was a fantastic year and I am taking a few minutes to record what I have learned to be true over the past year(s).  I am also making this list of aha's (some silly, some serious) so I can remind myself over and over again in the next decade! ON APPEARANCE 1.  Fit, Fabulous, and 40 became my mantra.  At least I was 40.  :) 2.  I am no longer doing my makeup to look like I am not wearing any. Who am I kidding?  3.  Being a tall woman, I used to try to shrink myself and never wore heels.  Not anymore.  Heels and wedges are my new best friends and the added height makes me feel strong. 4.  It has been decided I will have long hair until I turn 60.  My family agrees.  No more short, mushroom bobs - ever. ( Andie MacDowell is my hair and aging icon.) 5.  A girl can never have enough neutral colors in her wardrobe.  They go with everything and never look dated. I...

Recently I began reading A Design So Vast , a writerly, reflective, unassuming blog by Lindsey Mead. I like it.  It's simultaneous simplicity and depth appeals to me.  She just  posted  her 20 questions and answers reflecting on the year now gone by, 2012.  I thought I would play along. 1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?   turning 40 2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened? turning 40   3. What was an unexpected joy this past year? Falling (unexpectedly and belatedly) in love with sports.  Watching my two older boys play soccer and basketball at a more competitive level was no longer a test of endurance each weekend. I look forward to games and have even begun following some televised sports with my all-male family. (It was either join them or get DVR on my bedroom TV!) 4. What was an unexpected obstacle? Feeling a loss of direction mid-way through the year.  I lost the ...

Saturday evening we had a Pioneer Woman Cooks party.  My good friend suggested we actually cook something from the PW cookbooks we both have and bring our families together to enjoy the meal.  I chose a  meatloaf recipe as the main dish and my friend brought P-Dub's Twice Baked Potatoes as the side.  The meatloaf is my new go-to recipe (although I did change it up a bit by adding minced shallots and garlic and pre-cooking the bacon so it would get crispy on top).   The whole meal was delicious and memorable but my favorite part of the evening came when we spontaneously brought out some art supplies and my naturally artistic friend gave an impromptu drawing lesson to RW.  It was one of those heart-warming moments when you realize that your friend loves your children like family .  This counts for a lot when we both live hundreds of mile from our nearest family members.   Friends that become fa...