MISTY'S MORNINGS

1.  I really miss being able to upload and share the photos I am learning to take on my new camera.  In fact, we were all set to buy me a new computer last weekend but I got cold feet at the last second wondering laptop or desktop and waffling so much I just gave up and postponed the shopping trip.  Either way I am going on Friday and will let you know what I decided to buy.  I welcome any advice.  (fyi ~ I am definitely getting a Mac and switching from PC for the past 20+ years to Mac is exhilarating and scary too.) 2.  In light of said photo problems I am really enjoying Instagram and Flickr .  Other people's everyday photos are so inspiring and oddly comforting. 3.  In two weeks that boy turns 10.  Wow - my first double digit child.  I heard Dr. Kevin Lehman say that he considers kids 11 to 18 to be teenagers today because kids are growing up so much faster.  In that case I better soak up the next year with my still "little" boy! 4.  In two weeks a

My husband is the guac-master in our household and this is his go-to recipe.  He eats it with chips of course but also loves to slather it on burgers, tacos or even breakfast burritos.  We usually don't make it spicy because I rarely have fresh jalapeños on hand but if you like a little kick ~ throw them in ~ it's extra delicious! Game Day Guacamole   from mistysmornings.com INGREDIENTS 3 ripe avocados 1/2 large red onion, finely diced 1/2 tomato, seeded and chopped juice of 1/2 a lime 1/4  to 1/2 tsp. garlic salt depending on your taste *optional spicy additions: 1 half fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced  PROCESS 1. Remove avocado from skins into a medium mixing bowl.  2. Mash well with fork. 3. Add all the rest of the ingredients.  4. Add more salt or lime juice to taste. 5. Serve immediately so it stays bright green. ****** MENU PLAN for January 30- February 5 ( SUPERBOWL SUNDAY ) Monday  ~ Easy Chicken Enchiladas (I use La Victori

1.  Sunshine through the kitchen window while I wash dishes to the sound of birdsong. 2. A hand-painted card from a far away friend who says I inspired her   (!) to share her art after I shared mine . This card will be a forever treasure. 3.  Discovering that Naan from Target is softer and more delicious than pita bread.  We have been eating it with this hummus and making mini pizzas with it also.  So easy and yummy. 4.  Finally getting my 2012 books to read organized into categorical shelves on Goodreads .  (nerd alert!)  Somehow it makes it feel more possible when I can see the lists and not just a jumble of 40+  random book titles.  In case you're interested here's the breakdown: ~ cookbooks ‎(8) ~create 7 ~faith (6) ~fiction (6) ~home (4) ~memoir (8) ~self-improvement ~writing (6) ~year-long reads (13) 5.  Valentine's Day coffee mugs and time to sip slowly. 6.  Seeing surfboards in January ~ a sign of really nice weather

~PRETTY~ The sight of this floral box (complete with rhinestone brooch on the cover) filled to capacity with multi-colored Sharpies, glitter markers and ball point pens makes me feel that first day of school excitement every time. I have told you before how I am exploring various modes of creativity this year.  This tiny cache of pens has been put to good use since the arrival of this book:      by Stefanie Corfee         Check out her bohemian blog here . As I have been doodling and dabbling around in the world of mixed media art, a beautiful phenomenon has unfolded around me in this house proving this quote, by Albert Einstein, to be quite true:  "Creativity is contagious. Pass it on."   ~HAPPY~ ZJ, my middle son and aspiring author, has caught the creativity bug along with me.  He has his own Smash book , as does RW, my eldest, and we have passed a few beautiful hours smashing stuff side by side.  Tomorrow night we are going out for the second

Sharing here... Wordless Wednesdays

So my son comes home from his best friend's house proclaiming the utter deliciousness of the meal he ate while there.  Bacon fried rice!  I was intrigued but let it go.  I've never made fried rice of any kind so why start now?  But my son continued to bring it up here and there - he is a lover of bacon -  so I finally asked Mrs. R. for the recipe as she stood in my entryway last evening, picking up her son from our house. As she related her recipe in her lovely Filipino tones, I mentally checked off each item that I already had in my pantry.  The only missing ingredient was  Johnny Salt  which she adds.  I simply improvised after checking its mystery ingredients on line. Just before the power went out in a lightning storm, I threw together this easy and - yes - utterly delicious bacony meal.  Although my son said it wasn't the same as Mrs. R's he gave it two thumbs way up.  In fact, there were no leftovers to share with Dad when he got home!  

As I have mentioned before, my word for this year is CREATE .  Painting with watercolors is one area in which I have been experimenting.  Michael's has a really inexpensive line of art supplies called Artist's Loft .  I bought the watercolor paints and a few brushes as a way to get started without much investment. (Everything is around $5-$10.)   Being a part of Alisa Burke's on-line class called Create Daily , has awakened my senses to the many opportunities to create quickly .  Sometimes we get caught up in the idea that we must have large blocks of time set aside to be artistic .  Surely, we think, it takes an afternoon to paint, collage, journal or compose a few lines of poetry.  Well, if you are seeking perfection, it does.  But if you are seeking to revel in your simplistic ability to create something imperfect instead of nothing at all ,  there are moments of creative inspiration everywhere you look! On this particular day, I opened my daily poetry em

Sharing here Wordless Wednesday Outdoor Wednesday

Since last week's post , I have spent much of my time putting away the last of the Christmas decorations, catching up with people and family  and spending lots of time getting organized on the computer.  (Does that count as writing?)  Something I did write this week that seems to have struck a chord with many readers was my Comparison Kills Contentment post at Catholic Mothers Online. Read that here if you are interested. One way I am determined to be more intentional and creative this year is by creating and sticking to a weekly menu plan.  To help me accomplish this I signed up for the free trial of Plan To Eat .  Have you heard of it or are you using it already? (If so, please friend me @Mistysmornings so we can share recipes together!) I struggled so much at first because I do not want to take the time to type in every recipe I love in order to be able to drag and drop the recipes onto the planner.  Thanks to Clint, the PTE customer assistant, I learned that I can

My sister just texted me from the airplane. She and her husband are on their way to Germany to tour the Christmas markets – for the fifth time. Bring me a  lebkuchen,  I think as I close my phone and open the mailbox. The first Christmas card of the season has arrived. I haven’t even made one yet and was thinking I might skip it this year altogether. Opening her lovely card, I read that my friend has moved to a new home and lost 35 pounds in the last year. I am happy for her. Really,  I am . Please read the rest over at Catholic Mothers Online     where I am guest posting today.  Thanks!

Four things I am loving right now... 1.   SMASHBOOKING   I ran out to buy one at Michael's after watching this video .  Maybe you can relate to having stacks of barely used journals lining your shelves?  Somehow the colorful format of these books makes it easy to fill up and not feel pressured by a blank page. 2.   DOWNTON ABBEY  If you are looking for something escapist, visually beautiful and of excellent quality to watch after the children are asleep you must try DA.  Season one is available on Netflix to get you up to speed.  Season 2 just began last week.  It is great fun! 3. BAKING WITH JULIA The book arrived in the mail this week and I have spent a few blissful minutes imagining myself baking from scratch.  Even though I am half terrified to have joined in on this challenge , I am going to give it my best shot.  You still have time to join in, too ! 4.   TAKE TWELVE CHALLENGE Another challenge but somehow this seems like something doable for me.  I can't s

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.