World Hello Day!
HELLO!! Perhaps one of the simplest things to say, but it also holds a lot of power. A friendly hello has the power to transform someones day. There is power in connecting with people. "Hello" tells people they are acknowledged, cared about, and that they matter. Extending yourself out to someone with a hello is going outside of yourself and focusing,even just for a moment on them instead of you, and this can be groundbreaking. Think about all the valueable relationships you have in your life, they all started (most likely) with a "Hello" Everyday we have a choice, we can stop our "Hello" at speaking out and being present to and with others or we can go the extra mile and stop and say "Hello" to ourselves, by turning off the electronics (which we should also do when extending a hello to others.), finding a quiet place, and taking some time for you.Saying "Hello" to YOU is just as important as you saying "Hello" to everyone else, so never feel bad for taking the time to reconnect and say Hi. So do us a favor and stop on by our facebook and say HELLO.
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Our family is sick! Like the whole family, moms, dads, kids, everyone, Mama Dawn had some asthma complications and spent a few days in the hospital. Oddly enough mama carol has stayed well, So this evening she set out to make her family famous Pot of healing chicken noodle soup. It's funny because I could use the same ingredients to make a pot of soup for myself and it just doesn't taste the same. I fully believe it's because Love has a flavor, though I use the same ingredients, I just don't make it with the love that she puts into it (this is also evident in her pancakes,and grilled cheese.) There is something about the heat, and the steam rising up to meet your face that helps to clear your mind, body, & soul. There is a healing that comes with moms pot of soup, I don't doubt that she puts some prayer in there as well, which contributes to the healing. There is no real "recipe" but here is what Mama Carol usually puts in her Chicken Noodle Soup: Chicken Breast (or she will boil chicken pieces and then strip it from the bones) 1 Carton Chicken Stock 1 Can Tomato Soup 1 Can Corn 1 Bag Wide Egg Noodles (cooked) 1 Can Diced Tomatoes 5 Stalks of Diced Celery 1 Large Onion 5 Sliced Carrots 8 Eggs (My sis & I's favorite part!) Cook pasta and set aside Combine other ingredients and allow veggies to cook through Crack eggs into bowl and mix with for or whisk Pour eggs by spoonful into boiling soup Add Noodles Enjoy! UPDATE: Mama April & her son are doing much better today :) ( we have no doubt it was the soup.) Day 28!
"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward How silly would it be if we spent out time carefully selecting gifts taking the care to wrap them perfectly, bending each crease with precision and selecting just the right bow and the perfect bow placement and then just threw it in our closet? As Thanksgiving draws closer, it gives all time to stop and think about what we are truly thankful for. From the big things like our family and friends to the small things like a hot cup of coffee or slipping between the sheets of a freshly made bed. Take the time to say thanks to the people in your life who've made you a better person, it doesn't need to be anything big or expensive, a simple flower or card or even a phone call to say "thanks for what you do & who you are." can make someones day...Comment below with what you are thankful for and check out our facebook page to see what We 3 Mason Jar Mamas are thankful for (starting Saturday - Thanksgiving). Show your #disneyside this Christmas! Are you a Disney fan who wants to sprinkle a little pixie dust over your loved ones this year? Does the Disney fan in your life have everything they could ever want? Looking for a creative and cost efficient gift they are sure to love? Check out these awesome DIY Disney themed gift ideas! Are you going to attempt any of these adroable crafts? I'm thinking some mouse heads in my family would love these!!! Comment below and let us know if you are going to give any of these a go!! As I sit here finishing up a bowl of oatmeal I am tempted to spend the rest of my day cleaning. Not because I enjoy cleaning, but because the Christmas decorations are calling me. Not the tree just yet (that will go up on thanksgiving), but other decor. Hubby already started decorating outside, so it's only fitting that the inside should match right? Not to mention the sheer joy it will bring my 2 1/2 year old to see "Santa stuff" all over the place. Christmas always brings good memories to mind, My grandma telling my sister and I not to look under blankets which hid unwrapped gifts that were piled in her room, decorating the tree, waking up or coming home from school to my mom always saving the best gift for last,my mom and grandma were the very spirit of Christmas while I was growing up, and I am so glad they passed it on to me to share with my family. It saddens me when I see people who look at Christmas with a negative light instead of the joyous occasion that it is. They complain about the commercialism behind it and with that throw out family traditions that could be passed on to future generations. I love gifts as much as the next person, but I think Mr.Grinch said it best when he said
“What if Christmas”, he thought, “doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?” In the Mason Jar Mama family, we make a big deal about making memories, and while what we got for christmas may fade, the memories live on. There are a few things that have become a tradition, others we are just getting started on. Here are a few; 1.The tree goes up on Thanksgiving night- we decorate it as a family. This includes Christmas music, and hot chocolate. 2. We snuggle up one night before Christmas, and watch the Polar Express, Hot Chocolate is of course on the menu :) 3. Christmas Eve gift: PJ's and a Christmas book or movie with a special Christmas eve snack 4.Cookies for Santa & Carrots for the reindeer on Christmas eve. We save a few cookies and keep em for Santa! 5. Reading Twas The Night Before Christmas as a bed time story. 6. We don't have an elf on the shelf, we have a reindeer, he will be making his first apperance on Thanksgiving :) 7. Light Drives: Hop in the car and drive around looking at Christmas lights 8. Watching the Reindeer on Reindeer Cam! (Regular feedings by Santa and his elves start on the 17th!) 9. Baking a cake for Jesus and singing "Happy Birthday Jesus" - this one makes me Cry every time! 10. Reading the Christmas Story, about the Birth of Christ. What are your Holiday traditions? Comment below! The video above is a powerful reminder of those that have served. Take a moment today to thank a service member. Somewhere someone is missing a fallen comrade, a mother is wondering who her son would have grown to be, a wife is praying the other half of her heart gets home safely, a child is crying for their mom. Active service members can be, at times hard to forget, because they are there, their photos are flashed across the screen of our tv's as fallen heroes, brave soldiers, and even those that are finally coming home. But sadly there are forgotten heroes. Tonight (and almost any other night) there will be approximately 300,000 vets sleeping on a cold park bench, in a wet tent, or in a shelter that offers warmth and maybe even a meal, but no real security. About 33% of the homeless males in the US are veterans, and the number of homeless Vietnam-era vets is greater then the number of soldiers who died during the war. The causes of this chronic homelessness range from lack of income due to their inability to find civilian jobs, combat related physical and or mental disabilities, substance abuse problems (most likely due to physical or mental disabilities), and poor social networks due to an inability to properly adjust to civilian life. No matter the cause, these numbers are simply inexcusable. No one deserves homelessness, but especially not those that have put their lives on the line. Will you consider giving to this important cause today? Visit Charity Watch-Veterans or your local veterans ministry to help.
If you have served please comment below! And: This blog is coming in late tonight. For some reason when I take a break on Sunday, the next day is so hard to get back to things. I think partially because I slack off everything (cleaning, cooking, dieting,ect) on the weekend, and getting back into a groove is hard. What I really need to do is find balance again. I have it, and then something throws me off track, and I find myself running after the train. Life is a balancing act. And I am struggling to find my happy medium. Comment below on how YOU find balance? Day 23 of the 30 day blogging challenge and here I sit. There are mornings I wake up and know exactly what I want to write. Those are the mornings I wake up, blog, make breakfast, and even get the dishes done all before 10am, those mornings are few and far between, most mornings I saunter out of the bedroom, let the dog out, realize through sleepy eyes that my son ran outside with the dog, I call him back in, the dog runs in with him, the dog goes back out, I shut & lock the door so my little Houdini doesn't escape again (although to be honest the locks and alarm only buy me time, seconds maybe before hes got them undone and hes off again!) and sit down at my computer , hands to the keyboard, and.......nothing...not a thought in my mind...I'm sure there was a thought last night, but I was too tired to write. Those are the times where instead of staring blankly at the screen and getting frustrated with my "bloggers block", I cook breakfast, sit and read a book with my son, plan dinner, and just go about my day. There is no real cure for "bloggers block" but by simply going through my day, I almost always come upon something I can write about. Something I read online, something my son may have done or said, or a new recipe I may have tried for dinner, something always comes to mind, and once again I sit at my computer, and this time the words flow gracefully (and sometimes not so gracefully.) out. Comment below with your favorite way to get rid of "bloggers block"
Don't forget to check our linky party & add your own links!! Thanksgiving always invokes feelings of warm fuzzies for me. Other then the delicious food, it always reminds me of family. Growing up, I can always remember my family gathering around grams table to eat, meanwhile I was stuck at the kids table with the other kids in the family, though I think I spent more time on my mom or grandmas lap then I did actually sitting at the kids table. Any time the family got together it was a time of love and most of all laughter, I can't recall how many times I would see my grandma laughing so hard she was crying, and the great thing is, this tradition continues on, there are very few times that the Mason Jar Mamas (Carol, Dawn & April) gather that doesn't end up at some point with one of us laughing so hard we are crying. Even when Mama Carol was going through Chemo for Breast Cancer, she battled with humor (I believe it was her ability to find her laughing place that gave her the strength to survive. Anywho, with the growth of followers we've had recently, I wanted to use today to start a Friday Night Link Party. Each Friday we will have a link party which will stay open all week. Follow the theme listed and feel free to start posting! This Week our theme is : Thanksgiving Recipes, Decor Ideas, & Crafts (this includes printables such as coloring pages as well). Thanksgiving is coming soon. Before you know it you'll be putting the bird in the oven, and the family will be at the door. One of the best things about Thanksgiving with the Mason Jar Mamas is after dinner when Mama Carol pulls out her little book of blessings, and we each get to tell 3 things we are thankful for, there is usually laughter and sometimes tears, especially when we look back on previous years. You may or may not have a little book of blessings but you can make your own tree of thanks. Simply fill a vase with some stones and tall branches to create a "tree", print the file below on card stock, cut out the leaf shapes and have everyone write what they are thankful for as they come in. Go through the leaves later in the night and try to guess what leaf belongs to who.
What are you thankful for this Holiday season? Comment below and don't forget to like us on facebook!!
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Photos used under Creative Commons from clkohan, Dyanna Hyde, Michael's Cookie Jar, B*2, ohsarahrose, HannahWebb, rocknroll_guitar, bochalla, ccharmon, Ashley Coombs, Ava R., swambo