Earrings

What is that one something that makes you feel special? Mine is a pair of silver toned (not even the real stuff) hoop earrings. Not small, not big, just average. They have a spring loaded clip on the back so that if they get pulled out by my kids, I will loose an earring and not an ear. I found them when my oldest (9 soon to be 10) was an infant. I have lost several over the years. I buy another pair the exact same and if one of those gets lost I still have a pair. Well, my son lost both earrings a few months ago and I haven't been able to find "my earrings," so I haven't been wearing any earrings.

I found "my earrings" today! Yeah!!!!!!!! I bought a pair and after standing in line for quite some time with 2 cranky toddlers I found out they were on sale. (I will go back later and get another pair.) I put them on as soon as I got back in my van. Now I feel like me again. It's strange how something so small and insignificant makes me feel special, makes me feel pretty.

What's your 'something special?' Is it a favorite shade of lipstick? A favorite parfume?

~Jena

"There isn't any mountain you can't conquer." -Unknown

Crock Pot Candy

"Height matters not, heart matters a lot." - Unknown

I just made some crock pot candy and it was good. Here's the recipe...

16 oz. unsalted peanuts
16 oz. salted peanuts
1 bar German chocolate
6 oz. peanut butter chips
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 pkg. (18 squares) of vanilla bark

Layer these items in the order listed above in your crock pot. Turn crock pot on low and cook for 2 1/2 hours. DO NOT LIFT LID UNTIL THE 2 1/2 HOURS IS UP!!!!! Then stir the mixture up and drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper and leave until firm. Then store. Makes about 80 - 100 pieces (according to how big you make them.)

Weight Awareness Wednesday

I had a gain of 1.2 lbs. this week. Not bad really, considering it was Thanksgiving and we had 2 Thanksgiving dinners (one with my family and one with the in-laws).

"Your state of mind is your state of life." - Unknown

~Jena

anthony

My 3 yo just typed his name by himself (that's the reason this post is titled "Anthony"). He is helping mommy. I love being a mommy.

"Don't ever give up, give more." - Unknown

~Jena

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! This is my absolute favorite holiday. I love fall...the bright colors, pumpkins, leaves (I love leaves), the crisp cool air (not cold), I just absolutely love fall. I love Thanskgiving because I feel we tend to take things for granted and in general are not as thankful as we should be and Thanksgiving makes us more aware of all of our blessings. Family, I love spending time with family too. I also feel like it is the one holiday that isn't commercialized to the max.

Here are a couple of crafting ideas to start the next year off.

1) We did this for the first time this year. We had a Thanksgiving box. (A friend from my MOPS group gave us this idea last year.) We took an ordinary cardboard box (could be a shoe box or whatever you have around the house, and covered it with brown kraft paper (I love brown kraft paper) - and wrote some "thankful" scriptures on it, cut a slit in the top. Leave it sitting in an easily accessible area with 3 x 5 index cards and a pen. Each day everyone writes one thing that they are thankful for and drop it in the box and you read them on Thanksgiving day. My youngest 2 are not old enough to participate (this year I might be able to ask Anthony (3) what he is thankful for and write it down for him). My oldest 2, Lee (9) & Champ (8), did it at first, but then quit. Frank, my DH didn't do it. I did it sporadically (this was our first year - maybe it will get better). I do plan on doing it again. It makes me aware on a daily (maybe I should say 'regular') basis. You could decorate your box anyway that you want to (with wrapping paper, scrapbooking paper, butcher paper and markers, etc.).

2) Don't want to decorate a box? Get a blank book/journal (found in the stationery section of stores) and each day have each family member write what they are thankful for, date it and sign it. You could do a different journal each year and have a whole collection to look back on over the years (to see if our perspectives have changes, to see how our children have grown - handwritting and ideas, etc.).

3) I have also heard of a 'Perpetual Thanksgiving Tablecloth.' I have always wanted to do this (not sure why I haven't). Get a white, off-white or light colored table cloth (use it for Thanksgiving only). Each year have your Thanksgiving guests sign their name, date and one thing they are grateful for with a permanent fabric marker.

I may try the journal idea this year. The nice thing about the box is no one sees what you've written until Thanksgiving day when all the cards are read. (I do plan on keeping my index cards though - if I don't loose them - and we can look back in a few years on those too, I might could paste them in a journal/book). The nice thing about the journal is it is more compact and easier to store. We'll see. Just a thought, you could give each family member a journal of their own for the year (then no one would see what they wrote until it was time - there would be more books to keep up with though). You just have to try something and keep trying until you find out what works for you.

Here are some ideas...you can be grateful for big things (like your health or home), little things (like your child's smile, a wave from a stranger), you can dig deep (spiritually), there are no rules except you should truly be grateful for it and not just writing something down. My personal preference is to focus on the little things (those are the one's we tend to take for granted the most). Click here to get you jump started.

Call me crazy, but I think this would be a great writing assignment for students.

Are you and/or your family already doing this? What are you doing? How long have you been doing it? If you are already doing this, I have a challenge for you. Write down all the things you struggle with or seem like a burden and find a way to be grateful for it. (Example: a few years ago we lived in an older home and we had ants all summer long every summer. I was grateful for the ants because it made me do my dishes and clean my kitchen the very minute we finished eating. I always had a clean kitchen to wake up to, if unexpected company dropped by, etc. and it became a habit that I still do today.) Let me know what you are doing and if you accept the challenge.

Here's another quote...

"Take a lesson from the grass. No matter how many times it's cut or trampled on, it rises again and continues. So get back up, my friend, get back up and rise again." -Unknown

Have a good one and be thankful for all you have.

~Jena

Weight Awareness Wednesday

Weight Awareness Wednesday...



I was down 2.4 lbs. this week. Yeah!!!!!!!! ;o) My DH laughs and says I'm loosing it just to gain it back during the holidays. Maybe so, but if I didn't loose it in the first place I would be really bad off if I gained it in the holidays.



I am actually not looking to loose much during the holiday season (temptations are just too great - I love to bake and there is always stuff around here, I have absolutely NO will power or self-control), but if I can maintain my weight during the holidays, I will try to start loosing again after Christmas.



Here is another quote for you...

"Failing to plan is planning to fail." - Unknown


Have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving everybody.



~Jena

Success

"The success you achieve tomorrow begins the day before." -Unknown

Just a Thought

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an unchartered land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit." -Hellen Keller

I love quotes. I just found this one that's new to me and I wanted to share it with you.

~Jena