brown girl bloggers Archives – Jamieson Diaries

“Coco” Painted Pumpkins

October 9, 2018 Leave a Comment

Making painted pumpkins for Halloween has become a yearly tradition for me. Each year I try to find a theme with three to four printable characters for my pumpkins. In past years I’ve done Nightmare Before Christmas, Ninja Turtles, classic monsters etc.

This year I turned to my Facebook family and friends for ideas on pumpkins this year. A few people mentioned the movie “Coco” and I realized as much as I love the movie this would be the perfect craft. I also knew it would be a challenge for freehand drawing to make the characters look like exact like movie.Read More

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love, Mental Health, Physical Health

30 Gifts For 30 Years

September 27, 2018 Leave a Comment

September 27th, 1988 is the day and year a star was born.

OK, now that I got that out of the way I can be serious now hahaha.

Today is my 30th birthday and I couldn’t be more grateful or full of love. I’m grateful to have made it to see the age of 30. There are many who never did, or will, and for this I am forever thankful each year God allows me to grow a year older.

I decided to take a break from blogging earlier this year due to my pregnancy. It was an exhausting pregnancy and I struggled with staying awake the entire day let alone run a blog in the process. I’ve had plenty of time to plan and have some quality blog posts coming your way soon. From recipes to personal stories to DIY projects. They’re all coming soon.Read More

Dear Diary, Healthy, Meal Prep, Recipes, Side Dish

Honey Lemon Green Beans

March 2, 2018 Leave a Comment

Riley loves fruits and vegetables. If you’re wondering “who is Riley?” the answer to your question is, my unborn very picky child. I am currently eight months pregnant and have plenty of vegetable cravings. Especially this delicious honey lemon green beans recipe I created on Valentine’s Day. I made a surf n’ turf type Valentine’s Day meal that called for a vegetable side dish of some sort. I bought green beans at the store earlier that day so I decided to “wing it” and throw some flavors together that complimented the dish. It was delicious and I’ve made this recipe multiple times since then simply because of how much I loved it.Read More

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

5 Year Anniversary

February 23, 2018 Leave a Comment

Happy 5 year anniversary to us! On this day five years ago my husband and I said “I do”. Here we are two baby girls later and still finding ways to connection with one another. We often talk about how well we work because we’re a team. With each passing day and year we are able to go to the drawing board and be better than we were before.

This year will consist of so many changes for our family. Great changes but plenty of them. The biggest change of all: waiting for our second baby girl to make her entrance into this world. Unfortunately, this is the first wedding anniversary we will spend apart. Considering we’re a military family we should be counting our blessings that this is the first anniversary we’re spending away from one another. But it doesn’t make it any easier. Especially when I’d love to simply be in the presence of my favorite human being.Read More

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love, Travel

California Family Trip 2018

February 18, 2018 Leave a Comment

Jordyn and I traveled to California last week. My husband was in California for a month and a half for work. Jordyn and I met him there towards the end of his work commitment. We flew there and road tripped back with him to Montana. Going to California is always a good time because we get to see so many of our loved ones when we’re there. My father in law even flew into town from Florida for a few days so we could spend some much-needed time with him. Although Jordyn and I ended up catching colds the last week of the trip, we had an amazing time, and can’t wait to see everyone again.Read More

All Posts, Dear Diary

5 Ways To Celebrate Black History Month

February 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

Happy Black history month! This year my family and I made the decision to celebrate more Black holidays. For example Juneteenth and Kwanzaa. This also means Black history month and finding ways to honor what this month is about. I sat down and came up with a personal list of ways to celebrate Black history month this year, and realized there are more than likely many more people wondering the exact same thing. This decision lead me to do this post and share with all of my readers.

It’s also important for everyone reading this post to understand you don’t have to be Black to celebrate Black holidays. You don’t have to be Black to learn Black history because Black history is American history. It’s no different than when people of all backgrounds and ethnicities celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, etc. (Although Mexican people don’t really celebrate Cinco de Mayo like you’d think) However, when we celebrate days and/or holidays specifically dedicated to our own culture we take immense pride in it. Especially as Black people where so much of our history has been erased or silenced, it’s important for us to take this time to learn about and take pride in ourselves. Here are five ways you can celebrate Black History Month this year.

We’ve all received the very watered down white washed version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks in grade school, but have you taken the time to really learn about these individuals and their fight in the struggle? They don’t even bother to teach us about the importance of individuals such as Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey, but this doesn’t mean we can’t learn about them on our own. I recommend each of you to learn, in detail, about a prominent black historical figure. You can even step it up a notch and challenge yourself to research the name and background of a Black historical figure you’ve never heard of before. In this day and age of technology these names are no longer hard to find. 🙂

This may seem trivial to some but there are many of us who understand the importance this simple task. It is important we support each other when we finally receive the movie roles and portrayals we deserve. It is important we see Black excellence in the form of African royalty and power on the big screen. But it’s extremely important we support movies that don’t stereotype us for the same movie roles over and over again. Black Panther will hit theaters on, February 16th, and is already projected to break many box office records. For those of you who have been underneath a rock and haven’t seen the trailer for the highly anticipated movie you can click here to watch. I can’t wait!

Black people may be a minority in population but we are the majority in spending. Our buying power is unbelievable but we tend to put our dollars into businesses and systems that don’t support us. Seems counter productive, right? This month, but preferably this year, buy at least one item from a Black owned business. I have a list in my phone of items I want to buy from small Black businesses and plan on buying most if not all of them by the end of this year. For my bank account and husband’s sake I won’t buy them all this month. HA! These are a few of the businesses on my “Black owned to buy” list: Hillman Bookstore, Mahogany Cheers, African Ancestry, and Pin Living Color. Go check them out!

I touched on this subject at the beginning of this piece. We need to celebrate Juneteenth the same way we celebrate the 4th of July. We need to take the time to learn about Black history the same way we learn other’s history. It is important we celebrate and remember our ancestors and their accomplishments by celebrating their lives. This means celebrating the days that aren’t marked on the calendar. The same way we celebrate Dr. King we should celebrate brother Malcolm on his birthday. Make sure to mark your calendars for these important days and make it a tradition to so every year. It’ll pass down from generation to generation until it becomes the new norm.

We need to give back. It’s that simple yet we make it so much harder than it needs to be. You do not need to be rich to give back to your community. You need to be caring and determined. Giving back doesn’t always have monetary attachment to it. What God-given talent have you been blessed with in this life? If you are an artist, volunteer some time to teach children in your local community about art. If you’re good with numbers, teach someone who lacks such knowledge how to balance their finances etc. However, for those of you who prefer to donate money find local organizations that directly benefit a large number of Black people and their advancement. Even if it’s a $10 donation, it’s $10 that will directly benefit the community. I will personally be donating to one of Colin Kaepernick’s #10For10 charities.

All Posts, Dear Diary, DIY, Frugal Ideas, Home Decor

DIY Recycle Bins

January 25, 2018 Comments : 2

It is so important to recycle. One of my personal goals this year is to recycle. Yes, this may seem like a minor goal, but it’s an important one. It’s also a more than attainable goal because recycle centers are not hard to find. Obviously, this will take a little more effort of consciousness on my part, but it’s an effort which helps our planet and will teach my children to do the same. When we moved into our house on base we never received a cycle bin. They had apparently ran out of recycle bins for any new residents moving in. Long story short, recycle bins are an easy way to keep recycling items organized. I thought to myself “why not make your own recycle bins?”

I wish I could say there was a lot of thought that went into this project but I was honestly going for easy and simple. Easy because the bins need to be functional for easy transportation to and from the recycle center. Simple because the bins need to not be an eye sore in my dining room/kitchen area. Oh, and I forgot to mention I wanted something frugal which means I naturally thought of the clear storage bins at Wal-Mart. They cost less than $5 each and can be reused for storage purposes when we move. (Being a military family means you’re always thinking about the future a.k.a. moving)

First, I looked up what categories recycling centers separate their items by. This helped me figure out how many containers I needed to buy and how they would fit into my kitchen area. My recycle bins are for: glass, metal, paper, and plastic. My glass recycle bin container is the smallest because we don’t use many glass products to recycle. To create my recycle bins I bought my 4 containers, a large black poster board paper, and a pack of metallic sharpie markers. I already had both tape and a hot glue gun at home to paste the designs on the containers. I took my items home and got to work! To create your own recycle bins you will need:

– Four 58 quart containers

– One 22×28 poster board

– tape and/or glue gun

– 2-3 marker colors

Once you have you necessary items for your project you will:

1) Measure and cut your poster board paper into what ever design or shape you want displayed on the front of your bins.

2) Write your recycle bin category on each of the poster board cut outs using your bold marker colors. (Try using marker colors that will stand out on whatever color poster board you are using)

3) Using your hot glue gun and/or tape, individually attach your poster board cut out label to the front of each of your containers.

4) Place your containers in whatever section of your home you want them and you’re finished!

If you would like to take the project up a notch: line your containers with a plastic or paper that can be recycled as well for easy clean up. You can also decorate the containers themselves with additional colors and designs if they are too plain for your personal liking.

I told you guys this is an easy project! Not only is it easy to do, but we get to help play an important role in saving the planet too. Sounds like a win-win situation to me. If you make your own DIY recycle bins please drop a picture in the comment section below!

Brie <3

All Posts, Dinner, Recipes

Roasted Red Potatoes

January 19, 2018 Leave a Comment

Winter time means comfy warm foods. This means a lot of crock pot recipes, oven baked recipes, and soups/stews. One of my favorite year round foods is potatoes. Idaho potatoes, red potatoes, Yukon potatoes, etc. they’re all my favorite. My usual go to comfort potato food is the universally loved mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are not only delicious, they are extremely easy to make. However, as much as I love mashed potatoes, I need to switch it up every once in a while. I’ve always loved roasted potatoes, but I’ve recently discovered how much my toddler loves them too. My husband loves potatoes as much as I do so I wasn’t worried about him loving this recipe too. Ha!

Despite the fact that this recipe is absolutely delicious, it’s an extremely easy and quick side dish for multiple recipes. Whether you’re making baked chicken, searing some salmon, or going strictly veggie, this side dish fits perfectly. Did I mention this dish is cost friendly too? A 5 lbs bag of red potatoes will last for a few different meals, and if you love an assortment of seasonings like myself, then you don’t have to buy any other ingredients for this dish. Who doesn’t love having all of the necessary ingredients for a recipe in the kitchen already?

Before getting started, remember for recipes such as this, you can be as generous with your seasonings (except for the salt) as you would like. You can also add any of your additional favorite seasonings you think will add more flavor to your potatoes. There really is no wrong answer when it comes to seasoning your potatoes. Let’s go ahead and get started!

Easy Roasted Red Potatoes

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author jamiesondiaries

Ingredients

1 lbs Red Potatoes
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Grapeseed Oil for coating the pan
1 tsp Sea Salt or seasoned salt (Lawry's)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Dried Parsley or 2 tsp fresh parsley

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Wash your red potatoes well and cut into 2 inch pieces. Pat the potato pieces dry.
Using a medium sized bowl with a lid (or a gallon ziploc bag), put your diced red potatoes into the container, drizzle your olive oil in, cover and shake to coat the potatoes in the oil.
Add your sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to the container, cover and shake again until the potato pieces are evenly coated in the seasonings.
Take your teaspoon of grapeseed oil to lightly coat a 9x9 baking dish. (We use grapeseed oil because it cooks better in high heat)
Pour your seasoned potatoes into the greased baking dish and place in the oven (uncovered) for 30 minutes or until tender.
Once your potatoes have baked to your desired crisp or softness, garnish with your parsley and serve!

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

Happy New Year!

January 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

Happy first Friday of 2018! We’re five days into the new year, and it’s already been a busy start for the Jamieson household. Being a military family always means constant changes in family life and schedules. However, this year, the changes will be a little more drastic considering we’re adding another baby girl to the Jamieson clan on, April 22nd! Yes, I am currently six months pregnant, with one very active and extremely loved baby girl named, Riley. We found out in late August about my pregnancy, shared the news with loved ones in October, and had our gender reveal in December.

As if my pregnancy isn’t enough change for the new year, the hubby will be gone for the first three months of this year for various work activities. The great news about the hubby is, he is officially Tech Sergeant Jamieson. He sewed on his new rank the 1st of this year. Hopefully, this new rank will finally bring us orders to an exciting state, this year. (Preferably orders to the DMV area. Prayers are definitely appreciated!)

The last few months of 2017 brought a lot of events and growth for, Jordyn. She is 90% potty trained (only wears pull-up to bed), was a flower girl in her godfather’s wedding, and started playing organized sports for the first time. She played soccer followed by basketball. Although she enjoyed both, it was very evident Jordyn is a “hands on” type of athlete, so she enjoyed basketball more. She’s extremely excited to be a big sister and hugs/kisses “baby Riley” all the time. She likes to ask in the sweetest voice “can I give baby Riley a kiss and hug?” Melts my heart every single time. Her vocabulary is quite extensive, she’s unbelievably intelligent for her age, and she’s turning into such an independent (head strong) child. I don’t know where the time is going, but I wish it would slow down just a little bit.

If I’m honest, this pregnancy hasn’t been the easiest. Especially considering how easy my pregnancy was with Jordyn. Riley, not so much. Ha! Kris and I have known for a while that we would only want two (biological) kids, so we knew this baby would be our last (planned- lol) pregnancy. I think Riley was listening because she’s making sure this last pregnancy is memorable LOL. However, no matter the amount of nausea, sciatica nerve pain, or tiredness, as long as Riley continues to grow healthy and strong, I’ll continue to be thankful for every second of this pregnancy and this baby girl.

With all of the craziness happening this year, I wrote my goals down, and broke them up into three categories for more organization, and easier accountability. Personal, financial, and blogging/business goals. I made a vision board for the second year in a row, but I hung this year’s vision board up in my living-room to consistently see for motivation on those days I need an extra push. The one goal that directly relates to you all, my readers, is my consistency with publishing posts and being active on social media. It is easy to get caught up in everyday life and lose sight of passions dear to us, but I’m going to actively be and do better, for all of you, but myself especially.

My hope and prayer for all of us this new year is to change and excel in ways we once upon a time didn’t think possible. Whether it’s expanding your family, taking better care of your health, repairing a broken relationship with a loved one, getting a promotion, having the courage to quit that job you’ve always hated, starting your own business, moving out-of-state etc. Let 2018 be the year you do so. We have a brand new, clean slate, year and should use this time wisely. Life is too short to not be the best version of ourselves.

Happy New Year to all of you and I look forward to this year of blogging and journeying with all of you!

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

3 Years, 11 Months, & 13 Days..

August 8, 2017 Comment : 1

We brought Ares home August 19th, 2013 and had to say goodbye to him August 1st, 2017. We got to spend 3 years, 11 months, and 13 days with him. The time was way too short, but we have so many beautiful and hilarious memories. I could say it was by luck, but it wasn’t, it was destiny that Ares became a Jamieson. He was just as silly and crazy as everyone else in this household haha.

Kris and I had been talking about getting a dog once we moved into our home on base. I was at work when I received a text from, Krissy (my military BFF a.k.a Sister Wife), about a Facebook post she had recently tagged me in. The post was of a three month old German Shepherd named, Bentley, at the time. I couldn’t get over his adorable little face, and one big ole floppy ear. LOL. I sent the information to Kris and asked him to meet me at the guy’s house to meet the pup. No sooner than I walked across the street to greet him, he ran straight into my arms.

The guy told us we were the second couple interested in the pup, but after seeing Ares’ instant attachment to us, he knew Ares was meant to be ours. By 6 p.m. that evening we were the proud dog parents of a beautiful German Shepherd puppy. I remember so many of these details because Ares was our first baby. Before Jordyn, Ares was our fur baby, or our practice baby as we liked to call him.

It’s been exactly one week since we said goodbye to our fur-baby. I still haven’t found the perfect words to describe the type of sadness you feel after losing a furry family member. But it hurts more than I could ever expect. Even though we’ve known for months that the cancer would eventually come back, it completely catches you off guard when it does. Especially since Ares’ cancer came back SO soon after ending treatments and so aggressively.

There’s a strange silence that always follows me around the house. I never paid attention to how simple things like his breathing pattern while he slept was standard background noise for me while I watched t.v. on the couch or blogged late at night. Or how many every day habits revolved around him. Like, making sure the back door is locked at night, keeping his water bowl full, expecting his face to be in mine while I napped on the couch, etc. The silence and daily habits are constant reminders of how much the littlest of things count.

The hardest part of it all has been Jordyn not understanding that he’s gone. She’s only three years old and doesn’t understand the concept of death. Although it’s tough to hear her ask “is Ares at the doctor?” or “are we going to see Ares?” I’m thankful she’s young enough to not understand the sadness of death. Jordyn is an only child and Ares was her best friend. Whether they were playing fetch in the hallway or making each other crazy, she loved having her big fur brother around.

I’m thankful I’m the typical crazy picture taking Mom, because I have so many awesome pictures and videos of Ares over the years. Even some hilarious videos as recent as a week before his death of him and Jordyn having the time of their lives together. Pictures truly are worth a thousand words, and I’m SO thankful to have them.

Ares’ personality was as big as his heart. You never knew what type of emotion or dog talking you were going to get each day haha. It’s what made him so unique. He was this huge monster of a dog with the sweetest personality. A personality that is deeply missed and will never be forgotten. I’m sure one day in the future we will get another dog to join our family. But for now, we’re going to spend the next few months remembering him, and how special he was and always will be to this family.

Rest in peace, bud. We miss you oh so much. <3