Married | Mother | Millennial
Hello everyone! It’s been two weeks since I’ve posted on the blog because it’s been a BUSY month. Between event planning, holiday duties, everyday responsibilities and self care, time has been flying. I decided to do an old school blog post. You know the throwback blog posts we loved to read where the author was simply sharing their everyday thoughts in long or short form. So I decided to make this November 2021 catch up post to, well, catch everyone up on my end.
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It’s almost the first weekend of November which means it’s time for me to put up my Christmas decorations! I am absolutely the person who starts celebrating Christmas the day after Halloween until the new year. I also believe in sipping on a delicious adult beverage and singing Christmas songs while decorating my home. As you can guess, my drink of choice this year is a delicious Apple Pie a la Mimosa.
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I’m back with another Thanksgiving recipe that’s a carb-tastic favorite! These garlic butter mashed potatoes are not only deliciously creamy but they are extremely easy to make! One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it’s naturally a crowd pleaser. I mean, who doesn’t love potatoes? Baked, fried, mashed, it doesn’t matter because potatoes are delicious in any form.
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Happy comfort food season y’all! Yes, this means we have officially made it to November 2020. This month I will be sharing some of our favorite Thanksgiving food recipes weekly. From peach cobbler to mac and cheese they’re all coming your way soon! The recipe I chose to kick this Thanksgiving season off was my famous skillet peach cobbler. I say famous because even people who don’t like peach cobbler tell me how much they enjoy my recipe. That’s a bragging right badge I wear proudly.
Read MoreIt may be November 4th, but it’s never too late to say, “Happy November”, right? I didn’t think so. Life has been crazy and hectic since returning from our three-week vacation last week, Saturday. Somehow, no matter how much I do, I still feel like I’m twelve steps behind. I will eventually catch up and be back to my “normal” in the next week or so. My blog post this upcoming Sunday will be an awesome recap of our vacation for those of you who would like details. 🙂
I’ve decided for the month of November, at least 90% of my blog posts, will be around the theme of thankfulness. Sometimes we misunderstand the idea of thankfulness and I want to do my best to fix it within myself and those of you who love to read my posts. We tend to wait for major events to happen to be thankful instead of being thankful for the little everyday things we take for granted. I’m going to do my best to highlight what’s important and to be thankful for all of them.
To all of my Chicago family and friends, I hope those of you who were able to attend the Chicago Cubs victory parade today had an amazing time, and remember this forever. Today’s crowd of 5 million registered as the 7th largest gathering in history. Way to set the bar for everyone else, Chicago! Fly the W and Go Cubs, Go!
I hope everyone has a great weekend, a safe weekend, filled with tons of laughs and love!
Brie <3
[11.04.16]
Tis’ the season to decorate our homes from head to toe with rotating holiday decor. Or maybe you decorate a little bit. Either way, we all love to see decorations for the upcoming holidays. I seriously look forward to this time of year for the first 8 months of the year, until September finally arrives. Read More
We are only two days away from Thanksgiving Day which means it will be a week of craziness and last minute grocery shopping, making plans, and finalizing who is making what and traveling from where for Thanksgiving dinner. The ironic side of Thanksgiving week is because of people stressing out about different life events and/or plans, they tend to be running low on patience, especially when dealing with strangers. Due to the way I have seen people treat each other, and unfortunately how I have reacted on some days as well, I decided to write a post giving a perspective on being nicer to those around us. With all of the sadness going on the world, we always talk about wanting “peace on Earth” without realizing it’s the little things we do every day that is the stepping stone of peace.
Be patient, be kind means exactly what it says. While you’re out and about this week preparing for your grand Thanksgiving meal, I want you to think of others before yourself. Many of you may be thinking along the lines of giving back through volunteer work of some sort, but as nice as that is I’m talking about your everyday interactions with others. For example: while you’re out driving and you get stuck behind the one car going 10 miles under the speed limit, try and consider the person who is driving the car. Maybe the person is elderly and doesn’t have anyone who is able to run errands for them, or drive them around to get their errands done. Maybe the person driving under the speed limit is driving with tears in their eyes because of receiving some bad news about themselves or a loved one. When you go to the grocery store and there is that one person holding up the line with tons of coupons and/or multiple payments, maybe they are struggling to feed their family and this is the only way they can afford everyday necessities. Maybe they recently lost a job, or they are helping care for someone else and trying to find a way to make it work the best way they know how. On the flip side there are some people who are generally not the nicest people to others, but even for that person, consider the holiday season may make them sad and they respond with anger because they don’t have anyone to spend the day with or anywhere to go. Maybe the holidays bring them memories of pain instead of happiness due to their childhood. Not everyone grows up in a household that makes you feel happy and loved any day of the year let alone during the holidays.
I say all of this to remind everyone to try and remember compassion when you feel yourself getting angry. Remember everyone is fighting a battle of some sort, and most battles you can’t see by their outward appearances. Remember we are only here and able to share joy with our loved ones because of the wonderful grace of God. If God can bless us with the gift of grace and mercy through all of our downfalls and sins who are we to not extend grace and mercy to those around us. We know of the atrocities happening in this world to our brothers sisters and we know the answer to all of it is love and peace. We can’t ask and/or pray for love and peace if we’re not willing to extend it to those in our own communities on a daily basis. Will we all fall short and find ourselves losing patience in some situations? Of course, we’re only human. However, it is what we do to correct ourselves and our behavior afterward that counts. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to run into that person again within your community. (Six degrees of separation is real) If so, apologize to them even if you feel awkward in the process. Your apology may make their entire day. They might have even forgotten about the interaction, but you could very well restore their faith in humanity with your apology, which may lead to them extended the same grace to someone else one day.
Although this post fit perfectly into my “thankful” Jamieson Diaries theme for the month of November, this post works for every day and every month in life. I would like to incorporate not only being thankful every day of my life, but to always extend love, and be an example of the peace I pray for in this world.
Brie <3
[11.24.15]
The title of this post should be self explanatory if you’ve been on the internet within the last 12 hours. However, if you are lost on the meaning of the number “25” on today’s date, it is the name of Adele latest album which was released, today, and it has been four years since she last released an album. I love Adele. She has a voice that can’t be faked and talent that can’t be imitated. She sings some of the most beautiful lyrics you will ever hear, whether the lyrics be beautiful in love or loss. If you haven’t listened to the album yet, I highly recommend you give it a listen A.S.A.P. I have personally listened to “Million Years Ago” about 50 times since earlier this morning. I feel her words to “Million Years Ago” in my soul, and it takes me away to another place in my mind. My other favorite songs/recommendations are “Remedy” and “All I Ask.”
In honor of today being “Adele Day” I wanted to share my favorite Adele song with all of you. This was one of my favorite songs to listen to in college and it’s a combination of beautiful vocals and nostalgia all wrapped up in one.
It also helps today is Friday, and in addition to the weekend we have great music to listen to. If you are like us, you are getting snow this weekend, which only makes it feel even more like the holiday season. Thanks for giving us beautiful music this season, Adele!
Happy Friday everyone!
Brie <3
[11.20.15]
In the spirit of the season, I have decided to make my Sunday blog posts for the month of November about giving and gratefulness. I know this tends to be the cliché trend of everything in the month of November, but what is wrong with doing something for others and sharing positivity? In a world where hatred and sadness seems to be more popular than love and happiness, I think a month of thankfulness is needed.
This won’t be a long blog post, because this post is simple. I challenge everyone (myself included) to be less selfish and more selfless this month. It is quite an easy task if we truly find the compassion in our hearts to put others before self. Becoming a wife and mother has taught me this lesson more than I could have ever imagined, but I can still be and do better. It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture to prove selflessness either. Maybe instead of buying that new shirt or pants for yourself, you buy a few pairs of sweatpants and sweatshirts at Walmart for the homeless. An alternative for those who may not be in the financial place to buy such items can go through your closet of clothes and give away anything you don’t wear or need anymore to the less fortunate.
Another example of a small, but large impact gesture, could be buying some cheap canned goods on sale at your local grocery stores and donating some to your local food bank or church. The alternative, you may be shocked at what you have in your own pantry and don’t eat/need that can be donated to someone else.
A few other examples of selflessness is donating your time to a cause to help others. Find a local church or shelter who may be looking for volunteers to bless someone in need this holiday season. You would be amazed how appreciative people are to those who share their time and love with complete strangers. Another idea is making sure your coworkers or neighbors have somewhere to go on Thanksgiving. As hard as it is for some people to understand, there are many people who do not have family and/or close friends to share Thanksgiving dinner with. So ask your friends, coworkers, and neighbors if they have plans for the holiday. Not only will you be given the opportunity to bless someone else who will always be grateful for your hospitality, but you have the opportunity to strengthen a relationship or make a new friend.
I hope we all have the opportunity to show multiple acts of selflessness this holiday season. I pray all of us are able to be a blessing to someone else, and in turn be blessed by them as well. What other ideas would you like to share of selflessness with others? Please comment below. Also, as the month goes on, please share your acts of selflessness with me and other readers by commenting below, and/or tweeting and Instagraming me @JamiesonDiaries.
Here is to a wonderful season of spreading love and happiness to those around us!
Happy and blessed Sunday everyone!
Brie <3
[11.08.15]
Happy first day of Fall, everyone! Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year. Despite it being the season my birthday is celebrated in, there are so many great activities and everyday life routines that improve due to it being fall. Today, I will put up my fall decor around and outside of my home, with a huge smile on my face, from pure happiness and satisfaction. If you are one of those people who don’t understand the “hype” about fall, here are five reasons Fall is perfection:
There are so many awesome, strictly fall activities, to partake in from September to mid-November. Bonfires are one of my all time favorite fall activities. Many people enjoy bonfires in the summer as well, but sitting around a nicely lit bonfire to keep warm in the crisp fall air, while making s’mores, and having a great time with family and/or friends is second to none. Two more of my favorite fall activities is going apple picking at orchards, and picking out pumpkins in addition to all of the other fun activities at pumpkin patches.
Pumpkin, apple, and sweet potato everything! Fall is not complete without the deliciousness of these seasonal favorites. You know how most people either like pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie? Well, I happen to love both, and look forward to eating a few slices of both pies on Thanksgiving day, and weekend. If you’re a fan of apples, fall is the primetime to hit up an orchard and pick some yummy apples right from the tree, and take some home to make a homemade apple pie or even apple cider. I think I am going to attempt to make an apple crisp of some sort with my apples this year. Stay tuned for more details.
Is it even possible to argue about any other season’s fashion that is better than fall fashion? Even people who don’t like fall (yes those crazy people exist) love fall fashion. From the rider boots, to the long sweaters, hoodies and leggings, fall has the BEST fashion. Not only does the fashion make you look and feel great, it is SO comfortable. How can you possibly beat beauty and comfort, all wrapped up in one? Exactly, you can’t.
Although I consider September 27th (my birthday) to be a heavily disputed national holiday, we can all agree Halloween and Thanksgiving are undeniably awesome holidays. On Halloween we get to play dress up, get free candy from our neighbors, attend awesome Halloween themed parties, go to haunted houses, and even make fun DIY (do-it-yourself) decorations (like the minions pictured above that I made two years ago). On Thanksgiving we get to eat seasonal, oh so yummy recipes, mingle with family and friends, watch some Thanksgiving football, and if you’re one of the crazies, go shopping at 2am the following morning on, Black Friday. Oh, and did I mention the fall scents for candles and hand soaps are the best? Your company will compliment the smells every single time.
*However, Christmas is the greatest holiday of all time. It’s in its own league because it’s so amazing*
The natural beauty of fall is what really sets fall apart from all other seasons. Have you ever stood in an area full of trees and bushes turning beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red, and just took in the beauty happening around you? The realization of how astonishingly wonderful God’s creations are around us is a feeling that can’t be matched. To match the beautiful trees and bushes, the crisp air brings a cozy and clean feeling with it. The crisp air makes me want to cuddle up with my husband, and watch movies together while eating a yummy crock pot soup of some sort. The crisp air also tends to make the air smell much cleaner and not so polluted. Who doesn’t love pretty scenery, cuddling and clean smelling air?
If you have never really taken the time to admire the beauty of fall, I hope this post encourages you to appreciate it a little more. Although some of these things may not seem to be a big deal, always remember it’s the little things that add up and become the big things we remember in life. 🙂
Brie <3
[09.23.15]