My day to day to day to day

Why yes, I am trying to lose weight. I hear homemade cookies help with that:-)

via Instagram

So... do I go left or right?

Whatnots of the day

Video of the Day- Death Cab for Cutie- Stay Young, Go Dancing 

I don't know if this video is new or old but I saw it for the first time today and I loved it!!!

Song of the Day
Cold Weather by The Zac Brown Band


Quote of the day
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

-Herm  Albright

This quote reminds me of my friend, Kathleen. We've known each other for most of our lives. We became friends right before starting to attend Girls High together. But at the beginning of the summer right out of eighth grade I wasn't yet sure about her and I didn't hide my feelings. But she didn't let me get to her and she showed up at my house every day to invite me out with her and all of our friends. I really don't know why she put up with me. But I do know that she has a wonderfully positive attitude and a determination that I have seen few people match. And once I got my own head out of my you know what we became great friends. Years later I was able to look back and see that regardless of her reasons, she was giving me a chance and it was a great gift to get. And we're still friends today. Well, actually more like family, along with our other friends, Meaghan and Maureen. 

Aunt Joanne's Vegetable Mush (named by Atticus:-)

So, I was so hungry that I forgot to get a pretty picture of the vegetable mush before digging in. It was yummy!!!

The original recipe for this dish comes from the Fat Free Vegan blog. I made this for the first time several months ago and was baffled as to why it didn't have much flavor. Potatoes are yum! Veggies are yum! So potatoes and veggies together should be yum yum! The next day when I was eating leftovers I decided to add a little butter and suddenly this dish tasted amazing. Clearly, my taste buds are not ready to part ways with dairy.

I made this again a few weeks ago when my family was over and my nephew, Atticus, decided to name it vegetable mush. My sister Michele made this at her house the same week and added chicken. Atticus declared that he liked my recipe better. Score one for the vegetarians!!! Woohoo!!!

I still follow the basics of the recipe. I just use butter and milk for the mashed potatoes, add any veggies I like and leave out the mushrooms.

Enjoy the recipe. Especially you, Mom:-)

p.s. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I'm working on it.

Bondi Bands! WooHoo!

Ever since seeing Bondi Bands reviewed on a blog a while ago I have been dying to try them. I have not been able to find a headband that actually stays on my head. I love to wear headbands while I'm cleaning or working out and if it's cute enough, in everyday life. But the headband would always start at the front of my head and slowly or quickly slide back until it fell off.

Well, not anymore. I have an awesome friend who gave me one as a gift a few days ago. I put it on the first night for a little while and it stayed put. I put it on the next morning and wore it until the afternoon and still it didn't budge. Bondi Bands are amazing! Thank you so much, awesome friend!!!

You might be wondering why my awesome friend chose the awesome saying "just don't be last". My friend and I have gone hiking with a meetup group many times together. Everyone knows I am a slow walker and that applies to my hiking as well. I always wait and start walking with the folks in the back of the group. And even though my friend could be leading the group of 60 to 1oo hikers she is always happy to keep pace with me so we can chat. :-)


However, even though I like being at the back of the group, I hate being last. And I didn't even fully realize this about myself until our last hike. 

In this hiking group there have been a few people that were always a bit behind me and my friend. But not this particular Sunday. They were blasting past us. And when I realized that we were the last two my friend got to see me have a silly, meant to make her laugh, plotting how to change the circumstances back in my favor, freak out about it. Even though I was trying to be funny about it, the truth is my pride was hurting and she knew it. 


Just don't be last!!! 

Do you know where 303 Mason Jar Road is?

So, I spent days trying to come up with a name for my blog. I wanted something cute and catchy that represented me. Cute and catchy is for others to decide. Represents me? Definitely! The other day my sister read the name out loud and then looked at me questioningly. Afraid that I was being judged this is what came rushing out.

303- I'm thirty right now. I want to have my life together in three years.

Mason Jar- I love mason jars. I drink out of them everyday. I think they're pretty and great for putting flowers in and other decorations... The idea of having mason jar in the title came to me and I had to do it. Mason jars give me a feeling of home.

Road- I wanted to have a sense of being on a path and being on a journey to get home. Because really that is a big part of this blog. It is a way to document my journey to becoming the person I want to be and finding my way "home" to a life that I can be proud of.

Thankfully my sister loved the name, loves mason jars as well, and said that 303 Mason Jar Road is a place she wants to go. I hope other folks feel the same way  :-)

What does home mean to you? What images does it bring to mind? 

Like I said, I drink out of mason jars every day. I had a few I used before moving to CA. I got back in the habit of using them after breaking one or two of my sister and brother-in-law's pretty glasses. I'm pretty klutzy. I noticed that they bought pasta sauce that came in mason jars and decided to clean them and use them as drinking glasses since it wouldn't matter if I broke one. And I haven't broken a drinking glass since then, though other objects have not been so lucky.


Song of the day:

Harlem River Blues by Justin Townes Earle

Quote of the Day:

"... if you can't run, then walk. And if you can't walk, then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, ever give up." 

Mr. Karnazes to  his son, Dean Karnazes - Ultramarathon Man pg.152

Batman and Piggy

I live with my sister and brother-in-law here in sunny California. They have two awesome pit bulls that I love dearly but man can they be pains in the tookus. My sister and I had our three nephews over for the day yesterday and the dogs spent a bit of that time out on the balcony. This is what I found:

My thoughts. "Why is Batman laying here? He never smooshes himself up against the door and wall like that. Maybe it's too hot out there for them."

"Oh, no. There's the reason why. Someone ate his seat. Where's Piggy?"

"Um, yeah. It was her."

Piggy has been making it her job to eat all of the pillows and cushions in the house. She's lucky she's so sweet and cute.

By the way, pay no attention to the date and time stamp on my pictures. They're both wrong.

Anyone else have any fun pet stories?