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The Family First
Newsletter
Promoting family unity one issue at a time
Vol. 10 Issue 43 - Week of November 12, 2007
ISSN: 1527-6201
©2007 - Joyce Pierce --All Rights Reserved
In this issue:
Walking With Gratitude
The Power of Positive Notes
Fabric Gift Bags
Pretzel Jell-o Salad
Good morning!
Today is Veteran's
Day, or at least the day we observe it as a holiday.
This is a wonderful time to give thanks for all
those who have served in the armed forces. I
have two uncles who served in the Army back in WWII
and fortunately they both came back home.
Thousands of men and women have sacrificed so much,
even their lives, to preserve our freedoms.
They gave too much for us to take it for granted.
I'm grateful for
holidays that make us stop and think about their
meaning. Yesterday at church we sang "America
the Beautiful," and I can never make it through that
entire song without getting emotional. I'm
grateful for our forefathers and grateful I was born
in this great land. Maybe you have
served in the military, and chances are that right
now you have a family member or friend who is
serving. Whether you agree or disagree
with our involvement in Iraq, it's important to
support our troops. Instead of being
involved in anti-war activities, focus on ways to
bring peace. One of the ways we can
fight for our freedoms here at home is to vote.
Instead of complaining about your world, your
country, your state, city or county, learn
about your candidates and know what and who you're
supporting. By being an informed voter, you
can choose that person who will represent you in
Washington.
Here's a site where
you can vote on important issues to see which
candidate comes the closest to representing you
http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html
Once you hit submit, you'll have a bunch of
advertising pages, but you can skip right through
them to find out which candidate, or candidates are
for you.
As Thanksgiving
approaches, I'm including four of my own articles in
today's newsletter. They're not new, and
if you've been a subscriber for awhile, you've seen
them before. I hope at least one of them
will benefit you in some way this week.
For a great gift to awaken your
Christmas spirit, check out Marnie Pehrson's, "Miss
Humbug," at
http://www.misshumbug.com/ It's a f
ree download, all yours just for clicking and
referring 3 friends. If you like what you
read, you can also purchase the book as a gift for
yourself or friends. Also,
check out my "24 Days of Christmas," at
www.emersopublications.com/24days.htm .
You'll have a scripture and a story for each day of
December leading up to the birth of Christ.
Books are one of my favorite gifts to give and
receive because they are always the right size!
I hope you'll share this
newsletter with someone who may need to read it
today!
Joyce Moseley Pierce
P.S. Be sure to
visit our sponsors!
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Walking with Gratitude
Joyce Moseley Pierce
During this season of gratitude and thanksgiving, I wanted to write about
something we do every day with very little thought. Something we’ve been
doing since we were very small. Most of us did
it before we even talked. I’m talking about walking.
The way I see it, there are basically four reasons we walk.
1.Travel – To get from one place to another. We don’t even think about getting
up each morning and walking from our bed to the bathroom, but I watched my elderly
grandmother as an invalid for many years and gained an appreciation for my ability to get up and go wherever I
wanted without help from anyone else.
2.Pleasure – I remember taking walks with my grandfather and my dad as a child,
and that tradition has continued with my own grandkids. When the grandkids
come to visit, they love to walk down to the lake in our neighborhood to
feed the ducks. Part of the enjoyment, I believe, is just being away from
everyone else. We walk, we talk, and we just enjoy one another’s company. When I
was in Las Vegas for the birth of a new granddaughter, I walked the other two
kids to school one day. My granddaughter, Olivia, who was 5 at the time, stopped
other kids along the way to say, “My grandma is walking me to school.” She was
so proud, and I am so thankful to have the health to be able to walk with her.
3.Exercise – Walking is one of the best ways to exercise. You can walk at the
pace you need to
reach the desired heart rate. All you need is a pair of good walking shoes. No
clubs to join.
No classes to attend. You can walk during the day or at night. Inside or out. In
the mall or
on a treadmill. If you need more of a challenge, you can carry a backpack with
additional weight,
or you can swing your arms to raise your heart rate. You will find that your
legs have to move as fast as your arms. Even if you’re uncoordinated, it is
impossible for your legs not to follow your arms. Try it.
4.Peace of mind – You’ve heard of the “fight or flight” response? When I am
upset or when I have
things to work out in my mind, I go for a walk. I may start out stomping
as I try to release anger, but by the time I get back home, I have worked
through it and my mind has been cleared so that I can think rationally.
Instead of sitting in a chair stewing about a problem, or getting into a
fight with someone, walking can be great therapy, and you may be able to find a
rational way to resolve
the problem.
I suppose walking is one of those things I’m especially grateful for because
when I was a year old my mother realized I wasn’t walking properly. It looked
like one leg was longer than the other, but the actual problem was that the leg
hadn’t joined the hip properly. After tearfully pleading with other family
members who wanted to deny there was anything wrong with their little girl, she
made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon and I was put in a body cast that
went from under my arms to my knees. I spent the next year in that cast. I
probably weighed as much as my mother did with that plaster cast. As an adult,
my aunts and uncles told me about how horrified they had been when they saw "the
horrible cast" and feared it would keep me from doing things other one year-olds
did. They told of their joy when they saw that I not only learned to walk, but
run and climb in spite of the challenges I had.
Probably the most valuable lesson from that experience was that I learned that
with encouragement, I could not only walk, but I was given the confidence
to believe that I could do anything.
On Thanksgiving when you stuff yourself with turkey, instead of curling up on
the couch and taking a nap, think about taking a walk instead. It will help
revive you and give you the time you need to think about the things you’re
grateful for.
Copyright 2002 Joyce Moseley Pierce
Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of
Emerson Publications. Her latest release is “24 Days of Christmas,” to help
families center on the birth of Christ during the holiday season. She is also
the creator of “All They’ll Need to Know,” a book that will be invaluable to
your loved ones when you can’t be there to guide them. Visit
www.emersonpublications.com for
lots of good family-friendly information.
Christmas is about so much more than gizmos and gifts and tinsel
and trees. It's about warm memories, smiling faces, happy hearts, generous
spirits, and peace on earth. If you believe as I do that the former glory of
Christmas should be restored, I hope you'll get your complimentary copy of
Miss Humbug, the novel about Elaina
Houston - a high powered executive who learns what the Spirit of Christmas is
all about.
The Power of Positive Notes
by Joyce Moseley Pierce
As a child, I was taught that it was just good
manners to send notes to acknowledge the receipt
of gifts. When someone took the time to pick
out something for you, it was only right that
you thanked them properly. That didn't mean just
saying, "Thank you." It meant writing a note
telling them how much you appreciated it.
There were two reasons for this note. One, was
to let the person know you received it. The
second was to show them that you did, indeed,
appreciate the thought. It didn't matter whether
or not you liked the item - it was, after all,
the thought that counted.
Knowing how to write notes came in handy when
I got married and as I had children. There were
notes to send for wedding and baby gifts, and
because I had been taught how to write these
notes as a child, it wasn't that difficult.
As I got older, I realized that there are many
uses for notes. If you're only writing notes
for physical gifts that have been given to you,
then you're missing the boat.
Here are a few suggestions for sending a note:
1. To tell someone how much you appreciate
their friendship or their example.
2. To a speaker telling them how much they inspired
you. Comment on one particular point that stood
out for you, or compliment them on their delivery.
3. To tell someone how they have changed
your life. What did they do that helped you
to set goals to become the person you are today?
4. To thank someone for doing something special
for you. If someone brings you dinner, or a
plate of cookies, be sure to return the container
with a note of appreciation.
5. To your spouse to tell them just how much
you love them. Surprise them by tucking the note
into their briefcase or suitcase to be found later.
Guaranteed to bring a smile to their faces.
6. To share something you observed that might
be of interest to them.
7. To share a quote! I have a friend who knows
I am particularly fond of Ralph Waldo Emerson
quotes. If she finds one, she can't wait to
send it to me. I love the quotes, but what
means the most is that she took time out of her
busy day to write it down and send it to me.
People love hearing good things about themselves.
As Dale Carnegie says, people just love to hear
their names and positive feedback.
I recently observed a loving act between a
husband, wife and their small child. I don't
know what the problem was, or what the
father said, but I witnessed something beautiful
between the three of them that day. I was so
touched by it that I thought about it for days.
I told the woman about my feelings, but her
husband was traveling and I didn't get to tell
him. I decided to try to put my observation
in words and sent it in an email.That evening, I got this reply:
"What a wonderful note that I so needed this
evening! I have been in California all week
working and feeling weighed down with some
intense and difficult projects until late
each evening. I just got back to the hotel
tonight and read this note for the first time.
After feeling the pressures of the world all
week, your note was a wonderful and sensitive
gesture that really lifted me."
These notes don't have to be long. You don't
have to type them, but if that's the best
way for you to express yourself, then go for it.
It's the words that count - not necessarily the
method of delivery.
I have a friend who tries to write a note to
someone every day. If you're going to set a
hefty goal like that for yourself, you're going
to have to pay attention to what's going on
around you so that you'll find good things to
write about!
I think that sometimes we are so busy going about
our day that we don't stop to look at the
beautiful things that are going on around us.
Take just a moment each evening to think about
something that touched you that day, and then
share it. Don't keep it to yourself. Send a
note to someone else and spread the joy!
Do you or does anyone in your family suffer with eczema, psoriasis, or dry skin?
We have something that's more effective than Eucerin, and less expensive than
prescription medications. Safe for any age. Even safe for diaper
rash. Take a look:
http://www.familyfirst.wellness.com
Fabric Gift Bags
by: Joyce Moseley Pierce
As my children were growing up, it always bothered me to buy wrapping
paper only to see it ripped open and thrown in the fireplace or trash after
Christmas gifts were opened. I tried using comics but soon discovered I didn't
like the black newsprint it left on my hands and everyone else's. For me, gift
wrap was right up there with fireworks - we spent good money only to see it go up in smoke. I began to look for a solution.
I bought craft paper and stenciled things on it, but still, I felt the paper was
going to waste. Then one year after Christmas I saw holiday fabric on sale and
had an idea! I bought yard after yard of it on clearance and brought it home to
make gift bags.
I cut the fabric in various sizes. Sometimes I only got 2-3 bags out of a yard,
but I knew that they would be able to hold the bigger items, and better yet - I
would be able to reuse them next year. I basically cut and sewed them like a
pillowcase. I sewed a seam up three sides and left the top open. Then I
turned that edge in slightly and stitched it on the machine to finish it off.
Then I folded it in about 3 inches (or more on bigger bags) and hemmed it. I
then put another row of stitching about a half inch above that one to create a
casing for the ribbon. I slipped a piece of ribbon through the casing and tied
it shut. If you have nosey kids, you may want to tie a knot!
Once the gifts are stuffed in the fabric bags and poofed up with tissue paper,
stand them up around the tree and enjoy your creative artwork! They look
like miniature Santa bags. The best thing, besides the fact that in the long run
you are saving money by not buying wrapping paper, is that you don't spend hours
wrapping the gifts and don't need scotch tape or bows. One satin ribbon will
last the lifetime of the bag. I still use gift tags and punch a hole in them so
they can be run through the ribbon. You might save old Christmas cards and cut
them up for gift tags.
At first my kids hated it - I guess they liked the sound of the ripping paper
and the big mess it created. As years went by, I was determined to make this
work, and feel I have now succeeded. I continue to buy fabric occasionally
because my family has grown and now includes in-laws and grandchildren. I make
the bags big enough that I can insert a shirt box, or whatever size I may be
using. Sometimes I just wrap the item with a lot of tissue paper and then stuff
it in the fabric bag. Tissue paper allows people to hear the crunching of paper and seems to satisfy
the need for noise! Tissue paper is also reusable for the same purpose next
year. Just fold it up and put it away with the bags. All of the bags can
be folded and stuffed inside the largest bag. You can save space, time, and
money.
If you have wrapping paper left over from last year (some people unwrap gifts
and save the paper) try running it through a shredder to use as stuffing for
your bags. The fuller the bags, the cuter they look under the tree.
Use whatever fabric catches your eye or whatever is on sale. I like the red and
green holiday fabric, but I've since incorporated some blue and gold into
the group. Even plain muslin or pillow ticking can look good if you spice it up
with fancy ribbon. Be creative.
Copyright 2002 Joyce Moseley Pierce
Looking for a way to prepare your children the entire month
of December. "24 Days of Christmas" is a great way to have
your own advent experience. Download this book today and use
it for years. Contains a scripture and a story for each day
of December leading up to Christmas Day. This is a gift your
family will enjoy year after year.
http://www.emersonpublications.com/24days.htm
Jell-O Pretzel Salad
by Joyce Moseley Pierce
My friend, Carlie, introduced me to this salad at a church Christmas party.
It is so good! I ate until I just about made myself sick, but I loved the
blend of salt and sugar!
Jell-O Pretzel Salad
2 c crushed pretzels (like chopped nut
size)
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c melted butter
Mix and pat into 9x13 pan. Bake 10
minutes at 350. Cool.
Filling:
8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 c sugar
Large cool whip
Cream together and spread over cooled
crust.
Topping:
1 large package raspberry Jell-O
dissolved in 2 c boiling water. Stir in 1 large package frozen raspberries,
partially thawed. When nearly set pour over cheese filling. Refrigerate until
firm.
You can also use other berries and
Jell-O flavors.
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