F3YRecipes for Life

Recipes For Life

9 Tips To Finding Happiness In The Ordinary

By

We all grew up equating happiness with celebrating special occasions, reaching milestones and achieving coveted objects. It’s your birthday. You’re graduating. You just bought your dream car. These events are cause for joy and jubilee. For the average person living an ordinary life, fame and fortune can be mesmerizing. But the reality is, everyday life is filled with humdrum activities. And since we are programmed not to find contentment in the mundane, disappointment sets in. Familiarity breeds ordinariness, which in turn dampens its enjoyment. There is an unspoken belief that only extraordinary elements can bring satisfaction. But finding happiness in the ordinary is not an impossible goal.

If your pursuit of this sought-after emotion seems elusive, there is even more reason to seek it in the cycle of daily living. It’s just a matter of changing perspectives and attitudes and is not as difficult as it seems. [Read more…]

12 Days of Christmas

By

Image Source: Wikipedia
Image Source: Wikipedia

During the Christmas Season, one of the most ubiquitous carols is the 12 Days of Christmas. It’s practically a staple in any Christmas Carol fest and sung by choirs. While you’re trying to remember what gift was given on a particular day (and trying desperately to catch your breath at the same time), have you ever wondered what those gifts mean? Surely no “true love” would give partridges in pear trees right?

From mid 1500 to early 1800, Roman Catholics in England could not openly practice their faith. As such, christmas songs became the avenue by which catechism was taught to the young. On the surface, Christmas carols appear like catchy ditties, but on a deeper level, these songs convey messages that only those of the same faith can understand.

Image Source: Wikipedia
Image Source: Wikipedia

So what’s behind the lyrics? According to an article published on the Catholic News Agency, the “True Love” referred to is not a romantic sweetheart but God the Father, and the 12 Days of Christmas actually represent the following:

a partridge in a pear tree - represents Jesus Christ who died on the cross, the same way a partridge would willingly sacrifice its life for its young.

two turtle doves - Old and New Testaments

three French hens -  faith, hope and love

four calling birds - the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

five golden rings - 1st 5 books of the Old Testament

six geese a-laying – Six days of creation

seven swans a-swimming – Sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit (Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy)

eight maids a-milking – the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)

nine ladies dancing - nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Mildness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency)

ten lords a-leaping – the Ten Commandments

eleven pipers piping - the eleven faithful Apostles

twelve drummers drumming - 12 points of belief in the Apostles Creed.

Who would have thought that Christmas Carols held so much meaning?

3 Ways Fashionable Fundraisers Help to Raise Money for Charity

By

x52290_10151252064602403_1040548733_o-366x244.jpg.pagespeed.ic.HI6MLokkDn

Shopping; it’s what women love to do. Even some men enjoy the experience of shopping. The only thing that could make shopping even better is the idea of shopping for fashionable clothing at the same time you’re helping a charity raise money for a good cause.

The New York Foundling hosted a charity event October 22 at fashion designer Cynthia Rowley’s location in West Village. The event benefited children and families in need. Rowley’s designs were made available at a 10 percent discount, with 10 percent of the purchase price going to the designer’s favorite charitable causes.

This is just one example of exactly how fashion fundraisers are changing the face of fundraising and charitable giving. [Read more…]