Cookin Up Life: "I heart..."

Mason Jars.... I. Love. Them.
They are adorable. I mean you can get them anywhere practically- grandma, mom, antique store, Wal-Mart, online, etc. Recently I got one from my grandma that is the "blue" glass Perfect Mason jar. They are beautiful! But I also have numerous ones in the good ol' clear glass (brands such as Kerr and Ball).
Here are my uses of a Mason Jar:
1. Eco-friendly. You can re-use these things in so many ways.
2. Holds just plain water (no plastic, so that is good, no BPA). It is lighter than a big/bulky 32oz. container that I normally bring in my backpack.
3. Canning soups/jams/kraut (my dad and his mother can kraut every year). Just ask your grandma or mom or Google it.
4. You can transform PLAIN water into tea. Hot tea or iced, whichever one floats your boat. Just put the water-filled jar in the microwave or put your tea bags in the jar and pour boiling water in it (cover with the lid to steep.. it will pop, beware, not loud but it'll make you think "what was that, oh ya my hot tea").
*CAUTION: bring a towel to wrap around it or a coozie/huggie (whatever you wanna call it) because it gets HOT. (Of course I didn't learn that from experience... wink, wink)
5. You can pour your hot coffee in it... or
6. Store nuts, oats, anything really. Even put them in your bathroom with cotton balls, Q-Tips, toothbrushes :)
7. Great to mix salad dressing (EVOO, lemon juice, whatever you desire).
8. They come in different sizes. The big one is perfect for David's smoothies.
9. Good flower holder. Or change collector. OR get a cute one and keep your spare buttons in it (you know those that come attached to the price tags of all your darling clothes. Keep them.... you might need them for repairing, but in the time being they look cool collected in a jar. Wine corks look neat in them too (I keep mine in my desert/banana pudding bowl or in a your favorite water pitcher)
10. Lastly it is a GREAT conversation piece... whether you got it from your family or at a store... just know that people will ask you about it, probably.
*People have asked if I had moonshine in mine (when I just have it filled with clear water, not sure why I felt the need to specify what color the water was, anyways)... like in the middle of a fellow graduate student's presentation he asked that "Is that moonshine?" He couldn't go on without knowing I guess. One time when I was steeping some green tea before another class, a guy asked me if I had a dead animal or body organ in there (I know right?).

I could go on. Trust me.
The good thing about this glass is it is environmentally friendly. Just put it in the dishwasher and BAM use it again yall.
Now you do not have to go out and buy them... more than likely you have some around your place. Don't get me wrong, the prices are not bad, so if you want to go buy some they are not expensive. Here is a link to a variety of sizes: GET EM HERE
You can also start saving your glass containers... I just use my good ol Goo Be Gone and take the labels off of my Salsa, Coconut Oil, Honey and other goodies to use for flower vases, containers, or even using the mini glass jars to store your spices you buy in bulk (way cheaper that way... I use cinnamon in almost EVERYTHING so it is one thing I keep in a bigger jar).
So look beyond the label... you might just have your favorite cup right there in your hand.

Side note: Also... I have seen people collect funky drink glasses of all shapes and sizes then spray paint them all one color and have them on a bookshelf for a decorative element.

Random-- I just got rid of all my 2010 magazines... sad, BUT ready to see what 2011 magazines will inspire me to do. One of my favorite magazines, Whole Living, has a lot of cool eco-friendly ideas for your everyday life. From food to decorating, go check it out. I do keep a big binder with clear covers in there for any article I want to keep from a magazine (recipe, workouts, how-to's, etc.).

I guess I better get back to watching the weather maps to see what this "potential" winter storm is up to. Snow or no snow I am ready for a relaxing weekend... full of rearranging my apartment for the new semester, cleaning, and getting things in order for school to start back Wednesday.

Take care yall.

And just in case you didn't get how AWESOME Mason Jars are... here is a CLEVER idea from good ol Etsy... make Mason Jar Lamps. You could easily just put a candle down in it too.