Thursday, October 9, 2014
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : I AM ALL FOR DABBLING!
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : I AM ALL FOR DABBLING!: So you saw something somewhere and thought to yourself... "I should try that" or "I wish I could do that"!!! ......Then....
I AM ALL FOR DABBLING!
So you saw something somewhere and thought to yourself... "I should try that" or "I wish I could do that"!!! ......Then..... NOTHING... there wishful thinking or idea just gone...
I ask you why?
There are often blessings and down sides to being Bipolar but one of the huge blessing is I am always up for trying something new. Luckily this wanting to try something new is not in reckless activities but in my creativity. So when I can get some down time I am on Pinterest, in craft groups, reading books, and so forth seeing what sparks my interest...and I can tell you it does not take much to get these creative juices flowing and growing. Now there are often 900 thoughts, 900 ideas, 70 different directions going off at once but when thing stands out I make a plan for the creative idea, go with, and DABBLE!
When I dabble I have learned 2 majors concepts and within those concepts tons of other concepts that can go on and on but there is truly not enough time for that!
I have tons of what I views of successes and what I view as epic fails or something that did not turn out what I thought it should be!
I view this as a success. By no means is this some major blog with tons of readers but I now have an outlet of somewhat. When I first started writing my blog was really all over the place and I mean all over the place. It was almost diary like..who wants to read that? So I narrowed it down and focused on really what I wanted my blog to be about. Even though it is far from perfect I am very happy with the direction it is going in.
I was so blessed with great eaters as kids and of course I have a husband that is a great eater as well so I can explore some awesome recipes. I view these as both as successes as an epic fails! Some have turned out awesome and others have turned out others have ended up in the category of what was I thinking to even try this!!! What I love about this hubs finds recipes and they magically appear somewhere for me to try ;-) .
This is probably the biggest area where I dabble. With this major area of dabble I have produced some epic successes and epic failures. However, with each success and failure I keep dabbling and my list keeps growing of things to try.
This is probably the second biggest area where I dabble but always on the growing the side. With this other major area of dabble I have produced some epic successes and epic failures. However, my list of DIY projects is always growing and on my to-do-list to try.
So stop saying "I should try this", "I wish I could do that", " I do not have creative bone in my body", and so on. Just do it!!! It is amazing what you will discover about yourself!!!!
I ask you why?
There are often blessings and down sides to being Bipolar but one of the huge blessing is I am always up for trying something new. Luckily this wanting to try something new is not in reckless activities but in my creativity. So when I can get some down time I am on Pinterest, in craft groups, reading books, and so forth seeing what sparks my interest...and I can tell you it does not take much to get these creative juices flowing and growing. Now there are often 900 thoughts, 900 ideas, 70 different directions going off at once but when thing stands out I make a plan for the creative idea, go with, and DABBLE!
When I dabble I have learned 2 majors concepts and within those concepts tons of other concepts that can go on and on but there is truly not enough time for that!
1. It was an EPIC FAIL...what in the world was I thinking!!!
2. It was a Success!!!
I started a blog
I view this as a success. By no means is this some major blog with tons of readers but I now have an outlet of somewhat. When I first started writing my blog was really all over the place and I mean all over the place. It was almost diary like..who wants to read that? So I narrowed it down and focused on really what I wanted my blog to be about. Even though it is far from perfect I am very happy with the direction it is going in.
I started experimenting with recipes
I was so blessed with great eaters as kids and of course I have a husband that is a great eater as well so I can explore some awesome recipes. I view these as both as successes as an epic fails! Some have turned out awesome and others have turned out others have ended up in the category of what was I thinking to even try this!!! What I love about this hubs finds recipes and they magically appear somewhere for me to try ;-) .
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| Fresh Strawberry Tart I Made! Photo: Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
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| Roasted Aspargus Photo Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
Craft dabbling
This is probably the biggest area where I dabble. With this major area of dabble I have produced some epic successes and epic failures. However, with each success and failure I keep dabbling and my list keeps growing of things to try.
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| Crochet Hat Photo: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
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| My Love Bug One of My First Attempts Of A Small Lovey Photo: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
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| One of My First Bows For My Daughter Photo: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
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| My First Deco Mesh Wreath and As You Can See It I Need A lot of Improvement Photo: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
DIY
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| My DIY Nails for the for my friends party. I loved how they turned out but it took me over two hours to get the stuff off!!! Photo: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
So stop saying "I should try this", "I wish I could do that", " I do not have creative bone in my body", and so on. Just do it!!! It is amazing what you will discover about yourself!!!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : Books, Books, Books! TIPS ON HOW TO SAVE FOR A BOO...
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : Books, Books, Books! TIPS ON HOW TO SAVE FOR A BOO...: I know I have not written in a bit but have been busy on my end with life events and summer. So I have been wanting to write a post about th...
Books, Books, Books! TIPS ON HOW TO SAVE FOR A BOOKWORM
I know I have not written in a bit but have been busy on my end with life events and summer. So I have been wanting to write a post about this for a while now and as I am taking a break from my book my words and thoughts are a little clearer so what better time to write about how I acquire books!
If you do not know I am a book worm and I actually family members past and present that would have their nose in a book. I am always trying to seek out new authors, new reads, and so forth to keep my bookish habit appeased. Now even though this hobby is on the cheaper side of hobbies it can still get expensive very quickly for the most avid reader to the person who picks up a book up now and then.
So here are my tips on how to get your books cheap or free!!!
1. NEVER BUY THE BOOK WHEN IT FIRST COMES OUT! Twilight Series, Harry Potter, Fifty Shades of Gray, Hunger Games and so on the must reads and the must haves. Got you biting at the bit? Just say no! As amazing as most of these books are they will likely be hardcover and higher price. Wait until they publish it in soft cover. If you must have it hardcover buy it used!
2. BUY YOUR BOOKS USED! Find a local used book store, 2nd Charles, library sales, thrift stores, and local garage sales to pick up books. Being a military family I have moved around a lot and one thing I always looked for is used book stores. I personally love locally owned used book stores because they usually have their own personality and charm! Most local used book stores will offer used books half of the retail price or cheaper. Also will have a credit system for turning in your used quality books! 2nd Charles is similar to a local used book store except they are a national chain and a sister company to Books-A-Million. They often run sales as well. The last sale I came across was on their clearance was buy one get one free and when you are a $15 budget you cannot hit payday better than that when the books are ranging between $0.50-1.00!
3. GO TO YOUR LIBRARY! Who would have thought? Yep there are books there! I know I am being a little bit of a smart a** but you can check out books too read and return them to check out new ones. Just make sure to return them on time or you will have to pay the late fees like my brother has done for my sister-in-law more than once (not unless you turn it in on amnesty day). However, it has been brought to my attention that numerous libraries have set up eBook libraries as well that allow you to check out eBooks for a period of time on your device then will remove it when the time is up.
4. STAY AWAY FROM BOOK CLUBS! Buy 4 books for $1? Sounds like a great deal but then you read the fine print and you have to buy X number of books at regular price in a certain time period. It really is a big hassle because what they do not also tell you in these book clubs is that pre-select books for you each month in which you have the option to opt out of in X amount of days before your card is charged and sent to you. You have to remember to opt out each month of their monthly selection if it is no the book you want and if you forget to opt out and they send the book you can either send it back to get partial refund (minus refund) or suck it up and keep it!!! In other words it is one big hassle and one big money waste!
5. GET FREE BOOKS ON AMAZON! If you have a Kindle or the Kindle App you can get tons of books free on Amazon! I have probably over 900 books on my Kindle and I have probably only paid for only 20 since I have had my kindle for several years now. There are not only a lot up and coming authors offering their books for free (which I have a lot of) but well known authors such as Patterson, Bond, and Webb will offer one day for free. There are tons of sites that you can sign up for that can let you know which books are free or sale on Amazon that day. I do not use these sites I like the thrill of the hunt and actually like finding these gems on Amazon. That is how I found Peggy Webb, she was offering the first book in a funny series for free for one day I snagged it, read it, and now have purchased two of eBooks in the series (will be purchasing the rest down the road).
6. FIND OTHER READERS! Find other bookworms in your area whether this a friend or a local book club. The point is if you find someone who also is an avid reader they maybe up for sharing, swapping, or giving a book they have read. The beautiful part of this you may discover a new author or a new genre of books!
7. JOIN GOODREADS.COM! This is an amazing site for all readers. As much as love this site for just being for bookworm gathers. There are also two neat things about this site. Authors often join this site upcoming authors as well more famous authors. You can become their fans and in some cases they will even befriend you. I am friends with a couple of authors even a couple of known Authors. I have even had Authors message me offering me a free copy of their book in return for a free honest review usually on Amazon and/or Goodreads. The other thing Goodreads offer is giveaways! They have an area where authors, publishers, and groups run giveaways for books! What I like about it is pretty much 24/7 and in almost everything you can think of. You are not required to purchase anything and even not required to leave a review on the book you have won. Now I never win anything and I have won a couple books from them!
So there you have it how I have save on my love of reading!!!
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| Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life- A picture of my favorite used book store |
If you do not know I am a book worm and I actually family members past and present that would have their nose in a book. I am always trying to seek out new authors, new reads, and so forth to keep my bookish habit appeased. Now even though this hobby is on the cheaper side of hobbies it can still get expensive very quickly for the most avid reader to the person who picks up a book up now and then.
So here are my tips on how to get your books cheap or free!!!
1. NEVER BUY THE BOOK WHEN IT FIRST COMES OUT! Twilight Series, Harry Potter, Fifty Shades of Gray, Hunger Games and so on the must reads and the must haves. Got you biting at the bit? Just say no! As amazing as most of these books are they will likely be hardcover and higher price. Wait until they publish it in soft cover. If you must have it hardcover buy it used!
2. BUY YOUR BOOKS USED! Find a local used book store, 2nd Charles, library sales, thrift stores, and local garage sales to pick up books. Being a military family I have moved around a lot and one thing I always looked for is used book stores. I personally love locally owned used book stores because they usually have their own personality and charm! Most local used book stores will offer used books half of the retail price or cheaper. Also will have a credit system for turning in your used quality books! 2nd Charles is similar to a local used book store except they are a national chain and a sister company to Books-A-Million. They often run sales as well. The last sale I came across was on their clearance was buy one get one free and when you are a $15 budget you cannot hit payday better than that when the books are ranging between $0.50-1.00!
3. GO TO YOUR LIBRARY! Who would have thought? Yep there are books there! I know I am being a little bit of a smart a** but you can check out books too read and return them to check out new ones. Just make sure to return them on time or you will have to pay the late fees like my brother has done for my sister-in-law more than once (not unless you turn it in on amnesty day). However, it has been brought to my attention that numerous libraries have set up eBook libraries as well that allow you to check out eBooks for a period of time on your device then will remove it when the time is up.
4. STAY AWAY FROM BOOK CLUBS! Buy 4 books for $1? Sounds like a great deal but then you read the fine print and you have to buy X number of books at regular price in a certain time period. It really is a big hassle because what they do not also tell you in these book clubs is that pre-select books for you each month in which you have the option to opt out of in X amount of days before your card is charged and sent to you. You have to remember to opt out each month of their monthly selection if it is no the book you want and if you forget to opt out and they send the book you can either send it back to get partial refund (minus refund) or suck it up and keep it!!! In other words it is one big hassle and one big money waste!
5. GET FREE BOOKS ON AMAZON! If you have a Kindle or the Kindle App you can get tons of books free on Amazon! I have probably over 900 books on my Kindle and I have probably only paid for only 20 since I have had my kindle for several years now. There are not only a lot up and coming authors offering their books for free (which I have a lot of) but well known authors such as Patterson, Bond, and Webb will offer one day for free. There are tons of sites that you can sign up for that can let you know which books are free or sale on Amazon that day. I do not use these sites I like the thrill of the hunt and actually like finding these gems on Amazon. That is how I found Peggy Webb, she was offering the first book in a funny series for free for one day I snagged it, read it, and now have purchased two of eBooks in the series (will be purchasing the rest down the road).
6. FIND OTHER READERS! Find other bookworms in your area whether this a friend or a local book club. The point is if you find someone who also is an avid reader they maybe up for sharing, swapping, or giving a book they have read. The beautiful part of this you may discover a new author or a new genre of books!
7. JOIN GOODREADS.COM! This is an amazing site for all readers. As much as love this site for just being for bookworm gathers. There are also two neat things about this site. Authors often join this site upcoming authors as well more famous authors. You can become their fans and in some cases they will even befriend you. I am friends with a couple of authors even a couple of known Authors. I have even had Authors message me offering me a free copy of their book in return for a free honest review usually on Amazon and/or Goodreads. The other thing Goodreads offer is giveaways! They have an area where authors, publishers, and groups run giveaways for books! What I like about it is pretty much 24/7 and in almost everything you can think of. You are not required to purchase anything and even not required to leave a review on the book you have won. Now I never win anything and I have won a couple books from them!
So there you have it how I have save on my love of reading!!!
Thursday, July 24, 2014
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : DIY: Bachelorette Favor Bags!
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : DIY: Bachelorette Favor Bags!: So when I was put in charge of my friends Bachelorette Party I do not take my job lightly. One of the things I wanted for the party we...
DIY: Bachelorette Favor Bags!
Here is how I made the favors for the Bachelorette Party!
The first thing you will need is to decide is the "basket" that will hold all the goodies. This does not have to be a basket it can be a bowel, cup, jar, bucket, wine glasses, and so on. Be creative almost anything can be used as a basket! I found these bowls at the Dollar Tree they are 4 for $1. I also decided to use the favor bags to help hold the goodies in because I had to haul these favors down to Florida. Now I keep tons of these on hand for bow packing but I also get these at the Dollar Tree in Party Section. They even sell them in them in clear but I liked these for the theme I was going for and had them on hand! You can also buy them at craft stores and party stores but they are more expensive and I cannot tell the difference so if you want more bang for your buck pick them up at the Dollar Tree.
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| Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
The second thing you will need to do is decide is what to put into the "baskets"! Now this is where most of your budget will go. You will also need to decide what type of baskets you are making and what I mean by that is how "adult" themed you are going to make them. If you look up ideas or even look for bachelorette party items you basically can see what I mean by "adult" theme. I decided on my items based on who would likely be coming to the party and did not want to have to tailor the favors to guest. I knew because the first part of the bachelorette party there were going to be two teenagers from the bridal party, the mother of the bride, and none of us were huge drinkers that I did not want to make a wine/bar themed gift basket. So I decided to go on a pink and spa like basket!!!
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| Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
I was actually to get all of these items at Dollar Tree Store and the dollar sections of stores. Some of the items came in multiples in a package such as nail file, Tylenol, gum, tissue, and hand sanitizer. I do suggest when you are buying goodies for your favors that you buy all at one time to make sure you have enough for the favors. No I do not mean you have buy ALL the goodies for the favors at once if you are on a budget or looking for a specific item. What I mean by that is when you find one item for the basket is buy enough for the entire amount of favors you are making so you are not scrambling to find matching or similar items. I found by making sure that I have all the same items for favors that you stay on budget.
The next thing you want to do is decide how you want to place things in the basket, if any items need to come out of its package, and if your basket needs filler. I did not take any pictures (sorry) for this part but I did add filler and took the nail polish out it package.
I placed the bowl inside the favor bag first. I found this made it easier to place and position the goodies.
I then added filler to bowl. I bought two packages of pretty but pain my butt plastic shinny shreds. You can find them at Dollar Tree where I bought mine or you can purchase it party stores or craft stores. They all kinds of filler and if you decide to use one just find the one that will make your basket pop!
Next add the items to your basket any which way you feel!
If you used a favor bag or something that is holding everything together make sure it closed. I just simply twisted the favor bag and used the twist ties that came with favor bags. You know the dreaded bread ties! I then added curling ribbon as finishing touch!
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| Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
A view of all the Gift Bags... Sorry on the Book Shelf again (you may actually notice this a lot)... They were going to Florida so there is no fancy table display and it keeps it away from little hands!
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| Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
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| Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life |
HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : Frugal Lifestyle Check In Number One... and Where ...
A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : Frugal Lifestyle Check In Number One... and Where ...: Well it has been just about two months since my family and I decided to start living a frugal lifestyle. Now I thought about checking in abo...
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