BadArt

Dealing with Daily Depression

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:05:00 +0000

Depression is a sinister evil I must fight every day. Most people who know me would never even think I suffered from depression. Ha, ha I’ve got them fooled. I have not found the right medicine or the best doctor. I have found a plan that keeps me light and bright. There are several things on my regimen that keep the blues at bay.

First and far most I have a plan. Sounds simple but if you have depression it is essential. I wake up early and chauffer children to school. When I return home I have a set amount of time I can loiter on the computer. That is the time I answer emails look at kittens and indulge the email beast. I make time to work out; I work out hard so that I might get my endorphins engaged. My goal is the runners high, the euphoria. This is good.

I work in a restaurant during the mid day. When I am there I am surrounded by young energetic happy go lucky people and the guest who like it when their server is, well, happy. So on days I don’t feel happy I fake it and most days it makes me feel happy. I am happy to come home tired and ready to greet my family and have a good meal. I enjoy making good healthy meals while listening to the radio.

I try to have an event or entertainment planed after dinner also. I may exercise again, crochet or work in my studio. The old saying idle hands are the devils work shop comes to mind. If my hands are busy My mind is at rest. Before bed I plan my next day.

For me the best thing I can do is do the things I enjoy. Crafting painting, reading and I have designed my day to force me out of the house to engage with others in a positive way. A few years ago my sister was fighting cancer and I lost control of the fight with depression and only did what needed to be done. I had crying jags and no desire to do anything. I would spend hours playing a silly game on the computer hiding. When my sister died I felt lost. But My sister was awesome I think she would have been pissed with me wallowing in pity. I’m the person I am because of her and I refuse to live half a life because of depression. So, I’ve got a plan.

Five Reasons to Buy Resale

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:40:00 +0000

Why Buy Resale?

All of us have an article of clothing that makes us feel good, dressed to impress. Lots of times these items could use an up date. A new tie a sweater, jacket or a piece of jewelry would do the job. Remember clothing is your accessory and should highlight positives. How much or where these items come from should be secondary. Be the best you can be does not need to be expensive.

Wedding/Special Event/Job Interview When going to a wedding or special event we run to the mall to find the right outfit. I say first run to your closet and find out if you need something. After shopping at home you may realize you need a specific item to up date a special outfit. Because it is a one time occasion decide if you need to spend full retail money for this purchase. Could you pick up a tie, jacket or dress that does the job online and use the extra money for something else.

Fad/Fashion Are you a slave to fashion? Don’t worry we’ve got resale of that. Plenty of people have great taste and throw things our as soon as the next new style is available. Buy the main article at the mall and fill in the gabs at higher end resale shops. It may take time to find the shops that are right for you but you should enjoy the hunt. There are endless options online as well.

Comfort Equals Worn Some things are just better older. I love my Levi’s and more worn the better they feel. Some people hate to break in dress shoes. Also, I know the exact size, style number and color of my favorite things. This makes it much easier to buy on line or resale.

Shrinking/Growing Some of us are growing to fast while others are shrinking. My youngest grew three inches from July to September this year. All the lovely khaki pants I just bought for school made him look like a perverted Michael Jackson wanna be at the worst time. I went to my local resale shops half price sale and bought 6 pairs of khakis for $12. Two pairs of these pants still had the tags on them. Boys dress clothes make great resale choices because boys grow out of these items before they wear out.

On the other end of the spectrum I am attempting to shrink. Yes, I’d love a new wardrobe for every size change but I can’t afford that. This summer I bought 5 pairs of shorts and a few new sun dresses for the price of one pair of shorts at the mall. I felt good showing off my slimmer bum. Hopefully next summer my bum will be even smaller so I won’t feel bad passing my shorts on down the line for new ones.

Confidence/Style A new out fit makes anyone feel good. It maybe new to you but it has a similar effect of putting a pop in you step. And if it leaves some dollars in your bank account you could feel even better with your new look.

Ebay page for reviews and sale items: http://myworld.ebay.com/allbad3308

SAVINGS= Piece of Mind

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Save A Little Every Week

If you don’t have a nest egg it's a good time to start one. Make a plan and stick to it; put X amount of money away every week. This summer our AC (105degrees this summer in Austin, Texas) went out and I had the money to repair it. I did not have to worry or wonder what would not get paid or have to put it on a credit card. A nest egg is your piece of mind. Here are some steps to getting it done.

Cerebral Agave by Della Badart

Pay yourself first. This means take the first ten percent of your income and immediately put it in savings. I have direct deposit to an online account for savings. This is the account you do not touch. You don’t even look at it. It is there for the big stuff.

Not missing the 10% There are plenty of things we casually do on a daily basis that whittle away at our income. If you have a habit smoking, energy drinks, awesome coffee drinks teak it. Purchase cartons in bulk, buy six packs, an espresso machine would save you money. For example steak dinners restaurant tab for family of four easy 100 bucks easy at home with wine and dessert fifty. Do it smart?

Don’t use credit It Sucks. Look at everything you purchase with a card and imagine the interest rate was attached to the price. Would you pay 10, 15 or 20 percent more for your gas, that trip, dinner? NO. Save the money first than buy it. If you don’t have the money don’t buy. Remember when you wer a kid and you had to wait. Get some patience.

What is an emergency? This is really big. Because dinner with friends, a vacation, and blue dress on sale does not qualify as an emergency. Rethink priorities and use emergency funds and credit only when there really is an emergency. Like your AC going out in the middle of a hot Austin summer.

Budget for your life. The only way to budget is know what your true needs are. To know this you need priorities. If you need to buy a car but you spend twenty bucks a night having drinks or lattes your priorities are screwed up. I’m not saying don’t have a drink but cut down. Three days at home would put $240 a month in you pocket towards a NEW CAR? And if you tried just a little you could find free fun. So set out your expenses and budget for priorities.

The point is to save a little bit every day to make your big dreams reality. The difference between you and the guy with lots of toys is good credit. The difference between him and homelessness is one paycheck.

http://dailyworth.com/posts/1061-A-Chance-to-Double-Your-Savings

$75 Rebate to Downsize Waste

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Free Composting Classes

I've been composting and have had the smallest city garbage can for years. Now I can get a fancy new composter just for taking a composting class sponsored by the City of Austin. My DIY composter needed mending so I think I will take the class and pick up a new composter with the rebate.

The City of Austin is sponsoring a free composting class held at Public libraries. As an incentive to cut back on waste the city is giving a $75 rebate to customers who

Down size their garbage cans to 32 gallon size
Take the Free Composting class
Purchase New Composting System

Classes and more details

Great Idea!

Cultural Revolution Cookbook

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:20:00 +0000

One day my mother screamed at me, “People are starving in China; eat your food.” I felt so bad I cried huge wracking tears I was not hungry I could not help it. This is where I developed the good and bad habit of cleaning my plate. Hearing Sasha Gong talk about the Cultural Revolution made my mother’s tense anguished face appear. People were starving in China. People are straving today.

I love the way they break down the meals to the simplest form. It reminds me no one needs fancy tools to make delicious food. A warm heart, hunger and ingredients make the meal. A little bit of attention to detail make the food good. I can’t wait to see the cookbook that highlights good food without a lot of fuss.

If you were unable to hear the review of the Cultural Revolution Cookbook the link is here.

Acknowledge Waste

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Can you Live Carbon Neutral?

I would like to challenge everyone to recycle or reuse everything they come in contact with for a day, a week or as long as possible. We are so up in arms about plastic bags but many, if not most products we bring in our homes are made of plastic. Shampoo bottles, milk cartons, bags for bread, spice jars the list does not end. I would like to know how many items in the grocery store are recyclable. I would like to look at how many products I could eliminate that are not recyclable or biodegradable.

I have made lots of changes in my life to cut down my carbon foot print. We dropped our Sam’s Club membership years ago because of over packaging and basic over consumption. I hang my laundry to dry, use natural cleansers, recycle everything I can and we have one car. My families’ recycling is double sometimes triple the size of our garbage.

Paper pulp bowl with wax coating

My main activity is creating sustainable crafts. My tasks tend to be crafty. I use recycled material because that’s where my heart is. I could purchase beautiful yarn and new materials for every project but my imagination is pumped using existing supplies. I would like to find reuse for every item I bring into my home.

Companies should have minimum requirements to recycle packaging and products. Industries are getting better about recycling products but it could be better. Can you imagine a company where reuse, repurpose was built into each product. Can you imagine a city that insisted on it?

I have a long way to be completely carbon neutral but I accept the challenge. One day I’ll have an electric car and a solar home and no garbage. I would be living harmoniously with my environment. I would like you to look at the waste you create for one day or week and make changes to do better. If you can’t recycle it acknowledge it.

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20100124/going-carbon-neutral-austin-rocks

Infinite Scarf in Olive

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:50:00 +0000

Olive Infinite Scarf

Just completed this infinite scarf. The weather is not participating me showing it off though. I'll wear it tonight and hope the temperature drops a little.

Small Storage

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:55:00 +0000

I keep my small collections in order with egg cartons. It is a free and easy way to separate buttons, jewelry and other small items. Further they can be stacked and labeled. You can also remove the tops and sit crates one on the other. Hope this helps you get organized and go green.

Easy to find, easy to store recycling

Simplemat Review

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Simple Mat, Simple

Simplemat is just that simple. If I can do it I think anybody can. I am finding that taking mortar out of the equation has made arrangement of the tiles and tile cutting the hard part. I had a paper template of my wall to help me lay out the tile and decide on cuts. I used a small tile cutter from Harbor Freight to cut my tiles. The cutter was awesome for the first four tiles and than I had issues. I took a break and set the Simple mats on the wall. Very easy. Because I have everything laid out it was simple. I would use Simplemat again in a heart beat.

Back Splash Done over a weekend

Easy Guide To Home Repair

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:55:00 +0000

7 Steps to Complete Home Projects

Confidence

You have to start with the confidence that you can complete the job. The skills needed must be something you have or can learn. A librarian is not going to build a swimming pool but a plumber might. People with marginal skills can do great work. Ask yourself if your put your energy and mind to it could you accomplish the task at hand? Could you?

Ask

Professionals are usually glad to let you know how hard it is to do their job. Ask them about the most difficult part of the task. I start with my handy man that is a jack of all trades but has out grown me. He does not have time to do smaller jobs any more but will answer my lame questions. He’s even lent me tools to get bigger jobs done. Over the years my father and brother have taken on lots of jobs and in a pinch I bet they could build a modest house. I also feel they’re a good judge of my skill level and will tell me if I can handle a job.

Study

While you are checking your confidence level you should cost the job. This is an evaluation of what needs to be done exactly; how much each step cost (time and money) and supplies and tools needed. Because, how can you be confident you can do it, if you don’t know what needs to be done. If you are isolated or can’t get help from friends or family this is the time to find experts and ask away. Some of these experts will assume you will eventually give them the work. And sometimes you will. I will never do any electric work and only the most minor plumbing; know your limits. The point is most jobs you don’t know you can’t do until you ask. Recently we took apart a washing machine hoping it needed a belt. When we realized the belt was find we knew we had surpassed our skill level. Walla, a new washer! While looking on line and asking the pros you may find the difficulty makes the job worth the cost of hiring a professional. Or you may increase your skill level. The more you do the more you can do.

Supplies

Be sure you have all the supplies you will need. Set up a staging ground and outline the steps to completion. I just finished tiling a bathroom and there is lots of small steps to get ‘er done. On the ask potion I was intimidated by the wet saw. Well, I hired a guy to cut and lay the tiles and I did the grout work. As you purchase the materials you can organize steps. When putting in a new kitchen my husband and I did the demo and I worked with my handy guy to set the cabinets. This reduced our cost considerably. While helping with the bath I picked up the we saw skills to tile the backslash.

Tools

Every home owner should have a basic set of tools. Certain jobs will require you augment that considerably. Tools for laying tile or demo work mentioned above are easy to borrow or purchase. If a tool is crazy expensive you can rent, borrow or purchase. I found a tile saw was cheaper to purchase than to rent. Yes, now I have the awesome he-man tool but I can use it, sell it or leave it in the garage and I’ll still be ahead. Start with the basics tools and build from there.

Do it!

Once you know you can complete said task, asked the pros, gather your supplies and studied your proverbial butt off your ready. Schedule triple the time to get it done and get started. Copy the pages from the computer, have someone more knowledgeable on speed dial and go!

Have a Go To Person and a Schedule

The go to person could be you. The voice of reason. It could be one of your on call pros. Just have someone to bounce idea off: it will keep that confidence up. And finally have a schedule. I don’t want you to rush but stopping in mid cycle and putting up the tools is to much like quitting. Finish in a timely manner. That being said don’t be afraid to throw in the towel and hire someone if all the confidence, studying and tools won’t help. At least you tried.

Confidence

I end with confidence because it takes confidence to begin and sometimes it takes more to live with the results. I’m the only one who knows where the mistakes are and I’m really proud of my DIY Skills. Hope you can say the same.