I did a YouTube video showing my Fall Colors here and the mail I got today... take a look here: https://youtu.be/mioaKRHNIEs
And don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT & SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel! There will be more happy mail videos to come!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Saturday, September 3, 2016
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 3, 2016
Really? Is it really September already? Am I the only one that thinks this summer really flew by too quickly? Fall comes a bit early to us up here in the northland. The trees are already starting to change colors and the nights are getting much cooler. I had to turn on the electric heater the other night... hubby says it's too early to start up the furnace...lol.(not for me!)
Last month I had a nasty fall, thanks in part to wet grass and a dog on the other end of my leash taking off after some small critter. I ended up in the ER and after Xrays, found out I have a compressed disc. It was very painful, and I might still need physical therapy to help relieve some of the pain, as I wanted to limit the prescription paid meds to very minimal (as I DO take care of 2 kids all day), and could really only take them at night.
This is our final weekend of summer vacation. My oldest son started football already (his first year playing), and only has 1 game left after today. Fine with me, I really don't want to sit out on a cold field if I don't have to! I don't envy hockey parents at ALL... wouldn't want to sit in a cold arena. I get enough cold weather as it is. My youngest son just turned 6 (Aug. 31) and has now lost BOTH front teeth, and one bottom front tooth. I told him we should paint him orange for Halloween this year and he can be a Jack-O-Lantern :) We had a nice family visit from my mom (AKA SuperGrandma) a few weekends this summer (Dad can't stay due to asthma) and now are gearing up for back to school. This means lots of medical forms for me (due to allergies, asthma, and my youngest son's Diabetes Type 1). New teachers, new classrooms, new friends, new schedule. It will take a couple weeks for us probably to get into the swing of things. In that time, please pray for my sanity and that I will have good enough health to get back into my craft room and also get my new business up and going (more on that later).
I want to keep doing Happy Mail videos on YouTube, but didn't get much Happy Mail this summer. I have joined 2 new groups on Facebook where we do contests and have fun little giveaways, and got some fun mail from those. I am on a wish group on Facebook (Wishes Galore) where we wish for small things and grant other peoples' wishes. I am still trying to get caught up on sending stuff out for that group, and have received some nice things from people on there.
I also buy/sell on a fun site called Listia (kind of like eBay but you use credits instead of money).
As for swapping and palling... I have quit swapping friendship books, but still swap everything else (label/sticker/goodie/memo bags, slams, decos, exchange slips, postcards, stickers, etc.). No new pals for me at this time. I just can't keep up with writing, and feel bad when it takes me months to get back to people. It's just easier for me to keep up with people on Facebook. (Not on Facebook? Well why not? lol)
Want to exchange happy mail? Find my info here.
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/2016/01/mail-call-happy-mail-2016.html
Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things again this Fall :)
~Barbi
Last month I had a nasty fall, thanks in part to wet grass and a dog on the other end of my leash taking off after some small critter. I ended up in the ER and after Xrays, found out I have a compressed disc. It was very painful, and I might still need physical therapy to help relieve some of the pain, as I wanted to limit the prescription paid meds to very minimal (as I DO take care of 2 kids all day), and could really only take them at night.
This is our final weekend of summer vacation. My oldest son started football already (his first year playing), and only has 1 game left after today. Fine with me, I really don't want to sit out on a cold field if I don't have to! I don't envy hockey parents at ALL... wouldn't want to sit in a cold arena. I get enough cold weather as it is. My youngest son just turned 6 (Aug. 31) and has now lost BOTH front teeth, and one bottom front tooth. I told him we should paint him orange for Halloween this year and he can be a Jack-O-Lantern :) We had a nice family visit from my mom (AKA SuperGrandma) a few weekends this summer (Dad can't stay due to asthma) and now are gearing up for back to school. This means lots of medical forms for me (due to allergies, asthma, and my youngest son's Diabetes Type 1). New teachers, new classrooms, new friends, new schedule. It will take a couple weeks for us probably to get into the swing of things. In that time, please pray for my sanity and that I will have good enough health to get back into my craft room and also get my new business up and going (more on that later).
I want to keep doing Happy Mail videos on YouTube, but didn't get much Happy Mail this summer. I have joined 2 new groups on Facebook where we do contests and have fun little giveaways, and got some fun mail from those. I am on a wish group on Facebook (Wishes Galore) where we wish for small things and grant other peoples' wishes. I am still trying to get caught up on sending stuff out for that group, and have received some nice things from people on there.
I also buy/sell on a fun site called Listia (kind of like eBay but you use credits instead of money).
As for swapping and palling... I have quit swapping friendship books, but still swap everything else (label/sticker/goodie/memo bags, slams, decos, exchange slips, postcards, stickers, etc.). No new pals for me at this time. I just can't keep up with writing, and feel bad when it takes me months to get back to people. It's just easier for me to keep up with people on Facebook. (Not on Facebook? Well why not? lol)
Want to exchange happy mail? Find my info here.
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/2016/01/mail-call-happy-mail-2016.html
Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things again this Fall :)
~Barbi
Monday, May 9, 2016
May 4 - You Are An Original * Hello from sunny MN * Live from Periscope
No happy mail to share yet this week, so I uploaded one of my recent
Periscope videos.
I felt someone needed to hear this simple, but
powerful message...
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
KATCH me I'm FALLING
OK so apparently KATCH (where all my past Periscope videos were located) is closing. Like... gone. Luckily I found out in time, and transferred all my videos over to YouTube. Now I'm in the process of posting the more current mail call scopes on my blog, since you can only view them if you have the link. So if you're here, you can scroll down and see my past 'Scopes' (videos). I am in the process of loading them all here now... so check back. And please Comment, Like, Subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're there :) Thanks, have a great day! :)
Want to exchange happy mail with me?
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/2016/01/mail-call-happy-mail-2016.html
Find all my social media links on my mail blog (look in the right hand column -->)
http://swappermania.blogspot.com/
My art/creativity blog:
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/
Want to exchange happy mail with me?
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/2016/01/mail-call-happy-mail-2016.html
Find all my social media links on my mail blog (look in the right hand column -->)
http://swappermania.blogspot.com/
My art/creativity blog:
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
#happymail scope - Party in my mailbox!!! #snailmail
Recorded Feb. 9, 2016 via Periscope
Want to exchange happy mail with me?
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/2016/01/mail-call-happy-mail-2016.html
Find all my social media links on my mail blog:
http://swappermania.blogspot.com/
My art/creativity blog:
http://createdbybarbi.blogspot.com/
Find me on LISTIA:
https://www.listia.com/profile/102933
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
New Year - No Resolutions
************************************
JAN 2016
New Year - No Resolutions
Hey there swappers and pals! If you've been following my blog or YouTube channel, you're probably wondering where I've been. Still here, freezing in northern Minnesota. It's been a crazy ride for our family the last half of 2015.
My oldest son had a surgery which led to complications, which led to him being in the hospital (he's ok now, but is having trauma/anxiety issues which stems from this medical emergency).
We took a family trip to South Dakota (no, not Mount Rushmore, we went to Sioux Falls since that is where my husband's job sent him). We stayed in a beautiful hotel and while we were there, they experienced record rain/flash floods, the power went out in the hotel (no generator), and it was mass chaos. The hotel didn't flood luckily, but many cars out on the road were going everywhere. It's a trip that we will never forget.
My husband has had some multiple health issues going on, and then a pharmacy here gave him the wrong pills in his bottle, which he took for a week before realizing why he was feeling the way he was... and then ended up in the hospital with stroke symptoms, and his whole one side being back at 50% strength. He is still doing physical/occupational therapy. He currently isn't able to do his job (precision measurement), but they found other things for him to do there, so at least he didn't lose his job. He is having more hours away from work due to Dr. appts, etc. so that paycheck loss kind of stung us for awhile.
Then in the end of October, our youngest son started feeling ill. One week after my husband was home from the hospital, on Nov. 2, our youngest ended up in the hospital for 5 days. He was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 (sometimes called Juvenile Diabetes) and also had a staph infection. We are now living a "new normal" since Diabetes Type 1 is a lifelong disease (still praying for a cure.)
The end of 2015 has been a HELL of a year, to put it mildly....
Then... we got a call from the school saying we were nominated to be a family to receive a Blessing Bag. They wanted a wish list from us for gifts the kids would like (and us, too). I also saw something in our church bulletin about the community collecting gifts for a family and it was a local organization called Best Christmas Ever (http://www.bcemovement.org/).
The family sounded a LOT like us... hmmmm.... so a lady from church asked if she could stop over one Sunday afternoon. We said sure. Since she also works at the school, I thought she might be bringing over the Blessing Bag. Well lo and behold, several cars pulled into the driveway, and our livingroom was full of people delivering presents and more presents, gift cards, etc. It was the Best Christmas Ever! Literally! I was doing everything I could to hold it together, but yes those tears did fall.
(Here's a news clip of this wonderful organization, a month before they showed up at our door.)
(Here's a video of another family that received gifts from BCE.)
The next day, I still had to go to the school to get our Blessing Bag... but it was not just ONE bag... it was several. They gave us gifts, cleaning supplies, household goods (that stuff adds up you know), food, and a wreath. The kindness of our community has just blown us away. I don't even know how to begin to say thank you for it all! Words can't even express it!
So... instead of being bitter and angry at all the BAD things that happened to us in 2015, I am choosing to be GRATEFUL that I still have my sons and my husband here. We still have our pets. We still have our house. We still have electricity and internet (we all know it's a necessity...lol). We still have food to eat. And we are stocked up on Toilet Paper for quite awhile! LOL.
The people here have shown us how much God loves us, and have given us HOPE that we CAN survive through the suffering, with the help of His people.
So... now here we are in the new year. 2016. I am SO happy to move on to a new year and I have HOPE and DREAMS for myself and my family. I am doing something small each day for myself, and CREATING ART is one of those forms of therapy that I really need. (See my art blog HERE). I haven't done any art or crafting for a LONG time. My craft room misses me. It has become a dumping ground... I can't even SEE my desk right now. I just stack stuff and walk out. And say someday, I will get around to cleaning that desk off. I have all my mail organized for each month from Oct-Dec., and am still contemplating doing one mass Mail Call video to get caught up.
My oldest son had a surgery which led to complications, which led to him being in the hospital (he's ok now, but is having trauma/anxiety issues which stems from this medical emergency).
We took a family trip to South Dakota (no, not Mount Rushmore, we went to Sioux Falls since that is where my husband's job sent him). We stayed in a beautiful hotel and while we were there, they experienced record rain/flash floods, the power went out in the hotel (no generator), and it was mass chaos. The hotel didn't flood luckily, but many cars out on the road were going everywhere. It's a trip that we will never forget.
My husband has had some multiple health issues going on, and then a pharmacy here gave him the wrong pills in his bottle, which he took for a week before realizing why he was feeling the way he was... and then ended up in the hospital with stroke symptoms, and his whole one side being back at 50% strength. He is still doing physical/occupational therapy. He currently isn't able to do his job (precision measurement), but they found other things for him to do there, so at least he didn't lose his job. He is having more hours away from work due to Dr. appts, etc. so that paycheck loss kind of stung us for awhile.
Then in the end of October, our youngest son started feeling ill. One week after my husband was home from the hospital, on Nov. 2, our youngest ended up in the hospital for 5 days. He was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 (sometimes called Juvenile Diabetes) and also had a staph infection. We are now living a "new normal" since Diabetes Type 1 is a lifelong disease (still praying for a cure.)
The end of 2015 has been a HELL of a year, to put it mildly....
Then... we got a call from the school saying we were nominated to be a family to receive a Blessing Bag. They wanted a wish list from us for gifts the kids would like (and us, too). I also saw something in our church bulletin about the community collecting gifts for a family and it was a local organization called Best Christmas Ever (http://www.bcemovement.org/).
The family sounded a LOT like us... hmmmm.... so a lady from church asked if she could stop over one Sunday afternoon. We said sure. Since she also works at the school, I thought she might be bringing over the Blessing Bag. Well lo and behold, several cars pulled into the driveway, and our livingroom was full of people delivering presents and more presents, gift cards, etc. It was the Best Christmas Ever! Literally! I was doing everything I could to hold it together, but yes those tears did fall.
(Here's a news clip of this wonderful organization, a month before they showed up at our door.)
(Here's a video of another family that received gifts from BCE.)
The next day, I still had to go to the school to get our Blessing Bag... but it was not just ONE bag... it was several. They gave us gifts, cleaning supplies, household goods (that stuff adds up you know), food, and a wreath. The kindness of our community has just blown us away. I don't even know how to begin to say thank you for it all! Words can't even express it!
So... instead of being bitter and angry at all the BAD things that happened to us in 2015, I am choosing to be GRATEFUL that I still have my sons and my husband here. We still have our pets. We still have our house. We still have electricity and internet (we all know it's a necessity...lol). We still have food to eat. And we are stocked up on Toilet Paper for quite awhile! LOL.
The people here have shown us how much God loves us, and have given us HOPE that we CAN survive through the suffering, with the help of His people.
So... now here we are in the new year. 2016. I am SO happy to move on to a new year and I have HOPE and DREAMS for myself and my family. I am doing something small each day for myself, and CREATING ART is one of those forms of therapy that I really need. (See my art blog HERE). I haven't done any art or crafting for a LONG time. My craft room misses me. It has become a dumping ground... I can't even SEE my desk right now. I just stack stuff and walk out. And say someday, I will get around to cleaning that desk off. I have all my mail organized for each month from Oct-Dec., and am still contemplating doing one mass Mail Call video to get caught up.
I have decided to stop swapping FBs, and concentrate more on my art. I am not quitting swapping anything else... only friendship books. I will still swap Decos, slams, any bags, postcards, happy mail, exchange slips, etc. Just not FBs. If I get any in the mail, I have people that will take my excess, so don't worry, I'm not one of those people that tosses them in the circular file (trash).
* RELATED POST: What is a Friendship Book? Deco? Etc.
Now, let's talk GOALS, not resolutions. Who really sticks to those silly RESOLUTIONS every year anyway? Definitely not me. Lord knows I try. Maybe for a week or 2. And then we go back to our old habits, or life just gets in the way. What are your goals/resolutions for 2016? Would love to hear about them in the Comments section below.
* RELATED POST: What is a Friendship Book? Deco? Etc.
Now, let's talk GOALS, not resolutions. Who really sticks to those silly RESOLUTIONS every year anyway? Definitely not me. Lord knows I try. Maybe for a week or 2. And then we go back to our old habits, or life just gets in the way. What are your goals/resolutions for 2016? Would love to hear about them in the Comments section below.
Not necessarily in any specific order, here are a few of my goals for 2016:
* Create more digital stationery and maybe even start selling labels again
* Walk more (hoping to get a treadmill soon for these long winter days)
I look forward to sharing my mail journey here with you on my blog on this new year. Thanks for commenting, watching my videos, and just being here for me. Cyberhugs to you all!
~Barbi
Friday, January 1, 2016
International Swappers
ATTN: International Swappers
Many of our swaps are open to everyone in the world! Please remember if your swap partner lives in another country, sometimes it can take weeks, sometimes even up to a month for mail to arrive overseas.
We try to announce themes in advance to allow plenty of time for you make your swap items, but please try to ensure that you allow plenty of time for your swaps to reach your partner.
If a swap asks to include return postage, we ask that instead of sending stamps from your country, to please donate via PayPal or send US$ cash in your envelope to cover postage.
Also, if there is something you don't understand, PLEASE ASK. Thanks!
Happy swapping!
Many of our swaps are open to everyone in the world! Please remember if your swap partner lives in another country, sometimes it can take weeks, sometimes even up to a month for mail to arrive overseas.
We try to announce themes in advance to allow plenty of time for you make your swap items, but please try to ensure that you allow plenty of time for your swaps to reach your partner.
If a swap asks to include return postage, we ask that instead of sending stamps from your country, to please donate via PayPal or send US$ cash in your envelope to cover postage.
Also, if there is something you don't understand, PLEASE ASK. Thanks!
Happy swapping!
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