Tag Archives: blogs

Blogging Goals for 2020

I know I’m a little late to the game with these New Year’s posts… but life has just taken up too much of my time since Christmas. I was out of work for a bit for the holiday, then my bosses were out a bit for the holidays and one of them still is (jealous!) and things have just been really hard to concentrate on. Well, I’m hoping that will change in this new year and I want to get my mojo back and stop procrastinating.

I’ve come up with a list of a few goals that I want to implement for my blog this year and a few things I really want to focus on. Most are for my blog, but there are a few things in there unrelated to the WordPress blogging platform, but still include writing or publishing.

Write more authentic material about my life, my mental health and how I deal with it. Afterall, this is a mental health focused site, and I would like to keep it that way.
Upload more photography with my posts that I have taken, or taken specifically for that post. Too many times I’ve used sites like Unsplash for photography for my personal posts, and while I do have a photography page on my blog here, I think I need to start taking specific photos for each blog I’m writing and put some more time into that aspect.
Publish another piece or two for Thought Catalog this year. I’ve written one before, but it’s been so long, I think it’s time I write some more in my down time… whenever I may have that.
Create a page on my blog for my Virtual Assistant Services that I offer to small businesses. I’ve been doing them freelance for a little bit now, and I don’t really have set documentation yet except a SOW and way to Invoice everyone. I think it’s time to focus on that a bit more.
Continue taking guest bloggers throughout the year. I’ve been doing this since October 2018 and would love to make this consistent on my blog for 2020 and beyond even. I can count this as an ongoing goal I think and make it happen!
Challenge myself to write at least 4-5 posts per month of my own content and help tips for readers.
Focus on Pinterest more to drive traffic to my blog and make my own Pinterest graphics to go along with each post I create. I haven’t really been focusing on Pinterest much, and from what I hear, it’s great for impressions and to find new readers.
Write about my experience with online schooling with SNHU and how my classes go. I am taking 2-3 classes this year and I really want to keep track on how it goes. I know alot of people do it these days and want to keep up with it.

what are your goals for 2020 for your blog?

Blogmas – Favorite Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Leave a reply

Christmas time is almost here, and what do you never see me during the holiday season without? A drink in my hand! With the stress and hard times that come with Christmas, gift giving, making holiday dinners and yet somehow still dealing with work and everything outside of it in your home life – you better believe that I’m going to need a nice strong drink to get me through alot of the holiday season this year.

I’ve curated a list of my favorite cocktails that I’ve actually made and tested out for you guys to try at home. Alot of them are super easy because I’m a drink minimalist (give me straight whiskey and I’m fabulous) but some have just the right touches like apples and cranberries to get you in the holiday spirit. (Most of these I’ve come across on Delish or other websites. Photos are not my own.)

Christmosas

This one is a personal favorite because it has fruit in it and it’s so simple yet so tasty to enjoy more and more of Christmas morning.

INGREDIENTS

2 Granny Smith apples, chopped

1 c. whole fresh cranberries

1 c. green grapes, halved

1 c. pomegranate seeds

1 c. sparkling grape juice

1 bottle champagne, prosecco, or cava

DIRECTIONS

In a large pitcher, combine apples, cranberries, grapes, and pomegranate seeds. Pour over sparkling grape juice and champagne and stir, then serve.

Mulled Wine

INGREDIENTS

1 (750-ml.) bottle red wine

1 orange, sliced into rounds, plus more for garnish

6 whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish

3 star anise

1/4 c. honey

1/2 c. brandy

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer not a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes. Serve warm and garnish with more citrus slices and cinnamon sticks.

White Christmas Margaritas

INGREDIENTS

1 (14-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk

12 oz. silver tequila

8 oz. triple sec

1/2 c. lime juice

2 c. ice

1 lime, sliced into rounds for garnish

Lime wedge, for rimming glass

Sanding sugar, for rimming glass

Cranberries, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Combine coconut milk, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Rim glasses with lime wedge and dip in sanding sugar. Pour into glass and garnish with lime and cranberries.

Jingle Juice

INGREDIENTS

4 c. Cran-Apple Juice

2 bottles red moscato

1 bottle prosecco

1/2 c. vodka

2 c. frozen cranberries

1/3 c. mint leaves

1/2 c. sugar, for rimming glasses

2 limes, sliced into rounds

DIRECTIONS

Using a wedge of lime, wet the rim of your glasses. Dip in sugar until coated.

Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl, stir together and serve.

Apple Cider Old Fashioneds

This one is another personal favorite because I love apple cider and I love whiskey of any kind. It’s kind of my preferred alcohol of choice whenever I want some.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. ice

2/3 c. apple cider

2 oz. whiskey

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Apple slices, for garnish

Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in glass and stir to combine.

Mistletoe Shots

This is for all of you shot lovers out there who aren’t ready to give up the college vibe yet, or just want something small to get you by during a christmas party.

INGREDIENTS

Lime wedge, for rimming glasses

Red sanding sugar, for rimming glasses

1 c. water

2 (3-oz.) packet lime Jell-o mix

8 oz. vodka, chilled

whipped cream, for garnish

Mint leaves, for garnish

Red Hots, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Run a lime wedge around the rim of each shot glass then dip each shot glass into the red sanding sugar.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once bubbling, stir in packet of lime Jell-o mix, stirring until completely dissolved. Turn off heat. Pour in vodka or tequila (or whatever your preferred alcohol is), mixing until thoroughly combined. Pour into a large measuring cup, small pitcher or another glass so it’s easier to pour into the shot glasses. Pour the lime Jell-o mixture into each of the shot glasses. Place the shot glasses into the refrigerator until the Jell-o sets, about 2 hours.

Garnish with whipped cream, mint leaves, and red hot candies.

Gingerbread Eggnog

This final one is a bit longer… but it’s so worth it for all of you gingerbread lovers out there!

INGREDIENTS

1 c. heavy cream

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, sliced

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 whole cloves, crushed

6 allspice berries, crushed

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving

4 c. whole milk, divided

8 large eggs, separated

3/4 c. granulated sugar

Pinch kosher salt

3/4 c. to 1 c. dark rum, cognac, bourbon, or a combination

DIRECTIONS

Combine heavy cream, ginger, vanilla, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 cups milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until tiny bubbles begin to appear around the edge of the pot (do not let boil), 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in sugar and salt. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until thick and very pale in color, 2 to 3 minutes.

Strain spiced cream mixture, discarding spices; return to pot. Slowly whisk 1 cup warm cream mixture into yolk-sugar mixture on low speed; return to pot with cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until mixture reaches 170°F and coats the spatula, 12 to 15 minutes.

Place the pot over a large bowl filled with ice water and let cool, stirring occasionally, until chilled, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in rum, cognac, or bourbon and remaining 2 cups milk.

Just before serving, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes; fold into eggnog. Serve topped with nutmeg.

High Pressure BPD – theboywithbpd

Leave a reply

Borderline Personality Disorder and pressure wouldn’t be my first-choice of cocktails, yet here I am having a big old pitcher of the stuff every day.

I’ve been racking my brain on how to write this piece, what’s the best angle? But the only way I can write it, is to make it about me. Not in a showy off way, I’m not that vain, but I admit parts of it will come across so. It’s not really an inspirational piece either, maybe a little, more advisory, a little cautionary perhaps. A tale of two sides.

A brief history lesson into me, I’m 38, I have 3 kids, at the time of writing they are 7, 2 and 7 days old. I have been with Sarah my partner for 10 years this November and I have BPD. I’ve always known there was something ‘different’ with me but I was only diagnosed 6 months ago, mainly because of the little breakdown I had, but that’s another story.

I have been for the first 37 years of my life what you call ‘high-functioning’, meaning from the outside you wouldn’t have clue if I was depressed, suicidal, manic or somewhere in between. I also haven’t told many people of my diagnosis, only 12 to be precise. None of which I work with. I was the master of bottling things up. On one side you could say it’s served me well in my career, on the other you could say it caused my breakdown. Eventually that pressure has to go somewhere right?

For any of you that work in Recruitment you will know how tough it is, for those that don’t, I don’t have the word count to explain, you’ll have to just trust me. I specifically work in Technology Recruitment; it is very sales and target driven. It is also very cut throat, I have worked in places where if you don’t hit target for 3 months you are fired, no ifs or buts. Fired.

Yet somehow here I am 12 years in the job. I also manage 4 teams, I am a Billing Manager, which means not only do I have to hit my own personal sales target, I have to make my teams do also. Combined I am responsible for a target of just over £1m.

That is a big number with a lot of pressure.

I hate it. I fucking hate it.

But let’s start with the good stuff, the showy off stuff. The money is good, I’m not a millionaire, I’m not rich, but good enough that Sarah doesn’t need to work, the kids don’t go without holidays and any new toys they want. I was also able to buy my house with no outside help. We generally do what we want, within reason.

Great right?

Yeah, but it has come at a price. And that price is me. My job is the main cause of my depression, there are not many days that go by where I don’t think about jumping in front of that train. I have lost count of the times I have sat crying in the toilet, or holding back tears as I walk home. Every day I want to cry. Every damn day.

The worst part?

It’s all by my own design, I am held hostage by my own circumstances. I am in a position where I don’t know how much longer I can cope with my job mentally, but I also have the responsibilities that come with it, and the mortgage my job has allowed me to have. It’s not like I can just quit and start again.

I didn’t lie, this piece is not an inspirational one, I suppose you could say I have managed to hold down a well-paid and high-pressure job with my BPD which may inspire others to believe they can do the same. But then you have to take the cautionary side into consideration, the pressure and the damage it has done.

There is a third option, the way that I would like this story to be taken if I had my say. You could, use it as a metaphor for not judging a book by its cover. From the outside I have ‘nothing to be depressed about’, you never can tell what someone is coping with, especially if they don’t want you to.

For the gods of mental health, we are a walking buffet, everyone is up for grabs, BPD and other disorders have no prejudice, we shouldn’t either.

Author Bio: I am theboywithbpd. I was only recently diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, I’ve always known there was something, ever since I was a kid, but it took a breakdown to find out. I am 38 years old and have three kids with my partner Sarah. I am now finally trying to do the things I’ve always wanted to, writing being one of them, you can read my blog here https://www.theboywithbpd.com/

Blogmas – Frugal Winter Date Night Ideas

Leave a reply

MERRY BLOGMAS

Winter is usually full of snow (depending where you live, if you’re in PA like us, it’s FULL of snow and staying in most times) and cold temperatures. With the holidays around the corner, and buying gifts for the family and others in your life, sometimes there’s less money in the budget for enjoying the things you and your significant other like to do to wind down.

Remember, not every thing needs to cost money to enjoy each other’s company, but you also want to be mindful that you need to keep your mental health in check during the stressful holiday season. Winding down with some cheap, easy and fun things to do with your S.O. when you can, will definitely help. What I’ve done is curated a list of 10 cheap and fun date ideas you can do during the cold winter nights.

Play the board games you have! You can make it a fun competition with some sort of prize or where the loser needs to do the laundry for the week or clean the bathroom for a month.
Go sledding. Sledding was the highlight of winter during our childhood, so hit the hills to go sledding again this winter. Sometimes all you need is a little rush to make you feel like a kid again or take away the stress for just a bit.
Decorate your tree together. Either pick out a real tree or set up your fake tree together. Turn on the holiday music and get cozy as you prepare for Christmas the right way! Even putting up for decor outside can help decrease stress.
Make/test cocktails for holiday parties. Google some recipes and put all those bottles that are sitting on your mini bar cart to good use. Test out the recipes and pick the best ones for the upcoming holiday party you’re hosting!
Build a snowman. Get all bundled up and hit the yard to make a snowman or snow angels! Even if it’s only for a half an hour after work one day when you have a bit of time together, it will still bring back some nostalgia to your day.
Go to trivia night. Test out your knowledge while drinking beer and cocktails. It’s a great way to have a competition with your partner and see who can come up as the winner of all!
Make an indoor picnic. Some of you may like the cold and want to picnic outside, but if the temperature is -5 below zero, you may want to think of an alternative! Put a blanket in your living room or on your bed even and make some picnic food and enjoy an afternoon in!
Cook food together. Cooking together can be fun, so long as you can agree on the meal. Once you pick a meal, grab a drink and enjoy each other’s time and learning a new recipe that will hopefully turn out great.
Have a boozy snowball fight. Grab your flask or a bottle of wine to split and conjure up a snowball fight with forts and fight to the death (no, not really!) The more the merrier, see if any local friends want to come over and enjoy the snowball fight too.
Go bowling. This one came to mind because my husband and I love bowling and we usually turn it into a friendly competition. Some alleys have drinks, apps and pizza that you can enjoy or even bowling packages for the winter months. Get out and have fun!

Blogmas – DIY Gift Guide

2 Replies

IT’S BLOGMAS TIME!

Happy Blogmas everyone! It’s that time where we all get into the gift giving spirit, and go hunting for the perfect item for your loved ones. Personally, I love making gifts and DIY-ing alot of stuff. For my entire family last year (aunt uncles etc) I made them a simmering potpourri kit with directions using cinnamon, dehydrated fruits and spices. It was super easy to make and I found everything in bulk in my local Winco (out in WA – we don’t have one here in PA, so I’m going to have to find something different to do..)

I’ve spent some time researching and using my past experiences and DIY things I’ve made to curate this special list of easy DIY gifts for holidays that you can create. While I didn’t have time to create them all myself and take photos of them all like I wanted to, I have linked every single one I’ve used to give proper credit for creating wonderful tutorials to be shared. I hope you enjoy!

Stove Top Potpourri I found this adorable set up of something I similarly did last year for my family, as mentioned above. While this tutorial is a bit simpler than what I used, that’s okay because it’s meaningful and easy to use for the receiver! (And can be used whenever you just miss that Christmas feeling.) Photos from post by Delia Creates.
Sweater Wine Totes I came across this online because a few members in my family like to have wine at every party… including my mom and I haha. This tutorial is simple and easy to complete if you have left over or thrifted sweaters that are stretched out that you don’t wear anymore. The only thing you need to know how to do is sew! Photos from post.
Christmas Tea Tree This is an awesome idea! Both my husband and I love tea and so does my best friend and mom, so I was thinking of maybe making one of these for them this year as well as little added piece for them to enjoy some holiday blends. This DIY tutorial shows just what you need to make these festive little trees. Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.
Homemade Soaps Do you know anyone who loves soaps and is always constantly buying new smells, textures and kinds? How about you make them some this year instead! It’s very easy to do and the thought of personal soaps will strike their fancy. In this tutorial, we see how to make a Grapefruit Lavender soap and a Coconut Mint soap for the soap and bath lover in your life.Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.
Rose Hibiscus Whipped Body Butter Now this is something that I have also tried to do for family and friends for holidays and birthdays once or twice. It was a big hit (I tried different smells than this one though) and they always wanted more. This is a non-edible gift that will make someone feel like they need a pampering night or a home-spa day. Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.
Flavored Salts Do you have a food lover in your life? Someone that is always cooking no matter what? Here’s an easy tutorial from PopSugar that shows you how to make flavored salts to use in cooking! I’ve made some of these before myself, and let me tell you – it’s such a satisfying gift to give someone. Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.
Compound Butters Another treat for the chef in the house or family, are these adorable recipes for simple compound butters. Instead of giving something sugary for Christmas this year, give them something they can use to cook their steaks or spread on bread to enjoy with dinner. This tutorial also comes with a free printable! Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.
Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub This is actually one of my FAVORITE things to make for the holidays! I made this two years ago for friends and they absolutely loved it. It’s great for softening up winter dry skin and it helps moisturize as you use it. It should last up to three months in a sealed jar, perfect for the length of the holidays for you to enjoy! Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.
Hot Chocolate Mix Ornaments This one is great for kids! I actually did this one about 3-4 years ago while working at a small company in PA and they were a huge hit, I actually ran out with people asking me for one. Best part is, you can add any type of powdered hot cocoa, sprinkles and marshmallows or peppermint bits for a great winter decoration and drink. Photos obtained from tutorial page linked above.

#FreebieFriday – Mid Quarter Progress Report for Teachers!

Leave a reply

Readers, I have something different for you today regarding Freebies! I decided to make something for the teachers that follow me (I know there are a few of you!) Instead of a “report card”, I made a mid quarter progress report that you can print out to give to the parents of your children. I know report cards are regulated by the school system, and this is an easy way to let the parents and guardians know how their children are doing after a few weeks in classes to see what they may need to improve on to get that A or B in the class for the report card!

As always, visit my Freebie Page for the other free items I’ve posted the last few weeks and to download the high resolution copies of these.

Virtually Yours, Koral Dawn

I work hard so my cats can have tuna

Tag Archives: blogs

Blogging Goals for 2020

what are your goals for 2020 for your blog?

Blogmas – Favorite Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Christmosas

Mulled Wine

White Christmas Margaritas

Jingle Juice

Apple Cider Old Fashioneds

Mistletoe Shots

Gingerbread Eggnog

High Pressure BPD – theboywithbpd

Blogmas – Frugal Winter Date Night Ideas

MERRY BLOGMAS

Blogmas – DIY Gift Guide

IT’S BLOGMAS TIME!

#FreebieFriday – Mid Quarter Progress Report for Teachers!