It's no secret that we're all overwhelmed by
coronavirus. I don't even like to say the name. We've been calling it "the
virus" or "covid" to humanize it (I guess).
If you're
lucky enough, you're social isolating at home, and if you're even luckier, with
your loved ones. To those of you who are on the front lines (medical
professionals, grocery store workers, delivery drivers, postal workers,
restaurant workers & chefs, and whoever else I am missing) THANK YOU! To
those of you who are social isolating alone– my heart goes out to you. Stay
strong!
There's a
plethora of articles on what to do to keep yourself occupied during these
times. But hey, we're also desperate for content to keep us occupied during
this time, so I thought sharing what I've been doing to stay busy couldn't
hurt.
1. Baking
I've always
loved baking, it's something I would do throughout high school to relieve
stress. I think part of it is unplugging and focusing on a recipe while baking,
and of course stress eating my creations afterwards. Here's a handful of what
I've baked in the past few weeks:
Bread- This
was my first time ever making bread! I followed a no-knead rosemary &
garlic bread recipe and it turned out great. I also baked another loaf (not
pictured) just plain. I know yeast has been scarce recently– I'm lucky I was
able to snag some a few weeks ago.
Cinnamon rolls- This one also used yeast, but I was craving cinnamon rolls, so here we are.
Banana bread-
Apparently everyone and their mother is baking banana bread! Hey, nothing wrong
with not wanting to waste your bananas. I made a double chocolate banana bread,
so it was more of a dessert than breakfast. Either way, delish!
Cookies- Good
ol' cookies. Can't go wrong here. I typically stick to my famous chocolate chip
cookies, but I also ventured out and baked some yummy brown butter butterscotch
cookies. Mouthwatering!
None of these
are great for my wedding diet, speaking of...
2.
Rescheduling our wedding
My fiancé and
I were unfortunately a #COVIDweddingcouple who had to reschedule our May 17th
wedding. We're really bummed about it– but at least all of this extra time at home
time gives us some breathing room to find new vendors for those who couldn't
accommodate our new date, and more time to work on some DIY projects I need to
get done before the big day.
3. Sewing
face masks
I know there
is a lot of controversy on whether or not homemade face masks work, but I'm
thinking there's no harm in wearing one, and my sewing machine has not been
used in FAR too long, and I am bored. It took me a few days to get good, but
they're quick and fun to make. I've kept a few for us, and we're going to be
putting the rest in Ziploc bags on the street for people to take home, wash,
and use (inspired by the below photo!)
4.
Binge-watching TV
Well, this
one is no surprise. I've been sucked into the world of Tiger King and Schitt's
Creek. Currently on the hunt for something new, let me know what you've been
binge watching in the comments!
5. Painting
I am not a
good painter. I started painting last year by going to a Paint Nite, where you
drink and paint. Since then– obsessed! My friends and I have hosted a few
at-home Bob Ross paint nights, and it's just something I really enjoy messing
around with. Not all of my quarantine paintings have been fueled by wine, but I
think the ones that turned out the best were.
6. Self-care
Alright, I
feel like this is another one everyone has been doing and talking about, but
I've been taking extra time to take care of my skin. I also have a shocking
stockpile of random face masks I've gotten over the years as gifts or extras in
Ulta orders, so I'm slowly hacking away at that pile with a mask a day.
7. Cleaning
& organization
I am a HUGE
fan of Marie Kondo, and I love to declutter. During this time, I've been able
to declutter some spaces I hadn't had time to get to before, and deep clean
some spaces I've been putting off (whoops). My house has never been cleaner.
And, I (hope) I now have a routine I can now stick to and keep it this clean
moving forward.
8. Home decor
Along with
cleaning the house comes designing your happy place! I've been taking a lot of
time browsing furniture and home decor websites to curate a wishlist. I'm
doing my best not to just outright buy things, but instead keep a wishlist and
make sure all the items have a cohesive look before spending all my money!
Here's a few things I have my eye on:
Couch- I
really want to get a pull-out couch for our office so it can double as a guest
room! Our current couch is the cheapest IKEA model, and it has certainly seen
better days.
Chair- Our
living room chair was free off of Craigslist and has been royally destroyed by
our cat. We desperately need a new one, and I'm a big fan of this– fingers
crossed he can't rip up the wooden arms.
Fake plants-
I've been really into making our space feel more fresh and green, and we do
have 4 live houseplants and a small kitchen herb garden, but I'd also love to
be able to bring some greenery into a few rooms that have no
windows or outside light.
Bathroom accessories- We're all washing our hands. I realized just how old our current
soap dispenser is. Time to upgrade, and it wouldn't hurt if it all matched!
9. Spending
quality time with pets
My fiancé and
I work from home a lot typically, so this isn't a huge shift for our cat, but
he hates when we're on calls or working and not loving on him! (what a brat)
I'm able to give my munchkin the love he craves with all this extra time.
10. Spending
quality time with my friends & family
No, no, I am
not physically spending time with them. But, during this time I have had SO
many more texts, phone calls, face-times, and quality conversations with my
loved ones than I have ever had before. And I love it. I'm going to do my best
to keep up this quality contact when this is through.
So, there you
go! There's 10 things I've been doing to stay busy. What have you been doing?
If you're an essential employee, what are you doing to stay safe? Do you need a
mask? Get in touch with me, I'll send you one.
Until next
time!
Comments
Post a Comment