Silver Linings
Hi, everyone. It’s been awhile since my last check-in. My last post said that strange times were ahead and, indeed, it’s been a very surreal and often scary time that the world has been going through for past couple months. I hope that you are all staying as safe as you can. I know that a lot of people don’t have the luxury of working from home but that’s why it’s up to all of us to help beat this thing.
I am very fortunate to be able to work from home and have just been trying to keep myself busy physically but also take care of myself mentally. I definitely have my good days and my bad days. I miss my family and friends a lot. I am pretty isolated so it can get lonely. Thank goodness for things like FaceTime, Zoom, Slack, and the good ol’ United States Post Office. It’s a great time to bust out that stationary you’ve been hoarding and write some letters. The USPS is also in danger of shutting down due to the virus so if you’re inclined, go ahead and buy some stamps to help them out and get your pen pal duties on. It’s very fun to write letters and then to replies back in the mail. It’s kind of old fashioned but super fun and is a cool way to keep in touch with people.
A lot of people have been catching up on TV shows and movies while in quarantine. For the first few weeks I found it really had to focus on anything new. I am slowly getting interested in new stuff again and some of the things I’ve enjoyed recently are:
– McMillions (streaming free on HBO)
– Tiger King (Netflix) – Yes, I watched it. I have many thoughts.
– Prodigal Son (HULU) – I may have re-watched this multiple times.
– Minority Report (Netflix) – Another old fave that popped up on Netflix again recently.
– Psych (Amazon) – One of my most favorite shows. This is great comic relief if you’re feeling down. USA did a couple of season long marathons over the last couple of weeks which was awesome, but the whole series is on Amazon Prime as well.
On the reading front, I am slowly getting my reading mojo back. Similar to my viewing habits, I was having a very hard time getting into new books during the first few weeks of quarantine. I am slowly getting my reading joy back but it’s been a bit of a struggle. I’ve been re-reading a few favorite series/authors to entertain myself but new books, not so much. I am hoping that will change though as I did pick up a few new things recently.
On the crafting front I have been making some face masks. We are now required to wear them when doing essential errands, so I made a bunch for myself and have been making some for friends as well if they need them. Luckily I have a pretty decent fabric stash at home already and had all of the other materials I needed here as well. Below are the patterns that I’ve used with the most success. They are easy and don’t require much sewing skills.
– State the Label mask tutorial
– I like the State the Label tutorial but that’s based on a pattern by Craftpassion. If you need more sizes, go to the Craftpassion page and download those templates but follow the State the Label instructions.
– Made Every Day mask – If you prefer a pleated style mask, try this pattern. I made one the other day and it was quite easy. I prefer the rounded masks mostly because of fit and I think pleats are hard to make even, but this tutorial wasn’t too bad.
Materials like elastic and cording are hard to find right now so be creative if you don’t have those things on hand. You can use bias tape, showlaces, jersey, and hair ties to name a few things. I actually like jersey because it’s soft and most of us have an old t-shirt lying around.
Like many people, I have also been doing a lot of cooking. I am not a bad cook at all but in non-quarantine times I am super lazy about it, especially since I am only cooking for myself. But since I have been stocking up more at the grocery store I’ve definitely been cooking so much more than usual. On one hand, it’s quite therapeutic and fun to cook. On the other hand, I end up eating the same thing 4 days in a row and there are so many dishes all the time. These aren’t real complaints but just observations. I’ve also been baking a lot though I have to pace myself because again, I am only cooking for one so I can’t make a new cake every day even though I might want to.
Well this short check-in turned into a long one. How are you all doing? What’s keeping you sane during this time? If you have any books, shows, or other activities to recommend to entertain during quarantine, please let me know. I am going to try to throw up a few reviews soon. They are all written but I just haven’t found the energy to format the posts. I know, pretty lazy. Hopefully they will be up soon though. Until then, please take care of yourself and happy reading!
