Monthly Musings: April 2020
Friends, hello!
What a strange reality we’ve come to face in the past month. If you look back at even just my last Monthly Musings post you can see how blissfully ignorant we were of the impact Covid-19 would have on our lives. Since then, an almost overwhelming amount of changes have occurred – temporary unemployment! emergency welfare! social distancing! 2-km radius restriction! lockdown! – but actually, I think we’re doing pretty good, all things considered. We’re okay, you know?
I gotta say, having this little space to escape to whenever I feel anxious or overwhelmed or even just bored is so lovely. During the course of these weird times, I’ve come to realize how wonderfully comforting it is to write and share and distract myself. Thanks for being a part of that, friends – it means a lot.
The list below is slightly lengthier than normal, but I’ve kept it frivolous and lighthearted, promise. Hopefully you find something useful to take away with you – be it a recipe, a cleaning hack, or a movie recommendation. We’ll be here, listening to Bob on vinyl & drinking coffee.
Enjoy!
monthly musings: april 2020
What have you been cooking up during your time in lockdown? We’ve been making a lot of really comforting dishes lately: veggie risotto, slow cooked beef chili, gumbo, BBQ short ribs etc. Comfort eating is one of our finest skills.
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I’ve started to feel like Martha Stewart in jail, and I’ve become Queen of the Freezer during my time here. Anything that doesn’t have an immediate purpose is quickly getting prepped, neatly packed up, and frozen for future use. For tips on blanching & freezing veg, I found this very helpful.
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Related: I have become a pro at shopping for exactly what we’ll need, and this Martha Stewart guide helped me on my way.
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Something I’ve found really helpful has been making a very very long list of everything in the house that I’ve been meaning to do but never get around to. It looks kind of like this list, but is much more in depth. It basically means I don’t feel like a total waster on those days when I just binge-watch TV all day long. One of the biggest revelations on my Covid-19 induced clean: bicarbonate of soda. I have never seen my tea cups so clean.
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Last week I shared a Roasted Pecan Apple Pie with Cinnamon Crumble that was made with frozen pie dough from Christmas and frozen crumble from Thanksgiving. Freezer Pie is so in right now, want to bake along?
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In case you missed it: I shared a post about our time in Lyon before all this madness kicked off. It’s a short recap of the very best places we discovered on our trip. Happy #armchairtraveling!
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Might I suggest this Blood Orange Old Fashioned to help you get through this strange time? Boyfriend dreamed up the recipe & I am eternally grateful.
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Our movie count has definitely gone up during lockdown. We’ve watched everything from Just Like Heaven to Hush to American Pie & The Lion King. No judgement please, quarantine makes people crazy.
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The hardest part of this whole social distancing thing for me is not being able to hug my family. This time last year I was on a girls trip with my mom & sister in Galway and I’m living for the days when we’ll be allowed to socialize again.
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Last week I shared my very first photo of my face on my Instagram and I am still shook that I actually mustered up the courage to do it. I want this blog – and as an extension of that, my Instagram – to be like my journal, that I can go over in years to come & remember, and I think having photos of my actual self & my loved ones is an important part of that.
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I finally have the time to tackle some of the books that have literally sat on my shelf gathering dust for the best part of 7-years. A particular favourite: The Help.
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There are two major bonuses of self-isolating. 1: my skin is loving the fact that I’m not wearing make up everyday. It feels healthy, happy, and dare I say it – luminous. 2: being locked up in a house all day with Boyfriend is actually so lovely; it’s fun, exciting, and easy. Thank you, Rob, for keeping me safe & happy.
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This month last year I was talking about a whole rake of different things than I am today, namely explorations in sourdough & planning a trip through Italy. Read about it here: Monthly Musings, April 2019.
That pretty much sums things up on our end. Until next month, friends. Stay safe!
My (socially distanced) love to you,
Vicki xo