So what happened?
Long story short – Back in 2018 I decided that I wanted to try to grow my blog and social media. I figured if I couldn’t make something out of it by the end of the year, it was probably time to call it quits (I’ve been blogging since 2011). I ended up joining a few Facebook groups with other bloggers and realized just how fake everything is (although I did meet a few cool people). I fell into the craziness of trying to perfectly edit pictures to make my Instagram feed cohesive, playing the follow for follow game to grow my social media numbers, only writing posts that would be pin-able and click-able to drive traffic and $$$, creating the perfect pins for each post and spamming them strategically all over my Pinterest boards. I was spending way too much time on my phone and spending WAY too much time playing the comparison game. It wasn’t healthy and ended up turning me off from blogging.
So I took a break and haven’t posted anything meatier than quick notes/updates in over a year…
But now I’m back! I’ve accepted that this blog will probably never hit it big because I lack the time/energy/patience to do so…and honestly I don’t care. I didn’t get into blogging to make money. I got into it to share my ideas, meet new people, and to motivate myself/hold myself accountable. And I was doing all of those things! I don’t know why I let the rat race get me off track, but I’m back.
OK, so I guess that wasn’t really long story short…
Anyway, let’s talk about now – Like many people, I’ve been working from home since mid-March (Adam is home too). In general I love it, but I miss having lunch with my friends. We’ve been having lunch together every day (except vacations, paternity leave, meeting conflicts, etc) for over 10 years! I hate not getting to see them every day, but I love spending more time with my dogs and working in my pajamas. I’ve set up an office space in the guest bedroom and it’s been working out great. I sit next to the window so I get lots of natural light and the dogs love sleeping on the guest bed near me.
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*This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no additional cost to you.
Although things are starting to open up again in our state, the numbers are not trending down, so we’re still staying home and wearing masks if we do have to go out. I’m bummed about the plans we’ve had to cancel (Miami-New Orleans trip, The Lion King touring Broadway show, Tucson weekend getaway, most of our Year of Dates activities), but in general I’m a homebody so I don’t really mind.
So what are we doing at home?
Watching TV | Right now we’re watching the second season of Dead to Me and I’m watching Schitts Creek (currently on season 5). Before that we binge watched Deadwood (highly recommend – but there is A LOT of swearing). And of course we watched Tiger King like everyone else in the country (that shit cray).
Reading | By some miracle we happened to go the library the day before it closed (we didn’t know at the time) and checked out a bunch of books. The best book I’ve read so far is Where the Crawdads Sing. It’s so beautifully written and the story is perfection. I couldn’t put it down! Right now I’m reading The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle.
Playing Games | Adam and I have been playing a ton of games, but consistently go back to either Uno or Sushi Go. They’re both quick and fun with two people. Although the only BIG fight we’ve had during this quarantine was over an Uno game, so maybe we need to find something less competitive…If you have any recommendations for fun two-player games, let me know!
House Projects | Like most homeowners, we’ve been doing a lot of house projects lately. This biggest one so far has been limewashing our brick fireplace. Although it’s less than half done because I didn’t order enough limewash and it’s manufactured in Italy so the supply chain is trash right now. The company’s Instagram says it should be available at the end of next week, so hopefully I can wrap that up soon. We’ve also switched out the doorbell, replaced the entry light fixture (this is our new light), and are prepping to have the exterior of our house painted.
Eating | Everything…jk (kinda). My quarantine snack has been kettle corn/cheesy corn. I’ve been ordering from a local company (Sonoran Kettle Corn) and have spent more money on popcorn over the past 2 months than I’ll ever admit publicly.
I've also been trying a lot of new recipes. Adam and I are obsessed with Nashville hot chicken so one night I made Hattie B's hot chicken and it was almost as good as the original (recipe). I've also been baking and this Carrot Cake Cheesecake was the best thing I've made so far (recipe).
I've also been trying a lot of new recipes. Adam and I are obsessed with Nashville hot chicken so one night I made Hattie B's hot chicken and it was almost as good as the original (recipe). I've also been baking and this Carrot Cake Cheesecake was the best thing I've made so far (recipe).
Other | Like many I’ve been doing a lot of puzzles lately. One of my friends has been working on puzzles too, so we send pictures of our completed ones to each other. This is the one I’m doing right now. It’s the cutest picture and my first 1000 piece puzzle. I’ll be doing this one for a while.
I’ve also been sewing a lot of masks. I started in March when a neighbor posted on NextDoor looking for people to sew masks for nurses at a nearby hospital. Lately I’ve been making them for my parents, my mom’s co-workers (she works retail), and of course Adam and me. I’m happy that my high school sewing class skills are finally useful for more than making pillow covers.
So that’s the story of where I’ve been and what’s been going on with us lately. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy!
Love this! Yes the blog rat race is ugly, and honestly exhausting! Glad you are back, I enjoy reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah! I feel so much better after putting this out there. It was so nice to write again!
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