PL2020 - Week 15 | Sahlin Studio

Week 15 seems like a long time ago. We still regularly had snow back then.  I think it's safe to say now, that we might be in the clear as far as snow advisories go, at least until September... 😂 Fingers crossed really, because anything could happen. 

We were actually joking at dinner last night, that we feel like we're in the 97th day of March...

We've been home for 77 days. Which amounts to 11 weeks. 

E L E V E N weeks. 

I've gotten out a bit more recently. I actually ventured out to the grocery store, for a big shop, this week. [I have been ordering on-line and then just picking up] It felt good to do something so normal. Though, there was nothing normal about it. Only a certain amount of people allowed in. Cleaning the cart handle before touching it. Trying to maintain distance between shoppers [most people are really good about it, but there are a number of people who DO NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT 2m DISTANCE IS] I have never felt so nervous about being in such close proximity to strangers before. Sadly, this pandemic has definitely changed how I view others.

Then, there is one line up for the tills, with lines on the floor, spaced 2 m apart. I found myself towards the very back of the store... Waiting in line. That is another thing I'm not loving. The line ups nearly every where we go.

I guess, 11 weeks in, I've finally really leaned into the 'being at home' vibe. I'm glad I like the people I live with. Not to say there aren't the occasional blow-ups. There are. [Four people, 2 adults and 2 young adults were NEVER meant to spend this much time together]

Things are beginning to open back up again. Which makes me nervous. Now I just don't want to go anywhere... All the places that brought me joy, Second Hand shops, Michael's, Winner's/HomeSense, will all be a totally different experience. I'm sure much of it will be just getting out there a bit. Getting used to our new normal. Such as it is. 

Any way, back to week 15, with the snow that never stopped and still feeling really anxious about the pandemic:

• Making S'mores over tea lights in the kitchen.
• Using my sewing machine to make face masks... [which I do fear will become something we will be required to have on, while we're out]
• Our menu, which I thought would be really interesting to keep track of, because in 11 weeks, we've eaten most of our meals from home. [I'm a smidge tired of being the chef and meal planner] I can count on 3 fingers, how many times we've brought something in. 
• Video chats with friends.
• Cinnamon buns, again. So, SO good.
• Always snowing.
• We had a very quiet Easter this year, just the 4 of us. We made the most of it, eating off our china and in the dining room. 

The following Sahlin Studio products were used:

Pure Happiness Elements: https://the-lilypad.com/store/pure-happiness-elements.html

Pure Happiness J. Cards: https://the-lilypad.com/store/pure-happiness-journal-cards.html

Hooray Collection | Sahin Designs

For Sahin Designs creative gallery for May, I used the Hooray Collection to document the Drive-by Birthday I'd organized for Madelyn.

She turned 15. Birthdays in the middle of a pandemic, are not much fun for anyone. When you have a child, that begins to plan next years birthday, after this years is over, it's even more disappointing. I decided to surprise her with the new Coronavirus-Style, Street Parade.

She had no clue. She thought perhaps Grandparents would drive by at some point during the day. She was shocked when friends first started to drive by. Then extended family arrived. So many came. Lots of smiles from her this day. 

The day was perfection. Not a cloud in the sky. No wind. People ended up parking and staying for a few hours. [I'm glad we didn't get the authorities called on us, because there definitely was a lot of loitering] We all stayed respectfully, 2 metres from one another. 

Having conversations with people, when you're standing far apart, isn't ideal. It still seems so foreign. 

In truth, this was the most people we'd seen, in over 6 weeks. I think everyone needed it. 

Even though she had other plans for her birthday [which involved inviting friends over to watch as many Jurassic Park movies as possible and eating junk food] This is certainly a birthday she'll never forget. 

So, so grateful for everyone who made the drive to help us celebrate our girl. 

The following Sahin Designs products were used: 

Alphas - https://sahindesigns.com/products/hooray-alphas/

J. Cards - https://sahindesigns.com/products/hooray-cards/

Paper - https://sahindesigns.com/products/hooray-papers/

Elements - https://sahindesigns.com/products/hooray-elements/

May Template Freebie | Sahlin Studio

It's that time again, the release of a Sahlin Studio template freebie. Follow this link to go to the template, free to download through the month of May.  

This was our last date, before we were all told to stay home. We had no idea what was about to happen. 

It seemed that overnight, our whole world changed.  

I know we had fun and enjoyed ourselves, but had we known then, what we know now... Well, I would have enjoyed the evening that much more. It was the first time we had our 'live-in' driver drop us off and pick us up from an event. 

If we realized this was our last 'date night' in the foreseeable future, maybe we would have stayed out later. But it was a school night after all, and we didn't want to keep our driver out too late. How considerate of us. 

On March 10th, we had no idea that schools would be shut down indefinitely less than a week later.  That idea really would have seemed preposterous.

I'm glad we got this night,  our last night of normal.

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

Shine Bright Kit - https://the-lilypad.com/store/Shine-Bright-Kit.html

Quarantine Report

I have started this post 3 times.

The first time, was right in the heart of all the cancellations and uncertainties.

I cried a lot.

There was SO much we didn't know.

Now I've been home for 42 days. It's obviously feeling more 'normal' now, to not leave the house. Yet I don't want to forget what my feelings were at the beginning of this, so I've decided to go ahead and post this.

***

Thursday March 12th was the last day before all hell broke loose in our little corner of the world. It was the first time I 'd heard the word PANDEMIC be used in association with the coronavirus.  A global pandemic.

Mad's school trip was cancelled less than 36 hours before they were supposed to meet at the airport. Such a disappointment.

We keep waiting, hoping, that things will quickly go back to normal. The not knowing, is the hardest. 

At the beginning of this, I was trying to put on a brave face. Trying to act normal, when nothing that was happening was normal. 

Having said that, I grapple with opposite feelings all the time. For example:

I want everything to be back to normal AND I'm scared there will never be a 'normal' again.

I want to stay informed with what's going on AND I don't want to know the latest updates.

I am trying to be brave AND I'm feeling scared. 

I am making masks for my family AND the idea of having to wear one out in public couldn't be more foreign to me. 

I want to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription AND I look at everyone else like they could infect me. 

I want to see family/friends AND I'm afraid someone will get sick. 

Call it whatever you want, self-isolating, quarantine, sheltering in place, we have been home since the 13th of March.  We're making the most out of our situation. I couldn't be more tired of hearing the word unprecedented right now. 

I've been doing a ton of cooking and baking.  Meals are one thing that I have complete control over.

We're five weeks in, I'm not feeling nearly as panicked as I was at first.

It's the end of April and I can count on one hand how many times I've been in a grocery store in the past 5 weeks. One hand. And 5 weeks, actually feels a little like 10 weeks or more...

I'm obviously documenting this pandemic in my project life pages. All my recent layouts have been about it as well. It's pretty big and scary right now. 

This past week, we've seen a lot of the glorious sun. What a mood booster that is.

Grad was officially cancelled last week...

The Calgary Stampede was officially cancelled this week...

I'm just not sure that anything will be normal again...

Thankfully a ton of funnies and memes have shown up all over. It feels good to laugh, we need to keep doing that. Until such a time the we can get together in person again.

This too shall pass.

PL2020 - Week 11 | Sahlin Studio

Gosh, what I'd do to go back to the way things were, before Coronavirus was all anyone ever talked about.

This weeks project life spread, goes back to the exact start of our world turning upside down. 

The first few weeks of this were scary. I remember having the tv on during the day, watching, waiting, listening...

I learned very quickly, that was not a great idea. Especially for one's mental health. 

The late news simply had me lay in bed all night long, with my eyes wide and fearful, going through one worst case scenario after another. 

I then limited the news to dinner time only. 

Now I only watch it every few days. It's just too much. 

We're doing our part by staying home. I'm hopeful this will get under control and we'll be able to return to normal. 

Although, what is normal anymore? 

• Date night, we went to a wine tasting event with some of Barry's co-workers. It was our first 'date' since hockey and ringette were finished, and at the time, we had no idea that it would also be our last in the foreseeable future.
• Toilet paper suddenly was in high demand, everywhere. 
• Getting Madelyn packed and ready for her Bamfield trip. [Which was cancelled 36 hours before the plane was to leave]
• Seeing the word 'PANDEMIC' for the first time.
• Closures of all the things that never close... Seeing professional sport teams suspend play,  Disneyland close it's gates, these things certainly got my attention quickly. 
• My inbox, which also alerted us to the fact, that life was about to change. 
• Schools were closed, indefinitely, on Sunday March 15th. We received official word after 8 pm. 

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

Rough Times Elements- https://the-lilypad.com/store/Rough-Times-Elements.html

Rough Times J. Cards - https://the-lilypad.com/store/Rough-Times-Journal-Cards.html

Ups & Downs | Sahin Design

This is our new normal.

Our reality. 

The kids both sit at a computer each day, watching lessons, live teachings, lectures and both have been busy with homework and assignments. 

It's tough.  Especially on my momma heart. This is NOT how these kids want to be learning. They want to be at school. With their teachers and surrounded by friends. 

I was thinking, families with little ones, definitely have it harder right now, during this Coronavirus. It would be So. Much. Harder. doing this with young children and elementary aged kids. When you need to watch them constantly from morning to night. With no break but for bed time. 

I don't spend any time during the day, going over lessons or teaching my kids. They, thankfully, receive prompts from their teachers and they both get to work. I think they've both welcomed this little bit of 'normal' in the midst of nothing being normal. 

What's hardest for this age group, is not being surrounded by their peers. 

And now, that grad has officially been cancelled [which we pretty much knew was going to happen, but we still held out hope] they don't even have anything to look forward to. 

Makes my heart ache... 

I'm glad to be able to document this crazy period of our lives. 

One day, we'll look back at this period and say 'Remember when...'

For now, we continue to take it one slow day at a time. 

The following Sahin Designs products were used: 

https://sahindesigns.com/products/ups-downs-elements/

https://sahindesigns.com/products/ups-downs-papers/

https://sahindesigns.com/products/ups-downs-cards/

Homebody Collection | Sahin Designs

This global pandemic still seems like a dream. Like it can't actually be happening. If you would have told me, 6 weeks ago, that the world was going to come to a near stop, I would have laughed at you. And yet, that is exactly what we're dealing with.

This brand new collection, Homebody, is available now from Sahin Designs. It has come at a time, we need it most.

Pieces of this collection, elements, papers, journal cards and digital stamps are available this weekend, thru the 5th of April for 20% off.

If you happen to be a newsletter subscriber, watch your inbox for a special link to get the bundle for 50% off.

Also, if you purchase the entire collection through April 8th, you will get this Covid-19 Stamp Pack for free.



I have a feeling this will get a lot of use in layouts created, during this troubling, stressful time.

Here are couple of layouts I created using this new collection. Trying really, to come to terms with our new normal.

I have always been a homebody. I love my home. Turns out, I love it even more, when I'm the only one in it. Well, with the exception of Libby of course.

This is really h a r d...

And I suspect it will continue to be so, as time goes on.

I'm thankful for technology. That we're able to text and FaceTime and joke and laugh together. This past week I had wine date with my girls, and a morning coffee with my other girls. We all got some laughs out of these conversations.

The weather has been a downer too. The groundhog is a big fat liar. It's snowing here. Still. Today. April 3rd. Cold grey days, make this seem even harder.

When spring comes, eventually, we'll get a whole other element of being outside in the yard, to add to our isolation routine.

Here is our reality right now, this is what getting together with friends looks like:

This next layout was before the kids had any direction as far as school went. They had 2 weeks off before hearing about any type of school work and/or assignments. That has thankfully changed, and both are working away at different assignments, etc. A very different type of learning, that both of them are not super happy with.

I'm relieved that both kids are excited to get to school work. Both miss it. Looking froward to summer vacation is one thing. Looking at 4-5 months off school is another...

The problem with two kids wanting to learn and connect is,  two computers, both of which are being used by a child. I take the back seat...

Eeks... Looks like I might have to make late evenings my scrap time once again, like when the kids were little...

As for our little foursome, we've been having game nights, movie nights, tv watching nights, hot tub nights, and name that tune nights. We're making the most of out it, but still...

It's a lot. Of. Time. Together...

My kids are missing their friends.

I'm missing my people too. All of them.

And I'm very much missing my quiet house. So is Libby.

We're all in this together, doing the best we can.

Be safe, stay healthy. Stay inside.

The following Sahin Designs products were used: 

Elements: https://sahindesigns.com/products/homebody-elements/

Paper: https://sahindesigns.com/products/homebody-papers/

Journal Cards: https://sahindesigns.com/products/homebody-cards/

Stamps: https://sahindesigns.com/products/homebody-stamps/