OMG! I haven't blogged since APRIL. I have no idea what's going on with me but I just can't seem to sit myself down to type out a post. I have read a few books and wanted to share a few things but... nope.
Life is lifing lol Good things, bad things, everything in between but we're plugging along. I'm trying to get the through the last day of a heatwave right now. It's been over 100 for 4-5 days now. Although the "cooldown" will still be in upper 80's low 90's.
So maybe this is the first of many posts to come or maybe you won't hear from me again until Christmas. Either way - HI! I miss you and I do try to sporadically visit you all. I'm mostly on IG now, if you would like to chat.
I saw the topic for TMST and thought I would use it to jump in with a new post.
It is co-hosted by (Linda from Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Roberta from Offbeat YA, Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About, Berl's from Because Reading is Better than Real Life and me)
Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.
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Question: Have you kept any hobbies that you started during the pandemic?
Answer: I made two bigger hobby related purchases during the pandemic. A Zojirushi bread machine & a sewing machine. We had to make our own masks after all lol
Out of the two - the bread machine is the clear winner. I didn't use it much during the pandemic but it did lead me to start baking (of all kinds) and make sourdough starter. I mostly use it to knead the bread and I finish baking in the oven. I also use it a lot in the summer to make jams. I absolutely don't regret that purchase. I've gotten more than my moneys worth out of it and it started a hobby that I really enjoy and find relaxing.
The sewing machine...that's another matter. That just sat there for years lol I'm not great at sewing and I don't have a whole lot of patience for measuring, pinning and all that.
I do have it though, so I decided to try to make use of it and fixed a few of Kevin's shirts, made several dish towels (used a bar towel on one side & a soft flannel type fabric with a fun print on the other side). It's a simple square - yet mistakes were made - needles were broken lol, but I'm learning and getting a bit more comfortable. I doubt this will ever be a "hobby" but I no longer regret buying it.
What about you? Did you start any new hobbies during (or after) the pandemic?
And I just want to add that I understand that the pandemic wasn't a "let's start a new hobby" time for many, many people for many reasons - I don't want to make light of that and the measures vulnerable people still need to make now.
Please let me know what you've all been up to and reading!!!!
I start new hobbies but then I stop them because I get bored too fast.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually the same lol It was weird how many previous hobbies - like reading - I actually dropped during the pandemic.
DeleteIt's great to see you posting here though I always love seeing pictures of your fur-babies over on IG. This is a great question. I picked no new hobbies, but I have enjoyed watching your baking projects grow and grow. I really want to let my kid try to teach me to sew. I did a class in high school and was really bad at it, but my guy is up to $20 for a hem!!! My kid can do it in like 10 minutes.
ReplyDeleteIG is so much easier for me to keep up with - even though I slack there too.
DeleteI'm attempting a stuffed sourdough next, once this heat passes.
I'm so horrible at sewing lol I snapped a needle in half - threading takes me forever! I can't sew in a straight line. But my minor repairs on Kevin's clothes look decent enough.
Working in a coffee shop, I actually didn’t got off at all! 😅 quite the opposite, in fact. As we were running on low capacity at just 3 girls. So no.. no new hobby for me unfortunately :p
ReplyDeleteKristina @ books-and-dachshunds.com
There are so many people who didn't have a choice but to work = mostly service people, of course.
DeleteIt was a weird and unsettling dynamic for some people to be starting hobbies while others are put at risk so we can.
Good to see a post/update from you! I feel you on the heat. It's brutal down here and the humidity seems worse this year (though I'm sure it's not). I'm always so impressed with your bread-making skills. The results look like something from a restaurant. I can't say I picked up a hobby during the pandemic but I did do a lot of home decor. I re-did the library and the home office. Amazon was at my house constantly for a long period. lol
ReplyDeleteI should be an expert at the heat after decades in FL. We don't get the humidity, at least. It's so rare (not anymore though) to get that kind of heat that no one is prepared for it. Most buildings are old with no ac and bad ventilation.
DeleteI am forever thankful we put in an ac when we moved to my house. We live up on a hill and the windows face the sun. It's like being under a magnifying glass lol
I think redecorating counts! I did a lot of major cleaning and rearranging during it.
I hate sewing machines, so I sew by hand. I srsly need a new one but they are so hard. That dang thread
ReplyDeleteThey really are awful lol I feel like I need to learn it since I have it but ugh! Mine has a threader but I CANNOT get that things to thread and then the hole is too small for me to see lol
DeleteI love that you found some new things to do to pass the time and create. I really didn't do much during that time except spend more time with my daughter, which I love.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Really, we just went walking a lot. We had just got the puppies but couldn't really socialize them but went on long walks a lot.
DeleteI also hadn't posted since April when I last posted. It's crazy how time flies. I don't think I picked up any new hobbies during the pandemic, other than playing ANIMAL CROSSING on my Switch. It's my most played game. Anyway, I hope to keep hearing from you. :D
ReplyDeleteThat feels like a hobby - or at least an interest! I can't believe we're mostly through the summer already. I am not ready for winter to come back so soon, even if it's a few months away.
DeleteI'm always happy to see you back too :-)
Oh, yes, that bread machine sounds divine, and it's stainless steel and black which is the look of all my countertop appliances. I received a small inheritance... well actually Sebastian received a small inheritance (I was written out of the will 😅) and he felt badly and split it with me, so I had $2K. I bought a new camera and an iPad pro, and I have enough left over for this bread machine. 🍞✨
ReplyDeleteI started playing my tin whistle and recorder again during the pandemic, and had gotten so into it I was considering buying higher quality models of both, but then I just stopped. Ha ha. Sebastian found my old contract from when I used to teach baroque recorder at a community music school there used to be here; and tried shaming me into starting up practicing again. He said he didn't know I had been good enough to teach. Maybe I'll get in the mood again. 🎼
That was so nice of him to share. I hope you get as much use out of your machine as I do. I don't love baking right in the machine - the loaf is often lopsided with those two huge holes in the bottom lol but it still tastes great.
DeleteI can't seem to stick to any hobby these days. I remember (vaguely) playing a recorder in school. Definitely not good enough to teach lol
I have a bread machine to and love it. But I don't eat bread much anymore so I don't use it much.
ReplyDeleteI have started a lot of crafts and hobbies over the years but I never stuck with any of them.
My internet is finally fixed after 10 days of being without it and I am making my way through everyone's blog again.
Kevin is pre=diabetic, so we changing up our diet some and I've been making more whole grain bread. Really, most of what I make goes to his work though. I actually eat very little of what I bake lol
DeleteGlad you have your internet back!
I started making BBQ. There's something very relaxing about the process of low and slow smoking different meats and sides. I guess it kind of compares to baking in that you follow specific steps that can take all day to get to a delicious result.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see you back on the blog. We've missed you!
We got a smoker too and love it.
DeleteAnd thank you!
DeleteKaren how are you? I've been the same... haven't blogged in MONTHS. Hopefully I'm back. Hope you are well.
ReplyDeleteThe bread machine sounds awesome. I love a good sourdough loaf. I've been eating less bread but sometimes...
The return was short lived lol I did set up a new working/computer space so maybe that will help.
DeleteI know it doesn't seem like it, but I don't eat a lot of sweets or bread. I tend to cut off a small serving for myself to try and send the rest to work with Kevin.