Making The Most Of A Sad Situation

The situation we are currently dealing with at hand is sad, in so many ways.  Without getting into the nitty gritty details, lets just say that my own situation could be worse and for that, I am thankful.  But we are all dealing with this issue, albeit in different ways.

One sad situation that has nothing really to do with the pandemic is my kitchen remodel, which has been put on hold for the time being due to financial and economic reasons. We will re-visit this situation in the near furture and hopefully I will have some better news at that time.

What I really want to talk about is the situation that directly relates to this Coronavirus issue and that is the recent celebration of my daughters 13th birthday in quarantine.  Although it was not ideal, we made the most of the day and it was memorable despite the fact that we are stuck at home.  I am not sure what we would have done to celebrate her big day if life was normal and we had options.  Would I have had a huge party? Probably not. But we would have done something fun and extra special to mark her entry into her teenage years.  As the saying goes, it is what it. And we celebrated at home with just the six of us.

I tried to make it not just another ordinary day however, and I did put up a few decorative accents.  Minimal as it were, it was something to mark that April 26th was not just another day, it was my daughter's birthday.  She baked a cake and we ordered pizza, fries, a wrap, some indian food and there were snacks and treats galore.  It might not have been the celebration of the year but it was a special celebration none the less.

Finally Getting My Dream Kitchen

What do you do while stuck at home on quarantine? Remodel your kitchen of course.  At least, that is what we decided to do. Once we were in the thick of this Coronavirus pandemic and were more than advised to stay home, we decided to start a few long overdue house updates.  After all, being stuck at home meant we had more time on our hands so why not use that time wisely to get a few home projects done.

The most exciting of these projects is the remodel and complete overhaul and re-do of our kitchen space.  We have lived in this house for about 14 years and since the beginning it has been my dream to just re-do the entire thing.  The house itself is fine but the design and set up was seriously lacking, not to mention we have dealt with quite a few issues as well. Things that have broken and needed repairing on multiple occasions.  We had to do a complete re-wiring of the entire house due to electrical problems and the roof is consistently leaking, among many other things. It has been one issue after the other with this house and we havebeen waiting for the day when we could finally make this house our own and put our own personal stamp on it, not to mention make it more functional for our family and our needs.

Don't get me wrong,  I am super thankful for this house.  It was built for us and so luckily we have no mortgage.  I am grateful to have a roof over my head that is mine and a place to raise my kids. But I never loved this house and always dreamt of the day we could do an extensive remodel, especially on the kitchen.

The day has finally come and we are in the middle of our long awaited kitchen remodel and I could not be more excited.  We will finally be able to put our own personal touch on this house, picking out kitchen counters and cabinets, flooring and even adding an extension to include a butlers pantry by using unused storage space.

So far, we have  taken down a wall and added a window where there was none previously. We are changing out the ceiling and adding recessed 'daylight' lighting.  We also plan to redo the rest of the kitchen with new countertops, new backsplash, new cabinets, new flooring, and new appliances.   When we are finally done, the kitchen will be the kitchen of my dreams and I am over the moon about it.

To give you a rundown of what we have in mind and what some of our plans are, let me share a few images I have pinned on pinterest.

This is the color scheme we want for the kitchen with the dark cabinets and white countertops.  I know white cabinets are all the rage right now and super on trend but I think darker cabinets just suits my style better. This kitchen has a similar layout as our kitchen so we plan to move the sink over to the window area and move the stove and refridgerator to the back wall.  We will keep the breakfast bar and add a few new barstools and of course, the recessed daylight lighting to brighten up the space. We hope for a more modern, up to date kitchen that functions more efficiently for our family.

This is our idea for flooring. We have a few options, but we really love the wood look so we plan to install wood looking tiles or wood planks on top of our exsiting tile floors that I hate so much.  The new floors will update the space and be much easier to clean.

As for appliances, we are excited to finally come into the 21st century and purchase a side by side double door refridgerator.  This is the fridge of my dreams, with the water and ice dispensers and I cannot wait to have one in my kitchen.  We plan on getting stainless steel but are open to other finishes as well.

As a final touch to finish off the space and update the entire house, we plan to paint all the walls a light gray color. 

It's going to be a major upgrade to our home and our lifesyle but it is such a ruch knowing we will finally have a kitchen that not only looks good but functions.  We have a few months of contruction ahead of us, at least two.  But I am loving the process and taking the time to do my research on the various types of countertops and flooring and appliances.  This process is so much fun!!!

A Very "Same" Easter

I've heard alot of people say that this Easter will be very different due to the worldwide Corona Virus pandemic. Most won't get the opportunity to celebrate with their extended families this year.  There won't be any organized egg hunts for the kids, hosted by churches or cities.  And the most devasting change for most families will be the fact that they won't be able to attend Easter church services.  It will be a huge change for many people for sure.

As for us, Easter will pretty much be the same.  We always celebrate Easter with just us, my family of six.  I make the day memorable with a special brunch and a yummy dinner.  I have always organized an egg hunt for the kids at home every year.  And we never go to church.  Same old Easter.  I can sympathize with families that will be affected this holiday with the huge change but for me and my family, I am thankful not much has changed.

I was very happy to have finished my Easter baskets back in the beginning of March before the quarantine and everything shut down.  For once, it surely paid off to be ahead of the game and prepared. So as Easter approaches, I am super thankful to be able to celebrate yet another holiday with my family in much the same way as we always have. And my heart goes out to families who are truly mourning the loss of their traditional celebrations.

Feeling Caged

I need to rant, so let me be very clear.  I love being at home.  I am a homebody at heart.  I have no qualms about staying home and being with my family.  I am not complaining about having to stay home.  What I am upset about is feeling like I am a caged animal, denied my very basic right of making my own decisions.

Costa Rica has taken the Corona pandemic to new extremes and has taken away people's driving priveledges for an undetermined amount of time.  I can live with certain restrictions, like only  being allowed just two days out of the week to drive.  But six whole days without being on the road is a bit much.  It's not even that I have to be on the road or even that I need to be on the road. But if I WANTED to be on the road and head out somewhere to make a few purchases, I am denied that right.

No more quick trips to the gorcery store.  And seeing that supermarkets are the only stores that are open right now, along with banks and pharmacies, that is the only place I would be going.  We can't go to the mall or a deparment store. It's not like we are out here living our best lives, chilling out in the streets. For the most part, families are home and staying off the roads.  So why the restrictions? We have nowhere to go!  The big government took away the right to shop, to go out to eat, to do anything recreational.  Now we can't drive.  It makes no sense and I am irritated.

I really just want life to go back to normal and soon.  I have enjoyed our time home and the kids' time off from traditional schooling.  But this caged up lifestlye has to stop. Give me the freedom to do what I please. If I have to stay home, I will.  But if the mood strikes and I want to head out in my car to the great outdoors, let me.  I need to be my own person. I need to be free.

Celebrating Life In Uncertain Times

It's the end of March; the 28th to be exact and it's my oldest son's birthday.  He has officially entered his twenties and left his teen years behind.  It is a momentous occasion.  It's a big deal and it deserves recognition. But we are living in uncertain times and life is not normal at the moment. With the coronavirus under our heels, nothing is as it was.  People are encouraged to self quarantine. Department stores, schools, and restaurants are closed.  And we currently are under curfew. This is our new normal.

Even so, it is my son's birthday and I was determined to make his day special despite our current situation.  We aren't supposed to really leave our homes unless absolutely necessary, like running those essentail errands: grocery stores, doctor's appointments, bank runs.  However, if we must leave, it is adivsed to utilize social distancing and practice good hygeine. With that in mind, I headed out to pick up some pizza and an icecream cake, both requested by the birthday boy. It's his special day, he deserves to feel special.  And since we can't go anywhere to celebrate, we might as well try to make the most of our at-home celebration .

As for gifts, he wasn't asking for much this year. All he wanted was a new desk for his room, along with a desk lamp and a new bookself.  Luckily, I was able to find the shelf and lamp while out doing my grocery shopping.  The desk proved a little more difficult to find as there aren't that many places open that we can browse for options. And Costa Rica isn't a very order online friendly country when it comes to furniture.  My point, we will have to wait until all this pandemic hoopla disappears and life goes back to normal to shop for a new desk for his room. Until then, we just have to keep living our lives and enjoying the little treasures day to day.  After all, it's the little things that matter the most, like spending time with family.

Buying All The Things

There are very few times where my pantry is so stocked, I haveto play tetris with the items so they fit. My freezer and fridge are so jam packed, I literally could not fit one more thing. To say we are stocked is an understatement.  But we are a family of six, and with all the kids home from school, this stocked up household will not last very long.

I am hoping for all the groceries to last about 2 weeks at least, a month at the most.  But most likely, we will have to venture out again by the end of the month to get a few essentials that we tend to run out of.  However, we will cross that bridge when we get there.  For now, I just want to stay home and hang out with my family.

Although we have all this time at home, kids are not just running free and watching all the TV they can. As a reminder that this is not vacation, schools and teachers have been sending school work via email and online for the kids to stay on track and on top of their studies. It wouldn't be fair for kids to fall behind in their school work because of this unexpected break from class.

Honestly though, as much as I loved having all the kids in school all day and having a set routine each day, I am not complaining about this unplanned break. No more 5am wake up calls, we can all sleep in and get more acquainted with our beds. Also, it's just nice knowing where everyone is at all times.  In a world that seems more and more out of control, it's nice to take back some control over our homelife.

We don't know what the future holds in these uncertain times; Will we be quarantined? Will they prevent us from leaving our homes? Will more places be on lockdown?  So far, bars, casinos and nightclubs are closed until further notice.  All the places where you have a huge gathering of people in close quarters and proximity to each other.  Some restaurants are closing their doors to eat in diners, take out delivery or drive thru orders only. This spells trouble for the economy. Businesses closing means people are without  work. In a lot of cases, no work means no pay and if you have no income coming in bills won't get paid.

While things are far from being apocolyptic as of yet, it does feel like an end of times Hollywood movie. People are scared and panicking and the news keeps changing day to day.  Lets hope things can return to normal soon enough.  Humanity is counting on it, the economy is counting on it. Here's looking to a brighter future

Prepping For An Emergency?

Fear has gripped most of the continent and people are buying up all the toilet paper. Yeah, you heard right.  There isn't any toilet paper in the stores and people are freaking out.  I cannot remember panic like this in recent years.  Well, maybe I can but I was younger and paid less attention to the world around me. This time, it's the Coronavirus that has people up in arms and running to the stores to prepare for the end.

I am not scared, not of the actual virus. But what is happening is a little scary.  When people panic, it causes even more problems than there needs to be.  And the media and government aren't helping. Their scare tactics and fear reports make matters worse.  And of all the things to have a shortage of, I had no idea toilet paper would be one of them.

In Costa Rica, there are no hand sanitizers left on any of the store shelves.  Customers can only buy 2 to 3 bottles of Lysol and antibacterial soap and hand wipes. Well, you can buy 2 to 3 IF you can find them. The shelves are bare. And that is understandable.  The Coronavirus is a cold like virus that is highly contagious and precautions include washing your hands and cleaning your surfaces.

As for why toilet paper has disappeared off the shelves is a mystery to me.  What can you do with TP in an actual emergency? I get it's a necessity that we need, for the most part.  But hoarding it isn't really preppingfor a worse case scenario.

As per my hubby's suggestion, we decided to do a little prepping of our own and stock up on a few essentials.  We went out and got the basic necessities we would actually need in case of an emergency, like a 2 week lockdown or quarantine.  If a worse case scenario occurred and we couldn't leave our house for about 2 to 4 weeks due to emergency precautions set by the government, we wanted to make sure we would be ok.  We got the basics: rice, canned beans and veggies, pastas and sauces.  Pancake and mashed potato mixes that just need water and, of course, a case of bottled water.  We got a few other items as well and a few comfort foods too, but we had to keep it simple because we wanted to avoid a panicked mindset. Plus, creating an emergency food stockpile is expensive and takes time.

If this situation has taught us anything, it's to try and be prepared in case of any event.  We have now decided to start stocking up little by little each month, adding a few basic and staple necessities to our monthly grocery haul so we have at least a months' worth of food supplies stockpiled at home. There is nothing worse than trying to go shopping in a pandemic.  Well,maybe there is something worse: leaving the saftey of your home when there is a raging virus outside.