Covid-19 & Giant Monster Cookies

When we think of the major threats to our national security, the first to come to mind are nuclear proliferation, rogue states and global terrorism. But another kind of threat lurks beyond our shores, one from nature, not humans – an avian flu pandemic.

Barack Obama

I have so many thoughts about the last few weeks. Let me start with, hello! My name is Kristin and I have a blog, this blog! You wouldn’t know it though because I haven’t posted since January 15, 2020.

I had such high hopes for 2020. On my last post I discussed my top 10 recipes of 2019. It was the end of the year and I was refreshed and ready for the new year! My next post was going to be my New Year’s resolutions. I started it but… 2020 got busy early on. The last month of our new home build really took a toll on my extra time. Although we had a wonderful contractor, to help save money, Ninja and I took on a lot of the finishes ourselves. Between painting, hanging wallpaper, cleaning, packing, and regular life, my blog slipped to the back burner.

We moved into our new home on March 2! The week before our move in, I came down with the worst stomach flu I have ever had in my life. For the next 3 weeks we hustled! We had the majority of our boxes unpacked and we were feeling somewhat settled by March 13 so I began preparing my next post! The Girls were celebrating their last day of school before 2 weeks of spring break and I knew I would have some time to pick up where I left off! I realized it was too late to do resolutions and it came to somewhat of a surprise to me that we were already 3 months into the new year. Things had been so topsy-turvy that I was excited for some sort of normalcy again. My first post back was going to be an introduction to our new home!

And then the world had a different plan.

I don’t know what to say. The life we are living right now is so surreal. I can’t believe this is where we are at. Our small business has shut down to protect our clients, our employees and ourselves. Our schools have been closed indefinitely. We live in a retirement town, Ninja’s parents are in their 70’s, we live above my Dad who is in his mid 60’s and the majority of our clients are senior citizens so we have been self isolating to help plank the curve.

Over the past 11 days of social distancing and self isolation I have had a lot of time to think. Think about the past, what is going on right now and what our future holds. My thoughts are ALWAYS changing. As new information gets to us, I see things in different ways. My poli-sci prof told us to always look at a situation through different lenses. Try to see the bigger picture. It is impossible to predict what may come next but here are my take aways from this reality we have found ourselves living in right now.

My 5 BIG thoughts of the past 2 weeks:

1. Maybe the universe is telling us to slow down. As a family, we are very busy. Our lives are very scheduled and we go hard. My children never complain and in fact thrive on their dedication to school and dance. However, in the past 2 weeks instead of complaining about not doing something they have been content to just be. It is so nice not to check the calendar. I don’t feel anxious when I wake up in the morning about everything I need to get done. Slowing down and enjoying the laughter has been eye opening. I stood on the deck and the only thing I could hear was the spinning thing whirling around in the wind on my neighbour’s roof. No traffic, no animals, no city buzz at all. It wasn’t eerie. It was calming. It was like I could take a deep breath for the first time in a long time.

2. I can’t believe people can’t stay in and self isolate for 2 weeks! This blows my mind! Maybe I have just come to realize what an extreme introvert I really am LOL but I just can’t believe people don’t understand the consequences of their actions. We are the generation of no consequence. We haven’t lived through a depression… yet, we haven’t lived through world war, we didn’t even really live through the Cold War! We have never known hardships. Don’t get me wrong, of course people have their personal stories of hardships and turmoil, but on a whole, western civilization has only known prosperity. We have become complacent in our privilege and freedom. We have no idea how this pandemic is going to affect the economy long-term. I’ve taken a few economics classes so I have somewhat of an idea, but I am really hoping that I am wrong. I think, 2008 is going to feel like the glory years compared to the economic fallout of the coronavirus. We are all going to have to tighten our belts and sacrifice. Our entire lives have been changed. 2020 has cast our futures on a new trajectory.

3. I know people don’t want to think about this right now but I can definitely see the similarities between this pandemic and climate change so clearly. For many years they have been warning us. For many years we have known what is coming. However, until natural disasters, fires, maybe even cities start sinking will the majority of the population realize that they need to make a change… But it will be too late. Life and death is literally our option right now and people still think that spring break in Canmore or standing in line for two ply, or going to hot yoga class is more of a priority then keeping ourselves and loved ones safe, healthy and ALIVE 😱 WTF? This makes me realize that the fight to save the planet is practically futile. People will never give up their conveniences, not even with the risk of death in front of them. Rest in peace planet Earth.

4. If the world had to go and shut down, this is the perfect month to do so. At least for me! We moved into our new home 2 weeks before we went into self isolation. I can’t imagine if this would’ve happened even 2 weeks earlier and we were living out of boxes with minimal furniture and 6 people… 1 shower… plus, they unhooked the main laundry in the last week of February and it is still sitting in my Dad’s living room! Can you imagine? Another thing we are fortunate for, we had a lot on our plates with unpacking, work, school, and setting up the house. We were falling behind and when you’re trying to start fresh, that’s never a good thing! This time has allowed us to get our poop in a group LOL get things where we want them instead of just putting things places… Until later, because as we all know later never comes 😆. Also, our Girls are at a fantastic age for this! Not too old to miss their friends… yet, able to play together and able to get their own lunches! We have even had sleep ins!!

5. How is this time going to be looked upon through history? As a history/politics major I have spent many years pouring over history books and writing papers about the different areas throughout time. The Dark Age, the Renaissance, the Age of Discovery, the Age of Revolutions… what will we be remembered for? Absolutely the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed for years to come. It will be a case study of what NOT to do. I feel like I should be recording a daily log for the history books but I don’t have the words to describe how profoundly this is affecting so many different people. I think of the homeless that can’t shelter in place, the seniors in care homes that may never get to see their families for the last time. I think of all the children that are home instead of at school. Some of them will never catch up, some of them rely on the food that the school provides for their daily meal, some kids rely on going to school to get away from a home life that I could never imagine. I think of my Niece and how her final year of high school has been ended so abruptly. Her and so many other grade 12 students will not experience the happiness of graduating with their friends. Going to prom. Their last few months of childhood are gone *poof* and the world is dragging them into adulthood amid a pandemic, economic collapse, an environment at the brink of who knows what and political strife that I have never seen before let alone imagined. My heart breaks for them. My heart breaks for my Girls. Honestly, my heart breaks for the world.

We will never be the same after 2020.

Over the past 2 months, even though I haven’t been blogging, Ninja and I have still been releasing updates on our weekly couples podcast, How Was Your Week, Honey? I have posted links to episodes 154-163 below!

Check out ep 154: Nailed It! HERE We discuss: cocktails, pedis, word work, snow day, house, the kitchen, L.A.T, CBC questions, & 90’s Canadian Music.

Check out ep 155: Just DO Your Job! HERE We discuss: impeachment, criminal checks, volunteering, spas, ear issues, IKEA, the house, painting, wallpaper, All Stars, McDavid, & the Mooch.

Check out ep. 156: We’ll Get There HERE We discuss: early crushes, the house, painter reprise, wallpaper, budgets, carpet guy, appliance delivery, impeachment & the Super Bowl.

Check out ep. 157: Calling All Trades HERE We discuss: sibling fights, pink pillows, snow, the house, smart homes, history, karaoke, trades, Netflix, tools & Instastory.

Check out ep.158: Rom or Com? HERE Topics: Corona virus, pot lights, tiling, Valogram dimensions, Wayfair, wallpaper, resting heart rate, & RomCom bracket.

Check out ep. 159 Sometimes You Barf HERE This week we welcome a special guest, my Sis to our 1st recording in the new house! Topics: fire drill, puke, Blurple, Minecraft, Matilda, house update, the hole & songs of 2006.

Check out ep.160 Not Our Favourite Week HERE Topics: Snowflake Ball, meeting from hell, flu, no water, Edmonton, beer with our BIL, brunch, Oilers vs Jets, Biscoffs vs Oreos, & the house.

Check out ep.161 Movin’ In HERE This week we finally moved into our new home! Topics: $ store diagnosis, unpacking, purging, smart home, first night, punk beat & guitar heroes.

Check out ep.162 Quarantinis HERE This week we discuss effects COVID-19 has on 🇨🇦, BC & our small mountain city. Topics: Family Feud, shopping, liquor supplies, reality, red face, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Check out ep.163 The New Normal HERE This week we discuss the changing world and our self isolation. Topics: InstaStory, on the outside, a moment in time, Spring Break, gratefulness, the furnace guy, a trip to the Dr’s, and RIP Kenny Rogers.

I had planned on releasing a dinner recipe today buuuut while being home this past week, my Girls had a massive cookie craving! I looked through our pantry which is relatively bare because we just moved in 3 weeks ago. I have flour but not as much as I usually have and I definitely don’t have a bulk amount of butter or chocolate chips! So, I found this recipe! It was perfect! We doubled it and each Girl got to make their own Giant Monster Cookie and we barely had to use any ingredients! They tasted great, didn’t use up all my reserves, and the Girl’s had fun making them! I didn’t take pictures because I wasn’t planning on posting but after I put the 1 picture I DID take up on social media, I realized that people out there might have a cookie craving too. So, change of plans, in hard times, we share cookie recipes!

Giant Monster Cookie

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

2 tablespoons margarine, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons beaten egg (crack an egg, beat it, then use 2 Tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons peanut butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons quick oats
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup M&Ms (we opened Halloween packages! Yes we still have a ton of Halloween candy lol)
2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Using a mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the margarine, sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and peanut butter then beat on medium-high until combined.

Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt on low speed, then beat in the M&Ms and chocolate chips until combined.

Shape into a mound in the center of the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes until edges and top are lightly browned. The center will look super soft, but it will set as the cookie cools.

2 months. That’s a long time and a LOT of pictures! Here we go, pull up a couch and enjoy!

HBear joined her curling friends for a bonspiel while SBean got dressed up and went to a tea party and production of Beauty and the Beast for a friend’s birthday party.

We worked on the house… a LOT and the Girls kept the mood light. Ninja volunteered for SBean’s weekly school skating field trip, we took time for a few day dates and we started dance costume fittings!

For the Family Day break my Sis brought the family out for a week long visit! It was wonderful! BIL and CabbagePatch were only able to stay for the weekend but we had SweetPea and Sis for a full week! In the short time that our BIL was here, he helped Ninja put together a TON of furniture and my Sis helped out with the last of painting and cleaning. We tried to do fun things but a wicked stomach flu ravaged our house. It was nice to have my Sis there while we just chilled out. Felt safe and comfortable. We did manage to go see a local musical, Matilda, my Sis and I went to a Chili Mug fundraiser at the Art Gallery, Dad took the Girls to the park and out for ice cream, and Ninja took the Girls out for dinner and to a Vees hockey game. The Girls spent a lot of time cuddling, SweetPea lost 2 teeth, and Ninja and SBean attended the 4th annual Father Daughter Snowflake Ball.

The day after they left, I got the flu! I was in bed for a week and then I had to get up because Ninja and I had our flights booked to fly to Edmonton for the weekend to see our FIRST live NHL game at the NEW Rogers Arena, home to our favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers! Dad took SBean to Apex for her school field trip, She was pooped and slept all the way down the mountain lol. Dad and J hung out with them while we met our BIL for dinner and beer in Edmonton, our Niece for brunch and dinner with our WRLBesty (who flew in from Winnipeg for the game). Even though I was WAY under the weather it was great to see everyone and we had a FANTASTIC time at the game! We met up with my cousin during periods to thank her and her husband for giving us the amazing tickets! After a quick visit, we flew home to begin our next adventure!!!!