I did a thing - or two

Back in ye olde days (like, April) when quarantine was a cute little idea and we had no concept of just how long we would go without human contact other than Zoom meetings I, along with millions of others, hopped on the sourdough starter train. I had mixed results and gave up for awhile, but recently got back into it. Again, mixed results.

Disaster. Loaf pan for context - these were literally like bricks

Much better, but still some tweaking to do.

In the meantime, I decided I wanted to make cinnamon rolls. I used this recipe and I used maple extract in the frosting. OMG, these were delicious and I'll definitely make them again.

I used my mom's rolling pin, which I'm sure helped.
I texted the bottom right picture to Aaron (who was all the way upstairs)
and said "who the fuck am I?" I think he wondered the same thing.

On the non-food front, if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that I'm now a consultant (or Beauty Guide) for LimeLife, which is a skincare and makeup company. I'm pretty excited about this, as I've used the products for a few years and I absolutely love them. You may wonder "why the hell would you get started in this during a pandemic?" Well, I'll tell you. A couple weeks ago I was organizing the bathroom drawer (yet another coronavirus cliche) and was forced to come face to face with all the products I have. And I decided that I don't need a reason to put on makeup. Because dammit, it makes me feel good. And if I'm being completely honest, my skincare routine had taken a nosedive and I find that I'm much more diligent about washing my face at night if I have makeup that needs to be removed. Hey, whatever works. So, if you're looking for new skincare or a mascara or a lipstick or all of the above, let me know! You can check it out here and feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Stay tuned,

If Not For Coronavirus, Part Deux

In Part One of this unintentional series, I talked about a cancelled Columbus Symphony Chorus concert. Since then, I also should have sung in a Columbus Symphony concert which included Verdi's Stabat Mater (which I've never performed) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (which I've performed many times, but is still always a joy - see what I did there?).

Immediately after that, I was to travel to San Antonio for the national Craft Brewers Conference. And upon return, I would have gone to see Wicked with a friend.


But also, if not for coronavirus, I would not have experienced this curbside concert a couple weeks ago (or maybe it was just a week ago, I have no idea anymore):

If you're local, check these out here. There are many local artists covering a range of musical tastes.


I also wouldn't have enjoyed the pop-up concert that happened this week in my neighborhood with several local musicians. It was definitely a highlight of this quarantine.


Let's check in on my hair, shall we? I'm now more than three weeks past my appointment date. Ohio doesn't yet have a plan for reopening salons and barbershops, but it's safe to say that I'll be missing my May appointment as well.

I put on some makeup for this photo. Curly hair disguises
roots to an extent, but things are getting rough around here.

And, the short side view.
I will not color my own hair.
I will not color my own hair.
I will not....

At least my nails are fun:

Color Street - the flowered pattern is called Daisy Me Rolling, which I love!
The other two fingers are Oslo and Steady, topped by Dripping in Diamonds.

Until next time, I leave you with this meme that couldn't be more appropriate.

Getting Fit During Quarantine

If you didn't know, last December I fell while crossing a street near my house and broke my humerus (upper arm) into four pieces. This led to a two night hospital stay and surgery, and I am now the proud owner of a plate and 10 screws in my arm. (At the end of this post, I'll have a picture of my most recent x-ray, so if you're squeamish about that kind of thing, just be aware.)

So as you might imagine, fitness wasn't really happening for a while. Just before the great coronavirus shut down, I had returned to my local gym and got back to work with my trainer. I think I had gone about twice. And then the gyms were closed.

Luckily, my gym offered virtual training sessions, so I now meet with my trainer once a week for an hour using whatever equipment I have in my house.

That's all well and good, but what about cardio? I've never been a runner, and I don't even really like to walk. And the fact is that since my fall, Aaron is very nervous about me walking. Like, anywhere.

About a year ago, we purchased a Peloton bike. We used it a little, but not nearly like we had intended. With being at home all the time I figured it was a good time to get reacquainted with my Peloton.

Hello, bike!

At first, this was just to keep me moving in some way. Then it kind of became a necessity because thanks to various friends and family members, I'm eating more sweet stuff than usual. But I'm not complaining about that!

Pie for breakfast? Yes, please!

Be careful what you wish for! But also, yummmmm.

Now it's becoming a bit of an obsession, to the point that Aaron looks at me and says "who ARE you?" (Stay tuned for the post in which I bake bread when he REALLY wonders who took over my body.)

The week of the 6th I had to take a few days off
due to major leg work with my trainer which left me s-o-r-e.

If you have a Peloton, follow me - I'm GilaTick! I do mostly low impact rides, although I'm starting to get into Power Zone Training (!!!). Christine is my favorite trainer - she's inspirational and she drops f-bombs, which is a great combination in my book!

I have not been compensated in any way for this post, I'm just a fan. And now, I'm off to ride.






Now for the x-ray:

I was actually disappointed that I didn't set off
any metal detectors at airports.

Hair and other thoughts on this week in quarantine

I know I'm not telling you anything you're not all feeling as well, but DAMN, is time dragging or what? Here in Ohio, we have at least another three weeks of staying at home and honestly, while I love my home and I even love alone time, March was the neverending month so April will probably be infinity. But shout out to Ohio's governor Mike DeWine, who actually listens to his director of health, the amazing Dr. Amy Acton, when making decisions about what to do during a pandemic. What a concept!

Just to be clear (Treehouse sisters, you know what to do), I can't complain. People are still allowed to buy beer, and they are buying beer, so I'm still working - from home. Aaron's business is also still able to operate, and he goes to his office every workday, which is good for all involved.

But while I can't complain, if you know me, you know that I'll find something to complain about, and it will be silly and vain. So let's start with hair.

Many years ago, I did a post about my hair evolution as an adult (you can also find links in there to posts with pictures of my growing-up years *shudder*).

I follow a pretty strict schedule of getting my hair cut and colored every 5 weeks. My last appointment was March 2nd. So when the salons were shut down in Ohio on March 18th, I was still in good shape. I should have had an appointment last Monday, April 6th. And so begins the documentation of "just how grey will my hair get."

This is Wednesday (or Gwensday):

I made this my new profile pic on the Facebook. I like it. There's a hint of grey that is visible at my forehead. But the real test will be on the other side:

This is where the grey will eventually get really noticeable. It's certainly not bad just yet. And I can't wait to see how the asymmetrical cut will grow out. Stay tuned. (Also, as I was writing this post Aaron took the clippers to his hair because I told him I wouldn't do it. Hmmmmm...)


I'm super happy that I quit acrylics a while back so I don't have to worry about that. I'm now obsessed with Color Street nail strips (and if you're interested, I got a guy -- well, girl). And since pretty much no one will see my nails in person but I'm still going to do them, here you go:

Other stuff this week:

Fox Sports Ohio has been re-airing last year's first round of the NHL playoffs, in which the 8 seed Columbus Blue Jackets swept the 1 seed Tampa Bay Lightning. We've watched every game, and on Gwensday for game 1 we donned our CBJ gear.

We've been doing well making some yummy meals. Friday night Aaron made these chorizo and potato tacos (and he made the chorizo himself because we already had ground pork). Delish!

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Happy Easter / Passover / Saturday ... It's been so strange this week to not be singing at church every day and twice on Sunday.