Monday Musings- Tales from Captivity
Happy Monday ladies! Or in other words, Happy Day 7,983 in captivity (self-isolation, at my daughter’s place in Canada). We have made it through our first week of self-isolation, in her tiny apartment. I’m pleased to report that everyone is still alive, including Honey Pug (yes, that is her name ;).
We chose this as the perfect week to not only stay entirely within the four walls of this (lovely) five hundred square foot apartment, but also, to open every drawer, closet, and cupboard; pull everything out that my daughter has ever seen, touched, or bought, and bring it into the middle of the room for the purpose of REORGANIZATION.
Naturally, there are two things on my mind this week: decluttering/organizing and gin and tonics. And might I add, these two items pair quite well together it turns out.
Decluttering
The first step in decluttering this space was to pull quite literally everything out of the cupboards and start sorting through. While neither of us has watched Marie Kondo’s show, I’m pretty sure we have successfully reenacted it over the last seven days.
I quickly learned is that it’s actually quite difficult to organize a kitchen with so few and such tiny cupboards. We ordered 
Since we can’t get out to shop, we have been scouring Amazon for all kinds of organizing goodies. We have been amassing a pile of “free things” to donate after our quarantine ends. I have rearranged the patio furniture twice, and we have just decided on a third option for tomorrow:)
We have our eye on a couple of dressers from West Elm because believe it or not she doesn’t have one. My favorite is 
It may not surprise you to learn that my daughter Vanessa is a fan of shoes, an affliction she comes by naturally. We have gone down a rabbit hole of shoe storage and decided we like the shelf style the best, instead of hanging shoes. Because, while her place is very small, she doesn’t like to have anything out to look at (ie. hanging racks) so everything must be tucked away. This is difficult to achieve… but we have a lot of time on our hands!
Gin & Tonics
My mother always drank a gin & tonic, and I thought they were disgusting. Until I discovered that gin-soaked raisins help with arthritis. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy! And so I determined if ever a day arose where my arthritis still bothered me and I couldn’t picture consuming one more bloated raisin, I started to make myself a gin & tonic.
I would call gin & tonics a medicinal necessity, when quarantined (and when not), during the pandemic (and in normal times). My favorite gin is Tanqueray because it’s made with Juniper berries (which is supposed to help with your arthritis). My favorite tonic is Fever-Tree, because, frankly, the can is pretty and it’s a bit lower in calories.
Last week my daughter’s friend Amanda, after learning of my arrival and gin appreciation, sent a picture and told me about something called Empress 1908 Gin. This name refers to the landmark Victoria, B.C. hotel “The Empress.”
“The gin is made with eight organic botanicals and a non-GMO corn-spirit as the base. Butterfly pea blossom lends the spirit its deep color. An aromatic London Dry gin style with a lush blue hue, Empress promises to make a regal cocktail.”
In particular, she shared that the gin actually changes color when tonic or citrus is added (lime juice!) from deep indigo to monarch purple, to rose petal pink. This is due to the butterfly pea blossom added during distillation. While I can’t sneak out yet for a bottle of Empress gin, it is high on my list once we exit quarantine next Monday.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great start to the week!
What part of Vancouver does your daughter live in? I’m just curious because I grew up in North Vancouver and have a brother and a son living there.
Road trip to the distillery in Sydney might be in your future! We went there last year and they have several delicious gins. I find I like a little stronger gin for G&Ts, but also enjoy sipping more mellow varieties. There’s getting to be so many delicious botanical gins out there and distilleries popping up all over. My favorite is Randsom Old Tom Gin made in Oregon. Fever-Tree is the best tonic!
I’m looking forward to a post about solving the shoe storage issue.
Two favs – Tanquerary and reorganizing! Preferably together! Have fun and enjoy the sights when you get out.
Loved your post today. I love the west elm dresser! Might be perfect for our home. Love the inspiration re organization. I need to kick back into gear to be more productive. I was starting to slack a bit thinking we were thru this. WRONG! Itās going to be a long haul, Iām afraid.
I really enjoy your posts! Keep it up!
Jennifer, you truly crack me up! Giggling was the perfect way to start this week, for sure. I always love your Monday Musings š And I am also a gin/tonic drinker from way way back! A dear friend introduced me and we would enjoy one together sitting on her porch watching our kids play outside. Today that would probably be considered child abuse! From that point on I was hooked though and always recall the fun we had together back then. My gin of choice is Beefeater and I just found Indian Tree tonic water a few months ago too! Much lighter and less sweet. I hope your great visit with your daughter continues onward with the cleaning and de-cluttering. You will always treasure this time with her! My two daughters li e nearby but both work full time so I get excited when we can have coffee together on a Saturday morning. Keep blogging, kiddo! You are a treasure.
Thanks, Sharon! Have a great week xo
Welcome to Canada!
I enjoy your website very much.
Gin & Tonic is also my drink of choice. I also enjoy lemon gin although not many people do!
Thanks for making me laugh, Jennifer! G&Ts are my favorite pandemic drink, also. So much so, I call it my Quarantini! This time you have spent with your daughter will be among your most favorite memories as the years go by. Cheers- clink clink!
I love that!! Quarantini:)
For my birthday in June, my sister sent me a Life is Good t-shirt with “Quarantini” on the front with a picture of a martini glass. I love it!
Good Monday morning!
I hope you are enjoying our weather,a lot cooler than your home!
I hope you have sunny weather the rest of this week.
Talking of organizing,I bought some amazing organizing tools for my underwear & sock drawers from Ikea, I love the panties all rolled in their cubicle!
I love āBombay,Saphire ā gin.
Enjoy your week.
Hmmm I think I need to find some of that Empress Gin….I am betting that it is only available on B.C. but I will check my LCBO with fingers crossed.
As for the shelves…..they are fabulous and are made/imported by Vancouver Classics and come in many sizes. I hate supporting Amazon because of the way they do business ( they allow scammers to wreck a perfectly good business person’s profile and then Amazon is impossible to work with to prove that it was a copy cat writing fake bad reviews on the real deal so the scammer can then turn around and take over the market with a copy item and profit by selling “the same item”)
Vancouver Classics sell their shelves through their website, Costco, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Lowes, etc. so no need to support Amazon. And…these other retailers often have a Sale on them!
Good morningšI have organized and reorganized my closet, dresser draws and my pantry in the kitchen. I am running out of areas to organize! Your choice of dresser is beautiful. The curved design is very pleasing to the eye and I am sure it will serve its purpose besides looking great. Have a great week
Quite appropriate to enjoy an anti-malaria cocktail while quarantining for Covid. Itās medicinal! Close enough!
Love it!
Oh! I forgot to say I love your choice of dresser. The floor will show below the legs making the space appear larger. The curved drawers give it a sexy look. That is a piece that will work in any room of a home and compliment any style of furnishings.
What a great way to keep busy during quarantine. You must feel a real sense of accomplishment in organizing a whole apartment and ordering pieces to help display/hide Vanessaās things. I guess this next week will bring balcony sitting, reading, and enjoying more of those Gin & Tonic. Imagine the sense of freedom you both will have when quarantine is over and you venture out.
Will you be required to quarantine when returning home?
No, California doesn’t require it but I will still lay low when I get home.
I picked up Fever-Tree tonic last week on recommendation and really enjoyed the flavor – most tonics are too sweet. The storage unit is a good idea!
Sounds like you and your daughter are managing just fine together, with a little help from a delicious gin & tonic. Nice choice on the dresser. Iāll have to look for the Empress gin as thatās our favourite summer drink. I live about an hour outside of Vancouver, hopefully our beautiful weather stays that way when youāre finished your quarantine. I enjoy spending time with my daughter too, weāre heading off for a couple nights away – now we include her 5 year old daughter. Happy sorting and purging!
How fun! You live in a gorgeous part of the world.
declutter…I didn’t managed during the 1st lockdown…perhaps missed the Gin/Tonic as a company…neither now during the hot summer days. Don’t pray for a 2nd lockdown but bad
weather would also helpful in order to get started.
I agree, it’s easier to stay in and declutter in foul weather.
Love your sense of humor. Thanks.
Quarantine is the best time to clean, purge & organize – it gives quite a sense of satisfaction š. Fever tree light is my favorite tonic – Iāve been mixing it with Seedlip Spice instead of gin as I have been taking a break from alcohol. It doesnāt contain. Juniper but Iām hooked on it mixed with tonic when I donāt want alcohol. Enjoy Canada when you get out of quarantine.
I am SO envious of your dual citizenship! Mine is U.S./British which is no help at all in seeing my sister and my entire extended family in Ontario, ten minutes away from me by bridge. It is forbidden to cross the border, even with a 14 day quarantine, because Canada has managed this virus and doesnāt want a surge. Enjoy your time with your daughter.
My dual citizenship isn’t a help when this 14 day quarantine rule is in place. I’m not going to sit in my brother’s Calgary apartment for 14 days no matter how much I miss him. Tiny apartment+bachelor isn’t my idea of fun.
You may find that if you have already put in your isolation period of 14 days, Alberta won’t ask you to do it again. Just sayin’, in case you have a desire to visit the Stampede City.
I love Alberta!
I agree Kay, tiny apartment + bachelor would require more Gin and Tonics than I care to drink:)
Jennifer, I laughed out loud when I read your post this morning! Sounds like you and your daughter are having a great time despite the isolation in her apartment. I would give an arm and a leg to spend that much time with my daughter (although she might not say the same thing!!). Enjoy and keep those gin & tonics going.
Wow! You and your daughter are sure making the best of your quarantine–re-organizing and de cluttering. And to finish a project with Tangueray and tonic. What could be bad? Enjoy being with your daughter! Fun times.
I just watched an episode of Cooking on the Coast (Vancouver Island really) where they have been featuring local distilleries in their pairings. I don’t usually drink gin but these varieties looked interesting. Quarantine goes quite quickly. I had to do it in March after returning from Mexico. It’s a good time to declutter.
We have been cleaning out our garage during this time and boy what a difference! Really need to tackle my closet again. Love the dresser you choose! My mom always drank vodka collins. Whenever I have one I think of her.
Iāve never had a āCollinsā anything but remember people having Tom Collins. I must google why it has that name.
Itās Monday morning, our last full week of August and weāre still knee deep in this pandemic! I am trying very hard to remain hopeful and taking on various projects around our home does help. Cleaning and organizing are great energy boosters for me. I love walking into a room knowing that I just decluttered a lifetime of āstuffā that only I had some appreciation for. The older I get (74 and counting), I know that my children will not fight over most of my āstuffā. George Carlin had a great skit about our āstuffā.
I love the dresser you featured! Itās beautiful clean lines and marble top would be an awesome investment.
My last taste of gin was decades ago . I prefer a glass of wine or a craft beer occasionally.
Stay strong ladies!
I remember that George Carlin skit! I also remember how my siblings felt about going through my parents things š
Now is the time to declutter. It makes me look forward to decluttering when I get home! Hang in there Jan!
Love Tanqueray gin it is my all time favorite; something about that beautiful green bottle reminds me of Wimbledon and celebrating togetherness. Lovely memories too as that was the gin my Papa always used when he made cocktails for us all. Enjoy!
How fun!
Just got Empress 1908 delivered. Have been looking fot 4 months. Was told all the Seattle distributors were out. So frustrating when the distillery is in Victoria. Love the color.
Why have I just heard of this Gin?? I canāt wait to see it.
Empress 1908 is just wonderful! We visit the quaint Distillery in Sidney every year and bring home a bottle to enjoy in the States. We are seriously missing our trip to Victoria, Vancouver Island this year! Please post pictures if you venture over that way!