Quarantined, Part 3

It's now our 7th week of this coronovirus lockdown.  We're hanging in there and doing our part to help keep the community safe.  We've also begun to support our local small businesses by purchasing gift cards and picking up To Go orders at restaurants.  Our first stop, Kolache Factory... Dean, David, and the entire crew were happy to see us.  We tried not to hold up the drive-thru line, but they kept talking and wanting to catch up.

With the shutdown, even the local recycle place is closed.  Our huge pile of empty bean cans and carbonated water are starting to look like we have an addiction problem.

But on the positive side, we finally found toilet paper!!  We need to lock it up before our house is robbed.

One of the few entertainment places still operational is the drive-in movie.  We loaded up in the truck with blankets and pillows to watch Call of the Wild starring Harrison Ford.  The movie was a little slow getting started, but it ended up drawing us into the story as the night wore on.  Got home after midnight! 

It's now recommended that you wear face masks when you go out in public.  I had a friend make these for us.  Now we look like bandits.

It's been required at my work for a while, which I get.  We work in a healthcare facility serving medically fragile children.  Even the kids have little masks. But with much of our staff working from home, I've had to cover for reception.  I'm not that good at it, so I really appreciate the team members who excel in these roles.

We've even marked the 6' distance lines by the copiers, in the break rooms, and outside our offices.  Here's my office showing that 3 people can wait in queue.  

Back at home, we're finding creative ways to enjoy family time.  The youngest two are getting massages.

We also decided to do facials.  

I read that vitamin D is really good right now to help fight off the coronavirus.  As much as I can't stand taking high doses of medication, I'm grateful that my NP did a blood test six months ago and found I was severely deficient.  I've been taking high doses ever since to get up to normal levels.  

But one thing I'm not deficient in is consuming calories. I've been baking up a storm these past two months.  Below is my first attempt to recreate my grandmother's treasured cinnamon roll recipe.  It didn't turn out near as good as hers, but it was still delicious.  I plan to utilize the next few weekends trying again until it's perfect.  It's also a fun project because the little one likes to help me bake!  

No judgements allowed if my blog pictures start to show I'm gaining weight. 

25th Anniversary

Although we've been celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary for almost a year, the actual day was celebrated during Covid19.  I'm so glad we enjoyed a few trips leading up to this or we'd have been disappointed in cancelled plans.

We celebrated with Moe's takeout, first because the kids requested it, and second because we wanted to take a break from cooking and support local restaurants.  We even had "to go" margaritas from another local Mexican place that was on my way home from work.

While I was at work, Eric picked some fresh roses from one of our bushes and put them in his & hers jars.  

Since we had BBQ at our rehersal dinner, Eric picked up BBQ kolaches for our breakfast. I had to take off my face mask at work to enjoy it!

Our special dessert that evening was a German chocolate cake that Eric made, then the little one helped me whip up some homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.  The pecan-coconut frosting on top was still store bought, but we'll try that homemade next time as well.

It was a wonderful celebration with all the kids home to join us.  We wouldn't want it any other way.💗

Quarantined, Part 2

We've now been quarantined a month with the SC "stay home" order.  Schools are still virtual and they have completely closed the UofSC campus for the remainder of the year.  All of VCom is e-learning now as well.  

I have to admit, though, it's been nice having everyone home.  We'll go on family walks in the evening and wave hello to neighbors outside.  Yards are looking really nice!  We have to pass other walkers/joggers on the opposite side of the road to maintain at least 6 feet.

Luke decided to build a ramp so that our riding lawnmower and the dirt bike are easier to get in and out of our shed.  He did a nice job!

 I've been catching up on baking.  This is blueberry scones.  Yum!

The stores are out of basically everything.  In the picture below you'll see the glass freezer is almost empty of frozen pizzas.  They also have "one way" signs for the aisles so that customers aren't too close to each other while shopping.

And toilet paper, my goodness!  Why are people hoarding this stuff?!!  I stopped by daily for two weeks throughout eight different stores, but I came back empty handed each time.  Good thing we still have a week's supply at home.  

Eric decided to grow some fresh lettuce with clear tubs we had sitting around.  It was a little early yet for a garden because our night temps are occasionally dipping into the low 30s, so these tubs act like a greenhouse.

It's working really well!  We trim the lettuce almost every day and add to our other salad mixes for extra greenery and taste.

Luke is still wanting to join the Army, but this coronavirus has put a halt on his ROTC progress.  In keeping up his fitness levels, he decided to do a ruck.  A ruck is a long walk (10-12 miles) with a 35lb ruck sack (backpack).  It was a gorgeous day, so I wanted to go with him.

Our route was 10.2 miles.  I only had an 18lb backpack, but he decided to do 40!

Our goal was to walk 5.1 miles to Bojangles and get some iced tea, then walk back.  So excited when we arrived!  Since there weren't many cars on the road, we pretty much stayed on blacktop the entire trip.

Easter Sunday was definitely different.  The neighborhood colored pretty crosses on their driveways and put lighted wooden crosses in their yards.  This was our chalk art. 

With all three kids home, they each got a basket.  I tried to find something special for each one, but most had essential items we no longer take for granted... cans of beans, undies, and toilet paper.

The Easter meal was delicious and very special.  We were grateful to have all the items we wanted to accompany our tradition.  After our tummies were full, we watched Easter Mass on YouTube from the Diocese of Charleston.  It's so hard to celebrate our faith during isolation.  I'm looking forward to having things back to normal soon.