SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 103

Hello friends. Welcome to Sundays With Celia Vol 103. I appreciate you being here today. How are you holding up? So far I know of no one in my group of family or friends who has been infected by this invisible enemy. I hope the same is true for you. Yet I have a feeling that before we defeat this thing, it will have impacted most of us in some way. It’s safe to say the whole world is feeling overwhelmed, as it’s so difficult knowing that a killer is in our midst, yet we can’t see it! I believe the uncertainty of it all is the biggest challenge, as we can only imagine for now how it will impact our health and our way of life as we have known it.

My Snowy Front Porch This Week

HOW MY FAMILY IS COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS

As empty nesters, my husband and I are holed-up here at home together, and have been enjoying a nightly walk in our neighborhood.

We feel very fortunate to be living in a rural area right now, where the population is small, the density of homes is low, the supermarket isn’t particularly busy, and we are nicely isolated from the crazy urban world while we wait out this pandemic.

Our children and grandchildren are doing their best to isolate themselves way across the country from us. We FaceTime with each of them regularly, as they share the various ways they are coping. So today I thought I’d share some of their pandemic coping skills with you.

QUARANTINE COOKING

My DC dwelling daughter-in-law reports she is “channeling me” by finally teaching herself to cook, albeit with the help of Washington’s Green Grocer. They deliver farm-fresh meal kits and farm boxes to the greater DC area. She also reports that she is making her own homemade Iced Tea.

By making your own Iced Tea you save a ton of money and plastic bottles at the same time. She and I both us the Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker which makes brewing Iced Tea so simple. Honestly I couldn’t live with out mine. I use it several times a week, every week, even in winter. It’s how I stay hydrated, which is very important for fighting the virus. To make my special Iced Tea I use 5 bags of Bigelow Cranberry Apple Herbal Tea. You can’t buy this flavor of Bigelow tea in stores, as it’s made especially for restaurants. So, I purchase it here on Amazon and always have a few boxes on hand.

Once brewed I add the juice of 2 fresh lemons and 3 tablespoons of Truvia (I hate to drink calories). The vitamin C in the lemons is also supposed to be good for fighting off Coronavirus.

My Chicago dwelling daughter-in-law was inspired by what she called “Chef’s Table Quarantine Edition” and the making of a Milk Bar Birthday Cake. After watching Christina Tosi on Chef’s Table she was inspired to try her hand at making the famous cake. I think it turned out pretty darn good. I SO would like a BIG slice right now!

I told you about the time I got to eat Milk Bar’s Birthday Cake in this post. You can watch Christina make Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake in the video below, and if you want to try your hand at making it, here’s the recipe. I previously shared Christina Tosi’s delicious recipe for Freeze Dried Sweet Corn Cookies, which would be another delicious thing to make while you are Quarantine Cooking. And, Christina Tosi is also having a Quarantine Baking Club Challenge on her Instagram page here. Each day she lists a group of ingredients and challenges followers to bake-up while she does a demo insta video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EuESxt1gPE

My DC Dwelling Granddaughter is also being a creative chef, dreaming up her own brand of baking. Here she shapes dough into dots and flavors them with various spices, even labeling her parchment paper with the flavors. Having been given free-rein to mix up her own concoction of flour, sugar, etc., sans a recipe, she’s being creative, having fun, and passing the time indoors. Why not let the little ones in your life do the same? Their creations might not taste so good but who cares if they are enjoying themselves?  Of course you will need to have extra flour and sugar on hand.

SOUTH LOOP SING-A-LONG

My Chicago dwelling kids join their neighbors each evening at 8:00pm for a Chicago-Wide Window Sing-a-Long. The song of the evening is posted on this Facebook page, then everyone congregates on their balconies with flashlights and joins together in song.

https://www.facebook.com/507797043/videos/10158509111432044/

Singing is such good medicine, and this type of sing-a-long is being repeated everywhere in the world in such a beautiful way. I just loved this one from Barcelona! Look closely and I believe that’s the Sagrada Família Cathedral in the background. Correct me if I’m wrong.

PANDEMIC PUZZLE MAKING

My Chicago dwelling son reports that in his free time he’s been putting together the National Park Puzzle I gave him for Christmas. Puzzle making is a relaxing pastime for the whole family.

Here are some fun and educational puzzles you might like for your family. Click on the image to take you to the source…

FELINE FUN

When he’s not putting together puzzles my Chicago dwelling son enjoys watching his quarantined cat frolic with feathered friends on the big screen. It’s just hilarious how Oliver bats at the birds on the screen.

PLAYFUL PANDEMIC PASTIMES

We can look at staying at home from a positive light and consider it a gift of extra time to spend with our loved ones, especially our children. This week my DC dwelling son made an erupting volcano with his kids. Here’s a link with instructions on how you too can make your own volcano.

They also went biking in the neighborhood…

had some hair-raising fun on the backyard trampoline…

and climbed a tree in the front yard.

APPRECIATING FAMILY & FRIENDS

During these unprecedented times I have gained a greater appreciation for my family and friends. Friday night our group of “besties” had a virtual happy hour on Zoom. It was SO MUCH FUN! We came together from here in Lake Arrowhead | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho | Reno, Nevada | & Palm Springs. It’s sad not knowing when we will be able to be together in person again, but in the meantime this is the next best thing. We’ve decided we are going to make this a regular thing.

In closing I wanted to share this VERY BEAUTIFUL duet sung by a darling and super talented 14-year-old girl and her dad. Another lovely example of how families around the world are finding ways to cope through music. And we are so lucky to be the recipient. ENJOY!

Stay safe and well. 

So there you have it: SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 103

Thanks so much for dropping in!

Express Yourself!

No blog post is truly complete without a word from you. I’d be so delighted if you’d leave a comment below.

• If you’d like to read After Orange County every time a new article is posted, please “Subscribe” to the blog using the Subscription Box at the top of the blog.
• I’d sure love it if you followed me on Instagram here.
• If you enjoyed this post, please help me spread the word by sharing it on your Facebook Page.  You can “Like” my Facebook Page here.
• If you enjoyed the photos, please “Pin Them” on your Pinterest page. You can follow my Pinterest Page here.
• Do you Tweet?  Please follow my Twitter Page here.
• Follow my blog on BlogLovin.com

All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  It’s what helps to make this blog possible. Thanks very much for your support.