Staying Busy During the Pandemic

With emotions running high I decided to only post positive things to my blog and Facebook page.  It is nice to see so many people trying to be positive in these times with sharing things to do as well as watch on TV.   It is hard not to make negative comments on some posts I see, but it is also my control to "unfriend" these people or scroll past their posts.  I am looking forward to watching a Grand Old Opry Show tonight as well as Hamilton that I just shared earlier this morning.  I also want to watch the virtual tours of the National Parks to decide which ones I must see when we get to plan and experience our cross country trip.

Today I am sharing a simple, easy recipe I tried last night, and for us it is a WINNER! Besides the chicken, it uses mostly staple items that would be in your pantry.  Hope you enjoy it!  Comment if you make it and let me know your thoughts.

Magic Chicken Pie 6 tablespoons butter, cubed                                        3 cups cooked chicken, shredded 2 cups Bisquick baking mix                                           2 cups frozen mixed vegetables 1-1/2 cups milk                                                               ½ white onion, chopped 1-1/2 cups chicken stock                                               1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking dish.  Place dish in oven until butter is melted, then remove.  Meanwhile, whisk together the milk and baking mix in a large bowl.  Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the chicken stock and soup.  Set aside. Arrange the casserole in the following layers, but do not stir. First, arrange chicken evenly over melted butter.  Arrange vegetables evening over the chicken, followed by the onion.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over the onion, then pour the Bisquick batter evenly over the top.  Pour the soup/stock mixture over the Bisquick. Bake until top is beginning to brown, 45-50 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Yield:  6-8 servings

Thoughts for the Day

I know what you are thinking......ugh, another post about our current situation.  I don't ever comment or share political posts, but I am writing this post to help ME.  Hoping that if I share some of my thoughts and things we are doing, it might help others as well.

This morning I was up at 5:15 AM to take advantage of the Giant Grocery Store being open for us 60+ people from 6-7 am.  As I drive in to the parking lot, it didn't look too bad, but by the time I got to the registers to check out, it was like shopping on a very busy day.  Shelves were empty in places, no toilet paper, but I was able to find everything I needed or made substitutions for everything except a cucumber!  How odd!  Redner's Market was across the street so I made a quick stop there and got my cucumber.

In a grocery store it is hard to stay 6 ft apart with the small aisles and so many shoppers.  When I went in I took my own disinfectant wipes to wipe the cart, but they had them inside as well.  When I got back in the car, I used my hand sanitizer.  Same was true at Redner's.  When I got home I felt "dirty".  I know I didn't shower before I left, but just knowing I went out with other people that I have no idea of their health situation made me feel that way.  Clothes and jacket went in the laundry and a long hot shower made me feel better.

Moral of the story...…...

I plan to use Walmart's pick up service for most of my groceries.  Yea, they pulled a zucchini for me instead of a cucumber the other day(what is my problem with cucumbers?) but I felt safer when picking up my groceries.  As a note, their service is FREE and when I tried to hand the person who loaded my car a tip, she said they were not allowed to accept them.  

So what else are we doing?

Our clubhouse in our 55+ community is closed, so no gym, no library, no puzzles or DVD's.  We try to walk and get some air each day.  We chat from a distance with other neighbors who are doing the same.  We live in a great community that looks out for each other.  We can laugh, smile and trade stories to know we are ALL in the same situation, just 6 feet apart!

Trying to keep to our "schedule" as much as we can.  YES, retired folks have a schedule too!  I feel so sympathetic for those that need to work from home and handle child care as well, in addition to our healthcare workers and grocery store folks.  I try NOT to sit in front of the TV too much, especially with all the updates on the Coronavirus.  We watch one local news half hour and the National News and that is basically it.  Well we TRY to adhere to this, but it is hard!  

Since we want to stay home as much as possible (grocery shopping and a trip to CVS for prescriptions are the only times we are out) we have decided to try and do what we can to help others.  Since I don't feel comfortable taking groceries over to our local pantry, we are making a donation on line to the Boyertown Multi Service Center.  It makes us feel better, knowing that there are others in need as we have a stocked pantry and food in the refrigerator.

Going to try and cheer someone up each day, whether it be a text, email, card or something else I think of.....and this is why...……...

Amazon dropped off a package yesterday.  Andy went to get it as I am saying "I didn't order anything!"  He comes back in, stating that it is ours, and my name is on it. YIKES!  What did I forget that I purchased?   As I opened it I had no idea what it was or who it was from.  In the box was a 2000 piece puzzle!  The note inside read "Thank you for all you do to foster the craftiness in me.  Stay Healthy".  Thanks 100 times over and over again for the person (who know who you are🌝) who did this for me.  It made my day, made me smile and I even shed a few tears at such thoughtfulness!  

If you are still with me after this long post, try to do something for others.  I promise they will feel good as much as you will feel good for doing it.  I see so many positive things happening during this trying time.  Families are in contact checking up with each other more frequently, people for the most part are polite in the grocery stores I have been in, and communities are coming together to help those in need, just to name a few.  

In closing....

Stay safe, stay home and stay happy!