Monday Musings, March 16

Well…Good Morning, my Friends.

We are so blessed that we count as friends readers from every corner of this world. Some of us celebrate Christmas while others celebrate Kwanzaa. Some of us revel in the joy of Easter and while others observe Passover. And while some of us bundle up during winter, at the same time others are in their tank tops dodging the heat of summer.

But at this very moment, we have never been more connected.

The empty streets of our friends in Italy are eerily similar to the empty streets in Hoboken, NJ. Children and college students in Charlotte, NC are learning from home, as are the children and college students across Germany.

And while, as a family, we are doing our best to prevent the spread of the disease to those most at risk by staying at home, we are oh so conscious of the toll this moment in time is taking on the small business owners across the world.

But, during this time of great uncertainty, so many of these businesses are looking for ways to do good.

A local, small, family-owned restaurant in our town is providing meals to local children who are not able to get their lunches due to their school closing.

Disney just realized Frozen 2 to its streaming service 3 months early to help entertain the children who are now stuck at home.

Comcast is providing free internet to help students continue their studies from home.

Without a doubt, these are worrisome times. But at times like this, it helps me to look up and see the good that is being done.

Here’s an article on ways to help small businesses while we are all hunkered down.

Please share stories of the good that is being during this time of uncertainty. We could all use a bit of lifting up!

So, since you are stuck at home for a bit, what are you doing to keep busy?

I made and canned chicken stock this past week. While I’m not promising that it’ll cure the flu or the coronavirus, there is a part of me that does believe in the healing properties of slow-cooked, vegetable-infused chicken broth. And if nothing else, when you are feeling poorly, it will soothe your soul. I’ll publish the recipe for the stock and directions for canning it this week. For those of you new to canning, heck, maybe it’s a good time to learn a new skill!

Speaking of new skills…have you tried making macarons? And not for nothing, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that macarons can actually cure Covid-19! ?

If you’ve been knitting or are looking for some knit projects to keep your hands busy, check out these knitted gift ideas and free, printable gift tags. You could really do some stash busting and fill up your gift bin with these ideas. And the printable gift tags finish your gifts off perfectly. Order everything you need online so that you don’t need to leave the house.

You could make some trivets or coasters! Once again, order the rope online and print the pattern from me!

When you make your mad dash to the grocery store, pick up some oranges and make Orange Marmalade. Once again, if you don’t have all the tools, they can be ordered online.

Since you can’t go anywhere, take the time to do that decluttering you want to do! You can join the 6-week challenge or pop on over and start at Week 1.

If you need to escape the news for a bit, put your earbuds in and listen to a podcast.

Well my friends, stay safe out there.

Share your stories of the good that you see and what you are doing to keep busy!

Hugs,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!