MKSD-at-Home

The MKSD team has been busy working at home with stay-at-home orders in place, but we have also found time for new hobbies, finishing up projects around the house, and more! Check out what everyone has been up to.

Todd Chambers – “I’ve been working on a home renovation project.  We started a project to add a bedroom on our 2nd floor about 2 weeks prior to the quarantine, and our contractor had to pull off the job at that time.  They had gotten through the demolition and framing, and had hung drywall on one side of the studs.  From there, I had to rewire the lighting and outlets, insulate the walls, hang the remaining drywall, tape and spackle all the drywall, and install a new vanity in the bathroom.  My first priority was to complete the tasks necessary to get our kids back into their bedrooms, and from there I went on to work on the bathroom and new hallway.  What an adventure!”

Jess Klocek – “We started working on our basement remodel (which has been piecemeal worked on over the last 10 years).  Concreting and painting old stone foundation walls is finally completed! And we built a trail through our woods for biking and walking.  Complete with signage and trail markers.”

Codi Januszkiewicz – “I’ve been working on my travel blog site.  And focusing on my running a lot more.”

Ray Reppert – “Getting back to what is really important to me! Crafting a ‘coin-bank’ for my Granddaughter (a work in progress)… and of course…what else would I be doing in my free time (fishing)!”

Ali Higgs – “We’ve been doing lots of house projects, trying new recipes and watching Disney +.“

Joanne Titcomb – “Any chance I get free time, I try to go on hikes. Also started working on our garden.“

Ryan Kennedy – “Becky and I have been taking a lot of walks with Daisy.  With our free time we are fostering a dog named Tripp who has had a hard life, so now he is getting the relaxation and nurturing that he deserves.  And he really likes our resident dog Artie!”

Nick Hewes and Jill Hewes – “Between keeping our kids educated & entertained, along with our full-time job, it hasn’t left much in the form of extra time.  Though, with the nice weather we’ve been having, we’ve certainly taken more family walks and bike rides, as well as gotten a bunch of yard work done a little earlier than usual.  Of course there’s been plenty of Netflix and new movies-on-demand.  My friends and I have also been playing a lot of Virtual poker while video chatting… which is always a lot of fun.  I’ve also had a bunch of NERF battles with the kids!”

Susan Shipman – “Since the COVID pandemic stay-at-home order, life has certainly taken a different turn. Although I feel fortunate to be able to work from home, there is definitely more free time since we can’t go out with friends to restaurants or other social events. In order to stay somewhat sane, I have been keeping myself busy with things I usually don’t get to because of the lack of time.  One of those things was to break out my sewing machine to make face masks for my family and friends.

When the weather started getting nicer, Cameron and I got the e-bikes out and after several rides, we have mapped out a great 14-mile course in close by residential neighborhoods. Although we miss the Rail Trails, we have been avoiding them because we think they might be pretty crowded with people getting out for fresh air walks. 

Another thing I’ve found myself doing to pass the time is baking. I’ve made a lot of banana muffins since the bananas tend to ripen faster than we can eat them, but my favorite thing I have discovered are these Stuffed Bagel Bites (recipe by SkinnyTaste). They are really easy to make and are so good!! ”

Silvia Hoffman – “We started off learning how to make homemade pasta with the girls. Linguine Bolognese is the favorite so far. I’ve cooked more than ever being home every day and not going out to dinner or getting take-out much. It’s been a bit challenging keeping it creative but fun too since I like to cook and have enjoyed weekly trips to the Allentown famer’s market for supplies.

We cleaned out the back closet which had not been touched in the 3.5 years since we moved in the house and had been putting off over and over. That was a huge accomplishment because the clutter annoyed me every time I walked by it.

I populated schoolhouse shaped collage picture frames (gifts from my mom that I had been empty for 8 years) with my kids’ school photos starting with Kindergarten- 7th/8th grade.

Early on, I binge watched “Tiger King”…(I blame Jill for that!) and I never miss “90 Day finance!” Those people are craaaaazy!  I’ve also be watching “Kim’s Convenience” which is a sitcom from Canada about a Korean Family that own’s a convenience store (very light-hearted and silly and I like their Korean accents). I’ve watched Napoleon Dynamite a couple times (nothing puts me in a good mood like Napoleon, I love that kid!)

We took our first hike to Bake Oven Knob, that was fun, but Ava quickly informed us we are not ‘hiking people’ we are ‘beach people’….I have to agree…still waiting to go to the beach…

We started playing pickle ball at Lindberg Park, until they locked the courts, (I have a call in about that, pickle ball is a pretty socially distanced sport!) and we’ve had a few family bike rides, too. My first one was 20 miles and by 15, I had had enough! 10 miles is more my speed.

We’ve been playing cards a lot, Go Fish, Uno, Trash. I taught Ava how to play Solitaire.

I’ve enjoyed reading. I started with “Radium Girls” (super depressing) so as an antidote to that I’m reading “The Book of Joy” by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.

This weekend we started reducing our ‘social distancing’ and had some family and friends over for cocktails on the porch. It made me realize how much I miss people! I see more of that happening this weekend!”