Any Day That Begins with Piranha Shorts...

Is going to be a good one! 

Benny LOVES his piranha shorts and would wear them every day if CoRielle would let him. Alex bought a pair of shorts with salmon imprints to sympathize with Benny. 

Lucille, the free range hen, met me at the door this morning. She was not impressed  I didn't chase her down last night and put her in her kennel in the garage. I opened the door, she hopped to the top of the freezer, into her kennel...and laid an egg. Then wanted out. 

Stacia made a yummy breakfast - an avocado, tomato, poached egg/English muffin - all on plan!

I raced out the door to meet Lindsey at a local coffee shop to connect and scheme for the summer. I discovered our microwave clock is WRONG. It's always refreshing to share heart and soul matters with a friend.

Stacia made a cake today. She was going to try a cake with dates for a sweetener, applesauce instead of butter, and fruit instead of chocolate frosting.....but in the end...she went with two layers of a dinette cake, sandwiched with caramel sauce and covered with a chocolate glaze. It looked yummy.

Arielle turns 22 tomorrow. This creates the perfect chance to get the cake out of our kitchen and allow Stacia the fun of baking at the same time. 

Benny immediately stuck his hand in the cake. He does NOT like chocolate glaze at all. 

Michael and I have been taking the elder Gherkins, and family, out to dinner for their birthday. We knew Arielle would appreciate this gift - and it was the same (or cheaper) as dinner would have been.....we will miss the night out with CoRielle....but she lives very near by. Oh, you can't tell what the gift is in the picture I selected. It's a 3.5L Air Fryer. We thought it would be convenient to have the gifts down there a day early - she promptly opened them. LOL 

Stacia takes over dinner on nights when I have study or, it seems, when I  am distracted in the garden. She has been making Pad Thai, peanut sauce etc and her brothers haven't been 100% encouraging. She gave in and made Nolan Chicken Divan tonight. LOL  

Quick game before dinner

Michael is still in bed with ice on his back.

I took the kids to youth and then went to the library for some quiet/me time. I worked on a summer women's ministry schedule and then read my newest boo - The Blue Zones Solution. 

Ongoing Garden Project

Michael is still in bed - with ice for his back - suffering. 

We finished collecting our school work samples and I figured final grades.

The kids weeded the two raised beds in our garden space. Beds are so much easier to handle...someday I hope to have more raised beds.  This grew like wildfire in the 2 1/2 weeks we were gone. It's a good size plot - though you can't see it well in this photo. Our work is cut out for us.

Technically, we don't plant around here until after Memorial Day....but we got the beds weeded. I plan to plant some of my seedlings and cover them with a frame and some plastic. We'll see if we can get a bit more time out of the season. The goal will be to have the rest of the space ready to go by the end of Memorial Day weekend. Is that THIS weekend? 😄Hmmmm. Won't happen unless Michael's back feels much better very quickly. We had planned to go camping tomorrow....there will be more chances this summer.

I went into the green house today and, once again, it was heavenly! 64* outside -  a beautiful day...but inside? 104* and humid. I sat and relaxed with a glass of sparking ice water. Benny joined me and dug in the beds. You must understand, for a gal raised in the tropics, this brings back happy muscle memory.  I close my eyes and see the beach across the road from our house.

Stacia and I collaborated on a dinner of "Fried" Chicken from the air fryer, Leek Soup, Biscuits and Melon. I had a Salmon Cake and soup. This confirmed cheese still gives me migraines. And - IT WAS WORTH EVERY BITE.  Several have wondered, as I've been eating clean for so long, if I could handle a bit of cheese now and again. I hadn't wanted to test the theory.  I'm always too busy to deal with a migraine. But tonight....I'm on summer schedule and Arielle brought a Salmon Cake up. Alas, I took 2 pills before I finished dinner. I still maintain  Arielle makes a mean Salmon Cake. Arielle warned me. I had already had one bit and decided it was worth it to continue and see if I still get sick with cheese.😏😅😏This recipe has quite a few more ingredients than the one I made. It's yummy. I am going to try it with nutritional yeast subbing for the cheese....and almond milk for the milk.

I'm calling it a day and going to put my head to bed. LOL

Playing in the Dirt

I have found my happy place! 

Inside this greenhouse! I  was surprised how warm and humid it is when I went inside....relax your muscles kind of heat! I must get a thermometer. I am convinced a hot tub in a little house like this would be heaven. Many of you remember I was promised a hot tub and sauna if I moved to Alaska.....Just sayin.....With a bit of work a set up like this could count as both.   It would be wonderful to put a pool, or chair, in a spot like this. 😅

Michael started building beds for the green house Friday. Alex tilled it. Michael planned to add to the beds, but has  hurt his back. He's still down for day 2 with ice.  Nolan came home from work and asked what project he could help with.  Alex has been working with Michael a lot since we moved here and was confident cutting the wood and putting the beds together.  He and Nolan took care of that....

Stacia and I worked on raking the dead grass out of the yard. It didn't take long to realize this was going to be a horrendous job with a yard this size. I have egg and "project" money set aside. I came in and told Michael I thought a thatcher for the back of our lawn tractor would be a good investment. Cory's folks de-thatch a few times at the start of each year and it breaks up the dead stuff and it blows away.  I don't see myself in my 80's out there raking acres of dead grass. 😕 It's an investment in our "real retirement," which you will know has begun when we reach Social Security age.

 I am smiling-the-silly-grin-excited to have some of the seedlings out of my kitchen  and into dirt. 

I gave everything at least twice the space shown on the square foot gardening chart. It still looks crowded...but I have 7 watermelon and 3 tomato plants that aren't planted....I don't mind having extra as everything died last year the first time I planted. I have back ups if that happens this year. Michael suggested I would need another, bigger greenhouse when he gave me this one last year. I think he may be right. It look didn't take it long to fill up. 

Cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes across the back 

This is the watermelon side

Michael was going to build me a shelf too. I'm not sure what I could grow up there....I have melons and cantaloupes with nowhere to go - but I don't see either on a shelf. Maybe we won't do a shelf until I can figure out what to grow up there. Herbs in planters.... What would you put on shelves?

Ah - a rattler (quake not snake).

I LOVE all this sun!!!!!

Note - I know it's not June and I take a risk planting. I had a sourdough (old time Alaskan resident) tell me to plant when the birch leaves are the size of squirrel's ears.  Sounds good to me. 

Gideon (aka Bubbie) is TWO!!!

What a fun cake! 

Tomorrow, Gideon turns 2 years old! He has been an incredible blessing in our family. Gideon was born early....and has made up for that slow start by moving very, very fast ever since.  He's healthy. He's got a huge heart - I've never seen a toddler give hugs and kisses as frequently and generously as he does.  BreZaak invited us all over to celebrate this afternoon.  Michael has done something to his back and isn't walking well at all. He didn't make it. The rest of us were there.  It's been a month or so since we've all been together. 

Uncle Cy and Annie 

 I haven't seen Annie for 3 weeks - and WOW - she's growing! She's gotten long. She is in the 75th percentile which is huge for these kiddos. Bella has always been petite and, as I said, Gideon began life way early.....he was in a hurry to get here and help his family move to Alaska! It took him a bit of time to even hit the charts.

Stacia purchased Bella some sparkly tattoos....

He wasn't quite SURE why Mom was giving him a lit cake - but he was game! 

Benny was given a "small" piece of cake. This is a treat. He took his fork, and stabbed extra from the other plates. Where there's a will - there is always a way! LOL

I don't believe Gideon had realized the  gifts were for him.  He was excited to open them. It started with just he and mom....

Everyone else was happy to join the fray. 

Gideon solved the problem by jumping up on the hope chest with the gifts. 

It was fun for Cory to see the light at the end of this round of classes and be able to join the festivities. 

Aunt Arielle and Annie

S'More Season

Today marked the first S'more of the season. Our goal - to enjoy this summer to the fullest - one s'more at a time. I splurged on a bit of popcorn instead of a s'more. I can have no more added sugar until June.  But, before the s'mores there was a day....

Michael left bright and early for Men's breakfast! We tended to the seedlings, worked out, picked up a bit and waited...

When Michael  wasn't home by 11:00 a.m., Stacia and I headed for the store. It turns out Michael had done the same. We coordinated lists and got er done....a bit of groceries, a new kitchen appliance, some pants, birthday gift, and gardening stuff.

Josiah stopped by with the news he has put down an offer on a duplex in Eagle River. Working the plan! 

Michael brought home a fun toy for Gemma and Papa's toy box....

Dino promptly ate the tree...

Jamin joined us and everyone but Stacia and I headed out to play Boccie.

It's become obvious we need to rent a thatcher and do some work on this yard....but we need to haul out a LOT of spruce trees first.

Maria has an air fryer. This was our first time to see one in action.  It was amazing. Freddies had these on sale. Michael nudged me to get the biggest - 6.5L.  The small sizes had held me back.

Air Fried - CRISPY cauliflower

Amazing - the taste of frying without the saturated fat 

Nolan got home from work. 

Stacia made an Irish Cottage Pie and Flatbread for dinner. I made go-withs.  Arielle and Benny visited while we ate. They were waiting for Cory for dinner. 

Cory got home from work. 

We headed outside to play and enjoy the fire. Such a beautiful day! 

Michael, Josiah, Nolan, Jamin 

 Roo jumped at me when I went to feed the chicks. I brought him out to get to know everyone... Someone named him Reuben. The guys were trying to keep him out of the fire and he made a run for it between their legs and into the fire...then out. He is rechristened - Phoenix.

We brought Oreo outside too.  We weren't completely satisfied with our local chick purchase this year. We lost 8 - quite possibly 9 as we don't think the littlest is going to make it. One thing I do LOVE about buying local is we have such a variety of chicks it is easy to tell them apart and name them. They get names as they are not going to be any of the carnivores meals.

Odd crop circle and trampoline

Benny waited for a moment when everyone else was tired of archery.....

Alex told him to bring the arrow back. He did....but then he reached down and slugged Alex right in the nose. Totally unexpected. Unfortunately, all the uncles laughed...and if Benny can make the uncles laugh....

I need to replenish the s'more kit when I go shopping this month.....right along with the fishing kits.