News from Afar

It was a red-letter day around here....a postcard from Nate and Heather. Seems THEY spent Christmas in Brunei and it's a tad bit warmer than it is in Alaska.

We can't get too worked up about their warmth - they are living in Kstan now and it's rumored to have a winter similar to ours.

It's always fun to hear from them.

Dreaming of Summer?

As I went about morning outside chores I couldn't help indulging in a bit of summer dreaming....

I coaxed the chickens out of the coop with the lure of fresh scraps.  You can see Phoenix is up and about now...but definitely has touches of frost bite.  

I dropped compost in the lasagna bed in the garden. The moose have been out here. Glad to do my part to keep them fed. 

It really IS beautiful here in the winter. It isn't my favorite time of year, but it is the prettiest time of year. 

Oops - good thing this is here to keep the mosquitoes at bay. LOL 

Summer will come again. 

It may be cold outside - but it's warm inside. See the smoke from our wood stove? It HAS warmed up to 10* today....much better than -18*.  We also gained about 4 min of sun today....Those pale areas on the corners of the house - frost.

No More Workouts With The Chickens

They made it happen. They knew I was looking for a chance to move all the exercise equiptment inside....and THEY MADE IT HAPPEN!!!! 

Alex, Krista, Stacia

 Note there is not ONE CHICKEN enjoying the covered area we created for them. LOL 

And now....I can work out without a rooster perching on the handles.....ah, the joy.

Michael is pretty happy to have more room in "his garage".... the riding mower is inside...maybe a car sooner or later....but if nothing else more space for the workshop.

Family Everywhere

 This can only mean one thing....

Our day in the nursery at MAG. We walked in the door and were surprised to see Benny and Arielle. Cory works on Sunday and it can be a long day to fill. I had told her we were in the nursery and if she needed a play date to stop by. Unfortunately, I mentioned this in front of Benny. They pulled up at their church and he said, "Not Baachan's church."  LOL Arielle decided to stop by after their service and let him play with all of us. 

 Michael didn't get enough play time in the nursery - there are kids under there....

We opted for lunch at DQ - sort of. I may have had a bit of contraband food - but this family gives them so much business they were o.k. with that. It was a fun visit as Allie and Caitlynn joined us.  The plans are in motion to have people over here instead of eating out every week - but I need to really work the plan before we jump. LOL

After lunch we headed to BreZaak's. They had several from their church and all of the family congregate to celebrate Annie turning 1!!!

A great day spent with family - church and natural. We're blessed.

Breakfasts, Showers and Projects

Michael and Dad went to Men's breakfast. I began my Saturday with a tray of fruit....

 Those strawberries were not easy to find this time of year. Produce has sky-rocketed even since the last time I went shopping. Strawberries were $5 a lb and I had to buy 2 lbs to get this many that were suitable to cover and eat. LOL

Why the fancy fruit? A baby Shower! It's always such fun to meet to celebrate an upcoming blessing. Kaitlynn is having a baby boy!

Everyone brings a little and it creates a
blessing - That'll preach.

 Yay! 

Krista suggested we visit Arielle after the shower. Our presence was welcomed. Arielle had a project going on and needed extra hands. Krista was happy to provide the hands while Staci and I were happy to relax with Benny.

THIS decal was not attached to the sticky film when it arrived. They got it done....

The house is coming together.

Yes! Friday....

Hot drinks, fun atmosphere, interesting company and the chance to get to know each other a bit more...what is better than a coffee date with a friend? Siakayle got a fun design in HER cup...probably because mine is tea and not coffee. 

Stacia got to play with  Siakayle's kids while we enjoyed time together. Stacia and I headed to Freddies to pick up a few things for an event tomorrow. As we were leaving I heard, "Hi, De'Etta."

I automatically replied, "Hi," as I turned to see who it was.

It was Alicia! Alicia was on the International PWOC board when I was a Regional President...we trained women's ministry leaders in Korea and Japan together. Imagine - Korea and now ALASKA! The places we bump into each other. AnyHOW....we're all military retirees now....her husband works right here in our town and they live in the town over.

WE certainly need a coffee date to catch up. If not in January, I will make sure to schedule it in February.

Stacia and I ran by the library, mail box, and Papa Murphy's, before heading home.  Michael and Alex were waiting for the van so they could go to THEIR lunch/Bible study.

I spent an hour or so working on retreat sessions.

We dipped some strawberries for tomorrow, Krista got home from work, Dad came out of his room, the guys all got home...and we had dinner.

BreZaak took the kids with them to Alive Alaska tonight. I love watching the kids, however, I do miss Family Friday nights here at home. This is the first time I've been home with the family in 2 1/2 months on a Friday night.

We lingered over dinner....because we COULD. It was nice not to have a meeting to which we needed to rush off. We played Forbidden Island. Well these 4 played. Dad opted to make phone calls and go to bed. Michael worked on a puzzle; I watched to see how the game is played.  I had chicken in the canner and needed to fill some time. The kids have been watching MacGyver so we watched an episode followed by the movie, "Overcomer."  It was a refreshing night home together after a refreshing day out around the town.

Winter Survival Gear

Krista, Nolan and myself were gifted vehicle winter survival kits...and I am glad to have mine....but THIS is my favorite gift from Michael (so far). It has improved my winter comfort, and therefore disposition, immeasurably.

It's 20 oz. It's steel. It's double walled and guaranteed to keep drinks as "cold or as hot as scientifically possible."  My water stays cool all night.....and my tea?

My tea stayed hot Sunday all through church, lunch out, and was still warm when I got home hours later. Yes, this is truly winter survival at it's best for this tropical transplant.

This is my latest winter lesson learned.