Preparing for Sunday's Lunch

 Today is prep day! We are opening our home tomorrow to anyone from church who would like to come over for lunch...or anyone someone from church would like to invite for that matter.

We began by moving the exercise equipment to the girls room, furniture from the game room to the study, and the laundry table and card tables into the game room. THEN we put Dad's lifetime table upstairs, with our dining room table.

Arielle and Benny got caught up in the preparations. Benny was happy to help Krista "paint" glue on the completed puzzle of Portland, OR so it could be moved. 

I baked bread and made soups.

Stacia baked desserts - brownies and some yummy orange cookies dipped in chocolate.

We stopped for a tea break and Benny was thrilled to froth my chai for me.

All the soups are cooling off and heading for the downstairs fridge. I'll put them in crock pots in the morning and hopefully they'll be ready to go at lunch time. 

More to follow.

Winter Survival Tip #838

Yes, this windshield cover is worth its price. No more scraping the windshield in -0 weather.  No driving to town with 3 inches of viewing space (not that I would ever do that).

YES, I DO let it warm up for 15 min....but it was often NOT defrosted OR warm!  I just pull the cover off and throw it in the back....clear windshield.

If you don't store your car in a garage - heed THIS winter survival tip....BUY ONE OF THESE!

Buying Meat

I only buy meat when I can get it at 50% off or better....and then I stock up. This week I found boneless, skinless, fresh chicken breasts for $2.49 a lb. I canned 22 pints....and about 6 pints of red beans too.

It makes me happy to have canned chicken on the shelves. It's GREAT to whip up a chicken salad, add to green salads, or make Chicken divan, enchiladas, rice bowls, soups, etc... a life saver during our busy school year schedule.

Winter Bonfire

It's been a tad bit chilly for winter bonfires - but maybe it's warm enough to give it a shot. Hot chocolate and s'mores around the fire in the winter...priceless.

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.