Belated Gift & Fall Visit

 CoRielle stopped by with Stacia's birthday gift. Amazon doesn't always get it here on time.  They gave her a cake pop maker. She promptly made cake pops and donut holes...

It's always a treat when Cory can stop by with the guys.  Cory's busy, busy, busy this summer/fall. 

Benny is protecting his food from "Michael"

Benny has taken to calling Danny, "Michael" when he wants him to really listen or thinks he's done something wrong. It seems Arielle calls him "Daniel Michael" in some cases. ::snort:: Danny reached his goal....he wasn't so sure it was worth the effort. 

That's organic rind you're chewing on there! 

On my morning walk I couldn't help but notice the fireweed everywhere is blooming to the top and starting to go to seed. That means 6 weeks until the first snow...or so the old-timers say. 

Cocomelon Cake

 Stacia has taken cake requests before. This, however, was the first cake where she screwed up her courage to ask the going rates for specialty cakes. Given the cost of ingredients in Alaska and the amount of hours she puts into baking and decorating these cakes it's TIME she charge the going rates.  

When Yadira asked us if Stacia could make a Cocomelon cake, we had to google to figure out what a coco-melon cake would look like. LOL It was needed within a week so they settled on a fairly simple design. It takes TIME to get specail doo dads up here. LOL  Stacia baked the cakes, colored fondant and created a face and such....

Yeah, she was stressed. She was CHARGING for this one and it wasn't going to family.  I think it turned out darling. She's learned some things since then that she would do even better. 

Yadira requested a couple dozen cupcakes as well. Stacia was glad to have it all done and asked to deliver it the night before it was due.  She got $100 for all this. That is NOT all profit. She makes about $5 an hour for her time on the cakes. 

Michael and the girls headed across town to deliver the baked goods.  They were happy with them. 

BUT Stacia worried for weeks that the cake had fallen apart or something was wrong with them.  As I'm back posting this and it's REALLY December, I can share a day came when Yadira contacted her and asked her to make another birthday cake - the sewing/building cake.  Yadira said it was just what they wanted and TASTED good too. 

Go, Stacia! We are proud of your growing baking skills, we are most excited to see how chasing this dream is motivating you to go beyond your comfort zone...in skills, and in "people-ing". Way to go! 

Visiting Grands, Pouting Dog & Salmon Pie

 Grandpa and I paid a surprise visit to CoRielle. I love that we have family close enough to do this.  Dad loves to visit Benny and "the boy" (Danny), but his visits are usually short. LOL 

GG, Danny, Arielle, Benny 

Danny at 10 months

Benny LOVES this bear dressed as a dino
Score - Auntie CoCo

Arielle and Boys 

CoRielle have had covid - at least 3 of them, maybe 4. They missed CyRi's wedding and this is the first day they are deemed safe for us to visit.  After the hustle of the past week it was nice to simply be with sweet ones. 

We are training Millie to stay on her bed during meals and when I'm doing something in the kitchen that works better without 50 lbs of fluff underfoot. This is her sad, pitiful, mournful attitude when told to go to her bed. 

Then begins the edging over the side...until Stacia catches her and tells her to get back on her bed. ::snort:: 

Salmon Pot Pie for dinner. Stacia and I think it's a good use of salmon. Others were appalled to get a fork of salmon when expecting chicken. Note the cute fish Stacia put on top of this pie. 

For those who want to try Salmon Pot Pie, I simply sub salmon for chicken in this recipe. 

August Garden Update

 I've started clearing out the garden... there are still several things I'm hoping will produce if given a bit more time.  I'm hoping the Brussel Sprouts (left) will produce if I clear space around them and cut off some of the greenery. I've taken a lot of cabbage from this bed already but have a few left. 

Cauliflower is just making small heads

I don't have a lot of hope for the beets, but we can have some beet greens if nothing else. 

I'm turning this empty bed into a lasagna bed. I'm alternating layers of green with brown and will let it compost. The cabbage leaves provide a green layer. 

I alternated with straw and am ready for another green layer. 

Dash! This is a great rabbit! 

Some veggies for dinner and lunch tomorrow. 

We were late planting and it's rained a lot this year. I am not going to have a lot to preserve, but we're getting some to eat.  I never got a lot of the garden planted this year, but I feel good about doing what I could. I'll figure out how to balance the need to be with Grandpa and the need to be outside. I had thought he'd want to come out and sit in the sunshine, but he really didn't want to. I'll come up with new strategies to entice him outside next year. 

Random August Post/ First Day School Pictures

 A highlight of August was Walt, Dad's childhood friend, visiting. Walt, his wife, his daughter and her family came up. We enjoyed spending time with friends....

  

Cookie Dough Wars of 2021 

Organic anyone? LOL 

Millie chews incessantly on her foot. We've tried everything. The girls have taken to putting socks on her. 

The garden this year has had lots  of green - but very little produce. I was happy to begin to see something besides kale and radishes coming from the plot. 

There is one lone fireweed in my garden. I would like to encourage fireweed on our property, but didn't envision them in THIS spot....I'm going to see if I can harvest seed....and since this hasn't even bloomed to the top....maybe the termination dust on our mountain is dead wrong about the season. LOL 

Michael puts his college job experience to use. The windows are always so nice when he is done with them. 

 Bre sent this photo of Gideon (4)  and JoJo (9 months)

Late August marks the start of the school year up here. August 19th found school doors opening. Two of our daughters are schooling their kids at home this year. 

BreZaak's Bella, is 5 years old and in Kindergarten this year. They've joined a state accredited charter school - one option of homeschooling in Alaska. The family selects all their curriculum and submits quarterly work samples. In return, they receive an allotment to cover the secular portions of their curriculum and any activities which fit in with their student's ILP (Individual Learning Plan). 

    

Gideon is in Pre-school.  Since Bella is enrolled in a charter school, he is able to enroll as well. 

Benny (CoRielle's) is also in preschool. They do a lot of hands-on activities, library trips, books, books, books and he loves to cook. 

Stacia is beginning her junior year and here is a random photo I have. 

I do not have a random photo of Allie from the first day of school, but she hasn't stopped schooling since moving into our home. It is fitting for her "first day of school" picture to be completion certificate for either Biology or Pre-Alg; both completed this summer. Go, Allie! 

2021 State Fair

Today was THE opportunity to visit the 2021 Alaska State Fair. There wasn't a fair in 2020. We drove up just as Jamin drove up. CyRi met us there. Michel and Alyse stopped in too. They headed out early to catch their flight. 

Michael and De'Etta

Allie, Stacia and Livie

Carrie, Cy and Liv

Dad wasn't sure he wanted to go to the fair. We told him we WANTED him to come with us. We didn't insist on Hatcher's Pass yesterday as we knew he'd been up there with Walt and Judy last week.  We told him the wheelchair would be best due to all the walking. 

Livie and Cy had fun smashing into Jamin and Michel. 

I wonder if the boys were remembering bumper cars at Mr. Gatti's in San Angelo, TX. I was. 

Jamin certainly isn't afraid to be himself. LOL 

We looked at exhibits, watched a few demonstrations, played bumper cars and ATE. 

Yes, there ARE big vegetables grown in Alaska. They can't possibly TASTE very good, but they're big by George.  We happened in while they were weighing this mammoth squash. The winner was grown by Dale Marshall and weighed in at 1,603.5 lbs.  In looking over this article, I think this MAY be the winning pumpkin after all. 

We finally figured out fair food. One simply gets everything, takes a bite or two, and passes it on! It was the first time I've been to the fair, ate all the fair food, and wasn't overly satiated at the end of the day. This turkey leg wasn't shared. I think this was Jamin's. We did share candy, popcorn, funnel cake, licorice ropes and cookies.  We topped it all off with a milk shake from Soda Jerk. 

The last week has been busy, full, fun. We were content, tonight, to sit around the campfire and visit.  

It was a fun day shared with loved ones.